The dilemma. The Tal clan of the steppe offers to share its grazing grounds and remounts with your caravans, in exchange for iron at a fair price. Every house in Aldheim says the clans cannot be trusted, and the court frowns on the idea.
From the gameThe painting on this decision card in Valmora.
What would you do?
Play itDecision 1 of 1
Dilemma
A Partnership with the Horse Clans
The Tal clan of the steppe offers to share its grazing grounds and remounts with your caravans, in exchange for iron at a fair price. Every house in Aldheim says the clans cannot be trusted, and the court frowns on the idea.
If the roll succeedsClan riders now meet your wagons at every ford. Nobody robs a caravan the Tal call kin.If it failsA rival clan raids the Tal that winter and your iron goes to war. The court says it warned you.
What happenedThe court approves. The Tal ride away and do not offer again.
What happenedSilence is an answer too. The clans take it as an insult.
No right answer.
In the game the roll is d20 plus your adviser’s skill. Here the bonus is a flat +2.
The options and what happens
Seal the pact by the clan's custom (600 cr in iron).Bold · decided by a d20 roll against 13
Succeeds: Clan riders now meet your wagons at every ford. Nobody robs a caravan the Tal call kin.
Fails: A rival clan raids the Tal that winter and your iron goes to war. The court says it warned you.
Refuse, and tell the court you refused.Certain outcome
The court approves. The Tal ride away and do not offer again.
Leave the offer unanswered.Certain outcome
Silence is an answer too. The clans take it as an insult.
About this card
This is one of 8 hand-written dilemmas set in Valmora (Year 412 of the Lantern Calendar), one of three ages in Be a CEO, a business strategy game where you run a trading house. Each dilemma has one bold option, decided by dice, and safer options with certain outcomes. The text above is the card exactly as it appears in the game, with the amounts it showed on the first day of a new game.
Questions
What are the options in “A Partnership with the Horse Clans”?
There are three: “Seal the pact by the clan's custom (600 cr in iron)”; “Refuse, and tell the court you refused”; “Leave the offer unanswered”. The first is the bold option: the game rolls a d20 plus your adviser’s skill against 13. The other two have certain outcomes.
What happens if the bold choice fails?
A rival clan raids the Tal that winter and your iron goes to war. The court says it warned you.
What happens if the bold choice succeeds?
Clan riders now meet your wagons at every ford. Nobody robs a caravan the Tal call kin.
More Valmora dilemmas
Nobody Uses Swallow PassAn old shepherd swears that Swallow Pass, abandoned since a rockfall in his grandfather's day, is open again.
The Crown Asks for a War LoanThe Crown wants every great house to lend money for a border war against the Marrow Lords, at no interest and with no date of return.
A Caravan from the Fever CountryA steppe caravan has arrived at Aldheim's east gate from lands where the sweating fever is spreading.
Bandits Who Want to Be GuardsSix men who robbed the Stonebreak road for years have walked into your yard, laid down their knives and asked for work as caravan guards.
Written by the Mantar Tech team from the game’s own data and text. Be a CEO is in closed alpha, so numbers and cards can change. About the art: much of it was made with AI tools and then selected and edited by hand.
