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Guest
Guest
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<font color="#000080" face="Arial">It has been a busy week or so. My feet were aching from rushing here and there, gathering snippets of news, but I had just received word from my scribe that a famous... or perhaps infamous, member of our society was willing to submit to an interview. She had been most flustered, twittering on about his vampiric habits, and so forth. I had my doubts - she did have a tendency to see vampires behind every tree. Still, no harm in being cautious. So, dabbing some garlic about my boots, I secured my guide-beetle's harness to the railing outside the offices of the Ministry of Taxation, and found my way to the door. A young intern met me there, and, after some disagreements as to whether I needed to pay a door tax to get in, she grudgingly let me in.</font></p>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">I made my way into the Minister's office, and sat in the chair his intern had guided me to - after she'd thoroughly frisked me to ensure there were no unpaid taxes in my pockets. I glared in what I hoped was her direction, and complained bitterly.
Dagashi looked up from the paperwork on his desk as the man was ushered in by one of the Ministry’s Interns. The man was obviously not happy to be here. </font>
<font color="#663300">"</font><font color="#663300" face="MS Sans Serif">I assure thee, I owe no taxes! One has to have an income, in order to owe taxes! Any coinage that comes my way is donated to the guild of NEW, to enable our society to flourish!</font><font color="#663300">" </font>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">I then nervously tried to hide my backpack. Old habits die hard... sadly, old miners die easily. A cold silence came from the desk before me, so I thought I had best begin my interview. </font>
“<font color="#800000">The Intern is just doing her job Otto. As you are no doubt aware, there are many folk who do not feel the need to pay taxes and would gladly try to strike me down if given the opportunity. You appear harmless enough, but who knows what poisoned blades you may have hidden amongst your robes</font>”
<font color="#663300">"Hail, Minister Dagashi. My thanks for agreeing to this interview. Let us begin.
It seems that the people know a fair amount of Lord British's other aides, but the Minister of Taxation remains an enigma. Are ye willing to share a little of thy past with our readers? Ye are certainly not as the other vampires I have found walking this land... or is the talk of thy undead state simply to aid in the collection of taxes from those who might resist a human more willingly?" </font>
“<font color="#800000">A vampire? What makes you think I am a vampire? I do not drink the blood of others. I do not fear garlic nor running water. I enjoy the warmth of the sun’s rays on my face. I am certainly no vampire good sir. What you and many others see, is a man whose skin has paled over the years from too much time indoors.
The Ministry has been blessed in recent years with numerous outstanding Agents. As a result, I do not have to go out to chase evaders as much as I did in my youth. I spend more time indoors doing paperwork and as a result, my skin has paled. A vampire…?</font>” <font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi chuckled.</font>
</p>
<font color="#0000FF">"Hmm."</font> <font color="#000080" face="Arial">I thought.</font> <font color="#0000FF">"I need to have a word with that scribe!"</font> <font face="Arial" color="#000080">I had met enough vampires to know that there were none in this office, even though I could not see the hue of his skin.</font></p>
<font color="#663300">"Leading on from that, tell me, how came thee to thy current post as the Minister of Taxation?
Lord British must have thought very highly of thee - or did it take a while to work thy way up through the ranks? " </font>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi sighed </font>“<font color="#800000">That is a lengthy tale Otto. I will try not to bore you with too many details. I was born in the city of Trinsic just before the time of the Invasion. Both of my parents were killed when I was young and I was forced to fend for myself.
I led a troubled youth. With no parents to instill in me a sense of discipline and what was right or wrong, I was frequently at odds with the law. Eventually, they had had enough of me and told me to leave Trinsic or face the headman’s axe.
I made my way north to the capital of Britain where I had the good fortune to encounter the Lady Kira Lynn’Dannae of House Lynn’Dannae. Rather than return to a life of petty crimes, I took a chance and accepted her offer to join the House.
