The Consortium will be divided into these categories: Merchants, Non-Merchant Business Owners and Non-Citizen Business Owners. These categories are different only in title by the nature of caste requirements or residency. All individuals within the Consortium may be referred to as Business Persons or Members. All of the following persons shall fall under the Merchants of Woodhaven: Merchants, Artisans, Slavers, Culinary Castes, Metal smiths, Weapon smiths, and any other individual that creates profit from the sale of good or services as part of their Caste livelihood. Any Business Owner belonging to another Registered Caste not of the Consortium Merchants shall fall within the category of Non-Merchant Business Owners. Any Business Owner not a resident of Woodhaven shall fall under the category of Non-Resident Business Owner.

All Members of the Woodhaven Merchant Consortium must be citizens of Woodhaven. *Exception to this guideline follows below, see Non Citizen-Business Owners.

All individuals falling under the Woodhaven Merchant Consortium that are seeking Citizenship must complete the standard interview process. Once Citizenship is attained, then they may seek to become a Member of the Consortium.

All Consortium Merchants must actively practice their Caste in accordance with the City and Caste Guidelines. All Consortium Merchants are encouraged to register with the Gor-wide Merchant Caste. A Consortium Merchant may move to waive such registration with approval of the Ubar/Administrator and the EnMerchant. Registration for Consortium Merchants to the Registered Castes will be encouraged by other Consortium Merchants and aid in sponsorship will be made available. All Consortium Merchants agree to conduct their business in compliance with and abide by recognized Merchant Law and Woodhaven Merchant Consortium Guidelines.

An individual that does not fall into the Merchant, Artisan, Slaver or Culinary Castes may open a business within Woodhaven as a Non-Merchant Business Owner with permission of the Ubar/Administrator (and/or any subsequent High Council formed therein) after discussion with the EnMerchant.

Individuals may be hired to help within shops in Woodhaven and may have the possibility of changing castes upon discussion and approval of the Ubar/Administrator. Please note Woodhaven Law #2 Pertaining to Castes and Livelihood: Anyone who refuses to practice their livelihood or strives to alter caste without the consent of the Ubar/Administrator is an outlaw and subject to impalement.

Non-Merchant Business Owners agree to conduct their business in compliance with and abide by recognized Merchant Law and Woodhaven Merchant Consortium Guidelines. Non-Merchant Business Owner/Managers are encouraged to register with their appropriate Caste provided that such a Caste is available for registration. As an individual, these persons are not answerable to the Merchant Caste or the Woodhaven Merchant Consortium above their own. This should not in any way affect registrations of individuals within prospective Gor-Wide Castes nor be considered dual casting. Should a discrepancy arise it will be brought forth to the Ubar/Administrator and the EnMerchant and a solution shall be found.

Any Business Owner, who not a citizen of The City of Woodhaven, may seek and obtain permission from the Ubar/Administrator to temporarily sell their wares in tents, carts or booths along the Market District. The EnMerchant will be allowed to grant permissions during public Fairs held in Woodhaven.

Individuals who wish to be a Business Owner/ Manager within the City of Woodhaven, lease or buy a shop must hold Citizenship with the following exceptions.:

 *A Non-Citizen Business Person may hold a valid partnership with a Merchant or Non-Merchant Business Owner of the City of Woodhaven. 
 
 *All Non-Citizen Business Persons agree to conduct their business in compliance with and abide by recognized Merchant Law, Woodhaven Merchant Consortium and City of Woodhaven Guidelines.
 
 *Dissolvement of partnership with the Merchant or Non-Merchant Business Person will waive all rights to The Woodhaven Merchant Consortium and the consortium's responsibilities to the Non Resident Business Person from that time forward. The Shop will revert back to the Woodhaven Partner at that time or to the City.  In such instance as the shop reverts back to the City, all goods will be placed in storage until such time the Non Resident Business Person may be able to take possession of them. Fees occurred by said storage must be paid in full before goods or wares can be retrieved.

The Woodhaven Merchant Consortium shall be overseen by the EnMerchant of Woodhaven and SeMerchant of Woodhaven and will be conducted by policies established by recognized Merchant Law and Woodhaven Merchant Consortium Guidelines.

These positions are appointed by the Ubar/Administrator and may have non-voting seats on any subsequent High Council formed therein after.

