Southern Trade and Commerce Accords

The contents are many and varied, issuing rules for all manner of shipping standards, direct good for good trading, and of course taxes. Most of this is one would expect but a key point that stands out is about the taxes: 'Any merchant vessel plying trade goods in any of our ports, under any of our flags, is to be extended the same immunity in Morain Waters from her Privateer industry as one of that nations own vessels would be. In return for this, Morain privateers are granted leave to operate their....unique trade in the sovereign waters of all 4 member nations. However, given this is a permissible and legal act, prizes are to be declared, and privateers MUST present their papers to the request of any navy vessel of any member nation. Furthermore, they will be subject to port taxes at any port in any member nation, charged at the rate of sale for goods in their holds, should they wish to hold on to them or to try and sell them privately. Alternatively the member nations will purchase any cargo the privateers in question are carrying, for 60% of its market value, no taxes. Furthermore, sinking vessels of any origin , but especially international is highly frowned upon, and the member nations of this treaty claim no responsibility for the legal defense of such actions. That risk, and those costs are to be absorbed wholly by the privateer(s) in question.
"On the issue of prisoners, they are to be ransomed back to and delivered safely/provided safe transport to their port of origin. If they do not coe from means/cannot be ransomed, they are to offered position as a paid crewman, making no less than 4 copper stars a week, and cut in for at least a half a share. This will last for five years, then they shall become citizens of Mora, and be granted all rights therein. Option two is they will be dropped off at the nearest safe port town, of no less than 5000 inhabitants, and left to sort their own affairs. Option 3 of course is to buy their freedom. They will spend 5 years/1 gold sun worth of labor, under the (captain's) employ. Whichever is reached first. Each month is valued at 4 copper stars, at a minimum, although if the captain in question is suitably impressed by the ability and usefulness of the prisoner in question, they may assign a higher value. The captain in question must insure the prisoner in question has a suitable place to sleep, and at least one square meal a day, for the duration of this arrangement. Furthermore, the captain in question must insure the prisoner is released in a suitably sized (minimum 5000) port town. Slavery, both in practice and the trafficking of therein, is a capital offence, the sentence for which is death by the noose. Misconduct of prisoners is fifty lashes, assault is five years. Rape or murder is death by drowning."
The main reason for this is to appease Morain most crucial economic resource, whilst placing civilized limits, and ideally, limiting resource loss, tax loss, and criminal economic flooding in these nations. It is a touchy subject, a central focus at every meeting every three years. The formality of all this leads to Morain Privateers being a major discussion point across the Southern Lands.
  Another key part of the agreement is one to do with food. Food and other perishable goods will ALWAYS leap to the front of the line for inspections, regardless of how long any other merchant's goods have been waiting. This is to be sure that there are never food shortages in any of these nations. All goods will be inspected, all shipping manifests will be checked. On top of this, however, any merchant vessel not of a nation within this agreement will always be pushed back behind vessels from members of this agreement. The rule about perishables does supersede this however. SO for example, a vessel containing perishable goods from Rohara will go before a vessel of ore and metal from Waston. But if one with food from Kang-Chorath is there, it will go before the vessel from Rohara, even if the one from Rohara has been in port for a day or more waiting, so long as the food won't spoil. Furthermore the food rule applies to Privateers in a different way. They have the responsibility to insure if they raid or claim a prize carrying food, they are responsible for insuring the food arrives to its listed destination on the manifest. Additionally, should they not insure that such goods make it to their destined port, regardless of how, an official bounty shall go out on them. If a vessel is known to have been sunk by Morain privateers, and that vessel contained food shipments which sank, a bounty may be placed on the Privateer vessel(s) that committed the act. If the identity of the vessel is unknown besides being a Privateer, all Privateers will have 10% of all goods and coin in their vessel seized as payment for the next 6 months, regardless of responsibility, at both the port the vessel shipped out from AND the port of destination, if and once both become aware of this transgression.
  As one can imagine, this has created some tension between the northern part of the continent, as one will note the protections against Privateers are very clearly written in such a way as to only protect the 4 southern nations whom are member nations and their vessels and supply lines. Naturally it goes without saying that river privateering is under same rules, but in addition any vessel who's manifest and cargo is marked for Nightvale is strictly off limits.