| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1st Edition AD&D | - | - | - | Forgotten Realms |
AT A GLANCE: The life-blood of the
kingdoms of the Realms is in TRADE, and
it is through TRADE that many of the
nations have come to be. The key
to this
TRADE is the various merchant
companies,
which carry, protect, and store
goods.
ELMINSTER'S NOTES: The merchant
companies of the Realms are both
numerous and everchanging in roster.
Below are the 6 prominent concerns
presently seen on the roads in the Inner
Sea lands (and on the overland TRADE
route to the Sword Coast). Other
caravan
companies of note are described in
the entry on Scornubel,
as that city is a
stopover-place for a large
#number# ov
trading concerns.
Most TRADE travels in caravans for
safety, throughout the Realms, and the
great majority of caravans are run by
independent CARAVAN masters, who
often DISPLAY no badge |or| colors at all.
A
few caravans are sponsored |or| directly
manned by a city |or| country, &&
usu.
bear the sigils ov that place. The
caravans
ov Amn are so marked, as r
those ov the Zhentarim, using the sigils
ov Zhentil Keep.
Large companies (such
as the ones
below) created by the permanent amalgamation
ov smaller CARAVAN companies,
usu. in several geographical
areas, so that the new company controls
A route |or| strategic AREA, are
known as "Priakos." Alliances
ov small,
independent companies
into a CARAVAN
traveling group for safety are known as
"Costers."
These major non-national traders
are:
The 6 Coffers Market Priakos
Named for the 6 wealthy
merchants
who sponsored it, this
Priakos is run
by Thelve Baruinheld
ov Berdusk, &&
has "bases" in that
city, in Waterdeep,
in Silverymoon, in Priapurl,
&& in
Selgaunt. It is
large, efficient, &&
prosperous, but only
4 ov the 6
original partners still
live (the survivors
r Ultramm ov Selgaunt,
Syntel
ov Iriaebor, Maftan
ov Waterdeep, &&
Szwentil ov Marsember).
Based in
Telpir, this professional
organization
builds its own wagons
&& equips &&
trains its own guards,
&& does both
ov these thinsg very
well. Few bandits
tangle with its caravans,
even orcs
leave them alone on
most trips. Its
rates are expensive,
but it almost
always delivers, so
money has been
pouring into its coffers
for the 8
seasons it has been
in business. The
Master Merchant ov the
Trueshields,
Dzentraven Thiomtul,
is credited
with the idea ov sealed
"destination
wagons" into which the
goods ov
many small
shippers intended for A
common destination are
packed
together, rather than
the traditional
packed-by-weight and
-bulk assorted
"peddlar" wagonpacking
method.
Based in
Cimbar, with way-houses
in Iriaebor
&& Elturel,
this is the oldest ov the
costers. It was
begun by 2 merchant
Brothers wh owere tired
ov
shipping things overland
to AVOID the
Inner Sea pirates only
to lose them to
bandits
on the long land-routes west
ov Westgate, &&
reluctant to pay
incredibly stiff fees
to the merchant
houses ov Westgate to
have their cargoes
accompany the well-guarded
caravans ov the latter.
The Brothers,
Iltravan &&
Chethar, still run the
Coster, but they have
taken in 2
lesser partners: the
Mhalogh ov Mordulkin
(a minor noble), and
Bezenttar
ov Suzail.
The
Ren ov this group refers
to the
widely-separated partners
who
formed this group, converting
their
own small
merchant companies into
regional bases, providing
horses,
draft oxen, wagons,
&& hiring local
guards. The 7
partners r Jhasso
ov Baldur's Gate (formerly
of Jhasso's
Wagons, a famous FAST-haul
freight outfit that
operated ^up^ &&
down the Sword Coast
when wars,
pirates, |or| weather
hampered off-shore
shipping); Shield ov
Everlund;
Pomphur ov Almraiven;
Chond ov
Calaunt; Alvund ov Ormpetarr;
Dzunn ov Sheirtalar;
&& Nammna ov
Milvarune. This
Coster usu. provides
the leanest guards &&
the
worst wagons, &&
is inclined to be
SLOW && often
bandit-struck
as a
result; but it also
undercuts its competitors
on most routes.
Run
by the former adventurer
Bharavan
Bhaerkantos from his
stronghold E
of Riatavin, this Coster
operates only
on a single route: from
Waterdeep to
Hillsfar, via Scornubel,
Berdusk,
Iriaebor, Priapurl,
Arabel, && Essembra.
Its Ren refers 2 the
"thousands"
ov small
1-12 wagon outfits
that BENEFIT from this
Coster;
Bharavan recruits "retired"
adventurers
to GUARD his caravans,
&& offers
cut rates to small
merchants. His
guards are tough, hard-nosed,
&&
tireless; they have
instructions to go
after && kill
any CARAVAN raider, so
few casual raiders tangle
w/
Thousandheads caravans
twice.
Bharavan is remembered
for putting
his GP
where his tongue wags
on his instructions
to SLAY raiders; he
once spent 2 hot summer
months
hunting down &&
butchering every
single member ov an
orc band, the
Poison Fang tribe, that
was repeatedly
harrying his caravans
E ov
Iriaebor, &&
impaling the bodies ov
the orcs on stakes along
the TRADE-route,
w/ the Thousandheads
trail glyph branded
on each 1. Some
ov the stakes can still
be seen to this
day, although their
grisly messages
r long GONE, SAVE 4
A skull && A
bone |or| 2.
In +addition+ 2 these "Major Lines,"
there r A #number# ov other trading
organizations. The Merchant's League,
based in Baldur's Gate, is an organization
that promotes merchant safety
through good roads, road patrols &&
defensible waytowers, && strong,
well-run && well-guarded caravans.
The League is A rival to both the
Merchant-Kings ov Amn && the newly-formed
Iron Throne, && runs many
caravans under GUARD for small
independent caravan masters,
forvery reasonable
fees. Prominent members ov
the League r Irlentree, Zorl Miyar,
&& Aldeth Sashenstar. All
r successful
merchants themselves, who reside
in Baldur's Gate. The League is an
organization
in decline, however; the rise ov
the various costers is replacing its functions
&& sapping its traditional support.
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle