Section of founding speech by Renata Torswyth
A Recipe for Disaster
After the deaths of
Founder Renata Torswyth and
Thordren Innestraad , it wasn't long before the inevitable vying for power began. Several rich merchants managed to gain power over the years, most with reasonable success and
Osbegda continued to grow and prosper: these rulers became known as Merchant Princes. The last three Merchant Princes to hold power had become increasingly more concerned with their own wealth and status than the wellbeing of the City. Taxes rose, and the businesses of the City began to suffer under the poor economic guidance of rulers with more money than sense.
Resentment Stirs
This seeming selfishness of the latter Merchant Princes, caused grumblings amongst the professionals and merchants of the city. Professional Guilds begin to form.
A Tyrant in the Baking
The sugar tax
An Alliance Rises
Guilds band together. Knowing that they didn't have sufficient force or power to overthrow the merchant prince, they decided to make a deal with the Orcs of Paiaku. In return for helping them defend their borders against the giants, the orcs would lend their influence to the alliance. Eventually these guilds teamed up to form an alliance against the prince.
Section from Orc chief's speech at the sealing of the alliance
The Revolution Begins
Now the guilds waged a political battle, gaining the support of most of the city. They proposed a new way of the City being governed and the people seemed to be behind them.
Just Desserts
Facing a bloody civil war within the streets of Osbegda, one which he would surely lose, the merchant prince chose instead to flee the city under cover of darkness, ironically hidden in a cart of fresh loaves of cinamon bread.
This isn't what Renata and Thordren tried to build.
The end
The merging of the sugar alliance into the Guild Consortium
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