The fellow known as Jon Chess entered the bottom floor of Jaina's Tower. He had arranged to meet the scholar-mage Aalondra, who acted as the secretary and aide de camp to the leader of the organization of the Phoenix Ascendant, the paladin Grand Warden Arcangela Irish. He was shown to where Aalondra was waiting.
"Master Chess! It is always good to see you," greeted Aalondra Aerryn. Aalodndra was a wizard from Stormwind, but her first love was not matters of the arcane so much as research. She was a relentless adherent in pushing the boundaries of knowledge; when Phaoexi Ascendant had made Theramore their base of operations, Jon had supervised the transfer of box after box of books and scrolls from their temporary home in Menethil Harbor to the tower. It had been a lot of work, but Jon had performed it with good grace; Aalondra had been the first member of Phoenix Ascendant he had met, and she had been quite embarrassed by Jon's forward manner. He had swiftly been charmed by her rampant curiosity and impressive intellect, although her unassuming lovely features had not gone unnoticed.
Chess smiled. "Always a pleasure, Miss Aerynn. Perhaps you have heard that Miss Irish has asked to take the logistics of our supply in-hand; apparently, we have had some difficulty in getting shipments of food and other supplies in an expeditious manner."
Aalondra sook her head and she stared at the tiled floor. "oh my... that can't be good" Aalondra looked up and smiled at Jon. "I can't think of anyone would be better for the job."
Chess smiled. "Your words are kind. If you would be so kind, might I impose on you for a list of our outstanding requisitioned orders, the vendors with which they are placed, and any shipping documents like bills of lading?" Jon thought for a second. "And please - never let me actually see the accounting ledgers."
Aalondra laughed "I will ensure those are kept safely with Arcangela."
"Speaking of security... do you have a strongbox?"
"...well, we have a box for important papers," admitted Aalondra.
"Good. Do not ever tell me where you keep it. And I think we should get you a very secure box; ask Griffonclaw to order a triple-tumbler dwarrow combination safe with a reticulating baffle plate. He will know from whom to purchase it." Jon, as a matter of diligence, always kept up on the latest mechanical inventions for engineering advances in the locksmithing field.
"I will do that," promised Aalondra.
"Good... lack of supply has crippled more campaigns than any other single matter, except disease... and we have a very good medical division. Oh, and as a start, I have something for you..." Jon reached down and rummaged through his pack until he brought forth a ceramic canister, handing it to Aalondra. "Blended Bean Brew, roasted in Booty Bay and ground into a fine powder by gnomes in Ironforge. I understand that you are partial to coffee?" Jon assumed, like most scholars, that Aalondra appreciated a hot, steaming mug of that black brew which allowed research far into the wee hours of the early morning.
Aalondra took possession of the ceramic jar as if was filled with gold. "Oh my word," she said, opening the seal and sniffing the contents. "this smells like home! Thank you, Jon, for your kindness."
"Well, I had been asked to obtain some for Miss Proudmoore... and it was a trivial matter to obtain a little more for our use."
"Jaina is the kindest of them all. I still cannot believe that she trusts me with her library. She personally thanked me when I discovered the weevil infestation last week. I smiled for days!"
"May I get you to sign this document", Jon asked, unrolling a scroll from a carved bone tube.
"Of course... she narrowed her eyes as she read the document, "what specifically does this do?"
"It grants me permission to make agreements to use certain merchants using letters of credit, and not hard currency," Jon explained. "Cash is so easily stolen, and letters of credit can be sent without early the risk. One should never trust merchants with something as untraceable as cash, after all... but the letters of credit will require Arcangela's signature if over five hundred gold. Never, ever trust me... always make me prove myself."
"I see," said Aalondra, who stepped over to her desk, and put pen to ink.
