Settling Hand

Public Agenda

The stated aim of this group is to help those who struggle to live in towns and cities find homes and work. While the founders' motivation was general altruism many join the group due to a religious conviction that they should be helping others.

Are you tired of struggling to find a place to live? Of not having enough space for your family or not having the money to feed them? Come and speak to the Settling Hand and let us help you take steps to improve your life.

Rather than trying to locate jobs in the towns this group encourages people to return to the rural areas. They push several key messages:

• There is plenty of land out there that can be claimed by those willing to work it.
• Working on your own farm means food is cheaper than if you have to buy it.
• There are plenty of villages in need of people with skills like pottery, thatching, and carpentry.

In addition to trying to sell the idea of leaving the towns the group also provide practical advice on key skills, provide the location of settlements in need of new families or certain trades, and even provide the materials to get started with creating a new farm. These supplies are a loan, and the new farmers are expected to gradually replace the goods once their farm is producing. For those who do make this work this typically means helping to support new neighbours who have also been persuaded to leave the towns behind.

Assets

This group is heavily dependent on donations to fund their work. Though controlled by the Seyrians the group receive no money from that church, though some of the Guides do promote the group when encouraging the faithful to support those in need.
Donations are used to pay for the non-volunteer members of the group and for the purchase of goods needed to set up a new farm. In theory those who have taken the group's help are meant to repay the upfront costs but this doesn't always happen. Other costs such as the purchase and maintainance of wagons and horses also means that there is frequently a need for fresh donations.

Some regular funding comes from the crown in exchange for helping take away some of those arrested for vagrancy, though those who take the group's help after being arrested are more likely to not make their new lives work. This means the group can lose money on these people.

History

This group was founded by Olivia Renkart, a once prominent member of the Renkart trading family. She set up the group after abandoning her family position (and the wealth it brought with it). Her one time nemesis, Alwin Millerson of the rival Millerson’s trading group, helped with funding the groups initial activities until other wealthy residents of Bellcross were persuaded that donating to the group was in their own interests.
In 175 the group expanded their operations to include Trem, and started working in Filishar in 182. Since 219 they have also been in disucssions with the Argentiss' about working in Shaon.
While not originally affiliated with any of the churches, when Olivia passed away control was passed to the Church of Seyr whose philiosphy of helping people to better their own situation lined up with the aims of the group.

Beyond the cobbles

Type

Activist, Charity

Founders

• Olivia Renkart

Parent Organization

Church of Seyr

Location

Bellcross

Notable Members

• Olivia Renkart

Those arrested for vagrancy or begging in the Kingdom of Caresnas' larger towns are typically assigned to a road crew for a period of time. If the culprit has a family then they may instead be introduced to the Settling Hand to provide another alternative.

Donating as a preventative measure

Since this group was first set up the wealthy have been encouraged to donate to help themselves. The theory goes that not having a roof or food to eat drives people to crime, so you can reduce the number of potential criminals by getting them out of the cities and back into the fields where they can drive the creation of more wealth. Some, including the majority of the Renkarts, counter this with the arguement that it is useful to have a population that will work for low wages as they are desperate for coin and that the homeless and desperate are a prime candidates for recuiting into the army.