| Kontor and Komturei thread (WIP - Currently open for Kontors only); Fancy some sexy, promiscuous Prutons in your nation? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 9 2013, 06:23 PM (487 Views) | |
| Prut | Dec 9 2013, 06:23 PM Post #1 |
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In 2648 SH the Pruton Empire officially ended and two new polities emerged, West Prutenia and East Prutenia, which would soon establish themselves as Mesonyktia and Neo Prutenia respectively. After forty years of war everyone would rather forget about, neither side could effectively enjoy the power of the previous whole; the urban east lost its primarily supply hinterlands and oceanic access, while the rural west lost its workshop, market and Pelagic access. In order to ensure their strategic survival, both nations embarked on various projects and started specific programmes aimed at increasing their sustainability, while at the same time preparing to outcompete and eventually finish off the other, rival power. After the terrible lessons of the War of Siblings / Forty Years’ War, neither party was particularly keen on direct confrontation in their homelands. Instead, from 2650 SH both nations concentrated on strengthening their position in the region via trade and overseas expansion. This in turn led to the Kontor Era in Neo Prutenia and the Komturei Missions in Mesonyktia. So, what exactly is a Kontor and a Komturei? And why is this important? Some of you may be familiar with it from Tetrakon, others may not. Regardless, both institutions are a vital part of Prut and Mesonyktian history, and serve to interlink Prut/Mesonyktian IC history content with others in a tangible, stable manner. While they are by no means the only way to link your history with the Prut and/or Mesonyktians, it is a preferred method. Two separate posts will later go into detail about what’s a Kontor and what’s a Komturei, and what their main advantages are. It should be noted that neither a Kontor nor a Komturei is needed to have IC interactions with the Prut or Mesonyktia, and there’s plenty of other methods. It would certainly be appreciated by Urarail and me. Another thing; although Mesonyktia and Neo Prutenia have largely been rivals for the first two centuries of the post-2650 SH period, it is still possible to have both a Kontor and a Komturei in your nation. You don’t have to go either either. However, Urarail and I agreed that in order to maintain the initial rivalry between the two programmes, the same city can’t have both a Kontor and a Komturei. If you toy with the notion of inviting both to your country, then the one that gets the more important/larger city would get a huge prestige victory over the other. Keep that in mind if you want to ally with either power, especially before the 2850 SH era. Content Kontor - definition and elaboration / Example Komturei - definition and elaboration / [url]Example[/url] Get yours here - Establishing a Kontor / Inviting a Komturei Index |
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| Prut | Dec 9 2013, 06:24 PM Post #2 |
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Kontor While they do draw their name from RL kontors, Prut Kontors are closer in function to the Portuguese feitoria and factories in general. Established by the Hanse, Kontors are centres of Prut activity, interest, and influence in a foreign nation, allowing the Prut to communicate, negotiate, and interact with the Host nation with one voice, thus streamlining relations, increasing trade and technological exchange, provide a more efficient means of transportation and coordination, and give a more reliable and greater source of income for both parties. It is part trading post/emporion, part unofficial legation, part Merchant quarter, part Prut(on) ethnic enclave, and part sea outpost. A Kontor’s primary concern is profitability and trade, so they are above everything else mercantile operations. Diplomacy, cultural and technological exchange, and other activity are secondary roles they can and often do play. Dejima in Japan is a good example of what a classic Kontor looks like, but even entire cities like Macao, Hong Kong, and Singapore can be Kontors (or more likely evolve into cities from a humble beginning as a smaller type of Kontor), or they can effectively always remain little more than a picturesque neighbourhood, like the various Latin quarters as seen in Constantinople and Goa. In modern terminology, a Kontor would be a SEZ regulated and operated as a form of foreign direct investment In physical appearance and structure, Kontors do vary by size, but all have the following three things in common. 1. All Kontors (must) have direct access to the sea. Usually they are in coastal settlements (or grew into one), but they can be close to a strategic roadstead or be situated inland but at the shores of a major navigable river, like Hamburg (Elbe) or Bordeaux (Garonne) 2. All Kontors (must) have warehouse and/or similar storing facilities, an office, a Prut bank (or at least a branch of a Prut bank), some residential areas (or the Kontor residents have to have special permits to settle in the host country outside of the Kontor), ship-handling facilities (usually a harbour, dock, and dry dock), shipping and transportation facilities (usually cranes and such machinery, a threadmill crane being the classic pre-industrial example) and a market. Depending on when they are established, their facilities will include supply depots, collieries, and/or bunker oil stations. Everything else is a non-essential bonus. 3. All Kontors will have two separate corporations governing it, a Reederei and a Kontorschaft. A Reederei is a Prut shipping company with exclusive trade and transportation rights related to its particular Kontor, thus each Reederei is linked with its own Kontor and operates out of it. In essence, the local Reederei covers the mercantile aspects of the Kontor and pays all relevant dues to the host in exchange for the trade and transportation exclusivity and other trade agreements signed with the Kontor. It is headed by a “Syndic”, who is the local representative of the Prut Hanse in the host nation, while a “Reeder” handles the operations and actual administration. A Kontorschaft (alternatively also Kontorshap) is the political counterpart of the Reederei; it literally translates to Kontorship (as in entrepreneurship). It is headed by a Kontorist, who is the main political and social representative of the Kontor residents and members. The Kontorschaft is mainly concerned with communicating with the host, negotiation, making deal, protecting the rights of the Kontor residents and members, and maintaining Prut-Host relations. By default, the same person cannot be Syndic and Kontorist at the same time, but in very small Kontors (those that are essentially just a neighbourhood, harbour strip, or Bund) this can be the case. One person however can be Syndic and Reeder at the same time, and this is commonly the case, except in the really large Kontors (those which have grown to city-size). While it does appear that it’s essentially a colony (which it technically is), a Kontor is not under foreign political control, nor sovereign, nor independent from its host in any way. The Konterschaft either owns the property the Kontor is located in privately or leases it, but it still remains part of the host nation, which means it’s subjected to the same laws, regulations, and dues (taxes in example) as if it were a local corporation. OOCly, it is also still part of the claim of the host, and in no way part of my claim. It can be roleplayed by either side of course, though I’d preferred it was roleplayed by me. It’s a convenient way of involving me in most of your RPs, increase regional interconnectivity and and enrichen IC content, and it gives plenty of justification for Prut(on) presence in your nation, spread of Heliandism, factors contributing to spreading industrialisation, or other related activity. What is the advantage of having the Kontor in your nation? Well, there’s several: - Guaranteed friendly relations with Neo Prutenia (until 2950 SH) and later the Prut Meritocracy (from 2950+ SH) - Access to the Prut Trading Network and its many resources and supplies, as well as direct access to the Prut national market - A steady stream of income from Prut mercantile activity in your nation, from taxes, leases, tariffs, dues, or any combination of those - Increased positive influence and pressure for industrialisation, technology transfer, stabilization, and development - Tourism boost - Before mentioned fancy OOC and IC benefits - Helicopters (eventually) |
