"If you want reliable maids, hit the slave market." The ragged woman suggested.
"Pardon?" Dominic asked.
"Ah, the ’debt contract sales’, Your Grace. You see, most of the refugees here have nothing but hungry families and outstanding debts. Every day, they hold sales, looking to raise funding in exchange for a worker’s debt contract.
Now, most of the buyers aren’t some Noble Lord looking for honest employees, if you catch my meaning. And with no real work, how long do you think it will take to pay off that debt?" She asked.
Dominic nodded. "I will send a message to the Capital. They will have to take action before it gets too out of hand. But what is your name, and do you have family here we will need to bring?"
"I am Tena, a widow from Kilksey Lake. My children are already grown and scattered to the winds." She replied.
"Alright. Lead the way, and you can help Pops and Liz pick out a few who look like they won’t cause drama. My wife is not forgiving of flirts, so don’t pick anyone whose blood we will have to wash out of the carpets the first week." Dominic warned.
Tena led them through the crowded streets past the market where the men must have gotten their supplies last night. There was a little bit of everything available, but the city was short on two essential factors.
Tena stopped at a large auction market, which was still set up for selling livestock, complete with straw on the ground. But instead of livestock, there were defeated looking refugees with signs gathered around the edge.
Each had a currency amount on it, and some had information about work skills on them.
Pops nodded when he found a middle-aged man with a slightly hunched back and thickly calloused hands. He was sitting on a toolbox, so he hadn’t lost everything yet.
But he was definitely desperate.
His sign said he was a carpenter, and was looking for five hundred silver coins.
That was a lot of money, years worth of wages for a working man, and Dominic wondered what sort of trouble the man had gotten himself into.
"Carpenter, is it? What’s your story? A gambler?" Dominic asked.
The man shook his head. "I served with Baron Khalid’s Militia, but the Barony was overrun by the time that we got home. My wife and daughters are here in town, working under debt contracts. I need the whole five hundred to buy them back."
Dominic considered whether it would be worth it to bring this man’s whole family with them. The price was high, but if the rest of the family was worth it, they might get reliable workers out of it.
"Let’s go see the debt holder for your family. I might be able to work something out." Dominic agreed.
The carpenter led them to a large building, and Dominic inwardly smiled. The debt holder was the Merchant’s Guild.
"Welcome sir. I’m sorry, but your subordinate is prohibited from this establishment. We can help you if he waits outside." The security guard greeted Dominic.
{Welcome, Lord Wavemates.} His hand gestures said.
"I understand. Many become emotional when they are in a tight position. I will ask him to wait at the door and not cause a scene." Dominic replied.
{I want to hire the carpenter, but he wishes to buy out his family’s contracts as a requirement to come to Wistover.} Dominic signed back.
"We should speak in private." The Guard agreed, then gestured for a manager to come over and meet them.
Pops placed a hand on the Carpenter’s shoulder, stopping him from coming in and making a scene.
Liz followed silently as Dominic left the room, while the others waited outside.
Nothing was said until they were in a private room, and then the manager turned and bowed to Dominic.
"I hear that you have earned yourself a new title, My Lord. Congratulations on your wedding." The manager began, then took a seat on one of the comfortable sofas and began to pour Rum into a pair of tumblers.
"News travels fast. Though, it would seem that I have been gaining titles left and right lately. Did you know that the Dagos Nobles have their own for me?"
The Merchant Guild Manager smiled. "The Butcher of Wistover. Ironic, considering that you are now also the Duke of Wistover. Are you actually intending to live there? Or just establish a household?
If that’s the case, I can recommend a Castellan to do the day to day management.
They are a Guild Member, but can be trusted to be loyal to a Wavemates Noble."
Dominic nodded. "I may take you up on that, but I have a more urgent need for a skilled carpenter, and I believe the one I found should have the skills."
The manager nodded. "He has the skills. Not the attitude, though."
{How did the debt get that large? Even if he had a whole family of beauties for the brothel, five hundred coins is a lot.} Dominic signed as the manager spoke.
{It’s one hundred plus penalties and damage to the property. If you agree to take the whole family away and never let them return, I will waive the penalties.}
Dominic sighed. "Troublesome workers are never truly desirable. But the whole village needs rebuilding, and that’s a lot of carpentry to keep him out of trouble."
{Tell me about the family.}
"The Castellan that I have in mind has been with the guild for thirty years as an accountant. He was once a branch manager, but chose to step back during a power struggle." The Manager replied.
{As you guessed, a wife and four beautiful daughters. They ruined their faces before they arrived here, but the servers in the executive lounge wear veils. None will be a blushing virgin bride, but we didn’t sell them to a brothel.}
Dominic nodded. "If he’s available, I would like to meet him. Even though I will be in residence at the manor, so having someone to do all the math for me will save many headaches.
I trust that if he wasn’t an honest accountant, he would be a dead accountant by now."
The Merchant Guild might not be a crime syndicate, but they weren’t known to tolerate traitors or thieves.