Caravan Lead

The Caravan Lead is responsible for leading a Vardan trading Caravan, with full authority and final approval over all decisions including trade routes, pricing, goods, fleet maintenance, job assignments, Clan welfare, and anything else that might require a decision. They are also their caravan's vote on the Vardan Council, the loosely organized leadership of the Vardan traders. In truth, Caravan Leads delegate most of these tasks to others, granting their authority to others to make decisions in a specific area of the delegate's expertise, and therefore contributing to the smooth running of the Clan overall. A good Lead knows when they are needed, and when to step out of the way and let their well-trained Clan-Kin do their jobs.

Appointment

Caravan Leads are selected by their Clans. They are often selected and trained by their predecessor, although a Clan is free to choose whomever they wish to fill the role. Each Clan has its own traditions for the selection of a new Lead. In most cases it is a quiet affair, often accompanied by the viewing and Void mummification of the former Caravan Lead, with Clan members simply looking to the former Lead's chosen successor or second in command for guidance. Some Clans choose to have an election, with Clan Kin sometimes even campaigning for the role, or submitting recommendations. Larger Clans that have split into multiple Caravans will frequently pass the leadership of their conglomerate to another Lead within the group, who will then personally select the Caravan Lead for the bereaving Caravan.

Caravan Lead vs Clan Lead

For most Clans, Caravan Lead and Clan Lead are used interchangeably to denote the same role. For Clans large enough to support multiple fleets, on the other hand, these titles mean two completely separate things. A Caravan Lead is responsible for a single fleet, regardless of whether or not that fleet encompasses the entirety of a Clan or if they are merely a single caravan within a conglomerate. A Clan Lead, on the other hand, is the leader representing the entire Clan, even in the case of multi-fleet Clans. They are the one who chooses the Clan's decision during meetings of the Vardan Council, with the expectation their associated Caravan Leads will vote in agreement. Caravan Leads have full authority over decisions impacting their fleet, unless they conflict with orders from the Clan Lead. Clan Leads hold the same power over their own fleet, plus the ability to make inter-fleet decisions. They do not hold the power to dictate or override a Caravan Lead's decisions unless those decisions impact the Clan overall, or additional caravans within it.