"Oh, and if anyone askes about the provenance of our supply, have them contact the offices of Universal Exports in Stormwind. If you get invoices from them, mark them as paid; they are copies for records, showing we paid for everything they have sent." Jon did his best to keep a smile from his face; Universal Exports was a trading company, well-funded by Trias Cheese for the transport and delivery of cheese shipment all across Azeroth. It was also the source of funds for covert activities, used for purchasing information from Horde informants, and other useful but untraceable operations.
it was also where Jon's accounts for his commissions on cheese went. Jon believed in the good that the Phoenix Ascendant did, and had no problem with diverting resources from his own personal accounts. Or the funds kept in the vaults of Shadowforge City. Or any number of other sources derived from criminal activity that Jon might appropriate.
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| Aalondra Aerynn |
Chess smiled. "Always a pleasure, Miss Aerynn. Perhaps you have heard that Miss Irish has asked to take the logistics of our supply in-hand; apparently, we have had some difficulty in getting shipments of food and other supplies in an expeditious manner."
Aalondra sook her head and she stared at the tiled floor. "oh my... that can't be good" Aalondra looked up and smiled at Jon. "I can't think of anyone would be better for the job."
Chess smiled. "Your words are kind. If you would be so kind, might I impose on you for a list of our outstanding requisitioned orders, the vendors with which they are placed, and any shipping documents like bills of lading?" Jon thought for a second. "And please - never let me actually see the accounting ledgers."
Aalondra laughed "I will ensure those are kept safely with Arcangela."
"Speaking of security... do you have a strongbox?"
"...well, we have a box for important papers," admitted Aalondra.
"Good. Do not ever tell me where you keep it. And I think we should get you a very secure box; ask Griffonclaw to order a triple-tumbler dwarrow combination safe with a reticulating baffle plate. He will know from whom to purchase it." Jon, as a matter of diligence, always kept up on the latest mechanical inventions for engineering advances in the locksmithing field.
"I will do that," promised Aalondra.
"Good... lack of supply has crippled more campaigns than any other single matter, except disease... and we have a very good medical division. Oh, and as a start, I have something for you..." Jon reached down and rummaged through his pack until he brought forth a ceramic canister, handing it to Aalondra. "Blended Bean Brew, roasted in Booty Bay and ground into a fine powder by gnomes in Ironforge. I understand that you are partial to coffee?" Jon assumed, like most scholars, that Aalondra appreciated a hot, steaming mug of that black brew which allowed research far into the wee hours of the early morning.
Aalondra took possession of the ceramic jar as if was filled with gold. "Oh my word," she said, opening the seal and sniffing the contents. "this smells like home! Thank you, Jon, for your kindness."
"Well, I had been asked to obtain some for Miss Proudmoore... and it was a trivial matter to obtain a little more for our use."
"Jaina is the kindest of them all. I still cannot believe that she trusts me with her library. She personally thanked me when I discovered the weevil infestation last week. I smiled for days!"
"May I get you to sign this document", Jon asked, unrolling a scroll from a carved bone tube.
"Of course... she narrowed her eyes as she read the document, "what specifically does this do?"
"It grants me permission to make agreements to use certain merchants using letters of credit, and not hard currency," Jon explained. "Cash is so easily stolen, and letters of credit can be sent without early the risk. One should never trust merchants with something as untraceable as cash, after all... but the letters of credit will require Arcangela's signature if over five hundred gold. Never, ever trust me... always make me prove myself."
"I see," said Aalondra, who stepped over to her desk, and put pen to ink.
"Oh, and if anyone askes about the provenance of our supply, have them contact the offices of Universal Exports in Stormwind. If you get invoices from them, mark them as paid; they are copies for records, showing we paid for everything they have sent." Jon did his best to keep a smile from his face; Universal Exports was a trading company, well-funded by Trias Cheese for the transport and delivery of cheese shipment all across Azeroth. It was also the source of funds for covert activities, used for purchasing information from Horde informants, and other useful but untraceable operations.
it was also where Jon's accounts for his commissions on cheese went. Jon believed in the good that the Phoenix Ascendant did, and had no problem with diverting resources from his own personal accounts. Or the funds kept in the vaults of Shadowforge City. Or any number of other sources derived from criminal activity that Jon might appropriate.
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