Post by Wilhelm Cransnikov on Mar 1, 2023 1:04:07 GMT
Salve, hello, and however else you give greetings, I am Edwin of Hull and for the last twenty years I have been handling business on behalf of the Maxinberg Metalworks Guild. In this time I have been across the world on business, and if I had a quarter pence for every social faux pas I'd be a very rich man. To hopefully ensure the next generation of businessmen of the Hansa do not make the same mistakes as this generation I have decided to compile a guide on buisness and general etiquette of various nations.
To begin, I'll touch on my own native homeland.
General
The Tholish domain is a Germanic, Ringsea monarchy. It is rather industrial being an importer of food, but it should be noted they have a strong agricultural and especially dairy industry. The dominant language is Tholish and the state religion is the Tholish Christian church. The Tholish realm is notable as it exists on the routes connecting the Stormsea, Tradesea, and Wolfsea regions into the Ringsea and so sees considerably shipping through its waters.
The Tholish lands can be divided into two parts. There are the Tholish Isles and their mainland holdings. The Tholish Isles serve as the financial and political heartland of the Cransnikov's domain, and are the most likely place you will go on business. As such, there are cultural quirks that will differ in the various mainland realms, however, keeping to the etiquette I provide will at worst make you seem like a stereotypical Tholelander rather than seriously offend.
Culture
Tholish society is a conservative and religious society. There is strong cultural emphasis on the concepts of honor, family, and community. Tholes believe in the existence of both a personal honor and familial honor, which all Tholes have a duty to maintain by holding themselves to christian values as well as more traditionally Germanic ideals of valor and bravery.
The Tholish family is a heavily patriarchal one with a clan forming around the lead male patriarch who holds near dictatorial power over his family. It should be noted though, that this clan structure is found most strongly in the rural countryside with the nuclear family of a husband wife and direct relative holding more prominence in the middle class of cities. The caveat being that clans still have looser power in these nuclear families which is demonstrated by familial feasts and a patriarch's sway over things like marriage even for families living away from the Patriarch's residence.
As typical for Ostreans, women hold little power or autonomy as is common in more liberal or latin societies. A woman is not generally able to support herself through work and so traditionally remains in the household assisting family trades or working as servants of the aristocracy until they are married off. Women hold little final say over who they can marry, outside of refusing the vows a woman's main hope is to be influence the arranging of a marriage, which is rather common with most moral Tholes listening to their daughters. Of course, exceptions apply.
There exists a second mode of arranging marriage amongst the aristocracy that has naturally trickled down society as the middle class attempt to imitate the aristocracy. That is the concept of romance and courting. Courting exists in a strange place in Tholish society, as it has been rising in popularity with the cultural romantic movement. Getting into the spefics of courting is a bit outside the scope of this guide (and I would be remiss to give any readers Ideas, trust me Tholes are a very traditional people who would not appreciate a foreigner's attempts at a fling), however, do not be surprised if a Tholish boy begins reading poetry or making some other nonsensical attempt at wooing a women.
The Tholes place great value in the concept of community. This is a general concept entwining one's church, nation, and local neighborhood into a shared sense of mutualism and pride. The second part is important to note. The Tholes take great pride in their community so do not be suprised if they take considerable offense at seemingly good natured jabs at these things.
Doing Business
Tholish business revolves around three key things: respect, trust, and cooperation. Fostering respect is crucial to succeeding in business with the Tholes. Your respect is determined by how you carry yourself, your past reputation, as well as your family. While certain aspects of appearance are impossible to change, one should keep a conservative, well-kept appearance while assuming upright posture. If your appearance does not adhere to these standards it is likely Tholes will be very reluctant to do important business with you. Of course, Tholes are very discerning when it comes to a man's past record. If you have a history of shady dealings or no history of experience at all, no Thole will be willing to do business with you regardless of how potentially enriching your offers are. Finally, Tholes will judge your family history and stability heavily. A disorderly household, delinquent relatives, or a wife who holds the pants in your domestic relationship will reflect poorly on you, so ensure your familial affairs are in order before doing business in Tholeland. If a Thole does not trust you, they are not going to do business with you. No amount of contracts or paperwork can fill the void of trust. Trust most often develops out of continued beneficial business between parties. This trust is a powerful thing, as Tholes will only very rarely take a better deal from a company they do not know over a company that has a history with them. Of course, that poses the question of how one starts such a relationship. To gain a base level of trust sufficient to do business with someone or a company, you need references. The best form of references come in the form of recommendations by mutual business partners; however, if that is not feasible, having enough recommendations from people like your business partners who've established a strong history with or even respectable figures like your priest is crucial to show that you are a figure trustworthy enough to do business with.
