The Mercantile
Power is a complicated thing in Tyrnabay. As expected in a nation that calls itself a kingdom, Tyrnabay has a noble class, with a king or queen at its pinnacle who claims to be the supreme authority in the land. Subservient to that ruler is a collection of earls, counts, and barons that hold sway over various tracts of land and the common folk who live there.
Tyrnabay is not resource rich, though. Most of the nation's wealth comes from outside its borders, gathered in by the many bands of pirates, raiders, and mercenary companies that call the land their home. Driven by their lust for excitement and life, they plunder the world beyond the kingdom's borders, and spend freely - some would say exorbitantly - when they return home.
Thus, Tyrnabay has a brigand class responsible for bringing in the wealth and resources needed to keep the nation running, but that has no desire to be burdened with the banalities of ruling a nation. And it has a ruling class that dares not anger its brigand class for fear of being cut off from wealth and the resources needed to maintain their landholds. And yet both groups hold to the firm belief that they are the ones in control of things in the land.
The various artisans and traders that claim membership in the Mercantile will admit to anyone who asks that Tyrnabay was a much more difficult place to do business before the Mercantile existed; the selfishness and lawlessness of the kingdom's inhabitants made trade nearly impossible until the Mercantile standardized things, set prices, and forged cooperative relationships among what were rival factions.
But even fewer are the folk beyond Tyrnabay that are aware of the fact that the Mercantile doesn't just set prices and make loans. The manner in which it does these things is calculated to ensure continued prosperity for Tyrnabay - a prosperity that relies on there being a certain level of political and military tension in the world among kingdoms and factions far removed from Tyrnabay's borders.
Tyrnabay is not resource rich, though. Most of the nation's wealth comes from outside its borders, gathered in by the many bands of pirates, raiders, and mercenary companies that call the land their home. Driven by their lust for excitement and life, they plunder the world beyond the kingdom's borders, and spend freely - some would say exorbitantly - when they return home.
Thus, Tyrnabay has a brigand class responsible for bringing in the wealth and resources needed to keep the nation running, but that has no desire to be burdened with the banalities of ruling a nation. And it has a ruling class that dares not anger its brigand class for fear of being cut off from wealth and the resources needed to maintain their landholds. And yet both groups hold to the firm belief that they are the ones in control of things in the land.
The True Power in Tyrnabay
Neither is correct in their belief, for the true power lies with a third group, headed by an organization that goes by a simple name: the Mercantile. The Mercantile is an organization of merchants and traders that utterly control every channel by which wealth travels within the borders of Tyrnabay.
The Mercantile sets prices that even the poorest, unaffiliated shopkeepers must charge for their goods, lest they are paid a visit by the organization's enforceres. Its members own the teamster companies responsible for transporting goods within the country as well as the seafaring merchantmen that trade goods with the rest of the world. Thus, the Mercantile can decide whether the nobles are able to ensure their commoners have supplies needed to thrive, whether ship captains can get the basic supplies to stock their ships, and whether mercenaries are supplied with the ammunition and food needed to support their troops.
It also controls the lending of money and extension of credit, thus controlling the flow of wealth even in its purest forms. In short, the Mercantile is the true holder of the reins of Power in Tyrnabay, and they use those reins to keep tight control over everyone - especially those who would prefer to believe they are the ones in charge.
But it is not truly the committee that makes the most important decisions, An unofficial, unrecognized, but very influential person known only as the Tactician has this power. This position is so secretive that nobody even knows the identity of the person holding the office.
The Mercantile sets prices that even the poorest, unaffiliated shopkeepers must charge for their goods, lest they are paid a visit by the organization's enforceres. Its members own the teamster companies responsible for transporting goods within the country as well as the seafaring merchantmen that trade goods with the rest of the world. Thus, the Mercantile can decide whether the nobles are able to ensure their commoners have supplies needed to thrive, whether ship captains can get the basic supplies to stock their ships, and whether mercenaries are supplied with the ammunition and food needed to support their troops.
It also controls the lending of money and extension of credit, thus controlling the flow of wealth even in its purest forms. In short, the Mercantile is the true holder of the reins of Power in Tyrnabay, and they use those reins to keep tight control over everyone - especially those who would prefer to believe they are the ones in charge.
The Mercantile
There are guilds for almost every craft practiced in Tyrnabay, and almost every artisan or craftsperson belongs to one of these. The Mercantile is nominally an organization made up of these individual guilds, thus its membership encompasses practitioners of all trades and lines of commerce. The heads of the various guilds comprise a committee that nominally governs the organization and sets trade and commerce policies that all its members agree to follow.But it is not truly the committee that makes the most important decisions, An unofficial, unrecognized, but very influential person known only as the Tactician has this power. This position is so secretive that nobody even knows the identity of the person holding the office.
What the World Knows...
To the rest of Cartyrion, Tyrnabay is a little more than a collection of lawless pirates and raiders, and yet a fair amount of legitimate trade passes through its port cities. Dealers in precious gems and exotic spices in all the world's nations, free cities, enclaves, and delves are quite familiar with the legitimate trade with the "Pirate Kingdom", and are aware that the Mercantile exists to set prices on the goods that pass in and out of its ports.The various artisans and traders that claim membership in the Mercantile will admit to anyone who asks that Tyrnabay was a much more difficult place to do business before the Mercantile existed; the selfishness and lawlessness of the kingdom's inhabitants made trade nearly impossible until the Mercantile standardized things, set prices, and forged cooperative relationships among what were rival factions.
...and What It Doesn't Know
Even within Tyrnabay, there are very few folk outside of its members who are aware of just how pervasive the Mercantile's control is. The precious gems produced by the Dwarves of the Waking Delve pass through the hands of Mercantile traders before departing for the rest of the world from the port of Amethyst Bay. The exotic spices extracted only in the dense jungles south of the kingdom are widely sought after. Traders in these and many other goods know that it is the Mercantile that determines the prices of these goods.But even fewer are the folk beyond Tyrnabay that are aware of the fact that the Mercantile doesn't just set prices and make loans. The manner in which it does these things is calculated to ensure continued prosperity for Tyrnabay - a prosperity that relies on there being a certain level of political and military tension in the world among kingdoms and factions far removed from Tyrnabay's borders.
These guys sound sinister and awesome and full of story potential. Well done!
The cold, hard corporate types are always sinister! I'm trying to establish layers of intrigue in Tyrnabay. Everybody is really out for themselves, and greed is the universal motivator - but there are many ways of achieving wealth!
Laurels & Loot is a new, lightweight TTRPG rules system that hearkens back to the early days.
The Forgotten Academy is a mega-dungeon being created for the #Dungeon23 Challenge