The Crowns Line

History & Introduction

  The Crowns Line is the name given to a system implemented and created in Ziwskowa by the crown (King/Queen of Rynkowskia). It was a system meant to feed all the most important individuals inside of Rynkowskia, and to do it in a safe and organised way. In 1201 A.R the system was created, first by declaring that all land north of Ziwskowa, between the two branches of Szybka River, up until 150km north of Ziwskowa would be cleared of all inhabitans.   The process of clearing was relatively simple, as the land was already scarcely inhabitated, with most people having moved to Ziwskowa proper for safety already. A few hideouts of brigands and orcs were uncovered and subsequently dealt with. Though time consuming, the process would be done by 1203 A.R.   With the surrounding area finally cleared out, the crown began work on the main challange ahead of them, a large canal. 8 meters wide, and 3 meters deep, and going for nearly 3 kilometers inland, this would be a massive project compared to clearing out the area of enemies. The crown at this point did not have a great amount of cheap labour available, so barely a hundread men were put to work on digging the new canal.  

Founding The Crowns Line

  The work was slow, and it would take them almost 3 years to complete the canal. By this time, the old king had passed, and many believed the project may be abandoned completely despite the years of work. However, to the suprise of many, the new monarch would become almost obsessed with the project. They would bring in Zhunese architects, at a great cost, both politically and financially. Many in their court considered it a fools errand, and when the monarch brough foreigners to lead the project, there was general outrage.   The monarch paid little mind to his angered vassals and continued their project with renewned energy and funding.  

The settling

The monarch put out the word in all of his kingdom, and the land beyonds even, that the first 5,000 Rynkowskians between the age of 16-26, with experience on a farm, who presented themselves in Ziwskowa would get to care for their own plot of land directly in service to their monarch. This was when The Crowns Line became a real system, as the monarch founded a new branch of his government, led by his Zhunese Architects and planers, and gave them the power to more or less rule this part of his demense.   The news attracted thousands of young and ambitious farmers who sought to escape the dangerous life of the countryside. Here the Zhunese in charge of the project did something unthinkable to most Rynkowskians, and simply paired men and women from the arrivies, and declared that they would form a new family, and settle into a plot granted to them. Nobles were outraged, as were many of the arrivies. However, few dared speak out against the monarch and those who served his will. Most would turn down the offer, considering marriage something that they wanted to choose themselves.   Luckily, far more then 5,000 had showed up, and in the end, some 3,000 people were settled into the new land. They were organised into a grouping the Zhunese called "mu'ang", each mu'ang was made up of 100 acres, or 40 hectare, which would then be divded among five pairs, with each one being leased 20 acres to care for. The agreement was that for the first ten years, each pair settled in the first year, wouldn't have to pay any tax on anything, and could keep all that they produced.   They would instead be allowed to use what they grew as they wish. Though, most would have to use it in order to pay for the construction of their homes. See, no homes existed when the farmers got their land, just simply unploughed land. Though every mu'ang was leased a total of 10 oxen, along with the ploughs they would need to prepare the land. They were also given seed, specifically rye, and fava beans, as everyone was ordered to farm in line with the Zhunese traditional three-field system.  

Irrigation

Simoultaneous to the settling of the new farmers, something like a brotherhood of architects was forming. The Zhunese planners and leaders of The Crowns Line had been impressed with the freedom granted by their new monarch, and as such they spread the word to their connections in Zhun. A small society of Zhunese intellectuals began to form in Ziwskowa, and with the seemingly endless funding of the monarch, they began to try new ideas and methods on this project. It was in some sense a release for the intellectuals who had been forced to always follow a strict imperial mandate in their home.   One of the first major works of the new group of intellectuals was to plan an advanced irrigational system. They had a massive canal, whose original intention had been just to serve as a safe place to build watermills, but the planners decided they would first make sure that the land was as bountiful as could be. From 1207 A.R they began to lead water by pipes throughout all of the new farmlands, as well as a much larger area, almost 300 square km, which was the planned farmland for the longterm of the project.   A subset of the brotherhood leading the project were alchemists, and it was around this point that they began research on how to make the ground more fertile. They would use a combination of magic as well as alchemy, they saw this as their ultimate testing ground. However, their practices would have been too much for the nobility of the city and kingdom, so they practiced their work in secret, unlike the other groups of the brotherhood.   Either way, with a fully functioning irrigation system, the land was more fertile than ever.

