Riches at Your Feet by Otho Banks of Witfurrows RICHES AT YOUR FEET! being a treatise on the acquisition of wealth, by Otho Banks, merchant, of Witfurrows, Bree, Fornost, and the Havens; with a commentary on the works of Petrel the knight on this topic, and with substantial additions, based on the experience of the author, who had acquired a fortune of HUNDREDS OF GOLD PIECES before he had reached level 5, to use the common convention Chapter 1 - Autobiographical Introduction Chapter 2 - The Art of Scrounging Chapter 3 - Combat Chapter 4 - Trade Chapter 5 - Other Persons Chapter 1 - Autobiographical Introduction ========================================= Introduction This book is not entirely my own. Many years ago - many changes of the world ago, in fact - a young human warrior named 'Petrel' wrote an essay, which was posted on bulletin boards in inns throughout the known world. The title of this essay was, "How to Pay the Rent without Killing Hobbits." In these days, it will be hard to imagine why anyone would attack hobbits as a preliminary step to paying an innkeeper; as it is rare to find a hobbit with more than a silver piece about him. But historians tell us, that in our longfathers' days the Shirefolk were richer than at present, and that many would go about with two, or three, or four silver pieces. But these riches had a penalty, since, as the subjoined writings suggest, unscrupulous people were tempted to enter the Shire and kill our kind for our money! The more so, since, at the time, the Watch had not developed the sophisticated means of tracking and fighting which they use today. As you can imagine, we of the Shire-folk were most glad to see the writings of this defender! Subsequently times became harder, and we hobbits had less coin about us; which at the time seemed a curse, but which we now can see as a special blessing of the Valar, since, from the onset of our poverty, we have been more the most part left in peace by the average rogue. Adventurers in search of money began to hunt down that mysterious nation of smugglers, who seemingly haunt all parts of Middle-Earth, carrying on their mysterious trade. Petrel's writings fell into disuse, the pages becoming mildewed and buried under many other notes and articles. Many generations, then, after the article was written, I, a young hobbit, with little skill at combat or aptitude for adventure, but, if I may say so, a love of the written word, and (to say further) an aptitude for commerce, discovered Petrel's work. I was captivated by his words. I copied them out in my own hand. I studied them night and day, and began to put them into practice, with such improvements as the change in times had made advisable or necessary. I bent all my efforts toward proving, or disproving, Petrel's claims, and to studying the question of just how well an unadventurous and conventional hobbit might live, by following the principles of these writings. For at that time, if I may say so, I had no thought of EVER venturing east of Bree, or of learning how to use a sword or any weapon other than the bow (for the purposes of killing rabbits). And while other hobbits were seduced by the allure of a career in magic, I went my way exploring the possibilities of commerce. And such was my success - or, I should say, so true and applicable were the principles enunciated by Petrel so long ago - that my pockets filled with gold. Soon I had ten gold pieces - then twenty - then fifty. All this time, mind you, without begging for gold, or accepting it, from great legends, or, indeed, from anyone. During this time I was acquiring some combat experience, but more from the normal course of events in hunting for food, than by intention. Before I could defeat a starved wolf - before I was level 5, in conventional terms - I had a fortune of THREE HUNDRED GOLD PIECES, not counting some receipts for fine equipment which had come into my possession. During this time it was my experience, and not, if I may say, an undiverting one, to see experienced heroes of legend, battle-scarred veterans of the war, skilled in combat and feared by the enemy, but who had been bested in some encounter, had been stripped of their equipment and purses, and were apparently in utter ignorance of how to proceed in order to clothe and feed themselves! Naked and desperate, they begged for gold in the public squares of Fornost, of the Havens, of Bree. Indeed, it fell to me more than once to give, or loan, a stake to these legends, from the fortune which I had accumulated with my own meager forces. Not that every legend was so incapable of dealing with the challenges of poverty! There was a dwarf of my acquaintance, rash by nature, unlucky, and slow, who was killed more frequently than any being I have ever known. And yet he was also faster at