If I were going to give up mercenaries, and especially if I believed that somebody else wanted them, and I had the gems, I might consider giving them items that would either make them a lot less useful (e.g. a berserk-causing item for a mage, or two eyes of aiming
to blind them). Or one might give 'em items that'll really hurt the buyer more, like Bane Venom Charms (which *would* be removable if the owner weren't a mercenary...).
As for rebids -- the game's default bid (if you choose to bid) is your original bid, but whatever number you use will be doubled in effect. Hence, if it's a mercenary team that normally wants a minimum of 240 gold, you could get away with bidding 120 if they're currently in your service and nobody else bids more than 240.
[ December 20, 2003, 20:40: Message edited by: Taqwus ]