"Thentis had the proud violence of the rude Mountains" - Outlaw of Gor
As a young man, he took the use-name of Mintar; modeling Himself after the very "Ubar of Merchants" from the old-stories. Always an active and ambitious Man, He first earned a reputation as an effective Caravan Master. Traveling through the Gorean world known as JAG, He journied from Ar to Torvladsland; to Port Kar, Turia and then to Tor. He braved many different climates, adapted to many different cultures and found gold awaiting Him upon His journies end.
Much like the One who inspired His use-name, He became an affluent merchant with business connections that swept from the Barrens to the Thassa. He acquired a taste for the finest ka-la-na, and became a Man of high expectations. Always shrewd in business, His ambitions were seldom sated. One day His, dark discriminating eyes settled upon a single product and He knew His days of Mastering the Caravan trail were numbered. He had seen a new goal; a grander ambition. He pledged to the mountain city of Thentis@JAG and was made the Merchant Magistrate by the High Council.
Having attained a position within His caste that gave Him power to preside in Judgement over others on matters of Merchant Law, He began to clarify and define that Law. On behalf of the City of Tarns, He worked with trusted friends and representatives of powerful cities to hammer out a trade agreement which would become the basis of a far-reaching alliance. Standing unified in cause and understanding, the Trade Alliance has been able to introduce the powerful concept of "product protections". Due to these protections, and the other trade standardizations provided by Merchant Law, the Trade Alliance is becoming a strong military and financial force in JAG.
And yet, with all these accomplishments under His belt, He never lost His taste for humor and song. He won first place in a poetry contest at one of the Sardar Fairs. In a similar festival held at the palace in Bazi, Mintar won second place for the City of Thentis. Unlike so many of His caste, He has remained a fit and trim Man. This has served Him well in His duties as Magistrate for on occassion He has had to capture and kill Men for their infractions of The Law. It was at that festival in Bazi where the Merchant Magistrate stepped into the Warriors sands to spar with the best JAG could offer. By the end of the spars, He was well satisfied by His display of skill with steel.
Back at His homestone, He is known as a capable Man who has the will and the strength to bring His lofty ambitions to tangible fruition. His warm spirit helped usher in the Festival of the Slaves and He has done His best to promote the Great Tarn Races. Some day He'd like to see Tarn Factions spread through JAG, coming to Thentis with their fans to race on a set season, with a clear Champion hailed at the end; leaving much of their coin with the odds-makers of Thentis, of course!
Yet, with His firm hand and His keen eye for business, He has instituted such drastic changes as defined, and protected trade routes. He has once again put Fort Haskins to great use, and has fashioned quality control standards for black wine. He and the High Council of Thentis have manipulated black wine supplies to ween a greedy public off of the drink in order to restore it's traditional traits of "rare" and "expensive". They have smashed smuggling rings with increased sleen patrols and have changed the whole face of the market by introducing a limited, but legal, black wine trade in JAG. This has caused much comotion in the settlements of Wagon People, Torvladslanders, and in a few Cities where they have come to expect that black wine is a common and daily beverage. The Trade Alliance has joined militaristically in the area between Thentis and Ar so that the black wine trade can be protected and controlled.
© MINTAR@JAG