Economy

Economy of Sonnefurt

Sonnefurt’s location in Wissenland gives it a unique advantage in terms of trade. It lies on the far side of the Black Mountains to the many kingdoms of the Borderlands, meaning it can gain much foreign trade, it is situated below the great Dwarf hold of Karak Hirn, meaning business between the hold and Wissenland often takes place in Sonnefurt and it is also situated on the River Soll, a waterway perfect for business within Wissenland. These advantages mean than Sonnefurt’s economy is booming significantly, even in the wake of a costly war.

There are many different types of business in the Barony, they're listed below.

Farming/Fishing

Farming is the main priority of many people who live in Thalfang and Strazen, and to a lesser extent, a small percentage of people living in Sonnefurt and Ertingen. Ostrach was formally the key to the Barony’s production, but its crops failed in 2467 and have never recovered.
Most arable crops are farmed, as the Soll and Sonne rivers provide excellent fertility in the region. Thalfang particularly enjoys fertile lands due to the flooding of the Aschen and Soll rivers, but this can come at a destructive cost.

Sheep, pigs, goats and cattle are all farmed in small numbers in the Barony, for there is much fertile grassland on which they can roam. Banditry is a significant problem for the cattle ranchers of the Barony, and many have resorted to violent methods to protect their livelihoods.
Fishing is a large business in Ertingen and Sonnefurt, as well as smaller one in Strazen and to some extent Thalfang. The rivers of the Barony provide abundant fish and river crabs for anyone who can afford the costs of keeping boats in the Sonnefurt and Ertingen docks and most fishermen can beat the taxes with the profit they gain. There is a large fish market every month in the Sonnefurt dockyards that attracts even the most high class of Sonnefurt citizen.

Most of the produce is used to feed the Barony itself, little is exported out. This change has become prevalent in the last century, perhaps due to the need to feed Ostrach too after its failure to produce. Furthermore, under the guidance of the Von Heisenberg family, trade quickly opened up with contacts further North and in Nuln, turning Sonnefurt into a flourishing river port.

There are many, many farms in the Barony and all are run independently by their owners and it is up to the farmer to sell his own produce as he sees fit. However, they are at risk of being put out of business by the large exporters, who could secure lucrative deals with other towns to feed the Barony. This has led to the Council of Sonnefurt putting limits on certain imports to protect the economies of the outlying towns villages against the wills of the Sonnefurt merchants.

Timber Production

The small villages of Bezeinhof and Martinskorf are the centre of the Barony’s timber industry and it is the only business that supports their economies. The Martinswald is extensively and routinely felled to produce wood for the booming ship building industry. There are two main logging companies in the Barony, who employ many citizens between them. Both companies are fiercely competitive but the clever granting of permissions to the separate halves of the Martinswald has kept competition fair and the woodland from suffering.

The Upper Martinswald Timber Company
Type: Timber Production
CEO: Herr Frank Albrecht
Located: Thalfang
Notes: Granted sole permission to the Upper Martinswald
Main employer in Martinskorf

The Upper Martinswald Timber Company
Type: Timber Production
CEO: Herr Jorg Osterhagen
Located: Sonnefurt
Notes: Granted sole permission to the Lower Martinswald
Main employer in Bezeinhof

Wine Making

The fertility, climate and rolling hills of the Barony make it famous for its wine and several prominent vineyards exist in the land. Clever marketing has meant that Sonnefurt wine has become well recognised within elite circles in Wissenland and Nuln and enjoys regularly subscribers who have many crates shipped to them from the Barony.

The Baroness has granted several vineyards licenses to carry ‘Barony of Sonnefurt’ on the labels of their wine. As it is uncompetitive to sell wine from the region under a different name, many vineyards have amalgamated into large vineyards to gain the benefits of the licensing.

The Mayor’s Vineyard
Type: Vineyard
CEO: Mayor Gunter Funk of Thalfang
Located: Thalfang (Aschen Hills)
Notes: Funk’s wine commands a higher price than all other wine from the Barony due to the fertility of Thalfang producing a finer grape.

