Militia of Port Katherine, and curious citizens who wandered in off the street hoping for a fight:
I don’t want to make a big deal of this whole Militia thing. Ive kept out of the politicking so far and I’d like to continue to do so, but I have some announcements for those wh’ove signed on.
I like to think of myself as an approachable sort of person. If any of you have any questions or concerns, I am happy to talk. Here, in private, or at the next Solstice.
Militia business:
Can I trust you all to gather outside the tavern on the last night of Late Fall MID MORNING ON THE SOLSTICE for orders and possibly payment if the town council is amenable?
OOG
We’ll meet Saturday mid-morning after the component walk. I’ll announce the actual time on Friday night after game-on.
On the subject of payment: There is some talk of working a deal out with the surgeons such that we would give them half of the militia funds to pay in advance for healing at a bulk rate. Each militia member would then receive 5 ducats a season as well as an amount of healing that they could trade amongst themselves if one of them requires more, etc. Town Council mentioned punch cards. I personally am in favor of it; it would provide fighters a discount on healing and spare our poor surgeons from tying themselves in knots trying to keep their books, but I defer to my women’s wishes in this.
I have established a chain of command to avoid being disturbed during my well-earned ogling time. In the event that I am unavailable, command passes accordingly:
a. Midshipsman Amity Harlow (my opposite in the Navy)
b. Lt James Corvid
c. Lt Hezra Boone
d. The ranking naval officer on site (most likely Tascheif Alize or Jules Alabaster)
e. Whoever in the militia can yell the loudest
I may, at my discretion, temporarily pass command to one of these people, or deputize citizens of Port Katherine to lead. Command, of course, reverts back to me when I claim it.
On militia duties: it is not our purpose to make the whole of the Outer Rim safe for anyone who chooses to venture alone. Nor is it our purpose to provide protection services free of charge, preventing any entrepreneur fighter from earning an income. We are paid by the Council to defend the colonists and the colony buildings against insurmountable threats. Fae burning the cabins. Pirates with mystical powers planning to annihilate us. Canons aimed at the tavern, elementals overrunning the sewers. The threats that, if left unchecked, would jeopardize the entirety of Port Katherine.
So. I do not wish to be pulled out of my surgery bed because some settler has been run off her property by monsters and needs an escort to rescue her great-grandmother’s scimitar. She can hire any of our fine fighters at a fair price for the task. Likewise, I am not arranging free escorts for unarmed nobles who want to go to the library but not fight the venomous lizards on the way themselves. I also trust the judgement of the town for how to deal with dull-witted brigands attempting set up toll roads. You do not need my permission to dispatch monsters.
I also encourage all members of the militia to hire themselves out to any employer who needs their skills. The militia is a non-exclusive contract and I do not want it to be your primary source of employment.
If any of you feel undue pressure from a commanding officer or from town council to perform a non-militia duty free of charge, please do not hesitate to bring the matter to me.
While I agree with most of what you say in Point 4, I do think Brigands who are actually establishing a sufficiently permanent presence to create long term toll roads would fall within your mandate, even if passing brigands mugging a few people on their way into town on Tuesday do not.
Comptess,
Agreed, although the two brigands I was referencing were not particularly threatening specimens and I would not call their ‘toll road’ a permanent presence so much as a fly-by-night scam.
To point 1; I will show up at whatever time you designate for Militia business.
On point 2; I am hesitant to blindly agree, as this is the first I’ve heard of it, but I would be curious to see what TC and the Surgeons end up coming up with.
That said, ultimately Town Council sets our charter and sets our pay, so, I’m willing to see how all plays out.
YMHOS,
James “The Raven” Corvid
OoG Clarification
You want us to meet Friday night, correct? Presumably shortly after game on?
Apologies. I have to change the time until mid-morning on the Solstice due to a prior commitment. I will announce our meeting time on the eve before.
I expect we will have time to search for components before the meeting, in any case.
OOG
Summary
Yes, I was thinking right after game-on, however, I have another “immediately after game-on” commitment and also TC won’t be paying us until Saturday in any case.
I’m afraid mid-morning on the Solstice is the one time frame I cannot reliably commit to. It is for this very reason that a career in the Navy is not in my future, and that I instead wish to be of service to the Militia.
Is there any chance we could meet just before or after luncheon? Or might I make some other arrangement with you, Lily?
I’ve been working with the Town Council and Surgeons Guild on the best way to provide affordable medical services to those fighting on the militia and here is the current proposal:
Each militia member would be issued, as part of their wages, a bag of ‘medical tokens’ (likely small wooden chips) that can be traded to any surgeon for healing on a 1:1 basis*
Having this bag would entitle the bearer to one courtesy surgery per season as well
Militia wages would then be 5 d + medical token bag per season**
Medical tokens could be sold or exchanged if the owner so desires
*Field medicine performed outside a medical tent would cost 2 tokens due to the strain it puts on the practitioner, and to discourage this practice, which the surgeons assure me is very risky.
**the number of tokens is being negotiated with TC and the Surgeons guild. However, it is guaranteed to be more than 5 ducats worth of healing, which means that if you currently spend more than half your militia wages on healing, this is the better bargain.
We have put a considerable amount of thought into how to make a system that compensates our surgeons for their efforts, protects our fighters from undue medical expenses, and makes book-keeping easier in the heat of battle.
I hope you will agree with me that this is an equitable solution. If you have any concerns whatsoever, or simply want to discuss the proposition, please do not hesitate to contact me, either in the public forums or through private note.
I am also in charge of procuring the medical bags. I am hoping to find maroon ones to support our local pit-ball league.