Posted by Counselor Zweistein on July 04, 1999 at 06:09:49:

Last night I was walking the roads of Britain when a man in tears came towards me and cried:

"This is so terrible I can't grasp it. What shall I do, what, by all the virtues shall I do?"

I laid a hand on his shoulder and told him to come to the Cat's Lair tavern to tell me what happened and maybe give him some comfort. You don't see a man in tears that often. After sitting down for a mug of ale, he started his story:

"Just an hour ago I was going to make a big investment. I was finally to have my own home. Hard I have been working! I saved a lot of gold during the last months in order to be able to afford one of my very own. Being a smith is hard work, especially if you are not that skilled yet."

"I have asked for house prices at all architects I could find, but they just take so much money for their service. I considered myself lucky when I found someone offering to sell a deed to a house for a price far below the sum that architects take. This merchant suggested that we move to the bank where we could do the transaction."

"Did you ever consider that this man might not have been trustworthy?" I asked.

"Nay, I was just happy that I found such a good deal, so I followed him to the bank. We had agreed on a price of thirty thousand, and I started handing him the money when I saw he had the deed. My hands were shaking, as I finally was about to have my own house! Then, all of a sudden the man turned away and gave a wicked laugh! I was frozen in horror as I noticed my gold was gone and I didn't have the deed either!"

"I cursed and swore and begged to the man to return my gold, but it was all in vain as the man just fooled me. I was broken. All my hard earnings gone in a moment. What would I tell my wife?"

"Tis a sad story indeed" I told him "and you should have preferred the service of the architect, even if it was more expensive."

He said, still in tears: "Aye, I know now. I really learned my lesson never to trust strangers."

A nearby sitting warrior apparently had overheard the story and immediately offered to help with a considerable amount of gold. I was glad to see that some people still show compassion when it is needed most. The man's face already showed a small trace of smile as he thanked the warrior for his generosity.

If you are going to make a large investment, try to learn about the person who you are going to trust. Most often, they are just trying to play a trick on you and you would be advised to ask for references. There are honest people, but especially when it is about gold, they are rare.

Especially on houses, never buy a deed from another player. Why? They don't have a need to sell their deed because deeds can be refunded for full price at your local broker. Just look for one at your local Carpentry shop and ask him to "appraise" your deed. If you want to buy a placed house from another player, be very very careful. There are established organizations with references that specialize on house transfers.

Lastly, if a deal sounds too good to be true - it usually is. Use your common sense at all times.

Stay safe, and may the Eight Virtues guide you well,

-Counselor Zweistein, Europa

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