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| Prut | Dec 9 2013, 06:25 PM Post #3 |
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Komturei Similar to the Kontor concept, the Komturei also draws inspiration from the RL Komturei. If the Kontors are descended from the Hanseatic League, then the Komtureis are descended from the Teutonic Knights. One could even argue that they are the non-secular counterpart of a Kontor, as they largely have the same role. A Komturei is an outpost of the Ragnaist Church, a chapter established in foreign lands whose main purpose is military in nature (defending the faithful, performing cleansing marches on heathens) and missionary in character (spread of Heliandism, specifically Ragnaist Heliandism, conversions, and combating heresies and pagan religions). In RL context, they would be a Crusading Order. They are, however, a product of the Enlightenment age and they are not bent on direct, outright conquest of the host, but assisting the Host voluntarily in its projects and programmes. Similar to Kontor Prut, Komturei Mesonyktians also have a colonial background to them, but they are far more likely to engage in settler colonialism, to bolster the local population and the influence of Ragnaism. Thus, a Komturei can take the form of a chapter of knights, a Wehrbauer frontier settlement *, or general settler colonialism similar to the history of the RL Transylvanian Saxons, Danube Swabians, Mennonites and Pennsylvania Dutch to name a few. French Huguenots are also a similar example. In modern context, a Komturei could be considered as a foreign military base, but since it’s socio-religious instead of military-political in nature, the analogy is not proper. The sovereign military order of Malta and the modern Order of Teutonic Knights which currently operates mostly as a charity would be a closer analogue. A Komturei is established by invitation, although the invitation might be heavily encouraged by Mesonyktia. While at least one local fortress is usually involved, unlike Kontors and their tendency to develop slowly into cities, Komtureis encourage spreading over a large area and forming smaller self-sufficient communities, although there can be exceptions in heavily regulated nations. Since Komtureis are established with permanent residency in mind, they tend to increase the local population, encourage intermarriage and mixing, and bring a lot of craftsmen and labourers with them. Construction and fortifications, as well as general infrastructure development, accompanied by large-scale agriculture and the introduction of Pruton town law would be the classic developments in a Komturei area. Soldiery, specifically soldiery aimed at frontier militarism and defence and combating heathens, with cleansing marches in particular, is a strong secondary role of Komtureis. One should keep in mind though, that once established, a Komturei is part of the host nation, and never of Mesonyktia. It is, however, under the clerical jurisdiction of the Ragnaist Church, which may or may not exercise temporal power within a given Komturei, depending on the settlement agreement. Usually it’s just spiritual authority. A Komturei is a (religious) corporation, the organisation which manages an allocated territory. The physical territory is called a Ballei, or bailiwick in English. The Ballei can vary in size, but each Komturei has the following characteristics: 1. All Komtureis (must) have total religious freedom in their allocated Ballei. This usually means that the Komturei will be centred around a fortress-monastery constructed by the knights and/or a temple/church of the Ragnaist Church. The Church will not found a chapter in an area or nation which does not allow complete religious freedom in the allocated Ballei and the free operation of the Ragnaist Church. 2. Depending on the nature of, size of Ballei, and primary purpose (military, missionary, both) of a Komturei, its Chapter will either be headquartered in a fortress-monastery (military) and supervised by knights, in a cathedral (missionary) and supervised by the clergy, or it will have both and it will be internally decided who will head it. Usually in peace times the highest ranking member of the clergy supervises it, whie in war time the highes ranking knight would take over. In modern times this is usually regulated with the national institutions of the host, since in modern times there are no more “private” cleansing marches or defence. 3. Each Komturei will have two leaders, a secular/temporal leader and a spiritual/church leader. The spiritual leader heads the Komturei as a Komtur. Traditionally this would be a knight, but regardless of status within the chapter, e.g. knight or cleric, the main spiritual leader is referred to as Komtur. Local customs might differentiate between a Ritter-Komtur and a Priester-Komtur, but that’s just a cosmetic difference. The temporal/secular counterpart of the Komtur is the “Liaison” in modern parlance, or Bindmann (Bindfrau if female) in High Prut and chapter parlance. The Liaison is the head of the Ballei and functions as the liaison between national authorities and its Ballei. While the first Liaison is always a Mesonyktian and member of the Ragnaist Church, subsequent Liaisons don’t have to be and are commonly appointed by the host nation. Usually, the offices Komtur and the Liaison cannot be held by one person at the same time, but in very small Balleis this is often the case. As mentioned, and similar to Kontors, Komtureis and their Balleis remain an integral part of the host nation. Even the evangelist activity of the Ragnaist Church would typically be limited to its Ballei. Nevertheless, it is essentially an area of foreign settlement in another country, albeit one interested in integration (rarely though assimilation, although that is a possibility too). The Mesonyktian settlers would be regarded as special guests of the national authorities who are obliged to fulfil their invitation purposes. Within a few generations however, they would become a part of the host nation affiliated with the Ragnaist Churh, even more so if the Ballei isn’t an ethnically Mesonyktian (Pruton) only exclusive zone, but has segments of the local population as well. Still, there are several rather substantial advantages to inviting a Komturei: - Friendly relations and military assistance from Mesonyktia in most circumstances - Financial aid from the Ragnaist Church/Mesonyktia, often in the form of charities, humanitarian aid, or Church tithes - A demographic boost and settlement and development of otherwise unattractive, dangerous, and/or sparsely populated areas - Introduction of organised religion in your realm, which can be an excellent tool for population control, social stability, and forming independent welfare nets - Same IC and OOC benefits mentioned under the Kontor section (convenient way of including Urarail (Mesonyktia) in all your RPs, IC justifications for various interactions and additions to your nation’s IC content, more interlinking, etc) - More pilgrims/tourists - Helicopters? (… probably not) - Large increase in sexually repressed college girls which go wild when they leave their conservative Ballei to study in the big city (and “documentary” movies about that phenomenon!) Spoiler: click to toggle