These individuals must act accordingly with the EnMerchant and SeMerchant Job Descriptions (listed separately) and Woodhaven Merchant Consortium Guidelines

EnSlaver
Se Slaver
EnArtisan
SeArtisan

Vanguard: Appointed Position held by the En Merchant of the City.
Vicem: Appointed Position held by the Se Merchant of the City.
Consortium Merchant Representative: Position held by a voted Merchant Member of the Consortium.
Second Representative:Position held by a voted Merchant Member of the Consortium.
Consortium Non Merchant Representative:Position held by a voted Non Merchant Member of the Consortium.
Second Representative: Position held by a voted Non Merchant Member of the Consortium.
Consortium En Scribe: Appointed Position
 

Appointed Positions: These positions are appointed by the Ubar/Administrator and may be allowed to have non-voting seats on any subsequent High Council formed therein after. These individuals must act accordingly with the En and Se Job Descriptions (listed separately) and Woodhaven Merchant Consortium Guidelines.

Non Appointed Positions: These Positions are created by majority vote of all Members of the Merchant Consortium. Nominations shall be chosen within either the category of Merchant or Non Merchant Members prospectively from within the body of the Consortium. Elections for these posts will be held every of two envars (6 mun months). Vacancy in any Position will be filled by the category second.

Solvency of any of these positions will be by failure to uphold the guidelines as specified, withdrawal of the privilege by the Ubar/Administrator or any subsequent High Council formed therein after, resignation of the Member holding this position, relocation, enslavement or death.
Conduct:

All members of The Woodhaven Merchant Consortium will conduct their businesses in compliance with recognized Merchant Law, Woodhaven Merchant Consortium and City of Woodhaven Guidelines.

All Members will conduct themselves and their businesses with respect to the citizens of Woodhaven, their patrons and other members of the consortium. No flaming is allowed. Only one warning will be issued, a second offense will result in immediate removal from the Consortium.

Conducting Business with a known enemy of The City of Woodhaven will be considered treason and are subject to be dealt with under The City of Woodhaven Guidelines.

Resources and referrals will be made of and to The Woodhaven Merchant Consortium and to each other as Members. (A list of Members, their wares and selling area will be published in the City Export List, WMC Newsletter and Credits on WMC sponsored events.)

All Members must register any incoming ships with the Harbor Master that are entering the Woodhaven City Docks for business.

Prices from the Woodhaven Exports List will be used as an official base standard, or as close to Gorean Standards as possible. (Official base standards for all commodities represented are set using the prices paid in the books whenever possible or when that is not possible, the prices were determined by comparison to known prices. Official base standards will remain fixed, though widespread SL's {raids, wars between cities ... natural disaster or etc} may affect the base price used in some areas. These prices will remain available on the Woodhaven Export List. Though not a mandatory requirement, an easy rule of thumb to remember is 1 copper tarsk is approximately equivalent to $1)

Weights/Measures/Coins:

A Merchant's Foot and Stone are kept in the in the Central Cylinder as well as the Merchant Consortium Office and are available for Merchants and Business Persons to verify their own personal measuring devices

Measurement Key
Stone: 4 Earth pounds
Weight: 10 Stone
Talu: 2 Earth gallons
Barrel: 5 Talus
Bale: 7 Stones in weight

City Currency
8 copper tarsk bits = 1 copper tarsk (Woodhaven Mint)
100 copper tarsks = 1 silver tarsk (Tharna Standard)
10 silver tarsk = 1 gold tarn (Ar Standard)

**Price gouging and the use of shaved or underweight coins is illegal in The City of Woodhaven. Anyone found guilty of such will be arrested and held until time as they are taken before the City Magistrates where their fate will be determined according to city guidelines.

Leases of Shops or Businesses within the Merchant Consortium will be for a duration of 1 year
(3 mun months). Payments are to be paid on or before the 5th day of each month to the EnScribe of Woodhaven unless otherwise directed. Lessees have the right to petition for purchase said property outright, at the discretion of the Ubar/Administrator for a sum of which will be negotiated at that time.

Ubar/Administrator must approve transfer of a business to another owner (especially npc).

Lease monies collected will be credited towards the sale price. Individuals who wish to be a Business Owner/ Manager within the City of Woodhaven, lease or buy a shop must hold Citizenship. If a Business is declared abandoned, the shop or building will revert back to the City and its contents may removed to a storage facility. Such goods can and may become property of the City and subject to auction. Fees occurred by said storage must be paid in full before goods or wares can be retrieved. See Abandonment.

Members of the Woodhaven Merchant Consortium are encouraged to establish City contracts or Military Contracts. Since these services are provided for the betterment of the Home Stone, it is encouraged to have discounted pricing for these large purchases.

Those Members who establish such contracts, will not need to claim their income from these contracts only for tax purposes at the end of the year.

Members who enter into these contracts, shall provide the EnScribe of the City and the EnMerchant with a copy of the contract to be kept on file for City reference and regulation of taxes.

*Taxes will be waived for all contracts established between the City of Woodhaven and Vendors of the City in order to provide the best possible price for goods.

