Farm, fur, and fish

"Ah, Graciana, thank you for coming." said Gerard, barely bothering to glance up from the pile of ledgers he was annotating. "I've... news." he said cutting himself off half way through. "You've been requested again. The Senate have asked you to appraise ways to increase the Prosperity of Sermersuaq."

"Why?" she asked clearly bemused.

"They want you to find ways to increase the tax revenues, I believe." he responded, even as he scribbled furiously in the margin.

"Nooo" she groaned. "That much is obvious. Why Sermersuaq?"

"What difference does it make?" said Gerard, clearly confused by the point of the question.

Graciana shrugged indifferently. "I need to understand why they picked Sermersuaq. It's already Prosperous - and the revenues should still be rising. It already more than pays it's way. So why pick the frozen north?"

Now it was Gerard's turn to look annoyed. He stopped what he was doing and scrabbled around his desk until he found the sheet of paper he was looking for. "We seek not only to pay our own way in the Empire, " he said, reading aloud, "but to take Pride in our Prosperity by making a positive contribution to the economy of the Empire. We request Graciana i Lopez i Guerra appraises how to take advantage of the untapped natural wealth of Sermersuaq and its people to achieve these ends."

"The senator wants me to take advantage of the people?" she asked in mock alarm.

"You know perfectly well what the senator means Graciana!" Gerard's patience was clearly coming to an end.

Graciana grinned at her boss but he refused to laugh. "Fine!" She said, admitting defeat in the face of that unbreakable craggy face. I'll go and do my best. It's just cold up north! Saying that though... I did hear they have this great big hot spring..."

"That sounds excellent." muttered Gerard, but his head was already down, his eyes back on the ledgers.

Hunted since time immemorial by the Suaq people, attempts to domesticate the mammoths of Sermersuaq have proved largely fruitless. They are stubborn, wilful creatures that pine and die when kept in captivity - and so are the mammoths.

Overview

The Imperial Senate has commissioned Graciana i Lòpez i Guerra to appraise ways to take increase the Prosperity of Sermersuaq, its people, and potentially the entire Empire. Before heading to the north-easternmost part of the Empire, Graciana spends a few days in Tassato visiting the Imperial mint. While her contacts there refuse to go into much detail, she clearly comes away with food for thought. At least on paper, there's no reason to consider Sermersuaq is failing to "pay its own way." Even with citizens returning to the territory, and recent developments such as the new roads, the northern territory already pays a significant amount into the Imperial treasury in taxation. There are a lot of valuable farms and businesses there, and while the impact of the Jotun invasion is still being felt, Sermersuaq is rapidly returning to the prosperity it enjoyed before the orcs came.

It is the ambition of Wintermark to increase the prosperity of Sermersuaq and its people. We seek not only to pay our own way in the Empire, but to take Pride in our Prosperity by making a positive contribution to the economy of the Empire. We request Graciana i Lopez i Guerra appraises how we can take advantage of the untapped natural wealth of Sermersuaq and its people to achieve these ends.

Proposed: Sermersuaq, Seconded: Bastion

Sermersuaq's wealth lies in the beasts of the cold plains, in the herbs and forests, and in the fish that throng in the great freshwater lakes that dot the territory. Years of being under the life-giving and life-affirming power of the Rivers of Life curse have seen the populations of animals and plants in the territory expand to almost dangerous levels. The hunters, fishers, and trappers who once fled before the Jotun advance have returned; the mammoth herds are as healthy as ever; the last remnant of orc occupation has pretty much run its course.

With all that in mind, Graciana chooses to approach the problem from a different direction. Unsurprising for a prognosticator who favours novel approaches to the problems she is asked to appraise. Sadly, she might not be the best person to send to do a purely economic appraisal - her plans are often made with scant regard for the expense involved.

Trade Negotiations

• Sermersuaq could establish trade routes with the orcs of Otkodov and Skarsind but the challenges that must first be resolved are beyond the prognosticator's remit

Graciana presents two theoretical proposals that involve arranging for the people of Sermersuaq to engage in trade with their neighbours to the north and to the east, but there are obstacles that need to be overcome first. Diplomatic relations with Otkodov are on a knife edge at the moment, and the collapse of Pakanaan's Pass limits possibilities to trade with the orcs of Skarsind.