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| Prut | Dec 9 2013, 06:25 PM Post #4 |
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EXAMPLE OF A KONTOR Founded: Officially on 13 Froher 2650 SH, but has de facto existed since 2229 SH as part of previous trade privileges granted by the then ruling Posadnik and Veche of Veleslavia. The Official date however does signify when the Kontorvertrag was signed. Wrangelburg (Врангелград / Vrangelgrad, in Veleslav) is traditionally honoured with being the first Kontor of Neo Prutenia and by extension the Prut Meritocracy, and the first legally founded during the official Kontor era. History: Wrangelburg was named after its first Kontorist, Heinrich Gerhard Wrangel, who was the official envoy who made the treaty possible. Wrangel had spent three year in Veleslavia negotiating an official pact between the two polities, after two previous attempts in 2611 and 2634 had no permanent results. During Wrangel’s mission Neo Prutenia and the Silberbund (Silver League) had managed to effectively supplant the role of the former Pruton Empire in the Pelagic and gain de facto and de jure international recognition, mostly after Hesperia was forced to leave the War of Siblings and sign the peace treaty, and Echevarria allying with Neo Prutenia. Initially, the settlement was to honour Posadnik Vatroslav Velimirović, who signed the deal, and be named Feuerrohm after him, but the Posadnik refused the honour citing local customs. Wrangelburg was a permanent lease to the Prut Hanse, provided under several conditions. The area Wrangelburg was supposed to be built in was marshland consisting of mostly swamps, wetlands, and lowlands, but which did include the somewhat strategic, if then still mostly useless delta of the Tiha river. One part of the agreement required the Hanse to clear the marches and dry the land for further colonization, for which 25 years were provided, after which the area would become open to Veleslav settlement again and the Kontor would be forced to pay taxes. The second condition was that the Tiha river had to be linked via canal to the Bela river, which led further north to Bela Luka, the ancient capital of Veleslavia. The cost of the canal building would have to be covered by the Hanse as well. In reciprocity, the Hanse gained their contract, exclusive trade in the area, a free trade and free shipping agreement, and strategic and economic control of the Tiha river and a say in the use of the Bela river. The construction process was arduous, expensive, and required both a lot of skill, expertise, and technical knowledge, as well as a lot of labour. The grand engineer Rochus Linar-Lübbenau of Lieblich was contracted to complete this vital task. The man himself had built his career during the War of Siblings and had a reputation as an expert on fortifications. Lübbenau’s designs called for a rather ambitious programme that included the construction of three polders supporting each other, a system of dikes, drainage trenches, canals, roads, and several fortifications. With Wrangel’s political influence and Lübbenau’s know-how, they managed to convince the Hanse and Silberbund to finance the project. A majority of the labour force was imported from Neo Prutenia. The expedition of 2654 in particular became known as the Long Summer generation (Grotsommerjohrgang), when favourable weather coupled with the influx of workers expedited the construction effort considerably. Due to the, relatively speaking, long term duration of the project and financial and legal incentives, an unusually high number of women followed the labourers. This was further encouraged as a viable choice by the post-war situation in Neo Prutenia. Hence the rather high level of retention and settling by Prutons during this period of Wrangelburg. The delta itself was tamed and permanently settled by the mid-2660s (local records mention 2662, but records in Zelisch and Lieblich confirm that large-scale commercial activity unrelated to the construction started at earliest in 2668, when the harbour became active). By 2666 Lübbenau switched his attention to the canal project in the north. While he possessed a substantial manpower and an experienced labour force, only preliminary work on the canal was done by 2668. The early profits from the Kontor had to be used to start the construction of the canal in 2671. It was mostly finished, if rough, by late 2674, largely due to the help of the local population, which was incentivised to help by being granted settling priority in the newly dried lands over their compatriots. In 2675, when the allocated time for the constructions was over, Wrangelburg had become a compact, sturdy, and well-built and fortified settlement of brick, wood, and marble, with an impressive set of canals and harbour facilities, and two threadmill cranes servicing the near constantly busy harbour, which was protected by an extended wall and a coastal fortress. Veleslavs then mostly settled along the Tiha river and formed new coastal community using Wrangelburg as their hub and market. A majority of the natives settled in smaller agricultural communities. At key points along the river, “Stanitsas” and “Kreposts” were constructed to act as river harbours and trading stations and to cement the Hanse’s dominance in the interior. Two fortifications were built and maintained jointly with the Veche at each end of the canal. Thus the entire connection from Wrangelburg to Bela Luka was secure, controlled, free from banditry and potential robber barons, and mostly importantly, taxable, which was important to the Veche. While the city has essentially retained a mixed population, the Prutons always remained a relative majority of the residents. The percentage of Veleslavs was highest during the late 2700s, when they compromised roughly 48% of the total population in the city, and around 90% of the rural population. Despite constant population growth, the Veleslav’s proportion of the population steadily dwindled during the 2800s and early 2900s, mostly as a result of Veleslavia’s industrialisation which draw craftsmen and labourers into the interior. The city itself had a constant, but slow-to-average growth, never having experienced any significant population booms since its founding. It has, however, maintained a healthy economy and was throughout the modern period and recent centuries one of Veleslavia’s leading cities. The 2800s were mostly remembered for the constant rivalry with Bela Luka as to which city would be the most powerful. By 2920, Bela Luka had definitely won, being the main industrial centre of Veleslavia. Wrangeburg on the other hand remained a shipping, transportation, and financial centre, but most importantly it was a centre for innovation, education, and technology, as it was the prime contributor and spreader of new discovers from abroad. As a transportation hub and source of capital, it also played a significant role in Veleslavia’s industrialisation process, specifically in the development of railways. By 2891, its railway connections and density of the network was only surpassed by Bela Luka. The southwest of Veleslavia was essentially Wrangelburg’s extended base of operations. After the 