Homes

All of those who had settled in the first year were excempt from tax, and yet, they had to pay the planners to build homes for them. This resulted in most of the produce going to the crown despite the lack of taxes, and in return construction of homes took pace in the farmland. Hundreads of farmsteads were raised within only a few short years, they were minimalistic, yet functional. With them barns were constructed, and sections for farm animals were placed within each of the mu'ang.   Each mu'ang began to become like a neighbourhood, tight knitt friends who shared community. In the first few years, most slept in camp like homes, oftentimes sharing living spaces. This made each of the mu'ang into a community, where all the five families were close to one another. This had been part of the plan, and the leaders would on occassion move those who did not feel at home in their mu'ang, at least before the homes became more permanent.

The mills

The Zhunese planners could not fully do as they wanted when it came to the milling situation. They had wished to build water mills, like those of their homeland, since those worked well. However, there simply wasn't enough stone to be bought at a reasonable price. With the recent loss of Rynkowskian lands in the south, there were no longer any large enough quarries in the kingdom, and all the stone that existed was needed for the constant repairs of military structures. Even the monarch could not be convinced to push for this.   So, as an alternative, the brotherhood decided to adapt to their situation, and opted to use the traditional Rynkowskian Post Mill instead. They were easy to build, and the Rynkowskians knew how to properly build them. The hills to the east of the farmland began to be dotted by these Mills. With this, the brotherhood also built small homes around the mills. They wanted to house a trio per mill, believing this would be the optimal number for their productivity.   These mills would be the weakest link of the "Line" according to the brotherhood, and they would continue looking for a way to replace the Post Mills. They considered the mills especially ineffective because of the incosistent nature of the winds in the region.  

The attacks of 1212 A.R

Five years after settling had begun in proper, the project was doing quite well for it self. However, there was a large dispute going on between the nobles and the brotherhood in charge of the project. The nobles, who had begun to see the great success of the project, wanted to start settling more and more people there. However, to everyones shock, the brotherhood said that being allowed to join The Crowns Line should be a privilage granted only to a select few. They wanted only those who were granted it directly from the king as a reward to be allowed to be join the line.   Their reasoning was that if just anyone could join the line, the quality of workers would decreese, and worse, the sense of community and pride would dissapaite. They saw that as the primary reason for why the project would sucseed. They wanted to create a selective group of people, whom were loyal to the king beyond that of a normal person. This is where the term "Crownling" comes from, as the brotherhood believed that only by creating a seperation between these people and the normal everyday inhabitants of the kingdom, could they create a system able to supply all of the most integral parts of the kingdom.   They claimed that only those in direct service to the monarch ought to be allowed to join The Crowns Line, it should be something that ordinary people looked at as a goal in their life. The nobles hated the idea, as it would grant them no benefit, and instead bolster the already strong position of the monarch. The debate would grow intense as the brotherhood's existence truly came into question. The king seemed torn, unable to make a decision, perhaps fearful of the nobles reaction if he was to side with the brotherhood.   In the end, an attack that occured in 1212 A.R would determine the outcome of the debate. For a decade, Ziwskowa had been one of the few relatively safe places in Sundermark, at least close by to the city. However, as the lines of the kingdom were gradually pushed back, more and more attacks occured on the farmland. First it would be smallscale banditry, then orcish raiding parties, and finally a large host of orcs somehow managed to sneak in, almost all the way into the rich farmland of the project.   Only hours before their planned attack commenced was the monarch alerted. They were barely able to raise an army and defeat the host of orcs. In the aftermath, the brotherhood managed to convince everyone that the nobles had no right to demand their people be allowed into The Crowns Line if they were unable to even defend their own borders and alert the monarch of dangers like the host.   With this, the monarch sided with the brotherhood, and declared that only those granted a passage by the monarch themselves would be allowed to serve within The Crowns Line. In the aftermath of the attack questions of Security were raised.   Some nobles believe the The Brotherhood intentionally kept the host of orcs hidden, only alerting the monarch when it was close enough, a conspiracy to discredit the nobles of the realm, and let them continue their project as they wished.

Security

After the attack in 1212 A.R, the monarch granted the brotherhood yet another power, the power to command and manage soldiers and guards on mission from the monarch. At first, a small troop, roughly a hundread were granted, including just a few riders. Yet, as attacks grew more and more common, this number would continue to grow.   The brotherhood also began to implement strict patrols, and complex systems of defence. They, as always, employed the full capacity of their brotherhoods great minds to the task of protecting their project. Along with this they also began to enforce order among the people living there. They would protect them from internal as well as external threats.  

