PikPost

The Picketralian Postal Service, doing business as PikPost, also known as the PPS, or Picketralian Post Office, is a government-run postal service that serves Picketralia. By volume of mail processed, it is the largest postal service in the world, however, by number of employees, it comes in second, behind Moria Post.

History

Before PikPost

There were numerous private couriers for the wealthy in Picketralia, and its predecessors. One notable company was the Picketralian Courier Company, which operated for a brief time between 981-1015 CE, before it was purchased in 1015 by PikPost. These companies did not have robust infrastructure and were susceptible to robbery and bribing to prevent messages from being delivered.

Formation and early years (1013-1030)

The Picketralian Postal Service was created in Clause III of the Picketralian Economy Revitalization Act of 1013 after the Panic of 1013. Originally, it was meant to be a temporary means of producing money for the government in an attempt to revitalize the economy. Initial revenue was slow, however, citizens once realized its full potential, and began using it, and revenue soared. When the Picketralian Economy Finalization Act of 1013 was passed in June of that year, it remained, and was allotted more government funding. However, wealthy people still preferred the Picketralian Courier Company, and thus, the postmaster at the time, Frougdown Yellowston, purchased the company with his own money and folded it into the company.

Revenue continued increasing, and the cost of postage went down. More and more postal carriers, sorters, and associates, were hired.

Progression (1030-1371)

In 1030, the company created Long Distance Mailing which began service to parts of Moria, Mordor, and Frankfurt. Mailing to these destinations would cost an additional fee and the amount of time it took for mail to reach these countries could be several weeks or more. Yet, they continued constructing more postal infrastructure, and officially opened mailing service to the then-independent nations of Flourtess, Portichoke and Cardashia, as well as service to Alfheim, Carabsland, and full service to all regions in Moria, in 1043.

During the Battle of Kennings of 1201, part of Cardashia's plan was to severely tamper with postal service to and from Stimpton. However, as they never reached Stimpton and were defeated at Arrowhead Point in Snowdon County on the Stimpton River, this never occurred. However, it gave the company ideas on how to improve mailing protection. They created the Postal Police, a force of policemen, investigators, and soldiers, who would track down mail theft and fraud. They also strengthened postal laws. The Postal Police would be abolished in 1345 due to budget cuts.

Postal Improvement Act (PIA) of 1371 and present day

PikPost had become outdated, costly, and severely bureaucratic when a motion was brought to the floor of Voter Hall by Rural Representative Morgan Korkin on June 27, 1371, to give PikPost a major facelift. After minor deliberation, it passed without any objection, and the changes went into effect over the next few months. It introduced a new 2 letter postal code system, increased wages for postal couriers, and cut back on bloated long-distance fees, with exceptions for countries that are deemed "dangerous destinations", and postage was reduced to nothing. In addition, a new distribution facility was constructed near the Historic Pik Temple, on the newly built "Distribution Road", which would later become a major business hub, and the headquarters for the Deskwood Electric Company and Picketralian Copper Mining & Extraction Company would be built there.

It also standardized mailing materials. Beforehand, letters and packages were often disheveled and in poor shape, often made by hand by the shipper. Now, the postal service produced durable materials for sale (although an official store to purchase these materials would not be built until 1384), although due to public protest the law was modified to allow for homemade materials to still be used. In addition, existing postal offices were demolished, and a new, standard post offices were constructed in cities across the country.

However, it took several years for all post offices to be constructed, and the citizens of Rosway refused to have a post office constructed in their small town until 1384, when PikPost compromised and built a post office that resembled the local architecture.

Public perception of the company improved massively, and the average time to send mail decreased by 31.4%. Today, it is a large and successful postal service.

Postal Information

City/Town/Settlement	Postal Code	Contains Post Office?	PIA Post Office Construction Date
Stimpton	ST	Yes	1383
South Stimpton	SS	Yes	1371
Sand Dune City	SD	Yes	1371 (as Desert Falls Post Office, renamed to Sand Dune City Post Office in 1384)
Llama Hill	LH	No	N/A
Desert Falls	DF	No	N/A
Frogton-by-Farm	FF	Yes	1383
Portichoke	PC	Yes	1383
Rosway	RY	Yes	1384
Flourtess	FL	Yes	1384
Pigot School	PG	No	N/A
Picketralian Territories	PT	No	N/A
International	IN	N/A	N/A

Mailing

How to Send Mail

Open a book and quill, and on the first page, enter the destination address of your recipient. Here is an example:

King Mason I

16 Main Trail

Llama Hill

LH Picketralia

Under it, enter your address. If you are sending internationally, you use their address format, and then under that, put "IN" and then the destination country afterwards. After you have addressed the book and quill alongside your message, sign it, and bring it to your local post office and drop it in the collection bin. For packages, inside the box or bundle, add a book and quill with the aforementioned information. If you are mailing to a territory, the address format is:

Recipient Name

Territory Name

PT Picketralia

Destinations

PikPost can mail almost anywhere in the world, however, some destinations come at a fee. Countries that do not have an organized postal system or are designated as dangerous destinations for postal workers come at a fee, instead of the typical free rate for postage.