Northern Traders Guild

[cccpxepoj]

Do anyone have any ideas or propositions regarding the history, production, centers of trade etc. All i know from CotS is that the guild master Sasha Kaptrev is good aligned and that most of her holdings are located in the northern part of the country except holdings in Novgorik province.

[kgauck]

Discussion thread for Northern Traders Guild (http://www.birthright.net/brwiki/index.php/Northern Traders Guild). If you would like to add a comment, click the Post Reply button.

[AndrewTall]

Well the first question is what sort of trade to me. Agriculture, livestock (incl slaves), minerals, finance, ideas, etc.

What sort of organization do they have?

What centers of power have arisen over time? Look at travel times to identify where local power should exist and the potential degree of central control.

What enemies do they have internally and externally?

What geographical features are present to create bottlenecks and permit ready movement of goods (i.e. rivers, gorges).

Once I have an idea of what would be interesting for those, I build the guild to match.

[kgauck]

I don't think the Northern Trader's Guild does much trade at all. At least as far as a mercantile trade would go. I think its more of a craft guild with some resource production.

[Gheal]

Transport of raw materials, maybe?
Having a guild in Zhainge valley asks for extensive use of the river. Maybe, even some trade in worked stone. Stone quarry + river nearby... And I don't think about elves of Innishiere as prodigious miners. Maybe also, this guild organize some trade with Innishiere and Cymb Bheinn. Cymb Bhein, IIRC, trade in woodwork with humans. I don't see more more benevolent humans to trade around this elven kingdom.

[AndrewTall]

Well, if they produce any luxury goods then the Lamia will happily buy them, for that matter her realm may have surplus luxuries to trade (particularly if her whims change) for necessities. Her capital is just over the border

The nomads of the wastes would love to buy food, water, etc - they may have surface mines, oasis-produced silk, etc (any mcguffin you like really) to trade for these.

The Basilisk is a bust, although the giants may trade sheep/wool for other foodstuffs and cloth.

Cwmb Bheinn as noted has all sorts of forest produce for sale, and would happily take worked metal goods or mercenaries in exchange.

Molochev is further north so might want foodstuffs, it may trade for what its raiders can't steal.

Kal Kalathor may trade mined goods, etc for foodstuffs and slaves.

Adding the Zhainge river however shows the true trading possibilities - Aftane is not far south and its capital probably trades heavily with Koslovnyy for wood, stone, ores, furs, etc. Past Aftane are Ariya and Zikala with similar trade needs.

As a note, I would expect that Gradny is actually on the Zhainge, or a tributary to it - the road is a bust (the gnolls won't tend to it) whereas the river is the real life-blood of the nation from a trading perspective. Possibly the Zhainge goes through rapids or some such requiring a diversion via Gradnny, ideally though the city itself would be moved on the map.

[Gheal]

Map of holdings suggest that GC controls trade down the river and NTG merchants controls trade north, as their name suggest.

[cccpxepoj]

Map of holdings suggest that GC controls trade down the river and NTG merchants controls trade north, as their name suggest.
and in the south, in Novgorik province they control all guild holdings. so they can trade down Zhainge.

[Gheal]

Cities of the Sun, table on p.33 Novgorik|Guilds|Grd (2)
Grd - Gradny Coster.
Did I miss something?

[cccpxepoj]

i missed something, sorry. I need to fix it on wiki.

[kgauck]

The Temple of Might has been around from the beginning, so I don't think its double teamed by a Viovod who has banned the temple and a guilder as well. So I think the Northern Traders Guild is the kind of Vos Guild which is at the very least, not on Pyerun Chernevik's radar. Not a source of new values, or products, or promoting a way of life that will irk Chernevik.

So I'd look at furs, other animal products, weapons, armor, at least as far as the stand out items. The bulk of any guild is the day to day products everyone needs, shoes, cloth, woodworking and so on. The guild itself isn't nona, but it is very probably unobjectionable to the nona.

I certainly don't see luxury goods.

[cccpxepoj]

Because of their location, NTG can have trade routes with Cwmb Bhainn, Molochev and Kal Kalathor. In ToHW page 13, is said that elves trade with Kozlovs, so only logical trade partner is NTG, the only problem is there are no highways in the provinces bordering Cwmb Bhainn, at least they are not presented on the map, and highways must exist for the trade routes( according to the Br. 3rd edition rulebook). Goblins are near and would need the higher quality goods and timber, but they are unreliable partners and have bad history with kozlovs. Molochev is not friendly either, but the grain and timber would be useful to them to.

[kgauck]

I don't think the trade with the elves rises to "trade route" status. More incidental trade that is represented by guild holdings. The elves are not rapacious consumers of goods to begin with and are more self-sufficient. I think mentions of the elf trade is basically fluff. I also think you are right to basically dismiss trade with the goblins and Molochev. I don't see a lot of trade here.

[cccpxepoj]

than trade routes with Gradny Coster maybe ???
i think that capital would need more foodstuff from Tsongya Vale province, or wood from Sovradaloy.
So it can be one trade route. and another can be from any of their holdings back to Aziev.

[cccpxepoj]

I don't think the trade with the elves rises to "trade route" status. More incidental trade that is represented by guild holdings. The elves are not rapacious consumers of goods to begin with and are more self-sufficient.

CotS page 45, mentions the occasional trade of Djiran refuges with Kozlovs.
As Gradnyy Coster has holdings in lands of Black Spear Tribes ( former Djira ), even if they are Khinasi, Djirans wont trade with them, so only other trading partner is Northern Traders Guild. So is it possible to forge one trade route between northern Kozlovnyy and Rhuannach?

[kgauck]

Kozlovnyy is the domain that has a problem with Molochev, and there is no reason that extends to everything Kozlov. They may well regard the Temple of Might and those of its spirit and outlook as being acceptable neighbors.

If the Northern Trade Guild was a real Vos guild, approved by the ToM, comfortable with the Torva understanding of where guilders are in the pecking order (and dealing mostly with Tribute of Kings), there are some nice possibilities in Molochev.