Central Axandorf

“Royal Home Area”

Axar-Rex is the home of the royal family. It is located on the rugged hilly land that divides the kingdom into east and west, in the shadow of Hayax Mountain ( a dormant  volcano ). The royal castle complex is surrounded by a constructed lake and elaborate defense system of walls and moats. On three sides of the castle itself are islands which house the servants, guests and utility buildings. Scattered around outside the lake are farms to provide some of the basic needs of the castle. Along the road, both east and west, are small estates (non hereditary) given to the knights who the king favors.

The lake is connected to two canals; Fenabenflow a short canal in the east joining the Axar River, a long distance up stream from the town of Danwick, and Abellflow a much longer canal in the west joining the Garnar River, almost right outside the town of Narodor.  Both canals are built for small river craft, able to carry about 5 tons of cargo.

There has often been talk about extending the Fenabenflow canal to bypass most of the upper Axar River, because of the way it floods in spring. Although it would be expensive a canal improvement would make travel between the royal castle and Axandorf city faster and safer. Boats are seldom destroyed on the upper Axar River, but they often get stuck.

There are three large forts near Axar-Rex; Fort Albar on the Abellflow, Fort Fendar on the Fenabenflow and Fort Wingden high up on the Mountain. Each has a minimum force of 100 men and is made to accommodate 500 troops. Both Albar and Fendar are located on small hills with constructed water defenses, connected to the canals. Fort Wingden, as its nick name “Mile High Castle” implies, is built to take full advantage of the rugged mountain side, it is nearly impossible to reach with out flying in. Which is very fitting because it is the kingdom’s air force head quarters and it’s main den for dragons.

West of Axar-Rex is Narodor, a town that takes pride in its military and magical aspects. The best weapon and armor smiths are found here as are the best mages. It is one of the few places with a freelance magic shop. Everything about the barony is aimed to support the royal army; this includes the education of the nobles. There is a monastic school of Marzur-god of war. The people are proud to recall the number of famous heroes their area has produced. In fact the quality of the local levee is always the best, because even the farmers train seriously for war.

East of Axar-Rex is Danwick, a town known for its craftsmen and merchants. High quality items of the finest local and foreign make are to be found here. It is the shopping center of the aristocracy. A lovely place with a lively artistic community, many nobles own homes just outside the town and come to spend part of the summer there. There is a large monastery dedicated to Allegra-goddess of pleasure and Alaphra-goddess of artists.

Code of Axandorfian Honor

By Sir Bremin Edwinson, Lord of Fieldhoof estate, under Baron Berdon of Haberdin.

1. Be proud of who you are and your affiliations. Do not hide your name. Although trickery can have its uses, it is a low art and should not be practiced by the honorable.

2. Be polite at all times, even towards commoners and the enemy. Discourtesy is a weapon of sorts and should only be used towards those who show themselves to be deliberately rude.

3. Be respectful of your social superiors and of the elderly in general. In turn you should demand respect from your inferiors. Do not allow a commoner, even if he has good value, to become overly familiar in conduct.

4. Loyalty is the key stone of honor. You must follow the commands of your superior, so long as they are not against Royal law. You should take to heart your superior’s general interests acting to protect them as your own. Naturally one is expected to be most loyal to their immediate overlord, having less personal connections to a remote authority, never the less you must never betray your realm. 

5. Integrity is the foundation of honor. When you give your word you must keep it. Unless it is clear that you have been deceived into a course of action that will bring harm to innocents and damage to your overlord. If a man known to be dishonorable demands that you give him your word, you must refuse.

6. Bravery is the sharp blade of honor. You should be bold, displaying leadership and courage. A noble fights alongside his men, never does he hide in safety while they shed blood at his command. This does not mean taking reckless risks or standing against suicidal odds. In a hopeless situation surrender is acceptable. You are expected always to be brave, not always to be victorious.

7. Responding to insults and challenges; according to holy laws it is a matter of appropriateness. A verbal jab should be answered with words not with steel. Naturally this applies to peers, not to everyone. A commoner who insults a noble deserves a short beating and any challenge by a commoner can be ignored. On the other hand any serious challenge by a noble, whatever his rank, must be accepted. The resulting duel must have witnesses and be fought fairly. ( Note that rules for dueling are more strict than the general rules of just combat upon the field. )

8. Fair combat is the proof of a civilized society. This set of rules is expected to be followed by nobles and regular soldiers alike. 1. No sneak attacks. 2. Nobles fight nobles, commoners fight commoners. 3. A foe must be given a chance to surrender. If he is incapacitated he should not be finished off. 4. Prisoners should not be tortured. 5. Nobles should be offered for ransom. 6. Non combatants, peasants especially women and children should never be attacked. 7. If a noble is killed, his sword or armor should be returned to his family, his body too if possible. 8. After any sizable battle there must be a truce to burry the dead.

