The Justicar Trade Commission

The Justicar Trade Commission was formed not long after hostilities eased between the Southern and Northern Kingdoms at the end of the War of Division. In an effort to strengthen the tentative peace, the king of the Northern Kingdom encouraged merchants to open trade negotiations with the Southern Kingdom and within a few years a standard trade route was established between the three kingdoms of the known world.
Each of the kingdoms had their own economy, so trade between the three was unpredictible at best. The Temple of Justice in the Southern Kingdom sought to establish guidelines for fair and equal trade between the three kingdoms, and to establish a foundation for trade that would equalize the value of goods between the three kingdoms. They established the Justicar Trade Commission and granted special trade writs to select merchants, those writs granted the bearers the exclusive right to move products between the Southern Kingdom and the other kingdoms of the known world at a set fee provided any profits made were shared with the Temple of Justice and the King of the Southern Kingdom.
In the years since its formation The Justicar Trade Commission has established itself in both the Southern Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Isles, but the Northern Kingdom resists allowing the commission to fully establish itself in their ports. Ships that fly the flag of the Justicar Trade Commission are a common sight in the port of the Crown City of the Kingdom of the North, but the Commission is not allowed to operate independent to the laws of the Crown as it is in the Southern Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Isles.

Ships

The Temple of Justice provides loans to merchants seeking to purchase new ships, provided the ship is operated under the flag of the Justicar Trade Commission until the loan has been fully repaid. Because of this, the merchants of the Justicar Trade Commission usually have the fastests and best maintained ships.

Legal Piracy

Merchants that pay a fee to the Justicar Trade Commission are granted special permits from the Crown and Justicars, that grant them immunity from prosecution for any ships they plunder so long as the plundered ship is not flying either the flag of the Southern Kingdom or a flag of the Justicar Trade Commission.
Goods from plundered ships, even the ship itself, can be seized and sold, with the profits shared with the King of the South and the Temple of Justice.
Any trade ship that sees another ship bearing the flag of the Justicar Trade Commission will either seek to avoid contact, or will lower their sails and allow their vessel to be boarded in a hope that the captain of the Justicar Trade Commission ship will seize the cargo, but spare the crew and leave them their ship.

Structure

Merchants may purchase special permists that allow them to operate their ships under the flag of the Justicar Trade Commission for one year. One permit is required for each ship to be operated under the Justicar Trade Commission flag. The permits are able to be purchased, or renewed, at any of the Justicar Trade Commission offices in any of the major ports in the Southern Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Isles.
The Temple of Justice in the crown city of the Southern Kingdom oversees the Justicar Trade Commission and maintains copies of all records, sent several times a month from the port offices where the Justicar Trade Commission has established offices.

Public Agenda

The official charter for the Justicar Trade Commission, that was filed with the herald of the Southern Kingdom when the Justicar Trade Commission was established, states that its mission is to prevent unfair trade or unreasonable pricing of products. The Justicar Trade Commission sets a suggested price range for imported products and seeks to maintain a reasonable limit to the cost of both imported and domestic products.

Assets

The Justicar Trade Commission maintains offices in every major port in both the Southern Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Isles. It also maintains a merchant bank, backed by the Temple of Justice, that provides loans to mercants seeking to expand their businesses or purchase new ships, wagons, or shops.

Type

Financial, Merchant League

Currency

Trade Bonds are issued by the Justicar Trade Commission, which may be redeemed for services or products from approved Justicar Trade Commission merchants. These bonds are a special currency issued by the Justicar Trade Commission that can be purchased with legal tender of the kingdom, but may only be redeemed for services or trade goods, not currency.

Parent Organization

Justicars

Location

Main Seaport of the Southern Kingdom

Related Ethnicities

• Southerner