The following years were ones I am most fond of. I learned what it was like to have a family, to have my opinions listened to and respected. I was an important part of the House and did my best to help the citizens of Cove. Eventually though, I realized that Cove was but a small part of the realm. I longed to help more people and decided to make my way back to Britain.
Once there, I learned that Lord British was looking for people to help raise funds for various projects. I signed up and was assigned the task of property assessment. I spent the next few years looking through people’s possessions to ensure that they were not cheating on their tax claims. This was something not so different from what I did as a youth in trinsic. I became very proficient and as a result was promoted to not only lead the property assessment division of the government, but also the branch that collected the taxes. The Ministry of Taxation. "</font> </p>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">The aroma of garlic wafted up from my boots, and I tried to wave my robe inconspicuously towards the door, while mentally composing a lecture regarding vampires for my scribe.</font>
<font color="#663300">"Why taxation? Surely a man.. er.. vampire.. of thy talents has many options open to him - accumulating funds for a human seems an unlikely role. Yet, ye have fulfilled thy duty with enthusiasm for many a moon." "argh"</font><font face="Arial" color="#000080"> I thought..</font>. <font color="#663300">"confounded scribe! Now I have vampires on the brain!"</font>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">Dagashi frowned.</font> “<font color="#800000">I’ll remind you again, I am no vampire… As for why I chose to become a taxman. Firstly, it is a job that needs to be done and secondly it’s a job that if done properly helps countless thousands of citizens. I go to bed each night knowing that the taxes my Ministry has collected ensures a safe place for people to bank their valuables, a consistent way for them to travel and a force of guards to protect them. "</font>
<font color="#663300">"I have encountered several of thy agents, both past and present. An interesting group, to be certain. Do any names in thy time at the Ministry stand out?" </font>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">Dagashi chuckled </font>“<font color="#800000">An interesting group” Aye, that would be a good way to describe many of our Agents. Over the years, the Ministry has had at least a dozen Agents. All outstanding men and women. You must understand, the life of a Taxman is not an easy one. Despite our honest work, many citizens dislike us. We are often verbally and physically abused. It takes a special person to not react to the abuse and taunts.
Senior Agents Bey’lik and Nalfein T’Sarran have been with the Ministry for a number of years. They are our top 2 Agents when it comes to tracking down evaders. Agent Mogturman has also been a valuable member. He helps keep out members equipped and has always been great at deflecting aggression from the boss.
Alexi Skarwyn is one of the Ministry’s Interns. She uses everything at her disposal to try and convince folk to pay their taxes (and I do mean everything – but you know that I believe, don’t you Otto…?) Yancey D’Florio is another one of our newer recruits. At first I thought he was somewhat of a dandy and wouldn’t be cut out for a job like this, but he has proven himself to be competent.
The infamous thief Rico was an Agent for a short while. The drunken womanizer Contico. Dagashi sighed. So many fine Agents… "</font>
</p>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">I nodded. I had known many come and go from this land - friend and foe alike. For a land in which death was rarely final, it was strange that so many vanished, never to be seen again.</font></p> <p align="right">
</p>
<font color="#663300">"In all thy time in the Ministry, certain evaders must stand out above the herd. Of all the taxes that ye, or thy agents have collected, which would ye say was the most satisfying, and which took the greatest effort?" </font>
"<font color="#800000">The Ministry has a saying that goes like this. You may beat us to a pulp, you may take our ledgers, but in the end, we always get the taxes… There were 2 rather prominent evaders that used to taunt Ministry Agents all the time. Corwin of Amber was one and Rhaziel Khavid was the other. Time and time again we would try to collect the taxes they owed. Time and time again they would bloody our agents and walk away without paying a cent.
