Supply and Demand

 is a side quest in.

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:
 * 6) Agree with her and offer to speak to Maea about lowering prices.
 * 7) Persuade or threaten Aefre into stopping her harassment of the Salty Mast.
 * 8) 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.)
 * 9) There is a roundabout way to solve this and gain major positive reputation.


 * 1) Hear Aefre out and agree to talk to Maea about her prices. Note: You need to have at least Faintly Good reputation with House Doemenel before talking to Maea or you will not have the option to proceed to Step 2.
 * 2) Talk to Maea about her prices and offer to talk to Bricanta Doemenel about lowering the prices of bitter squash.
 * 3) Complete Bricanta's quest (if you haven't already), then get her to lower the bitter squash prices.
 * 4) Return to Maea for your reward and complete this quest.
 * 5) 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 "Um, you go ahead. Really. I'll just wait by the bar. With a glass of... something that kills disease."
 * Eder "So... she's not baking?"
 * Kana: "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."
 * Pallegina: "Patronizing brothels isn't how I prefer to pass time, but don't let that stop you." Her eyebrows furrow in annoyance. "It certainly never stopped any of my freros."

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.