Post by New Isra on Oct 18, 2023 16:27:44 GMT -5
The fledgling settlement of Port Argentium is under the direct control of Lady Naoki . In this time of initial growth from a collection of tents on the beach up into a proper city, she has retained direct control of every aspect of Port Argentium’s development, detailed as follows.
Construction:
The construction of all buildings occurs under Lady Naoki’s direction. She appoints foremen to oversee construction projects and develops the city as she sees fit. She has drawn up and is continually revising plans for the town’s growth. As such, Port Argentium lacks the higgledy-piggledy buildings-scattered-every-which-way street layout common to some quickly constructed towns. There are distinct districts, planned thoroughfares, and space reserved for later development. The Forum is the center of the town, and its most important buildings and services are located around this center of activity.
The exception to this is The Imilla Tribe . They may construct their own homes in a designated section of the Residental District and are primarily responsible establishment of farms in the lands surrounding Port Argentium.
Jobs:
Everyone in Port Argentium works. Lady Naoki maintains a ledger of every citizen of Port Argentium and their job. Even the settlement’s handful of children. Those who are of appropriate age are tasked by their guardians to assist with small tasks as needed. Children’s tasks might include fetching water for the kitchen, running messages, sweeping their parent’s workspace, and so on.
The large ‘industries’ of Port Argentium are managed by administrators appointed by Lady Naoki. These ‘industries’ include hunting, fishing, farming, woodcutting, construction, forging, and quarrying, and others, of varying sizes. Each of these administrators is responsible for managing the workers under their purview. The Huntmaster, for instance, maintains records of each of their hunters. When a hunter begins an expedition, they log it with the Huntmaster, such that the Huntmaster has records of where each hunter is at any given time. This makes it easier to see if any have gone missing. And by tracking the spoils of each hunter’s hunts, it’s easy to see if any are slacking.
Every worker has certain expectations placed on their work. Quarry workers, builders, and most other jobs are expected to work a certain number of days each week. Guardsmen have a certain number of shifts that they need to work. Hunters and fishers don’t always catch their prey but are expected to have a certain level of consistency. This ensures that everyone is pulling their weight. All the jobs need to be done, and everyone does something.
There are no special consequences for not meeting a given job’s quota. Sometimes people are sick, sometimes the fish don’t bite, and sometimes the deer gets away. Things happen. The quotas are not highly demanding, and the tolerances are high enough that nothing bad happens if a few workers underperform. If workers consistently underperform relative to their peers, that may be a cause to look into assistance or reassignment, but no trouble is made of it.
Beyond these major ‘industries’, many citizens of Port Argentium have been granted dispensation to perform more unique jobs. Each of these citizens has certain expectations placed upon them that are consistent with their job. For example, Idalia is responsible for Idalia’s Great Eats. She has no quota or expectation of production, but she is expected to have her restaurant open and serve food most of the time. So long as she does, she is considered to be doing her job to satisfaction.
To match the changing demands of the town, Lady Naoki often has cause to reassign jobs. Most often, this is done by soliciting volunteers. The Dockmaster might be given the order, ‘Thirty of your workers need to be reassigned to Lumbering, twenty to Quarrying’. The Dockmaster would then pose this question to their pool of workers, and see which of them are looking for a change of pace. If there are not enough volunteers, The Dockmaster may be made to choose. Workers can also initiate job changes on their own, by request. The movement of a few workers here and there isn’t of huge concern, and by monitoring outputs and reassigning workers as appropriate, Lady Naoki maintains adequate productivity across the settlement.
Logistics:
All movement of goods is carried out on Lady Naoki’s orders. Most are fairly straightforward. Produce from hunters goes directly to the Mess Hall for butchery and preparation. Leathers are taken elsewhere to be tanned. Food from farms, depending on its shelf life, goes either directly to the Mess Hall or to be stockpiled in warehouses for the winter. Logs are stockpiled at The Waterfront, and then distributed from there — mostly toward construction. Scrap wood from construction is used as firewood to keep stoves hot in The Mess Hall, and so on. Waste is discouraged, efficiency is lauded, and luxuries are only just beginning to be produced.
Unsanctioned exchange of goods is forbidden. Certain exceptions have been granted:
Currency:
Coinage is not in use. Though popular in Old Isra, Lady Naoki has seen fit not to begin its use in an official capacity in Port Argentium. Instead, in accordance with the above, citizens are provided what they need — both to live and to work. By eliminating the free market in favor of direct control, Lady Naoki moves the settlement’s development along at a blistering pace. Some citizens use coins for trade amongst themselves, but the amount in circulation is quite small indeed, as very few had the opportunity to bring their life savings with them through The Mist.
It has been stated that currency will eventually return. Jobs will pay coins to be exchanged for goods and services, and a portion of what is provided now for free will have a cost. Some citizens have taken to stockpiling whatever coins they can get their hands on for the day that decree arrives, and others are less concerned about it. Whatever happens, Lady Naoki has made it clear that so long as she reins, everyone who puts in an honest day’s work will get what they need, and most are content to trust this promise.
The Imperial Inquisition works under Lady Naoki to ensure all of the above occurs as it should. This might mean checking in on businesses to ensure they’re offering services as they should, checking that stockpiles have the expected amount of inventory, and following up on rumors of unsanctioned trade. Seeing as how The Inquisition was created originally to protect Isra from corruption within its own government, they are overqualified for this task, and thus, widely respected. Compliance is high.
