TEXT: I
  TRADE IN GLORANTHA
  ©1994 by Gerald Bosch
  Author's Notes
  My purpose in doing this is to provide gamemasters with a set of tools to run
  trader characters and also to allow them to fill in the background more fully. The
  way that household production works, for example, will determine what goods
  are available for trade, but it also contributes to how the family works, what that
  farmyard the characters walk into looks like, how cities work... any number of
  things. I want to allow the gamemaster who likes world-spanning campaigns to
  be able to run trade all over, while also allowing the gamemaster who runs
  detailed local campaigns to get a better feel for the productive life of his
  community. It is important to bear in mind that all this is very much my vision of
  Glorantha. I tried to hold to the written sources, but in the absence of other
  material, I decided what regions I thought should produce various goods, what
  regions would want them, what things were important to include and what to
  ignore, so feel free to take issue with any of this and to use and discard at will.
  I have confined myself to the regions and cultures described in the Genertela
  source pack. These notes are really only about human trade. Although Trolls are
  superficially similar to humans in some ways relating to trade, Mostali and
  Aldryami (not to mention Dragonnewts!) are so alien in needs and in mindset that
  their economic priorities are bound to be different than those of mortal humans
  who must produce and consume to survive.
  Introduction
  In trying to discuss trade in Genertela, I will be using a number of idea from
  economic theory (but rarely discussing them...that was close, huh?). To do this, I
  am assuming that certain things that economists hold to be true on Earth are also
  true on Glorantha:
  Relative scarcity determines value.
  In other words, the value of a good is determined by how much there is,
  how many people want it, and how badly those people want it.
  All other things being equal, people will give up as little as
  possible for whatever it is they want.
  A person looking at identical or interchangeable goods will buy the
  cheaper one. This does not mean, however, that a rabid Sartarite patriot
  wouldn't buy something at higher cost from an Issaries merchant that he
  could get cheaper from that hated Etyries merchant. In addition to his
  goods, he is buying the right to trade with who he wants.
  The Gloranthan economy operates like pre-industrial economies on
  Earth.
  This is probably the most controversial assumption I'm making, but I think
  it holds up. This doesn't mean I'm thinking in direct analogues (although
  this seems plausible with the West): For example, my ideas about Peloria
  combine agricultural techniques from Mesoamerica with irrigation
  techniques from the Nile and an agricultural and marketing organization
  from ancient Rome. I believe the fit is general, and varies by location.
  
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  Material concerns interact equally with socio-cultural concerns in
  shaping Gloranthan economic realities.
  I'm rejecting the idea that the material realities determine the cultural
  ones as well as the idea that culture overrides material concerns. Both
  interact to create the Gloranthan landscape (I include the mythic with the
  cultural).
  Profit & Trade
  One important idea to consider when designing elements of the game related to
  trade is that people exchange things for other things because they believe that
  what they are getting is worth more than what they are giving up. In other
  words, people are seeking profit in exchanges- they are not simply trading in
  order to trade. Profit can assume many forms beyond the acquisition of material
  wealth. A piece of art provides an aesthetic value beyond its purchase price to
  one who appreciates it, whatever the general market price. A donation to a
  charity can provide the giver a certain social status, the feeling of having others
  be grateful, or just joy in the happiness of others. Each of these id profit of a
  sort.
  This doesn't mean that people are always happy about the terms of exchange. A
  person dying of dehydration in the Vulture Country might not want to give up all
  their metal goods to those Bison Riders in return for water, but if they value their
  life above their goods, they will make the exchange. This is an important point--
  just because someone doesn't like the trade they are making doesn't mean they
  aren't making a "profit". Merchants turning a decent profit have been complaining
  about the prices they pay and the value they receive since time immemorial. In
  the absence of physical force (i.e. theft or taxation), people will not exchange
  goods unless they think they are getting more than they are giving up.
  When determining whether trade in a good exists between two places, there are
  a number of factors to consider:
  Supply - Is there a surplus of the good at the point of production? How
  much are they willing to give up? What do the producers want for it?
  Demand - Is there a demand for the good elsewhere? If so, do those who
  want the good have the means to pay for it?
  Substitutability - Is there a local good that can replace the good in
  question? If there is, why do the locals want to pay to import the foreign
  good? (Why would a Praxian tribe buy Sartarite leather goods when they
  can make the stuff themselves? If there isn't some other factor, such as
  superior durability or attractiveness, that offsets the difference in cost,
  they probably wouldn't.)
  Transportation costs - Can the good be moved from point A to point B?
  If so, how much will it cost to do so? A famous economist once said that a
  market for a particular good on Earth and the same market on Mars can
  be said to be linked, the only difference in price is the cost of
  transportation. Whether the consumer is willing to pay that additional cost
  will determine whether a trade route can develop between two points.
  
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  Transportation
  The means for moving goods from point A to point B are vitally important in
  understanding trade. Goods can be moved in four ways, listed here in descending
  order of cost: human power, animal power, wagon, and water.
  The costliest way of moving goods is by having humans carry them. Human
  beings are weaker than any draft animal, and more stubborn. They can, however,
  adapt themselves to conditions no animal could.
  Animals have a much higher capacity than humans for carrying goods. They are
  also able, depending on the species, to move over broken and difficult ground.
  They are, however, susceptible to a number of diseases and environmental
  conditions, and must be fed and watered. Animals transporting goods cannot
  simply graze, because while they are moving around in search of edible ground
  cover, they aren't hauling their loads from point A to point B.
  An animal's capacity for moving goods is greatly increased by hitching them to
  wagons. The problem is that wagons require either relatively flat and open
  ground or roads. Some areas of Genertela are blessed with good road systems,
  but many are not.
  By far the least expensive way of moving goods is water transport. Even in the
  modern world, a longer sea voyage is usually preferable to a shorter land voyage
  for most bulk goods, hence bulk goods being shipped from one coast of the U.S.
  to another are routinely shipped via Panama rather than by rail. Water transport
  is also generally faster and more reliable. In the Eighteenth century it took less
  time for a piece of mail to travel from Boston to London than it did for a piece of
  mail to travel from London to the West Country of Ireland.
  Long distance land-based trade is usually only possible with low-bulk, high value
  goods. The spice and silk trade between Europe and Asia is a good example. Even
  that trade, however, used rivers and seas wherever possible. The trade in Indian
  cottons, by comparison, was only possible once sea links around Africa had been
  secured.
  Gloranthan caravans were greatly stimulated by the Closing, and are now slowly
  being strangled by competition from the sea. When adventurers do encounter
  caravans, they can be sure they will be laden with highly valuable and relatively
  easily transportable goods.
  Production & Consumption
  The purpose for all economic activity is consumption, the use of resources be
  they food, clothing, magic goods, whatever. Any process that leads to
  consumption is production, from gathering walnuts to manufacturing a Protection
  4 Matrix. Trade only exists as a way to convert production into different types of
  consumption (Trading the Protection 4 Matrix you manufactured/produced for a
  fine horse you want to use/consume).
  The bulk of people in Glorantha are engaged in primary production, in using their
  labor to provide directly for their own needs. They are farmers, herders, or
  hunters and they spend the bulk of their time producing food, shelter, and
  clothing. This is true even in those societies that are the most highly urbanized.
  These people produce most of what they consume and consume most of what
  they produce, leaving little surplus for trade. A minority of people are involved in
  