One day, a group of Agents finally collected from Corwin. We came across him and a friend of his in the solen holes. It was a long, drawn out fight and Corwin was outnumbered. He fought well but in the end, we laid him low and collected what he owed. Rhaziel was much the same. Agents finally caught up with him in the depths of despise. Once again, a lengthy battle ensued but in the end, the taxes were collected… (both of these collections are documented in the Ministry Ledgers). "</font>
<font color="#663300">"I have been informed that there is a new form of gateway in the midst of Yew's marketplaces - not formed as the others, but with the look of a mage's energy field about it. Is this one of Lord British's gates, and will ye be taxing those who use it?" </font>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">A brief look of bewilderment passed across the Minister’s eyes. </font>“<font color="#800000">A gateway you say? I have yet to be informed of any new moongates in the land. However, as I’m sure you are no doubt aware, things sometimes get caught up in … bureaucracy. If this new passage has been provided by Lord British you can be certain that I will be informed and taxes will be incurred by anyone who uses this gate.</font>”
<font color="#663300">"Ah. I believe it is a construct that is used by the pointy eared ones. Still, I will leave you and your agents to investigate it, or to await official orders. Still, while on the topic of pointy ears...there seems to be a burgeoning trade in, I shudder to say the words, ears. Severed ears. Both round and pointed. A shifty sounding man accosted me on my way here, and told me he had several hundred of the things beneath his cloak, and tried to get me to buy them! What are thy plans with regard to this black market trade? Or is this more of a matter for the guards?" </font>
“<font color="#800000">Ears? Who in their right mind would collect ears? What is happening to our once-great society? My understanding is that the trade in humanoid body parts is frowned upon by most civilized peoples. I do know that the Ministry has nothing to do with any taxes on ears or any other body parts.</font>” </p>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">I smiled, rather glad that ear taxes were not part of the law of the land!</font></p>
<font color="#663300">"On a more personal note - in order to lead agents such as thine, ye obviously command a great deal of respect. What is thy favored style of combat - or, if not combat, rather of downing one who displeases thee?" </font>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi sighed</font> “<font color="#800000">To be honest Otto, I was never a violent man. When I first began my career it involved assessing an individual’s property and collecting any taxes owed discreetly. Gradually though, I became easily recognized and many ruffians sought me out after being taxed. As a result, I had to learn to defend myself.
At first, I studied swordsmanship. Alas, my non-violent nature hampered my efforts and I began to coat my blades in toxins that, when applied, would slow an individual down enough for me to collect the taxes and make my escape. People eventually caught onto this tactics, so I taught myself a few simple cantrips that I use mostly to reflect any aggression directed at me back onto the instigator.
I am nowhere near a seasoned combatant, but I know enough little tricks to do my job and keep most folks on their toes</font>” <font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi said with a characteristic wink. </font>
<font color="#663300">"Lastly, there are a number of new arrivals in the land - many with pointy ears. They are probably, as yet, not aware of many of the workings of this land. Have ye any words for them?" </font>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">Dagashi nodded “</font><font color="#800000">Aye, I have heard of the new arrivals to our lands. I hope it is a good sign. On behalf of the Ministry, I would like to welcome them to the fair lands of Sosaria. I am sure they bring a vast store of knowledge with them that I hope they are willing to share in the hopes of improving the lot of every citizen in the realm. I would remind them that, we already have a great civilization in place, replete with many services. While I hope they make good use of these services (guards, healers, gates, moongate travel) I would like to let them know that they are not free. Any and all citizens must pay their share towards their upkeep and maintenance. When a Ministry Agent asks for taxes, I would suggest they turn them over peacefully, lest needless blood be spilt…</font>”
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">The smell from my garlic drenched boots was starting to fill the office... or perhaps I was just overly aware of it, more so with the remark of blood being spilt. I thought it best to bring this to a close. </font> </p>
<font color="#663300">"My thanks for thy time, and may thy gait ever be faster than that of the closest evaders!" </font> </p>
<font color="#663300">"unless I am the closest"</font> <font face="Arial" color="#000080">I thought to myself</font>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi nodded.</font> “<font color="#800000">I hope this is of use to you and any who may read it Otto. I wish you safe travels and good health</font>.”
