Oblivion:Roleplaying/Merchant

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This article provides one suggestion for character-type roleplaying. Please see the main Roleplaying article for contribution guidelines.

Merchants make a living by selling goods and are generally friendly to anybody to encourage a purchase.

• Race(s): Any race is fine as there are many merchants in Cyrodiil.
• Birthsign(s): The Steed is a good choice as you may want to travel fast. As for carrying your goods, you may want to be a Warrior for the strength bonus.
• Default classes that are obvious choices: Bard, Rogue, Agent
• Specialization(s): Stealth
• Attribute(s): Personality
• Skills: Mercantile, Speechcraft,
• Most merchants would want to have high dispositions with other various merchants.
• Equipment:
  • You may want to be a poor merchant or a wealthy merchant. Dress accordingly.
  • If you travel alot, Light Armor is reccomended.
  • You may want to advertise/display your goods by wearing them.
  • Carry around a shortsword to protect yourself. If a customer gets rowdy, you may need to use force.
• Dress in a manner beffiting your class, upper class jewellers are more likely to be found in upper class clothes, whilst weapons dealers and armourers are more likely to be found wearing armor.

Contents 1 Possible Activities 2 Variations 2.1 Store Owner 2.2 Blacksmith 2.3 Enchanter 2.4 Travelling Merchant

[edit] Possible Activities

• Buy lots of goods off of another merchant, then take them to another city and sell them for more.
  • As you will be travelling all over the province, it is advisable to invest in a horse, bear in mind however that horses are expensive. Let your horse be a symbol of your success as a merchant.
• You may want to collect your goods at a port such as the Waterfront in the Imperial City or the Anvil Docks.
• Help out other merchants with their troubles to ensure you have good contacts.
• You could be an evil merchant. Steal items from other merchants and people and then sell them to Fences to support an income.
• Invest in enchanted items. An item with a personality boost can be very helpful when trading.
• Carry a quill, inkwell and parchment with you at all times, customers may want receipts.
• Merchants can sell any manner of wears. You could be a clothier, tailor, weapons dealer, jeweller, alchemist, apothocary, bookseller, fur trader or even a black market dealer. Someone always wants something. It is your job to give it to them.
• 'Hire' a guard by getting a follower to follow you. You can tell him to wait inside the entrance of your store to ensure security.
• As a member of the Society of Concerned Merchants, you should investigate the low prices of The Copious Coinpurse. Thoronir is taking away business from you and your fellow merchants.
• Take over the Imperial Trading Company's offices in the Waterfront District. Have the Foreman; Damian Magius dealt with, perhaps a poisoned apple whilst he sleeps? Take his key and befriend the labourers in order to complete the hostile takeover. This is also a great place to store your wares.
• Purchase a higher class house: Rosethorn Hall in Skingrad or Aborwatch in Chorrol and establish The Merchants Guild, with yourself as Guildmaster.
• Buy items in one city, and sell them in another. Use the barter slider to simulate differing supply and demand from all the cities, such as if the city is a wealthy city like Skingrad or The Imperial City, or poor like in Leyawiin or Bravil. Also, items may be needed more in an area, such as fur in Bruma. Also, for extra realism, you may do the inverse occasionally and have a shopkkeper "rip you off" and you will lose money.

[edit] Variations

[edit] Store Owner

Store Owners are much like merchants but are less likely to travel.

• If you own a clothing shop, collect a few baskets, yarn and other crafting items, place them in your house and put some garments in your house. Use it as your store and go around selling clothing to local merchants. Enchant these items if you have the ability.
• Use the Adoring Fan as a 'customer' in your store.
• Come up with a catchy name for your store like 'Liquids of Life' or 'Garments of Grace'.
• To make this seem like a part of the game, buy any house and buy the furnishings that would make it look like a store. After this you can decorate it and use a mage apprentice or an Adoring Fan to guard it while you're out collecting more goods. Whenever you actually want to sell your loot, sell it in to nearby shop. For example, if your shop is on the Imperial City Waterfront, take it to the Three Brothers Trade Goods or sell it to Waterfront fences and customers.
• You could also hire an assassin to kill other shopkeepers. Get rid of the competition!
• For magic stores: use one of the mage apprentices as your 'apprentice' and teach him or her how to run a store.
• For realism assassinate Delos Fandas, the owner of the Feed Bag in the Imperial City Market District, and put your own items on the desk and shelves. Everyday a lot of Imperial City citizens will enter your shop, chat and eat food.

[edit] Blacksmith

Blacksmiths forge and repair items made of metal.

• Collect items like repair hammers, tongs and calipers and place them in your house.
• If you own Rosethorn Hall, the house next to you has a forge out the back you could use.
  • Place Bonemeal or Vampire Ash around the forge to make it look like ashes.
• Repair other peoples armour for money. Pretend they delivered it to your house with some money. Repair it then deliver it back to them with a receipt.
• Wear an apron or the apron you are rewarded with from A Brush with Death.
• Make your character rather dirty-looking.
• Be a nice blacksmith. If somebody is unarmed in a fight, drop a weapon below their feet and they will pick it up and use it.
• Supply a weapon/armor store's inventory by selling your products to them.
• Walk to all the weapon/armor shops and talk with your blacksmith buddies.
• In times of war (The Oblivion Crisis), supply soldiers camping at Bruma with weapons and armor.
• Blacksmiths aren't rich so don't buy fancy items. You can also duplicate items pretending you made them and sell them for gold. Good way to make a living.

[edit] Enchanter

Enchanters enchant weapons.

• Download a house mod with an altar of enchanting or gain access to the Arcane University.
• Kill Umbra and take her Sword. It is perfect for soul-harvesting to enchant your items.
• Buy weapons and enchant them with either Sigil Stones or filled Soul Gems. Then sell the enchanted weapon back for higher amount of gold.

[edit] Travelling Merchant

Travel around Cyrodiil selling your goods and wares. Hire a guard like the Battlehorn Castle Men-At-Arms and perhaps take on an apprentice merchant like the Adoring Fan. You could be wealthy or poor, buy your goods or scavenge for them. Stage an ambush by accidentally getting too close to bandits, resulting in your guard being killed so you have to drop your wares and flee.