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Campaign brainstorming 4e point of light setting
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<blockquote data-quote="Balesir" data-source="post: 6128042" data-attributes="member: 27160"><p>You realise you are overthinking, so I'll say no more about thet <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>Treating the exercise as a drawing of conclusions from medieval terran practice, therefore:</p><p></p><p>In an area as depopulated and "points of light-y" as the Nentir vale, I would be surprised if tallow (common as, well, dead animals - only if there was a major manufacturing location for, e.g., lamps or soap would I expect trade in this) or honey (typically quite widely made locally - only if there was, say, a mead making abbey or something would it be traded any distance) were traded in the region.</p><p></p><p>The rest, quite possibly. Metal mines would be noted, though, I think - the only real site noted would be Hammerfast.</p><p></p><p>Linen and grain - and ale - definitely. Also timber, firewood, charcoal, animal feed and stone. Wine I don't get the right vibe for - the Winterbole Forest is too close for a winemaking climate. Local drinks I would expect to be ale and cider; wine I would see as imported from the south.</p><p></p><p>Oil (and/or lard), (bees)wax and hemp (or a local substitute) I would expect to be locally sourced. Paper and cotton would likely be at best rare; cotton grows in totally dissimilar biomes and likewise paper - much cheaper local substitutes would likely be available (parchment and vellum from sheep and calf hides, respectively, and wool and linen cloth). Spices, perfume, wine and salt as well as certain metals would likely be imported.</p><p></p><p>On the subject of cloth: I would expect most rural settlements to be self-sufficient in homespun linen and wool. Fallcrest might very well have artisans making finer cloth and higher-status clothes. The very best might well be imported, though I'm not sure from where.</p><p></p><p>Metals were, in medieval europe at least, traded extensively, even when they were what we would see as the "same" metal. The reason was that the metal refining and recombination processes were not anywhere near so well developed as we have them today, so "iron that is good for ploughshares" and "iron that is good for swords" were effectively two different metals. Different impurities and smelting methods in local use led to them being quite different in their properties.</p><p></p><p>Which leads to one final comment: iron almost certainly can't be melted with "points of light" technology. It can be reduced, however, so iron can be made as "blooms" of metallic iron mixed with silica (ore rock) impurities. This would need to be heated red-hot and hammered to get the (molten) silica out - hence "wrought iron" originally looking as though it was being hammered, or "wrought", from the spongy grey blooms.</p><p></p><p>I would expect the river to be the main trade artery. Fallcrest's importance comes, in part, from its place on the falls so that goods must be ported around from a "lower river boat" to an "upper river boat", or vice versa. Since the stuff has to be unloaded there anyway, it makes sense to distribute along the vale either side of the river from there, too.</p><p></p><p>Edit to P.S. the Fell Court is in MV: Threats to the Nentir Vale, as are the Iron Circle and other stuff mentioned. If you are running the Nentir Vale campaign, I would say it would be a very good source.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Balesir, post: 6128042, member: 27160"] You realise you are overthinking, so I'll say no more about thet ;) Treating the exercise as a drawing of conclusions from medieval terran practice, therefore: In an area as depopulated and "points of light-y" as the Nentir vale, I would be surprised if tallow (common as, well, dead animals - only if there was a major manufacturing location for, e.g., lamps or soap would I expect trade in this) or honey (typically quite widely made locally - only if there was, say, a mead making abbey or something would it be traded any distance) were traded in the region. The rest, quite possibly. Metal mines would be noted, though, I think - the only real site noted would be Hammerfast. Linen and grain - and ale - definitely. Also timber, firewood, charcoal, animal feed and stone. Wine I don't get the right vibe for - the Winterbole Forest is too close for a winemaking climate. Local drinks I would expect to be ale and cider; wine I would see as imported from the south. Oil (and/or lard), (bees)wax and hemp (or a local substitute) I would expect to be locally sourced. Paper and cotton would likely be at best rare; cotton grows in totally dissimilar biomes and likewise paper - much cheaper local substitutes would likely be available (parchment and vellum from sheep and calf hides, respectively, and wool and linen cloth). Spices, perfume, wine and salt as well as certain metals would likely be imported. On the subject of cloth: I would expect most rural settlements to be self-sufficient in homespun linen and wool. Fallcrest might very well have artisans making finer cloth and higher-status clothes. The very best might well be imported, though I'm not sure from where. Metals were, in medieval europe at least, traded extensively, even when they were what we would see as the "same" metal. The reason was that the metal refining and recombination processes were not anywhere near so well developed as we have them today, so "iron that is good for ploughshares" and "iron that is good for swords" were effectively two different metals. Different impurities and smelting methods in local use led to them being quite different in their properties. Which leads to one final comment: iron almost certainly can't be melted with "points of light" technology. It can be reduced, however, so iron can be made as "blooms" of metallic iron mixed with silica (ore rock) impurities. This would need to be heated red-hot and hammered to get the (molten) silica out - hence "wrought iron" originally looking as though it was being hammered, or "wrought", from the spongy grey blooms. I would expect the river to be the main trade artery. Fallcrest's importance comes, in part, from its place on the falls so that goods must be ported around from a "lower river boat" to an "upper river boat", or vice versa. Since the stuff has to be unloaded there anyway, it makes sense to distribute along the vale either side of the river from there, too. Edit to P.S. the Fell Court is in MV: Threats to the Nentir Vale, as are the Iron Circle and other stuff mentioned. If you are running the Nentir Vale campaign, I would say it would be a very good source. [/QUOTE]
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