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">The silence returned, and my nerves overcame me. I quickly cast a spell of invisibility, and fled the room! </font> </p> <p align="center">
</p>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">It has been a busy week or so. My feet were aching from rushing here and there, gathering snippets of news, but I had just received word from my scribe that a famous... or perhaps infamous, member of our society was willing to submit to an interview. She had been most flustered, twittering on about his vampiric habits, and so forth. I had my doubts - she did have a tendency to see vampires behind every tree. Still, no harm in being cautious. So, dabbing some garlic about my boots, I secured my guide-beetle's harness to the railing outside the offices of the Ministry of Taxation, and found my way to the door. A young intern met me there, and, after some disagreements as to whether I needed to pay a door tax to get in, she grudgingly let me in.</font></p>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">I made my way into the Minister's office, and sat in the chair his intern had guided me to - after she'd thoroughly frisked me to ensure there were no unpaid taxes in my pockets. I glared in what I hoped was her direction, and complained bitterly.
Dagashi looked up from the paperwork on his desk as the man was ushered in by one of the Ministry’s Interns. The man was obviously not happy to be here. </font>
<font color="#663300">"</font><font color="#663300" face="MS Sans Serif">I assure thee, I owe no taxes! One has to have an income, in order to owe taxes! Any coinage that comes my way is donated to the guild of NEW, to enable our society to flourish!</font><font color="#663300">" </font>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">I then nervously tried to hide my backpack. Old habits die hard... sadly, old miners die easily. A cold silence came from the desk before me, so I thought I had best begin my interview. </font>
“<font color="#800000">The Intern is just doing her job Otto. As you are no doubt aware, there are many folk who do not feel the need to pay taxes and would gladly try to strike me down if given the opportunity. You appear harmless enough, but who knows what poisoned blades you may have hidden amongst your robes</font>”
<font color="#663300">"Hail, Minister Dagashi. My thanks for agreeing to this interview. Let us begin.
It seems that the people know a fair amount of Lord British's other aides, but the Minister of Taxation remains an enigma. Are ye willing to share a little of thy past with our readers? Ye are certainly not as the other vampires I have found walking this land... or is the talk of thy undead state simply to aid in the collection of taxes from those who might resist a human more willingly?" </font>
“<font color="#800000">A vampire? What makes you think I am a vampire? I do not drink the blood of others. I do not fear garlic nor running water. I enjoy the warmth of the sun’s rays on my face. I am certainly no vampire good sir. What you and many others see, is a man whose skin has paled over the years from too much time indoors.
The Ministry has been blessed in recent years with numerous outstanding Agents. As a result, I do not have to go out to chase evaders as much as I did in my youth. I spend more time indoors doing paperwork and as a result, my skin has paled. A vampire…?</font>” <font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi chuckled.</font>
</p>
<font color="#0000FF">"Hmm."</font> <font color="#000080" face="Arial">I thought.</font> <font color="#0000FF">"I need to have a word with that scribe!"</font> <font face="Arial" color="#000080">I had met enough vampires to know that there were none in this office, even though I could not see the hue of his skin.</font></p>
<font color="#663300">"Leading on from that, tell me, how came thee to thy current post as the Minister of Taxation?
Lord British must have thought very highly of thee - or did it take a while to work thy way up through the ranks? " </font>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi sighed </font>“<font color="#800000">That is a lengthy tale Otto. I will try not to bore you with too many details. I was born in the city of Trinsic just before the time of the Invasion. Both of my parents were killed when I was young and I was forced to fend for myself.
I led a troubled youth. With no parents to instill in me a sense of discipline and what was right or wrong, I was frequently at odds with the law. Eventually, they had had enough of me and told me to leave Trinsic or face the headman’s axe.
I made my way north to the capital of Britain where I had the good fortune to encounter the Lady Kira Lynn’Dannae of House Lynn’Dannae. Rather than return to a life of petty crimes, I took a chance and accepted her offer to join the House.
The following years were ones I am most fond of. I learned what it was like to have a family, to have my opinions listened to and respected. I was an important part of the House and did my best to help the citizens of Cove. Eventually though, I realized that Cove was but a small part of the realm. I longed to help more people and decided to make my way back to Britain.