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  secondary production, the trading of skills and labor for the necessities of life.
  These people include everyone from warriors to artisans to merchants to nobles
  to priests, anyone who doesn't actual kill, raise, or grow their own food.
  If we use the cultural categories provided by RuneQuest (primitive/hsunchen,
  nomad, barbarian, civilized) we can see an increasing specialization of economic
  functions, leading to increasing numbers of people working in secondary
  production.
  Almost all production amongst the various hsunchen peoples is primary. Only
  shamen exist off of selling their skills to the tribe. The rest of these hunter-
  gatherers produce all their necessities themselves and consume very few things
  they do not produce. If terrestrial hunter-gatherers are any guide, the bulk of
  their diet is actually produced by gathering (usually done by the women and
  children). What trade they engage in is mostly geared toward luxury items. They
  usually have no formal market structures, and outside traders hoping to deal with
  them must go to where they are liable to have congregated.
  The nomadic cultures of Pent and Prax are somewhat more specialized
  economically than the various hsunchen peoples, but are still mostly self-
  sufficient. Most nomads are herder, hunter, craftsperson, warrior, all combined.
  Once again, if terrestrial models are any guide, most of these people's diet comes
  from non-animal sources, either gathering or small-scale gardening at semi-
  permanent camps. Part of this role in Prax is taken up by the Oasis Peoples. The
  nomads are somewhat more inclined towards trade with livestock acting as the
  basis of wealth.
  The biggest step toward economic specialization comes with agriculture. The
  Theyalans are able to support a wide range of secondary producers, including
  nobles, priests, specialized craftspeople, and merchants. The food production of
  the Theyalan cultures is somewhat specialized between pastoralists and
  agriculturalists, but most Orlanthi are small peasant free- holders growing grain,
  gardening, and raising some livestock. Local trade is dominated by village
  markets linked into larger trade patterns with the cities. Most people are still
  rather removed from trade and are mostly self-sufficient except for certain
  manufactured goods.
  The Western, Pelorian, and Kralorelan cultures enjoy an even higher level of
  economic specialization than does the Theyalan. In each of these areas, most
  people are peasant farmers whose lives are very similar to those in Theyalan
  culture. The major difference is that most of these are not free-holders, they are
  required to pay a portion of their crop to a landlord (usually a nobleman).
  Supplementary agricultural labor (beyond what the household can provide)
  usually comes from the local poor or from one-year indentures of young people
  from other families.
  These cultures also have a number of primary producers who are bound to the
  land in one sense or another. They may be the serfs who live in the farming
  villages of Seshnela or the coloni working the huge grain farms of the Lunar
  Heartland, but in each case they own next to nothing and are unable to leave the
  land without permission.
  Most trading among these farmers, bound and unbound, is very small scale.
  There are regular local produce markets that also provide access to a limited
  amount of goods from outside the area.
  
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  The economic specialization of these cultures also allows them to support an
  urban society comprised of merchants, craftspeople and a small wage labor
  market. It is in the urban areas that the bulk of trade goes on. These people use
  money more often than their rural counterparts, allowing them more access to a
  wider variety of goods.
  Most urban wage-earning families supplement their income with small-scale
  gardening. The keeping of gardens and livestock within cities was more common
  than not until recent times. There are estimates that suggest that as much as
  one-third of the support for an urban family in the industrial northeast of the US
  during the nineteenth century came from gardening, raising animals, and selling
  homebrew (all of this done entirely by the women and children, who were also
  wage-earners). I assume this is also the case in Gloranthan cities.
  Household production plays a large part in most industries (especially textiles).
  When Europeans were paying top money for Indian textiles, most of the Indian
  textile production was done in the home. An entrepreneur would bring around
  raw materials and then come back later and buy the finished pieces which he
  then sold to the cloth merchants. The same "out-work" system also operated in
  Europe. This system is in operation in most areas of Genertela, but in Fronela and
  Teshnos especially.
  Young, unmarried craftspeople, who are learning their trades, join a skilled
  craftsperson's house, and are supported by the household system. When
  supplemented with unskilled wage labor, this system produces the urban
  workshops that are the genesis of modern factories. This type of production is
  common in Safelster, Peloria, and Kralorela.
  The end result of these different types of manufacturing are rarely sold directly.
  The manufacturer usually sells to a merchant who then retails the item to the
  consumer.
  Large-scale retailing is a result of industrialization, modern transportation, mass
  production, an urban society, and the fact that mean individual income in the
  west has increased by a factor of twelve since 1700. Without all of these
  elements, there is no support for modern retail stores. This doesn't mean that
  people in Glorantha, particularly in towns, don't buy things. It means that most
  things are bought on a piecework basis. The model is a tailor shop. A person
  walks in and orders an item of clothing, the tailor takes measurements and then
  makes that item from raw materials in stock, and then sells it to the customer.
  Some common items will be held in stock, but not many. Most things will be
  made-to-order.
  Markets
  We can think about Gloranthan trade as falling into two broad categories: local
  and long-distance. Local trade usually occurs within a cluster of villages which
  have a regular market in a central village. Other possibilities include meetings
  between different clans or tribes among hsunchen and nomadic peoples. The
  trade is in locally produced goods. One village has a bumper crop of yams,
  another has had a bad year, but has cloth to trade. There is also trade for
  superior versions of commonly made goods. One example might be a metalsmith
  who is known to be particularly skilled, so people from all over the area come to
  trade with him, bypassing other smiths. Another example is a particular nomad
  who is very good at leatherworking, so other nomads trade extra meat or milk to
  him for items they could produce themselves, but not as well.
  
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  The villages (or meeting places, or whatever) on the peripheries of these clusters
  will be linked to another cluster and so on... Villages that have local markets one
  week can also trade in markets in neighboring villages on others. Villages close to
  a city might schedule their marketing around that city's market days. For nomads
  and hsunchen, this type of marketing would occur at oases, clanmoots, or during
  religious ceremonies that bring different groups together at regular intervals.
  These markets facilitate local trade, but they can also act as a conduit for
  transferring goods from further away in short jumps, one market to another.
  Thus they are also part of long- distance trade. A trader at a local market sells
  goods that are not produced locally. Some of these goods will be consumed in the
  area where they are originally sold, but others will be carried to the next market
  by another local trader, and so on, until there is no profit left to be gained from
  another re-sale.
  There is also the case of the wandering merchant who tries to by-pass the costs
  of these repeated re-sales. This merchant buys his goods at the point of
  production, then by-passes several intermediate local markets to sell directly to a
  more distant one.
  The other component in long-distance trade is the stereotypical large
  international merchant. This person operates in a major port or other large
  trading hub, and has shipping contacts, or owns their own shipping. They buy
  goods in large quantities from some distance away for import or from local
  producers for export. These merchants sell the goods to smaller retail traders
  who then introduce them into local trade. (A large vertically-integrated firm could
  combine these operations--the same person owns the production facilities, the
  necessary transportation, and employs smaller merchants to sell the goods. The
  Hausa of West Africa are good examples of pre-modern traders of this type.)
  They also buy their local products from these smaller traders, who in turn buy
  them from the actual producers (see my comments about "out-work" in the
  discussion on textiles).
  Much of this cycle of trading will originate in a city. Local trading has been
  continual in human history, but the evolution of large-scale commerce has always
  been linked to the towns. This is why Europe's mercantile age began with the
  Italian renaissance and why China has one of the longest commercial traditions in
  human history. The population densities associated with urban cultures
  encourage specialization of labor and trade.
  Note that the Issaries cult has sub-cults which reflect each of these types of
  trader. The Harst trader is the local villager who supplements his or her income
  by small-scale trading. The Goldentongue is the wandering merchant, moving
  from city to local market, and then between local markets. The Garzeen is the
  large-scale trader specializing in foreign trade. Thus, a Garzeen merchant in a
  large city buys goods from a distant place (perhaps brought in by a Goldentongue
  caravan). The Garzeen sells these goods to several Goldentongue merchants and
  some local smaller-scale urban Garzeen retailers. The Goldentongues then take
  the goods out into the countryside, selling them to smaller-scale Goldentongues
  who carry the goods to further markets, local Harst traders who sell to their
  neighbors, and local consumers. The Lokarnos and Etyries cults may or may not
  have the same sort of sub-cults, but they would definitely have members fulfilling
  the same roles.
  
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  Commodities
  Food
  Rural areas and people living in wildernesses tend to be self-sufficient in
  foodstuffs (and if they fall short they rarely have the wherewithal to purchase
  food). Merchants involved in food trading are usually trying to sell to cities. Long
  distance trade in foodstuffs is probably rather rare.
  Foodstuffs tend to have a low value to weight ratio making them expensive to
  transport. There is also the problem of perishability. Grains will usually stand up
  to transportation, but most fruits, vegetables, meat, and animal produce (milk,
  eggs, etc...) will be produced locally (within a day's journey), even in the case of
  cities (research indicates that medieval cities fed themselves from sources within
  30 kilometers, except where access to navigable rivers or the sea was possible).
  Whatever isn't produced locally will have to be preserved in some way (dried,
  salted, etc...). Most cities will have people keeping livestock inside the city
  proper.
  Water transportation will allow for long distance trading in grains, but only when
  there is a good market waiting at the other end of the journey. All Gloranthan
  economies are agrarian, pastoral, or hunter/gatherer, and thus are mostly self-
  sufficient. Even when an area experiences a famine, it is unlikely that those
  starving will have anything to trade for imported foods (for a terrestrial example
  of this, see eastern Africa for the last few decades). Long distance trade in foods
  will usually exist in order to feed a city. A city provides for a market and for the
  necessary concentration of wealth to make such a trade profitable. This is one of
  the reasons why pre- industrial cities tended to be on or near bays or rivers,
  access to the necessary water transport allowed food prices to be kept low
  enough to allow that concentration of population to develop. The best terrestrial
  example of a pre-industrial long distance trade in food is ancient Rome, which
  was able to feed itself on Sicilian and Egyptian grain.
  The Oslir river is one of the most important grain routes in Genertela. Given the
  magical ecology of the region, it seems likely that the Oslir floods regularly, like
  the Nile, and thus provides rich harvests and ready transportation. The Poralistor
  is important for moving Oslir valley grain throughout the Lunar Empire. The Lunar
  Empire subsidizes grain shipments and other trade through the Sweet Sea and
  down the Janube into Fronela (see my notes on the Etyries cult below). This trade
  has been disrupted by the rise of the Kingdom of War, leading to higher grain
  prices in Sog City and more importation from the sea.
  Choralinthor bay is another busy place for grain ships. Esrolian grain feeds the
  entire basin. The Lysos would provide inland transport capacity, although the
  Upland Marsh would prevent Esrolian grain from moving much further north by
  water. The excellent roads in Sartar make overland grain transport somewhat
  less expensive, allowing Esrolian grain into the area even though Dragon Pass is
  fairly self-sufficient in terms of food. Esrolian grain is also be sold as far west as
  Ralios (through Handra and the riverain trade route), Seshnela (through
  Noloswal) and Fronela (through Sog City) if grain prices in those regions are high
  enough (due to bad local harvests, war, good harvests in Esrolia, etc...), although
  these areas are also usually self-sufficient.
  The waterways of Kralorela are filled with barges moving rice to the rest of the
  region, and perhaps into the East Isles as well (but probably not to Vormain). It
  seems unlikely, however, that there is any foreign trade in grain with the west.
  
