State of the Economy Address & Trade Regulations of Travance 1211

OOG- Delivered in a lacquered bamboo scroll case. The letter is written on fine parchment paper with a expert hand.The ink is dark, smooth, and reflects light as if it was painted glass. The Scroll has a Gold seal with the Chancellor of Trade mark upon it.

IG- Most glorious greetings Lords Lady's & The Citizenry of Travance

The following is what will become a annual state of the Economy address from the office of the Chancellor of Trade. The address will cover the state of the Economy, civil projects & up coming civil projects for the Barony. I would like to start off with thanks, seeing so many people in the duty of ones office it is often hard to know how one is received. I would like to thank all of you for the kind words that I have received from the Barron & populace of the Barony. 

As the year draws to a close now is the time to reflect on where we have been & where we are going. Travance is changing, has changed and will continue to change. Tavance has seen over the past two and a half years great change. The transience population has sufficiently decreeing, more and more people have come to travance & stayed! This is not to say that there is no longer a transient portion there will always be toughs who come to see Travance and move on in the world. As more people come & stay there needs have grown and become more divers. They are growing beyond just sword & shield to defend themselves. I have spoken to nearly all of the people and am happy to report that there hopes / dreams have grown, they seek homes lands a seance of worth along side the seance of adventurer that this land so amply supply's.  The economy can no longer be based on looting corpses to which was the main income of the average person in Travance. Now with our current population of very talented people we have the opportunity to grow has a land & people. I in-pore everyone to learn a trade or pick another one up. Increase  what you already know. Promote employment in all forms!


- Civil Projects

- The best resource is the people who occupy the lands of Travance. As such the Barony still has on the table a program to pay you to learn a trade. Make use of this program! For more information please see myself. I know many of you have already done so.
*This project so far has been a wonderful success!

- The influx of new and sustained merchants. Its one thing to have merchants come & go to refresh what is available. Its another thing to have that along side a steady and reliably market fair with steady education & well supply merchants. ( Thank you all for your hard work )
*As we all have seen market fair has increased and is a success!

- The General store a place to find work & common items has been well revived!


Upcoming Civil Projects

- First and foremost the continuing of the projects mentioned above.
- Further building projects roads, civil buildings, homes.

And now ......

Trade Regulations of Travance 1211

In many lands, one word may have many meanings. Therefore, we shall try to clarify the definition of certain terms for the lands of Travance in regards to Trade as they are in today's Travance.

The Travancian Merchant:
Anyone who wishes to sell goods on a regular basis is considered a merchant.


Definition of a Merchant:
A merchant produces, obtains, or makes a product and openly sells said product. If you buy good from another merchant and sell for them, then you are a merchant. If you are selling goods for another merchant, but the original merchant receives the coin for it, then that is an employee. Employees must obtain a special merchants license to sell goods.

Definition of a Business:
Merchants that employ a staff must register them with the Office of the Chancellor of Trade of their staff. To upgrade a Merchants License to a Business License costs 3gp. A Business License will be 8gp for the year. If you are an employee of a merchant and are not being compensated, please see the Office of the Chancellor of Trade as soon as possible. Employees are to be paid a minimum of five silver pieces in coin or goods for their service.

How to Register
It shall be required for all who fall under the title of Merchant or wish to run as a Business, as defined by the Travancian definitions, to register with the Chancellor of Trade BEFORE commencing any further business within Travance.  The following is a step-by-step guide.

1. Register with the Office of the Chancellor of Trade.  Registration requires the following:

•  The merchant’s name and name of business (if applicable).
•  A list of current products and/or services that they provide.
•  Whether or not space at Market Faire is required for business and for how long.
•  Annual Merchant Fee that is required for registration/licensing: 5gp
•  Inspection of Specialized Goods (as applicable)

Once registration is completed, the merchant will receive a space at Market Faire (if required), a price range in which their goods may be sold at, a license which identifies the merchant as an Official Merchant of Travance. It is required that all merchants regularly update their information with the Chancellor of Trade; such as new products, going out of business, etc. All merchants must register yearly. Merchants found not to be licensed will be subject to fines as well as possible confiscation of goods.

2. Pay Merchant Tax with the Chancellery of the Exchequer. Non-payment of this tax will result in revocation of a merchant’s license.

Records for each merchant are crucial during this time as the offices of the Exchequer and Trade must assess the business economy within Travance.  This may also help include a more stable and possibly reduced merchant fee.


