Post by Aenwyn on Mar 15, 2024 13:24:58 GMT -5
BEAUMONT SHIP AND TRADING COMPANY
HISTORY —
The Beaumont ship and trading company, also known as the Beaumont Company, is a company that has been in the Beaumont family for many generations. Fritz Beaumont started the company in 698, and the leadership position would be passed down from father to son. This doesn't need to be the first-born son, which is one of the reasons the company has managed to blossom and thrive. The position goes to the son who is interested in owning the company. So far, there has always been at least one son who was interested in taking over from his father.
John Beaumont was the worst leader the company has known in all the generations of owners. The man was a drunk, which caused him to forget about contracts and deals often. After his death, his son Nicholas formally apologised for the inconvenience his father has caused, and promised to pick up where his grandfather had left off. He, and the company, are very grateful that his father's leadership didn't lead to bankruptcy, and they are also glad that this bad leadership didn't leave too much of a stain on the company and the family name.
The Beaumont Company does not have a monopoly on the market, but they are certainly one of the biggest, if not the biggest player on the market. Everything is done legally and documented as well.
The Beaumont Company does not have a monopoly on the market, but they are certainly one of the biggest, if not the biggest player on the market. Everything is done legally and documented as well.
CURRENT LEADERSHIP —
At this time in history, Nicholas Beaumont is the owner of the company, having taken over in 813 when his father died. Lionel Beaumont is his second-in-command. If something were to happen to Nick, Lionel would take over the business.
Apart from them, Tobias Fitzgerald (sister Willa's husband), the exchequer, is also an important player in the company. While exchequer can refer to the king's money or a political role, in the company the exchequer is the person who is responsible for making sure all the money is accounted for. He reminds clients of their payment and discusses the consequences for late payments and refusal of payment with Nicholas and Lionel.
Apart from them, Tobias Fitzgerald (sister Willa's husband), the exchequer, is also an important player in the company. While exchequer can refer to the king's money or a political role, in the company the exchequer is the person who is responsible for making sure all the money is accounted for. He reminds clients of their payment and discusses the consequences for late payments and refusal of payment with Nicholas and Lionel.
OTHER PERSONNEL —
FISHERMEN: about 70 fishermen work for the company. The company provides a lot of taverns with fish, and needs a big fishermen workforce to keep up with the demand.
SHIP BUILDERS: there are about 120 builders employed by the company. Their contracts aren't ongoing, meaning they get paid per commission and project. The company tends to rehire the same workers for each project.
MERCHANTS: when it comes to selling wares, about 80 merchants are associated with the company. They set up shop at the markets and some even travel to different cities to sell wares. These wares vary from books to jewelry, to fabrics and spices. See 'trading' for more information about these merchants.
SCRIVENERS: the number varies, but there are a lot of scriveners working at the company to note down business proposals, arrangements, contracts, documents, inventories, and so on.
OTHERS: the company also works with a lot of other kinds of workpeople that would make the list of personnel too long. There are seamstresses (for sails), woodworkers (to provide wood for the construction of ships, furniture, etc.), blacksmiths (nails, ship decorations, etc.), and many more. Most of these workpeople have loose contracts, similar to those of the ship builders.
(YOU: if you DM me on Discord (aenwynn), I'd love to talk about your character working at the company as well!)
GOODS AND SERVICES
THE LOAN OF SHIPS —
First and foremost, the company is known for loaning ships to people, for many reasons. Adventurers loan boats if they cannot afford their own, but have to pay a big deposit in advance, in case they do not return. If they do return, they get back the deposit minus the cost of the loan period.
The Beaumonts have a lot of knowledge of ships and have hired workmen that build ships for the company. They always have one or two ships ready to be sold at any time, but prefer working and building a ship specifically for the client. The one or two ships they have ready are for impatient clients who don't have the time to wait until the workmen have built a ship for their specific needs and wants.
TRADING —
The company trades a little bit of everything, but are best known for their contracts with local fishermen. A few times per week, the company sails to the open sea, where the fishermen catch their FISH. Once they have returned to land, the company will sell the fish and give the fishermen a percentage of the profit. This arrangement has been in place for over a hundred years now, and there have been little to no complaints from the fishermen. The percentage that the company offers the fisherman is honest and fair.
Apart from fish, they also deal in fabrics, books, spices, jewellery, and so on, but this isn't their main focus. They mostly work together with local MERCHANTS that want to sell these items themselves, and by becoming associates of the Beaumont Company, they get a stamp of approval and guaranteed quality. The company researches the merchant and the quality of their wares before agreeing to working together with them. For this association to the company, the merchants pay a certain percentage of their profit to the company. In return, they can demand higher prices for their products because the stamp of approval from the company puts people at ease and makes them more likely to trust the merchant.
CAMBRIA AND COHEED TOURS —
Currently something that is not ready to be offered as a service yet.
The next chapter in the company's history focuses on the conquered territories Cambria and Coheed. The company is looking into being officially appointed by the King as the company that provides travel by boat for citizens to visit the territories. Ideally, Nicholas would like to focus on trade in these territories as well.
CAMBRIA AND COHEED TOURS —
Currently something that is not ready to be offered as a service yet.
The next chapter in the company's history focuses on the conquered territories Cambria and Coheed. The company is looking into being officially appointed by the King as the company that provides travel by boat for citizens to visit the territories. Ideally, Nicholas would like to focus on trade in these territories as well.
CREST/STAMP
