Lluïsa is habitually early. She works 16 hours a day and sleeps 8, the latter being a hard requirement of wizardry absent a lamentably expensive ring. Can the badger-lich be persuaded to part with such a ring. That's not particularly what's on her mind this morning but it has come up.

"Excuse me. Delegate Oriol." Wow this is an insane thing to ask. "You wouldn't happen to, uh, offer the service of helping people write up contracts, would you?"

"Yes. That is most of the work of my Profession. I offer Advice without Fee to" those who are both delegates of reasonably friendly alignment and clearly unable to pay "those of my Colleagues most in Need of it." Why is Korva Tallandria drafting a contract.

"I can pay. Not a lot, but, you know, a gold or so." Completely irrational to feel upset about one gold, it will more than pay for itself if the insane scheme works, which it won't, but -

"Another delegate wants to hire me for speech writing services. The contract she gave me is only one page long, but free delegate legal advice suggests that it could easily be interpreted to mean that I become indentured for the rest of my life if anyone ever reads my mind, which I would like to not happen. She said I could come back with my own contract and we could sign that instead, if it was reasonable, so I was wondering if you could - help me write one that doesn't do that."

What kind of insane person is worried about being debt-enslaved and goes to a lawyer over it.

"I will accept a Nominal Sum of a Silver Coin if you wish the assurance of an Engagement rather than Informal Advice, but it is Another Contract and one you cannot well ask me for Advice on." Really it'll be accounted for on her side either way and result in no meaningful amount of money changing hands either way.

"May I see the draft?"

Korva has no idea what the second part of that first sentence means, and is not going to ask. She could probably work it out if she spent another minute thinking about it. Really if you want to not be debt enslaved it seems like the sane thing to do is to never sign any contracts of any kind, but she has at this point thoroughly established her insanity credentials, and it seems like if Lluisa isn't the one who stands to gain from the hypothetical indenture then she at least has no obvious reason to want Korva enslaved? This is the thought process of a fool and she knows it, but.

She has Carlota's original contract and is willing to show it.

Hmm, and to indenture her you just leak a 100gp or so secret through her, simple enough and not surprising an inexperienced reader spotted it.

So the puzzle here is, how does one draft it the other way. An indemnity comes to mind, of course, worded right.

"And you wish... a largely similar Agreement, but with limits to your Personal Liability? Have you other desiderata you are uncertain how to Draft?"

"I don't see anything else wrong with it, which doesn't mean it isn't there. If you do, I'd certainly be grateful for you pointing it out. I guess I don't mind there being some penalty, as long as it's something I can pay, and there's some clarity about what reasonable precautions are."

Reasonable precautions involve very expensive memory modification, sepia snake sigils, and the like. Chelam can hire her own lawyers if she wants reasonable precautions.

"Have you any objections to, if Chelam purchases for you Protective Magic Items, wearing them regularly?" She's just an ordinary person and likely has few complaints about it clashing with her own preferred magic items. "You may likely agree not to Willfully Disclose, may also be willing to agree not to Negligently Disclose by means of e.g. leaving Unattended Notes about the Hall, and should not, I think, agree to take Precautions, but might agree to those Precautions purchased at Chelam's own Expense."

Can she sneakily oblige Chelam to buy mind blanks from Cotonnet, bankrupting her. It's worth a try, but Tallandria might object.

"Um - I guess the thing that I immediately worry about is whether that obliges me to wear something that has some additional negative magical effect. I am probably not worth that, but that is not really an assessment I want to be relying on when signing an employment contract. I'm willing not to willfully disclose things."

An understandable confusion.

"No, do not permit a Counterparty's Wizard to work Magic upon your Person; you would Purchase it yourself, with Chelam's funds, and time for Diligence. Unless perhaps the Counterparty is a Wizard and the Contract is for the Purchase of Magic to be cast upon your Person, I suppose."

"As to Venue for Disputes... I am sure you have Noticed, though not felt as Keenly as I, the Absence of Courts beside the Criminal; many are making use of Abadaran Arbitrators, if this is Acceptable?"

"Yeah, I think that's acceptable. Will the Abadarans accept it if it says there's a limit to how much money I can owe her for breaking it?"

"Have you a Figure in mind? Need you, necessarily, Owe; I do not know the Nuances of Chelam's Pride? And, is it intended that you represent that Chelam is your Patron?"

"I shall make a short Draft for your review." The amount of factors has not exceeded working memory, but it's good to get something down. She starts drafting.

"Well, I've got about thirty-five gold to my name, right now, so I guess not more than that. I'm not sure I fully understand what it means for her to be my patron. I think I like the clause about being afforded all the protections by law and custom that someone retained by a duchess can be expected to have, if that doesn't also imply a bunch of things that aren't protections at all, but I'm not going to claim that I know what's customary or that I'm remotely confident that custom is going to be helpful to me."

"Hm."

Draft, draft (pretty rapidly), with commentary.