9. Protecting the weak is a general duty of every noble. Foremost this means protecting the people of your estate from outside dangers. At the other extreme it means helping anyone in distress, if you are reasonably able to do so.

10. Hospitality is a subcategory of politeness. A noble should never turn away a guest. Of course commoners have no claim to hospitality, but they should expect some from an honorable lord. Nobles on the other hand may claim up to three nights as a guest of a peer. Naturally some sort of gift should be presented to the host by the guest.

The capture the princess game.

Taking a noble into protective custody is almost the same as taking him (usually her) hostage. However there are some important differences. A hostage, even if not abused, is generally treated badly. A noble in protective custody is pushed into giving their word that they will not try to escape, where upon they are treated like a guest.

Once a noble is captured in this way, a message is sent to their family demanding a finder’s fee “a ransom” for the swift return of the guest. It must never be implied that any harm will come to the guest. Failure to pay is understood to result in a lengthy delay in the return of the guest.

This is something of a game that goes on between nobles, especially Barons, who are seeking to gain political leverage over rivals. Force is never used on the noble, although the threat of it exists. Force is sometimes used on the attendants resulting in regular soldiers getting hurt or killed. This is considered rude but acceptable behavior.

Actually capturing a princess is a huge risk, undertaken only by Dukes.

( Taken from a 'Noble's Point of View' article ) 

A code of honor is not a legal document. It is a philosophy that outlines the correct ways of acting in all life’s situations. The following is the basic ideas common in all feudal kingdoms, not just Axandorf. 

The three virtues are; respect, responsibility and bravery.

*One must respect elders and social superiors, realizing that they have wisdom and authority. Respect is a healthy recognition of the other person’s honor. It requires obedience, but does not call for blind loyalty. 

 

*One must be responsible, taking credit or blame for their actions, and generally being truthful. They must perform tasks to the best of their ability, regardless of personal feelings. This is often seen as the commoner’s virtue, but it applies to all. It tells the soldier to stand and die fighting. 

 

*One must also be brave in the face of all danger. This is easy if you consider the importance put upon having a heroic death. It is better to take some action, even if it is ill thought out, than to freeze in fright or run away in cowardice. This is not to say that one can never withdraw from a situation. Bravery does not mean foolishly throwing away your life. 

 

Upon these three virtues are based all the rules of Chivalry (as listed above). Respect leads to the complicated social etiquette. Responsibility leads to the honorable forms of combat. Bravery leads to the expectation of a leader to command from the front.

Axandorf – the North March

The entire northern coast of the kingdom, extending about 50 km in land, is the important but nearly uninhabited area of the North March Dukedom. The reason for its importance is one of navigation. The reason for its sparse population is one of climate; it’s a horrible place to live. The land is not very good for agriculture, being swept by salt winds; its soil seems only good at producing pine trees and crabgrass. The summer is cool, while the winter is frigid. Storms are common in all seasons. 

 The March is more a military zone than a proper Dukedom, with its overlord appointed by the king instead of being hereditary. There are three major forts, each ruled by an Earl, who is also appointed. Although the king can select anyone, choices are usually made from the military families of the March, who own traditional estates near the forts.

Each fort has a permanent garrison of 200 troops, three warships and a dragon rider - messenger assigned to it. The forts are built to handle double these amounts and are provisioned accordingly. The forts are linked by a road, but most often travel is by sea. Of course a community of craftsmen exists next to each fort to meet its needs.Although troops are required to live in the fort, they often get married and rent a small house in the town.

Fort Valhaus in the East is the best known and most active. Because it sits near the mouth of the Dorf River, it has a sizable civilian population built up next to it. In fact it is the only fort with any real farming or trade activity going on in its vicinity. On the other hand it faces some of the worst winter weather head on. Over the years storms have done more damage to the fort than battles.

Fort Hafzee is the command center of the March because of its central location. It is also considered something of a week link in the chain because of the time it would take for any relief force to reach it from Gansport or Axandorf city. Thus attempts to strengthen it have frequently been made.

