a long time ago in a land far away
Wixxo Jinglepocket looked down at the busy street below him from his boardroom in Kezan and smiled to himself. Everything was going exactly how he’d planned it, and within the hour the Kaja trade would be his. His only real competition to the kaja mining industry, Alister Swiftsilver had finally croaked, and his ditzy heiress daughter had no interest in the mining business. It was all too easy to talk her into signing the papers handing over the keys to the Swiftsilver Mining Company to him. Now, all that was left was to get the bosses of the smaller companies to sign off giving him a majority stake in the conglomerate.
As if on cue there was a knock on the boardroom door, and the other bosses began filing in. After a few minutes of handshakes and greetings, the goblins took their places around the table and the room grew quiet as Wixxo began to speak.
“Gentlemen, I’ve called you here today to allow you in on the ground floor of the opportunity of a lifetime. The Jinglepocket Company has acquired the Swiftsilver company as of this morning, and in doing so has become the single largest mining operation on Kezan!”
The other companies’ bosses began murmering to themselves in alarm, knowing that their smaller companies could never compete with the newly forged kaja dynasty. “Not to worry, my friends” Wixxo chuckled, enjoying his moment of triumph, “There’s a piece of the pie left for each of you, assuming you play your cards right. I’m offering each of you a stake in the company if you join us now. You’ll have stock options, retirement plans, and a place on the board, assuming that is, you pledge ownership of your company to the Jinglepockets. Those that refuse, will face a hostile takeover. We can be partners, gents, and ride this gravy train all the way to the top, ort you can stand in my way, and get crushed like an ant. So, whatta ya say?”
The other bosses murmured amongst themselves, but quickly agreed it was in all of their best interests to ally with the Jinglepocket Company. With the Swiftsilver Company gone, no one was strong enough to stand in Wixxo’s way. Wixxo grinned from the head of the table “Excellent choice, gentlemen, you’ll find the Jinglepocket Company to be a most fair and profitable partner.”
Wixxo rose from his chair and walked to a box on his desk. “The Swiftsilver broad couldn’t be bothered to show up today, she ain’t got her father’s head for business, but she sent this box of fine cigars to celebrate our new arrangement. Gentlemen, if you’ll join me…” Wixxo opened the box.
Excerpt from the final volume of the Kezan Times before the Cataclysm:
Explosion Rocks Mining Offices!
"Chaos this afternoon in the financial district as an explosion rocked the headquarters of a Kezan mining company. An explosion ripped through the offices of the Jinglepocket mining company as all of Kezan’s most influential kaja mining barons were gathered for a meeting. The blast was so powerful it shattered windows blocks away from the blast site, and sent many evening commuters running to seek shelter.
The blast leaves the future of Kezan’s profitable mining industry up for grabs, with the only player left to claim a stake being the recent heiress to the Swiftsilver Mining Fortune, the young Senneca Swiftsilver.
When asked for comment, Miss Swiftsilver declined to give a statement, saying only that her “heart went out to all the victims and their families”. As of yet, authorities have no reason to suspect foul play, and believe a gas leak to be the cause of the explosion.
Following the blast, shares of Swiftsilver Mining Company skyrocketed on the Kezan stock exchange. We will be bringing you more details as they become available…"