SERVICIO: REQUISITOS Y PASOS PARA ESTABLECER UNA EMPRESA EN PANAMÁ

The Commonwealth was sold to a Marienburg trading cartel in 2400. The cartel was specifically created for the purpose and is called the Commonwealth Permanent Society. Initial returns were excellent and caused something of a clamour for investment in the group. However, only long-term secondary shares were issued and these proved to be of little worth. Even today, the ownership of the society and Mazovia is a mystery and complaints of the lack of accountability and poor returns continue. However, little progress has been made due to the lack of power of these investors within the investment model and constitution. Equally, Mazovia is (reported to be) in good financial health and is the only colony to be up to date with its taxation – particularly intriguing as it has been cut off for nearly two years-from Kislev. Its traditional exports to the west are corn (gin), wool, linen and wheat.

Mazovia operates on a relatively egalitarian basis. Nobility has no standing in the colony, but family is still important. Wealth is – effectively – the measure of a person’s importance and powerful ruling families remain in charge, albeit that they are mercantile and industrial rather than simply noble. Guilds are the most important organisational structures, but these are fewer and more functional (or modern) than in the west.

Notwithstanding the business orientation of the colony, it retains the trappings of power and of social levels including titles and the use of liveries and heraldry. The following are the key leaders of the community:

Anselmo Adornes Ghent Vanden Jan van Guinegate Lieven Brugges Agnes de Roo Carl Bossche Adolph Spiere

Heraldry

The following heraldic devices are used within Mazovia.

Commonwealth: The official Kislevan standard is a goose with outstretched wings, the local spirit, laying a (golden) egg. However, the Marienburgers adopted their own device of a golden lion rampant holding a white circle in its outstretched arms. The former can still be found on older buildings and in official United Commonwealth uses but the locals uniformly adopt the latter.

Rassenkens: Woman in a long gown holding a rampant lion in her outstretched hands. Utenhove: Hill with a tower under crossed keys.

Borluut: Three running stags.

Haendryksbuurgen: Balanced scales, left pan containing gold and the right holding, representations of corn, linen, wheat and wool.

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Guilds: Each guild is allowed its own heraldic device. These are worn as livery, on appropriate buildings, by militia units raised by each guild under its obligations to the United Commonwealth and by local private militia and security forces.

Individuals do not have their own heraldic devices, but these are assigned to the settlements of the region and its organisations – predominantly guilds, which use

liveries extensively. However, many powerful individuals have begun to adapt the device allowed to them by office to their own by the addition of a minor alteration. Most use their guild device, a few use their town symbol, but only Anselmo Adornes uses the Commonwealth symbol – a golden lion rampant holding a white circle encompassing the letters AA in its outstretched arms. In the current times, this is not necessarily a sensible symbol!

Titles

The basic title is that of Stavel, which is used by all free men and is roughly equivalent to ‘citizen’. Koninkstavel is applied to those of the rank of ‘knight’, which here equates to lesser gentry, guildsmen and the like. Opper Koninkstavel is reserved for what would normally be the landed nobility, including guild masters and property owners. It should be noted that these are official titles, and many powerful figures insist on the use of others to reinforce their own positions. For example, Anselmo Adornes is entitled to the title Prince as de facto ruler of Mazovia. Some laugh at his pretension (but in secret), whilst others envy him and adopt similar titles.

Military

The Commonwealth army consists primarily of pikemen, famed for their particularly long 6m pike. However, they are also well equipped with handguns and the warhammer is a traditional hand weapon. The Military Association is a private club of crossbowmen, who provide elite missile-men for the nation. The latter are accompanied by a valet who performs mundane tasks for them on campaign and carries their targe when in battle.

A great cannon, the Goedendag, weighing some 15 tons and whose barrel is 5m long, is located in the arsenal at Rassenkens. Never used in battle, due to the lack of appropriate target, it remains a symbol of the (perceived) might of the Commonwealth relative to both its ‘allies’ and its enemies.

Uniforms:

All Commonwealth soldiers and other paramilitary personnel wear a letter on their surcoat indicating their origin. This letter is the first of their town’s name – U, B, H etc. In addition, each town’s military also wears its own individual uniform. However, this normally only applies to permanent garrisons today due to the economic situation. However, most militia would at least seek to wear a ribbon of appropriate colour, and many guilds still insist on equipping their members in the correct uniform as a statement

of prestige and power. In current times, to save money, the uniformed surcoat is simply a long sleeveless tunic worn over normal apparel. Soldiers wear breast (and usually back) plate, helmet (usually with cheek and neck pieces), leg greaves (or similar) and (often) armoured shoes. This is bought personally and usually of fair to good quality. In the recent troubles, cheap armour was mass produced for poorer citizens and can be distinguished by its blackened and/ or rusting state.

Commonwealth: azure Rassenkens: red and yellow

Utenhove: red and black quarters, centred in each quarter a white swan

Borluut: red and blue (officers red and purple) with a white running stag on the right front, three stag device on the shield and all firearms painted red

Haendryksbuurgen: blue and yellow (officers purple and yellow)

Each town has its own individual permanent police force, which also wear uniforms. However, these differ from the military and might prove confusing to passing PCs. Each force is named after the colour of hood it wears. All officers also wear a white surcoat, except for the White Hoods who wear a black one.

Rassenkens: White Hoods wearing red and yellow. Utenhove: Blue Hoods wearing red and blue. Borluut: Red Hoods wearing tawny.

Haendryksbuurgen: Black Hoods wearing black with a red lion rampant on the left side of front.

Slavery has been banned within the Commonwealth and contractual enforcement has replaced noble vassalage. However, criminals are always fined for their crimes and are expected to pay these off through what is effectively slavery. All military prisoners are also regarded as criminals and expected to pay off a financial penalty imposed upon them. This has two effects on the state. Firstly, legal enforcement is simply slavery in another name, and entails the same basic provisions as would slaves (although it avoids the need for prisons and the like). Secondly, it allows the Commonwealth to offer the principle of reformation and salvation through hard work and the repayment of debt to society. This forms a strong tenet of the social and religious belief system within the Commonwealth. In effect, the Commonwealth has a slave population without the initial capital cost.

Due to the colony’s current ownership, the people of Mazovia are known by the Kislevan ‘proper’ colonists as menheers.

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