The Sovereign Trade Confederation of Kimir

General Technology Indicator: 73


Population: 917,000


Technology Tags (Positive): Minting, Nautical Travel, Nautical Warfare, Fine metalworking, Gunpowder weapon smithing, banking.
Technology Tags (Negative): Siege warfare, Horsemenship, Animal Husbandry, Mass Production, Archery


Race: Human


Ancestry: Most of the population can trace its heritage to one of the many crews that found themselves shipwrecked on the isle of Kel.


Clothing and Style:Typically, warmer and thicker clothing is often worn to stay warm on the high seas. With strong ocean winds, most islands under the control of the Confederation remain cool all year round. Richly colored clothing are desirable among the wealthiest of the population, though most wear the plain garb of the lower class.

Facial hair is kept short if at all. The "O", also known as a goatee, is prevalent among servicemen and sailors, though it has struggled to catch on anywhere else.

Kingdom Type: Several small geographically isolated chains of hill covered islands. Small trade cities exist on the furthest reaches of the Confederation.


Kingdom Geological Analysis: Small deposits of iron and coal with typical top soil.





The Trade Confederation acts more as an oligarchy of the four wealthiest trading families. Over time, these families have come and gone. There is but one thing that keeps a family within the Golden Committee, and that is wealth. Bloodlines and heritage count for nothing within the Committee. Mere fish mongers who found themselves immense wealth have risen to become of the most powerful men in all of Kimir, only to lose it all in a matter of years. Throughout all this, only one family has stayed firm. The Itirtas have existed since the very first days of Novolas. Since then, they have become renowned merchants, bankers and craftsmen, producing some of the finest gunpowder weapons the world has seen. The other three families, the Rynech, Belorun and Y'alding all bid for control among themselves, though there is no doubting that the Itirtas family is the real power behind the Confederation. This being said, the families often agree on a course of action. The survival of Kimir comes before all else, for without Kimir here is no wealth.



For years, the Kimirian way of life has revolved around trade and commerce. Each man produces what he can, in the hopes that he may feed himself and his family. It makes no difference if his or her trade is smithing, farming or even prostitution. “Gold is gold, and gold is power” has been a motto for generations. That being said, most people find themselves under the ‘protection’ of one of the major trade families. In exchange for reassurance that they will make enough to feed their families, craftsmen sell their wares to the protecting family, who then turn and sell it for a profit. Craftsmen who do not submit to the trading families often find themselves “convinced” with threats of broken limbs and missing family and deflowered daughters.

A growing trend among the poorest of the poor is to sell their daughters, and sometimes sons, into indentured servitude. While often treated fairly, some reports of abuse exist. Often times, wealthy men and women who have mistreated servants have escaped justice, whether through family ties or outright bribery. That being said, even the wealthiest have been punished, sometimes even with death. Sons on the other hand often stay in the family business or enlist in the Traders Brigade. Men who do not enlist are expected to serve in the Confederation’s militia, which trains on a tri-yearly basis.

 

With merchants from around the world appearing in many of the markets, most merchants find themselves speaking half a dozen tongues or more. Still, the Common Tongue is spoken among all the population.

 

The heritage of one’s family is often considered one of least pressing matters in Kimir. Wealthy merchants have married peasant girls out of pure lust or passion without so much as a blink of the eye. However, more often than not, merchants will marry into each other’s family to gain alliances and dowry. Bastards have risen to become powerful and respected men, though they are rarely embraced by the father. The idea that power derives from where someone’s father decided to spill his seed is almost laughable to the population, though most are smart enough to bite their tongue about the subject around foreigners. Wealth is wealth, and a King’s gold is no different than a lowborn's gold.

One unique factor of the Confederation is the introduction of the bank note. Controlled by the ruling families, the Silver Bank of Kel is considered one of the most respected banking firms in Mortalis. Each note is assigned a serial number, along with the name of who the note is assigned to. Records are kept at two separate locations, both of which are kept under the same protection as the gold itself. Even in times of war, the Silver Bank of Kel has honored bank notes held by the enemy. To the merchant families, a bank note is the promise of service. To not honor the bank note is break that promise and a trader who cannot be trusted will lose more than just that customer.



The birth of The Sovereign Trade Confederation of Kimir was more accidental than anything else.  Given the currents and tides of the Na’Lanu ocean, many shipwrecked sailors found themselves on the shores of Kel. With little hope of leaving the island, small towns and villages began to develop among the survivors of these wrecks. Within thirty years, Novolas was a thriving trade port, bringing traders and merchants from the world round.

It has been nearly four hundred years since the founding of Novolas and three hundred years since the founding of the Confederation. While there have been a dozen or so squabbles between the trade families, some even developing into brawls and duels in the streets, rarely have they affected the overall stability of the Confederation.



Typically, a Kimirian  will answer that the only true power in this world is wealth. That being said, most of the poorer population tends to keep with the Gods. While Puritus is honored, he is considered little more than a guideline to life. Fairness, especially when trading, is a virtue. To be accused of business misconduct is a great insult. Families pride themselves on the product of their wares. Aqueas is considered the merchants and sailors favored God, for it is he who brings fair trade winds and calm seas. Most though regard the two groups as superstitious. Customs ranging from bathing in sea water before a journey to wearing jewelry made of shells exist. And lastly is Nexis, God of Death. Nexis is not so much worshiped so much as accepted as part of life. Unlike most cultures, Nexis considered not only the God of Death but the God of Life. Life is but a loan, and like all loans, they must be paid for.



When a father has more than one son, most boys are left with three choices. They can either work for their brother, join the crew of a trading cog or enlist with the Trader's Brigade. Most apply for the Trader's Brigade, though many are turned down. As such, the Trader's Brigade is made up of the strongest and smartest of the lowborn, though wealthy men often serve as officers because of their formal education. Unlike the armies of Lords, the Trader's Brigade is a professional standing army. What it lacks in numbers in makes up in skill.

Due to the lay of the land, the Trader's Brigade is more defensive than anything else. Armored lightly, infantry rely on their training and discipline above all else. The tools of the trade are typically the pike and arquebus, though most carry small swords should it come to that. When deployed outside of the battlements, the standard tactic is to rely on the "Lead and Spear" formation. A mutually-supporting formation, the "Lead and Spear" offers the defensive strength of the pikeman with the the shooting power of a Arquebusier. Arquebusiers are also trained in the use of the crossbow should wet or muggy conditions exist, though these are often kept in the baggage train.

Smaller groups of swordsmen and archers exist who, in an ideal engagement, would harass and assault the flanks of the enemy. These swordsmen are well trained, some nearly as skilled as the knights of the mainland.

The product of four hundred years of Itirtas breeding, Julov is the ideal Kimirian man. Shrude, cunning, sharp and ruthless, few can match him in a battle of wits. With dark piercing eyes, the seventy-two year old Basno has a gift for seeing where a profit can be turned and when a man hides the truth. Unforgiving in nature, few men are foolish enough to trifle with him.

But all is not well with the head of the Itirtas family. In his youth, Julov had an eye for the ladies, resulting in nearly a dozen known bastards. Of those, only one was legitimized. Though his mind remains sharp, his body has begun to show the signs of his age. Unknown to even the other trade families, Julov is infirmed, and relies on a wheeled chair or strongman to get around. Despite having eight true children only two are sons, one that was "touched by Puritus" at birth and another who shows little interest in the family business. That leaves his baseborn son, Macklin.