The Marketplace Vigilants (Petrichor 365)

The Grand Market and the Open Market, to a greater extent, have to contend with thieves, petty and otherwise.  To combat this, they have worked out a system of voluntary contributions to fund a set of Vigilants to keep watch, deter and, if needed, catch thieves.

Merchants and traders who contribute to the Vigilants are given a badge to display to indicate that they are in good standing.  While the Vigilants broadly protect everyone in the markets, they pay special attention to those with badges.  The Vigilants also form the core of any firefighting that needs to be done, fire ultimately being an even greater threat than theft, knowing where buckets are stored and the sources of water in the area.

The Vigilants wear blue surcoats, or at least blue armbands, and carry bronze-bound staves with hooks at one end which are used to hold lanterns after dark.  They carry other weapons as well, at least a baton, but some carry swords or even crossbows.  The standard patrol is two people and there are more patrols in the Grand Market than the Open one, naturally, even though the Open Market suffers from more theft.

The Vigilants were organized by Annsi Ropebinder, a Visse woman in her early twenties who saw a problem and a solution, she is not a combatant but she does go on patrols daily to see how things are going in the markets.  Annsi is of average height with dark blond hair, bright blue eyes, and tanned skin.  She has a wide range of blue clothes, especially jackets, to wear.  Her strength is a keen eye and keener memory, which she supplements with a notebook.  Annsi can also be quite charming and is very easy to talk to, she listens more than she talks and is always tracking the mood of the merchants.

The Vigilants are paid an average wage but they also receive discounts at the shops that they guard, within reason (Annsi monitors that closely),  The upshot of this is most of the Vigilants eat all of their meals in the markets.

Annsi make sure that the Vigilants keep on good terms and work with the Port Guards, the Imperial Navy, military, and bureaucracy, always deferring to their authority and helping them as requested.  If the city ever decides to have an official force of vigilant, Annsi wants to make sure they start with hers.

Notes: Private security, because if there is no official civic force, there is a gap that must be filled by someone and in this case, that someone was Annsi.

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Image Pilgrim on the Way of St. James (Jakobsweg), found on Wikimedia Commons and is in the Public Domain.