Azure Trade Consortium

The Azure Trade Consortium
  • Founded: 4931 A.D. under The Guilds and Trades Act
  • Granted by: Royal Charter of the Thrones of Avalon, Geleon, Thaellon, Imyfelon, Sikkea, and Eskairia
  • Headquarters: Yharnam, the City of the Thirteen Flames — the only Tiefling city in all of YonZora.
  • Symbol: A silver wheel wreathed in blue flame — the Wheel of Fortune and Fate.
Purpose and Mandate The Azure Trade Consortium exists to regulate, protect, and sustain the Trade Ways of North Azure, ensuring that the flow of commerce, goods, and information between the realms remains constant and fair. Formed under the Guilds and Trades Act of 4931 A.D., the Consortium serves as the royally sanctioned authority over all overland trade in North Azure — its power second only to the crowns that founded it.   Its founding charter entrusted the Tiefling clans with guardianship over the trade routes in recognition of their unmatched ability to traverse harsh terrain, maintain supply chains, and act with integrity during the War of the Ancients.   Responsibilities and Duties The Azure Trade Consortium performs dozens of vital roles, divided broadly into five domains of responsibility:   1. Maintenance and Governance of the Trade Ways
  1. Oversees the construction, repair, and maintenance of all royal trade routes spanning the realms of Avalon, Geleon, Thaellon, Imyfelon, Sikkea, and Eskairia.
  2. Supervises the rest areas, waystations, and caravanserais established along these roads.
  3. Employs Tiefling engineers, builders, and laborers from the clans Alimentar and Naelith to ensure the Trade Ways remain passable even in winter or during conflict.
  4. Issues permits for any merchant stands, inns, or businesses operating along the routes.
  “Without the Tieflings’ roads, the realms would stand still.” — Common saying among merchants of Avalon.   2. Transportation and Caravanning of Goods
  1. Provides licensed caravans to safely transport goods, trade items, livestock, and magical materials between cities and nations.
  2. Oversees the allocation of cargo, pricing, and taxation as mandated by royal decree.
  3. Each caravan carries the seal of the Azure Flame, ensuring that goods under its protection are immune from unlawful seizure by any realm or military force.
  4. Employs caravan masters, teamsters, beast handlers, and route guides — many of whom are trained by Clans Miravelle, Virelli, and Drazani.
  “If it moves upon a road, a Tiefling’s hand has touched it.”   3. Protection and Security of Trade
  1. Operates the Mercenary Wings of the Consortium: Clans Blight, Emberveil, and Varkos.
  2. Patrols the Trade Ways to deter banditry, monsters, and raiders.
  3. Provides armed escorts for caravans through dangerous territories.
  4. Maintains The Roadwarden Corps, a neutral Tiefling law enforcement arm with authority to arrest, investigate, and mediate disputes on the Trade Ways.
Their presence is recognized by all realms — it is said that even royal guards step aside when a Roadwarden rides past bearing the Blue-Flame Seal.   4. Trade Regulation and Licensing
  1. Collects road tolls, merchant permits, and maintenance taxes, which are used to fund infrastructure upkeep.
  2. Issues trade licenses to merchants seeking to operate on Tiefling routes.
  3. Regulates weight standards, tariffs, and fair exchange rates to prevent price gouging between realms.
  4. Acts as an independent economic arbiter between kingdoms, settling disputes over tariffs, damaged goods, or trade embargoes.
  5. Hosts annual trade summits at Yharnam, attended by representatives of every realm.
  This neutrality makes the Azure Trade Consortium the de facto trade authority of North Azure.   5. Cultural and Humanitarian Duties
  1. During times of war or famine, the Tiefling caravans deliver supplies, medicine, and relief to soldiers and civilians alike.
  2. No army or realm may impede a Tiefling caravan carrying the Banner of Mercy, a blue flame on a white field — a sacred symbol established during the War of the Ancients.
  3. Upholds the ancient Road Code, a spiritual oath followed by all Tiefling clans:
  4. Protects travelers and pilgrims, offering shelter, food, and safe passage through the Trade Ways.
  5. Maintains oral histories, songs, and traditions through the Lorekeepers of Clan Tiralune, preserving the shared memory of the Tiefling people.
“The road provides for all — and all must be provided for.”   In Summary The Azure Trade Consortium is:
  • The builder of the Trade Ways,
  • The protector of the roads,
  • The caravanner of kingdoms,
  • The merchant of peace, and
  • The keeper of Tiefling heritage.
  Its existence ensures that the realms of North Azure remain connected, prosperous, and at peace. Should the roads ever fall silent, it is said that even kings would hear the whisper of ruin in the wind.

Structure

Hierarchy of the Azure Trade Consortium
  Council of Thirteen Flames: Governing body of Yharnam and the Trade Consortium.
  The Grand Caravaneer: Elected every ten years from among the council; leads trade negotiations and holds ceremonial authority over the Trade Ways.
  The Roadwardens: Cross-clan protectors and enforcers of the Guild Charter, chosen for loyalty and merit.
  The Thirteen Founding Families of the Azure Trade Consortium
  1. Clan Alimente – Providers of food and comfort at rest areas.
    • Motto: “The road is long — eat before it eats you.”
2. Clan Alimentar – Builders and maintainers of rest stops.
    • Motto: “Stone, wood, and will — we build what endures.”
3. Clan Alimentaţie – Purveyors of food supplies, spices, and drink.
    • Motto: “Flavor is faith — we serve both.”
4. Clan Blight – Mercenary protectors and bounty enforcers.
    • Motto: “No toll unguarded, no thief unpunished.”
5. Clan Emberveil – Fire-mages and pyromancer mercenaries.
    • Motto: “Our fire lights the way.”
6. Clan Varkos – Beast riders and route rangers.
    • Motto: “The beast fears our blood.”
7. Clan Miravelle – Caravan masters and schedulers.
    • Motto: “The stars chart our course.”
8. Clan Drazani – Jewel and luxury traders.
    • Motto: “Beauty is the price we carry.”
9. Clan Virelli – Breeders and handlers of draft beasts.
    • Motto: “Strength walks on four legs.”
10. Clan Corvessa – Messengers and information brokers.
    • Motto: “The road whispers to us first.”
11. Clan Naelith – Traveling craftsmen and repairers.
    • Motto: “What is broken may yet serve.”
12. Clan Zethara – Traders of magical wares and relics.
    • Motto: “Magic is the road unseen.”
13. Clan Tiralune – Spiritual guides and lorekeepers.
    • Motto: “The road remembers all.”

Culture

Cultural Heart of the Tiefling People
  • For the Tieflings, the Azure Trade Consortium is more than a guild — it is their way of life made law.
  • It preserves their gypsy-like traditions of travel, family, and superstition under the protection of the royal charters.
  • It provides safety, stability, and honor for their people in a world that once mistrusted them.
  Yharnam stands as a symbol of unity, proof that the Tieflings can thrive not through conquest, but through cooperation.

Public Agenda

Political and Economic Importance Economic Lifeline of North Azure   The Azure Trade Consortium is the arterial system of the northern realms. Nearly 70% of all commerce in North Azure flows through the Trade Ways under its supervision. The prosperity of cities such as Soteropolis, Camelot, Olympia,  and Messesopontos just to name a few depends directly on the Tiefling Trade Ways.    Without the Consortium’s caravans, even the most powerful realms would struggle to feed their people, move their armies, or maintain trade relations.

Motto: “Where the roads meet, there burns our flame.”

Founding Date
4931 AD
Related Species

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!