Location The Mark

[Echelon]

The Mark To the East Street's far foul end, where even scoundrels fear to tread, there lies a relatively unassuming entrance, set within a much larger construct, a den of thieves no doubt. It has nothing but an open doorway that leads to some stairs. These stairs continue down into the bowels of Semele herself, ceasing only after a couple dozen feet. There are some that still recall a time when no building stood behind this doorway, but no mundane man can ever hope to forget the doorless gate or the rusted metal letters that spell out with simplicity the name "Mark" with bold empty spaces between. The Mark, as it is know to the locals, serves one very vital purpose to the people of East Street, and occasionally even the upstanding members of fair Zeltiva - it is the only establishment that quite openly operates as a loanshark's office. Few understand why such an establishment still operates despite the awareness of the authorities, however many speculate this fact attached to the only man that ever seems to service the clientele. If anyone was fool enough to dare venture down into the bowels of his underground domain, they would soon note the parchment ledgers from all along the ages waxed to the antique walls of a small office with only two doors, a testament to the "Mark's" ancient existence. Welcomed with a soft voice from a strangely pale man that operates behind a massive desk of finely finished wood, it is clear that once one enters strict etiquette dictates every motion there after. One will sit upon the chair across from the man and state their purpose with clarity and precision. The foreboding loanshark (though he finds such terms uncouth) respects himself well enough to deny business without such ceremonials. Once formalities close the man will greet them with nothing short of a comforting warmth of demeanor. This intimacy of distance, however, reveals the peculiar nature about the one the clientele borrows from. Bearing the nondescript name of "Mark," he possesses the unmistakable pallor of a fresh Nuit. If one remains despite this fact, they will be met with a series of simple yet undoubtedly uncomfortable questions. How much, for how long, why and if not? The agreement will be decided upon in detail, with punishment for disobedience clearly expounded upon. Of course, all of the above remains but a rumor, as people take to either deny having any contact with the man, or they are simply no more. Perhaps it is a part of the transaction, but no one who comes out of the room will speak about the 'man' downstairs. Name: Mark Race: Nuit Gender: Always A Nondescript Human Male Skills: Hypnotism 70 Intimidation 60 Shielding 55 Mathematics 55 Negotiation 40 Interrogation 25 Whoever meets the man and lives to remember him will know only the basics. Calm and without any major emotion shown, he will conduct business without bias. With centuries of accrued resources he will also conclude business without bias if his clientele lose interest in upholding their end of the deal. The 'borrowing' works as follows: A normal deal lasts 90 days and carries with it the interest of +15% of whatever it was you borrowed. Longer deals will have their interest raised by +1% for every 5 additional days, so few choose to extend their deadlines. There are no shorter deals. When deciding how much money to borrow to whom, Mark will often inquire about the client's particular set of skills, living relatives, influence within the city, current possessions, housing, current ledger, as well as employment (if any) and numerous predictable expenses. While unskilled people with no jobs, family, or housing will be able to borrow little in regards of money, one constant holds true for both them and any much richer counterpart - the nuit will never borrow you more than everything you have is worth combined. Even then, the prices of everything in your possession are rounded down not to what they're worth when you bought them, but to what he believes he could get when reselling them. The man might be kind enough to give you what he'd call "additional incentive" by providing information on your day to day life or immediate family without having asked first, simply to give you a general feel of having no escape against his mechanism. Further, Mark will never borrow to foreigners or any kind of creature that has traveling in mind in the short run. And in such light, you are required to have lived in Zeltiva for at least a year before he'll consider you as a candidate. Conversations with this loanshark can be long and infuriatingly boring, but he'll always get the job right. Interrupting him just once while concluding the deal might prove wrong for your fortunes, as he'll refuse to deal with immature idiots. It doesn't really matter to him how desperate or in a hurry you are, each contract takes time with consequences predetermined by both parties before the deal is concluded. Hypnotism may be at work here, as even while borrowing you money, he expects you to tell the truth in how much you're willing to lose should you fail to satisfy the debt. People can never be pushed into these choices after all, instead they are free to make them for themselves. Although, a smaller sacrifice equates to less money. Occasionally, the dealer might be in need of some special work being done and it is in such times that he'll borrow the money with largely different conditions. The loan will have to be repaid within the same 90 days as before, but should the party feel like it's impossible to repay with coin... well there's always another way out. You just need to do this one 'little' favor for him and you're out on your merry way while keeping the money. Finally, when doing business with the man, it's important to remember that smaller debts yield smaller sacrifice. As an example, if someone borrowed 80 Golden Mizas and didn't repay within the agreed upon time frame, they can expect to lose one of their limbs and any memory of previous dealings with Mark. Then you have another fool who would borrow 1000 without ever planning to return the money - it is fools like these that see their entire family tree wiped from face of Mizahar. Some even whisper of Mark wearing their bodies as proof of their treachery. All loans must be applied for with all conditions briefly outlined in this thread, approved, and added to your Storyteller Secret thread before loans are allowed. Credit to Valanir for this location.