For those who are not exclusively merchants in Travance

Barterer:
A Barterer is considered an individual who receives goods and/or services in exchange for goods and/or services and does NOT receive coin. It will be required that all Barterers register with the Chancellor of Trade or one of his representatives. However, they shall not be subject to any of the merchant regulations. However, a change in status to Merchant will require a purchase of a Merchant License. Market Faire space shall be made available to Barterers by request as a first come – first served basis.

Ambassadors/Dignitaries:
Unless ordered by the Barony, all Ambassadors and Dignitaries from foreign lands shall meet with the Office of the Chancellor of Trade before selling goods

Visiting Merchants:
Merchants who may be passing through or make visits during yearly caravans must present themselves to the Chancellor of Trade or one of his representatives. At that time, a day pass will be issued for a small fee and a record of the merchant’s name will be taken for future reference.

Trade Regulations and Definitions

Registering Complaints:
Anyone who feels that they have been swindled, cheated or simply treated unfairly by a merchant should speak to the Office of the Chancellor of Trade. All complaints will be handled fairly, confidentially and as quickly as possible.  Any merchant with three or more substantiated complaints will be subject to fines and possible revocation of their license. Merchants who have continuing problems with customers may also lodge complaints with the Chancellor. An investigation will take place to determine whether stronger actions must be taken (i.e. Involvement of town guard).

License Revocation:

If a license is revoked, this means a merchant or business will not be allowed to sell their goods and/or services for the remainder of the year based on the date of licensing. Revocation is based on 3 or more incidents including any combination of violations of trade regulations, and/or validated complaints against the merchant.
Merchants that have their licensed revoked may request a hearing with the Chancellor of Trade for reinstatement.  If the revocation is upheld, the merchant will be eligible to repurchase his/her license when the original license date is expired. All decisions of the Chancellor of Trade in this matter are considered final.

Specialized Products:
There are merchants that deal in products that may seem mundane in appearance, yet have extraordinary properties.  For those merchants, a description of all such products must be presented at the time of licensing.  It will then be determined whether there will be a price range set for those items or if it will be left to the discretion of the merchant.  This will be determined by using the services of a party who will have experience with the specialized item or its properties.

Products vs. Services:
A merchant selling products is a simple matter in most instances; however those that sell services are a different matter entirely.  Those who wish to sell services must also be licensed.  Although the matters such as market faire space are irrelevant to some service based merchants, licensing is required to keep track of fairness in that trade as well.

Lost or Stolen Licenses: as of October 1210
1st Lost: 1 month suspension.  Any subsequent loss: 5 gold fine and 1 month suspension.

Merchants must have their license displayed at all times while trading at The Market Fair.

A member of the Town Guard shall be in attendance for safety of merchants during and after the market fair. If a member of the Town Guard is not available, a voluntary polling will be held of merchants to donate any coin to a maximum of five silver for a hired guardsman. If they decline donating, then they are liable for their own safety and safety of their goods. The guardsman will escort any merchant after market fair to the bank upon request.

All merchants who will be attending the Market Fair of a Baronial Feast must be in the inn and prepared to setup their wares 1 hour prior to Market Fair.  At this time, the Chancellor will make announcements or speak on general trade matters, as well as assign tables. Those not attending this meeting without any forewarning to the Chancellor will be required to pay a fine of 1gp to the Barony.

Market Fair will be held from 11am – 2pm.  This time may be adjusted depending on activity of the fair.

Price Ranges as of October 1210

Normal Goods: 2-5sp per piece/portion/item. These are items that are easy to import/create.

Moderate Goods: 5-9sp per piece/portion/item. These are items that are moderately difficult to import/create.

High End Goods: 1-2 gp per piece/portion/item. These are items that are extremely difficult to import/create.

Specialized Goods: These are goods that contain properties that grant the consumer a benefit or enhancement.  These items will be priced on a case by case basis upon registration.

It is currently within the discretion of the Office of the Chancellor of Trade to determine goods as being Moderate, High End or Specialized and it will be reflected on the merchant’s license.  Merchants wanting their goods to be classified under these headings must be prepared to provide substantial reasoning upon licensing.

(Goods in this category include but are not limited to food/drink, clothing, jewelry, etc.)
Those who sell items to improve lifestyles (commodity cards) are also considered merchants and will be expected to sell at the standard price of one gold pieces and five silver pieces. Commodity demand can increase or decrease the price by no less the +/- three silver pieces

The price ranges are in place so that all citizens of Travance, regardless of prosperity, may enjoy goods and services.  If it is found that regulations are not being followed, the Town Guard will be called and you will be fined and: Any gold made during the market faire will be given to the barony, any commodities will be forfeit to the Office of the Chancellor of Trade, and any other items will be forfeit to the Town Guard.

