full image - Repost: [Event] The Venerable Fourbay Federation in 263 AC (from Reddit.com, [Event] The Venerable Fourbay Federation in 263 AC)
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Grand Syndic's Palace, GulltownIt had been four years since Paul's ascension to Grand Syndic. Back then the aldermen had met in the hall of Grafton Keep, thanks to Lord Morgan's generosity. Now Paul stood in the solar of his own palace and looked across the square were his colleagues filed one by one into the large hall. "It is time, my lord" Cordwyn stated plainly."I'm still not a lord, maester" Paul replied, his gaze still fixed on the many people outside. Some of which saw these headquarters for the first time. Eventually Paul did turn around and looked at Cordwyn. He had grown quite fond of the man. The maester was a curious person, strangely devoid of ambition or so it seemed at least."You of all people should know the difference" the merchant continued, an amused expression on his face."Of course" Cordwyn responded with a sly smile. "And yet you have your own keep, a fleet in your harbor, men to patrol your walls and enough coin stored for a lifetime."The Grand Syndic simply shrugged:"Fortune favors the fool."Aldermen Hall, Gulltown"POCKETHOLE! POCKETHOLE! POCKETHOLE! POCKETHOLE! POCKETHOLE! POCKETHOLE! POCKETHOLE! POCKETHOLE!"The chanting started when Paul entered the great hall and continued as he made his way to the dais reserved for the federation leadership. For about a minute now he tried to calm the crowd and it seemed as if finally his colleagues started to settle down. The stomping died down, but was replaced with applause and whistling. It continued for another good minute during which the Grand Syndic exchanged some awkward glances with Thoren, Ergyll and Etavio. He couldn't help but smile, but wondered if it would be necessary to send in the guards."ENOUGH!" Gavin yelled to cut thorugh the noise."The next man to whistle will be fined a hundred stags!""Phweeee" came the prompt response, followed by loud laughter and cackling."The chairman recognizes Harrold of Fairmarket is fined one hundred stags" Reginald proclaimed, which earned even more laughter. Even a blind man knew that it would be the Brackwater Prince to test Gavin's patience."Alright, alright enough of that already" Thoren intervened. Slowly but surely order returned to the hall.Paul mouthed a thank you to Thoren. He stepped forward and looked around the room. Many had come. One hundred, perhaps two hundred? Paul couldn't be sure, but needless to say even the great hallwas filled to the brim. Food and drink both common and exotic could be found on the tables. It was likely the largest banquet the Federation had ever held.The cloth merchant cleared his throat and began his speech:"Dear colleagues. I thank you for this warm welcome." Once more applause followed, but it subsided quickly."We have gathered here today to celebrate our achievements these last four years. And there is much to celebrate..." The Grand Syndic spoke of the many deals and trade missions they had conducted. He spoke of their new headquarters; the formation of their own bank; the expansions to Sunspear, Planky Town, White Harbor and even Winterfell. Paul made sure to mention those that contributed most. Thoren, first and foremost, but also Gavin, Beatrice, Oscar and Reginald. Paul continued to speak about the rebuilding of their war fleet and the battle in the Stepstones. Once more empahsizing the deeds of Ergyll, Ambrose and Etavio. Finally his tone grew somber."Let us not forget the one who made the ultimate sacrifice. Ser Jason gave his life on the Stepstones for all of us. He was killed at the hands of Haron Silverspear."The room fell truly silent now. Many had heard the rumours of course, but it was different when all uncertainty was taken away."He fought bravely" Ergyll added. "His body was returned and he will be buried in a great ceremony tomorrow. For now I simply ask for a moment of silence in honor of his memory."Some time laterOnce more Paul had to wait for the chanting to subside before he could speak:"I thank you all for your renewed trust. I promise to continue to do everything in my power to improve our standing and advance our interests."Following Paul's unsurprising reelection it was now official that the entire leadership of Federation remained the same. At first glance it was a remarkable sign of unity, but the cracks were easily spotted. Traditionally the Federation was divided into four fourths. Each of which was in competition with the other. At the same time the various guilds had their own disputes and beneath that was a third level of rivalry, that of the individual member with his very neighbor. In the last four years Paul and the other Syndics had managed to mediate between the different factions and thus kept the Federation whole. However, even success was a breeding ground for new problems. The formation of the Federal Bank of Westeros significantly strengthened the position of a few select guilds. Namely the pawnbrokers, the underwriters and of course the moneylenders and moneychangers. This changed the entire dynamic of the Federation. Furthermore, veterans from the war banded together in the newly established Order of the Vigilant Sentinels of the Holy Fire. In a weird perversion of the Faith of the Seven they combined the aspects of the Smith and the Warrior with the legends of the Lord of Light and worshipped this new deity through exotic rituals. It was nothing but heresy in the eyes of Paul, but they were not only the most capable fighters within the Federation, but also often part of powerful guilds like the smiths, carpenters or stonemasons. More worrying than even that, however, was the newly formed Andal Merchant League or rather what it represented. The addition of White Harbor and Sunspear to the vast Federation network left two very large regions basically without representation. For now they associated with the Pentoshi, for they all had one thing in common: whether in Dorne, the North or in Essos Andals were always the minority. Unfortunately the similarities ended there. Religion, culture, climate etc. one could not have picked a more diverse set of regions if one had tried. Paul doubted that Etavio would be able to keep them in line. Sooner or later they would demand their own representatives and that would mean the end of the Fourbay Federation as it existed today. In an effort to centralize at least some power Paul personally founded the Narrow Sea Trade Association and Sellsail Company with the backing of the cloth merchants and shipwrights. Reginald had once told him:'He who controls the ships controls the Federation.'Paul had every intention to stay in control.
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