The Yorkman/How To Make A Fast Buck In Shartak
How to Make a Fast Buck in Shartak
We've all been there. After two weeks in the jungle you're three day's trek from York, you've got a broken machete, half a bottle of salt water, its dark, and you're wearing nothing but the pelt of the last monkey you killed. You need cash, and you need it fast.
Bullets, booze, and local herbs don't buy themselves, so to keep you in the lifestyle you've grown accustomed to, we've compiled a short list of tried and tested 'get rich quick' schemes. Most of the richest people on Shartak used one or more of these to get where they are, so now there's no longer any excuse to stay poor!
Sell Heavy Swords
This is the ultimate Get Rich Quick Scheme, the Holy Grail of the Shartakian adventurer and entrepreneur. Despite increased supply, the Heavy Sword is still rarer than the Man-Eating Parrot and sells for at least 350gc. The only problem is actually finding one...
Reward: Puts you instantly on the list of richest players.
Risk: Unknown.
Trading
All those goods at the Trader's Hut have to come from somewhere. Stock up on goods at your chosen resource hut, then sell them to the Trader for a nice profit. Your local will soon start paying a pittance for your precious stock, so trek from one town to another to keep prices high.
First-Aid Kits and Bullets are always in demand, although the high value of First-Aid Kits makes them the mainstay of most trader's inventories. If you can speak the lingo, visit the other faction's settlements with your local goods to charge a premium for their rarity. The natives love their GPS units, the pirates have no reliable source of healing items, and the southern coast always needs more dried herbs!
Reward: Around 75gc after a fully-loaded trade run.
Risk: Moderate to Low, depending upon banditry and the disposition of the locals.
Banditry
Why go to all the effort of trading when you can just rob other traders? Well, mainly because it's hard to do so profitably.
The nature of Shartak is such that most travellers, when apprehended and extorted, will simply ignore you and keep going, and you'll be powerless to stop them. And since extracting gold from corpses is currently impossible, most bandits find a new career in short order.
Reward: Low to None.
Risk: High. You wouldn't believe how many groups disagree with this sort of thing.
Bounty Hunting
People with money often want other people dead, and they're frequesntly prepared to pay for the privilege. Although some bounties are posted publically for anyone to claim, most go via the Mercenary's Guild, who ensure complete confidentiality for the client and typically pay 10gc for each hit.
Alternatively, the Order of Patriots offer bounties on a wide range of their enemies, such as pirates and, ironically, mercenaries. Most of these only apply to targets killed in the vicinity of York, but the Order have reputedly paid out on prominent pirate leaders slain in other areas of the island.
Reward: Medium; 10gc per hit is fairly standard.
Risk: High. Vengeful targets, angry clanmates, disapproving cops... You're not going to make many friends.
Raid Tombs
The ruins of Shartak hold many hidden treasures. Charms, Gems, and more are waiting to be unearthed. According to some rumours, these mysterious remains may even hold the fabled Heavy Sword.
Just watch out for those who feel such ruins are sacred and should be respected, and for the restless spirits of the ancient dead...
Reward: Medium, varies depending on what you find.
Risk: Medium to Low.
