Chapter 62: Merchants of Skopje

Late in the night in an ancient city in the north of Macedonia a lone man stands on the terrace of a large fortress. Overlooking the city his mind wonders and tends to linger on the beauty and organic organization of this ancient city known to exist even before Roman occupation of this region.

As the man gazes out across the city many scenes the man cannot see began to play out. A family is a unit, meant to stick together the woman to raise the children the man to protect and provide. In times of crisis the man is who the family relies on…

But what is a lone father to do when faced with a force so mighty it crushes his own rising empires forces. Leaving their defenders body parts strewn about the city and the remaining brave defenders shackled and taken away to the dungeon of their own making.

Many men struggle to find a solution for their family to see the morning after this long night, all many can do is pray that god spares them! But there are other more capable men about mainly the more posh Burghers and merchants who call this city home.

These men make their living running street carts and store fronts in this cities markets their names and reputation known to all in the city. Others like the merchants fund these store owners and bring them goods from around the empire and beyond, giving them a tight bond of convenience and friendship in some cases.

These men did not panic at the sight of chaos as they couldn't save this empire… Even their family members who were serving in the cities defense were secretly removed from service wether by simply running away or bribery before the fighting began.

This city wide secret coalition of merchants and businessmen did not fear the army for they could bride any soldier if need be. They did fear the leader of the force for they did not know if they had the capital to move such a man. For if the order is given to raid the entire city regardless of the surrender or negotiation, that would be that for most of their livelihoods.

But they still had one last card in their hands a hidden underground vault of sorts… not made of metal just wooden stakes holding the ceiling of the tunnel and vault end so the dirt and stone doesn't collapse onto them and their items.

This was built for a rainy day such as this, not just for invasion but also for the domestic issues as well. Sometimes when a emperor is in a tough spot they will rashly choose to plunder their own citizens and merchants to gain the wealth they need.

So this spot was chosen with all this in mind… And the man who organized it all was a well known international merchant, not the richest of all the traders here in the capital. But the most respected amongst his peers for he knew what it took to make a living in this city and always made sure to help everyone he could when they needed it…

These deeds gave this individual lots of local support allowing him to bring everyone together. In times of crisis even men who hated each others bones would even sit at the same table to show respect to a elder who showed them kindness when others scoffed at their dismay.

You can call this ruthless elder a saint when in company of these cutthroat merchants. This man called Jovo, no family name. Came from the deepest recesses of the city, where no well to do citizen could be seen.

From here his life was simply… Hard, this young boy under the age of 12 began his career as a porter. Doing the labor of a man with the stature of a small child. Malnourished but more than willing to work, for this kid had a dream to gain a position on a merchant ship and to do that he must stand out.

Eventually the boy was an adult having worked as a porter for 7 long years, making many connections along the way. The most important being the poorest merchant known to the city, a old man who spends his money on useless investments most being other struggling businessmen.

This wacky old man is only able to continue business by the grace of god as no one knows how he keeps getting his hands on enough coin to successfully feed his crew. Let alone venture off for another trip abroad.

But for Jovo he had no cares for this merchants background or success. All he needed was a chance and this old saint was offering… But only if the boy offered his services for less than a good slaves daily meal rate.

But for the first time in a while he can at least eat well, and not just that he can began to scratch that itch gaining valuable skills and experience under this seasoned merchant.

Under the old man and his vessel the man traveled all throughout the Adriatic coasts of Italy, Dalmatia, and Greece before returning back to Skopje after storing the ship safely along the coasts. By the end of this first journey the man had already aged another 3 years and even managed to secure a small amount of wealth.

The coin gained through small tasks and tips from the veteran seamen wasn't much, but it was enough to barter in the magical markets in the republics of Italy. Bringing small trinkets, stones, and jewelry handmade in Italy back to the capital the boy was able to use his connections to turn a decent profit.

Many seamen sought to do the same thing, but somewhere along the way to gaining their own merchant status they began to get lost in the daily grind and cooling their heads in the local taverns and whore houses. But only those with the ambition or backing to survive the long sea voyages with their full sanity intact would persevere long enough to see the light they seek so fervently.

After many years of small profits and relationship building he was able to inherit the old man's legacy, now he couldn't inherit his property such as gold, boat, etc… not even a merchant's license but he obtained the connections of the old man which is priceless in this age.

Moving forward with this hard won prestige among the docks, he managed to indebt himself to a few large investors who got him a boat and a license. Everything else was left to him to figure out, which was simple with his knowledge of the docks.

Putting together a small team of men who weren't promised riches but promised knowledge and connections he left for the open sea with even larger ambitions than his first ever expedition.

A few decades later the old man Jovo now sits in a small underground bunker of sorts, amongst many of his rivals and friends alike.

One merchant with a panic stricken face says " Jovo is this really the best option we have, to hide away and leave behind half our goods on the wharfs and the markets to be plundered? I still have loans to the Italians I've yet to pay… my wife she… you know our situation is there no other solution?"

As the man's words left his mouth there was no malice just pure concern. The honest nature of the man led the others huddled in to the packed space to quiet down and listen in but the response of Jovo shocked the crowd.

Jovo said " I do not know if we can save our goods. But I know this is the best option given our circumstances, we are merchants many of us risking life and limb to eek out a living in this unforgiving profession. We battle like warriors and use our minds like scholars, we are A hardy breed of men who have weighed the scales in our own times of crisis many times over."

He continued after a brief pause to let the men gain some confidence before he spoke again. Following with " I have weighed the scales in my mind many times since this war began, and I didn't have high hopes. We won our previous engagements with many in this rooms support, but this one I noticed no one had the confidence to apply their trade to the army or even lift a finger to find even a spare coin when the king left we all sighed and collected out things and prepared for the worst. For we do not trust the latins in rome we aren't catholic and they have shown us no mercy in trade or war they are brutal and will backstab for their own benefits. A crusade is not the place for the orthodox but for the barbarism of the Latins to be on full display.

-We all see the products of their intrapment on our liege may he rest in peace. We were dug a pit and made to lie in it, these Turks fight like madmen always have. We have no chance of resistance our best bet is relying on their religious values to tie them down, the city was basically given up in surrender in some form. So I bet on the fact that they cannot loot this city, they might even clean it up a bit. There may be downsides to my choice but this is a merchant's favorite place to be, making a bet that could ruin or make the man."