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Action Id: 1736 Crisis: Participants: Vanora, Ford(RIP), Valdemar, Naomi, Wash, Catalana and Ian
Status: Resolved Submitted: Jan. 29, 2018, 3:35 a.m. Public: True GM: Puffin

Silver: 10000
Economic Resources: 50
Military Resources: 50
Social Resources: 50
Action Points: 142

Action by Vanora

The Marquessa Kennex has put a great deal of time and effort towards ensuring the continued security and economic viability of Stormward since the freeing of the thralls. She has divided her attention across three different areas with the expectation that each will play a part in contributing to Stormward's success.

Economic Issues: First and foremost Vanora is focusing on the economic issues that face Stormward and other Kennex holdings as they transition from using free labor to paying their workers. To this end the Marquessa has communicated by post with prominent businesses and trades in the Kennex territories. Every effort is made to encourage business to keep their former thralls in their employ, especially in cases where the thralls were trained extensively in their area of trade. Economic incentives in the form of contributions of silver and the promise of eventual tax breaks for these businesses will be offered in order to see that industry remains in Stormward. (10000 silver put towards the cause as well as 50 economic resources.)

Diplomatic Outreach: Marquessa Vanora has also put effort into diplomacy with House Kennex vassals in order to persuade them to do all that they can to support former thralls settle into their new lives. Vanora will ask the (NPC) vassals of Kennex to work with House Kennex itself in creating infastructure to support these newly freed laborers, such as housing, appropriate medical care, and schools both for the children of former thralls and the former thralls themselves as they work to learn a trade. There will be particular effort made to see former thralls trained as shipwrights, sailors, and warriors in order to protect Stormward and serve the Mourning Isles when the call sounds to summon banners. (50 Social)

Specific Diplomatic Outreach to Zealots: Lastly the Marquessa will communicate with leaders among the once Orazians and now Sentinels, asking for their support in convincing freed thralls to remain in Kennex and their support in providing housing, education, and jobs to freedmen. Vanora will also share with them that there are plans to build several temples to various Gods of the Pantheon in Stormward once the crisis of Darkwater Deeps has passed. Freedmen will be invited to find paid work in building and maintaining these temples, and the Zealots will be asked to help bring these freedmen to appreciation of the Gods.

Other members of House Kennex and allies of the House may provide assistance in any of these three areas as the foundation is laid for Stormward not merely to survive, but to thrive as a progressive house.


Action by Ford(RIP)

Ford's assistance of Vanora's The Trouble with Thralldom action;

Economic Issues: Ford works closely with his wife to find a good balance between profitability and stability. He accompanies her to any meetings with nobility in Arx, and only speaks when directly spoken to, reinforcing the Co-Rulership. Ford also reaches out to smaller businesses, especially the ones that hired thralls after the Unchaining, to see if a collaboration of brands couldn't benefit profits for the smaller businesses. Spice merchants and produce sellers are put in touch with key personnel from Oseyan, the Kennex Vodka brand. (Command+Leadership)

Diplomatic Outreach: In this instance, Ford takes a proverbial backseat, this is where he feels it's best Vanora take the wheel in terms of further solidifying the Co-Rulership. He feels that if Kennex Vassals deal directly with Vanora on key issues it will ease the transition and culture shock. However, if there is resistance to that, he'll be there to affirm that this is Vanora's plan and what she says goes. (Composure+Diplomacy OR Command+Intimidation if there's some resistance)

Side Note OOC: I'm not sure if I'm allowed to have more than one check on an action. So I tossed in a few just in case, but if I cannot, then Command+Leadership should work fairly well for both of those assistanceseses.


Action by Naomi

Naomi will provide Lady Vanora with all of her Corsair contacts in order to better facilitate the retraining of former thralls into sailors and soldiers.


Action by Catalana

Catalana will spend her time meeting with her various contacts in her orgs to assure that spending time with the ex thralls to help retrain them will not only help the ex thralls but to the community at large.


Action by Valdemar

Valdemar will be helping out by providing security in the form of mercenaries, and providing them with strict written orders, so that the people there to perform outreach can concentrate on what they are doing.


Action by Wash

Wash will make room available on vessels for ex-thralls to find employment. He will establish through example that they are not to be treated differently from other freedmen.


Action by Ian

Ian will use the experience that he's gotten training Duke Grimhall's new recruits to help train any new recruits Kennex takes on in fighting, sailing, strategy, and general discipline. In addition, he'll sail with the Saffron Fleet in any operations they undertake to provide security for the more diplomatic side of this @action.


Result

Marquessa Vanora Kennex has not been idle. While others prepare for war, Vanora focuses on the immediate need for peace amongst the Kennex. This is not the best time to be at odds, and she has worked tirelessly to reach out and help set the domain she co-rules with her husband Ford to rights.

She works with businesses within Kennex to retain former thralls, particularly well-trained ones, at a fair wage. She sponsors necessary infrastructure projects - schools, medicine, housing - to make sure that everyone is properly housed and cared for. She pays particular attention to the thralls who work with ships - as sailors and shipwrights and everything in between - to make sure that their naval strength is as steady as possible with the upcoming crisis in the east.

She even reaches out to Orazio's Sentinels (who stubbornly insist upon referring to themselves as that, even though Orazio himself asked them politely to stop) and assures them that proper care is being taken to see to the religious education of the former thralls - that temples are being built not just to Mangata but to the entirety of the Pantheon. Freedmen are being asked to help work on the temples once the issue to the east is settled, and the zealots have been asked by the Marquessa to keep an eye on things and make sure that the gods are properly honored. It speaks to their zealot hearts it does, and they agree gladly. Of course, this means zealots will be in and out of the temples but right now they're at least walking with Kennex, not marching against.

Marquis Ford is not absent from these negotiations. He is present for all of them, presenting a united front but letting Vanora take the lead. He reinforces her authority as needed, if a particular vassal gets too fractious about it - and in general seems to agree with everything she is doing and saying. The united front is well received it seems, particularly as Vanora is doing what even the most traditional of Thrax know women are best at - cementing alliances, handling diplomatic matters, and keeping things well organized and well run.

Lady Catalana Kennex, recently returned from a sojourn in Stormward, wastes no time in helping the Marquessa, reaching out to everyone she knows to help smooth the diplomatic path. Naomi Cutter does the same, providing valuable contacts among the more common sailors so that when Vanora starts encouraging people to hire ex-thralls - the boots on the ground (decks) are already primed to do it. Lord Wash Kennex likewise orders the Captains of ships in the Kennex fleet to start hiring ex-thralls, and has been heard talking about this new path for Kennex most enthusiastically.

Lord Ian Kennex and Lord Valdemar Grimhall, interestingly, both provide security - Lord Ian by training men and coming along to ensure the Marquessa's safe passage, Lord Valdemar by hiring mercenaries to protect the Marquis and Marquessa on their diplomatic travels.

All in all, it's a united front that Kennex provides. Rumors of squabbling between the various members of the family seem to be just that - whatever happens between them in private, together they're providing a united front of strength and forward-looking goals to Stormward and to the rest of the Compact.

Graysons, take note.