The Dieten Distillery
Type: Vineyard
CEO: Herr Michael Thiessen
Located: Ertingen (Dieten Hills)
Notes: Largest single vineyard in the Barony, an amalgamation of many former vineyards
Finds employing new workers hard due to fear of the Dieten Hills.

Sonnefurt Vineyard Federation
Type: Vineyard(s)
CEO: Herr Thomas Lemann
Located: Offices in Sonnefurt, vineyards in Ertingen and Thalfang
Notes: Herr Lemann used to run a single vineyard, but bought out many others to form his federation. He is the Barony’s largest wine magnate and produces over half of the Barony’s wine exports.

The Von Heisenberg Vineyard
Type: Vineyard
CEO: Baroness Katarina von Heisenberg
Located: The Baroness’ Villa (Bezau Hills)
Notes: Rarely exports, mainly serves the rich of the Barony and the Court of the Baroness and her Council.

Ship Building

With the rapid rise in river based trade, Sonnefurt and the traders that use the port have an increased desire for ships to transport their wares. Ships have also become a status symbol within the town itself, as the Marina in the Upper River Side attests. The business is growing slowly due to this fashion, but heavy taxes imposed on river travel mean that it is a luxury business, rather than one driven by necessity. As such there are only a few well established shipbuilders in the city who tend to take most of the business.

The Eriksson Joinery
Type: Boatbuilder and Carpenter
CEO: Herr Ralf Eriksson
Located: Sonnefurt (Dockyards)
Notes: The Norse secrets mean that they build exquisite boats that are much sought after.
Have an exclusive timber contract with the Lower Martinswald Logging Corporation

Stein’s Ships
Type: Boatbuilder and Carpenter
CEO: Herr Eduard Stein
Located: Sonnefurt (Dockyards)
Notes: Relatively new but has acquired recent contracts from the River Patrol itself

Gileh’s Workshop
Type: Boatbuilder and Metalworker
CEO: Gileh Aelf
Located: Sonnefurt (Dockyards)
Notes: Unusually run by a Dwarf but surprisingly popular. Makes steam powered ships favoured by merchants for reliable travel up and down river.

Manufacturing

The Barony prides itself on a wealth of manufacturing businesses including metalwork, carpentry, masonry and construction. Each of these industries and its related workers are registered to a guild which is approved for business by the Baroness and the Council. The skilled craftsmen of these guilds provide the Barony with all the services they need, but also provide a wealth of goods for export should the Barony not be in need of them.

The Dwarfen Quarter of Sonnefurt itself is the manufacturer of some of the finest goods in the South of Wissenland, and can gain a large amount of money from prospective buyers. They have taken advantage of tax exemption to expand their business across the Barony. They also sustain the economy by being the main buyers in the town of good from Karak Hirn, wanting their home comforts whilst in the lowlands.

Military

Sonnefurt’s military industry in times of war comprises manufacturing guilds of the region but in times of peace is relatively small. Due to the proximity of the Soll River Patrol, however, there are a few permanent business’ geared towards the military. Furthermore, a few mercenary companies have attempted to establish themselves in the town, hoping to win contracts for the Barony’s protection.

The Beyer Foundry
Type: Foundry
CEO: Maximilian Beyer
Located: Sonnefurt (Military District)
Notes: Recently commissioned to make the artillery for the 9th Regiment of the Soll River Patrol

Skeggi’s Workshop
Type: Blacksmith
CEO: Skeggi Grufrik
Located: Dwarfen Quarter
Notes: Most famous artisan in Sonnefurt
Makes the equipment for the Von Heisenberg Guard
Forged Marshal Eichhorn’s enchanted armour

The League of Military Gentlemen
Type: Mercenary Company
CEO: Captain Alonso Capitore
Located: Sonnefurt (Market District)
Notes: Company are credited with turning the tide in the siege of Sonnefurt and are the most popular choice for mercenaries in the region.

Order of the Fallen Star
Type: Mercenary Company
CEO: Varies
Located: Sonnefurt (Lower River Side)
Notes: Not to be mistaken for a Knightly Order
Charge huge prices due to be a group of former princes and nobles from the Border Princes

Mining

Not a large business in Sonnefurt, with only the one company, but a profitable enterprise which has attracted many investors.