Fort Caspar in the West is the uninteresting but very dramatic symbol of the March. It is located at land’s end on a high cliff, making any attack nearly impossible. It dates back to an ancient Dwarven castle called Tintagar.

Unlike a normal Dukedom, the March has no Baronies. Land is granted in long narrow estates to Lords. There are about 50 estates near each fort; with each estate required to provide 20 armed men as their feudal levee. Thus the Duke can call out about 3000 troops.

The major industry of the March is fishing. Every Lord owns a boat or two and his people act as crew instead of farming. In times of war the 20 man levee forms into a single long-ship crew. For the most part the fish are locally consumed. However there is also whale hunting. This activity brings in cash as whale oil and other products are sold in the big city markets.

Barony of Vetur Noson

The Barony of Vetur Noson is located midway up the Slan Nyttig river, 

between Seewick on the coast and Winterstone in the hills.  

This barony was established, long ago, to mine the Kannos hills iron and nickel deposits. Although they were plentiful the mines eventually ran out. Thus the economy was reoriented to a more traditional one of agriculture. The mines were abandoned and eventually overgrown with the new Kannos Woods, creating the perfect habitat for the Grungan; a race of small Goblin-like cave dwelling creatures. Experts say they are a myth, but people believe they are real. Adventurers often go Grungan hunting in the old mines.

The Slan Nyttig River is both a blessing and a curse for the barony. The river regularly floods in spring most notably in the area downstream from the Tenner Bjon River. Thus homes tend to be built about a mile inland from the river; with a few exceptions placed on rocky hillocks.

The central area of the barony is owned directly by Baron Vetter; his castle being on the hill, overlooking the town of Pittkannot.  The town is larger than one may expect, owing to its heyday as home to a thousand minors in addition to the usual crafts peoples. In recent years several areas have become rundown and shady. It seems the Baron is allowing the brothels to become a major new industry.

The three large estates

AnnVann is the most important, having both a share of the River tax and monopoly on logging in the Allfor Woods. It also controls the main road to Seewick.

Equallin estate is well known for its horses, which often graze outside the borders. It also shares in the River tax and controls the secondary road to Seewick.

BroNos estate is large but not very profitable, being devoted to farming and sheep herding. However it has a sizable castle, built after the first conflict with Winterstone.

The lesser estates

There are 20 other estates in the barony making it very typical in terms of feudal arrangements. 

Both 19. Rogsdor and 20. Tollpoint are important because of their geography. Rogssdor controls the road to Norodor and the only bridge on the Slan Nittig. Tollpoint, as the name implies, exists to tax the river traffic coming down from Winterstone, to this end it has a solid castle.

Game note - 

In the quest to rescue the missing sister, most of the PCs crossed the Slan Nyttig river into estate 11, then rode north to meet the main road. They cut across the Nodgor river and set up their ambush at the point were the road crosses the Nodnos streem (not named on map) 

NikkelSten Estate info

Major Estate; NikkelSten (Rich Hill of Nickel)

Geography

The estate is about 5x5 km in area, with the Murad River running through its center from east to west. The farmland of the estate is the valley area, about 2km wide by 4km long. The mines are located in the hills north of the village, an old mine about half a mile away and a new mine about a mile and a half distant.

The village sits between two streams, each running down to the Murad from near the mine sites. It is more like a small town than a typical estate village, with its population of minors and craftsmen. The farmers are mostly scattered, west of the village along the main road and south of the Murat River.

Population

In many ways the estate has two population groups of nearly the same size and importance, each with their own prime interests. This makes for a troublesome population. Perhaps it is one of the reasons Lord Herewald feels he is running a kingdom rather than a simple estate.

Unlike most estates who are food exporters, NikkelSten just barely produces enough for its own needs. In some years it must import crops. Fortunately it can supply itself with the timber and live stock required to run the mine. Some lumber is cut from the northern hills but most comes from the southern forested hills. For reasons of rugged terrain, the shortest distance is not the most practical one.

Economy

The main export of the estate is nickel ore, with iron ore being a sizable second. Naturally the Baron of Winterstone takes his tribute first. Then shipments are sent down the Murad river to the Slan Nyttig river and eventually sold in the port town of Seewick. Of course some is taken in taxation by the Baron of VeturNos, who controls a long section of the river. At Seewick, Lady Gisa’s family house MyrskyRiff has the right to buy half of each shipment, before it is sold to any others. The Earl of Seewick of course has a similar right to buy, in addition to his taxation right. Unless there is a special order, three large shipments are made each year, each sent under armed guard.