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  Textiles
  Textiles were one of the earliest and most important long distance trade items in
  human history, as well as being on of the earliest and most important
  manufacturing industries. Most textiles (and I include raw materials, cloth, and
  finished goods in that term), like most other items in Glorantha, are produced,
  traded, and consumed locally. Most rural families produce their own clothes, only
  in cities will one find tailor's shops, although rural families might buy high quality
  ready-made cloth as a luxury item.
  Most traded textiles are produced through the "out-work" system. An
  entrepreneur buys raw materials, sells them to skilled producers who usually
  work in the home, buys the finished cloth from them, and then sells the cloth. In
  the absence of modern commercial retailing, mass produced clothing is non-
  existent, although certain unfitted items, like cloaks, togas, saris, etc... will be
  made in advance of sale. Some large cities support large workshops similar to
  small factories.
  Only high quality textiles will be traded over any distance. The most significant
  example is silk from Kralorela. Although most areas of Glorantha produce small
  amounts of silk, the majority of that cloth comes from Chi Ting, home of the
  "Friendly Silkworms". Kralorela's other textile needs are met internally. The
  Kingdom of Ignorance could provide a potential market for foreign woolens, but
  the inhabitants are too cut off and poor to afford them. Silk provides one of
  Kralorela's main exports.
  High quality cotton goods are produced in western Peloria and in Teshnos. The
  Teshnan cotton is grown in the countryside and processed in Dombain. The
  resulting fabric is called Teshnan and is exported to Kethaela and to the West.
  Pelorian cotton is grown around Oronin Lake, then shipped up the Poralistor to Elz
  Ast where a guild of skilled craftsmen creates Elzastin cloth. Elzastin is exported
  down the Poralistor to the Sweet Sea and then to Fronela, and up the Oslir into
  the empire and onward through Dragon Pass into Kethaela.
  Fronelan craftspeople produce a high quality linen from flax grown around Ozur
  Bay. The cloth woven in Northpoint and Southpoint is called Fronelan Point and is
  exported upriver to Peloria, and by sea to Seshnela and Kethaela.
  Tarshite, Sartarite, and Heortland raw wool is shipped to Nochet where a high
  quality woolen industry operates. These woolens are then shipped west to
  Seshnela, Ralios, and Fronela, and north through Dragon Pass into Peloria.
  Metals
  (For purposes of simplicity I will use the names of terrestrial equivalents for all metals).
  Most common ores suffer from the same problem that food does, a low value to
  weight ratio that makes it unprofitable to transport them very far. The solution
  here is the same as with grain--water transport. Most common metals will not be
  moved very far before being processed and sold, in that most places in Genertela
  are relatively close to sources for those metals, except in the case of Prax. There
  we find a vibrant overland trade in metal goods, but one that is being slowly
  supplanted by imports through Corflu and up to Pavis.
  One further note on Prax: Do not underestimate the importance of the trade in
  more mundane metal items, such as tools and knives. Flint and bone are simply
  not as good for these uses (imagine trying to skin an animal with a sharpened
  piece of flint, and you can understand).
  
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  Iron is, of course, the most valuable metal in Glorantha, and thus can absorb
  fairly high transport costs before losing its value. This makes iron in Glorantha a
  lot like gold on Earth, a very useful medium for long distance exchange, but with
  the added benefit of having a number of practical uses as well.
  The major source of iron for Genertela is the Iron Mountains in Seshnela. Lesser
  sources include Bad Deal in Ralios, Noastor in the Jord Mountains of Peloria, and
  Dwarf Mine in Dragon Pass. Despite the existence of the Iron Forts, there seems
  to be no source of iron in Kralorela (My theory is that these are artifacts from
  before the God's War and as such are outside normal explanations).
  The iron trade routes generally run west to east along the coast, with iron getting
  more expensive along the way. With the array of trade goods being exported
  from Kralorela and Teshnos (see below), a trading situation much like that
  between pre- industrial Europe and Asia has arisen. Textiles, spices, and luxury
  goods are traded westward while iron, other precious metals, and gems are
  traded eastward. This drain on "specie" keeps iron prices and the value of money
  high in Genertela.
  Gold runs a close second to iron in value in Glorantha. Gold has a slightly higher
  value among the solar cultures in Peloria and Kralorela due to its mythical links
  with the Sun. All official monetary transactions in Kralorela are carried out in
  gold, although there is a vibrant "shadow economy" in other specie. In Peloria the
  existing solar currency has been supplemented by a more diverse Lunar currency.
  The magical ecology of Genertela also has ensured that these two areas are the
  major sources of gold in Glorantha. Large deposits exist in the Shan Shan
  mountains and in open pit mines in Dara Happa. Smaller alluvial deposits can be
  found in most rivers running from the Rockwood mountains, especially in
  Wenelia. Gold is widely circulated throughout Genertela, but there is a definite
  specie drain towards Kralorela.
  Silver runs well behind iron and gold in value, but is widely circulated. There is
  little specie drain of silver toward Kralorela, and thus silver prices remain stable
  in terms of local goods and are dropping in terms of gold (as gold becomes more
  scarce, less gold will buy an equal amount of silver). This makes silver a more
  stable medium for currency and helps explain its prevalence in Genertela west of
  the Wastes. There are numerous silver mines in Genertela, but the largest
  sources are in the Storm Mountains south of Dragon Pass.
  The next most valuable metal is Quicksilver or Aluminum. It is little traded in
  most of Genertela, however. The only source for it is trade with Mermen. It is
  mostly valued for decorative purposes or for curiosity, although some western
  sorcerers value it for magical purposes. There is a rumor that Vormain contains a
  land-accessible source of the metal. There is another rumor that purchasers for
  the Lunar Empire have been snatching up whatever pieces they can get in the
  markets around Choralinthor Bay.
  Tin is valued mostly for its usefulness in creating bronze. The major source of tin
  in Genertela is mines in Caladraland. Kethaelan merchants trade tin north to
  Tarsh (up the Lysos, then overland for a short distance), west by sea to Ralios
  (through Handra), Seshnela, and Fronela, and east by sea to Kralorela.
  Bronze is the most commonly used metal in Glorantha. It is made up of the bones
  of dead Storm gods and, since the Storm gods fought and died everywhere, is as
  common as iron ore on Earth. There are open pit bronze mines everywhere,
  except Prax, the Wastes, and Pent. There are probably ore deposits there as well,
  
