Evaluator
Very few people have held the title of Evaluator and have been recognised as such by others. A true Evaluator strikes fear into the hearts of would-be tradespeople, and causes a rush of joy at their approval. Yet Qalathian commerce would be poorer - probably literally - were it not for these overseers.
Due to this requirement of knowledge, it is not uncommon to find specialisms within the ranks of Evaluators - those relating to foodstuffs, or tools, or gems and metals, fabrics and the like. As most markets are a combination of some or all of those components, Evaluators often train for a number of years under another Evaluator, before being individually licensed.
An alternative to that is for two Evaluators to share a market - and therefore the profit. Such agreements tend to occur in villages and towns towards the edges of Qalathian territory, such as Ley-tan and Usàs Nakàsz.
Where Is This Title Recognised?
Evaluator is a title of Qalathian origin, and one granted by license and certification, by the ruler of Qal'ath. That said, anyone from an allied - or otherwise socially-linked - nation may become Evaluators. Since before Carnael the First, (Carnael II's father), some Evaluators have been hired from Bevérohii, due to some Elelupii's affinity to business.An Evaluator's Role
There are different facets to the work undertaken by the Evaluator.Present At Any Point
First and foremost, an Evaluator must be present at least once per market per day at those held outside of Bezélan. They do not need to give the stallholders and hawkers any warning of the timing of their visit, however some have preferred to see the Evaluator before trade begins to steady their nerves and let them focus on the job of selling their wares. In fact, most Evaluators prefer to handle their responsibilities at the start of the day, in order to satisfy the locals and traders, but also to allow them to pursue their other agendas for the day.What Do Evaluators Do?
The answer to this question shows why this role is one of the most influential - arguably powerful - official civilian positions available. Put simply, it was the Evaluator's responsibility to inspect the quality - and legality - of goods brought to market and, using their knowledge and contacts, verify that such a trader could be permitted to sell their wares within Qal'ath's borders.Chronicler's Note:
The joys of my role as an historian and recorder of facts means I am privy to information often kept hidden. It is a useful tool when considering Evaluators. For if they are not present at the start of the day, they will have almost certainly hired someone as a 'business spy'. The kind of person they would choose are those that otherwise people would not remark; a scruffy-looking but well-behaved child, a lady with a pup, an historian with his head in a book. This 'spy' would remember any traders who, after seeming to sell some goods, disappeared before the Evaluator arrived. In this case, the nearest 'spy' would send word (via another in the chain) so that the Evaluator could meet them in a place far removed from that market, to discuss the possibly-rogue trader. And, no, I've not been recruited. Though attempts have been made.
Make or Break
An Evaluator's conclusions as to the quality of a trader's goods are made in the moment and, for that trading day, are final. If a merchant is deemed unworthy, they must vacate the market as quickly as possible.Chronicler's Note: "Outdrag" (or "Outed Rag" depending on who you ask), refers to someone leaving a market forlornly, after having been denied by an Evaluator. The image is of them "dragging their wares out" of the locale. But Outdrag is also a measure of the Evaluator. If a marketplace has a high Outdrag rate, it can be indicative either of them not doing their jobs properly, or that they are putting their own pockets ahead of the rules of the Realm. I am glad to be a Chronicler and not a Mathematician. Numbers can say almost anything.While that trader could, in theory, return the following day, this rarely happens. Once deemed suspicious, Evaluators would look harder and judge more harshly, other traders would not be happy selling near them and, if those buying from the market were present at the time of their eviction, they would likely not purchase anything from the evicted trader, even if they had changed their ways (and stock). Thus, seemingly at a whim, businesses and the lives that depend on them, could be made or broken by the Evaluators. Therin lies their power.
How Do Evaluators Get Paid?
While certification may come from the Capital, Evaluators must find work for themselves. Given the tight regulation inside Bezélan, outside of the Capital trading rules are, to be generous, "loose". Thus Evaluators could either strike their own contracts with market organisers - or with individual traders. In the latter case, an Evaluator would have agreements with all the known traders at any one geographical location, effectively creating a monopoly. Commonly, Evaluators provide their services - and approval - for a fixed, usually-nominal, fee. It is "nominal" because it would need paying every trading day, which for many sellers is every day. Another source of charges to the traders is that through sharing business advice. When the role was first initiated, it took time to remove - and regulate against - unscrupulous Evaluators who gave unsolicited advice, demanded coins, then evicted traders when they did not pay. Nowadays, with most markets outside of Bezélan being also patrolled by its soldiers, Evaluators and traders have more amicable relations. Some do not even charge for the business advice, so long as the trader in question was in a contract with them. Their reasoning was simple: if the advice led to higher profits, then the Evaluator would be able to charge a higher fee. If the advice did not yield more profit, neither side lost out.Collective Accountability
Traders naturally wish to keep Evaluators pacified, and their stalls profitable. While the Evaluator has power over the tradespeople, it is not absolute. For example, an Evaluator can be reassessed or even stripped of their license, if more than half of the traders from one marketplace submit a complaint to the Treasury, which is later upheld by a tribunal. This is called "Collective Accountability".- Traders are accountable to each other because no one wishes to be reported for malpractice,
- The Evaluator is accountable to the traders for how they carry out business and how they give advice, and
- Tradesfolk are accountable to the Evaluator for the quality - and cost - of their goods (and therefore also accountable the Treasury).
Qualifications
An Evaluator will only be licensed once having past three inspections at three different marketplaces, overseen by a member of the Tax Income Governance Tribunal, or another Evaluator with a clean ten Ana (by the Qalathian measure) of uninterrupted certification.
Article Sections
Type
Professional
Form of Address
Evaluator <First Name>, or sometimes "Master Evaluator" to show deference.
Source of Authority
Ruler of Qal'ath
Length of Term
While most Evaluators tend to move on after two years, some have made a lifetime's career from it. So long as they are approved by the ruler of Qal'ath, they may continue to work as, and claim the title of, Evaluator.
Reports directly to
Related Organizations
"...at least with a soldier of Qal'ath you know what you're dealing with. By nature, they are direct, confrontational and approach problems in the most efficient manner. Usually. But Evaluators, I say as though acid drips from my mouth, Evaluators torture you at a glance, look thrice over the cloth or stone crafted in the same way today as yesterday, humming and hawing as though they know how best to construct a wall, or weave a garment. The monocal or "eyescope"-wearing bringers of doom tut and sigh, before eventually conceding that you have earned another miserable day of existence on the fringe of society, scraping by, while they, fat from extortion, strut around claiming to be all-knowing and fairly-judging, blissfully unaware that some in the Realm have to work to eat. I have never once failed an inspection. But after eleven years of daily interrogations, I am no less fearful of Evaluators now than I was on my first day."
(from "The Trader's Journal", recovered in 519AFD from the wreck of a carriage found between Bezélan Minor and Free Market.)
"That is some finely-crafted gold, friend Dwarf," the monocle-wearing Elelup exclaimed, handing the sample back to the trader.
"Why, thank you!" the Dwarf laughed, relieved, "Your professional opinion is always welcome."
Not that I have much choice in the matter if I wish to keep earning money for the family back home, he thought, less humorously than he was acting.
"And you know it is not in my interests to lie about such matters," the Evaluator affirmed.
"If you did, neither of us would last long!" the Dwarf chuckled.
From, Chronicles of Qal'ath, Book 1, "Wrenched"
(not published)
Dag Dùsz, Trader's Square, 8 Ur
(not published)
Dag Dùsz, Trader's Square, 8 Ur
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