The Smiths' Coster
The Smiths' Coster is a trading company specializing in weapons and armor. The Coster specializes in introducing unusual weapons to spheres that lack them due to low technology or scarcity. The Coster commonly trades with groundling nations and has been responsible for the spread of smoke-powder weapons through the Known Spheres.
Symbol: A starwheel pistol over a shield.
Headquarters: A dwarven citadel that can be found in the Grinder in Greyspace.
Purpose: Like most mercantile organizations, the Smiths' Coster is profit oriented. The Coster started as an outlet for the especially fine work of a single dwarven smith who was an expert in the manufacture of weapons. As the business grew, the organization branched out into other suppliers (although the Smiths' Coster still carries more dwarven weapons than anyone else), and began regular trips to groundling nations. The smiths of the Coster are primarily dwarves, although there are some humans and even a few gnomes working at their forges. Their merchants are of many races; most recently, a group of rastipedes joined the Coster.
Allies: When the Coster was first starting, the Smiths did much of their shipping on the Sindiath Line. (Human merchants were required to negotiate passage on these primarily elvish vessels.) Even though the Coster now maintains its own ships, there is still a good deal of friendliness between the ships of the Sindiath Line and Coster captains, and they will help each other should the need arise. The Celes-tians often work on Coster ships, as these vessels make an extra effort to extend their reach into new spheres.
Enemies: The Trading Company sees the Smiths' Coster as competition. The Company is particularly disturbed by the Coster's practice of selling smoke-powder weapons to the enemies of the Trading Company's employers, which (in the view of the Company) has brought much needless and expensive death to their troops.
The Xenos dislike the Smiths' Coster because of its dwarvish origins. The Pragmatic Order of Thought views the Coster alternately as a benefactor (when it sells weapons to oppressed people) and a warmonger (when it sells to the oppressors).
The Coster generally ignores the Pots' opinions in any case.
While the Sindiath Line is on good terms with the Coster, the elven Imperial Fleet sees the mercantile empire as strengthening the positions of nonelves. With the historical emnity between elves and dwarves, this has led to more than a few clashes over the centuries, particularly when sales are made to people the Fleet would prefer to keep controlled. Thus far, however, these clashes have been limited, and neither side has emerged as clearly dominant.
Joining: The Smiths' Coster is a fairly large trading company, but it is still very much a close-knit operation. Captains with ships interested in marketing the Coster's goods may be accepted for occasional work until they have proven themselves trustworthy. As Nagul Roundbeard, the current head of the company says, "To work here, you've got to be family."
Not all races get past Nagul Roundbeard equally easily. He has a clear preference for dwarves, gnomes, and halflings; big folk make him a bit nervous. He has accepted humans, elves, half-elves, grommam, and rastipedes into the organization. He considers the giff and the hadozee to be too unintelligent to run one of his ships (although he rarely expresses this opinion in their presence), and he dislikes reptilians—lizard men and hurwaeti—in memory of a difficult battle he had with them in his youth. No member of these latter races has ever successfully joined the Coster.
Benefits: Smiths' Coster goods are of excellent quality and have an outstanding reputation. A Coster captain typically receives 30% of the sale price of coster cargo, to be spent on ship maintenance and crew wages. The captain may keep any money left over. If the captain is a warrior with the Merchant kit, he may carry additional cargo he has purchased with his own money, and will earn profit on that cargo as described in Chapter 3. If a longtime captain has a particularly bad run, or if disaster befalls his ship, the Coster has been known to buy him a new spelljamming vessel.
Obligations: The Coster gives great loyalty but expects great loyalty in return. Captains must give Coster shipments first priority; delaying a Coster shipment to make some other delivery first is sufficient to lose that captain his place in the organization.
Even worse than delaying a shipment, however, is smuggling. The Coster maintains its reputation for honesty by protecting it fiercely. Nagul Roundbeard views smuggling as a reflection on the Coster. He has been known to publicly repudiate a captain for the mere suspicion of smuggling.
Symbol: A starwheel pistol over a shield.
Headquarters: A dwarven citadel that can be found in the Grinder in Greyspace.
Purpose: Like most mercantile organizations, the Smiths' Coster is profit oriented. The Coster started as an outlet for the especially fine work of a single dwarven smith who was an expert in the manufacture of weapons. As the business grew, the organization branched out into other suppliers (although the Smiths' Coster still carries more dwarven weapons than anyone else), and began regular trips to groundling nations. The smiths of the Coster are primarily dwarves, although there are some humans and even a few gnomes working at their forges. Their merchants are of many races; most recently, a group of rastipedes joined the Coster.
Allies: When the Coster was first starting, the Smiths did much of their shipping on the Sindiath Line. (Human merchants were required to negotiate passage on these primarily elvish vessels.) Even though the Coster now maintains its own ships, there is still a good deal of friendliness between the ships of the Sindiath Line and Coster captains, and they will help each other should the need arise. The Celes-tians often work on Coster ships, as these vessels make an extra effort to extend their reach into new spheres.
Enemies: The Trading Company sees the Smiths' Coster as competition. The Company is particularly disturbed by the Coster's practice of selling smoke-powder weapons to the enemies of the Trading Company's employers, which (in the view of the Company) has brought much needless and expensive death to their troops.
The Xenos dislike the Smiths' Coster because of its dwarvish origins. The Pragmatic Order of Thought views the Coster alternately as a benefactor (when it sells weapons to oppressed people) and a warmonger (when it sells to the oppressors).
The Coster generally ignores the Pots' opinions in any case.
While the Sindiath Line is on good terms with the Coster, the elven Imperial Fleet sees the mercantile empire as strengthening the positions of nonelves. With the historical emnity between elves and dwarves, this has led to more than a few clashes over the centuries, particularly when sales are made to people the Fleet would prefer to keep controlled. Thus far, however, these clashes have been limited, and neither side has emerged as clearly dominant.
Joining: The Smiths' Coster is a fairly large trading company, but it is still very much a close-knit operation. Captains with ships interested in marketing the Coster's goods may be accepted for occasional work until they have proven themselves trustworthy. As Nagul Roundbeard, the current head of the company says, "To work here, you've got to be family."
Not all races get past Nagul Roundbeard equally easily. He has a clear preference for dwarves, gnomes, and halflings; big folk make him a bit nervous. He has accepted humans, elves, half-elves, grommam, and rastipedes into the organization. He considers the giff and the hadozee to be too unintelligent to run one of his ships (although he rarely expresses this opinion in their presence), and he dislikes reptilians—lizard men and hurwaeti—in memory of a difficult battle he had with them in his youth. No member of these latter races has ever successfully joined the Coster.
Benefits: Smiths' Coster goods are of excellent quality and have an outstanding reputation. A Coster captain typically receives 30% of the sale price of coster cargo, to be spent on ship maintenance and crew wages. The captain may keep any money left over. If the captain is a warrior with the Merchant kit, he may carry additional cargo he has purchased with his own money, and will earn profit on that cargo as described in Chapter 3. If a longtime captain has a particularly bad run, or if disaster befalls his ship, the Coster has been known to buy him a new spelljamming vessel.
Obligations: The Coster gives great loyalty but expects great loyalty in return. Captains must give Coster shipments first priority; delaying a Coster shipment to make some other delivery first is sufficient to lose that captain his place in the organization.
Even worse than delaying a shipment, however, is smuggling. The Coster maintains its reputation for honesty by protecting it fiercely. Nagul Roundbeard views smuggling as a reflection on the Coster. He has been known to publicly repudiate a captain for the mere suspicion of smuggling.
Neighboring Nations
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