Pakanaan's Pass

• Reopening Pakanaan's Pass would allow trade between Sermersuaq and Skarsind to the benefit of both territories

Pakanaan's Pass used to allow passage between Sermersuaq and Skarsind. Caravans once passed regularly in both directions, both when the latter territory was part of Wintermark and after it was gifted to the Imperial Orcs. In later 383YE a Jotun yegarra force under the walrus banner of Eisa Winterborn sealed the western end of the pass. Until the Pass is cleared, it's unusable by Imperial armies. It's also impassable to merchant caravans which is unfortunate. As Skarsind has grown in size and prosperity, easy trade with their neighbours to the west could be good for both territories. The Imperial Orcs have plenty of valuable wood and metal, but they'd also value meat, fish, fowl, herbs, furs, ivory... all things Sermersuaq produces in abundance.

Reopening Pakanaan's Pass would be a fairly major undertaking, and while Graciana has a few ideas of how it might be done, it's also beyond the remit of her immediate appraisal. She suggests that if the Imperial Senate wish to pursue this avenue they consider another appraisal specifically to re-open the Pass, and if they specify that they want it opened for both military and merchant purposes that might provide opportunities to increase the prosperity of both Wintermark and the Imperial Orcs.

Northern Neighbours

• Warlock Askja of Volham asks for the Thule to hunt in East Floes
• A senate motion could grant citizens of Otkodov the right indefinitely or for a set amount of time
• The warlocks of Volham have offered to endow 10 mana crystals a season to a Conclave order for as long as they have hunting rights

Move Thule Embassy

Commission Type: Embassy

Location: Any region of Sermersuaq

Cost: 10 white granite, 10 weirwood, 150 crowns, 6 months

Upkeep: standard

Effect: Moves the Thule Embassy to Sermersuaq

And on the subject of trading with orcs... Shortly before the Winter Solstice 384YE Askja of Volham came to the Empire on behalf of the Thule Dragons with two requests. The Trading Hall at Wreck was built and both Mediators of Wreck who have served in the year since it was established - Arja Fiskdottir and Halvind Brinegold- - have consistently arranged caravans piled with food to be sent north.

The other thing the Thule asked was to be allowed to hunt in Suaq Fount and East Floes, and they were prepared to offer ilium for the right to do so. Ilium that could be used for any number of reasons. Now that the Ambassador to Otkodov is a citizen of Wintermark, there may be value in approaching the northern orcs about this offer. They are unlikely to be prepared to offer as much ilium - there's a suggestion that the immediate threat of widescale starvation has passed not least thanks to the food caravans provided by the Mediators of Wreck - but the Thule have other things that might prove valuable to the people of Sermersuaq. The Silverpeaks alone are rich in both weltsilver and tempest jade for example, and the orcs of Otkodov are clearly not short of mana or vis. The people of Sermersuaq are in an excellent position to trade profitably and prosperously with the Thule if they are prepared to seize the opportunity.

One way to do that might be to relocate the Thule embassy from its current location in Mieriada to Sermersuaq. It is significantly easier for the orcs of Otkodov to reach Suaq Fount, and East Floes, both in the shadow of the Silver Peaks, than it is the frozen vale of Wendell's Hope. Graciana believes that with Thule approval the embassy could be moved with a single senate motion and commission. Unlike her colleague Naomi, Graciana is not a great diplomat, but she is confident that with the right approach it would be possible to negotiate a trade ministry specifically to exchange the bounty of Sermersuaq - furs, ivory, meat and so on - for valuable Thule vis or raw materials.

Obviously the ongoing delicate situation with the Thule would need to be resolved first, but Graciana considers that a minor detail.

Cerulean Mazzarine favours warm, dry environments and grows poorly in Wintermark.

