Minions of Precious, The

Introduction
The Minions of Precious is the name given by Precious to her business enterprise. She calls it thus because she employs a lot of people, most of them as crew for her merchant ships. The official name of the business is "Precious' Cargo". The legal front for the business is fully functioning and profitable, it is quite simply a merchant enterprise.

Legitimate Merchants
The main thrust of her business is to find and collect rare objects and transport them to their buyers. The tricky and clever part it that Precious carries other expensive cargo such as fabrics and lyrium and takes it to the same port the rare item or items are going. So she makes a lot of money on the rare smaller items and almost as much from the bulk expensive cargo.

As a lyrium merchant she is very new and her legal lyrium cargo is all sourced in Denerim. All her other cargo is sourced at various ports and some of it inland, though she has the help of land based merchants in bringing this merchandise to whatever harbour she needs it at. Precious had a dossier of contacts which she takes very good care of, using all her charm and business acumen to maintain excellent relationships.

Smugglers
Whenever the Minions' ships have light cargo they weigh down the ships with smuggled goods. These smuggling runs are long voyages and through dangerous territories (such at the Felicisima Armada waters and that of the Brotherhood in the Amaranthine Ocean). This part of the business is as old as the merchant side, and it is more profitable. The proceeds of this business tend to go towards the expansion of the business - now paying for lyrium and slaves.

Slavers
In 950 the first slave cargo was delivered to Minrathous. Like her merchant and smuggling business Precious hunts highly valued cargo (such as mages) and never fills her holds with many slaves, she fills her brig with precious slaves.

Since this is a new venture she is very careful and uses her most trusted Minions to hunt this cargo and only transports it via a specific ship - Andoral's Victory.

Structure of Minions
The Minions are split into those employees she has on land and those who are mostly at sea. The structure of each differ, for their methods and needs differ also.

Offshore

 * All her ships are fully crewed.
 * Her ships all have either a Windtalker or Waterweaver, Oceans Deceit has both.
 * Precious has an account/book keeper who travels with her everywhere. She also has bodyguards.

Onshore
The Network consists of;


 * Minion in each port. Each and every port. This may seem excessive but Precious is meticulous and likes to cover all her bases.
 * In Tevinter, Ferelden and the Free Marches she has;
 * A rogue - usually with assassin skills
 * A dwarf - a seemingly freelance merchant sponsored by Precious
 * A noble - always a customer who hires Precious personally. They pay her in favours.
 * At the ports of Minrathous, Llomerryn and Denerim she has a small militia.
 * In every country she has a Circle mage and Libertarian mage who she pays for information and as representatives to their respective factions.

Current Employees

 * Snorre Paug
 * Adoptables

Crew of the Flagship - Oceans Deceit
The roles on Oceans Deceit are similar to those on Felicisima Armada ships. For more information on the following positions please read the [Felicisima Armada] page. To inquire about open/unnamed positions or adoptables please PM Claire.


 * Captain - Technically it's Arìavin
 * Navigator - open
 * Mage - Vesara (water weaver) & Billy (windtalker)
 * Quartermaster (sometimes called the First Mate) - Urg
 * Boatswain - Glerg (plus his apprentice - a female kossith)
 * Cooper - open
 * Carpenter - open
 * Medic (sometimes a healing mage) - open
 * Musicians - open (Precious is very particular about those who play on her ship but those she likes get to rest on one day a week, but the other six days and nights, none without special favour)

Ocean's Deceit
The flagship of her small fleet is the largest of her merchant vessels. The Galleon class ship is not the largest of her fleet but it is a large ship because it is a merchant vessel. It is a multi-decked sailing ship and the lowering of the forecastle and elongation of the hull gives it an unprecedented level of stability in the water, and reduced wind resistance at the front, leading to a faster, more manoeuvrable vessel. Coupled with the Windtalker and Water Weaver she employs it makes the Deceit one of the fastest larger ships on Thedas' seas. It is powered entirely by sail and magic, carried on three masts with a lateen sail. The colours of Precious' Cargo banner is always aloft, the purple and black a well known sight in many popular ports.

Structure of the Deceit

 * Bridge deck - This deck area includes the helm and Precious' cabin and office.


