Topic: Organizations

Alain DeMuer

Date: 2008-08-06 18:05 EST
EDIT, 10/29/2016: Please note that the information in this post is no longer current.

House DeMuer is a house concentrated in RhyDin's West End and technically based on Alain's family, using the D'Mourirs' ancestral name of DeMuer. It consists of several "adopted" family members as well and all the House's properties, including SPI, the Security Division, Silver Mark Pub & Brewery, Zeppa Soda, Kaldi Gourmet Coffee Imports, Basingstoke Villa, Greyshott Place, and a few others, including a warehouse and dock in Old Temple and a few properties located in Esp?rance and Sainte-Ouen. The House is financially supported by some of the profits from the businesses of Alain and others, as well as a cut of the profits from the silver mine in Esp?rance and lobster fishing based out of Sainte-Ouen.

While the House officially has no soldiers or guards, it makes use of the Knights of Saint Aldwin who otherwise protect the silver coming out of Esp?rance into RhyDin, several of the employees from SPI and the Security Division, and a small number who work loading and unloading goods at the businesses and generally do other grunt-work for the House who are often lightly armed.

The symbol, the House seal, consists of an encircled cross with some form of Celestial mark in the lower left corner, an Egyptian eye in the lower right, an image of the saint Aldwin in the upper right corner, and a bear in the upper left. Some House members have this image as a tattoo or wear it as a pendant on a necklace, and it is used when sealing House letters with wax.

House DeMuer is heavily rumored to be involved with Blood House Onyx in the West End. However, while many members have been seen associating with Truebloods, few Truebloods seem to be members themselves - the House is made up of many humans, and a number of half-elves and other often unwanted "half-breed" races.

Alain DeMuer

Date: 2008-08-06 18:15 EST
EDIT, 10/29/2016: Please note that the information in this post is no longer current.

The Knights of the Holy Order of Saint Aldwin are a group that consists largely of Noubreton natives initially tasked with protecting the silver shipments coming out of the mines in the village of Esp?rance into RhyDin. An exact figure is hard to determine after they began splitting their time between the Barony of Saint Aldwin and RhyDin, but the number is rumored to exceed twenty. Each knight is an accomplished swordsman as well as a marksman, capable of handling several bladed weapons, pistols, rifles and shotguns very skillfully.

While the knights rarely seem to get involved in any kind of conflict, at least not proactively, they often serve to protect the people and property of House DeMuer and the Barony of Saint Aldwin, run important errands and deliver messages for the House and Barony, and occasionally act as spies.

They are affiliated with the Gallican Catholic Church, which on the world of RhyDin is largely based in the Barony.

Alain DeMuer

Date: 2008-11-26 18:36 EST
EDIT, 10/29/2016: Please note that the information in this post is no longer current.

DeMuer Exports is House DeMuer's cash cow, responsible for moving coffee, tea, Zeppa soda, Silver Mark Lager, and other goods across the realms, usually with RhyDin as a waypoint. Founded as an alternative to selling coffee directly to RhyDinians through Kaldi, this business model seeks out the best possible markets for their goods, especially exotic blends of coffee, and sells as much as possible without rendering the goods no longer "luxury," an economic arrangement possible to such great effect only in RhyDin, thanks to its central position and the Nexus.

Lately it has been reorganized into something more formal, with an office in the upscale New Haven district; a Board chaired by the clever Aurkindar, Dib Jaster Aurene; small 'field offices' in realms with long-term trade agreements, such as Vrashne; numerous warehouses in and near RhyDin City, all near the waterfront, as well as docks; and the services of various sailing ships, steamers, and a cargo submarine, all augmented in some way by magick for fueling, speed, and other purposes.

While DeMuer Exports deals exclusively in 'legitimate' goods, it is rumored by some in the docks that they will run blockades in order to increase their profits, though representatives of DeMuer Exports always deny such claims.

Peacemaker

Date: 2009-04-24 12:14 EST
EDIT, 10/29/2016: Please note that the information in this post is no longer current.

The Gallican Catholic Church is the dominant religion in Esp?rance, Sainte-Ouen, Armand's Tavern and Grenmarsh Bend, with a growing number of converts in Teobern and even Noirmont. They provide all of the services traditionally associated with the Church that their limited resources can handle, including charitable work and a symbolic position in the politics of the Barony and the Holy Order of Saint Aldwin; it was the Church, ultimately, that crowned Baron DeMuer, and the Church that sanctioned the Holy Order of Saint Aldwin.

As the Church in RhyDin and the Barony has no means of contacting the Earth ("Norman" Earth) where the bulk of the Church remains, they have been forced to take special actions to ensure that the religion continues to run as smoothly as possible. The priests have elected an Archpriest as a sort of figurehead, though only a council of the seven most senior priests (including the Archpriest) may make the day-to-day "political" decisions for the Gallican Catholic Church. In addition, because of limited resources, they have taken to training candidates for priesthood through a special mentoring program.

One of their greatest concerns has been adapting to the fantastic new environment of RhyDin, and the clear effect it has had on most of the Noubreton refugees. However, so far they have adapted well, due in no small part to the generous assistance of a number of Catholic groups based in RhyDin who have had a much longer time to sort out the strange particulars of religion in this world. These groups have also helped in the formation and organization of a monastery in Sainte-Ouen and a special abbey in the Old Temple section of RhyDin, the latter of which houses both monks and friars - yet another odd and flexible situation born of the Church's limited resources and difficult position.

Peacemaker

Date: 2011-03-12 11:08 EST
EDIT, 10/29/2016: Please note that the information in this post is no longer current.

At midnight on January 1 2011, DeMuer Exports formally became Dominion Exports, with Alain DeMuer stepping down as CEO, passing that role formally to Dib Jaster Aurene, and retaining only ten percent of the company's shares. Approximately fifty percent of the shares are currently held by a combination of legislative bodies and private individuals from the Barony of St. Aldwin, including DeMuer himself.

Dominion Exports currently has its headquarters in a five-story office building in New Haven, and 'field' offices in Vrashne, Xhastil, Star's End and several other cross-realms port cities, with close to one thousand regular employees and a much larger rotating body of contractors. They are heavily involved in cross-realms navigation research, which allows them to expedite otherwise more expensive shipping and profit off of the differences in supply and demand between far-flung realms.

The company has a unique constitution which went into effect at the same time as its rebranding, including several clauses which are non-negotiable for ninety-nine years. Ten percent of profits are to be donated each New Year's Eve to charities aiding refugees. Additionally, Dominion Exports guarantees that no slave labor is involved in the production or distribution of any goods it obtains, and backs up these claims with research into its various suppliers.

Possibly due to these changes Dominion Exports has experienced much slower growth in the final quarter of 2010 and first quarter 2011, yet it remains a powerful force in cross-realms shipping in RhyDin and abroad. Annual revenue is typically near 4 billion silver crowns, or 10 billion USD.