Ministry of Liberation Services (Kurnan Liberation Offices)

[AthasianLaborer]

The Ministry maintains an Office in Old Kurn. The Office is a 'general purpose' facility where citizens can conduct their financial business, send/receive messages or parcels, take meals and even pursue educational catalogs to arrange classes on various subjects. This Office is where 'Citizen Stipends' of ammunition and food are distributed weekly. It has a number of personnel on staff round the clock and is open at all hours of the day or night to assist citizens with their needs. All personnel are expected to be proficient and practiced with a ranged weapon of their choice, selected from Light Crossbow, Longbow or Shortbow. Every Templar hired is of sufficient level to requisition their own troops and draw from the Treasury. Additionally, they're all capable of casting Blessed Abundance at least once daily (among a plethora of other useful spells). The Office is a large structure, centrally located in Old Kurn. The structure was historically a noble estate that had fallen into disrepair. The Ministry claimed squatters rights and repurposed the unused property.

Administrative Team members are the face of the operation to visitors keeping Educational Team members within earshot and available to help educate visitors regarding their visit. The Lead Admin, Educational Coordinator and Preparedness Coordinator all work together to ensure smooth operations. Lead Admin will take a backseat generally and allow the Educational or Preparedness Coordinators to handle most matters, unless they are truly needed. The Preparedness Coordinator is responsible for teaching the community how to use the ammunition that Kurn provides them with. Communications Team handles all message services, Observation Team assists Transportation Team with parcels and keeps watch for predesignated pickup/delivery signals from VA contacts across the Tablelands. Transportation Support is there to help move regularly scheduled shipments. Facility Defense Teams are 2 light infantry armed with a mancatcher or truncheon/shield combo, partnered with a shieldbearer and an archer armed with sedative arrows.



Liberation Office Labor (Budget Total: 12gp, 6sp, 2cp)

Lead Admin: 1 15th level Templar @ 1gp, 5sp/month

Administrative Team: 4 Laborers Skilled in Administration @ 1sp, 6cp/month

Communications Team: 4 5th level Telepaths @ 2gp/month

Educational Coordinator: 1 10th level Preserver @ 1gp/month

Educational Team: 16 Laborers Skilled in Teaching @ 6sp, 4cp/month

Facility Defense: 32 light infantry, 16 archers, 16 shieldbearers @ 1gp, 4cp

Observation Team: 4 5th level Seers @ 2gp/month

Preparedness Coordinator: 1 10th level Fighter @ 1gp/month

Transportation Team: 4 5th level Psychoporters @ 2gp/month

Transportation Support: 32 Laborers Skilled in Heavy Lifting and Tetris (euphemism for 'overpaying' 'unskilled labor' and working with them to encourage coordinated teamwork and warehouse packing skills since IDK what proficiency that qualifies as) @ 1gp, 2sp, 8cp/month



The Liberation Resource Coordinator coordinates the accumulation and distribution of all agricultural, educational and security resources. They are assisted in this endeavor by the Resource Coordination Team. The fields they farm are behind Fort Protector, the Educational supply facilities are present in New Kurn (along with the vaults for items in pawn).



Liberation Resource Labor (Budget Total: 32gp, 7sp, 6cp)

Lead Resource Coordinator: 1 15th level Templar @ 1gp, 5sp/month

Resource Coordination Team: 3 11th level Templars, 2 13th level Preservers @ 5gp, 9sp/month

250 Laborers Skilled in Agriculture @ 10gp/month

125 Laborers Skilled in Mining @ 5gp/month (flints for arrow/quarrel heads)

125 Laborers Skilled in Fletching @ 5gp/month (to make the arrows/quarrels)

10 Laborers Skilled in Bookbinding @ 4sp/month

15 Laborers Skilled in Investigation @ 6sp/month

25 Laborers Skilled in Papermaking @ 1gp/month

25 Laborers Skilled in Research @ 1gp/month

50 Laborers Skilled in Scribe @ 2gp/month

9 Laborers Skilled in Sage Knowledge @ 3sp, 6cp/month

Alchemy

Astronomy

Botany

Cartography

Engineering

Folklore

History

Mathematics

Templar Theology (How to spot Templars and who they serve)



250 Farmers are supported by 5 dedicated casters capable of casting Blessed Abundance a total of 9 times in a day for a total of 123 cubic feet of rice from a single grain; I think Kurn has defeated food scarcity and is quietly stockpiling enough grain to absolutely dominate the Tablelands economy.



This is assembled using RAW information (except that I assumed it was 1sp/level/month for Classed Labor; the lone inference I made). This is all accomplished with 45 gp, 3 sp & 8cp in total, easily within reach for even a 6th level Templar (the level when they can start withdrawing funds from the city treasury). Imagine how much more could be done with a 15th level Templar’s purse (minimum of 150-225gp depending on which canon quote you choose; the high end there is 2250gp _per month_)

[AthasianLaborer]

I had made this thread thinking it would be more of a discussion than a showcase, I guess my idea is perfect as-is?