There is a fundamental expectation of cooperation in Tholish business. Even amongst competitors it is considered very poor form to try to run the other completely out of business. Instead, Tholish business expects that everyone involved in a deal benefits and no one gets 'screwed' as it were. Being a bit more generous than normal with a particularly profitable venture or ensuring that no one is going to get the short end of the stick in business is an important step in becoming accepted amongst Tholish business circles.
Finally, I must give some notes about time and scheduling with Tholes. When doing business with Tholes, follow this rule: 15 minutes early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable. I know those who place less stock on time may balk at that, however, Tholes do not like feeling their time is being wasted, so ensuring you are early to meetings is an often overlooked way of keeping the respect of your Tholish peers.
Arranging the meeting
Before one should even think about introductions or what greetings to use, you need to know how to make sure you aren’t shooting yourself in the foot before the meeting even starts. The biggest way one could sabotage their chances in a Tholish meeting is by sending the wrong person. Firstly, do not send a woman. I know that might offend the sensibilities of many a reader, but the simple truth of the matters is that the Tholes are a patriarchal Ostrean society. That is not to say that woman do not hold respected roles in Tholish society, however, business deals are entirely in the men’s duties, so sending a male representative will simply make everything more comfortable and easier for all parties involved.
Secondly, be exacting with who you send. Tholish business is built around respect and so men who do not command respect with struggle to gain the trust of their Tholish counterparts. Avoid sending anyone with a record that is anything less than perfect or could be seen as too wet behind the ears. Another thing that Tholes will judge is a representative’s home life. Should a representative have say a loose or too outspoken wife, he will be seen as weak and unable to control his household. This extends to his children too, of course, with out of control of prodigal children being a black mark against one’s respect.
I should further note that Tholes have a rather wide concept of family and familial honor. Even close cousins, siblings, or female in-laws are considered a part of one’s clan, and every member of said clan has a responsibility to correct the actions of their relatives to maintain the family’s honor.
Dressing for the Occasion
This might seem silly, but Tholes will read a lot into how you look coming to a meeting. As I said before, respect is everything here and if you want respect you will need to dress the part.
First and foremost, you should be clean. You should be clean in general, but an unkept appearance will be seen as a moral failing by Tholes. Beyond that, you should try to cultivate a sharp, conservative appearance. Well groomed facial hair is useful in that, but good posture and perceived height are also useful in that regard.
The exact rules of clothing are loose, however, one should avoid anything too vibrant in these meetings. Foreign clothing such as say Latins with all their sheer cotton wraps would be poorly received, but anything along the lines of Ostrean cloaks or Sheenish suits will be at home in a Tholish business meeting.
The rules of etiquette around jewelry are old and a bit hard for foreigners to wrap their heads around. Essentially, it all stems from old Saxon traditions around a patron giving his men gifts of jewelry as a reward in bravery for battle. As such, wearing jewelry you purchased for yourself is a major Faux Pas. As most Tholes like boasting about what they have done and who they know, it is common to ask others about how they came across a specific piece of Jewelry. There is no malice in this act, however, if you have no story surrounding the item or you can’t even name who gave it to you, you will lose your peer’s respect.
As an aside, do not go strutting around like a peacock covered in jewelry your aunt gave you, if you are going to wear an excessive amount of jewelry they better all be royal gifts and hard fought battle trophies.
Introductions
Before I can say anything else, I must explain some peculiarities with the Tholish perception of time. Showing mutual respect is critical to business, so showing you respect your peer’s time is critical. Because of that, you should work under the mantra my master taught me when I was a wee little apprentice, ‘15 minutes early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.’ While it may seem like an insignificant factor, adhering to these rules of conduct is critical to building strong relationships in business.