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  but they remain undiscovered due to the difficulties involved in prospecting
  amongst the nomads. The bronze supply in central Genertela is supplemented by
  the availability of tin from Caladraland, which, when mixed with easily available
  copper, also creates bronze. Because of this, bronze is slightly cheaper in
  Kethaela, Dragon Pass, and southern Peloria than it is elsewhere. This lower price
  helps bolster the trade into Prax. Most bronze trading occurs inside the broader
  regions of Genertela.
  Copper is an common metal due to its association with the very deities who make
  up the earth (or perhaps its association is due to its ubiquity). Almost any
  mountainous region on Glorantha will have some copper deposits, and most
  rivers will have alluvial deposits. (Since the Aldryami commonly use copper, and I
  can't picture them mining, in my campaign most of their copper comes from
  rivers in the forests and the rest from trading with humans). The largest copper
  deposits are found in the Mislari mountains and in those rivers running from
  them. Ralian mine owners pay the Basim for the right to mine areas close to the
  riverain trade route to Handra. This is the only copper exporting area in
  Genertela.
  Lead is most valued among the Uz, but human have uses for it as well, especially
  in certain types of decorating and manufactures. The most active human trading
  in lead occurs in the cities of Safelster in Ralios, where the manufacturing
  interests buy lead ore from the Argan Argar caravans operating between Guhan
  and Halikiv.
  Luxury Goods
  This is a catch-all term for a wide variety of low-bulk, high-value goods that only
  those with at least moderate wealth can afford. This can include any number of
  items, but I will discuss essences/perfumes, gemstones, woods, beverages,
  drugs, herbs, spices, and slaves.
  Essences and perfumes, like most goods, will mostly be produced and consumed
  locally. Only a few special items command sufficient price to be shipped long
  distances. The following is a list of expensive scents used in Genertela and their
  places of origin.
  Essential Scent
  Source
  Red Lotus
  Kralorela
  Orchid
  Teshnos
  Frankincense
  Fonrit
  Myrrh
  Umathela
  Purple Rose
  Ralios
  Peony
  Peloria
  Lavender
  Fronela
  The single most important source of gemstones in Glorantha is Caladraland in
  Maniria. The Mostali of Gemborg sell diamonds, rubies and sapphires to traders
  who then sell them throughout Genertela. Caladraland and the Shadow Plateau
  are both major sources of onyx as well. Choralinthor Bay and the inland
  waterways of Kralorela are both sources for pearls. Kralorela is also the only
  source for jade. Emeralds are imported from the East Isles, and are highly prized.
  Another precious material is ivory, the major sources of which are walrus tusks
  from the White Sea and elephant tusks from Teshnos.
  There are two types of wood that are widely traded in Genertela. The first is a
  broad category called dyewoods. As the name suggests, these woods are source
  for various dyes. Different dyewoods can be found in coastal Wenelia, Fethlon in
  
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  Teshnos, and on various of the East Isles. Another highly prized wood is
  sandalwood, which grows in Teshnos. Sandalwood is used for making decorative
  boxes and very expensive furniture (like thrones) in central Genertela.
  A number of high quality beverages enter into long distance trade. Peloria,
  Esrolia, and Sartar are each known for distinctive types of whiskey, the finest of
  which are traded with each other, into Prax, and to the west. The Dara Happa
  region is known for a variety of fine quality wines and brandies which find a ready
  foreign market to the south and west. Teshnos and Kralorela both produce
  distinctive teas which are highly valued in western and central Genertela.
  Caladraland produces coffee for most of Genertela. A distinctive coffee grown
  only in Jrustela called Blue Mountain has recently begun to reappear in small
  amounts in major trading ports.
  A few drugs are also traded for those wealthy enough to afford them. Hazia
  smuggling from Prax into Peloria continues despite continual efforts by solar cults
  at both ends to wipe it out. Opium is grown and used in Teshnos and is also
  traded into Kralorela for silks and gold, despite official disapproval. Increasing
  amounts of opium are appearing in the other trading cities of Genertela. Can Shu,
  the current Exarch of Bliss in Ignorance is subsidizing exports of Black Lotus
  Dust. Most of this goes into the rest of Kralorela, Teshnos, Vormain, and the East
  Isles, but some is making its way into the rest of Genertela. Small amounts of the
  drug have always been carried into Peloria via Pentan nomads.
  Some herbs are traded over long distances. Belladonna and Hemlock from Esrolia
  play a major role in Lunar Dart Competitions. Aloe from Teshnos and Kralorela
  finds a ready market in most major cities, so much so that entrepreneurs have
  tried to transplant it into the Zola Fel valley. Wenelian camomile is used
  throughout Kethaela and Dragon Pass as a cold remedy. A number of cantharides
  are made from the giant beetles of Dagori Inkarth and are traded into the major
  cities of the Oslir valley as cures and aphrodisiacs.
  Spices have long been a staple of international trade on Earth and the same is
  true on Glorantha. Cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg from the East Isles are
  increasing sought in central Genertela generally. Kralorelan black pepper is a
  major export item, as is Caladraland's red pepper. One spice whose popularity is
  rapidly growing throughout central and western Genertela is processed sugar.
  First grown in Teshnos, sugar cane has now been transplanted into the lower Zola
  Fel valley by Lunar entrepreneurs seeking to cash in on this quickly growing
  market.
  Slaves
  The slave trade is an unpleasant fact of life in much of Glorantha. There are a
  number of problems with long-distance trading in slaves, especially the injury to
  the slaves (thereby lessening their selling price) and the danger of revolt/escape
  (a cargo of silks rarely tries to kill the merchant carrying them!). In terrestrial
  history, most long-distance trading in slaves was an adjunct to another, more
  lucrative trade (gold in the trans- Saharan trade, and the general vibrancy of the
  Mediterranean trade). The exception was the Atlantic trade to the slave
  plantations in which there was a combination of unusually low costs at the point
  of purchase, cheap transport rates since the trade was almost entirely by sea or
  river, and a very high demand at the end due to the extremely lucrative nature of
  the early Atlantic commodities trade. In general, Genertelan slave trading is liable
  to be fairly local and fairly small scale except in areas with large slave-worked
  agricultural industries.
  
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  Extensive use of slaves in the households of the rich is common in Peloria and in
  Kralorela, and less so elsewhere. There are only a few areas in Genertela that
  support chattel slavery such as existed in the Atlantic slave economy on Earth.
  The huge grain farms of Peloria are worked by slaves, mostly locals or war
  captives of the Lunar Empire. The sugar plantations in the Zola Fel valley and in
  Teshnos are slave worked, as are the tea plantations of Teshnos and Kralorela.
  Some rice farming in Kralorela is done by slaves as well. These areas get their
  supplies locally, since there is no abundant source of cheap slaves such as Africa
  was in the 16th to 19th centuries.
  Some written sources have named Prax as a source for slave exports, but it
  seems unlikely given the low population density there and the difficulties in
  transporting slaves overland. Also, it seems likely that the slaves taken in Praxian
  tribal conflicts are more valuable for their ability to increase the tribal workforce
  than they would be for trade. It is more likely that the vast majority of Praxian
  slaves are bought by other Praxians or people living in the Pavis and the Zola Fel
  valley.
  Magic Goods
  Magical goods are a mixed bag when it comes to trade value. They are high-
  value, low-bulk goods, and so are excellent for trade. Many of them, however,
  are also widely available and thus do not gain value by being transported (as
  does, say, bronze when you move it from Sartar to Pavis). Given the widespread
  nature of the God's War, it seems likely that magic crystals are available in each
  major region. They will be traded locally, but are unlikely to be widely traded
  between regions.
  Since truestone is only found in Prax, it is an exception to the general run of
  magical goods. It will gain in value the farther it is transported from Prax, but
  only for those who can use it (i.e. theists).
  It seems likely that most traders in magical goods will specialize in supplying
  regional markets. An Issaries merchant might go to someone capable of making
  spirit magic matrices (I use the Gustbran cult for this) and commission them to
  make, say, ten Protection 4 matrices on rings. The merchant will then haul these
  rings to a place where there is no local capacity for creating such rings and where
  there is liable to be unfulfilled demand for them (such as an encamped army).
  Temples won't create divine magic matrices for sale, nor will most sorcerers.
  Such items come to market because the original owners lost them (usually
  through violence). Spirit magic matrices and crystals are another matter, these
  are traded by specialty merchants to those few clients able to buy them.
  Regions
  In these notes I will concentrate on major imports and exports, as well as notable
  internal trades. It would be impossible to describe every aspect of trading in
  Genertela. What I have tried to do here has been to suggest ideas which the
  gamemaster can then expand upon for regional development as well as providing
  a little detail for use when PCs are "just passing through".
  I have tried to remain faithful to what documentation I have available to me, but
  in some cases I have had to make things up out of whole cloth. I hope you find
  my improvising useful and know that you will chuck anything you don't like in any
  case!
  