Once there, I learned that Lord British was looking for people to help raise funds for various projects. I signed up and was assigned the task of property assessment. I spent the next few years looking through people’s possessions to ensure that they were not cheating on their tax claims. This was something not so different from what I did as a youth in trinsic. I became very proficient and as a result was promoted to not only lead the property assessment division of the government, but also the branch that collected the taxes. The Ministry of Taxation. "</font> </p>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">The aroma of garlic wafted up from my boots, and I tried to wave my robe inconspicuously towards the door, while mentally composing a lecture regarding vampires for my scribe.</font>
<font color="#663300">"Why taxation? Surely a man.. er.. vampire.. of thy talents has many options open to him - accumulating funds for a human seems an unlikely role. Yet, ye have fulfilled thy duty with enthusiasm for many a moon." "argh"</font><font face="Arial" color="#000080"> I thought..</font>. <font color="#663300">"confounded scribe! Now I have vampires on the brain!"</font>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">Dagashi frowned.</font> “<font color="#800000">I’ll remind you again, I am no vampire… As for why I chose to become a taxman. Firstly, it is a job that needs to be done and secondly it’s a job that if done properly helps countless thousands of citizens. I go to bed each night knowing that the taxes my Ministry has collected ensures a safe place for people to bank their valuables, a consistent way for them to travel and a force of guards to protect them. "</font>
<font color="#663300">"I have encountered several of thy agents, both past and present. An interesting group, to be certain. Do any names in thy time at the Ministry stand out?" </font>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">Dagashi chuckled </font>“<font color="#800000">An interesting group” Aye, that would be a good way to describe many of our Agents. Over the years, the Ministry has had at least a dozen Agents. All outstanding men and women. You must understand, the life of a Taxman is not an easy one. Despite our honest work, many citizens dislike us. We are often verbally and physically abused. It takes a special person to not react to the abuse and taunts.
Senior Agents Bey’lik and Nalfein T’Sarran have been with the Ministry for a number of years. They are our top 2 Agents when it comes to tracking down evaders. Agent Mogturman has also been a valuable member. He helps keep out members equipped and has always been great at deflecting aggression from the boss.
Alexi Skarwyn is one of the Ministry’s Interns. She uses everything at her disposal to try and convince folk to pay their taxes (and I do mean everything – but you know that I believe, don’t you Otto…?) Yancey D’Florio is another one of our newer recruits. At first I thought he was somewhat of a dandy and wouldn’t be cut out for a job like this, but he has proven himself to be competent.
The infamous thief Rico was an Agent for a short while. The drunken womanizer Contico. Dagashi sighed. So many fine Agents… "</font>
</p>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">I nodded. I had known many come and go from this land - friend and foe alike. For a land in which death was rarely final, it was strange that so many vanished, never to be seen again.</font></p> <p align="right">
<font color="#663300">"In all thy time in the Ministry, certain evaders must stand out above the herd. Of all the taxes that ye, or thy agents have collected, which would ye say was the most satisfying, and which took the greatest effort?" </font>
"<font color="#800000">The Ministry has a saying that goes like this. You may beat us to a pulp, you may take our ledgers, but in the end, we always get the taxes… There were 2 rather prominent evaders that used to taunt Ministry Agents all the time. Corwin of Amber was one and Rhaziel Khavid was the other. Time and time again we would try to collect the taxes they owed. Time and time again they would bloody our agents and walk away without paying a cent.