reequipping than anyone, having had to (as he told me) develop a "routine" for re-equipping, by force of the frequency of his deaths. You would be standing in the Market Square in Fornost, when, hey presto! this worthy dwarf would appear, unclothed, unequipped, and in a sour mood. He would mutter a curse and dash off. A little while later, you would see him with a dagger; a little later, and he had used the dagger to obtain a longsword; slowly other articles of clothing and armour would appear upon his person, and, in a surprisingly short time, he would be decked out in the best armour Fornost had to offer, and was ready to dash off into the wild and get killed again. Meanwhile, other legends who had been begging before would still be begging. It is my conclusion, then, that the knowledge of acquiring money and possessions is a special body of learning, which is taught in no guild. I must say at the outset that I do not claim that one may learn to conjure gold out of nowhere in an instant. To apply these principles requires patience, effort, and, on occasion, nerve. In the long run, one acquires wealth by working for it; by being willing to search, or look, or carry, or wait, while other, less patient persons think only of glory and fighting. Yet, I hope I have proved in my own example, that, unless the way of things changes (as has happened before), there is no need for any person to accept penury as his lot, or to live hand to mouth, as they say, when he or she might live like one born to the purple. The rest of this work shall consist largely of Petrel's ancient work, with commentary by myself. Petrel wrote: "Some people say: "There is no way to survive and advance without killing hobbits, elves, old men, and other peaceful residents of Arda. Everyone has done it, or has received massive help from another character. "This view is mistaken. It is true, however, that there are temptations to commit evil deeds. As may be the case in other worlds, murder is often a shortcut to easy wealth. But it is not -necessary-. One may -choose- to live well, and still pay the rent. This may require patience and effort, but it is not impossible." As I wrote above, such temptations are less today than they were. "Some wild travelers' tales say that in other worlds gold and silver may be gotten by slaying wolves, foxes, or even stray dogs. Such tales still persist! Every so often one hears a young person ask how to 'sacrifice a corpse' to get money. There is no limit to the credulity of the young... "In our world, of course, evil creatures carrying significant cash (such as the mewlip) are dangerous targets for the low-level player. Until one reaches level 9, say, acquiring rent money will require patience and a familiarity with the art of scrounging items for sale." Apparently even the mewlip used to carry a treasure! I should say that, with the development of trade, possibilities for enrichment other than 'scrounging' in and of itself have improved. This does not negate the importance of scrounging, however. Chapter 2 - The Art of Scrounging ================================= The Art of Scrounging Petrel wrote: "Scrounging is the art of finding things - weaponry, armor, and other items - which you can either use yourself or sell. These items have several sources: a. Left lying around. With patience, all sorts of things can be found lying in plain sight in the streets and shops of Bree. I personally have found a forest green cloak in the Pet Shop, and a full metal shield on Main Street, and a longsword in the Mayor's office. This is still true. Many of these items are brought back into town by renowned warriors and left lying about in the squares for the use of less experienced fighters. Others are just abandoned by people who have gotten better equipment. Often, one finds a pile of equipment, including food, a backsword, a quiver full of arrows, and so forth - sad testimony that a young fighter has found life too demanding, or has fallen victim to those who declare that "your stats aren't good enough, you must abandon life." I emphasize here that one should begin with the attitude that nothing is so worthless, so heavy, that it should be left lying in the street by you! Pick up everything! Of course you will, with experience, learn that some things are of less profit than others. " b. Corpses, under the following headings: i. Player corpses. It is to your advantage to go exploring and find player corpses, although in my view you have a DEFINITE moral obligation announce the find by narrate and try to find the original owner. But after you have made a reasonable effort (three announcements over a 5-minute period?) without success, you have a claim on the property. The owner may have logged off in disgust. Even if you do find the owner, you may get a nice