Taking the Waters

• The Hot Springs of Taniki represent a minor wonder of the Empire, and Graciana proposes ways they might be curated to improve the prosperity of Sermersuaq
• She presents plans for a garden harnessing the heat of the springs, and a hostel that will drawn in travellers keen to experience the lagoons effects

Graciana has laid out some proposals for commissions that would improve the Prosperity of the people of Sermersuaq, and allow them to support or trade with their Imperial allies. While touring the territory, Graciana is especially taken by the possibilities presented by the Hot Springs of Taniki, a natural lagoon of heated water that bubbles up in Tanikipari.

Herbs and Hot Springs

Gardens of Taniki

Commission Type: Sinecure

Location: Tanikipari, Sermersuaq

Cost: 20 weirwood, 60 crowns, 3 months

Effect: Creates the title of Gardener of Bravash

Gardener of Bravash

Title: Wintermark position

Appointment: Senate or Tally of the Votes

Powers: Receives 27 cerulean mazzarine each season

Responsibilities: To support the apothecaries of Wintermark in their prosperity

• Graciana proposes harnessing the heat created by the Hot Springs of Taniki to establish a garden specialising in growing Cerulean Mazzarine

One of the obstacles the herbalists of Wintermark, the Imperial Orcs, and Varushka must contend with is the difficulty of getting Cerulean Mazzarine - a plant that favours warmer climes - to flourish in the colder weather common to the north. In places the spring water is just shy of boiling, and the lake itself is full of strange mineral goodness. After talking with some local residents, Graciana has a couple of proposals and seems quite enthused by the possibilities presented by the steaming lake.

Most straightforward, she proposes the construction of the Gardens of Taniki. This would be a herb garden established on and around the southern shores of the lake taking advantage of the heat generated naturally by the waters to help the plant also known as sanguine hibiscus to propagate in the otherwise hostile conditions. Through careful use of the rune Bravash, the gardeners here would be able to raise a sizable stock of the valuable plant used both to repair wrecked limbs, treat serious injuries, and brew all kinds of useful potions. A straightforward sinecure, it would create the title of Gardener of Bravash who would be responsible for overseeing the garden and receive a bounty of 27 drams of cerulean mazzarine each season.

Hostel and Hot Water

Hot Springs Hall

Commission Type: Sinecure

Location: Tanikipari, Sermersuaq

Cost: 20 white granite, 60 crowns, 3 months

Effect: Establishes a lodge on the shores of the Hot Springs of Tanikipari, creating the title Thane of Hot Springs Hall.

Special: Increases the taxation of Sermersuaq by two thrones.

Thane of Hot Springs Hall

Title: Wintermark position

Appointment: Senate or Tally of the Votes

Powers: Receives 2 Thrones income and two phials of lake water each season

Responsibilities: To protect the hot springs and look after travellers visiting them

• A hostel catering to people who wished to bathe in the waters of the lagoon would bring in travellers and help establish new businesses in Taniki

The Hot Springs serve as a stopping-off point for those who have made the decision to walk to Sydanjaa, treading in the footsteps of Empress Mariika. Mystics and seers from Wintermark and beyond often visit here as well; the waters are said to have properties that aid divination and scrying magic of all kinds. While pondering this, Graciana also considers the Reaper's Repose in Temeschwar - a lodge where rich guests spend time away from the demands of the world.

Graciana proposes a hall, providing restful surroundings and enabling visitors from all over the Empire to bathe in the hot springs. The waters are relaxing and have some beneficial effects to those suffering certain kinds of lingering pain conditions. Those who meditate while bathing sometimes speak of gaining a degree of clarity about their own lives and leave with new goals or new understanding of their place in the world. The land itself is surprisingly beautiful, stark and wild and inspirational. All this combines to propose something that would bring more travellers to Sermersuaq, and help contribute to the prosperity of the people.

The Hot Springs Hall would be built on the northern shores. Guests would stay in rich surroundings, and split their time between bathing in the waters and exploring the beautiful surrounds. It would create a title - Thane of Hot Springs Hall who would look after the Hall and the guests. It would provide a regular income for the Thane - 2 Thrones each season - but the Thane would also receive two phials of prepared lake water each season. Held in specially made vials, the water is drawn from the springs near the Day regio on its northern shores, and represents a consumable that provides benefits to those performing divination magic. Usually the waters must be taken directly from the lagoon, and their properties are unpredictable, but there are a few icewalkers who know how to seal and stabilize their power with special seals using the rune Hirmok.

The Hall would not only bring guests, but also people who would support the lodge and its visitors. It would see a significant burst of prosperity in Tanikipari, with a number of new businesses established, and likely a new town would spring up near the springs. It would not be especially dramatic, but Graciana predicts it would increase the taxation from Sermersuaq by two thrones each season.

Farm, Fur, and Fish

• Graciana believes the real wealth of Sermersuaq lies in its beasts and plants; in hunters, farmers, and fisherfolk

The wealth of Sermersuaq lies in the animals and plants that flourish here. Caribou, deer, bears, wolves, seals, mammoths, penguins, puffins, whales, whales with horns, snow lions, arctic foxes and hares, large arctic foxes and hares, walruses, very big walruses, dangerous flightless birds... there is a vast profusion of different beasts here. Meat, ivory, leather, hide, fur, and more are all gathered by the hunters of Sermersuaq. Many of the plants that grow on the tundra are edible, exotic enough that their roots and berries are in demand by chefs and those with refined palates. The lakes throng with fish, some not encountered anywhere else. These natural resources are ripe for exploitation.

Icewater Fish

Atalaq Fishery

Commission Type: Great work

Location: Sealtoq, Sermersuaq

Cost: 75 weirwood, 25 mithril, 300 crowns, 6 months

Effect: Increases investment in farms in Sermersuaq to three. Allows farms owned by Suaq characters to diversify their farm to produce a mana crystal.

• A fishery built at the town of Atalaq would support farms and fisherfolk across the territory
• It would also further cement relations with the hylje of the lakes

Atalaq is the oldest settlement in the territory, the spiritual heart of the Suaq tradition. Since time immemorial, fisherfolk have plied their trade on the frigid lakes. Graciana proposes to harness that tradition by establishing a fishery at Atalaq. This would provide all kinds of services to those whose livelihood depends on the lake waters. It would further increase the profitability of farms throughout the territory - directly to those "farms" that represent fisherfolk.

Graciana is no diplomat but she is aware that Sermersuaq is home not only to the Winterfolk, but also to the cousins of the Suaq, the hylje. After spending a few days at the Hyljehal, she believes that the fisheries could also be used to increase understanding and harmony between the Empire and the seal-shifters. In return for basic concessions and division of the fishing rights on the lake, the hylje would provide crystal mana from the depths of the lakes to their land-bound cousins. Similar to the rich bounty of the Hyljehal, any farm in Sermersuaq would be able to use a single diversification option to reduce the income of their farm by 36 rings, but in its place gain a single crystal mana each season representing negotiation with the hylje. The cost of diversification is a throne and it can be done only once per farm.

There are additional benefits from the fishery, if the Senate creates a Mediator of Atalaq (as we will shortly discover).

Fur and Ivory

Atalaq Tradehall

Commission Type: Great work

Location: Sealtoq, Sermersuaq

Cost: 50 weirwood, 150 crowns, 3 months

Effect: Increases investment in businesses in Sermersuaq by one. Increase taxation from Sermersuaq by 4 thrones. Provides additional benefits to the Custodian of the Bloody Great Sausage, Wintermark Fleet owners, and the Mediator of Wreck

• A grand trading post in southern Sermersuaq would provide a significant boost to businesses in the territory
• It would provide additional benefits to Wintemark ships trading with foreign ports by providing rich luxury goods to sell
• The Custodian of the Bloody Great Sausage would be in prime position to make a profit from the increased availability of fine, exotic meats

Sermersuaq produces fine fur, ivory, and leather as well as meat found nowhere else in the Empire. While a lot of that meat is currently going north, there's also demand across the Empire. Graciana proposes that the Imperial Senate could construct a trading post at Atalaq. Where the trading hall at Wreck focuses on trade with the Thule, the trading hall at Atalaq would focus on trade with... well everyone else.

The hall would serve as a great work that added 36 rings to every business in the territory. It would draw a significant number of merchants from Imperial territories, as well as encouraging more people to go into business for themselves, and that would increase taxation on the territory by 4 thrones each season going forward.

