The Royal Artificery Society - IC

[Sønderjye]

Ronce's office

"Ah, Zacharias, thank you for coming so quickly, especially in these trying times."

"Of course, Mister Jupintas", Z replied with a bow. He didn't miss the implied threat, how the greedy merchant could make times very trying for his family if he didn't do as he was told. He looked down to hide his anger and fear but under the pretense of getting to taking a chair, and when he found himself sitting he had managed to conseal his emotions behind the polite mask he always wore when around the Ronce.

[...]"No, I just called you here to tell you that if you need any support, any support at all from the Jupitas trading house in your pursuit[...]

The phrasing about the meeting here being about supporting Z almost makes him laugh. No, the meeting was about excerting control, reminding Z that Ronce could end him with a work and to order him to work on a treatment for the diseases, all while letting him claim that he hadn't said any of those things under a zone of truth.

"Thank you sir", he replied after he thought the elder man was done enjoying his own voice. "I will focus my efforts immediately. I would in fact like to accept your generous support. I would also like to ask if you would be able to put me in contact with anyone who know more about the details of this disease and if you could recommend any collaborators in this indenture who could be trusted to maintain your exclusivity."

He waits for the reply and when that part of the conversation is over he asks: "I have an idea for a remedy that could be able to cure most of the infected though it is naturally untested and it might not work depending on the traits of the disease. As you know research can require investments and while price of course can be reduced with efficiency, I'm afraid the initial process of often costly."

"However," he continues quickly: "I have an idea that might allow you to mitigate those costs. Are you familiar with the material Targath? It is a particular kind of metal which touch grants wielders some protection against diseases and if it effecting against the Stormdrain disease as normal diseases I imagine an early investor could get quite a return over the next month. "

Spoiler: Targath

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Targath is a material from the Eberron Campaign Setting, pg 127. It's +3gp for ammunition made of it and the relevant part of the description is "Even a small amount of targath wornor carried on the body grants a character a +2 resistancebonus on Fortitude saves against disease." So a bullet from a necklace or similar should make people slightly less likely to get sick.