 

The village area in detail. There are about 40 families living with in the walls. 

Who is Who

 

Lord : Herewald son of Ethelbert House NikkelSten

He is a rather cold and stern man, honorable but very rarely generous. He runs his estate as if it was a miniature kingdom. He is proud of his land and actively works to improve them. He hopes one day to attract a Dwarven minor to work for him. He seems to be cursed with an inability to produce sons. Even his attempts to father a bastard have all resulted in girls. He has a strong dislike for the Baron of VeturNos, who charges outrageous tolls for the use of the river. 

( He is the father of Leola, one of the PCs )

  

His wife : Gisa daughter of Wyrtgeorn

Her birth house is MyrskyRiff (Storm Reef) – an estate near the town of Seewick. Her marriage to Herewald was an economic arrangement advantageous to both families. Although he treats her well, she has never known real love and so she developed a hobby of reading romantic stories. She is well known for rewarding singers who perform epic love ballads. She is often away from the estate visiting other Ladies.  

His daughters (oldest to youngest):

Aelfgiva (age 22)

She is a perfect young lady; attractive, smart and modest. She learned very early that it was best to please her parents. Although she grew up hearing the romance stories he mother loved, she also gained a practical wisdom from watching her father.

Perhaps her only flaw, in her father’s eyes, is that she enjoys the company of Triston, the son of Baron VeturNos, who frequently around at festival time. They had met while she was at university.

Now at long last she is engaged to the perfect match – Sir Lukion of the royal guards.

  

Annabell “Ellsbeth” (age 19)

Player Character – She has always been wild and willful, working hard to get her own way.

Ymma (age 16)

She is a great admirer of her eldest sister and wants to be the perfect noble lady. She does not see the usefulness of a university education, but would prefer to find a good man sooner than later. She attends all social events on the hunt for a husband.

Fraya (age 13)

She is scornful of all lady-like delicate things. She admires Annabell and her wild ways. She recently started taking the goat trail up to Oswin’s estate to see Lady Mulbara and have some fun. (Thus she is somewhat known to Lor's family of forest dwelling fetchers.)  

People of note in the village:

Balif : Larsvag son of Ingrog

A small man, nearly a dwarf – it runs in the family, he is dedicated and tireless in his work. Although not brilliant, he has a good memory and a practical wisdom for getting things done. He is always quiet, never having to yell because Wolfbert is often hovering around to make sure any order Larswag gives is followed.

Chief man at arm : Squire Wolfbert son of Wigstan

A gruff old warrior, he was handsome in his youth. When on duty he growls at people and looks very intimidating. When off duty he tells endless stories of his own past heroics. Everyone on the estate knows the “saga of Wolfbert” most of it is exaggerated.

Village Elder : Aylmer son of Almaric

An average man in appearance he has a core of iron determination, when he sets his mind to a task. In many ways his post is more like a town mayor than a village reev, because the NikkelSten village is sizable and packed with non-farmers, it is home to most of the minors. The farmers live scattered around the estae, mostly on the other side of the river.   

His father was an obsessive record keeper, collecting endless trivia not only from the estate itself but from all over the Barony. Aylmer took up the hobby because everyone expected him to.

Village priest : Thurwade son of Sigward

The second son of the old master smith, he dedicated his life to the God of Smiths from an early age. After traveling for several years he returned and became assistant to the village cleric, then recently took on the post of chief priest. He is quite proud of his accomplishments.

Blacksmith : Thunor son of Sigward

The first son of the old master smith, he used to make fun of his younger brother for being bookish and weak. Now he is somewhat annoyed that his brother holds a higher social post than he does. Of course his own role in the community is sizable, more important than most village smiths, he controls the refining of the nickel ore which is the estate’s main commodity. 

Miller : Elfwald son of Acca

He proudly owns two mills, the village’s grain mill and the mine’s rock mill. He is a fat man with an overly familiar and friendly manner. Most would call him pompous. Although he is very smart when it comes to machines, he does very little of the actual work on them. His apprentice, a boy from Nath / now a young man, actually does most of the real work.

Tavernkeeper : Dunstan son of Eadwulf

A good friend of Wolfbert, he was a warrior until he lost his leg in battle. Fortunately his wife was heir to the Inn and so he took up working there until it passed into his hands. He still keeps his axe handy, as the minors who drink at his place often get rowdy.

