One of the liveliest aspects of many of Avalon's smaller settlements is their feverish bids to out-do their competitors in trading. The network of villages which speckle the continent produce the various commodities which are used by the major cities to fashion the items they need. A shirt, for instance, requires some cloth and some dyes, while an apple pie would require wheat, sugar, spices and fruit. Generally villages trade with their nearest major city via trading caravans controlled by the leaders of the cities, though it is equally possible for an individual trader or representative of another city to travel to a village and purchase goods directly. You will notice the price of a commodity will fluctuate depending on demand, production and surplus.
Trading is the lifeblood of the continent, its veins and arteries outlined by the countless routes between every village, town and city. By day and by night you can see trading wagons heavily laden with produce careering through this vast network. Should the route be broken, then all will suffer. Insufficient salt could lead to a food shortage, or lack of wood would cause scarcities in a multitude of items (staves, wands, bows, boxes, etc).
Want more info? See for example HELP TRADE for details of the commodity trading and the ministries involved; HELP MARKETS for info on merchants and marketplaces; HELP COMMODITIES and HELP COMMS for insight into the many commodities and a list of commodities and trade prices currently found in villages of the mainland. There are some who become involved in the trading and commodity producing facets of Avalon life and never leave it. Farming and Labours become the focal skills of their career (see HELP FARMING and HELP LABOURS).
Wealth and influence has a habit of following these mercantile persona with a curious consistency.!
