Rules How "Establishments" Work

[The Narrator]

"They say that the gods make the world go around, but we all know that it's actually gold that does that."

- Thenis Cutpurse - The Crowhood​

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The Outer Sanctum is a world of possibilities.

There are dragons to slay, people to save, schemes to enact, and villainous deeds to do. But, not everyone has the same goals. Sometimes, a person's greatest aspiration in life is not to save the world, it's to supply the swords that do. Some people cannot resist going out in search for adventure; but for others, keeping people well-fed is the noblest of deeds.

This is to say, that in a world of possibility, it is possible to run a business.

While players have the ability to reference and create locations for their stories—and this will not change. What this system does do is allow players to create and run their own establishments.

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What Kind of Business Do You Want?

The Outer Sanctum's rules for businesses are very similar to those of character creation.

Players can largely select whatever they want to do, but there are a few caveats. In the same way that your characters cannot be overpowered or break the world or spirit of the setting, a business cannot either. Your business needs to be the proportional size of a "Starting Business".

But, what does this look like in practice?

Spoiler: Starting Businesses

Thenis Cutpurse is an up-and-coming information broker.

While he has, through a little bit of murder and a lot of good fortune, been able to find himself in possession of valuable information, he needs a quiet place to be able to peddle the details.

He approaches X'uthen, the owner of the Dragon's Brew, and offers to cut him in for 25% of the fees—all he needs to do is to give him a quiet booth at the back to conduct business, make sure that no one bothers them, and turn a blind eye. X'uthen, ever the opportunist, asks for 50%. The two settle on 38% and Thenis, the first Crowhood, now has a place where he can be routinely found for business. He may not have impressive margins, and much of his gold will be spent getting more information to sell, but sometimes reputation matters more than gold.​

This is a sensible starting point for a business.

Because all businesses are different, those starting points will be different as well (but remain broadly up to the player to decide). If your character wishes to open a weapon store, they might start as a blacksmith and spend extra time at the story, making weapons they want to sell on the side. If your character aspires to open a tavern, you might need to seek out silent partners or save up while you learn the ins and outs of running that sort of establishment. Your character might even work at your family's established business and branch out from there. There are countless ways you can approach this.

Remember, your character has a fledgling business and you need to make it grow.

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The Establishment Prefix

As we explained in our guide, Adventure Tags (and What They Mean), the "Establishment" prefix indicates some form of business and is not a standard roleplaying story.

Establishment

Stories that occur with an "Establishment" prefix are a little different in that the thread is a "setting within a setting". This might be a food stand, a tailor's shop, or a tavern, but the location is a place where characters will enter and leave the story and there is not a specific story. The interactions, transient as they might be, come and go.

In this thread, you will be able to run your shop and interact with other players, NPCs, and characters of your own creation.

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How Do You Grow Your Business?

Growing your business is about growing your character. Roleplay with others, or do solo stories to indicate the ways in which your business grows. How might this be reflected in-game?

Your store might start carrying more product.
You might have learned new recipes.
You find a better vendor which allows you make more money for the same product.
And more.​

How you choose to do this is up to you, but because this is a roleplaying setting, these should be done in-world.

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A Larger Business

After you've put in the effort, written the stories, and feel like you've earned your business, it's time to make it a location.

A location and establishment are mechanically the same, but are narratively different.

Once you move from selling swords out of the back door of a blacksmith to opening a brick and mortar store, you can apply to have your business be canonized. A canonized business will be specifically acknowledged by the lore of the city to exist, and will be mentioned in a "Places of Note" section for the city. Players reading the city details will see your business there and will know that they can visit your store.

In order for your location to be canonized, you will need to reach out to The Narrator once you feel that this has been achieved. Please note, the Narrator may provide you with information about any missing steps if they see fit.

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Legendary Locations

You know these places.

Shops where heroes bought their wares. Taverns where legends drank and told tales of their adventures. The restaurants that spawned the greatest chefs in the Tethian Coast.

Locations that are so famous that it is impossible not to know of their existence.

A Legendary Location does not need to be a weapon shop, or a restaurant, or a clothing shop. Many types of locations can become a place of legend, but in order to do so, they need to be of great importance. Once a basic establishment has been canonized, it is then placed on the path towards becoming a Legendary Location.

Beware, this will not be easy​

Legendary Locations do not exist as threads in the Outer Sanctum forums—they become subforums. As subforums, many characters can tell stories at the same time.

Suppose that "The Tavern of the Flame" becomes a Legendary Location. It can now host multiple roleplays at the same time, and no longer requires direct interaction with the "owner" of the tavern. People can come in, participate in their own stories, and then leave.

Similar to Tethis, Khare, The Infinite Wilds, and Sha'Yogeth, the place that you have put blood, sweat, and tears into becomes a part of the world for all to see.

For a location to become a Legendary Location, it needs to be canonized first. Once it has been canonized, it needs to draw significant stories to itself before it can become a Legendary Location. There is no exact number of stories that needs to occur, but the location must have become a fixture in the city in which it is located. You cannot achieve this on your own—other players must assist in this endeavour by roleplaying their characters at that location. Players will be notified when their location has met the criteria.

Players cannot apply for this, there is no form.

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A General Note on Etiquette

Businesses are hard work.

And your business will not be successful "because you say so". It will be successful because you have demonstrated that you have put in the effort for it to be so. If it is difficult for your establishment to draw players, then you can fill in many of the roleplaying blanks yourself, and the Narrator may assist if requested. But just like a business doesn't grow overnight, neither will your business.

For a business to grow it needs the progression of a story. It needs time. It needs words. It needs roleplaying.

Please remember that the success of your business and it's canonization in the world should be considered "long-term goals". You will not have a canonized location in a week. You will not have a Legendary Location in a month.

These will be granted as rewards when the effort has been shown.

Good luck, and let your business flourish.