Trade between a particular House in Woodhaven and an individual or City, shall involve the EnMerchant of that House, or other representative designated by the House Master.

All Members of the Woodhaven Merchant Consortium shall impose an import tax on the total purchase value of goods entering Woodhaven. The taxes to be assessed to the goods depend upon where the goods are arriving from based upon the following:

Taxes are waived for all Vosk League Cities and Alliance/Trade Cities at this time.
A 10% import tax on the total value of goods entering Woodhaven from any City that does not have an Alliance or Trade Agreement with Woodhaven.
Any other goods entering the City may be imposed a tax at the discretion of the Consortium Member but not less than 8%

For the purposes of written trade agreements between Woodhaven and other Cities, or Houses within or outside Woodhaven, importing and exporting taxes shall be waived in only the following instances:

*When immediate opportunities arise to engage in single, sporadic trades with no written agreement, an import tax of 10% shall be imposed on the party delivering (importing) the goods or 10% shall be imposed on the party receiving (exporting) goods. In the event that a transaction involves both importing and exporting, a one-time tax of 10% shall be imposed on either the import or the export amount, whichever totaled amount of goods is greater in value.

For taxing purposes and simplicity, Merchants should set their prices to anticipate the necessary taxes collected at the end of the year.

Merchant Members are required to pay a tax of 9% at the end of each year, in addition to the standard 5% citizen tax to be collected by the En or SeMerchant of the City.

Non-Merchant Business Persons are required to pay a tax of 11% at the end of each year, in addition to the standard citizen tax to be collected by the City-Appointed Tax Collector.

Non Resident Business Persons are required to pay a tax of 13% at the end of each year, in addition to the standard 5% citizen tax to be collected by the En or Se Merchant of the City.

Individuals who hold a City position of EnMerchant or SeMerchant may receive a waiver of the additional tax of 9% at the discretion of the Ubar/Administrator in lieu of a reduction in salary by half, but are still required to pay the citizen tax of 5%.

*Taxes will be waived for all contracts established between the City of Woodhaven and Vendors of the City in order to provide the best possible price for goods.

At the discretion of the Business Person, a patron may barter the price for wares or services.
(The customer would roll a 1d5 for the following results:
1 = 10% below base
2 = 5% below base
3 = base
4 = 5% above base
5 = 10% above base)

Cargos:

All Members must register any incoming ships with the Harbor Master that are entering the Woodhaven City Docks for business.

Members of the Woodhaven Merchant Consortium shall have access to the Woodhaven Merchant Fleet of Ships for personal, House, or City deliveries. A flat fee shall be imposed for the use of such ships, depending upon the type of ship. Ship rentals are handled by the Harbor Master. In such case as the Harbor Maser's position is not filled then the rentals are handled by a City Scribe.

The Consortium as a whole will schedule, participate in, sponsor and/or host events such as Festivals, Faires, and Tournaments. The Consortium and its members will represent the City of Woodhaven at the Sardar Faires. Members of the Consortium are expected to be an active part in any and all of these events when at all possible.

Abandonment:

A Businesses will be considered abandoned and will revert back to the City under the following conditions:
Not active for a period of 1 envar (3 mun months)
Owner or manager relocates to another city
Owner or manager is enslaved
Owner or manager is removed from the City by its Administration for any reason

If a Business is declared abandoned, the shop or building will revert back to the City and its contents may removed to a storage facility. Such goods can and may become property of the City and subject to auction

Any individual male or female who is collared loses all Member rights (slaves have no caste) and their position within the Consortium is forfeited. The business of those individuals that become enslaved will be closed. The building will revert back to the City, the contents will be cleared out and dealt with by the owner of the slave or Consortium Member Business Partner if applicable.

Manumission:

Manumitted slaves wishing to become a Business Owner/ Manager within the City of Woodhaven, must submit their papers to Woodhaven City Records and gain approval from the Ubar/Administrator and the EnMerchant then apply to the Woodhaven Merchant Consortium to be included among its Members. A time of sponsorship and review may apply to establish proof of stability.

A Merchant Basket will be offered to all visitors and guests of Woodhaven, as well as special occasion baskets on behalf of the Woodhaven Merchant Consortium. Donations of goods, wares, services or gift certificates for said is not mandatory but encouraged by all Members.

Businesses serve a vital role in Gorean Society, accordingly, Business Persons should be visible and participate actively within Woodhaven. Failure to do so may subject the Business Owner to placement upon inactive status or removal from the City Roster in accordance with the City's Guidelines.
Respect and professional courtesy shall be given to all fellow persons within the Woodhaven Merchant Consortium.

Any failure to uphold these guidelines may result in removal from the Woodhaven Merchants Consortium.