Midwife : Lioba daughter of Almarica

She took over her post when her mother was banished. Lord Herwald blamed her for his failure to produce a son. Lioba feels that her job, if not her life, is in constant danger, so she is very carful. 

Master Minor : Leofric son of Oscetyl    

He was only recently promoted to his post, after the old master’s death in a cart crash. He is a polite man towards his betters and a harsh man towards his underlings. He knows all about his craft and a good deal about the politics that surround it. The minors respect him, although not many like him. 

Wedding Plans 

The union of Lady Aelfgiva, heir to the house of NikkelSten and Sir Lukion, knight of the royal guard, former squire to the king, third son of house Demsee.

The Lord's Commons will be used for notable guests to set up tents. The village commons will be used as the festivities area. Regular guests may camp along the river by the village docks. The wedding ceremony will take place in the open triangle before the Lord's keep, unless it is raining in which case it will be held in the church. Father Thurwade, the local priest will preside. 

Lords from all over the Barony are expected, also there will be some of Sir Lukion's family and his noble friends. About 200 people, including servants, must be accommodated. This does not include any commoners from near by estates who come to the party. 

The ceremony itself will be held on the 16 of Marssin (second month of spring) with festive events on the preceding and following days. A small gift is expected.

After the wedding the couple will tour the kingdom during the summer, then spend winter at house Demsee.

 

Life as a Mercenary

Naturally there will be a great deal of deviation between the low quality units who are little more than “land privateers” and the high quality companies of “freelance fighters”.

What makes a group Mercenaries 

To be an official mercenary unity you must have a charter, signed by a Baron or higher ranked noble. Quality units with have a lengthy document that sets out details about its organization and its aims, as well as a code of conduct it claims to follow. Low quality units will have a single page very similar to a ‘letter of mark’ allowing it to attack any enemy of the realm, during war time. The noble’s signature on a charter implies that he is the unit’s patron. However the link is often a weak one, and there is a long history of nobles not allowing themselves to be held responsible for the actions of “their” mercenary unit.

An adventuring company is similar but usually smaller than a mercenary unit and has a charter, if it has any, that clearly states the group will do work other than just fighting. Treasure hunting, message delivery, escort duty, and problem solving are usually listed. Frequently such a charter is simply drawn up and notarized with a town council stamp, rather than a noble’s signature. 

For some old units the charter is a mere footnote. Having been formed to fight in one war, the unit becomes an institution unto itself and continues on for generations. These companies exist as facts in the political-military environment. They are usually very large with over 100 troops, often they have a permanent camp rather like a small village.While part of the unit fights another part trains new troops and guards the camp. Their legitimacy comes from their long term existence not any paper.

At the other end spectrum are the “bastard” mercenary units, who have no legitimacy at all. Most often they are a band of brigands who have fled from their usual territory to seek a more respectable livelihood. These units are usually small and of low quality with questionable loyalty. They are seldom trusted with any important missions.

Employment & Pay

Whenever possible a unit prefers to hire people who can fight. Taking on green troops is necessary from time to time, but never the preferred choice. Low quality units will provide very little in the way of equipment, you bring whatever you can in with you. High quality units will make some attempt to standardize equipment and ensure that every troop has a basic kit including weapons and armor. Most units require new men to promises several years of service and exact serious punishment for deserters.

Pay for is usually 5 coins / day for troops, 10 coins / day for officers. However most units deduct 2 coins / day, to cover the cost of regular food & drink. In addition 1 coin / day may be taken as lodging fee. This is often a questionable fee, because troops end up camping in tents. Some units even force their troops to pay for all sorts of other things, so the average man is frequently in debt to his unit. On the bright side, most units pay double rate for any day of battle, and they have a generous policy about looting.

Most mercenary troops will actually see 10 to 12 coins / week, not a horrible wage when you consider they have very few necessary expenses. Of course very few troops keep their money; they buy alcohol, gambol and visit local pleasure houses. Getting rich enough to retire is not as easy as most new recruits think.

What mercenaries do

Generally mercenary units have two kinds of job. 1. Garrison duty, which is dull but safe, until the place comes under an attack. The unit is typically organized into 3 watches of 8 hours each and acts like any town guard. They are concerned with outside danger not with stopping petty thieves. 2. Active duty, which involves lots of marching and fighting. This is preferred by many because it offers the bigger pay days. However there is a high chance of death, especially because mercenary units are almost always on the front line.