Sonnefurt-Tierhugel Mining Company
Type: Mining
CEO: Lord Hermann Zell
Located: Tierhugel
Notes: Pays subsidiaries to the Baron of Scharmbeck

Banking

There is only one bank in Sonnefurt, a recent addition to handle the growing wealth of its citizens. The bank struck a deal with Karak Hirn to keep some of its money in return for wise investing in human ventures and for guarding valuable human assets in their impenetrable mountain fortress. The bank is expanding throughout Wissenland and the Southern Empire, with its local, southern feel, earning it the title of the “Empire’s ‘Local’ Bank”.

Hirn-Sonnefurt Banking Corporation (HSBC)
Type: Bank and Investor
CEO: Herr Aldred Guttman (Human CEO)
Located: Sonnefurt (Market District)
Notes: The Corporation handles both Dwarf and Human money, there are vaults in both Karak Hirn and Sonnefurt so that money is not all lost in result of either falling. The vaults are deep below Sonnefurt guarded by watchful Dwarfs

Service

The service industry in Sonnefurt is enormous, owing mostly to the frequent travellers, rich merchants and ships crews who visit the Barony. There are too many taverns, bars, inns and hotels to list but all turn good profits and keep the Barony in wealth.

Ostrach is particularly famous for its ‘Alcoholic’s Avenue’, an entire high street lined with taverns and inns and is a favourite with travellers for its reputation. Thalfang on the other hand, with is distaste for foreigners and has relatively few inns, but many different bars to cater for its residents. Sonnefurt hosts the most bars and inns in the Barony, and has a range for every taste, from the most expensive to the lowliest, most common dives.

Trade

Trade is the single largest bringer of money to the Barony. Although the Barony exports and imports on a very small basis, it is still the centre of a booming trade economy after having recently secured the entire monopoly of trade with Karak Hirn. This is mainly due to it playing host to many Empire-wide companies which employ many white collar workers in the town. Many merchants have also established their own, home grown companies to deal with the needs of the province.

Smuggling is a small problem with so many ships making their way in and out of the town and wanting to avoid the taxes imposed by the Chamber of Customs and Commerce. However, the town watch and the Soll River Patrol are tasked with keeping this under control.

Soll Shipping Company
Type: Shipping
CEO: Herr Albert Schneider (of the Sonnefurt branch)
Located: Sonnefurt (Market District)/ Headquarters in Nuln
Notes: Only established after the war with Kroppenleben and attempting to establish its prominence in the town. The head offices can be found in Nuln.

Sonnefurt-Hirn Trading Company
Type: Supplier and storage
CEO: Herr Arthur Guttenberg
Located: Sonnefurt (Dockyards)
Notes: Trades on behalf of merchants from Wissenland and Nuln and the dwarfs of Karak Hirn. Stores the goods for large fees in its many Sonnefurt dockyards. Recently gained a lot of business from the defeat of Kroppenleben and the revoking of their shared monopoly.

South Wissenland Trade Federation
Type: Buyer, supplier and storage
CEO: Herr Dominik Beckenbauer
Located: Sonnefurt (Market District)
Notes: Has offices in most towns in South Wissenland. Recently moved its head office from Wusterburg to Sonnefurt due to concerns over the Solland tendencies of Baron de Cryx. It is not concerned with trade from Karak Hirn, but between its associated towns and cities.

Foreign Realms Trading Corporation
Type: Foreign investor, buyer, supplier, storage
CEO: Herr Stefan Schmitz
Located: Sonnefurt (Lower River Side)/ Headquarters in Altdorf
Notes: Uses Sonnefurt and its links to the River Soll to aid shipping of good back from the lands over the Black Mountains. Has offices all over the south of the Empire.

Sonnefurt Storage Company
Type: Storage
CEO: Herr Marius Blech
Located: Sonnefurt (Dockyards)
Notes: Stores goods in warehouses across the town. Often believed to be a cover for the smuggling operation associated with Marius Blech.

Nuln-Sonnefurt Corporation
Type: Supplier and buyer
CEO: Herr Torsten Irner (in Sonnefurt)
Located: Sonnefurt (Upper River Side)
Notes: Conducts exclusive trade contracts between former Nuln residents living in Sonnefurt and their business interests in the North.