Sighing heavily at hearing Daniel's questions, and looking at Samuel and Belle for a moment there Alexander turned his eyes to Asleod, and lastly to Daniel. Alex felt that he was being too loud already, but something about Daniel's points made him want to answer, although he did not know entirely what Asleod would say, but there were a few things on his mind at least.<br/><br/>"First of, and this is just my opinion, even if you have some sadists in the army and the guard, there are a lot more people who are working for the coin. If they aren't paid, they may work out of loyalty or fear a little longer, but if they dont get paid, the army and the guard get severely weakened, leaving the nobility vulnerable to continued attacks and thefts." He tapped his cheek at this thought.<br/><br/>"Second, we're not talking of a sudden rise of an army at the doorstep. If they cant pay, they can try and terrorise people but they are also dependant on those who serve them, but they too need to eat, need to sleep. They will want to avoid making a mess in their own backyard, and at least keep paying those they have hired. Magical enchantments can ensure loyalty for a while, but not indefinitely, and once they get onto that road, the people will remember, and eventually that treatment leaks out. Sooner if its helped out a little." He shrugged. "They dont have a clear target to attack. They are losing money, they are sure to put a stranglehold on crime where they can find it, but that means they have to come after us, and if they aren't paying their soldiers anymore, chances are a bribe may help us more than before, and a guard might just give up if they dont find anything, because they aren't getting paid already and yet still keep being bossed around by angry masters."<br/><br/>He then paused to look at the crowd, continuing. "Third, this terror would incite people to rebel, and more aggravated. They can kill on a whim? Fine, they will leave a whole courtyard full of corpses, but if their house is burning, and an angry mob is torching the place, nobody is selling them food but sieging them, they are not going to be having a very good time. Even with magic items, that takes a toll on the lifestyle that they are used to, correct me if I'm wrong here but I think the nobility would hate seeing themselves chased into a hole like that."<br/><br/>He began to look a bit tired at this point, but kept going, trying to answer with wha the thought on the matter. "Fourth, yes gold has to be spent, but to collect it they need guards, and tax collectors. Disturb the order enough, and they dont have the forces to protect those tax-collectors anymore. After that, its just two or three ambushes before the nobility realize they're being robbed -again- before they can even sneeze. Besides, I know at least a district's worth of people who wouldn't mind beating up their personal tax-collector if someone happened to oh say snatch a purse nearby misleading the guards away from the tax-collector for a while?" He smiled in a way that he thought was intimidating. Well, this man had no real training in that. He could bluff, he could chat diplomatically, but his 'intimidating' look was more funny, his supposedly 'evil smirk' looked more of a guy who had been drinking too much and was barely awake. Perhaps ruining a bit of the seriousness of his words. Shaking his head a bit and relaxing his expression back to the normal polite smile he then chuckled.<br/><br/>"Well, lastly, the magic that would let them come and go, and return for vengeance later? No magic is omnipotent. They may count their losses, and think of what they have lost. They may desire to come back for a second round. They might even win. The people have seen what they can do though, and I think that it would not take much for the people to decide to just cut those throats the next chance they got. Who is to say they return to a city ready for them to conquer again either? There are ways to fight against magic, and there are people with magic hiding from the nobility now. Give us a few months, and a few good teachers, and we have a few apprentices already, good at crafting little things that balance the odds, and trained fellows that can put those to good use. For all their hoarding of magic, the nobility has put their faith in it, but sometimes their weapons can be turned against them." He added a short pause and then shook his head. "Sometimes a sharp, long knife is more final than any spell, too."<br/><br/>He sighed heavily. "Its good to be concerned and think of the possibilities, but we have to accept that there are risks involved, yet there are possibilities, opportunities, and ways to counter actions that might arise in response to what we set out to do..."<br/><br/>Alexander grimaced, holding his throat and coughing a couple of times with his hand before his mouth, rubbing the throat with the other hand. "Damnit." He had spoken too much. He had stopped drinking and started giving a small 'speech' of his own ,and now his throat felt dry. "Uhm. A second." He waved for the bartender to bring a bit more ale, an apologetic smile on his face.