No collaborative feedback?

No constructive criticism?

I think it illustrates how networked Kurn must be in the absence of the traditional athasian economy (i.e. slavery) and considering that Kurn is far more concerned with social wellbeing than anywhere else on Athas (that I am aware of), it stands to reason that there are top-down institutions in Kurn which exist to maximize benefit to all of the sentients they can.  Granted, proximity would dictate priority but as surplus grew (and it is guaranteed to do so if lawfully and altruistically administrated and enhanced through magic/psionics) it would be distributed to ease suffering on Athas.

I would imagine that the top tiers of the Templarate would use their monthly budgets to subsidize their subordinates (above and beyond the subordinates ability to withdraw from the Treasury) and organize across Ministries.  Leaving the Ministries themselves to be funded and run by mid tier Templars while being staffed by their subordinates. 


They're not the government, they're NGO's that make life easier for the government since they defray frustrations by taking care of education, food and housing.  They help defend against sentients that would mean harm to others but generally tend to do so through decapitating belligerants and mitigating the threat of others choosing belligerence through Food/Medical Aid.  Yes, combat can be necessary but it isn't the only option. 

[Attilius]

It looks good on paper but until you see it in action it's hard to tell 100%

[DM Bob]

I guess the main issue is are these positions trained at the level you wish truly available for said positions. Leveled seers and high level fighters & preservers don't just fall out of the skies. The types that would take a gold a month stipends would have some issues that prevent them from doing more proactive work. That and the player knowledge of knowing what level someone is. There would be a lot of trial and error filling said roles. As a possible structure for Kurn? I do like the amount of thought put into this. If your templar wanted to start such a branch of the government, any level of NPC a level or two below you and any above would need to be "quested/interviewed" for... if you get where I'm going with this.

[AthasianLaborer]

Aug 5, 2023 22:41:58 GMT DM Bob said:

I guess the main issue is are these positions trained at the level you wish truly available for said positions. Leveled seers and high level fighters & preservers don't just fall out of the skies. The types that would take a gold a month stipends would have some issues that prevent them from doing more proactive work. That and the player knowledge of knowing what level someone is. There would be a lot of trial and error filling said roles. As a possible structure for Kurn? I do like the amount of thought put into this. If your templar wanted to start such a branch of the government, any level of NPC a level or two below you and any above would need to be "quested/interviewed" for... if you get where I'm going with this.

Yeah, in the very beginning it started as a 'Here's what Ande's doing' and somewhere along the lines morphed into a proof-of-concept for how Kurnan social infrastructure would (or could) be handled.  Apologies, I thought I had communicated that with the closing statement.  

If anything, I would imagine that Ande would be a cog in the infrastructure of a higher level Templar.  She'd be the lowest level Templar in the administration described in the OP, it'd be ridiculous if she were in charge in any capacity other than as an appointee of a higher level Templar.

I do agree with canon that they wouldn't interfere in the administration of government but I believe that they would be (in effect) corporate puppeteers that were stacking the deck in societies favor rather than favoring lining their own pockets.

[DM Bob]

To be fair Mike... you produce a lot of content that I read at various points of the day and evening. I thought you were trying to spend your coin to start a new section within Kurn. And honestly? That sounds like a great thing to do over time in game if we end up sticking in Kurn at some point (or as a task off to the side when tree PCs are activated).

[AthasianLaborer]

Yeah, and yeah again, in the beginning, I was.  However, as I have really thought on it, I imagine that Ande would be far from the first to have implemented a program such as the above.  Which would likely operate on a far grander scale than is outlined above. 

Allow the citizens of Kurn to pursue what beneficial educations they desire without fret over food or shelter.  Crime likely isn't a thing since the desperation of poverty is extinguished through the efforts of the Templarate as a whole.  Community flourishes in its absence and wealth grows exponentially on the back of educated solidarity.  I would imagine that the City-States of Kurn would be well provided for by a council of high-level (15th+) Templars each managing a particular sector of public life.  They don't have anything to do with the cities and their politics, but rather each run a private enterprise which handily provides for all of the cities needs.  They altruistically and intelligently manage the disbursements to maximize their effects.

I really think that the OP would be Ande dumping buckets (her withdrawls) in a sunken barrel (withdrawls of far greater significance from her superiors).


However,

How much food could that much gold buy?  Enough to feed the entire village of Ravish?  Or other Slave Tribes of the Tablelands?  Not talking about trading with them (at least not at first), just drowning them in Food Aid and extinguishing their desperation.  Shining a light in the darkness.