The Merchants' Confederation - Crafters, Enchanters, and Traders Needed

[Leon Adalbert]

The Merchants' Confederation

Purpose: The Merchants' Confederation is a loose gathering of traders, enchanters, and crafters designed to increase profit and sales of their wares.

Admission: Anyone with a background in crafts or sales, or an interest in either of the aforementioned, will be admitted into the Confederation. The first five (5) applicants will be allowed to join free of charge and immediately placed on the first Board of Directors, who will be asked to assist in the founding of workshops all across Althanas. Following that, a ten (10) gp fine will be enacted for entry into the Merchants' Confederation.

Financing: The Merchants' Confederation makes all of its money from either donation by members, or from a 5% levy of profits from any sale made by a member. In exchange, however, members will be allowed free access to a small workshop well stocked with supplies in almost any city on Althanas, as soon as they are made available.

Benefits: Once per quarter (three months), the Merchants' Confederation agrees to pay 10% of the cost of any rare item or ingredient necessary for the crafting of wares. Any common materials are provided for free to members. Members of the Confederation are encouraged to work together on projects in order to procure the highest quality merchandise.

All members will be allowed full access to well stocked workshops all across Althanas, once they are made available. These workshops are kept stocked only, however, with the necessities of each trade. Note: These workshops will be purchased when enough gold is in the Confederation Vaults for such a transaction.

Ranks: All members of the Merchants' Confederation are considered equals. However, certain members are chosen each quarter (three months) as members of a Board of Directors. This Board of Directors consists of five individuals whose wares are of the highest quality, and the founder, Leon Adalbert. The members of the Board are charged with handling requests of specific items of value, and delegating these requests to other members of the Confederation, as well as setting the projected prices of the wares upon request. Final prices will be decided after the judging of the creation quest is complete and a link to the completed and judged quest. All profits (aside from the 5% levied fee) go to the crafters responsible for creation, and the merchants responsible for sales, divided as seen fit.

Current Members:
Leon Adalbert (Founder/Trader/Member of the Board of Directors)
Ranger Naïlo (Miner/Member of the Board of Directors)
Ingenious (Trader/Member of the Board of Directors)
Eusimoto (Glassmaker/Member of the Board of Directors)
Rainhardt (Jeweler/Member of the Board of Directors)

[Kell]

im interested in joining, so long as things move forward. I will be interested in building clockwork devices and maybe explosives.

[Leon Adalbert]

You're in. That leaves four more spots on the Board of Directors. Once we have all of them filled, we will begin the quest to gain access to the workshops.

[Osato]

I'll join with Ranger... though his activity and personality will be changing with an interesting twist a little later on.

He's a miner, hardcore. And can double (though no where near as well) as a lumberjack.

[Leon Adalbert]

Welcome aboard. Three more slots.

[Eusimoto]

Kalamu will join as well, as a glassmaker and soon-to-be enchanter.

[Leon Adalbert]

You're in. And Ingenious has informed me that he is in as well. That leaves one more spot on the Board of Directors. In the meantime, anyone have any suggestions for methods to earn the workshops? We could actually set up our own workshops in different parts of Althanas, one in the major city of each region, and each with our own methods.

Leon, for example, was planning on pulling strings with his father's old friends, and fast-talking his way into an agreement with some local dwarven craftsmen in Ettermire.

[Kell]

i would like my shop set up in alerar just because of supplies

[Eusimoto]

Even before I joined, actually, I was thinking of having Kalamu set up a sort of craftsmen-haven in Salvar--join the League of Nobles, get some land, and build it there. And here ya go, just what I was looking to start. Applause.

We could probably gain more power faster if we spread out, developed connections in all of the regions and traded with each other. Kalamu has ties in Fallien, which could help us bypass some of their trade-squelching xenophobia.

[Leon Adalbert]

Then it's up to Eusimoto to set up a workshop in the warring land of Fallien, and to be the liason for the time being in that area. Careful of cultists and such! I'm sure the armies of Fallien would be happy to buy our wares at normal prices, as opposed to paying through the nose for them to be imported. :p

And, Kell, I take it that you mean you'll set up the workshop in Alerar, or are you just requesting that one be there? I assure you, we will have shops everywhere by the time this is done (I hope).

[Eusimoto]

Hey guys. The MC website is just about finished (be warned, it's nothing marvelous--i'm not a professional or anything), and I need a quick character blurb from each of you. So, if you could PM them to me in the near future, that'd be great.

[Kell]

btw, i asked dirks about how to get shops/stores

he said 1) 10 000 gp and cost of materials

2) win a tournament

3) write a really really good quest

[Eusimoto]

Hoo boy!

Well, there aren't any tournaments going on--and winning one would be quite the feat...

Anybody got 10,000 gp? :D

Perhaps we'd best go with number 3

[Kell]

well, sorry ol' chaps, but I'm gonna have to part ways with the group. no hard feelings, just this isnt going to work for her story. you understand.

[Reinhardt]

Does this mean a position is open on the Board of Directors? Reinhardt has never sold anything, but he has the ability to craft jewels with magical properties. Check the link in my signature for some more info if you'd like.

[Leon Adalbert]

We've been relatively inactive of late, but you're in. I had a look at your profile before I even checked this thread. You are on the Board, and as Kell left, there still remains one slot for the Board.

Welcome to the Merchants' Confederation, and to the Board of Directors. I'll put you down as a jeweler, unless you object to that title.

In other news, I feel like we would be unable to obtain the workshops in any short amount of time. Those will have to be put off until the Confederation has more funds. Until then, the benefits will be limited to partial subsidizing of expensive materials, supplies of common materials when needed, and a network of contacts for sales and enchanting.

[Reinhardt]

Absolutely fine by me. Thanks!