reward. ii. Other corpses. Property from Guards, Hobbits, Men, etc., who have been killed by orcs, trolls, and other miscreants, can be taken by you without guilt. Listen for news of orc and troll raids. If you use initative and are on the scene immediately after or during a large raid, you can collect lots of valuable weaponry from dead guards. The most money I have EVER had I obtained when two druids raided Bree, confining their attacks to the cityguards. (Hey, I was there, but I can't explain it :) ) Alert to the possibilities, I collected and sold about 12 gold worth of claymores and longswords. I remember one day there was a person sitting in BCS for quite some time calling out, "Someone give me a slashing weapon!!!" During this time, I found TWO dead cityguards on the main streets, complete with claymores, which he or anyone else could have found as easily as I. The corollary to this is: EXAMINE EVERY CORPSE. NEVER assume that someone else must have scavenged it first. Very often no one has. This advice is all still completely valid. I will only expand it a bit. Petrel is emphasizing corpses that are found in the streets of Bree or its immediate outskirts. However, if one has the nerve, one can go and find corpses where they have been left my more skilled and better armed fighters than yourself. For example, there is a haunt of smugglers in the Southfarthing of the Shire. Frequently it is cleaned out; just as frequently it is reoccupied. Perhaps one is less adept than the least of these smugglers; but if one has the nerve, one can at least examine the area and see if there are stilettoes, pipes, pipeweed, or shields to be found. The same applies to some of the areas near the Havens, infested with robbers and bandits; or to the lairs of ruffians and miscreants along the Fornost Road. I will expand this a bit more. Where Petrel wrote 'examine every corpse,' I would say, 'examine and butcher every corpse' (where it can be done). It is amazing the amount of wealth which can be found this way. Animals bearing valuable fur or hides, such as the lynx, the lion, or the fallow deer, are often left unbutchered. Furthermore, it is well known that the secretaries of all the towns pay a small bounty on wolf hides. Just think of all the dead wolves one sees unbutchered on the roads and in the downs - then, think of that many silver pieces! But there is more! If one can find someone with the art to tan and sew the wolf pelt into an item which can be worn, it can often be sold for a considerable sum! Of course, if one can kill the wolf oneself, all the better - but here I am assuming that you can't. Still, there are a GREAT MANY unbutchered wolf corpses, killed by some one with plenty of gold, or with little patience, or without the knowledge that there is profit to be had there. And YOU can benefit from this! To return to Petrel's catalogue: " c. Regenerating items. Some valuable items regularly appear at certain locations. Actually I only know of two, both near Bree, but if I knew other areas better I expect I'd know of more. A certain location near Bree is a regular source of a valuable piercing weapon, and when I drop by there I find one nearly 80% of the time. Am I the only one who has noticed this? Canoes appear regularly at the underground beach in the cave under the hill 4 n, 2 w of oer/gnway. They can be sold to the retired captain 1 e, 1 n of the Brandywine Bridge for about 8 silver per. It is SLOW GOING walking there carrying two canoes.. bring food.. but it's possible, because I've done it. (Better yet, learn RIDE as an early priority.) By taking the canoes, you will be inconveniencing the trolls who like to use them to hide on the Underground River. Trolls are less common in the Bree-land than in Petrel's time, thank the Valar! But the canoes are just as common. There are indeed more such places than Petrel knew of. For example, there are rumors of weapons hidden in the hills north of Scary by hobbits in the old times. There are tools to be found, discarded and abandoned in the fields and quarries of the Shire. Everything, even the apparently worthless broken pickaxe, has its market - or such must be your attitude. Chapter 3 - Combat ================== Combat Here we consider the situations under which a person with little experience or equipment can venture into the wild and obtain wealth by force of arms, without taking unreasonable risks. Petrel wrote, "There are two situations I know of in which low-level players can obtain valuable items by combat. a. Gorcrows. These scavenger birds eat anything, included the possessions and coins of unfortunates who die in the swamps. If you see one, slay it fast! Con it first, I've forgotten its exact level. The wooden wall shield I am carrying now, I found in the corpse of a gorcrow. By all