Mercator Inc.

Who we are:

Mercator Inc. is a business venture that will specialise in trading and transporting bulk goods. As such, we will not directly sell our goods through stores, instead opting for supplying the merchants who run them and providing aristocrats and nobles with the materials required for their projects.

We will also offer various financial services ranging from loans and investments to keeping your valuables safe and allowing you to access your money through any of our offices. Currency exchange will also be available if that will be of importance in the game. Most of this is again aimed at the nobility and aristocracy, but the loans and investments will also be available to entrepreneurs, provided they can sufficiently prove the feasibility of their plans.

Through setting up offices in various key cities and connecting markets with our transports, we aim to set up a nation-wide economic network as opposed to the autarky common in medieval societies. We believe this will be of great benefit to the entire nation in the long run.

Why we think we can achieve this:

A project like this will obviously require a lot of funding. We will have to purchase merchant’s wagons, set up offices and amass a core capital for our financial services, not to mention the initial costs of hiring guards and convoy drivers. With my Merchant pledge alone, that would be almost impossible, or at the very least it would take several years. Years in which other merchants would get ahead of us and monopolise many of the local markets required for our network.

However, this is where our investors step in. At this point, just after the official launch of the company, we already have two investors:

• Count Darnius Caine (Darnius)

• Mayor Kenneth DeWynter (Exhibition)

Over time, we expect to attract more people willing to invest in our venture, given that it not only yields a direct share in the profits but also improves the economy as a whole. We also have several potential investors who desire not to be mentioned by name at this point.

Where we will be located:

Our entire operation will be located in the European kingdom of Nirath, although future branches in other kingdoms are most certainly a possibility. Within Nirath, our headquarters will be located in Midgar, a player-built settlement in the Earldom of Thunormore. The concept of Midgar, a town planned and constructed by players instead of a pre-generated settlement, will allow us to expand quickly and easily.

Our first offices will be located in the major cities of Nirath, like Wenport, Tarsis and the yet-to-be-named capital. However, our long-term goal is to have an office in every city in Nirath. To achieve this, we will slowly expand our operations over the course of the game. Eventually, we will be able to offer our services throughout the entire nation. But while Nirath will be our primary region, branches in other stable kingdoms will certainly be considered.

Who we will need:

We will not need many employees initially. Guarding and driving our convoys can be almost entirely outsourced until we reach a point where setting up a military branch becomes more cost-effective. But as the company grows, we will need people who can run our branch offices and manage the involved logistics. As such, we will need people who have experience and/or affinity with logistics and economics in our Midgar headquarters. To be in charge of our branch offices, you will need social/diplomatic skills on top of that as to develop a social network among the local aristocracy and nobility. You don’t have to be an expert at the start, but without a willingness to learn the tools of the trade your career won’t advance very far.

Once we will set up our own PMC, these soldiers will also be employed as mercenaries. This means you aren’t stuck to a boring job of guarding caravans for days on end with only the occasional bandit attack. Among other things, the jobs our soldiers will be hired for could include protecting VIPs, raiding bandit camps, clearing out dungeons and of course, supporting our king in war.

If you want to know more, invest in the project or apply for a job, feel free to PM me. We also have a Discord

Related links: Nirath Thunormore Midgar