D&D 5E PotA The Long Road Side Track Lore Question

[Rya.Reisender]

One of my players is quite interesting in the D&D lore and keeps asking me questions I have a hard time to answer. So before I tell him I don't know, I would like to see if anyone here has an idea about these things (Warning: PoTA side track spoilers):

The module says "They hire the characters as armed escorts for Ascaleld Marurryn, a negotiator for a new Sembian-sponsored merchant coster called the Rolling Wheel".

My first question is how to read that: IS he a Sembian-sponsored merchant or is he a Zhentarim who is particularly talented in negotiating with Sembian-sponsored merchants? Also what does Sembia have to do with the trip to Triboar at all? Are they established in that town? Any other info on the "Rolling Wheel"? Couldn't find anything online.

My player would also like to know why they want to trade with Triboar/Yartar and not just trade with Waterdeep. Any reasonable explanation for that based on the lore?

 

[LapBandit]

The merchant and his coster are 100% spun from whole cloth by the author.

Distance, another market to sell your goods in, less competition than selling in Waterdeep.

 

[Eltab]

Sembia is 'another land far away' with the reputation of being run by merchants rather than a princely government.

Think of it this way:
"McDonalds wants to set up shop in a Bulgarian town."
"Why would they want to do that?"
"Because Bulgarians get hungry too."

Steer your lore-o-phile friend to the 3e Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and Grand History of the Realms (both in hardcover). He should be happy for a good long while.

 

[Rya.Reisender]

I like the idea of explaining it via Waterdeep being too government driven for their taste.