accounts, the Midgewater must have been a truly terrible place in the old days!!! Of course, to any hobbit of normal temperament, it is a bone-chilling enough place today; but one does not find such troves of treasure out there now. I have never seen a gorcrow with anything valuable, so I cannot swear that this advice is still valid. On the other hand, I have not shot very many gorcrows, either. b. Mercenaries. These unpleasant creatures are always ready for a fight and have chosen to live by the sword. Therefore I believe it is not wrong to challenge them. However, the mercenary is NOT a citizen of Bree. Therefore, if a Cityguard notices the fight, he will interfere in your defense and kill the mercenary. It spoils the fun (although you can group the Cityguard), but you can get the mercenary's stiletto. This works even if you flee during the fight. Risks: the cityguards are sometimes a bit slow and may walk off without interfering. In that case, flee and go stand by a nearby cityguard (at a gate, say) or follow one. When the mercenary finds you, he will remember you and attack you, giving the guard another chance. This trick takes some nerve, I admit.. [Editor Note: While Petrel might have lived during less civilized times, times have changed and the Mercenaries have gained citizenship in most towns. Killing them in a town is likely to result in a very long jail sentence. ] I include this advice from Petrel, but with some misgivings, as it seems rather bloodthirsty to me, and unsporting, to attack a mercenary and hope that the guard force will side with oneself. Perhaps Petrel had a reason for his disdain for mercenaries; indeed, I seem to recall reading in old histories that they used to be completely useless, merely swaggering about the towns. Today, however, they can be useful companions, or at least so I have found in my experience. This is perhaps an opportunity to say a word about the uses of mercenaries, who are today a persecuted group, as it often falls out that you can hardly find one living these days, all having been slaughtered for their swords. If you give a mercenary 10 silver - which you have acquired in your travels by other means - he will follow you for a full day, assisting you against bandits, smugglers, and other enemies. The question, then, is whether you can obtain, from his services, more than the ten silver you have paid. I believe one usually can, depending on one's own ability. In the worst case - you have no abilities, and the mercenary must do all the work - you can still slay bandits, and - if you have a mind - the hobbit smugglers in the Shire. And probably those ruffians one finds around Fornost. Human smugglers will require more assistance from you. I never tried to hire two mercenaries at once, because the outlay of a whole gold piece put me off some; but I think two mercenaries could probably defeat a smuggler. Lastly, if one find that the venture has failed, and one companion is killed, one gets the ten silver back, plus his sword, although I feel rather callous saying so. Finally, let me add to Petrel's catalogue, under the letter 'c', the following report. In recent years, there has been an infestation of well-armed, but very weak, ruffians who have a secret hideout in the Black Forest north of Bree. If one were able to find their lair, even a weak warrior would be able to defeat one of their junior members. These ruffians are armed with shortswords and scimitars, which are not to be despised; but their skill is very poor. If one has brought along a mercenary, one is virtually assured of victory over the entire band, assuming one keeps one's wits about one (and does not get killed by an evil plant on the way there). Particularly if one is able to find their hidden treasures, this is a valuable resource for the young (or recently deceased) fighter. Chapter 4 - Trade ================= Trade Petrel wrote: " a. Getting the best price. I don't know about clothing, but the best price for weapons is paid at the weapon shop in Tookbank - MUCH better than the Bree Weaponsmith, who buys at about 20% of his selling price. In order that the Tookbank merchant may have enough money to trade with, I urge everyone to BUY their weapons there when they have to. However, this advice is no longer accurate! The Tookbank shop is now a quite inferior market for weaponry. The pricing strategies of the different smiths have changed from time to time, and one should not expect the following information to remain valid in perpetuity, but at the moment, the best prices are obtained (from best to worst) in: Tharbad, Bree, Fornost, the Elven towns, and Tookbank. Because of the secretive practices of the dwarves, I have had no opportunity to assess their shops. " b. "The store is closed." This is an OPPORTUNITY for you. People will