Chapter 5: Trade and Commerce

“O brother of mine, I see you are skeptical. Well, well. If you don’t want to purchase this excellent copper pot for the educated lady at your side, I am sure you have your reasons. But don’t scold me for offering you the best item one can find beyond the Dogul, an excellent piece of work directly from the copper works of the beautiful Lands of the Tulamydes. It’s sad, really, and I hope passing it by will not lead to misfortune. Well, first of all, take a sip of Meskinnes. It’s no good bartering with a dry throat.

If you want to travel onwards into the Dragon Stones, then I have excellent ropes from the rope makers of Ilsur. You’ll definitely need those in the mountains! You already have rope? Well, then, I can see that you are experienced travelers and have almost everything you need for survival, eh? Do you have a hatchet to cut kindling? You don’t intend to mar your valuable sword by hacking away at innocent pieces of wood? Ah, I see, your dwarven friend has an axe. What a pity. This hatchet comes from the finest smithies of Angbar. Well, so it is.

Come, have another Meskinnes. You don’t want to grow hair on your tongue, after all. Here I have two very valuable items you can’t ignore. A precious healing potion from the workshops of the Red Salamander Society in Festum. The master who brewed this potion said that it would even wake those at Death’s door. And maybe not so special but very helpful, some haversacks packed with the best rye bread from Festum, hard-cured sausage made using game from the forests of Pandlaril, a sembelquast that melts in the mouth, and dried fruit from Seweria.

Well, brother of mine, one last drink and I’ll give you a skin of kwassetz and a small earthenware flask of thise Meskinnes you like so well, straight from my sister-in-law’s distillery in Cherrydell. Well, what do you say? Isn’t that a good offer? Are we in agreement? Fine, get out your silver and let’s shake hands on it. Here’s to your good fortune.”
—a traveling merchant of the Norbard tribe of Surjeloff, 1039 FB