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  Fronela
  Imports: iron and horses from Seshnela, Ralian manufactures, indigo and
  other dyes, grain from Peloria and sometimes Esrolia, textiles from Esrolia
  and the East, small amounts of luxury goods
  Exports: Sorcerous items and knowledge from Sog City, Fronelan Point
  linens, bearhounds (large canines sought as fighting dogs in Seshnela and
  points east)
  Fronelan trade has begun to revive since the lifting of the Syndics Ban and the
  end of the Closing. Local trade is structured around small village fairs in the more
  settled areas and around clan centers in the wilder ones. The major local crop is
  barley, but various other grains are also cultivated. Another major local crop is
  flax, which is used in the production of linen cloth.
  The Janube River creates a natural trade corridor through the center of the region
  and is the most natural link between Peloria and the west. The existence of the
  Kingdom of War, however, stifles much of this opportunity due to its position
  astride the Janube.
  Internal trade is divided into two zones, east and west, by the blocking of the
  Janube. Trade in western Fronela is dominated by Sog City and Loskalmi
  merchants. Trade in eastern Fronela is dominated by the link between Riverjoin
  and the Sweet Sea. Most traders in this area are Etyries cultists.
  There is a caravan route from the High Llama Pass to Eastpoint allowing Etyries
  merchants to trade Pelorian imports for Mostali goods.
  Trade between Loskalm and eastern Fronela and Peloria is carried on via a
  caravan route linking Sog City to Riverjoin via Karstall, Molene and Einpor.
  An overland route from Tastolar to the Janube allows the merchants in Loskalm
  access to some specialty animal goods, especially reindeer antlers, and some
  Uncoling art, as well as a limited amount of Aldryami goods from Winterwood.
  Western Rathorela, along the Sweet Sea, is becoming a source for timber. The
  tall straight conifers there are in high demand for ships masts.
  Zoria is the major source for trained Fronelan bearhounds. These dogs are
  shipped downriver to Riverjoin, and then to Peloria for re-export. Some dogs,
  raised in Loskalm, are shipped to the west, but these are considered to be inferior
  by canine experts.
  Fronelan Point Linens are marketed during two huge cloth fairs every year. The
  first is held during the last week of Sea Season in Northpoint and the second is
  held in the first week of Earth Season in Southpoint. Merchants from as far away
  as Kethaela come to bid for high quality textiles. Local merchants from all over
  Fronela also pour in to buy the wares brought by the foreign traders.
  A Note on Lunar Strategies in Fronela: Fronela provides more than a market for
  Lunar merchants. If the Janube could be opened to trade, the Empire would have
  a sea and river link to Seshnela. This would increase the Empire's access to iron
  and lower the prices it has to pay. The Lunar government is subsidizing grain
  shipments into eastern Fronela to help strengthen the Etyries cult's position
  there. It can be expected to take action to clear riverain trade if at all possible.
  
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  Kralorela
  Imports: iron, gold, gems, opium
  Exports: essence of red lotus and orchid, black lotus dust, jade, pearl,
  dyewoods, aloe, black pepper, tea, silks
  Kralorela is the most urbanized and richest culture in Genertela. Its internal
  markets handle an amount of goods equal in value to that of the rest of the
  continent. As trade revives in the post-Closing era, more and more gold is being
  pumped into Kralorela, leading to general inflation. Western merchants, seeking a
  good to trade in place of specie and gems, are increasingly turning to opium from
  Teshnos.
  Kralorela is a land of local village markets linked to the cities by merchants
  authorized by Godunya, the Dragon Emperor. Only authorized merchants are
  allowed to import or export goods between cities and regions of Kralorela, except
  within the boundaries of Wanzow, which is also known as Free Trade. Outlanders
  are allowed to trade in Wanzow. Each city other than Wanzow has a Trade temple
  to which all merchants of that city belong. The Emperor usually grants
  monopolies on major trade goods to one of these city temples until such time as
  another temple may petition to prove themselves more worth of holding that
  monopoly. There are no monopolies on rice or barley.
  Rice is the most common crop in the lowlands and river valleys, while barley is
  the staple in the highlands and in the Kingdom of Ignorance. The Suam Chow and
  the major rivers of Kralorela provide excellent avenues for internal trade, so most
  goods are not shipped far by land.
  Red lotus and orchids are cultivated along the east coast of Wanzow, near
  northern Fanzai. These flowers are dried and sent north to perfumeries in Lur
  Nop, from whence they are shipped throughout Kralorela and exported to the
  west.
  Black Lotus is grown and processed on slave-worked farms owned entirely by
  Exarch Can Shu. It is smuggled both overland and down along the coastline.
  The eastern slopes of the Hso Shan mountains are the major source for jade.
  Although most cities have artisans who work in jade, those of Kuchawn are
  considered to be the best. The merchants of Chang Tsai ship both raw jade and
  the products of Kuchawn throughout Kralorela.
  Puchai province is the major source for both tea and black pepper. The trade in
  both is monopolized by the merchants of Laonan Tao. They charge western
  merchants very high prices in Lur Nop, a situation which has encouraged the
  growth of an active smuggling trade through Tung Shui An.
  The merchants of Chi Ting control two-thirds of the world's production of raw silk,
  and are extraordinarily wealthy.
  Opium is brought in illegally over the Hachuan Shan from Teshnos, then
  downriver to Sha Ming and thence to the rest of the Empire. Merchants from
  Guiching are involved in smuggling Black Lotus dust from the Bliss in Ignorance
  to the rest of Kralorela. There are rumors that some western ships are slipping
  into the western part of Modaings to deliver opium cargos directly to these same
  merchants, but that is unproven.
  
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  Some few goods are still exported through Bliss in Ignorance via the land route to
  Peloria, but this trade has declined since the end of the Closing.
  Peloria
  Imports: textiles, indigo and dyes, all luxury goods, Seshnelan and
  Grazeland horses, Fronelan bearhounds, Ralian manufactures, truestone
  Exports: Elzastin cloth, grain (esp. to Fronela), ivory, sunflower, essence
  of peony, Pelorian whiskey, wines, brandies, coriander, Mostali goods and
  iron from Imther and the Jord Mountains, gold, Fronelan re-exports
  Peloria runs a close second the Kralorela in wealth. People in general enjoy a
  decent standard of living. Peloria has a vibrant internal trade centering on the
  Oslir and Poralistor rivers. Much of the gold going to Kralorela comes from Peloria
  and hence the Pelorian economy is suffering a slight shortage of coin and some
  deflation in relation to gold. The Lunar Empire's use of silver, though, has acted
  to stabilize the economy.
  The Etyries cult enjoys a favored position in the Empire and receives a number of
  tax breaks. The Lokarnos cult primarily acts as a cult for teamsters who transport
  Etyries goods, although this is less true in Dara Happa. Issaries merchants can be
  found throughout the provinces and in the barbarian lands, usually complaining
  loudly about the extra duties they are forced to pay.
  The major grain in Peloria is maize, which will bear twice a year in the absence of
  a harsh winter. The moderating weather in Peloria has made that region wealthier
  than usual in terms of food and this helps explain the internal stability of the
  Empire. Wheat is widely grown in the Provinces, barley in Carmania, and oats in
  the barbarian lands. Each of these are shipped by river into the Lunar Heartland.
  There are two major forms of agricultural organization in Peloria. In Carmania,
  the Provinces, and in the barbarian lands peasant small-holders are the rule,
  either serfs or free clansmen, depending on the area. In the Lunar Heartland,
  agriculture is dominated by huge farms owned by the nobility. These farms are
  worked by a class of bound agrarian workers similar to Roman coloni.
  Markets in Peloria are similarly divided by type. The pattern of small local
  markets, usually in villages, linked indirectly to city markets dominates trading in
  Peloria outside of the Heartland. The Heartland area is extremely urbanized. The
  extreme fertility of the area combined with the bound nature of the agrarian
  workforce allows for the large cities present in the Oslir valley. Trade in this area
  is primarily urban, although the coloni have regular Godday markets where they
  trade garden produce and small handcrafts (similar to the Sunday markets
  among the slaves in Brazil and the Caribbean).
  One reason for the extreme wealth of this region is the ready availability of water
  transport. Most of the rivers in Peloria are extremely navigable. The special
  relationship of the spirits of the Oslir river with the surrounding human population
  means that water elementals are readily bound, thus allowing easier transit
  upriver than in many other areas.
  Carmania's oldest source of wealth has been its brass mines. More recently the
  same river routes used to ship brass ore have become important for the shipment
  of cotton grown around Oronin Lake to the skilled weavers of Elz Ast. The Esel
  river provides a route for trade with the southern reaches of Carmania and for lye
  gathered from Brolia. With the re-opening of trade with Fronela, Harandash and
  