In general, the Tholes are a forthright people. A standard greeting between equals generally involves a firm handshake. Some men, especially older men of a more martial disposition, will judge a man based off the firmness and strength of his handshake, so be aware. Another important part of Tholish etiquette is the maintaining of eye contact, maintaining clear eye contact when speaking someone is seen as a sign of honesty.
When greeting people, one should first greet the man of highest status and be sure to utilize proper honorifics. When in doubt, Sir is a standard title that is rare to be seen with much offense. When there are multiple people present of in determinant or equal rank, default to the oldest looking man.
The above of course does not apply to situations involving a man who is seen as your superior in social class. Traditionally, one should advert their eyes from a noble and keep low and differential, however, such actions make gaining respect difficult, and many nobles disregard such rules. Still, if you know the person you are to meet expects such treatment (and trust me you’ll know), render unto Caesar.
Small Talk
Paradoxically, despite the Tholish valuing of time, they do like to weigh down most meetings with pleasantries and other seeming non-essential niceties. This is done for a few reasons. Firstly, it adheres to Tholish ideas of hospitality, secondly it helps foster a strong relationship, and finally it can be used to get a judge of a man’s character.
Host are expected to be very generous with their guests in Tholish society. This means that the host should provide anything the guest wants within reason and should actively offer things as to not burden the guest by making them feel needy by asking.
For example, any host worth their salt will ask the question, “tea or beer?” Very soon after their host arrives. As a guest the polite thing to do is to accept this offer regardless of your actual desire for either of these things, and if you take a few sips social etiquette is maintained. Other examples of common things offered include but are not limited to food, entertainment, comfortable seating, stronger spirits, and a servant to see to your needs. Even if this is strange to you, you should just smile and accept this, as it really does you no harm.
Another side to this, is the fact that Tholes will be judging your character heavily in these personal discussions. Your Tholish business partners want to be sure that you are a person that can be trusted with their livelihoods, and so will do their due diligence in sniffing out flaws in your character or lifestyle.
As an aside Tholes dislike roundabout speaking and avoiding saying things outright. If the answer to a question is no, simply say no. Don’t worry about bluntness as most Tholes consider such things a virtue.
The Business Itself
As mentioned before, all Tholish business is built around trust and respect. The reason for this is that Tholish business partners are generally rather close. Tholish society more generally operates off the principle that everyone should look out for each other’s interests, not only because of legal obligations but also a shared sense of mutualism.
If you want to thrive in the Tholish market, you need to embrace the personal relationships inherent in it. While the more transactional societies may turn up their noses at being expected to care for the wellbeing of their partners in trade, there are many advantages in such a system. Ultimately, it is the Tholish belief that nobody (not even competitors) should be left out in the cold as it were. This may cut into one’s bottom line, but the security in knowing that it is very unlikely the market will turn on you makes it worth it to many Tholes.
This mutualism and closeness may seem like an easy mark for the less savory members of our trade; however, I must warn against trying to cheat those communal values. The reason is quite simple; Tholes talk and as such much of business is centered around personal relations and reputation, developing a reputation for being cheat is a very quick way of being unofficially blacklisted by the Tholish market.
Crime
I assume you are going to spend a little bit more time in the realm after or before your business is done. That is great as Tholeland is rich in culture and natural beauty, and social events are an excellent way to gain contacts and potential future business partners; however, no one likes to be arrested, and there are some commonly accepted behaviors that are in fact criminal in the realm.
Firstly, the Tholes are a very religious nation so right off the bat homosexuality, adultery, blasphemy, and prostitution are serious crimes. While I doubt many businessmen are here to sow blasphemy, I know some of my foreign pears can be quite fond of their women and others their men.
Public drunkenness. While commonly a law in most places, I still feel it is important to note that Tholes do not take kindly to drunkards roaming the street and getting sent to the drunk tank is an easy way to sully your reputation here.
Gambling is another vice law that is heavily restricted. While not entirely a crime, it is heavily regulated and participation in unlicensed gambling rings could get one on the wrong side of the law.
