Old Dog, New Status

[This document should be considered back-dated to 6 September, right after the reported decision of the Souffets and the response by the party that Pako should be censor of their new grant of land]

Pako the Citizen

The Souffets granted the company who captured Fort Stormbreak, né Bugeater, the right to elect a military commander (mridha), for whom they chose Sesel; and to elect a civilian commander and tax collector, or censor, to mutually command the Fort. For the latter, the company elected Pako, longtime loyal comrade of Durham of the Ringing Anvil.

This is certainly a surprise! There is no law against granting citizenship to a renyu or assigning one such a high office, it is a thing almost unheard of. There was Saint Khristof once, who was indeed even a saint, but renyu are not widely known for their intelligence or initiative. Whatever the feeling of the Souffets regarding this decision, they certainly won't deny it the heroes of the Bugeater crisis.

Therefore, with some little fanfare, Pako was duly invited to make the procession between the Long Walls from Cothon to Gadeed, to enter the Court of the Mount, escorted by Sesel, his sponsor and companion. In that palace, Pako stood first before a lesser magistrate, whose office of censor Pako would soon take on himself, to declare his answers to the four formulaic questions: 

1. What wealth do you claim?
2. Do you make any claim to rights or privileges according to the pedigree of your ancestors?
3. What is your profession?
4. Do you swear loyalty to Gadeed, to Cothon, and to their Souffets? Do you swear to keep arms, and/or to provide for the arms of your servants and/or slaves, for service to the Mother of Cities and the Ten Cities' League?

From there--assuming he answered well and without any offense to Gadeed, and did indeed swear the oath--he was escorted before the Souffets to be invested with his office of Censor of Stormbreak (as the fort was renamed) alongside Sesel being invested as Mridha of Stormbreak.

Pako's name and the date inked in lapis lazuli blue, and stamped with gold

Pako the Censor

As censor Pako is responsible for the development of the land around Fort Stormbreak into productive land, the taxes on which he can farm and will retain 10% for his own personal use. The land allotted him is a 10 mile radius around the fort, which is approximately 314 square miles.

The land is currently not well developed, except around the inn-on-the-ford, and so the land as a whole yields only a fraction of what it could if properly developed. The river is replete with fish and eels, so one might imagine fishing weirs providing one place for development; or using its current for driving a mill. One might also expect Pako to use his connections with the Was'go tribe of renyu, from among whom he was born, to perhaps develop the land in some way that renyu would be good at, like hunting or birding. Other ideas will have to be developed by Pako (and whoever might wish to help him).

As of September, Pako would have a monthly personal income of 100 dinars between taxes from the inn and the little bit of income from the land. This can be significantly increased if Pako surveys the land to see how it might be used, and invites settlers to come out to the Fort or the area around the inn and to thus start developing the land to be useful to Cothon-Gadeed.

This means that Pako has earned 400 dinars since investiture.

Pako should, of course, coordinate with Sesel on ideas about the Fort itself

The Company's Decision

Following their reported successes at Fort Bugeater, the company of that expedition was called to the Court of the Moon to report to the Souffets. Taking in all the information provided, the Souffets came to a decision regarding the reward of 150,000 dinars (gp) that they had offered for its capture. This reward was divided into three parts:

1. Eighty thousand (80,000) dinars would be awarded to the company of the expedition for personal rewards. Divided into shares, full shares to leaders and half-shares to retainers, this comes out to:
   11,428 dinars each to Sesel, Durham, Heijo, Fa Min, and Najm
   5,715 dinars each to Raoden, Pako, Demitrytus, and Fa Mei
2. Iqtadar Sesel would expand his holdings, taking up the office of mridha (castellan) of the Fort. It was requested by the company that the fort be renamed, given that "Bugeater" was the name of the Kzin who commanded it formerly. As mridha, Sesel receives thirty-five thousand (35,000) dinars for maintenance and upgrades to the fort. A force of at least 120 fighting-men must be hired and supplied, including support staff such as armorers and blacksmiths (it is suggested that perhaps Durham's Ringing Anvil get first refusal to take up this opportunity?). Sesel will hold this post for at least one solar year, with the chance to be reinvested with this authority with the accession of the next two Souffets.
3. Pako would take up the mantle of censor of the land around the Fort, acting as overseer and tax-farmer and ensuring that the land is developed for the good of Cothon and Gadeed. He will receive thirty-five thousand (35,000) dinars for the development of the land, and hold the office of censor for one lunar year, or longer if renewed during the Feasts of Investiture next year. It is expected that the Was'go take up some of this work, though certain rumors suggest that they are also engaged in their own expansion in the sea caves of the Ocean's Throat. As part of taking office as censor, Pako will also take on the mantle of citizen of Gadeed.
   This last is very unusual--a renyu citizen?! It seems clear that this is, to some extant, a thumbing of the nose at the Souffets, a deliberate following of the letter of their decision, but twisting the spirit. Many suspect that Durham, foreigner and Hansemann that he is, put the company up to this unusual choice.
   Yet, there are many who are happy to see a renyu raised to such status--after all, why should they not be allowed such status, when Bulrathi and Klackons are granted the same? Is there really anything about a renyu that should bar them from citizenship?

Pako's new status as citizen will be covered in a separate post.

Furthermore, the Souffets also promised a triumph and feast for the successful adventurers, in part to buoy the morale of the Cities, so long assailed by fears and disasters stemming from the Red Cloud and his horde of Kzinti, and the Stygian and the undead horrors infesting Old Tsurr al Qadim. This too will be covered in a separate post.