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  Storal on the coast of the Sweet Sea have become major ship-building and
  trading points.
  The Lunar Heartland surrounds the ancient civilization of Dara Happa, one of the
  wealthiest in history. The gentle flooding on the Oslir provides good irrigation and
  top soil allowing bumper crops of grain year after year. Gold flows from the mines
  in the Yolp mountains down the Joat river and into Raibanth. Elzastin cloth and
  Fronelan and Dara Happan trade goods are moved by barge up the Oslir and into
  the provinces from whence they are exported to Kethaela and from there to the
  rest of the world, while imports from the south are moved downstream and on to
  the tributaries and the Poralistor. The Imther and Jord Mountains provide Mostali
  goods for consumption and for re- export. First Blessed exports essences and
  perfumes manufactured in Torang and Yuthuppa, as well as Yuthuppan torches
  which remain lit for a whole week. Darjin and Sylila are both known for excellent
  wines and brandies.
  Thunder Delta provides one of the two major sources of ivory in Glorantha.
  Walrus tusks are traded by trolls there. Their ivory carvings are currently in
  fashion in the Tripolis cities.
  During the period of the Closing, the Lunar Empire developed a caravan route to
  Kralorela through Pent. Some silks, spices, and other luxury goods are still
  transported by the hardened caravaneers of the Red-Haired tribe. Since the end
  of the Closing, however, the renewal of sea trade through Kethaela and Dragon
  Pass has begun to supplant this land route, and only Lunar subsidies keep the
  caravaneers in business.
  Maniria
  Imports: textiles, many luxury goods, Seshnelan horses and iron,
  Fronelan bearhounds, Ralian manufactures, Tanier River Cats, truestone
  Exports: Sartarite and Esrolian whiskey, Esrolian grain, gems, tin, red
  pepper and coffee from Caladraland, lavender, Wenelian camomile,
  belladonna, hemlock, copper, silver, Nochet woolens, cantharides from
  Dagori Inkarth, onyx from the Shadow Plateau, dyes from Handra
  Maniria runs third behind Kralorela and Peloria in terms of wealth. It combines a
  number of internal advantages with the advantage of location. Kethaela is a
  natural trading crossroads between Kralorela, Peloria, and the West.
  The Issaries cult is the primary trading cult in this area, although Lokarnos,
  Etyries, and Argan Argar cultists also operate here, as do Western traders. Due to
  its world-spanning trade links, the city of Nochet boasts the largest Issaries
  temple in Genertela. In most areas not under Lunar domination, Issaries cultists
  occupy a slightly favored position. In Lunar dominated areas, the government
  provides tax breaks and other incentives to Etyries cultists, while imposing
  additional duties on Issaries cultists (Lokarnos, Argan Argar, and Western traders
  merely forfeit the tax breaks, but do not have to pay the additional duties).
  Kethaela is the wealthiest area in Maniria. The seaborne trade out of Choralinthor
  Bay is the most active international trade on the continent, combining the export
  of local products with the re-export of goods from all over the world. Kethaelan is
  another word for middleman. In addition to trade the area is itself rich.
  Esrolia is the most productive grain producing area in the world. It supports a
  dense population, yet still supplies exports to the rest of Maniria and to the West.
  
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  Esrolia's local trade is predominantly village based, with frequent local markets
  tied to the nearest city.
  Issaries merchants buy raw wool in the highlands of Sartar and in Heortland, then
  transport that wool to Nochet. That city supports the most skilled woolen
  craftspeople in the world. The resulting cloth is sold throughout Maniria, Peloria,
  and the West.
  Caladraland, although wild, is a source for many valuable goods exported by
  Kethaelan merchants. The Mostali at Gemborg provide the majority of Genertelan
  gemstones. This area also supplies most of Genertela's tin. The fertile volcanic
  hillsides of Caladraland have recently come under cultivation by entrepreneurs
  who grow and export coffee and red pepper.
  Heortland and the Dragon Pass region are mostly self- sufficient. Their local
  markets occur around regular meetings of the local clans, while the traders
  themselves operate out of the area's many cities. These traders sell expensive
  foreign imports, luxury goods and the products of city craftspeople to the clans in
  return for raw wool, high quality whiskey, and other goods. There is also an
  active export trade in apple wine from Sartar into surrounding regions (including
  Prax). Traders buy the highly-coveted Grazelander horses whenever possible.
  Local traders also re-export truestone and Praxian handicrafts to the rest of
  Maniria and Peloria. Another opportunity in the Dragon Pass area is a more ready
  availability of certain Troll goods, especially insect products. Finally, the Storm
  Mountains supply one half of Genertela's silver.
  This area profits from its proximity to Kethaela, both from lower grain prices and
  from the trade with Peloria. Esrolian products and re-exports can only be moved
  upriver as far as Sartar, and even moving as far as Beast Valley and the Upland
  Marsh is full of danger. King Sartar and his descendants built mighty roads
  through their kingdom, thus making it the most efficient route for shipping goods
  into Tarsh on their way to Peloria (Once the reach Furthest they can again be
  moved by river). Issaries cultists, Mastakos cult teamsters, and Royal tax
  assessors all profit from this position along the north-south trade route.
  The bulk of Wenelia is a trading backwater. Such was not always the case, but
  with the end of the Closing the caravans that once crossed Wenelia are quickly
  being supplanted by sea trade. The big winner in all this is the port city of Handra
  with its advantageous position as handy stopping point for ships moving between
  the west and Kethaela as well as being a terminus on the riverain trade route into
  Ralios. Like Heortland and Dragon Pass, the clan structures dominate the patterns
  of local marketing in Wenelia.
  The Mislari mountains are relatively rich in copper. The Nimistor and Solanthi
  rivers both have large alluvial deposits which the Trader Princes buy and export.
  Handra is becoming an increasingly important port. It is the major trans-
  shipment point for goods from Ralios heading for Kethaela, especially
  manufactures and copper, and for Kethaelan goods heading for Ralios. Handra is
  also one of Genertela's major dye producers. Various types of sea shells from
  along the Wenelian coast are shipped to Handra where local manufacturers grind
  the shells to produce pigments from which they produce dyes. These dyes are
  traded to all major textile manufacturing centers in central and western
  Genertela.
  
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  Pent
  Imports: few, some metal goods from Peloria, some other goods from
  Bliss in Ignorance, especially Black Lotus Dust
  Exports: horses, some trinkets, and re-exports of Black Lotus Dust
  Pent is an absolute backwater for trade. There is some internal trade within the
  tribes for luxury goods, metal goods, superior handcrafts, and especially horses
  and herd animals.
  The Pentan nomads are isolationist and self-sufficient and if there is a route to
  profit trading here, no one has found it. The Pentans want little from the outside
  except for metal goods and to be left alone, and the Pentans possess little that
  outsiders would want. The nomads obtain some few trade goods from sporadic
  encounters with both eastern Peloria and Bliss in Ignorance. The Red-Haired Tribe
  carries on a desultory trade along the Pelorian frontier and on across the plains.
  Many of the foreign goods found in the tents of the wealthiest Pentans come from
  raids on these caravans. The major trade that Pentans engage in is the exchange
  of hardy Pentan ponies for bronze from Peloria.
  Ralios
  Imports: iron and horses from Seshnela, Sorcerous goods and knowledge
  from Sog City, textiles, dyes from Handra, some luxury goods, Esrolian
  grain up the riverain trade route
  Exports: Mostali goods from Bad Deal, Safelsteran manufactures, some
  animal products to Esrolia, wolfhounds (prized as hunting dogs in other
  parts of Genertela), Tanier river cats (prized by Manirian Orlanthi as
  familiars), essence of purple rose
  Ralios boasts two almost entirely separate economies. The cities of Safelster are
  sophisticated urban centers which are home to some of the most skilled artisans
  in Genertela, while the tribes of Vesmonstran and the East Wilds are mostly self-
  sufficient and nearly isolated. Local trading in Safelster is urbanized and is
  centered around Lake Felster itself. Local trading in Vesmonstran and the East
  Wilds is very small scale and is structured around the tribes.
  Safelster is a vibrant part of international trade. The crafts guilds of Safelster
  produce goods that are shipped throughout Genertela, including glassware from
  Syran, rapiers and daggers from Tortun and metal goods from Azilos, furniture
  from Tiskos, tapestries and rugs from Tinaros, toys and mechanical clocks from
  Fiesive, and other manufactures. The guild-masters play a role in the convoluted
  politics of the region.
  Merchants from Drom profit not only from the trade with Handra, but also from a
  deal with the Basim tribe which allows them access to the westernmost part of
  the Mislari mountains. There the merchants from Drom support copper mines
  whose ore is sold to Maniria through Handra.
  Merchants from Fiesive exert a monopoly over river trade north to Bad Deal. It is
  this long association with the Mostali which has allowed Fiesive to develop the
  most skilled human mechanical craftspeople in the world. Fiesive built clocks are
  prominent in every city in Ralios and in much of Seshnela as well. Such clocks are
  also being sold everywhere outside Ralios, except in Kralorela, where the locals
  seem very indifferent to machines generally.
  