Organization

A typical small mercenary unit will have a Captain and a Lieutenant as top officers, a mage or cleric will be recruited if possible as another officer. There will be 3 squads of 10 men, each lead by a Sergeant. This allows for effective watch duty when on garrison and is the minimal attack force of any real use. Also there will be half dozen non-combat support people to run the camp.

Variations on this basic structure are numerous. Low quality units will tend to be mix and match in terms of weapons, with only the officers having horses. High quality units will usually divide troops according to weapons type and will include a cavalry squad.

Economics 201

Economics Theory on Carsis 201

Theory and Reality

            The accepted theory holds that everything can have a value set in coins. However reality soon exposes a practical problem. There are not enough coins in existence. With in the local economy of a Barony (20x20 km area) we may find 5 large estates, 10 medium estates, 20 small estates; giving us a total agricultural market value of 2,739,000 coins. That is a lot of coins. Most regions do not have that many coins in circulation. How then does the economy function?

            First we need to consider that there are several types of coins. All theory is given in the lowest coinage value, the copper piece. There also exists the silver piece, worth 10 coppers, and the gold piece, worth 100 coppers. A simple progression of value, assuming the same weight for a coin is used.  

            Second it must be noted that all coins are not the same size / weight. Many places produce a double thickness silver piece worth 20 coppers, which are in common use and a small gold bar worth 5,000 coppers, which are quite rare.

            Returning to the market for an example:

A farmer has 100,000 lbs of potatoes for sale. According to basic fare trade theory, he would sell them in 20 lb basket for 1 coin each, earning 5,000 copper coins. That is a cumbersome amount of cash to carry around. He could be paid 500 silver coins or 50 gold coins. In reality he normally sells by the bushel, an 80 lb measure sold for 3 coins. Thus the potatoes would be sold as 1,250 bushels for 3,750 copper coins, or which would be paid in some combination of coinage.

            Direct trade is not dead:

Most likely some of the potatoes will be traded directly with craftsmen at the market for items they produce. Some will be sold to residents of the town for cash. Some will be traded with other farmers who offer different crops. Some will be sold to merchants, who transport the produce to the big cities. Some may also be sold to the less reputable “holders” merchants who are equipped to store produce until a later date when the demand drives up the price.

            Regarding the reputable merchants

            They make money if they buy in bulk at a local market, transport the produce to a city and sell it there. Their profits are fair because they add the value of transport to the produce. But the business is risky; accidents can destroy goods and bandits can run off with them. Typically a merchant will not simply trade in one commodity. He will acquire goods in the city from craftsmen, bring them to the small town market and offer them as part of the payment to the farmers for their produce. He usually acquires the goods on credit; a promises to deliver a certain amount of grain or other produce.

An element of barter occurs as the merchant enters the market. Although the documents of fair trade offer guide lines to what any product or service should be worth, nothing compels the farmer to accept an item he does not want as payment. So the merchant must make educated guesses about what will be desired.

            The reputation of the merchant is critical in two ways. First, he must be well known to the craftsmen as they are extending credit to him, offering goods now and accepting payment later. Second he must know and be known to the farmers, so he can guess what they want and avoid lengthy haggling. A merchant who provides a wanted service is a welcome sight.

            Regarding the disreputable merchants

            They are typically called holders or hoarders because they do not provide a noticeable value addition, such as transportation, to a product. They buy local crops at the end of harvest time, when the farmers want to be rid of their surplus and will sell by the bushel. They hold onto the produce until late spring, when most people, especially those in town, are running low on supplies. Then they sell at above fair prices.

            The service they provide is not a welcome one, but it can be useful. It is better to pay double the fair price than to go hungry. The claim made by these merchants is that they invested money to build storage houses and they know the best storage techniques, so they have put value into the produce just be keeping it safe. The risks they take are that rotten food can not be sold, also that robbers and rodents may diminish their supplies.  However logical these arguments are, holders seem to make money for doing nothing and thus are not very popular people.

            Back to the question of cash in the economy

            Many transactions are made item for item, based on the standard fair value of each item. For example; the local brewer may trade a gallon keg for a basket of produce. In this way he stocks up his kitchen by trading directly with the farmers. His coin profit comes from selling to the tavern, assuming he is not running the tavern himself. A similar pattern exists for other local craftsmen like the black smith and the miller. They provide goods or services in exchange for items. All transactions regulated by the guide lines of fair trade, so there is little actual bargaining or haggling involved.