 * Weather deck - Where the ship is exposed to the outside.


 * Berth deck - Where the hammocks of the crew are slung, it is also known as the "Tween Deck" since it is in between the main and lower deck.


 * Main Deck - The principal deck; the mess is here as are a few tiny cabins and some sleep areas for more crew.


 * Lower Deck - the deck immediately over the hold. The crews storage, for food, weapons, anything that is not cargo. The brig is also here.


 * Hold - primarily for cargo, also used for prisoners when the brig is full.

Ships Rules
Ocean's Deceit seems very unorthodox to your normal ship crew - mainly because it's (mostly) run by women. Most of the ordinary crew is male and with the ladies not really wearing very much (for practical reasons as well as show their dominance and lack of fear) there is need for a strict set of rules for the behaviour of the men aboard the flagship.


 * Touch a female crew member in a way she does not invite then the punishment is always a flogging first.


 * If a crew member defrauds the company to the value of a silver piece in plate, jewels, or money, marooning is their punishment.


 * If the robbery was only betwixt one another, then the guilty suffer the slitting the ears and nose and are set shore (though not in an uninhabited place, but somewhere, where they are sure to encounter hardships).


 * To desert the ship or their quarters in battle means that the crew member will be punished with death or marooning.


 * No striking one another on board. Those who do are set ashore at the first port.


 * Depending on how serious the infraction other punishments include; electrocution, decapitation, mutilation and keelhauling (amongst other ship based tortures).

Official Wages
Precious' wages are competitive in order to dissuade suspicion.


 * Every crew member has equal title to the fresh provisions, or strong liquors, at any time seized, and may use them at pleasure, unless a scarcity (not an uncommon thing among them) makes it necessary, for the good of all, to vote a retrenchment.
 * The basic wage for each non officer is 50 silvers (half a crown) a year.
 * The basic wage for Privateers (legal pirates) is 2 gold pieces a year.

Loot
The Captain and Quartermaster to receive two shares of any loot: the master, boatswain, and mages one share and a half, and other officers one and quarter.

Bonuses
Many things earn bonuses from Precious; some of which include;


 * bravery in battle
 * unmasking a traitor or thief or murder
 * accompanying Precious on dangerous tasks ashore

Contracts

 * Only the officers get contracts. These are negotiated on a case by case basis.
 * Contracts with non crew members such as assassins and thieves, guilds and groups are negotiated with Precious directly. Again, on a case by case basis, there is no set standard. All contracts are drawn up by a notary.

Friends

 * Merchant's Guild
 * Harbour Masters of Minrathous.
 * Carta

Foes

 * Felicisima Armada
 * The Brotherhood of Leviathan
 * Torgin Kader
 * The Merry Magister (technically only an enemy because merchandise that was stolen, they blame Precious for it going missing and have tasked her with retrieving it)

Base of Operations

 * Minrathous

Docks Owned

 * Llomerryn - has a mooring in the main dock
 * Kirkwall - has a mooring in the former Coterie docks
 * Denerim - has a mooring in the main dock and in the Alienage.

Docks Rented and with Business Premises

 * Personal premises in Denerim, Val Royeaux, Kirkwall, Cumberland, Llomerryn, Rialto Bay, Dairsmuid and Minrathous.
 * Premises include; whore houses, warehouses, offices, residences, taverns, inns, shops.
 * Val Royeaux - rented dock
 * Cumberland - rented dock

Brief History
The origins of this group are simple.

In 940 Precious obtained her first ship.

In 943 she then "won" three more ships. She crewed them all and set up her merchant business and never looked back.

Gradually the business as grown and she has engendered loyalty in her crews. All in all she has five ships, three large and two medium and she uses them all. They all smuggle goods and all have legitimate merchant papers and all make money for her. The key is maintaining her relationships with her business partners and clients.

For ten years the Minions of Precious have been in Thedosian docks and they are still a "small" merchant company, but a rich one. Some do not realise the wealth because it is hidden and tied up in property and bribes.

Two years ago it is believed the Precious tasked a single ship to stay in Tevinter waters.

In 951 the Company obtained docks and more properties in Kirkwall.