Supply and Demand is a side quest in Pillars of Eternity.
Overview
Street thugs are harassing prostitutes and clients at the Salty Mast. Maea, the proprietress, would like to put an end to it, but the agitators may have their own grievances.
Walkthrough
1. Witness the assault outside the Salty Mast and enter the establishment.
2. Speak to Maea and accept her request to investigate the thugs harassing her clients.
3. Leave the Salty Mast and be confronted by a gang of thugs. Defeat them and retrieve a key from their corpses.
4. Use the key to open the door to the Ramshackle House near the Lighthouse in Ondra's Gift (or pick the lock with Mechanics 4 and above).
5. Speak with Aefre, a lieutenant with the Dozens. Depending on your disposition (Rational 2/Benevolent 2/Honest 2) and Attribute scores (Intellect 15/Resolve 16), you can:
- Agree with her and offer to speak to Maea about lowering prices.
- Persuade or threaten Aefre into stopping her harassment of the Salty Mast.
You may of course also directly attack Aefre and her thugs. (After the fight, you may take Aefre prisoner if you have a prison built in Caed Nua.)
6. There is a roundabout way to solve this and gain major positive reputation.
- Hear Aefre out and agree to talk to Maea about her prices.
- Talk to Maea about her prices and offer to talk to Bricanta Doemenel about lowering the prices of bitter squash.
- Complete Bricanta's quest (if you haven't already), then get her to lower the bitter squash prices.
- Return to Maea for your reward and complete this quest.
7. If you complete the quest peacefully by arranging a lower price, Aefre can later be found on the second floor of The Salty Mast, where speaking to her will gain you a Minor Positive reputation bonus with The Dozens.
Companion reactions
- Aloth: "Might as well have a drink or two. This seems like as good a place as any to pick up a few sordid secrets. And, er, sundry diseases, at that..."
- Sagani: "Sagani raises one eyebrow. "Someone's given you 'the talk,' right? Because Kallu's the one who handles it with our children. But if no one's ever explained it to you..."
- Hiravias: "A discount! Well, in that case, I can't afford NOT to sample the house specials!" Hiravias' hands dart about his tunic for loose copper. "You're all welcome to watch. Anyone? Anyone?" He shrugs and continues to search his clothes for coins. "Your loss."
Journal
| Id | End | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Supply and Demand | |
| 10000 | Street thugs are harassing prostitutes and clients at the Salty Mast. Maea, the proprietress, would like to put an end to it, but the agitators may have their own grievances. | |
| 1 | Find and confront the thugs. | |
| 10001 | Maea, the owner of the Salty Mast, wants me to stop the thugs that harass her clients and courtesans. She suspects that someone is organizing them. | |
| 20000 | One of the thugs dropped a key that looks like it belongs to a house in Ondra's Gift. | |
| 20006 | I was attacked by the thugs who are harassing the brothel patrons. If Maea's theory is correct, one of them may have evidence of a larger plot. | |
| 2 | Deal with the instigator behind the attacks. | |
| 10002 | I've located the ringleader of the thugs. I may be able to put an end to the harassment around the brothel. | |
| 3 | Report to Maea at the brothel in Ondra's Gift. | |
| 10003 | Maea will be relieved to hear that I've dealt with Aefre, the person who had orchestrated the attacks. | |
| 20005 | Maea told me she had to raise her prices because the price of bitter squash has gone up. She suggested that I talk to Bricanta Doemenel, her supplier, at the Doemenel manor in Brackenbury. | |
| 8 | Confront Maea at the brothel in Ondra's Gift. | |
| 10008 | Aefre explained that Maea has been profiting from Waidwen's Legacy by raising her prices so high that only the rich can afford her establishment. I've agreed to convince Maea to lower her prices. | |
| 20007 | Maea told me she had to raise her prices because the price of bitter squash has gone up. She suggested that I talk to Bricanta Doemenel, her supplier, at the Doemenel manor in Brackenbury. | |
| 9 | Report to Maea at the brothel in Ondra's Gift. | |
| 10009 | Bricanta Doemenel agreed to lower the price of bitter squash. Maea can now lower her prices for everyone else. | |
| 30000 | ✓ | I killed Aefre. Maea was so pleased to know that the mobs won't trouble her any more that she gave me a deep discount at the brothel. |
| 30001 | ✓ | I persuaded Aefre to end the harassment. Maea was surprised but pleased, and she gave me a deep discount at the brothel. |
| 30002 | ✓ | I told Maea that she'd have to lower her prices if she didn't want things to get worse. She agreed, but not happily. |
| 30003 | ✓ | I persuaded Maea that she'd be better off if she lowered prices at the brothel. She agreed with my logic. |
| 30004 | ✓ | I spoke to Bricanta Doemenel about lowering the price of bitter squash for Maea. After my help, Bricanta was happy to oblige. |
| 30005 | ✓ | I locked Aefre in my dungeon. Maea was surprised but pleased, and she gave me a deep discount at the brothel. |
| 30006 | ✗ | I killed Maea, so I will not get a reward from her. |
Bugs
- It is possible that the dialog option with Aefre to talk about this matter doesn't show up (see also the talk page). A workaround – other than simply attacking her – can be found here.