[Mkguild] Economy

[Raven Blackmane]

Michael Bard wrote:
> It's probably a stupid question, but WHAT DOES METAMOR EXPORT?
>
> It's a bastion to defend the countries against the barabrous wastes.  Fine.
> The counties don't like it because of the curse, but they let it survive
> because it's useful.
>
> As far as I can tell, there is no real mining or forestry industry, or cloth
> or leather or dye.  It is not a big trade centre being at the far end of the
> trade routes.  It can't export people due to the curse.  It isn't on a river
> so everything has to be shipped slowly and expensively by land.
Actually, that's not quite true; the Metamor River flows through the 
valley and comes out at Menth, which is Metamor's chief port. Trade 
goods travel downriver to Menth for shipping.
>   It is not a
> major religious or cultural centre. 
Also not true. Metamor is the birthplace of the Lothanasi Order and the 
head of the Northern Midlands chapter of the faith. It's also the seat 
of Duke Thomas, who is the King of the Northern Midlands. While Metamor 
Valley itself is limited in what it can produce (more on that below), 
the fiefdoms south of Metamor have lush farmlands, as well as forests 
and mines up along the Great Barrier Range. The city of Giftum, at the 
southern limit of Thomas's territory, is a major port that services 
ships coming in from the Sea of Stars and river boats coming down from 
Kelewair. All of this generates a large chunk of tax revenue, and Thomas 
is generally happy to take tribute from places like Giftum instead of 
soldiers (though he is calling up the troops for the summer/fall 
campaign against Nasoj).

>  It's really just a self-sufficient
> armed camp.
>
> So, why is the state of Metamor not bankrupt?
>
>   
Metamor has historically been known for its luxury items, particularly 
books and artwork. It was known as the "Jewel of the North" because of 
its high degree of cultural sophistication. True, some people now see 
the Keepers as devils, but for every person who shuns their goods for 
that reason, there's another who is drawn to them in fascination.

The Metamor Valley is also renowned throughout the western world for its 
ale. Metamor Ale is a thick, black stout that is highly prized in many 
nations; the Sathmorans are particularly fond of the stuff. The 
relatively small production runs that the Valley is capable of translate 
to higher asking prices on the international market.

Lastly, Metamor has been home to a lot of innovators, including Pascal 
the alchemist and Bryan, son of Derk, an inventor of Leonardian 
proportions. It's not hard to envision significant demand outside 
Metamor for some of their creations, such as Bryan's collapsible longbow 
and Pascal's stay-awake elixir.

Admittedly, times have been harder since Nasoj shut off most of the 
trade to the Northlands. But between Metamor's specialty goods and the 
tribute they gain from the rest of Thomas's realm -- plus, as you 
pointed out, the self-sufficiency of the Metamor Valley -- they're not 
in imminent danger of starving or going broke.

Cheers,

Raven

-- 

"I love science, and it pains me to think that so many are terrified of 
the subject or feel that choosing science means that you cannot also 
choose compassion, or the arts, or be awed by nature. Science is not 
meant to cure us of mystery, but to reinvent and reinvigorate it." 
--Robert Sapolsky