The great work would have other impacts as well. The burst of luxury goods and materials the trade post provided would have a benefit for the traders and merchants of Wintermark as well. For a full year after the trade post was completed, every fleet operated from a Wintermark territory would receive a bonus income of 36 rings whenever they engaged in trade with foreign nations, selling ivory and fur to people who appreciate the fine quality of the materials gathered by the hunters of Sermersuaq.

The meat of exotic creatures such as mammoths, the rare plants that grow on the tundra, would be very much in demand by connoisseurs and gourmands across the Empire. Once complete, it would provide an opportunity for the Custodian of the Bloody Great Sausage to negotiate favourable access to the produce of Sermersuaq, and bring it to the cities of the League. The custodian would gain an income of 7 crowns each season in profits (and the occasional bribe).

There would be additional benefits if the Senate also chose to establish a Mediator of Atalaq

Mediator of Atalaq

Mediator of Atalaq

Title: Wintermark position

Appointment: Tally of the Votes

Powers: Can change the benefits provided by the Smokehouse and the Fisheries

Responsibilities: Protect, preserve, and expand the prosperity of Sermersuaq; oversee the Smokehouse, the Fisheries, and the Trade Hall of Atalaq

• If the Senate commissions either the Fisheries of Atalaq or the Atalaq Tradehall they can also establish a mediator of Atalaq
• The mediator could influence the hunters and fishers of Sermersuaq to change the benefits provided by great works in the territory

If the senate commissions either the Fisheries of Atalow, or the Atalaq Traderhall, they could take the opportunity to create the title Mediator of Atalaq as part of the same motion. They could also create the title independently with a senate motion if they wished by amending the Smokehouse of Atalaq to give the mediator responsibility for it.

However it was created, the mediator would be responsible for protecting the Smokehouse, and any of the Fisheries or Trade Hall that were created. Appointed by the Tally of the Votes, the Mediator would work with the hunters of Sermersuaq, negotiate with traders keen to acquire valuable goods from them, and offer guidance. They would take responsibility for protecting the Smokehouse, but also gain the ability to propose that the hunters and herders of Sermersuaq adopt different priorities. Once each season they would be able to adjust the benefits of the Smokehouse of Atalaq. By persuading hunters to focus on culling the mammoth herds, they would change the benefit of the great work from additional rinks to provide each farm in the territory with 72 fewer rings but in their place they would receive a mammothblood salve each season. This red salve made from mammoth blood and fat grants health and strength to warriors allowing them to survive savage blows in combat.

If the fisheries mentioned above were built, it would also be the responsibility of the mediator to protect and maintain them. They would gain the benefit to focus the efforts on the fisherfolk, rather than the hunters. If they did this the great work would provide 72 fewer rings but each farm in the territory would instead produce a flask of moonfish oil each season. This powerful aromatic oil greatly replenishes the magical reserves of magicians and is invaluable to battle-mages and war-healers alike.

The mediator would use the ability to change the effect of the great work with an e-mail to plot after an event but before downtime closes. The change to the benefits of the great work would apply from that downtime onward until changed again. In theory, there might be future opportunities to add additional rare plants, animal-products, or fish to those available to the mediator.

Paying Our Way

• If the people of Sermersuaq are concerned about their contribution to the wider Empire, Graciana has some proposals
• They include significant boosts to the Imperial treasury by decommissioning the Jotun forts, or relinquishing the Pride of Ikka's Tears
• Even if they don't want to take these options, she's also pointed out the value of establishing the Beacons of Wintermark in the territory

Graciana has laid out several ways that Sermersuaq could support the wider Empire, mostly by providing more money to the Imperial treasury which can then be used on projects important to other nations.

