The Ferrymen
The riverways of Arbor were the primary means of transportation, in fact much effort was made to dig canals to extend their reach to nearly every part of the city, facilitating transportation of goods and people. For a time this was all managed under the watchful eye of the Ferrymen. Until of course steam and with it trains that could move faster pull more and were not at the whim of the currents of the rivers usurped the ferrymen and now all they can do is watch helplessly while their livelihood is eroded and they are forced to turn to other means of making Leaves
"So many relied on the rivers and canals for work, and now the trains and steam cars do everything. What's a man to do but turn to other means of putting food on the table..."
- unknown Ferrymen
Public Agenda:
Publicly the Ferrymen transport people and goods across the city via the waterways, though recently the amount of traffic on the waterways has declined as steam and the railways have usurped them as the prefered choice in travel and goods transport. The Ferrymen are still one of the only ways that a person can go from the First Ring into the Inner Ring or take a trip out on Silver Leaf Lake. These few locations where they hold monopoly have allowed them to continue their existence, in addition to this they advertise their services as information brokers, how they come across what they know is a secret known only to them.Information Brokers
The Ferrymen have what some would call a side hustle, though from most accounts this is probably what generates the majority of their income these days. If you wish to know something or find a piece of hidden information it's likely you would seek the Ferrymen out at some point in your journey. They seem to have a knack for knowing a little about everything that's going on in Arbor. Their prices are no where near as exorbantant as some others though questions abound about how they come across some of this information. Rumors suggest that some dark deal with a creature that makes it's home in the the deepest parts of the canal are to blame, others suggest that perhaps a special relationship with the waters of Arbor. However they know what they do if you have the coin you can know it too.History:
Their origins can be traced back to the time of the second wall rising. During this period moving the stone from the quarries to site was nearly impossible. Push carts were hard to get going and depending on what was in them near impossible to stop once they were moving. The Silver Council decided that a few canals must be built and that they would ship the things from the mountains into the locations where needed. The project was such a success that the aide the a serf with the name of Lavin who suggested it was elevated to a lord and given a seat on the council as a way of thanks. The Ferrymen were a natural evolution of this idea allowing a kind of taxi service across the city in addition to the goods transportation that already existed. More canals were built and for a time Arbor went through a phase of being a truly water propelled city. It's water ways allowing transport nearly everywhere in the city. This all changed as steam power and the locomotion it provided entered the public spaces. Canals were difficult to manage and in addition to flooding on occasion needed to be maintained or the land threatened to claim it back. Many canals have since dried up and the locks throughout the city have been left to rust.Attire / Common Garb / Quirks:
Instantly recognizable by the long poles they all carry to navigate the canals of Arbor the Ferrymen can still be seen in it's many waterways to this day.Written Description:
Hoisting the long pole on their shoulder a well built man steps from the boat adjusts the hat upon their head and pulls a cigarette out from a pocket inside their hat. They are nearly completly without a top aside from a strange bandolier that runs around their back and creates a small waist belt.
Boats
The Ferrymen used to operate a wider range of vehicles on the waterways of Arbor than they do currently. In the present day this number has reduced to just 3 different vehicles each with a different purpose and crew manning it.Coating
It's worth mentioning at this point that all of the boats in Arbor that belong to the Ferrymen are coated in a special paint. This paint is black under normal circumstances creating a truly striking sight as they glide through the water, as a nice bonus this paint which is more like a coating does not chip, wear down or discolour with time. However if a vessel's license expires or is revoked the coating immediately turns brilliant white making it easy to spot on the water.Gondola
These small craft are used to transport people across the waterways their sleek design and excellent maneuverability make them ideal for a gentle ride along the waterways. In addition they are easily manned by 3 people making them great for the dwindling amount of Gondoliers available to pilot the craft. Many find the craft quite romantic and book expensive trips out on Silver Leaf Lake where the gondoliers sing to passengers engaged in courtship.
Canal Boat
The middle vessel that the Ferrymen have at their disposal these are used to transport goods throughout the city. Only two need operate the vehicle though it is possible to have a single person drive it. There are few of these left in operation and only really to transport goods from the Inner Ring out to the city.
Barge
A large flat boat that operates in the Silver Leaf Lake and operates as a ferry for those that need to go across the lake to the Inner Ring from the First Ring. It operates on a 30 minute schedule ferrying people across. This is mostly used by The Gatherers and The Seekers as they are one of the few that need to get to and from the tree regularly.
Structure and Hierarchy:
There used to be a far more rigid structure but these days the only thing holding them together is a bit of nostalgia for the good old days. Each of the different boats is operated by independent groups that must recieve a licence from the Ferryman organization. The licences are purposefully kept in short supply to keep the groups in line and are regularly handed down familial lines. Thus most Ferrymen are multi-generational affairs with a single boat perhaps being run by anywhere between 10-15 generations of people. Licences can be revoked by the licence authority at any time for nearly any reason and thus the Ferrymen are kept in a constant state of fear that they could lose them at any time and going with it their livelyhood and the livelyhoods of their children.Licence Authority
It received it's writ from The Silver Council in days gone past granting it the authority to issue licences to operate commercial vehicles on the waters of Arbor within the city. Green Cloaks are often used to enforce this decree partially because they receive the a portion of the fine for doing so and partially because a lot of them are bullies. In addition to this as mentioned before there are approximately 400 existing licences within Arbor all of them are controlled by the authority bar 1 and with the power to recall any licence which are magically linked to the authority itself they hold all the power to control all of the vessels on the waterways. The licence authority also takes a portion of the profits of every ship on the water as a part of its cost of doing business and all of this funnels into the head of the Licence Authority and their family.Notable People:
Marisa Lavin Chief Executive of the Licence Authority and Head of the Lavin Family.Territory:
All of the waterways around Arbor are under the purview of the Ferrymen with a few notable exceptions, firstly the docks themseleves they only hold a small amount of territory in that area transfering the small amount of cargo they do still transport on to larger ships for transport outside the city. Secondly Silver Leaf Lake while operated on by the gondoliers and the great barge, they do not have full control of the area due to it's proximity to The Great Tree.Notable Structures:
Outright hatred near open hostilities
The Ferrymen hate the Black Hands for the crime of taking their jobs and usurping them as the number one method of transport in the city, nevermind this happened a 100 years ago.
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