This Retainer Agreement is made this __^th day of Sarenith in the year of holy Aroden 4714 between (Chelam) and (Tallandria).

The parties hereby agree as follows:

Engagement of Services

Chelam retains Tallandria (the "Engagement") for certain Advisory and Writing Services (the "Retained Services"), which are to comprise the following:

• providing Counsel on Matters related to the Constitutional Convention and the Governance of Cheliax, and on Other Matters at Tallandria's own Discretion,
• reviewing Proposals, Speeches, Committee Notes, and other Convention Business, and Advising on Improvements and Potential Misunderstandings to same,
• and otherwise Assisting in the Business of the Constitutional Convention, at Tallandria's own Discretion.

Scope of Retainer

Tallandria represents her Availability to Chelam for the Provision of the Retained Services, but this Agreement shall in no way Prevent or Restrict Tallandria from any other Activities or Employment outside the Engagement.

The Provision of Services shall be at Tallandria's sole Discretion.

Retainer and Expenses

Chelam shall pay to Tallandria, on each Day while this Agreement is in Effect, One Gold Piece as Retainer, to be Disbursed no less than Weekly.

Payment is not Contingent upon the Provision of Services under this Agreement, but is a Retainer to ensure Tallandria's Availability to Provide such Services.

If the Provision of the Retained Services would cause Tallandria to incur Additional Expenses, Chelam shall Pay or Reimburse such Expenses. If Tallandria claims such an Expense, she shall provide Documentation of such Expenses and how they arose from the Provision of the Retained Services.

Confidentiality

Except as Required by Law, Tallandria shall make a Reasonable Effort to neither Willfully nor Negligently Disclose any Confidential Information provided by Chelam in the course of the Engagement.

Chelam shall make Abundantly Clear which Information provided is considered Confidential.

Unless the Means to Foil Enchantment, Coercion, or Theft be provided for that Purpose at Chelam's Expense, Tallandria shall not be held to have Willfully or Negligently Disclosed any Information obtained from her by those Means. Moreover recognizing the Imperfection of such Measures, if such are Provided, their mere Employment shall be held to Meet or Exceed the Standard of Reasonable Effort.

Any Spells or Items provided for this Purpose shall be purchased by Tallandria, the costs paid by Chelam, allowing Tallandria a period of no less than One Week for necessary Diligence.

Representation of Retainer

Tallandria may Represent, while this agreement is in force, that she is Retained by Chelam, and is entitled to the Protection that conveys, by law and by custom.

This Representation shall not be construed to impose an Obligation, of Service or Otherwise, upon Tallandria.

Limitation of Liability

Tallandria's Liability under this Agreement, including but not limited to any Judgment of Breach, shall not exceed Five Gold Pieces.

Chelam shall Indemnify Tallandria against any Liabilities arising from this Agreement, whether towards Herself or a Third Party, which in Total exceed the aforesaid Sum.

Resolution of Disputes

The Parties shall, if a Dispute arises under this Agreement which they cannot Resolve, proceed by the Arbitration Services provided by a Bank of Abadar to Resolve the Dispute, with Chelam paying the Costs and Fees of such Arbitration.

Termination

The Parties may at any time without advance Notice terminate this Agreement, with no Penalties to either Party, by informing the Counterparty of said Termination.

This Agreement shall Continue in Force until such Termination.

On the Occasion of such Termination, Chelam shall within One Week pay any Funds yet Undisbursed to Tallandria.

The Sections on Limitation of Liability and Resolution of Disputes shall survive Termination.

In Witness Whereof, the Parties have set their Hands:

____________________	____________________
(Chelam)	(Tallandria)

"...yeah, okay, that looks good. Thank you."

"I shall copy it out with the Endless Litany of Titles, and more Proper Formatting..."

She's actually really great with the scrivening cantrip, and with writing edits in alongside it. It's objectively impressive! However, she doesn't know how to run two at once, though she's really sure it should somehow be possible. (Scaffolding it twice doesn't work, and it would probably not be worth it if it did.)

"Thank you." If this one is secretly horrible it will at least not be intentional on Chelam's part. Probably Chelam won't accept it, but she has two other offers of employment and doesn't have to care overmuch about that. "If I give you one gold, are we even?" She has no idea what legal services are worth, but it took, like, ten minutes, right?

"You need not. Though if you do, you will have Better Grounds to Sue Me, should my Drafting prove Poor, and may wish for that reason to Pay Regardless."

.....it's not really a very good way of not owing someone if the other person thinks you're doing it so you can sue them. She can't really just ask Lluïsa which she prefers, it's not like Lluïsa is going to tell her.

She doesn't want to owe Lluïsa anything, though, so she gives her a gold piece anyway. "I appreciate the drafting."

Really this is just giving her free money without an actual engagement letter, but it'll make Delegate Tallandria feel less like a lawyer is going to jump out from behind a lamppost demanding her soul.

Groundlessly, but whatever, Lluïsa is somehow under permanent archon supervision these days anyway.