Vlad was a new guy who is so out of the metagaming apsect he had no idea that the Colonial Police and the Imperials had a dispute until nighter told him (I've read the screenshots at the CP board). So no, I don't think its him.
If someone googles "Shartak" then this discussion should come up. It might be as simple as that.
In the meantime I've made the following announcement at the Shartak forum:
Quote:
The 1st Imperial Bank is pleased to advise that branches have now been opened in York (1NW of trader's hut) and Raktam (1SW of trader's hut). Deposit information is available at our homepage, and deposits are accepted by the branch manager at any time.
The value of making a deposit, of course, is that you will have money put away for a rainy day (for example, if down on your luck in Raktam you can always draw down on some cash you've deposited previously in Durham), and substantial deposits earn interest.
Loan applications should be made directly to the manager in each branch, or if the branch is closed, at our home page (see my signature) by creating a new thread.
We'd particularly like to do business with the South Shartak Trading Company or any other mercantile associations, by financing trading expeditions (driftwood especially seems to be in demand in Raktam at the moment). Our pirate personnel especially might be able to assist in facilitating trading first aid kits to the shipwreck.
A branch in Durham will open in the next day or so as soon as the Durham branch manager stops getting lost en route. We currently have no plans for branches in Dalpok, Wiksik or Derby but would be pleased to discuss branch openings with branch manager candidates in those locales.
These are Imperials safehouses, obviously, as well as banks. If you're in trouble, go there and wait and the branch managers will do their best to heal your arse or attack your attacker if you're being chased, or give you cash to buy first aid kits, or whatever (this is the same set up as the Knights Templar, as Phil has pointed out).
If you visit the branch offices in your travels, give them whatever gold coins you can spare so they'll be cashed up enough to help other Imperials when the time comes, as well as carry out commercial loans. Hideo Inakajimita is the guy for Durham and he'll be there soon. If someone wants to set up a branch in Derby that would be good, but we need to carefully record deposits and loans (which I'll be doing on a thread at my board).
With the Imperials now established as a bank, Serious Sam says the Order of Patriots and him have agreed with the Colonial Police to leave us alone. This was on the back of a threat that if the bank in York was attacked by him then we would report his actions to the Colonial Police and they would hunt him down and kill him for us.
Not a bad diplomatic coup if I do say so myself, to get the Colonial police to do our dirty work and get Sam and the Patriots to leave us be. So the pressure is off, but be discreet about who you kill (attacks on citizens of York for example and especially Colonial Police are not officially sanctioned by the Imperials - Prometheus you'll need to exercise restraint when you see Serious Sam - and if it counts, he has since seen me and left me alone) and remember to financially support the local banks/safehouses for times in need.