Extraneous Castles

• The Fortress of Kalant and Olgafsdottishal require constant upkeep by the Imperial treasury
• They might be replaced with a set of beacons similar to those used in Hahnmark and Kallavesa

The first adjustment to the balance sheet Graciana proposes is purely mathematical. Every territory incurs costs to the Imperial treasury; one of the largest costs comes in the money required to upkeep fortifications. Since they were built by the Jotun, the Fortress of Kalant and Olgafsdottirshal between them cost the Empire 36 Thrones each season, which soon adds up and cuts deeply into whatever revenue Sermersuaq creates. If the Senate were to decommission one or both of these massive, costly castles that would significantly increase Sermersuaq's contribution to the treasury. A single Senate motion could be used to decommission both castles (technically all castles in Sermersuaq, but there are only two under Imperial control, so the matter is moot). They would not immediately fall down, but would quickly deteriorate, but there would be a small window for the Senate to recommission one or both of them if they regretted their decision. (OOC Note: They would offer no benefit to the defence of Sermersuaq and would lose 500 force every season until they were no longer considered fortifications, but their decline could be halted at any point by using another senate motion to recommission them and begin paying their upkeep again).

Beacons of Sermersuaq

Commission Type: Fortification

Location: Sealtoq, Sermersuaq

Cost: 25 white granite, 25 weirwood, 150 crowns, 6 months

Upkeep: None

Effect: Establishes Wintermark beacons in Sermersuaq, as long as Atalaq remains in Imperial hands

Leaving Sermersuaq defenceless would obviously be short-sighted, but there are no fortifications in Hahnmark or Kallavesa either. Rather, the Winterfolk rely on their heroes to protect them in time of need - both through their armies and through the networks of beacon towers. By all accounts the beacons have demonstrated their value in the fight against Cold Sun. The obvious thing to do would be to extend that same creation to Sermersuaq. They'd take a little while to build, and require some investment, but once complete would provide the same benefits as those in the southern territories

• Provide a warning of invasion meaning an attack would never count as uncontested.
• Allow military units lead by Wintermark heroes to defend them just as if they were a fortification.
• Be maintained and garrisoned by the Sermersuaq halls meaning no drain on the Imperial treasury, but not count as a fortification for purposes of rituals except for those specifically designed to target the beacons
• Remain operational and take no damage as long as Atalaq in Sealtoq remained in Imperial hands

As mentioned when the first beacons were proposed, creating the beacons is a slightly more daunting proposition in Sermersuaq than it was in Kallavesa and Hahnmark. But, says Graciana, the advantages of not having an upkeep to the Imperial treasury, and allowing the self-sufficient hunters of Sermersuaq to defend their own prosperity, are self-evident.

Pride and Tears

• The mithril mine, Pride of Ikka's Tears, imposes costs on the Imperial treasury but provides no income
• It could be relinquished and made an Imperial bourse seat

One of the sources of Sermersuaq's wealth is the Pride of Ikka's Tears - the mithril mine discovered by chance nearly seven years ago. The Imperial Senate paid a steep price to open the workings, and then further invested in both expanding the mine workings and improving access to the northern parts of the territory. The mine now produces a hefty 22 wains of mithril each season. It's also a drain on the Imperial treasury. The Senate pays its upkeep, but it is a national resource assigned by Tally of the Votes. Graciana points out that Tuija Dunning, who currently holds the seat, is surely a prosperous individual but it does little to help Sermersuaq "pay its own way".

Five years ago the Senate created the power of relinquishment. It requires a constitutional vote to pass, and could be vetoes not only by the usual assemblies but also by the Wintermark assembly. It would require ratification of course, but the Empire has a Throne once again so that should presumably be no obstacle. The closest equivalent - the Great Mine of Briante in Kahraman - has brought in over 400 Thrones each year for the last three years. If the Pride of Ikka's Tears brought in a comparable amount of mithril it would be a dramatic increase to Sermersuaq's - and Wintermark's - contribution to the Empire.

This would obviously leave Wintermark without an easy supply of mithril; Graciana suggests that it might be possible to revisit the proposal to revisit the old proposal for Gulnar's Deephall in Hahnmark although that is beyond the scope of her appraisal, and anyway might not be in the best interests of the Reeve of Boar's Market or Bargainer of the Iron Tower (there are only so many wains of mithril dug up by miners and prospectors to go round after all).

(Graciana is aware that the Imperial Conclave has paid Estavus to review the Pride of Ikka's Tears, but is confident that whatever the eternal proposes will be as relevant to an Imperial position as a national one).

Out of the Storm (Conjunctions)

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Further Reading

• Sermersuaq
• Appraisal