Richard travels to Altaregia, bringing the Countess with him.
Once there, he opens his court to visitors.
You settle the Countess into some chambers suitable for a prospective fiancee and hold court in the throne room. Your steward arrives and begins herding petitioners into the room, flanked by a pair of slaves wearing fine golden chains about their necks (symbolic enough that they are almost jewellery - most of the palace slaves wear similar tin chains to signify status). The old man has served well, but you suspect his functions will soon enough be replaced by one of your wives. As such, the Countess listens to the petitioners and offers advice in his stead.
The Commons[2] The slaves of Altaregia have, of course, very little power or influence. Most of the land is tilled by said bondsmen and the minority of peasants who own them largely focus on minor feuds or struggling to make ends meet if they have no slaves of their own. Most slaves are owned by the nobles, so freemen make up less than a quarter of grain production in the region - leaving the commons largely powerless.
[1] The expansion of the great noble estates has only increased since the War of the Hounds, to the point where only a handful of freemen remain - under increasing pressure by their lords to sell. Many blame you for allowing this to come to pass, and the slaves of the estates are hardly happy with their lot either.
[5] A group of enterprising freemen arrive at your court with a proposition. Baron Dundal, one of the estate owners, recently died without clear heirs. His estates have passed to you by default and though they do not add significantly to your tax base they are nevertheless particularly rich and well-managed fields. The freemen wish to purchase the land and farm it themselves (with you as their legal landlord), effecting a common law such that only freemen and household slaves will be able to work the fields.
On the other hand, you have received competing offers from various minor nobles for the estate. If you carve the fields apart and redistribute them accordingly, you could fetch up to [5*2]
a whole ducat in revenues, whereas selling the land whole to the freemen will only just cover the administrative costs of the sale. Doing so will certainly improve relations with the commons, though, and the bastion of prosperity the estates would provide will strengthen their political and economic power greatly.
Countess' Comments: Money is always useful, and dividing up the land will earn you a lot of money. On the other hand, building up the peasantry could have bonuses in the long-term that are harder to foresee, but that depends on retaining their loyalty. The short-term boon might be better, depending on what you need the money for.The Nobles[5] Someone has to own all the slaves, and those someones are the collection of barons and baronets that form the local nobility. As well as involving themselves heavily in the actual slave trade as Count Whitehaven (a former resident of Altaregia) did, the great estates of the region are all owned by nobles and the slave-worked fields create great surpluses to enrich their masters.
[4] The nobles have done well off the status quo and attribute their success to your longstanding approval of the slave industry and their actions. They are cordial in their relations with you and open to listening to your mandates.
[5] In the wake of Count Whitehaven's death, the Countess has been dividing up her father's business and putting it up for sale. If and when you marry her, the proceeds will be added to your treasury. The question is whether or not to keep the transactions within the homelands. There has been a lot of interest by Ralkarians in the business, and they are willing to offer [4*5]
2 ducats for the slaves, ship and properties on Auction Street. The local nobility can only offer [5*2]
1 ducat but have closer familial ties to yourself and the Countess. Selling to the nobles will encourage those ties and strengthen relations.
Countess' Comments: Depends on your priorities. My cousins would certainly be more loyal vassals with the proceeds, but again money is always good. After all, one should try and achieve some good with my father's work.The Urbans[3] Slaves do most of the grunt work in Altaregia proper. Slaves cook, clean, repair streets and build houses (under the direction of masons). Most of the slaves in Altaregia are owned by individual citizens or by collectives who own and rent out slaves for urban work. As a result, though this frees Altaregia's population for more skilled pursuits it severely cuts down on the work available to free urban labourers, limiting the tax base of the town. Power rests in the hands of a few wealthy merchants and artisans, but they do not rival the strength of the nobles in sheer wealth or influence.
[3] Although Altaregia's elite have done well from the status quo, there are many poor labourers and draughtsmen who find it hard to compete with the cheap slave labour and often have to work at the costs of hiring a slave themselves. This opposition has caused something of a deep ambivolence toward you among the urban population.
[5] It seems this year Altaregia's population have nothing to offer you but good cheer and opportunities. You are sure this will change soon enough. Three of the city's most notable craftsmen arrive with their slaves; a jeweller, a master weaver and the head of the local tanners. They are keen to encourage the city's mercantile growth and have come with a proposal to strengthen Altaregia's commerce.
They begin by noting that with the lifting of the Iron Queen's restrictions on trade the city should follow the example of its neighbours and establish trade routes with the capital. The craftsmen assure you that if you establish routes trading pearls, wool and cattle their businesses will profit and they themselves will ensure the compliance of their fellows in whatever course you undertake in the future.
They have another proposal as well; the formation of a guild to promote the interests and training of artisans in the city. With slave labour dealing with most untrained work, crafts and professions are the only avenue for urbanites to make a real living. A guild work set basic standards of craft and provide avenues for the apprenticeship of new craftsmen, as well as preventing incompetents from plying their trade. The costs on your part of establishing the guild would be significant, though; [3]
2.5 ducats.
Countess' Comments: The trade routes are presumably a given, the artisans simply want you to prioritise setting them up in exchange for their loyalty. The guild is more interesting; it would again improve relations with the urbanites and actually strengthen them for the costs involved, but you would likely see a permanent increase in the city's tax base as a result of the improvements. Unfortunately, the costs are not insignificant.
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Topic: You are King III: Spring 938 AAL (Read 124006 times)