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  Fiesive also acts as the central point for the local market patterns in
  Vesmonstran. Kilwin holds a similar position in the East Wilds. Merchants from
  both cities wander the tribal lands, moving from stead to stead and from local
  market to local market. A small amount of handicrafts and animal goods,
  especially wool, are brought back to both cities for export to Safelster. The
  clanspeople of Lankst raise wolfhounds which are widely sought as hunting dogs.
  These dogs are usually sold to Fiesive before being moved onward for re-export.
  Ralios has two major trading links with the rest of the world. It is linked by the
  Tanier river to Seshnela, which area also profits as the middleman in the trade
  with Fronela. There is also the riverain trade route to Handra and thence to
  Kethaela and the east, as well as the direct trade with that city for dyes. Before
  the end of the Closing, the river route to the Nidan mountains and the High Llama
  pass was the major route to Fronela. This route is still important for the trade
  with the Mostali of Bad Deal, but the combination of lower freight rates by water
  and the extortionate tolls charged by the folk of the High Llama Pass has shifted
  the bulk of Ralios' trade with Fronela to the Tanier river and the sea.
  Argan Argar cultists run regular caravans between Halikiv and Guhan. These
  caravans provide Ralian merchants with access to lead, which is used by the
  glass-makers of Syran and other manufacturers as well. Enterprising merchants
  are also able to secure some troll goods for re-export.
  Seshnela
  Imports: textiles, some luxury goods, occasionally Pelorian or Esrolian
  grain, Ralian manufactures--especially weapons, Sorcerous goods and
  knowledge from Sog City
  Exports: iron (over one-half of the world's iron supply), trained warhorses
  The internal markets of Seshnela are not well developed. Only the nobility can
  afford much in the way of goods from outside. Also, the nobles of Seshnela are
  hostile to the development of a strong urban class of skilled artisans and
  merchants. Such a development does not fit well with the social and cultural
  ideals of the area. For the most part, the major nobles have servants who deal
  with outside traders while the peasantry only engages in local village marketing
  in produce and handicrafts.
  The local nobility profits handsomely on its taxation of Ralian goods being moved
  down the Tanier river to Noloswal for re-export to Fronela. The Dukes of Nolos
  and Pasos have begun to try to encourage trading and they also profit from
  charges for naval protection paid by trading vessels moving to and from Fronela.
  During the last week of Sea Season of each year there is a huge horse market
  held in Segurane under royal auspices (the King of Seshnela gets ten percent of
  the value of all sales). It is here that foreign merchants can buy the Seshnelan
  warhorses so prized throughout central and western Genertela.
  During the first week of Earth Season of each year the Mostali of the Iron
  Mountains travel to the ruins of Laurmal to sell iron. Tierre of Caskall dominates
  this trade from the Castle Rhis, taking a twenty percent commission from the
  human traders in all transactions. The remainder of Seshnela benefits both from
  relatively low iron prices and from customs duties levied on iron being moved
  down the coast or up the Tanier river.
  
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  Teshnos
  Imports: silk and jade from Kralorela, Black Lotus Dust, gold and gems
  from the west
  Exports: tea, sugar, opium, jasmine, ivory, sandalwood, dyewoods,
  indigo, re-exports of emeralds and spices from the East Isles (cinnamon,
  nutmeg, cloves), Dombain cloth
  Teshnos internal trade is concentrated around small weekly village markets in
  patterns dominated by the three major cities. The hsunchen living in the Sofali
  islands and along the mountains of the north mostly live in small isolated
  communities that only trade with their nearest neighbors. Teshnan traders
  wander from group to group to trade for various goods.
  Most people in Teshnos live the life of agrarian peasants. The nobility controls
  large slave-worked plantations that produce commodities for export. Indigo is
  grown in Wokistan, cotton between Gio and Dombain, tea on Melib island, sugar
  on the small northern Sofali islands, and opium in Matkondu.
  The merchants of Dombain control most of Teshnos' export trade. The products
  of the slave plantations are shipped to Dombain for export, as is ivory. Merchants
  from there also move through the Sofali islands trading for jasmine and
  handicrafts. These merchants also trade with the Aldryami of Fethlon for a variety
  of goods. Dombain merchants also sail into the East Isles seeking emeralds,
  cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for consumption and re-export. Finally, these
  merchants control the local textile industry, whose finest quality work is in
  increasing demand in the west.
  There is an active overland trade in opium across the Hachuan Shan mountains.
  This route is starting to be supplanted by bold western merchants willing to risk
  smuggling opium into Kralorela by sea.
  The Wastes & Prax
  Imports: metals and metal goods of all sorts, some luxury goods
  Exports: truestone, some animal products, aloe and some sugar from the
  Zola Fel valley
  The Wastelands are only slightly less of a trading backwater than Pent. The
  internal trade is mostly centered around seasonal gatherings of the major tribes.
  There is also trade within Prax, mostly centered around the Paps, the various
  oases, the Block, and Pavis. Most internal trade is in metal goods, beasts, and
  superior handcrafts. There is also an active internal trade in salt from various
  slave-dug open pit mines controlled by different tribes. Foodstuffs grown in the
  oases are commonly traded as well, as are slaves.
  What trade there is with the outside world is mostly centered around Prax. There
  is some small trade around the Iron Forts in Kralorela. Until the end of the
  Closing, what few Kralorelan goods were getting to the west were traded by
  Praxian nomads and a few intrepid caravaneers, but the sea trade has bypassed
  all that. Most trade with Prax occurs through Sartar, although there is a growing
  direct sea trade between Corflu and Kethaela.
  The major item the Praxians want from the outside world is metal and metal
  goods. They have also developed a taste for some luxury goods, especially
  Sartarite Whisky, and for cloth. Although treasure hunters swarm to the Big
  Rubble, most of the world is only interested in one item particular to Prax:
  
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  truestone. The major flow of trade between Prax and Maniria is metal in and
  truestone out.
  There is a great deal of trade between the peoples of the Zola Fel valley. This
  area has the highest population density in the Wastelands, it is the most fertile
  area, and it is the wealthiest. Corflu, originally intended by the Lunar to be their
  point of entry into the sea trade with Kralorela, has become important for its
  access to the valley peoples and Pavis. The ability to bypass the high costs of
  transporting goods overland is key to the future of Lunar economic development
  in the Zola Fel.
  Much of the food grown in Pavis and Sun Counties is consumed in Pavis itself,
  creating an active grain trade. The citizens of Pavis benefit from being a major
  point in the truestone trade with the outside world and from the flow of treasure
  seekers entering the Rubble.
  The Lunar settlers of the Grantlands are becoming a significant local economic
  force. Whether they develop beyond that will depend on their ability to find a
  product for trade. Aloe and sugar have been brought from Teshnos in an attempt
  to make this Lunar colony economically viable.
  The Rest of the World
  There is as yet little sea trade with Pamaltela, Teleos, Jrustela, and most of the
  East Isles. Some East Isles goods enter the Genertelan market through Teshnos.
  What few ships do make the journey into southern waters bring back a number of
  exotic goods. Genertelan traders are finding that Pamaltela is a good source for
  many items, particularly ivory and spices. Some of the ships that bring goods to
  and from Pamaltela are also the means by which Jrustelan Blue Mountain coffee
  reaches Genertela. The ships anchor off areas where the beans are known to
  grow wild and spend a few days gathering beans. The intrepid Genertelan trader
  who wants to make a journey to Pamaltela usually carries luxury goods and,
  sometimes, truestone.
  Trading Cults & Groups
  Lokarnos
  The Lokarnos cult is the oldest of the major trading cults. Lokarnos invented the
  wheel, the wagon, and coinage and is the patron god of traders and teamsters.
  The Lokarnos cult is very conservative, as befits the trade deity of the Solar
  pantheon. The cultists disdain accounting methods, letters of credit, insurance,
  and other innovations. The Lokarnos cultists are forbidden the use of any
  currency except the gold wheel, and they disdain any non-specie medium of
  exchange. They will, on occasion, use gemstones whose weight and value have
  been certified by a neutral third party.
  The Solar pantheon is structured around the idea of an immutable celestial
  hierarchy. This idea is reflected in the social structures of solar-dominated areas.
  Each person occupies a fixed place in the solar scheme for society, with fixed
  rights and obligations. The archetypical Lokarnos trader is a loyal member of
  society and expects society to protect him in return.
  In areas of Solar domination, such as Kralorela and Dara Happa, Lokarnos cultists
  compete for royal favor in the form of legal monopolies on various forms of trade.
  In return for their legal protection, Lokarnos traders are steadfast in paying their
  taxes and expect the state and the cult hierarchies to place restrictions on trading
  policies and prices.
  