2920 political changes in Veleslavia, Wrangelburg experienced severe turmoil, several economic sanctions and hardships, and a demographic problem in the form of refugees. Only the city’s economic importance and influence and its connection with the maritime Pelagic trade saved the Kontor from permanent closure. After a new deal was made by the “Novo Ustrojstvo” government, Wrangelburg began to recover, and was largely independent during the 2930s to 40s. During this period the size of the Veleslav community in Wrangelburg’s metropolitan area started to increase again. The political situation was still relatively tense, especially since locals, both Veleslav and Prut, were a constant source of frustration for the contemporary government, as they fostered an environment that encouraged thoughts of sedition, anti-authoritarianism, sociopolitical awareness and challenges to the enforced system. This lead to several altercations and even an attempted purge of the area. In 15 Streiter 2947 the Novo Ustrojstvo government began jamming Glas Slobododelanja broadcasts and any similar radio programme’s on the ground that they were unlicensed by the government. Things were further complicated by the 9 Strahler Zajedničarska stranka takeover of the local government in staged elections. On the 3 Nasser 2948 the Veleslav government started its largest forced resettlement programme of ethnic Prut(ons) in the area outside of the city proper, with nearly 50 thousand being deported to the interior. The final straw in relations was the Wrangelburg Blockade, which lasted from 6 Kalter 2948 to 23 Regner 2949. The Blockade was only stopped when it became futile after the transitionally forming Prut Meritocracy intervened citing treaty obligations, and sent a naval taskforce to supply the city, specifically using submarines and aeroplanes from an aircraft carrier to deliver needed goods. This result in a restructuration of the political administration of Veleslavia, where the city proper of Wrangelburg and part of its hinterland were essentially declared a semi-independent and autonomous, but strictly non-sovereign part of the nation, while the rest of the southwest was under the control of the central authority in Veleslavia. A futile uprising against this arrangement by the newly “occupied” Veleslav population in 2953 was brutally suppressed by the secret police. This state of affairs would remain until 2961, when negotiations with the Prut Meritocracy were resumed. Wrangelburg played an important political and military role during this process, all the way until 2968, when the Winter Accord was signed and Veleslavia joined the Prut Meritocracy. Since that time Wrangelburg has regained its former status and has been experiencing growth again, but has been eclipsed by Bela Luka in the late 2970s, when it took over the mantle of the leading city. Nowadays, Wrangelburg is a light manufacturing centre and a hub for green technology and green energy development in Veleslavia, particularly biofuels and wind power. It’s still holding on to its title as main port of Veleslavia. Economic importance: For the majority of its existence, Wrangelburg has been a commercially oriented settlement, tackling the inflow of trade into and especially out of Veleslavia. Its control of the newly developed strategic Tiha riverdelta and access to Bela Luka and Veleslavia’s interior via the canal ensured it had cheap transportation expenses, a substantial market, and a solid degree of interconnectivity and access to the local areas resources. Wrangelburg’s trade lanes were mostly north-south oriented, with occasional forays into west-east operations. Wrangelburg’s Reederei, the Heinrichina Reederei, which is still active today, has managed to expand and control its market rather remarkably and subtly, without overtly disturbing or distorting the local trade. Over its history, for the most part, Wrangelburg brought manufactured goods, northern fruit and vegetables, wine, sugar, and lumber to Veleslavia. Prut instruments, charts, and naval equipment were especially prized by the Veleslavs, as was Prut wine and alcohol in general. During the industrialisation of Veleslavia, it mostly provided capital and partially the technology and expertise, mostly to help Veleslavia avoid the early mistakes and hardship that were experienced in the north, like in Neo Prutenia, Hesperia, and Mesonyktia. In the 2800s, it was thus an entry point for various resources, coal, and later oil, especially bunker oil and other fuels. It also shifted its focus on the newly developing middle class of Veleslavia, a new consumer market composed of the urban educated population, the rising merchant groups, and the newly rich. Artwork, paintings in particular, and later film, radio, and related materials became a new staple. Despite attempts, other luxury and consumer goods, cars in example, never found a big market in Veleslavia beyond the limits of Wrangelburg and a few towns in the immediate neighbourhood. Today it’s mostly an industrial harbour, bring in various goods from all over the Prut Meritocracy and beyond. It also played a most vital role in the Prut Kontor System, as the Veleslav goods could only be exported to the large consumer bases in the north over this port. Wheat was early on the most important bounty Veleslavia had to offer, and has remained important to this day. Various ores and stone were exported early on, but ceased after Veleslavia developed its own industry. Furniture of Veleslav make and design, steel, various agricultural produce, cloths and textiles, live animals and later meat, and various exotic goods, including goods from neighbouring countries like Rusichland became hits in the Prut and international market. At one point, Veleslavia was supplying nearly 60% of Neo Prutenia’s potatoes, but it lost its dominance in that particular market to Mag Mell in the 2950s. Modern Veleslavia is the Prut Meritocracy’s manufacturing powerhouse, easily able to compete with supposedly more advanced Neo Prutenia, and vastly outcompeting Hesperia, Raion no kuni, and Mag Mell together! It’s also most famous for its uranium and thorium extraction and refinement, its biofuels and related technology and products, and its contributions to construction. Wrangelburg still plays an important role in enabling Veleslavia’s success. The Kontor Today: Today, Wrangelburg has grown to a city in its own right, with a metropolitan area of +1.7 million people, with the city proper having a population of around 1.1 million. It’s among the most steadily growing Prut cities and demographically speaking has a relatively young and vibrant population. About 70% of the city is of Pruton ethnicity, with the majority of the rest being Veleslav in ancestry. Interestingly, despite being in majorly Orthodox Veleslavia, over 90% of the population is Silver Heliandist. In the surrounding area, Silver Heliandists also make up a majority of the population, with numbers varying from 80% to 55%. However, the majority of Veleslavia’s Silver Heliandists is living in this area, with over 76% of them being in Wrangelburg and the surrounding area. The city itself has its own shrines, houses of light, fire temples, and both the city’s fire and one of the three national fires of Veleslavia. Administratively, Wrangelburg is divided into four larger zones, Lübbenau, Mittemarkt, Grothoben, and Grohmseet. Lübbenau is the historic first polder (the city has been renovated and completely overhauled twice since founding, in 2788-2804 and in 2970 – 2982) and compromised the western part of the city. It was once the main residential and administrative area, but now it’s been modernised and contains the main commercial district. It still retains