The Gāngtao Migrant Fleet
The ever-moving, unmappable nation on the water
Structure
The organization structure of the migrant fleet is a wholly unique thing - as one part military hierarchy and one part free-spirited commune, the Migrant Fleet is mostly divided up by the chain of command it subscribes to as far as governmental structure goes. On a societal level, they tend to be divided into different "clades" - organizations best thought of as one part guild, one part clan, and one part dedicated group of specialists - depending on one's talents or current occupation - these "Clades" exist on mostly the same societal level, and live side by side in harmony. None are significantly above or below the others, and these categories are used mostly for organizational and governmental purposes.
The list of governmental rankings is listed below:
- High Admiral - The rank belonging to the man or woman in charge of the Migrant Fleet. There is only ever one, and they are stationed on the Migrant Fleet's de-facto capital and command-and-control, the Bushūbunáo, Capital of the Migrant Fleet, round the clock unless duties take them elsewhere. This seat is currently held by Kishiji Kawamura, a grizzled man better known as "The One-eyed Wolf".
- Admiral - The rank belonging to the lesser admirals in charge of the four seperate armadas that make up the larger Migrant Fleet as a whole. There are only ever four, and they report exclusively to the High Admiral.
- Lord Commander - The rank belonging to those beneath the admirals, given command of multiple ships that form a "Flotilla". Each of the four armadas usually has up to a dozen or more, depending on its size - they handle matters too small for the Admirals, and manage the captains beneath them.
- Commander - The most numerous rank belonging to the commanders of individual ships. They handle the ship they run and report to the Lord Commander at regular intervals.
- Military Clade - The Soldiers, Naval Officers, and the like that serve on the Migrant Fleet's battleships, cruisers, and carriers. The men and women dedicated to protecting the Migrant Fleet and all its noncombatants. These Clades usually have their own defensive vessels and are 'assigned' a ship or flotilla to serve - and then report to the according Commander or Lord Commander for daily duties, assignments, and matters of defense. This clade can trace its roots to countless defunct and existing nations across the continent whose ancestors fled their respective countries to find a better life on the seas, and struck a deal with the first Merchant Clades for mutual beneficiance and support.
- Merchant Clade - The merchants, barterers, traders, and the like that live on the Migrant Fleet's countless ships turning a profit in whatever port they sail into. They are charged with keeping the Migrant Fleet profitable and putting food on the tables of all who live there - finding good deals, good products, and keeping business flowing. This clade was the first to join the fleet alongside the Military Clade, and traces its roots back to the free-spirited pirates, freebooters, merchants, and sailors who banded together to better endure the dangers of oceanic life.
- Engineering Clade - The engineers, workers, repairmen, and techspeakers that work around the clock keeping the Migrant Fleet's ships running at full capacity. They are an invaluable part of the fleet, and especially so to the tends of thousands living on the Migrant Fleet's capital, the Bushūbunáo, Capital of the Migrant Fleet - whose sprawling metal corridors stretch on for miles. They also serve a valuable role in assessing the scrap and salvage the Salvage Clade brings up from the ocean's depths, and then decide where and to whom it should go. They are also the masterminds behind the Lifeships of the Migrant Fleet - gigantic ships overbuilt and overdesigned to be capable of allowing tens of thousands of people to live on a ship that could normally allow barely 1/1000th of that - they are best described by their motto "Heroes to none, friends to all" - the invisible hands that sustain and upkeep the ships of the fleet. They were the third Clade to Form in the fleet, which split off and formalized when members of the first two clades demonstrated talent for engineering and repair, as well as crafting and construction.
- Salvage Clade - The salvagers, divers, explorers, and the like who constantly prowl the waters beneath the fleets for scrap, sunken ships, and derelicts to either farm for materials or, on rare occasions, entire hulks deemed intact enough to survive a hauling back to the water's surface, where they are restored and pressed into service in the fleets. This clade is by far the most dangerous, even moreso than the Military Clade - these brave men and women constantly brave the dangers of the ocean's depths and its rusting derelicts for supplies and materials to serve the fleet - meaning they face all manner of dangers on a daily basis. They, as a result, often have and are experienced in the use of all manner of strange technology, weapons, armor, and more salvaged from their various expeditions, and have a close relationship with the engineering clade. This clade is the most recently formed, and was created in the wake of the salvaging of the Bushūbunáo, The Salvaged Supercarrier - the ship that would become capital of the Migrant Fleet. This herculean task was the crowning achievement of the then-fledgling Salvage Clade, unofficial as it was, and formalized then across the Fleet - proving the worth of their abilities and expertise.
