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The merchants have a governor type leader, who has a base established in Arias. Next in authority is the leader of a caravan. Amongst themselves, they are ranked in importance by success and by bloodlines. The governor is the Caravan leader with the purest bloodline, and if this doesn’t establish it, he is chosen by his success rate. A new governor is chosen upon the death of the old one. Only upon the event of a grave transgression by the governor can he be deposed before his death. A governor does not trade, only judge and oversee.
The people of the caravan are the populace. Among the populace of an individual caravan are diplomats, wheelwrights, carpenters, blacksmiths, cooks, tutors, wranglers, doctors and their families. Aside from the wheelwrights, smiths and carpenters, there are no craftsmen. Merchants do not create, they buy and sell. Even those mentioned make nothing fine, but only serviceable items- wheels, harnesses, wagons.
The best in every trade are in the governor’s caravan, which never travels. The higher your success rate, the more likely that your caravan will be given better workers, as there, the labour would be put to good use. The governor decides where workers are stationed.
It’s the responsibility of a C.L. to provide for his populace. If they cannot, they must apply to the governor for a grant, which is enough money and supplies to pull them through until they can trade enough to survive again. If that grant is more than three hundred gold, the amount above 300 is expected to be repaid.
Each caravan owes a tax on revenue to the governor’s salary. The tax varies depending on the number of caravans in existence at the time, the world economy or the world, etc. The tax money is used primarily to supply grants, care for the populace of the governor’s caravan, and repair ships and wagons that the populace of a C.L. cannot repair.
There is little in way of law enforcement. Small events in a caravan are judged by the C.L. There is a jury made up of C.L.’s that judge the common populace on matters of high offence- murder, theft, rape, abuse and neglect. A jury has five men to it, and three men who stand in if one is unable. When a C.L. is being judged, whether he is on the jury or not, the governor is the judge. If, by chance, the governor is being judged, all the C.L.’s must come to a decision.
They are free to practise the religion they choose.
The currency is the same as the rest of the world 10 tin= 1 copper. 20 copper= 1 silver. 5 silver= 1 gold.
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I'm putting hierarchy, law, etc. here, and more cultural elements of each race in Culture. Someone please move it if I put it in the wrong place.
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~Aldara
“For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
-The Return of the King
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