Honoured Sons

Honoured Sons

Voski Kasabian, Sarhang of the Elmaovo Chapter of the Honoured Sons
Territory	Elmaovo (Krasnocoria)
Ethnicity	Constancians, Raspurids, Black Travellers, Šlovedks, Anticans, Coriaks, Hasanis
Criminal activities	Assassination, Assault, Bank robbery, Blackmailing, Bribery, Burglary, Contract killing, Extortion, Fraud, Illegal gambling, Kidnapping, Money laundering, Murder, Prostitution, Smuggling, Theft
Patrons	Honourable Company, N&H, Raspur Pact
Strength (est.)	Honourable Sahibs – 40 Honoured Brothers – 120 Honoured Sons – 1,200

Originally a mark of respect addressed to veterans of the long stranded ESB trading post on the Isle of Jaris, the term Honoured Sons has since come to acquire a distinct meaning in the Krasnocorian port of Elmaovo, referring now as it does to those men of the Honourable Company who had diversified their business activities to better reflect the realities of their somewhat precarious and anomalous position in Krasnocorian society.

Since the year 1653 AN ESB recruitment agents had been observed operating in international waters sending landing parties ashore to recruit young female Black Travellers for ill-defined waitress vacancies in Shirekeep. ESB representatives introduced into the region had worked industriously in seeking to make contact with promising young gupneks who might serve as talent scouts and recruiters on the ground in Krasnarus and the Florian Serb lands.

Of those who made the journey westwards the majority - far from becoming serving staff in bars and restaurants - became bathhouse attendants, a very disreputable profession in the former territories of the Imperial Republic. It is estimated that about 20,000 Black Traveller women had been trafficked by the gupnek gangs to Shirekeep, which was the result of a series of backdoor deals on the latter. The implications of this, which place high-ranking officials in unsavory positions, have stirred controversy among the Parliamentarians of Krasnarus.

In 1659 the remaining Black Traveller population was sold to the ESB Group of Shireroth at the asking price of 1,589 Erb ($25) per head. Because Benacia had already enjoyed a decade long glut in cheap labour, the Black Travellers - excepting the 30,000 strong corps of bathhouse attendants already established - were to be resettled in Constancian territory to work on ESB projects overseen by its Euran Directorate.

The process of rounding up and herding together such a large population engendered a certain level of resistance, and it took several years to complete the relocation of the entire population.

The Honoured Sons went on to play a quiet part in the Srbozemskan Civil War, hiring Black Travellers at highly favourable rates to smuggle arms and munitions across Krasnocoria to the Srbozemska region, for use subsequently against the Krasnocorian Armed Forces.

With the collapse of Krasnocoria in 1687 AN, the Honoured Sons were, along with their dependants, registered as agents of the Company and engaged to serve in the evacuation of the warehouse stores, and personnel of ESB Jaris to the International Mandate, whereafter they became responsible for protecting the property of the Honourable Company and for securing the requisite commercial premises and harbour frontage for the resumption of trading operations. In this manner they would be put forward by the Honourable Company as their contribution to the policing of the International Mandate Settlements.