Merchant's Certification

Rite of passage for young merchants.

"Anyone can sell a few things here or there but a merchant has an eye for business. An associated merchant has both an eye for business and the backing of a powerful trading house so they can actually make deals happen."

Becoming an Associated Merchant

It is a fairly simple matter to become a member of a mercantile house, though the requirement vary between different institutions. All of them require the prospective member to pay a fairly hefty fee and provide the documentation of how they earned it. It isn't enough to have money, a merchant must earn it. Larger houses have additional requirement such as having performed an apprenticeship under a merchant and / or having an existing guild member provide a letter of recommendation.
After these requirements have been met, there is a small ceremony in which the new merchant, a high-ranking member of the trading house, and occasionally some other merchants from the house, sign the papers and the new member is officially added their roster.
It is not uncommon to receive a denial on a first application. Discrepancies in the documentation and unfair dealings will almost always result in a denial - at least, from any reputable merchant house. It is also the case that many are denied their first application because the house wants to see some level of commitment to the craft and the specific house by receiving a second application.

A Fully-Fledged Merchant

For a young merchant, this is the event after which they are considered an adult. They no longer receive special - be it for better or for worse - treatment and are expected to pay their continuing membership dues as a full associate of the house. They can now borrow money, transfer money between locations using only papers, and have some protections in the case that something goes wrong.

Stub Article

This article is just a stub for now and will be expanded upon later.

Old Article

This article was written in the past and does not meet my current standards for any number of article quality, layout, or content.

In-Progress Article

This article is being worked on, perhaps not at this very moment, but it is being worked on.