its picturesque canals and Brick Prutic architecture. There is a memorial cenotaph in the districts centre, dedicated to the grand engineer Lübbenau, after whom it was named, and all the workers that participated in the construction of Wrangelburg. Mittemarkt contains the town square, main market, all the larger buildings, institutions, the university, and some of the old fortifications. It’s the historic second polder and is the main artery of the city’s traffic, both road and canal traffic. It compromises most of the city’s centre and eastern sector. Grothoben is the old and new harbour area, and it’s consisting of the entire city south and coastal area, as well as harbouring the Tiha river’s delta. The canals and dikes are important part of the old town, as is the old harbour. The new harbour is only partially located here, and partially on an artificial island created south of Grothoben that’s administrated as part of it, but is not physically connected to the city. It contains one of the airports as well. Grohmseet, translated literally as “Veleslav settlement” is the largest sector of the city and contains the entire city’s northern sector and serves as the administrative zone for the larger metropolitan area that’s not part of the city proper. The older parts of Grohmseet differ significantly in street layout and architecture, being typically (northern, and mountain) Veleslav in aesthetics, and as the name suggest, a majority of Wrangelburger Veleslavs live here. Unlike the other three, which mostly retained their look from the previous centuries, Grohmseet is the most modern and urbanised part of the city, with main high-rises and tower blocks. Grohmseet also contains Wrangelburg largest park and Silver Heliandist garden, located on both sides of the Tiha river. Wrangelburg is a modern city with a rich, urban, hanseatic culture, heritage, and attitude. It’s a clean and relatively green city, and is rather wide, spreading all the way over the flatlands and plains of southwestern Veleslavia. Few buildings are over five storeys tall, and the only “skyscrapers” are located in the north, in Grohmseet. It has outgrown its role as a mere Kontor and Prut settlement and has become an integral part of its host nation and culture. These days, its main roles and focus of activity are culture, tourism, education, finances, and shipping. Wrangelburg is a harmonic blend of old and new, Prut and Veleslav, mercantile minded entrepreneurship and provincial patient nonchalance. ![]() ______Painting of Grothoben, Wrangelburg, 2756 |
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| Prut | Dec 9 2013, 06:25 PM Post #5 |
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Official List of all Kontors, in alphabetical order: - Achenthorp; now defunct Kontor in Kaitjan, during its heyday it was a very interesting place - Wrangelburg; once one of the strongest Kontors, integrated into the Prut Meritocracy when Veleslavia joined |
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| Prut | Sep 13 2014, 10:31 PM Post #6 |
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Application for a Kontor: I) Explanation: 1) Founded: Has to be between 2650 SH to 2900 SH ; you can specify the exact date or event if you want, but just the year suffices 2) Current status: a) decommissioned (closed by the Hanse due to unprofitability/hostile business or political atmosphere), b) defunct (destroyed or expelled by the host nation), c) operating (still works in its intended purpose), d) integrated (was eventually assimilated politically into the local environment, but still retains Prut characteristics and business ties), e) autonomous (it’s grown into an SEZ, probably a FTZ, and continues to operate under Pruto-Hanseatic cooperation contributing to the host nation in various, usually primarily economic ways); Pick the final fate of the Kontor as of 3015 SH 3) Size: a) Tiny (Just a spot in the harbour, a warehouse, an office, and maybe a small shop integrated into it), b) Small (A barrio, a Ghetto/Ethnic Enclave/Merchant quarter, basically a street and a business district or a bund) c) Average (Standard Kontor, an entire neighbourhood, a distinctive district of a local city, a suburb of a city or other such part of a city, a part of a cities marina), d) Large (either a small detached community/town next to a larger native city or a large district/part of a larger native city), e) Huge (an entire city in its own right with up to a million+ inhabitants) ; all Kontors start small, you are supposed to specify the final size that it reached during its existence 4) Population: Specify the Prut population of the Kontor; not all have to be foreign-born Prut – if the local population is large enough you can have your very own Kontor-Prut locals born and raised in the host nation. The larger the Kontor, the (reasonably) larger the Prut population can be, e.g. up to ~ 50-60 for tiny size, ~100-200 for small, ~1000+ for average, ~10,000+ to 100,000+ for large, and up to ~1,000,000+ for huge size ; a Kontor’s population is part of the IC population of the host nation, and not part of the IC population of the Prut Meritocracy, so they are basically your local Prut running around and having fun ![]() 5) Importance: a) Minor (Kontor plays only a small role in the host nation’s history, most likely being just a small commercial venture or specializing in some niche market, most likely luxuries of some sort only important to the higher classes), b) Medium (Kontor plays a noticeable role in the host nation and is probably a small but appreciated contributor to the local GDP, being a strong influence in the tertiary (service) and quaternary (knowledge) sectors of the economy, and having subtle to recognisable effects on the rest of society, like culture), c) Major (Kontor plays a significant factor in the host nation’s economy and society, most likely being the nation’s single largest net contributor to the economy, value generator and/or most successful corporation, earning the host lots of money by controlling the trade with Neo Prutenia/the Prut Meritocracy/the Pelagos in general; Kontor also strongly influences the nations culture and society), d) Dominant (Kontor essentially dominates the host’s economy and either stamps out any competition, especially foreign, or has been so integrated into the native economic system that it has become indistinguishable from it; the Kontor is synonymous with the local economy, or it may be a vital trade hub and financial/commercial lifeline in an otherwise impoverished, small, and/or isolated nation/economy), e) Absolute (All commercial, financial, mercantile, and other economic activity is controlled/regulated by the Kontor – if you’re not a sovereign nation, you’re essentially a Prut colony/vassal, otherwise you’re an independent Kontor that operates separate from the rest of the Hanse and turns a tidy profit for the Host as well as the Prut) ; keep in mind that categories d) and e) are only likely in either very small nations, nations very close to the Prut, or economies completely (re)modelled after the Prut pattern – regardless of the description, a Kontor always contributes to the host economically and it doesn’t “drain” wealth away from it! 6) Export: What “you”, the host, export/sell over/to the Kontor 7) Import: What “you”, the host, import/buy over/from the Kontor Inspiration in case you need it; these are just a suggestion, really anything goes 8) Special notes and requests: Write anything you want/need not covered by the previous seven points here and I’ll try to accommodate it to the best of my writing abilities. Otherwise use this space to draw pretty pictures. ![]() Just select and copy paste from the code box below.
