Harvest Syndicate
From Changeling Venue
Quote: You've got goods you want to sell... a lot of us do. There's strength in numbers, y'know...
Contents |
Overview
Travelling the Hedge is dangerous. Privateers, Loyalists and Hedgebeasts are just some of the dangers of Hedge travel, even on the broadest and best-maintained of trods. And just how safe are those broad, well-maintained trods, anyway?
Much as the merchants of the medieval period formed organizations for mutual protection of their horses, wagons, and goods when moving about the land, so too, have Changelings formed such affiliations to protect against the dangers of the Hedge.
One such organisation is the Harvest Syndicate, a loose affiliation of merchant groups who have banded together to protect and insure the interests of the individual merchant members. They maintain a few major trods to serve as trade routes between various areas, employ guards to travel with merchants and each Guildhouse employs a Minister of Commerce who provides an interface for local Goblin Markets, Winter Fairs, and other places at which to vend.
Organisation
Note: This is still under development.
The Harvest Syndicate has no discernible leadership, per se. Like any capitalist organisation, it is a meritocracy... ostensibly. Personalities, skills, holdings, and other more ephemeral traits all make up the power base of each individual member of the Syndicate. The Harvest Syndicate is an enterprise democratically managed by its members, governed by an annual face-to-face meeting of the membership, in which each individual member has one vote. The Masters of the Guildhouses are democratically elected and recallable.
Merchants are free to remain individual members, but some dedicate resources toward maintaining cooperative Guildhouses which operate as contributing members to their local Freeholds, offering certain services in return for letters patent, allowing Syndicate members to operate in and travel through the Freehold.
Each Guildhouse is led by a Master who is responsible for keeping the records of all business conducted by the Guildhouse, managing any issues which come up, and managing those nomadic members whose business is conducted within the area the Guildhouse serves.
History
Who's Who
Merchants
- Evie Greene - This merchant and envoy joined the Harvest Syndicate in the Autumn of 1995, after being recruited by a member of the Syndicate. Evie trades in Goblin and mundane fruits and herbs, as well as food and drink made there from.
- Rea - Rea joined in the summer of 2007, not really travelling with the Syndicate but sending out her painstakingly crafted wares with convoys for sale. She is getting a reputation for clockwork songbirds, but also makes jewellery and all manner of weird and wacky contraptions. Rumour has it she's resurrecting the leech-powered Tempest Prognosticator.
- Brink - Brink has been a member of the Harvest Syndicate for as long as anyone can remember, the products of his specialization in Goblin Fruit Confections have always been available to any member who needs them and to anyone who comes calling to his store Sweet Dreams in Olympia WA any time in the last half century at least.
- Calliope - Calliope recently joined the Harvest Syndicate, and is probably the hardest person to get in touch with. This Fireheart is a master chef, able to cook anything, both mundane and fae. She also is known to create medicines out of natural herbs. Calliope very rarely sends her wares to the Goblin Markets, preffering instead to work by commission only.
- Jandori - Jandori has been an on-again/off-again member of the Syndicate since it's creation. A Darkling Mirrorskin with an addiction for fast moving vehicles and too much adrenaline, she's also known for her skills as a medical doctor. She can be found crusing the Goblin Markets, or racing against a deadline in order to deliver goods at the appointed time.
- McGregor - A Wizened Woodwalker who specializes in acquiring and preparing just about any kind of goblin fruit you can imagine, and sometimes even trifles. Said to be a little 'off' from spending too much time in the Hedge. Though the effectiveness and flavor of his fruit is unparalleled.
Patrons
- Lord Winter - Since its founding, Lord Winter has provided funds towards the Harvest Syndicate to ensure its growth. His yearly Winter Market frequently has members of the Harvest Syndicate in attendance, selling their wares.
Others
- Stephen Daedalus - A regularly employed escort for trade caravans, his prices are always kept more than reasonable. When asked, he says that he just needs to pay the bills and that knowing exactly where to find just about anything is payment enough.
- Vladimir Karakov - Master of the Guildhouse in Atlantic City.
Guildhouses
- Atlantic City
- Trove A pawnshope chain located in the SE region of the United States. Known for extensive and assorted goods, and reliable delivery upon payment.
Contact Details
- The Harvest Syndicate - Google Group
- If you wish the services of the Harvest Syndicate, contact your local Guildhouse
Related links
