Neither a Borrower nor a Lender Be
by Mark Silverstein
Our old GM had long ago devised a rudimentary banking system fueled by magic enhanced ATM cards as a way around the problem of how rich adventurers can carry all of their gold. While not relevant to the adventure starter, the banking system was run by the dwarves. This has several appealing reasons:
1. As the main miners on the world, the dwarves control most of the precious metal supplies.
2. The dwarves are only too happy to hoard gold pieces while issuing credit chits.
3. Since most dwarves are lawful good, people will trust the integrity of dwarves' credit chits.
4. Since most evil beings will not trust the dwarves, it explains why the party never finds NPC ATM cards after defeating a hostile party.
5. Since dwarves are fierce warriors, bank robberies are not a big problem.
Anyway, I started thinking. All of these people keep giving gold to the banks, but we never see what the banks do with it. Since the party has recently been fairly cash poor, I considered that they might want a loan. Then I realized the implications of what might happen should they fail to repay. Rather than put the party on the wrong side of that scenario, I flipped it around.
The party was new in town, but had come in with a reputation. While staying at one of the better inns, they were approached by a neatly dressed man claiming to be the loan officer of the local bank. He wondered if they might be for hire. It seems that a local man had defrauded the bank by borrowing a large sum of money which he was now refusing to repay. (Depending upon the moral persuasion of your group, you need an explanation more than that a good hearted business venture merely went awry.) While the bank does have local collection agents, due to family or political connections, none wish to take on this particular debtor. Outsiders who are above these petty local concerns are needed. Will the party please either collect the amount due, or, failing that, execute the writ of foreclosure which the banker happens to have on him?
(Originally appeared in Re:Quests!, issue #36, February 1995, p. 23; Mary H Kelly, editor.)
Pat's Web Graphics