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| Kaitjan | Sep 13 2014, 11:45 PM Post #7 |
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APPLICATION FOR KONTOR 1) Founded: 2853 SH in Osnáat 2) Current status: Defunct The Kontor was besieged by a contingent of anarchist and communist forces in early 2923. (we can take the entire story about that in TG) It was eventually destroyed and has since then not been active in any way. 3) Size: Large The Kontor was a considerable part of the city of Osnáat and largely responsible for developing it. 4) Population: At the height of its existance the city and the Kontor would have 57,000, inhabitants 5) Importance: Medium 6) Export: Tea, fruits, animal skins and furs, valuable wood, incense, native crafts (if that is of any interest) 7) Import: Modern firearms, cannons, mechanical parts, engineers 8) Special notes and requests: We can take it in TG, otherwise you pretty much knows what I want ![]() |
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| Prut | Sep 28 2014, 10:59 PM Post #8 |
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Kontor Achenthorp in Osnett, Kaitenn (Low Prut) Khontór Akhenthorp ei Osnáat, Kaitjan (Kaitjanese) Founded: Officially on 4 Nasser 2853 SH, when the first plat of soon to be urbanised and modernised Osnáat was laid out. The event is known as “Plaatslegung” in Low Prut and in Hanseatic records. Prior to the official founding, negotiations with the locals as well as the government of Kaitjan took place which lasted roughly 14 months, although this includes nine months of planning, measuring, and surveying the terrain for future sites of buildings and districts. Prut presence in Kaitjan goes much further back in history than that, with mercantile relations having taken place all the way since the Pelagic age with noticeable interaction and increased commerce being observed since the beginning of the Boreal exploration era, which increasingly turned Kaitjan into a transportation and communication hub, from a previous position of relative isolation from the major trading areas of the Pelagos. History: Achenthorp, or Achendorp in modern Low Prut spelling, was the culmination of generations of mutual exchange and trade between the Prutenians and Hanseatic traders on one side and the Kaitjanese people on the other. Up until the late 2700s there was little direct interaction between contemporary Neo Prutenia and the core region of modern Kaitjan. The majority of the trade was done over Abramoz, which was closer, had extensive trade relations with Echevarria, Hesperia, and Oriavas, and was Heliandist, while enjoying ethnolinguistic similarities with Kaitjan. The direct invitation of the Prut Hanse to Kaitjan, to bypass Abramoz, was a product of 28th century diplomacy, convenience, and geostrategic planning. Kaitjan was increasingly falling back compared to the neighbours to its south, west, and partially the east, while Prutenia was increasingly struggling with the three Ardanics (Echevarria, Hesperia, and Oriavas) and their old ally Abramoz. After some initial mutual embassy missions an agreement was reached. The Plaatslegung event was done without much fanfare or overt celebration, but the 2850s SH were an age of increased and rapid change for the north of Kaitjan. Situated on the Merizta, one of the five main rivers of Kaitjan, and connected to the interior, the then small town of Osnáat was the perfect spot to start Kaitjan’s transformation into a modern nation state. Both banks of the river were taken over and prepared for a complete reconstruction. The western bank became the location of the Kontor proper, while the eastern one was designated as an industrial area. They were named Westbank and Ostbank respectively. Construction on both began simultaneously. Prut engineering and planning was reinforced by Kaitjanese labour and investment in manpower. The river banks were widened and restructured, with several dikes being raised to strengthen the area against the seasonal flooding typical for rainy part of the year in the lands of Kosmopol’s torrid climate zone. By 2855 old Osnáat was effectively gone, the entire site being turned into a giant construction project. Ostbank had being completely rebuild, with almost the entire bank hidden behind a strong dike, with only the industrial harbour and the newly built drydock still having direct access to the river. Southern Ostbank had become a workers’ settlement, being largely compromised of Prut-style “Mietskasernen” or rental barracks. The tenements of Zelisch and Lieblich were the main stylistic inspiration for Werkersiedlung, the name given to southern Ostbank. Northern Ostbank housed the main harbour facilities, docks, warehouses, and maintenance buildings for vessels, as well as the dry dock, wharf, and ship construction facilities. Westbank on the other hand was divided into three parts. The central district, simply called Mitte was the main hub and it was constructed around the Grotlehranstalt, the Great Learning Institue, Kaitjan’s first modern, secular, and independent university modeled after the Pelagic/Heliandist template found all around Nyktogeios and the Pelagic basin. The campus was surrounded by several parks, Silver Heliandist gardens, and boxed by avenues and other such large, open spaces. The part of Mitte adjacent to the river became the Bund, where a majority of the Kontor’s administrative buildings and offices were located, as well as several banks, the stock exchange, the opera and main theatre. These buildings were erected in the typical Brick Expressionism style of Prut architecture, with some Neo Classical Pelagic designs as well. Northern Westbank was the location of the Kontor proper and the ethnic enclave of the Prut. The main office and Kontor council was located here, as well as many houses and manors. The area was also home to several shops and emporia were “exotic” goods and luxury items from the south could be obtained. It also hosted many restaurants, cultural establishments, and smaller schools and education centres, which acted complementary and supplementary to the courses offered at Grotlehranstalt. The Kontor proper was named Achenthorp, literally “Next to the river village” and the entire Kontor was officially named after it. Southern Westbank became Smuckstad, literally “Pretty City”, because of the fabulous buildings constructed there. This district was chosen by the native elites as their resort and it housed all the cities political and administrative buildings, which included several palaces, a fort, the police precinct and the main waterworks. All buildings here were done in a hybrid Pruto-Kaitjanese style and their building materials were noticeably more expensive. Osnáat steadily and quickly grew during the 2860s to 2880s period. The direct line to Juramáat over the river was soon supplemented by two railways. Due to the increased population, the city’s transportation and sanitation capabilities had to be expanded. Thus the late 2880s were a time were most of Osnáat’s bridges were constructed. The canalisation network and the