Mark of Free Travel
The gold I gave to the King, and he made me a Marquis. The black feathers I gave to the Council of Twelve, and they gave me a far greater prize: The Mark of Free travel, allowing me to move my hunts freely through Marnain, in pursuit of the Questing Beast. Lord Vulchin, recounting his rewards for the hunt of Intitular EagleThe Mark of Free travel is an award given by the Mages Council of Marnain to non-citizens that have proven themselves exemplary allies to the Council or to Marnain as a whole. It is rarely granted to foreign diplomats or to members of a foreign nobility. It is granted very rarely, with years often passing between each bestowal, and the total number of persons that hold it ranks in the dozens. Perhaps 500 have been granted over the course of the nations history, and mostly to the shorter lived races. The exact extent of the award is somewhat informal. On paper, it grants the bearer passage through virtually any border or checkpoint in the entirety of Marnain and authority to bring things in and out, but goes into little more detail. In some regions, the authorities are perfectly happy to extend this to mean any persons travelling with a bearer, elsewhere members of the entourage may be barred from taking a single step into an area that the Mark's owner may waltz freely through.
Qualifications
The deeds and qualities behind the title are, like many titles and ranks in Marnain, decided on a case by case basis. Most commonly, the title has been bestowed upon the Krpteria Office's most loyal turncoats, for long service and for successful infiltration. It can be awarded for nearly any reason, from slaying a dragon that is terrorising one of Marnain's cities too providing incredibly rare spell ingredients too the council.
Requirements
A bearer of the Mark must be:
A foreign national or non-citizen of Marnain.
Of age in their own nation
Of sane mind
Benefits
The Mark of Travel give visitors the right to pass through any borders Marnain, and access to all goverment buildings. The mark even includes the right to travel through cordoned areas, and even into vital locations. Additionally it exempts the bearer from the usual foreigners tax on good and items imported and exported and requires merchants to deal with the bearer as if he were a citizen.
Accoutrements & Equipment
The mark of travel is given in physical form, in a broach of pewter and silver, in the shape of a compass cross, the cardinal points in silver and the ordinal points in pewter. Each is made especially for a bearer, and bares their signature or mark on the reverse. A compass needle of gold is embedded in the northern facing point. When held flat in the palm of the hand of the original owner, the compass will hover slightly, and right itself to be facing north with its gold needle.
Grounds for Removal/Dismissal
Bearers of the mark of travel have their recorded actions reviewed once every three years, along with the places they visited. If what they are doing is deemed a threat to the safety, they are officially stripped of the mark and a team is dispatched to retrieve it. They do however, find it rather difficult to catch someone who has a mark that says "let me in anywhere."
Type
Civic, Diplomatic
Alternative Naming
Vagabond Badge
Equates to
Citizens of Marnain Equivalent badge: Pais-Kataskopos, though it lacks the same rareness and prestige.
Source of Authority
The Council of 11
Current Holders
Related Locations
Related Organizations
Comments