- Civil Service Clade - This oft-forgotten but vital clade is made up of the postmen, civil service workers, and bureaucrats who make up the unseen cogs of the Migrant Fleet. They handle the vital but overlooked tasks of delivering packages, mail, doing paperwork and the like across the many ships of the Fleet and Maintaining the ties that link each ship together into one cohesive whole. They also handle taxes, fees, and the like. Unkindly referred to as "The Suits" or "The Hooks". This clade was formed once the Migrant Fleet had gained its bearings as a nation of its own and formed the Sailors Clade - with the addition of peasants working normal lives in the fleet, a natural need arose for a group to handle the bureaucracy that resulted from such a thing.
- Sailors Clade - The sailors, freemen, and peasants living aboard the migrant fleet. The 'working class' of the migrant fleet, and the most numerous clade. Every 'lifer' in the fleet, immigrant, or first-time foreigner or visitor in the fleet belongs to this clade. Ironically, was one of the last Clades to form - it was not until the Migrant Fleet developed significantly that it could even sustain a peasant class, and instead was lived in by those who made it - the soldiers and merchants who banded together to form it.
- The Northern Armada - Homeland of the Migrant Fleet, and home to its capital, the Bushūbunáo, Capital of the Migrant Fleet. This fleet commonly sails the normally uncrackable iceflows of the northern seas around Narixia, Hyeojiin Island, The Shenchaun Tundra, The Glacial Drift, and the northern coastlines of Myrkeim and Zheng-Kitar with the help of its capital ship, the Bushūbunáo, The Salvaged Supercarrier - only its immense metal girth can shatter the unfathomably thick ice there and reach the frozen trading hubs of the barbaric residents that call the northern coasts home. It is commanded by Admiral Mishil Hong, and is also home to High Admiral Kishiji Kawamura - both serving aboard the Bushūbunáo, Capital of the Migrant Fleet.
- The Eastern Armada - The Armada that sails the seas around Myrkheim, Tarthus, and all up and down the eastern coasts of Zheng-Kitar. Commanded by Admiral Haru Yoshinaga - the only female Admiral in the fleets.
- The Southern Armada - The Armada that sails the seas around Ustana, Cheolt, and all around the southern coast of Zheng-Kitar. Commanded by Admiral Jiang Lin, the oldest living Admiral in the fleets.
- The Western Armada - The Armada the sails the seas around Dhara, Qushu, and the Vathomion Isles as well as the entire western coast of Zheng-Kitar. Commanded by Admiral Lyuboslav Ivanova, the youngest Admiral in the fleets.
Culture
The culture of the migrant fleet is a riotous mishmash of countless other cultures and ethnicities - freedom of expression and life are paramount here, and all are required to pull their weight. They work hard, play hard, and live even harder - to live a life without regret.
See the page for the Tao, ethnicity of the migrant fleet, for more info on its culture.
Public Agenda
The migrant fleet's agenda is simple, and defined by the "Threefold Creed", taught to all sailors of the fleet who intend to stay for any length of time. The Migrant Fleet makes no lies or deceit about their intentions - so long as they are left alone, they will leave others alone.
- All we do, we do for profit.
- We take no sides nor interests. Neutrality is our law.
- We force no hand nor creature - the communal good is upheld willingly.
History
See the page for the Tao, ethnicity of the migrant fleet, for more info on its history.
Demography and Population
Almost any race, ethnicity, and type of creature can be found in the Migrant Fleet - the Migrant Fleet visits virtually every port on the continent both above and below the waves at regular intervals, so countless breeds and cultures can be found living there.
Territories
The Migrant Fleet holds no official territory - they roam the waters of the world traveling and moving around constantly, always seeing new places and people.
Military
The Migrant Fleet's military power is not as vast as one might think - a vast majority of the titanic Migrant fleet is made up of the Lifeships where noncombatants dwell, but it nonetheless has a powerful naval military - enough to defend itself and more - especially considering its capital, the mighty Bushūbunáo, The Salvaged Supercarrier, holds enough power to decimate a small nation all on its own.
Religion
There is no official state religion of the migrant fleet - several religions are prevalent here, such as that of Asad the Patient, unofficial Patron Saint of the migrant fleet, but all faiths are welcome there.
Foreign Relations
Due to its relative emphasis on neutrality and trade, the Migrant Fleet has decent relations with almost every coastal nation on the continent - very few wish to make the costly mistake of provoking their ire or attacking them.
Agriculture & Industry
No agriculture, but its industry is immense - its shipbuilding, repair, engineering, and salvage industries are first in all the world.