sewers were also greatly expanded and extended to the increasingly larger suburbs which were drawing in more and more Kaitjanese migrants from the interior. Ostbank almost tripled in size, mostly due to the newly constructed factories. There was always work to be found in the city. The academic and cultural elite of the city had also increased by a huge margin. There were only a few hundred holders of doctorates and higher degrees in Osnáat when the Kontor was founded, and almost all were Prut. By the late 2880s, this number had increased by a factor of 30 and a vast majority of the intelligentsia was Kaitjanese, some having been educated abroad in the Prut academies, some locally, at Grotlehranstalt. From the 2890s Kaitjanese educated in Kaitjan, in particular Osnáat have started to vastly outnumber those educated abroad. Other universities began opening all around the nation and Osnáat elite was paving the way for Kaitjanese Academia. When the city’s first power plant opened in the same decade Osnáat entered a second phase of rapid growth and increased urbanisations. Great locals, like Karzey ímor and somewhat later Avazic Torát were all active at some point in Osnáat. Pachtún Leu, one of the principle engineers of Búchtodan was also influenced by the city and its Kontor. By the early 2900s Osnáat was one of the leading cities of Kaitjan, and the “Merizta Metropolis” numbered nearly 3.5 million citizens. The Prut presence also reached its zenith during this period. Between the 2900s and 2910s the city hosted roughly fifty to sixty thousand Prut, a majority of which were born and raised in Kaitjan. Despite never having been the majority, Prut influence was strongly felt in many areas of society. Hanseatic industrial and banking practices were shaping local thoughts on such ideas. Prut art and culture was also highly appreciated, particularly among the elites. Low Prut was perhaps a minority language by number of native speakers, but it was a language of prestige. In fact, the Chair for Low Prut studies of the College of Linguistics of Grotlehranstalt was the first non-technical curriculum offered by the university and the first in the humanitas. Linguistics in general, philosophy, sociology, finance, history, and drama and theatre would soon follow, while the city also had its own musical academy, located just at the northwestern edge of Smuckstad. In this highest period the city also gained its very own Grand Archive and Grand Library, partially because of the long and constant Prut presence in the area, and partially because of the widespread adoption of Heliandism compared to the rest of Kaitjan. The city had also a reciprocal effect on Neo Prutenia proper, fuelling that nation’s own craze with “exotic, faraway Kaitjan”. The large influx of ambitious, determined, and cultured Kaitjanese students in Prut academies in the period from the 2850s to 2890s helped establish this image. However, the 2910s were a decade of increased radicalisation in Kaitjan, something neither Osnáat nor the Kontor could really escape. Several recent wars had already disrupted both the river trade over the Merizta and Malzur basin as well as the railway transportation. The rivers increasingly became unsafe due to war time measures and increase in banditry, while the railway capacity was more and more appropriated for the war effort. Trade losses began rising and after several years, due to being cut off from the rest of the interior, Osnáat’s factories began to close down and unemployment rose sharply. A rather bad harvest only made things worse, and societal stability deteriorated alarmingly fast. This was further exasperated by a plague epidemic that started in the south and reached Osnáat over the Merizta. Even before the Kaitjanese Civil War broke out in 2923 a sizeable chunk of the Prut population had already left, with the remaining substantial majority being locally born Prut. But thing turned from worse to downright miserable when Osnáat experienced revolution directly. The local elites heavily collaborated with the Prut in order to try and keep the city from devouring itself, but agitators and demagogues held sway of the now long unemployed segments of the population as well as the working class. When Ostbank was taken over in 2923 the city was effectively divided in two and Westbank came under siege. The Kaitjanese fort in Smuckstad and surprisingly the University Grotlehranstalt managed to form and hold an improvised defensive line for several months, just lasting into the rainy season. However, the fort fell in early 2923 and Achenthorp tried to save as much as possible by negotiating. Basically, only the prevalence of Heliandism among the locals and a certain respect for the Prut, as well as the pleas from notable members of the revolutionary intelligentsia, some of which were schooled in Prutenia and which sympatised with the Kontor Prut prevented a major humanitarian catastrophe. Since Neo Prutenia suffered its own civil war just a few years prior, at least the two groups were nominally ideologically connected, which sufficed to grant the Kontor populace safe passage. On Kalter 13 2923 the Prut left. The majority was forced to leave with only what they could carry on their person. Some lucky few managed to evacuate on the “Laute Laura”, a larger passenger ship that was part of Osnáat’s Reederei and the Kontor. This group managed to save vital documents and records, as well as some of the Kontor’s cultural heritage and wealth, the largest part of which fell prey to looters a day after. The rest of the Prut left basically on foot to Abramoz. Some Kaitjanese, especially those deemed as “foreign collaborators” left with the Prut, some on the Laura, some toward Abramoz and to a lesser degree to Korichan. After the grace period, anarchist and communist forces took over the Kontor for good and Osnáat fell, essentially ending seventy years of Prut presence in the city. Economic importance: Achenthorp’s economic importance and overall influence was always confined to Osnáat and the Merizta basin. While it managed to be quite influential in Kaitjanese history, it never managed to dominate Kaitjan. It area of operation and control was largely just the north. Mozgúl always dictated Kaitjan’s actions and Juramaát was the manufacturing base, with Osnáat being the third city, and sometimes the second. However, Osnáat legacy and thus the Kontor’s legacy is felt all over Kaitjan’s academia and engineering communities, especially in the terminology they use, which is peppered with Low Prut words and terms. Even today, the Kaitjanese heartland and the contemporary Mozgúl district and Nováar district have a strong academic and engineering tradition, much older and more pronounced and prominent than the western or eastern districts of Kaitjan. While one might jokingly say that the most lasting building of Achenthorp in Osnáat is the brewery, in actuality it’s a machine shop and machine factory. The first machine shop was opened as early as 2854 and it still stands and basically never ceased operating. It’s produced tools for the early