[Dragaera] States and violence (was Re: OT: Ray Bradbury)

[Davdi Silverrock]

On 7/23/07, Jerry Friedman wrote:
>
>
> There's also a tax on gambling houses (not always paid).  I guess
> that /could/ just be in Dragaera City and Adrilankha (that is, the
> County of Whitecrest?) and the licensing of brothels could just be
> in Adrilankha, but I doubt it.
>

It may be that some (all?) of the large cities have large, lavish
casinos; places where the wealthy come to gamble for whatever stakes
they wish.  Those places are no doubt taxed.

When the wealthy become less wealthy, they are probably steered to the
smaller places (especially Dzur - "You don't want anyone to know that
you no longer have the funds to support gambling for high-stakes,
right?  Well, I know someone who knows someone where you can bet lower
amounts - and no one there knows your name, and they won't blab
anyway.")

The big places are probably owned by upper-rank Jhereg; the bosses
several rungs up the ladder from Vlad.

The same probably goes for the prostitution - high-class places that
maybe use discreet euphemisms for the trade and the employees, cost as
much as 3 months average wages per night (or more), and which are
licensed.  And again, which are owned by upper-rank Jhereg.

Vlad, and other low-ranking Jhereg, no doubt can afford to run untaxed
and unlicensed gambling and prostitution precisely because they are
small and hidden; the bribes to the Phoenix Guard to leave them hidden
being less than the taxes and licensing fees.  Or so Vlad has always
indicated.