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  Of course, by no means are all Lokarnos traders archetypical.
  Issaries
  The Issaries traders are much more widespread than are Lokarnos traders. They
  are extremely flexible in their dealings with non-chaotics. Issaries invented the
  idea of differentiating currency. Issaries merchants are ritually forbidden to make
  use of wagons, but they side-step this by hiring non-Issaries teamsters (usually
  of the Mastakos cult in Orlanthi dominated areas). This is typical of the relations
  between God and Cult, except in the most important of areas, Issaries expects
  his worshippers to "bargain" with him.
  The Issaries temples provide a number of important support services for traders.
  They act as depository banks (usually charging a straight percentage for storage
  and paying no interest), clearing houses for bringing borrower and lender
  together (for the most nominal of commissions), they will issue guaranteed
  letters of credit based on holdings in the temple, they also act to bring together
  insurers with those desiring that type of protection.
  Issaries merchants vary in their relationship to society. Some are respectable
  local traders as conservative in their own way as any Lokarnos cultist. Others are
  vagabonds with no loyalty higher than their own pockets. The divisions of the cult
  help to point out the differences. The Harst worshipper is a craftsperson or farmer
  who also sells their own goods on the side. The Goldentongue is the wandering
  merchant, the caravaneer, the local peddlar, anyone who buys in one place and
  sells in another. The Garzeen is the large-scale trader, the retailer, the
  entrepreneur who buys and sells in one place.
  Issaries merchants are equally different in their attitudes toward local
  governments. Some are patriots, some citizens of all nations, and some place
  their loyalties wherever there is profit to be made. The one near universal cult
  idea is that taxes are bad and that the state should leave matters of trade in the
  hands of those who understand business, the merchants.
  Etyries
  Etyries is the youngest of the trading cults and draws upon both of the earlier
  ones for its structure and practices. The Etyries merchants are as sophisticated in
  trade as the Issaries while being as dedicated to the state as the Lokarnos, while
  being different from either. Lunar cultists see this as another embodiment of the
  Goddess' aspect of change linked with continuity.
  The Etyries cult was drawn from the Issaries cult in Peloria, but those early
  Etyries had a long tradition of dealing with the Lokarnos cult, and shared many of
  the cultural ideals of the Dara Happans. The Etyries cult is, like all the Lunar
  cults, not solely a cult, but also part of the Pantheon of a single state, the Lunar
  Empire. In many places in Glorantha the cult and state are strongly unified, but in
  no place more so than in the Empire. The success of the cults is the success of
  the state, as the success of the state is that of the cult. They stand or fall
  together.
  The Etyries temples provide all the same services as the Issaries temples. In
  addition, they have developed banking and lending at interest. The large temples
  in the Heartland also assist in the formation of joint stock companies formed with
  modern idea of limited liability (if the company falls, the investor only loses the
  amount of the investment, in most other places the investors are jointly
  responsible for the total amount of the company's debts). These developments
  
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  have allowed for larger concentrations of working capital, and thus more weight
  in the world's marketplaces.
  These joint stock companies may only be formed with Imperial approval, and are
  granted trading monopolies on the Lokarnos model. The Elz Ast Trading
  Company, for example, has a complete monopoly on the exportation of Elzastin
  cloth under Imperial law. The Etyries merchants are tightly tied to the state. In
  return for preferential treatment in matters of taxation and military protection,
  the Etyries merchants are duty bound to assist the officers of the Empire in
  enforcing law inside the Empire and in implementing policy outside. Etyries
  merchants will often pass useful information on to the government for free,
  motivated by patriotism and their belief in the Lunar Way.
  Coinage
  There are four standard types of coinage in use in Genertela: Issariesite,
  Etyriesite, Western, and Lokarnic. The trading temples, beginning with Lokarnos,
  invented money in order to facilitate trade. Unlike terrestrial currencies,
  Gloranthan currencies are usually minted by the trading temples, the people most
  in need of a medium of long distance exchange. This origin and this set of
  conditions has helped to create a fairly standardized system of coinage in
  Genertela.
  The gold Wheel invented by Lokarnos is the oldest form of currency on Glorantha
  and is the only official medium of exchange in areas dominated by the Solar cults
  (Lokarnos Priests have a 17th century European's view of paper letters of credit
  and bills of exchange). It is a relatively large gold coin with the hub, spokes, and
  rim of a wheel of Lokarnos' wagon depicted on it. It is the only coin commonly
  found in Kralorela and Teshnos and is widely circulated in Peloria, alongside the
  Etyries coinage.
  In order to make the Wheel into a more flexible medium of exchange, Lokarnos
  traders, and others, commonly break the coin into smaller segments composed of
  the central Hub and ten wedge- shaped Spokes (each with a segment of the rim).
  Each Spoke is equivalent in value to a Guilder or Lunar, and the Hub is worth ten
  Spokes.
  The young god Issaries saw the possibilities inherent in Lokarnos' invention.
  Using his charming ways and golden tongue he managed to convince the various
  elemental deities to allow him to use copper, silver, and gold to make his own
  coins. He even convinced Lokarnos to permit him to make a gold coin equal in
  size and composition to the Wheel, but with different decorations. Even today,
  Lokarnos traders will accept the other systems' gold coins at par. As the Theyalan
  missionaries of the First Council moved westward during the Dawn times, they
  carried the Issaries coin system along with them. To this day, the Western
  monotheists continue to use local variants on the Issaries system. When the
  Etyries cult arose in the Lunar Empire, it adopted the same Issaries coinage, but
  with different decorations, thus maintaining the Lunar way of balancing change
  with stability.
  The smallest coin is called the Clack, it is a small copper coin decorated with a
  Communications, or Issaries, Rune on one face and a Harmony Rune on the
  other. The Etyries version is also called a Clack, but substitutes a Lunar Rune for
  the Communications Rune (all Etyries coins have a Lunar Rune on one face, a
  practice borrowed from the West). Western versions are usually called coppers
  
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  and have a Law Rune on one face (as on all coins) and a symbol of local
  significance (a nobleman's or city's device, usually) on the other.
  The next coin is a larger copper coin called a Tree and is worth five Clacks. It has
  an Earth Rune on one face and a stylized depiction of a tree common to the area
  where it was minted on the other. The Etyries variant is called a Castle. On the
  face not depicting a Lunar Rune it has a stylized rendering of Castle Blue.
  Western variants, particularly in Fronela, often simply have a stylized Castle on
  the free face and are also called Castles. Once again, the Etyries cult borrowed
  this practice, probably from Carmanian coins.
  The smaller silver coin is called a Guilder and is worth ten Clacks. One face
  usually depicts some local ranking nobleman from the area and time the coin was
  minted. The other face usually depicts the sign of the local Silversmith's Guild
  from where the coin was minted. The Etyries variant is called a Lunar. The free
  face depicts the Goddess's victory at the First Battle of Chaos. The Western
  variant is called a Penny. The free face usually has the device of the political
  authority who had it struck.
  The larger silver coin is called a Storm and is worth one hundred Clacks. This coin
  bears the Issaries Rune on one face and the Storm Rune on the other. Non-
  Lightbringers will rarely handle this coin without defacing at least one side. The
  Etyries version is called a Daughter because the free face usually depicts one of
  the Daughters of the Red Goddess. The Western variant is called a Sovereign
  because it usually depicts the local sovereign noble.
  The Issaries gold coin is called a Sun and is worth two hundred Clacks or one
  Wheel. It has the same hub and radiating spokes pattern on one side, but this is
  called a sun pattern rather than a wheel pattern, on the other face it has a
  Movement Rune. Lokarnos cultists see their own god's runic associations and so
  are happy to handle the coin, while Lightbringers see associations with the
  success of the Lightbringer's Quest, and so are equally happy. The Etyries variant
  always depicts the present Emperor on the free face, and is thus called an
  Imperial. The Western variant is called a Golden and usually depicts some local
  triumph that the reigning nobleman wants commemorated (some victory or
  achievement).
  A Final Note: On Earth, there was a common practice when specie was in wide
  circulation called coin-shaving. Gold and silver coins would be filed down or re-
  cast with other metals in order to make more coins. Earthly authorities usually
  dealt with this problem through an official ritual called Capital Punishment, or
  through an impromptu ceremony called Lynching. On Glorantha, the same modes
  of enforcement are in common use in areas where the trading cults are scarce,
  such as the West. They are unnecessary where the trading cults are active
  because any initiate or above of Lokarnos, Issaries, or Etyries can detect a
  shaved or adulterated coin upon holding it. Note that Argan Argar cultists usually
  don't care about the shaving or adulteration of Bolgs.
  Coin Denominations
  Relative
  Value
  Issaries
  Etyries
  Western
  Lokarnos
  1
  Clack (c)
  Clack (c)
  Copper (c)
  5
  Tree (c)
  Castle (c)
  Castle (c)
  10
  Guilder (s)
  Lunar (s)
  Penny (s)
  Spoke (g)
  100
  Storm (s)
  Daughter (s)
  Sovereign (s)
  Hub (g)
  200
  Sun (g)
  Imperial (g)
  Golden (g)
  Wheel (g)
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Runequest and Glorantha (d100)/Runequest - Background/RuneQuest - Trade n Glorantha.pdf