workers and never ceased to create various instruments and machines, even today. It also provided practical experience to countless local workers and helped displace artisans with trained machinists and technicians. The Grotlehranstalt also played a pivotal role, and contributed tremendously to Kaitjan’s knowledge in engineering, construction, design, mechanical sciences, navigation and naval sciences, maritime construction, and shipbuilding. Later on, locals inspired by both native achievements and foreign sources would increase the core disciplines with transportation, railway-related engineering, energetics, metalwork and metallurgy, and electronics. The Prut also served as an early source of weapon, munitions, and armour design, in particular modern artillery, and related advances in ballistics, fire control, and high explosives. Kaitjan was a major importer of Prut firearms, especially the highly reliable and very accurate rifles from Lieblich, which were a boon both to local subsistence and commercial hunters as well as the military. However, the only successful designs were of naval nature, with ironclads, all-metal ships and heavily armoured and armed vessels being rather advanced for a Hyperpelagic nation. The heavy and infrastructure depended artillery of the Prut fared far less well in Kaitjan’s terrain and was actually one of the factors why Kaitjan had so many problems during the Kingdoms last few wars. At least the cannons were fairly effective when static and used to defend strong points, forts, and cities. Kaitjan’s exports over the Kontor played a more important role, as they were a reliable source of both foreign currency, funds, and later investment. Even today the immense value of Kaitjan’s tea exports in this period is underestimated. This commodity is still sought after by the Prut, and the people of the Pelagos at large. However, in popular perception its role is overshadowed by the import of exotic woods. Pianos made in Kaitjan were especially sought after commodities in Neo Prutenia and Hesperia. The furniture trade was also a profitable enterprise. Local craftsmen had great success in exporting specially designed beds to Prutenia, made from local aromatic woods and fitted with specially designed mattresses with silk elements and exotic feathers being incorporated into the design as well. These are still referred to as “Kaitanner” and the originals from the 2890s can fetch a high price today. Incense was also a stereotypical Kaitjanese good, having been associated with the nation’s perceived exoticness. Various animal skins were also sought after vanity products. They were either gathered by locals directly, or they were the result of grand hunting expeditions which were organised specifically for such purposes for excitable Prut hunters. The Kaitjanese tiger was a respect foe, and by extension a respect trophy pelt in that regard, although those were only hunted "accidentally" or clandestinely to avoid offending local sentiments. Far more, the hides of leopards, gibbons, and water buffalo were seen in the market and on walls. Kaitjanese most unusual, and for a time most profitable export were various handicrafts. Native tea sets and various items carved from the wood only found in Kaitjan were popular items. During the Kaitenophilia phase in Neo Prutenia figurines of various Mazairist deities and spirits were well liked. Seafarers were fond of the Minkór fetishes, figurines, and various statues. A lot of such items are now kept in various Prut museums and private collections. It’s also currently assumed that the Kaitjanese introduced jade as a commodity to Prut markets, although it was known before as a rarely seen luxury item. The most iconic Kaitjanese craft were silk paintings. The Prut name for Osnáat is Osnett, which isn’t a Low Prut speakers pronunciation of the city’s name, but actually means “Divine net”, which was the Prut term for the Kaitjanese silk paintings. Its intricate designs and motifs as well as high quality were prime examples of Kaitjanese craftsmanship prior to industrialisation. The Kontor Today: Osnáat today barely resembles its counterpart from nearly a hundred years ago, that is certain. The Bund and university campus of Grotlehranstalt, Achenthorp proper and some of the major buildings of Westbank have remained the same more or less. Perhaps a little bit worse for wear. Westbank’s Prut architecture has thus been largely preserved, with a level of care and detail that varied from generation to generation and regime change to regime change. Ostbank on the other hand has completely changed, except for the harbour, which is located in the same spot, but has now been expanded and modernised. The buildings of Achenthorp have been repurposed. The main Kontor office has now been turned into a museum of the city and part of the Kontor’s heritage is kept inside. The Heliandist gardens are changed, gone, or have been repurposed as well. Wih the doubling of the city’s population, new, modern apartment complexes and hubs for public transportation have been erected instead. Only one restaurant still serves Prut meals, and that one is only visited by the curious and by those who can afford it. Low Prut is barely understood these days, and no way near as spoken publicly as it once was, except maybe in some lecturing halls in Grotlehranstalt and some local schools. The Heliandist sun and sunburst reliefs have almost completely been removed by the ruling regimes. Descendants of the Kontor Prut today mostly live in the Abramoz district, where they have largely assimilated into the local population and are forming a part of the Abramoz and Kaitjanese Heliandists. On the official census, they are counted as either Abramozi or Kaitjanese with a scant few being numbered among the Korichani. Almost none of them even speak the Low Prut language anymore, except perhaps for a few words known from Heliandist prayers known by rote and passed down through the generations. These mostly hail from the majority of expellees that left on foot. The evacuees from the Laute Laura are living in Zelisch today, where they form a core part of the Kaitjanese 50,000 or so strong diaspora in the Prut Meritocracy. The Laute Laura is still registered as part of Kontor Achenthorp and its Reederei, with the Kontor descendants here still voting their own Kontorist and maintaining the corporate charter. While in the early years this was done in the hope that they would return to Achenthorp after the civil war was over and, hopefully, the royal forces would have won, in the later decade it was done in an act of defiance over the controversial expulsion of the Kontor Prut and affiliated Kaitjanese and the none acceptance of the legality of the expulsion. These days the political angle has largely been abandoned and it’s done out of tradition and as a cultural custom. The current Kontorist is Klaudia Kýra Bohdúur. Edited by Prut, Sep 28 2014, 11:27 PM.
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| Prut | Dec 10 2014, 02:32 PM Post #9 |
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8:16 PM Jul 11