The following prices are the going rates of items within the Kingdom of Kormyre. Prices include materials and labor

Any Rank I Potion - 2gp
Any Rank II Potion - 4gp
Any Rank III Potion - 6gp
Any Rank IV Potion - 8gp

Set of Elemental or Alchemical Essences (1, 1 use) - 1gp
Set of Lesser Essences / Rare Ceremonial / Sorcery Component (1, 1 use) - 10gp
Set of Greater Essences / Very Rare Ceremonial / Sorcery Component (1, 1 use) –20gp

1 Unit of Wood/Leather – 2/10 of a Silver
1 Unit of Iron – 4/10 of Silver
1 Unit of Ironwood - 1gp

1 Unit of Crystal - 1gp
1 Unit of Meteoric Ore - 2gp
1 Unit of Electrum - 2gp

1 Unit of Tamaral Hide – 2gp
1 Unit of Mithril - 4gp
1 Unit of Wytchwood - 4gp
1 Unit of Fire Drake Scale – 4gp

Magical Items:

Trinkets or items of lesser power shall be under the direct pricing of the Office of the Chancellor of Trade. Any item that is deemed not a trinket or item of lesser power shall be under the pricing of the acting Guild master

Psychology:

Evaluations - Free
Session to cure minor afflictions of the mind - 3 gold
Session to cure major afflictions of the mind - 10 gold

Disease and Poisons:

Cures -  Free
Passive Immunities - 5 gold, gives immunity from one poison or disease for 1 moon
Inoculations - 15 gold, gives immunity from one poison or disease for the span of a year


Psalms and Scrolls:

Rank 1 Ballad, Canticle, Psalm, or Scroll – 3gp

Rank 2 Ballad, Canticle, Psalm, or Scroll – 5gp

Rank 3 Ballad, Canticle, Psalm, or Scroll – 7gp

Rank 4 Ballad, Canticle, Psalm, or Scroll – 10gp


Luxurious Food Items:

A luxurious food item is defined as food items that specialized cooking equipment on hand or prior set up and storage. At this time, the Office of the Chancellor of Trade has final say if an item is luxurious or not.


Regulation for Luxurious Food Items:

In order to keep the dedicated merchants who provide these food items paid and to continue bringing these goods, it would be preferred if food items of a luxurious nature are sold in gold and baronial notes.

Any food item over one gold piece and nine silver pieces can have up to half of the cost paid in baronial notes. Two gold pieces become one gold and one baronial note. If the total of multiple items is over five gold and five baronial notes, the cost can only be paid in baronial notes. Six gold pieces and six baronial notes becomes only baronial notes.


IT IS PREFERRED TO USE THIS METHOD, NOT REQUIRED!

IG:

NOTE:

The prices for items & services have changed, this was done after a full assessment over the course of a years time. The adjustment was done to properly reflect life on this side of the rift, the princes are a flat rate that can be calculated with ease. The scale of price is logical for today's Travance.  Other changes of note are the removal of other office that had overlapping powers with in this office. And certain merchant types that where given free licensees due to there scares supply in the lands to which now  are in good supply.

Thank you for your time & consideration

*A very regal letter is posted to the board written in red ink with a Wax boars head printed in to he fine paper*


Ming Na, Lord, Ladies, Barons and subjects,


      How i have missed my loyal , and hungry customers. Word has entered my shop in the Coast that we have a new Trade Chancellor , Ming Na, I knew your Tea Shop was going to be a great success, And i am glad to hear that all our wonderful shop keepers and merchants are all doing well. With that in mind i Congratulate you good sir. Now it seems with your new economy there have been changes to the licenses, and procedures as to which a merchant can set up shop and sell his for her wares, If you could, send me a missive with all the proper information. Price is no matter he will be paid well and fed and sent home with whatever you need good sir. I am very busy.....Family and all, so i may not see my favorite Patrons for many moons, but with that i promise the CUTTING BLOCK will return will all your favorite foods, perhaps some need Sand-whiches are in order.....Slack you know what i am referring to. In the mean time my friends, stay happy, stay well, and of course stay hungry.

                                            Your Butcher
                                          Victor P. Cutting