Trade & Transport
The Migrant Fleet is the foremost trading power in the world - its Armadas travel to every nation and city both above and below the waves, and all products, no matter how exotic, pass through its markets at some point.
Education
Education is irregular across the four armadas of the Migrant Fleet - some have standardized education, others make it a point to train the next generation of sailors and workers, others have none at all - as usual, it is chaotic and unpredictable.
Unity in diversity, Truth in freedom.
Founding Date
3977 ASK
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Alternative Names
The Migrant Fleet
Demonym
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Stratocracy
Power Structure
Federation
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
The official currency of the Migrant Fleet are a unit of currency dubbed 'Saltsheets' - thin metal sheets that vary in design based on denomination. These unique sheets are the only Fiat currency in the world - invented by the Migrant Fleet to solidify trading across the continent. They are as close as Zheng-Kitar has to a universal currency. Most all nations will take it - they are notoriously hard to fake due to a unique forging process that involves spreading salt across the metal along with unique designs and compounds that, when the metal sheet is licked, will produce an unmistakable blue hue on the tongue, and an immensely salty flavor.
Major Exports
Most everything imaginable
Major Imports
Most everything imaginable
Legislative Body
The High Admiral and the Admiralty Board
Judicial Body
The High Admiral
Related Professions
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
Related Reading
Friendly and Supportive
As the core of the Featherpoint Post's operations, the legendary Distribution Centers, were built and constructed out on the ocean's waters off the east and west coasts of Zheng-Kitar, they are naturally hotspots and prime targets for all who would seek to uncover the secrets of the post and steal its secrets for themselves.
To this end, to protect their investments, the Featherpoint Post has had long-standing deals with the Migrant Fleet's Western and Eastern Armadas to keep their distribution centers safe in exchange for payments to the fleet and discounts on letters sent by those in those respective Armadas.
Tense but Close Allies
Though many coastal nations fear and even come to despise the arrival of the Migrant Fleet, likening them to locusts that drain entire areas of wealth and resources, the lands of Dhara are one of the only areas that has maintained good trade ties with the Migrant Fleet and welcomes them openly and honestly - their ports are some of the most expansive in all the world, and as such they welcome the ships of the Migrant Fleet wherever possible.
So tight is their bond, that the Dharan city of Tripides stands as one of the only, if not THE only, coastal city to fully allow the Bushūbunáo, The Salvaged Supercarrier, to dock within its harbors and not bankrupt itself in the process - a testament to the brilliance and efficacy of the city's tradesman and harborworkers.
Openly Hostile
As the Migrant Fleed makes for a most juicy target for Jugeum Raiding Fleets, the two nations have naturally becoming incredible hostile to one another - the fleets of the union often sack and pillage sections of the Migrant Fleet's eastern armada, and the two war and battle constantly.
There has been several attempts at a cease-fire, but all ended in failure - so while no official cease-fire has been made, many captains in the Migrant Fleet have taken to a custom called the "Myrgeld" - a tax paid to approaching Union fleets to persuade them to leave without a fight. Thanks to this, while official relations are openly hostile, many in the Migrant Fleet have developed ways to make some kind of peace with the pillaging plunderers of the Union.
Sworn enemies
Though The Ramshackle seeks the destruction of all on The Seas equally, they tend to target The Migrant Fleet first and foremost, and are their most common and most plentiful enemies.
Openly Hostile
Tarthus-Tetsu has a famously awful relationship with the Migrant Fleet, thanks in large part to the Pharaoh of Tarthus's Authoritarian approach to Foreign Relations: "No Concession, No Negotiation, No Capitulation". The two nations have tried to find common ground several times but each time have either failed to come to an agreement or have come to one that has subsequently broken down inside of half a decade - the Migrant Fleet cannot stand Tarthus's Pharaoh and his no compromise, god-king mentality and see him as a threat to the liberty and freedom of their people, while the Pharaoh in turn sees the Migrant Fleet as a ragtag band of anarchists who refuse his (admittedly) extremely lavish offers of gold, silver, and protection under the Tarthan Government in favor of retaining their needless independence.
The two countries' navies have, thusly, clashed frequently and often on the High Seas - and Tarthus-Tetsu has, in a decision that only they could make with their extraordinary riches and legendary Economic Power, which they wielded lethally as they blocked the Migrant Fleet from every single port in their kingdom, under threat of attack and destruction - a decree which did much to infuriate the trade-based Migrant Fleet who relied on the trade from Tarthus-Tetsu, among other eastern nations, to sustain its Eastern Armada - and whose loss would spell hardship and poverty for tens of thousands of sailors and Taoans.
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