The completion of the line

Finally, after a full 10 years since settling began, the line would be completed, or at least the first stage of it. Some 6,000 people lived within The Crowns Line, 5,500 of them being farmers, or family of the farmers. Children were common among the farmsteads, as the people there lived in what had now grown to comfortable, yet practical, homes in small tightknight communities all serving their monarch, playing their role in The Crowns Line.   As of 1217 A.R there was a total of 1,750 households who each managed 20 acres, or 8.0937. That left the farmland with a total of 35,000 acres of farmland. A third of which would always be left fallow, another third of which grew fava beans, most of which was being sent to the Crowns retinue and army when raised, the last third was rye, which then went to the newly constructed Post Windmills where it was turnt to flour and then also sent to the crowns army.    The yield of the farmland was much higher then the standard in Sundermark, they would produce on average 700kg per hectare of rye as well as fava beans. That would leave them with a total production of around 1,700kg of rye and another 1,700kg of fava beans per year.   Now, as the 10 years had passed, it was time for the farmers to start giving back to the crown officially, and play their role in the line. The farmers were still except from taxation the traditional sense. Instead, they were locked in to only "sell" or "trade" their produce to the crown and nobody else. Each mu'ang would decide together how much of the years total production they would "sell" and how much they would keep. Then, the brotherhood would send out collectors, who would go through each mu'ang, weigh the amount to be collected, and pay a set price per kg of rye and fava beans they would collect.   Seeing as there was little the farmers could do with their rye without a mill of their own, it was decided that every mu'ang would also send the rye they kept to the mills, where they would be ground into flour, and then returned. This allowed the farmers to use their small home kitchens to make simple bread, among other things, that they could then eat with their fava beans. Most often they used the coin they got from the crown to pay for things like clothes, tools, and other household needs. For their diets they often bought fresh vegetables and meats to pair with their bread and fava beans.   After a few years, it became common for many mu'ang's to have their inhabitants pitch in and buy a cow and chickens collectively, allowing them more food produced at home. Though there was a restriction on how many animals a mu'ang may have. These animals were only allowed to improve the diets and lives of the inhabitants, not as commercial tools to let them trade goods.   The set price of the goods was decided by the brotherhood. In the first decade or so, they would be very generous, slowly lowering the percentage. They began at paying around 80% of the standard price for the goods, this was done in order to help the households establish themselves early on, and the brotherhood was transparent with this.   With this, the first stage of The Crowns Line was established and up and running.  

Impact of the first stage

The first stage of The Crowns Line was a shocking success to many in the kingdom of Rynkowskia. For years, many had seen it as just a foolish obsession of the monarch at the time. However, the steady and safe nature of the system would helped the monarch truly establish themselves as by far the most influential and powerful person in all of their kingdom. They were able to field more soldiers, and their supply lines were stable and never at risk.   With the success of the first stage, the brotherhood became a legitimate group within the power structure of the kingdom. They would continue to manage and occasionally change the system, doing their best to fine tune it. One of the primary aspects that the brotherhood worked with was creating a unique culture among the people they managed. They managed to get the people to truly embrace their identity as "Crownlings", and they were seen as a step above the normal folk of the kingdom. The brotherhood would even convince the monarch to visit his new farmlands, and they would hold events for these "Crownlings", all this developed a fierce loyalty to the monarch, something rare as of that time in Sundermark.   Size roughly 300 km2 Productive footprint 23 100 ha (arable + fallow + pasture/meadow/woodland) Meant to feed some 100,000 people a large part of the Rynkowskian kingdom is fed by this area of farmland The land is lived on by   Post Windmill crew A windmill is by standard managed by 3 people, they live around their mill and are integrated into The Crowns Line system. However, it is standard since the end of the 13th century A.R for the Crown to bring in temporary manpower from the refugees living outside the city. A mill can request up to two extra personell from the refugee camps. With this, two figures are offered a place to sleep, seen to by the normal group working the mill, as well as food for the days they work. They recieve no other pay, and yet most refugees are happy for the oppertunity. It's also an oppertunity to potentially be recruited to actually work the mills if a spot opens up, though that is rare.   These refugees are usually hired on monthly or weekly contracts, often if one of the windmill workers get sick or hurt and can't work at their normal rate.