One day, a group of Agents finally collected from Corwin. We came across him and a friend of his in the solen holes. It was a long, drawn out fight and Corwin was outnumbered. He fought well but in the end, we laid him low and collected what he owed. Rhaziel was much the same. Agents finally caught up with him in the depths of despise. Once again, a lengthy battle ensued but in the end, the taxes were collected… (both of these collections are documented in the Ministry Ledgers). "</font>
<font color="#663300">"I have been informed that there is a new form of gateway in the midst of Yew's marketplaces - not formed as the others, but with the look of a mage's energy field about it. Is this one of Lord British's gates, and will ye be taxing those who use it?" </font>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">A brief look of bewilderment passed across the Minister’s eyes. </font>“<font color="#800000">A gateway you say? I have yet to be informed of any new moongates in the land. However, as I’m sure you are no doubt aware, things sometimes get caught up in … bureaucracy. If this new passage has been provided by Lord British you can be certain that I will be informed and taxes will be incurred by anyone who uses this gate.</font>”
<font color="#663300">"Ah. I believe it is a construct that is used by the pointy eared ones. Still, I will leave you and your agents to investigate it, or to await official orders. Still, while on the topic of pointy ears...there seems to be a burgeoning trade in, I shudder to say the words, ears. Severed ears. Both round and pointed. A shifty sounding man accosted me on my way here, and told me he had several hundred of the things beneath his cloak, and tried to get me to buy them! What are thy plans with regard to this black market trade? Or is this more of a matter for the guards?" </font>
“<font color="#800000">Ears? Who in their right mind would collect ears? What is happening to our once-great society? My understanding is that the trade in humanoid body parts is frowned upon by most civilized peoples. I do know that the Ministry has nothing to do with any taxes on ears or any other body parts.</font>” </p>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">I smiled, rather glad that ear taxes were not part of the law of the land!</font></p>
<font color="#663300">"On a more personal note - in order to lead agents such as thine, ye obviously command a great deal of respect. What is thy favored style of combat - or, if not combat, rather of downing one who displeases thee?" </font>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi sighed</font> “<font color="#800000">To be honest Otto, I was never a violent man. When I first began my career it involved assessing an individual’s property and collecting any taxes owed discreetly. Gradually though, I became easily recognized and many ruffians sought me out after being taxed. As a result, I had to learn to defend myself.
At first, I studied swordsmanship. Alas, my non-violent nature hampered my efforts and I began to coat my blades in toxins that, when applied, would slow an individual down enough for me to collect the taxes and make my escape. People eventually caught onto this tactics, so I taught myself a few simple cantrips that I use mostly to reflect any aggression directed at me back onto the instigator.
I am nowhere near a seasoned combatant, but I know enough little tricks to do my job and keep most folks on their toes</font>” <font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi said with a characteristic wink. </font>
<font color="#663300">"Lastly, there are a number of new arrivals in the land - many with pointy ears. They are probably, as yet, not aware of many of the workings of this land. Have ye any words for them?" </font>
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">Dagashi nodded “</font><font color="#800000">Aye, I have heard of the new arrivals to our lands. I hope it is a good sign. On behalf of the Ministry, I would like to welcome them to the fair lands of Sosaria. I am sure they bring a vast store of knowledge with them that I hope they are willing to share in the hopes of improving the lot of every citizen in the realm. I would remind them that, we already have a great civilization in place, replete with many services. While I hope they make good use of these services (guards, healers, gates, moongate travel) I would like to let them know that they are not free. Any and all citizens must pay their share towards their upkeep and maintenance. When a Ministry Agent asks for taxes, I would suggest they turn them over peacefully, lest needless blood be spilt…</font>”
<font face="Arial" color="#000080">The smell from my garlic drenched boots was starting to fill the office... or perhaps I was just overly aware of it, more so with the remark of blood being spilt. I thought it best to bring this to a close. </font> </p>
<font color="#663300">"My thanks for thy time, and may thy gait ever be faster than that of the closest evaders!" </font> </p>
<font color="#663300">"unless I am the closest"</font> <font face="Arial" color="#000080">I thought to myself</font>
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">Dagashi nodded.</font> “<font color="#800000">I hope this is of use to you and any who may read it Otto. I wish you safe travels and good health</font>.”
<font color="#000080" face="Arial">The silence returned, and my nerves overcame me. I quickly cast a spell of invisibility, and fled the room! </font> </p> <p align="center">
