Postal Service charrie viable?

New Players
#1

Hello!
While I won’t be able to attend an event for some time (obviously one just happened) I was looking to create a new character that carried messages and packages for a (small) fee from place to place. I know that traders are already established and that they sell goods but I was more thinking along the lines of a postal service than buying/selling things. Is this a something actually worth anything in game?

I would love to be able to work as a runner of goods and letters as I think that would be a really fun way to find/meet/interact with people and their stories while fitting with the broker Navarr character I had in mind. I just don’t know if anyone would actually use me as a postal service or if there were other, better, ways to get things from place to place already established.

#2

This something the Navarr are written into the setting to do, and I believe there are a number of Navarr who actively fill this role (and more who would probably do it if asked).

I’m aware of delivery services within other nations too - some that focus on very specific things (I believe there’s one that will collect food from caterers and bring it to you?) and some that will take almost any job.

I think the key skill involved is being able to find people. Speaking as someone who’s played a number of NPC roles that included “find Mx Example in $Nation”, even hat-wearers can be difficult to find within an hour of searching! If you’ve got the hard-skills to be good at knowing where to look for people and how to track them down, or are at least willing to spend time learning how to do this, you could get a quick and reliable service going.

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#3

It’s definitely viable - as @Emmanovi says above, others have done it. There are two different ways of approaching this that I’ve seen. One is going around asking if people need this kind of service, but then that’s reliant on people needing it when you’re there. The other is making sure that you are available whenever people need you, but this risks getting a bit boring for you as you’d need to be ideally in one place a lot of the time.

The best approach that I’ve seen seems to be start with the former to get known, then shift partly to the latter (but accept that you’re going to miss some unless you’re willing to sit around). Most important is to make yourself really recognisable - we had a guy in Varushka called Pigeon (who is on the forum somewhere) who ran deliveries and such, and had a large pigeon feather in his hat, which made him instantly memorable. Find something unique to identify you and you should be fine!

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#4

If you want to be a messenger, you could learn the autumn ritual of Call Winged Messenger and send mail magically. Best done with a team though to spread the mana cost. You could develop a book of as many people you can find and work out their “common residences” and full names so that you may send these messages to the receipts.

#5

Call Winged Messenger is most useful for communicating with NPCs - as stated on the ritual page, if sending to a PC it will probably arrive next event, so it is easier to just find them in the field! The good thing about the ritual though is that the magnitude is actually quite low (only 2), so if you have it mastered you only need to spend 1 mana.

#6

Yes - Viable.

Stuff needed: Bag, Decent boots, good memory, notebook.

Viable approach - Spend an event wandering, talking and taking notes. Be sure to remember names of the bigger groups in each nation, and it’s also worth memorising or sketching their logo/emblem.
Snaffle some camp-plans from the camp organisers (They are usually knocking about on here before events) which will give you a rough idea of where different groups are - Things do change on the day, but the plans are a decent guide (We all love you, Camp planners!).

You will NEVER remember the sames of all characters in a group, unless you are some sort of memory savant, but it’s worth noting 1 persons name and maybe some identifying characteristics of the group - Blue Flames guys in Brass Coast all have a light blue turban, which is uncommon enough to almost be unique, Guilded Horn Cartel in League are all velvety-red with gold trim and Cambion horns - That sort of thing.

The camps are usually roughly the same each event, which makes things a lot easier.
This is all a really nice way to meet people and get contacts. Find a decent Coven for each of the Realm Rituals, and make a note. Have a list of apothecaries who you know can do most potions, a decent priest of each way etc.
That way, you can expand into ‘I can deliver a message to a priest of Vigilance/Coven of Autumn/Apothacary who can make this Lore potion…’ and so on.

Get to know who the Generals and Senators are in each nation. They can be hard to track down, but if you know their immediate group you can promise the message gets to them.

Pricing!
It’ll be low to start until you get known, but do value your time. Have variable prices - If someone knows the Name, Group, Nation - Thats a LOT easier. If it’s just Name, Nation - That can be a pain and more can be charged. If you are using your knowledge of ‘A priest…’ that’s a slight premium as you are using your own acquired knowledge. A Senator, General or the Empress herself - a decent premium as they are always busy.
I wouldn’t know where to start with actual pricing though, I guess you’d need to value your time.

As you get bigger (as a group) and more well known, you can probably work it the same as a post office. Have a box in each nation and sell stamps. Recruit some of the academy kids to help you pick up mail through the day and drop it in the ‘Prime’ mailbox at your tent/HQ…And charge more for ‘Urgent’ where you’d send a runner immediately with just this one message

Damn, I could go on.
This is a fantastic idea, and there are lots of ways to pull it off. From a selfish perspective, it would save me a lot of effort too!
Any letters to that blue-haired Varushkan, feel free to lose. It’s probably smut anyway.
(Sorry Triskaaaa, Only messing…Or am I?)

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#7

Also, the background knowledge of what groups in certain nations can do is also worth its weight in crowns. Just by saying “Oh, Yea these guys can help you, [show map]. 5 rings please”

#8

Hey! I’ll have you know I pick all of my smut up myself by hand :wink:

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