As told by the officer who sees you ashore and registers you, when you first land at Finaroka.

So you want to make it big in Finaroka? Take some advice from someone who didn't make it.

First things first. You gotta prove yourself. No one is going to give you a leg up, if you ain’t worth it and, believe me, you won’t get far without a bit of help. There have been a few that tried, most of ‘em either lie somewhere in the delta, or went back home again. Get a job, guard ships, take the small jobs, take whatever is on offer. Don’t worry too much about the pay, get yourself a name for being reliable. Then you’ll get the bigger jobs. And eventually, you’ll have money to invest or buy property. And that’s the key. If you wanna be big in Finaroka, you gotta own a town. Not just any old town, but a town in the right place and at the right time. But you gotta start small. Start off by getting yourself a venture company, find people you can work with and trust, because you make it, or not, together. When you got enough money, buy yourself a base. Either a house or a business where you can be found. Something that gives you an address, rather than staying at an inn. Build it up a bit and let people know you are on the right path. But then you gotta prove yourself again!

Once you're established, you’ll get bigger jobs. Do them right, work for the right people, and you might get offered the chance to build an outpost. Grab it with both hands. An outpost is part of the early warning system for Stilton, but it is also your chance to get on the property ladder. Build it up, so it sends food, or something else useful, into the town. Do that, and you can show that you can make something out of nothing, and then the Governor might notice you.

She keeps talking about a trade post, upriver, trading with the lizards, and maybe even the hobgobs. She calls it a forward base, a new frontier, a presence, a staging post - but she can’t seem to make her mind up. But that ain’t the end of it. She’s got a map, that shows an old town even further upriver, that’s her goal. Don’t ask me why, can’t see the point of it myself. Miles upstream, away from everywhere. For all I know, you might not even be able to sail all the way up there.

But that’s the way to make it big. Help her build that town, and you’ll end up rich - and probably called a Lord, to boot!