Dave Lowe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Seeing a great opportunity to increase shipping in and out of the Independent State of Caledon, the East Zindra Co. established a new Corporate Headquarters on the waterfront in Port Caledon. The new “Wytchwood Building” is a four story marvel of Victorian Technology, complete with airship mooring on the roof and a steam driven elevator and modern power systems.

In part of the land deal, the Company purchased controlling interest in the Old Caledon Water Works in Port Caledon. The Company will continue supplying Caledon with clean, fresh, and Cavorite free drinking water. The large grounds around the pumping and treatment facility will double as a cargo storage area for the Company’s maritime mercantile business in Port Caledon.

In addition, the Company very quietly acquired the Caledon Fire Brigade for an undisclosed amount. Sources say DaveDorm Gaffer, the Chief of the Caledon Fire Brigade and Minister of Trade for the Company will continue to manage the Brigade.

The Brigade and the utility are now wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. There are some citizenz abuzz with concerns that two important public utilities in Caledon have been absorbed by a multinational company. Caledon’s Guvnah Desmond Shang was unavailable for comment.

After lengthy discussions with the developer of the TradeMatey coin HUDs, she has decided to give me full permission to pursue the future development of the system as a “fork” in the code. The agreement provides that I give her full perm copies of any changes I make to her code, plus agree not to sell items with copy/mod permissions on the original scripts.

In addition, I am combining the free Jabberwock Trade System scripts with my modifications and naming the entire project the “TradeMogul Role Play Trading Game.” This is, naturally, a hat tip to the original TradeMatey. Plus, I feel the name embodies more than just “pirates” but the spirit of mercantilism and the pursuit of profitable adventures.

The basic TradeMogul system, like its predecessors, will always be available free of charge. However, to assist those not skilled enough to set up factories or vendors (or simply not willing to invest the time) I will offer prefabricated TradeMogul items for sale as well. I am starting with some basic factories and vendors. The initial ones are no-copy, bu modifiable to allow residents place their own objects inside for production or sale in TradeMogul coins. They cost L$50 each or six for L$250.

In the coming weeks, I will offer more factories that are no-copy/no-modify with sculpted prims as trade goods. I am also working on establishing a support site for TradeMogul and a presence on XStreetSL.

Naturally, the East Zindra Company will be the flagship and primary testbed for any new TradeMogul products in development. The new TradeMogul HUD is already available at The Laughing Vulcan. All old Austral TradeMateys are still compatible, there is no need to upgrade. However, if you do, be sure to rez them both in world and transfer your coins from the old HUD to the new one.

The New World Sims and the Continental Americas have both decided to begin using the trade system and adopting the TradeMatey as their currency system. In New World, the coins will be called “Liberty Coins” and in the Continental Americas, they will be “Dollars.” Both nations’ coinage will be 100% compatible with the Austral Crowns, needing no exchange process. The TradeMatey developer will commission HUDs that work on the same channel as our own so easier inter-sim transactions can occur for merchants and residents.

And, in a surprising turn, Guvnah Desmond Shang has authorized the East Zindra Company to begin distributing TradeMatey HUDs to Caledon residents at our office in Port Caledon. The currency will be the Caledon Pound, also fully compatible with Austral Crowns.

The game is, indeed, afoot. We should have TradeMatey dispensers in these three nations in a few days.

At the suggestion of my friend tomis MacMoragh, I visited Boston Harbor in the New World sim. There, I met with the owner of the sim, Admiral Thomas Baddingham. He was very interested in the idea of trading goods, in fact some of the folks from Antiquity had already been in touch. He put me in contact with Ford Denja, who owns the adjoining homestead of Oriental Dragon Pirates. Mr. Denja is already a member of the Antiquity Merchant’s Guild and familiar with the trade game.

He and I spoke for quite a while, and I toured both Boston and his “Spice Island Pirates” fortress. I’ll have to return soon to explore Savannah, the other sim in the nation. He came back with me to Austral, where I showed him around the area and we compared notes on builds. He even took one of the fighters up for a test flight.

All in all, we should have something ready soon to start working in New World. Perhaps Mr. Denja and Mr. MacMoragh would be willing to serve as Independent Captains and serve that nation?