come in, swear, and drop their weapons. If you have the patience to wait for day, you can be the one to sell them. Or if you need a weapon, this is the time to buy one cheap from someone in a hurry. " c. "The storekeeper is out of money." Very frustrating. Use patience. HIDE the stuff until later, then try to REVEAL it. (see the help files for those commands) No, don't hide them right there in the shop! Everyone searches there. Find some obscure place. Your chance of finding it later is maybe 60% per intervening reboot (a guess) - better than nothing. Also, this is another chance to buy weapons at superbargain prices, if you're sure you can wait until the storekeeper has more. This is still valid advice. In fact, I would expand it, to say that, not only should you not hide weapons in the shops, but you should positively search for weapons in the shops. Do not feel bad about finding someone's trove. Anyone with sense knows that hiding a weapon in the weapon shop is the same as giving it to the next comer, just as if it were left at the central square of the town, with the only exception being that the citizenry will not pick it up and walk off with it. Ekets, swords, knives, daggers, maces, and all manner of weaponry can be revealed in the weapon shops, particularly in Bree, Fornost, and Tookbank. Now we come to one of the great foundations of my own wealth, and I ask the reader to pay close attention! In these days, adventurers very commonly return to Bree to sell their weapons, with the result that the Bree smith runs out of money very quickly, and weapons are left literally lying about in large numbers. Petrel suggests hiding the weapons, but there are other ways to proceed. It is my experience that the weapon shops in the Havens, in the Harlond, and most especially in the Forlond, often have funds to purchase weaponry and armour, when the Bree merchants have run dry. To whom will they give their money? Why, to YOU, when you have contributed the effort of packing up every available weapon, shield, and jerkin, which cannot find a market in Bree, and of getting on your pony, and setting forth toward the Havens to sell them. There is a natural westward flow of weapons and armour from Bree to the Havens. If the Harlond shop has already run short of funds, do not be afraid to try the Forlond - especially if you be a young adventurer (level 5 or less), as Daegil gives leave to such to ride the ferry without cost. Now one is in the Havens and has sold every piece of weaponry, every stiletto and shovel and small wooden shield that one has obtained in Bree or found along the way. What does one do now? One takes the opportunity to INCREASE one's funds by trading in HERBS AND SPICES. I do not know if it is well known, but it should be, that those herbs which one buys in the Havens, if they are purchased by the Bree herbalist, bring a return of a silver and twenty copper on the silver; if one goes to Fornost, a silver and thirty copper; if one goes to Rivendell (which I do NOT suggest to the inexperienced), a silver and forty. Naturally one goes to Fornost by preference. When one has completed this circuit, bringing weaponry west, and herbs east, one has greatly increased one's wealth, at little risk to oneself barring those risks which face anyone traveling on the Fornost Road. I should say that one obtains the maximum benefits of trade, that is, the best price from merchants, when one is a citizen of the town where one sells. It is therefore my advice, that, as soon as possible, while one is still "level one", in fact, one should make it one's first business to scrape together a gold to become a citizen of Bree, and then another gold to become a citizen of Fornost, before one does another thing which might make one a better fighter (but which would make citizenship more expensive). And one should not hesitate to ask about citizenship in the Havens either. All these I did. If one asks where I got the two gold for Bree and Fornost citizenship, I can only say that I applied the principles previously discussed here. This section may also be the place to mention that special advantage which falls to the lot of dwarves; that is, the ability to obtain wealth by mining. For while everyone might mine, given the presence of ore, only dwarves can take the ore and sell it to the dwarven smelter in their home caves; or so it is at this writing. Indeed, I am assured that an inexperienced dwarf can find a pick, set to work, and acquire wealth limited only by his patience, and armour and equipment limited only by the stocks of the dwarven smiths. Dwarves are also privileged to purchase ingots of iron, which they may sell at such weaponsmiths as have money to purchase them. Of course I have not done this myself, but so I am told. Chapter 5 - Other Persons ========================= Petrel wrote, "I think low-level players should be given more opportunities to earn money by doing services for middle- and high-level players. Try to be creative yourself. When you learn RIDE well, you will be in a position to go round up a horse. Right now I can find a free horse near Bree about 80% of time. But suppose more low-levels knew RIDE? Suppose they snapped up the horses as soon as they regenerated? And suppose I couldn't find a horse, and you told me, "You can have MINE for 5 silver"? I would probably pay it. More if I were in a hurry." [Yavanna adds: Be careful when getting "creative", as Petrel puts it. Whatever you do, you must always be sure that you are following all of the rules. Do not be tempted to become involved in anything that might be considered banking (see RULES BANKING), for example.] I loaned money out at interest to the recently deceased. Reception of these ideas was mixed. Some flatly disapproved of borrowing money and paying interest. On the other hand, those who engaged in these arrange- ments were satisfied with them, having gotten, easily and as a matter of business, a stake which they could not have gotten otherwise. Petrel wrote, " In general you should try to get your own money and exhibit self- reliance. But you won't always be lucky, and will sometimes have to turn to other players for help. I never did have to do this, but I can see that it might have been possible - if by some mischance I had had to rent immediately, having on hand no coin, but only other possessions, for example. "Please remember though that nobody is OBLIGED to help you. Your own life is YOUR responsibility, not anyone else's. If nobody answers, there could be many reasons for that. The orcs may have stolen all OUR money. Or we may have given money to five other needy people in the last day. Or we may be at the other end of the earth, hunting orcs, fighting spirits, etc. etc. a. Friendships with higher-level players. Actually there are about fifty reasons to get to know higher-level players, only one of which is that they will help you out with money if you need it and the orcs haven't taken theirs. These relationships should not be established on the basis of your need for money. You should ask for information and advice anyway. If you narrate "Is there an experienced [class] who has a minute free to give me some advice?", you will probably get some response. You may be offered money without asking; at least you may get valuable ideas! Here as elsewhere, if you come off as a mere beggar or con artist, people will feel harassed by you. But if you are sincere and approach people on the basis of mutual respect, you may establish a friendship which is beyond price. b. Outright begging. This should be your last resort, but there is a time for it: orcs have killed you and taken your gold, you have retrieved your stuff, your rent is 5 silver, you don't have a cent, and you have to log off in 5 minutes. Well, explain your predicament. Narrate "Excuse me: orcs took my purse and I really need 5 silver for rent." I think you'll almost certainly get it. But be specific and reasonable about what you want. Don't ask for two gold or a free longsword. And don't scream in an undignified way, full of exclamation points and shift lock, spamming the narrate with "HELP A NEWBIE!!!!! PLEEEEEZE!!!!" Nobody will react positively to this. Or to insults like, "Isn't anyone friendly?? Thanks a lot! NOT! This MUD sux!!" and so forth. Some people will say, "All that sounds like a lot of work. Killing hobbits is much easier." This is probably true. But if one wanted everything easy, why would one live in Arda at all? There are easier worlds, I've heard. Persons who take the life of crime are creating themselves as a certain type of character, as they are free to do. But then the rest of us will act towards them as our characters dictate. Persons who act lawfully, despite the obstacles, will be able to call for assistance on myself and many others in Arda, and that assistance will be freely given to the limits of our abilities." To all this advice I also subscribe. Let me also say, that, although boldness is unusual in a hobbit, and has not come naturally to me, there is a certain security which comes from the knowledge that, should the wealth and equipment which one has gathered through valor and patience be stripped away in a moment, through misfortune, it is possible to set out, starting with nothing but one's own experience, nerve, and willingness to apply oneself, and recoup them. This knowledge has made me bolder, I know, and has helped me through many a tight spot. I hope it will bring a similar state of mind to you, the reader, to know that, should misfortune turn its hand against you, you need only look to the RICHES AT YOUR FEET.