Construction:
The construction of all buildings occurs under Lady Naoki’s direction. She appoints foremen to oversee construction projects and develops the city as she sees fit. She has drawn up and is continually revising plans for the town’s growth. As such, Port Argentium lacks the higgledy-piggledy buildings-scattered-every-which-way street layout common to some quickly constructed towns. There are distinct districts, planned thoroughfares, and space reserved for later development. The Forum is the center of the town, and its most important buildings and services are located around this center of activity.
The exception to this is The Imilla Tribe . They may construct their own homes in a designated section of the Residental District and are primarily responsible establishment of farms in the lands surrounding Port Argentium.
Jobs:
Everyone in Port Argentium works. Lady Naoki maintains a ledger of every citizen of Port Argentium and their job. Even the settlement’s handful of children. Those who are of appropriate age are tasked by their guardians to assist with small tasks as needed. Children’s tasks might include fetching water for the kitchen, running messages, sweeping their parent’s workspace, and so on.
The large ‘industries’ of Port Argentium are managed by administrators appointed by Lady Naoki. These ‘industries’ include hunting, fishing, farming, woodcutting, construction, forging, and quarrying, and others, of varying sizes. Each of these administrators is responsible for managing the workers under their purview. The Huntmaster, for instance, maintains records of each of their hunters. When a hunter begins an expedition, they log it with the Huntmaster, such that the Huntmaster has records of where each hunter is at any given time. This makes it easier to see if any have gone missing. And by tracking the spoils of each hunter’s hunts, it’s easy to see if any are slacking.
Every worker has certain expectations placed on their work. Quarry workers, builders, and most other jobs are expected to work a certain number of days each week. Guardsmen have a certain number of shifts that they need to work. Hunters and fishers don’t always catch their prey but are expected to have a certain level of consistency. This ensures that everyone is pulling their weight. All the jobs need to be done, and everyone does something.
There are no special consequences for not meeting a given job’s quota. Sometimes people are sick, sometimes the fish don’t bite, and sometimes the deer gets away. Things happen. The quotas are not highly demanding, and the tolerances are high enough that nothing bad happens if a few workers underperform. If workers consistently underperform relative to their peers, that may be a cause to look into assistance or reassignment, but no trouble is made of it.
Beyond these major ‘industries’, many citizens of Port Argentium have been granted dispensation to perform more unique jobs. Each of these citizens has certain expectations placed upon them that are consistent with their job. For example, Idalia is responsible for Idalia’s Great Eats. She has no quota or expectation of production, but she is expected to have her restaurant open and serve food most of the time. So long as she does, she is considered to be doing her job to satisfaction.
To match the changing demands of the town, Lady Naoki often has cause to reassign jobs. Most often, this is done by soliciting volunteers. The Dockmaster might be given the order, ‘Thirty of your workers need to be reassigned to Lumbering, twenty to Quarrying’. The Dockmaster would then pose this question to their pool of workers, and see which of them are looking for a change of pace. If there are not enough volunteers, The Dockmaster may be made to choose. Workers can also initiate job changes on their own, by request. The movement of a few workers here and there isn’t of huge concern, and by monitoring outputs and reassigning workers as appropriate, Lady Naoki maintains adequate productivity across the settlement.
Logistics:
All movement of goods is carried out on Lady Naoki’s orders. Most are fairly straightforward. Produce from hunters goes directly to the Mess Hall for butchery and preparation. Leathers are taken elsewhere to be tanned. Food from farms, depending on its shelf life, goes either directly to the Mess Hall or to be stockpiled in warehouses for the winter. Logs are stockpiled at The Waterfront, and then distributed from there — mostly toward construction. Scrap wood from construction is used as firewood to keep stoves hot in The Mess Hall, and so on. Waste is discouraged, efficiency is lauded, and luxuries are only just beginning to be produced.
Unsanctioned exchange of goods is forbidden. Certain exceptions have been granted:
- Small trade between citizens is permitted. A shiny rock for a sweet bun. One portion of food for another. Small items that are not important to the development of the settlement are generally permitted.
- The individual known as Shyv'Ahna has been granted explicit permission to trade her manufactured goods with certain warehouse managers. Usually handmade furniture for basic manufactured supplies.
- The Twin Cities may send ships to Port Argentium’s docks, where they may engage in trade directly with Lady Naoki.
- The Pchelinaya have created a trade agreement with Lady Naoki, wherein they supply honey and mead in exchange for favors. This trade is conducted along The Southern Road.
- And Grandma can do what she wants.
Currency:
Coinage is not in use. Though popular in Old Isra, Lady Naoki has seen fit not to begin its use in an official capacity in Port Argentium. Instead, in accordance with the above, citizens are provided what they need — both to live and to work. By eliminating the free market in favor of direct control, Lady Naoki moves the settlement’s development along at a blistering pace. Some citizens use coins for trade amongst themselves, but the amount in circulation is quite small indeed, as very few had the opportunity to bring their life savings with them through The Mist.
It has been stated that currency will eventually return. Jobs will pay coins to be exchanged for goods and services, and a portion of what is provided now for free will have a cost. Some citizens have taken to stockpiling whatever coins they can get their hands on for the day that decree arrives, and others are less concerned about it. Whatever happens, Lady Naoki has made it clear that so long as she reins, everyone who puts in an honest day’s work will get what they need, and most are content to trust this promise.
The Imperial Inquisition works under Lady Naoki to ensure all of the above occurs as it should. This might mean checking in on businesses to ensure they’re offering services as they should, checking that stockpiles have the expected amount of inventory, and following up on rumors of unsanctioned trade. Seeing as how The Inquisition was created originally to protect Isra from corruption within its own government, they are overqualified for this task, and thus, widely respected. Compliance is high.