Trade goods

Overview

There are a number of exotic merchandise available to ship captains that trade with Foreign ports during Downtime, or engage in voyages of discovery. Likewise, a military captain might come into possession of unfamiliar goods due to actions such as raiding. Most of these goods are not entirely familiar to Imperial citizens - they are found only on foreign shores - and acquiring them can be a challenge. As such this list is neither exhaustive nor entirely detailed; it intentionally does not contain the full information about the trade goods described.

Axos

• Imperial fleet captains can trade directly with the Towers of Kantor and Chambers of Issyk

The small nation of Axos is very close to the Empire, and Imperial traders regularly make the journey to the Towers of Kantor and newly opened Chambers of Issyk. They specialise in odd consumables, and items related to the practice of the necromantia.

The Axou helios is an ancient symbol of the Axou people, adopted by the recent Nikitis Axou populist movement.

Axou Luxuries

• Represents money

These are items that represent money to a ship captain. They include cunningly woven shrouds, death masks of bone and wood, subtly unsettling icons and statuettes, tomes of blasphemous and heretical philosophy, dark coloured wine, and occasionally disturbingly carved wands, staffs, or wands of dark hardwood harvested in the vallorn woods of Visokuma. Characters are encouraged to create peculiar examples of Axou art as souvenirs for use on the field.

Blackened Key

• Consumable liquid

Apparently popular with students of the necromantia, this dark liquid allows any magician to speak with the dead for a short time as if they knew that particular spell, without depleting their reserves of mana. It also provides the imbiber with a sense of mortality that some find dreadful, while others reportedly find helps to sharpen their awareness of their place in Creation. There are reports that those who use this substance regularly find it easier to perceive ghosts and similar departed spirits.

Bonedust

• Consumable dust

A mildly poisonous material that is apparently literally made from ground human bones, along with several other substances native to Axos. It is reportedly used by Axou priests without access to liao when they perform spiritual ceremonies. There is some evidence that it is poisonous, and may make anyone not familiar with its use very ill. It is also known to provide peculiar, dreamy visions of death and the dead. Indeed in 384YE the Imperial Censor discussed interdicting the material (although the Imperial Conclave ultimately chose not to do so). There is known to be a more powerful version of bone dust that has properties similar to True Liao but use of this very rare substance is invariably fatal. It is not often used in Axos, especially given their attitudes to death, and generally not available for purchase.

Lamia

• Consumable salve

A magical salve favoured by Axou battle-magicians and practitioners of Winter magic. It reportedly acts a little like vis, but with a narrower application. It provides power to rituals of Winter magic that involve personal survival, although it is also known to have some odd effects on those who use it. There are disturbing anecdotal accounts of those who make extensive use of lamia becoming unnaturally inured to murder and violence.

Masks of the Citadels

• Ribboned Item

The newly established Grand Council of Axos has determined to make some of the rarer goods produced in Axos available to visiting Imperial captains. The Masks of the Citadel are apparently magical foci that empower certain ritual magics favoured by the descendants of the sorcerer-kings. Such masks differ from those popular in places like Sarvos in that they are usually full-face masks, often made of porcelain or fired clay, and decoration is usually sparse and symbolic. Each of the six citadels apparently has a trademark mask that is used extensively by magicians that claim a connection to one of the founders of the nation.

Sable

• Consumable liquid

This black ink-like liquid provides the user with freedom from any feelings of guilt and shame they might experience. It is apparently quite popular in some parts of Axos with politicians, generals, and those haunted by dark deeds they performed. The drug is very similar to that known as Stoneheart Syrup in the Sarcophan Delves, although its not clear if one nation is simply buying it from the other and selling it on or it is an example of convergent development. It is also sometimes known as Kraken's Ink, although that name has fallen out of favour now that there is actual kraken's ink being brought into the Empire by hunters on the Sea of Snow.

Serenity

• Consumable powder

A prestigious drug that causes sensations of absolute calm and tranquillity when consumed. It is apparently much favoured as a recreational substance by wealthy Axou who appreciate the ability to put aside the worries of their day and relax despite all the challenges of existing in such a dog-eat-dog society as the citadels of Axos.

Tomb Dust

• Consumable dust

As a nation dominated by magicians, Axos produces a large amount of crystal mana. Sometimes there is sufficient surplus that it is available to purchase, but increasingly Axou merchants are dealing in tomb dust. This is a consumable that takes the form of dust or sometimes resin that is either snorted or burned in a flame and the smoke inhaled. It allows the user to tap into their personal reserves of strength to power their magic in a manner familiar to apothecaries who make a study of ritual potions. There are several varieties of tomb dust depending where it is gathered and how it is prepared, effecting what kinds of rituals it can be used with, but they all apparently bear a touch of necromantia about them. Indeed some Axou magicians speak not of using their personal mana, but of offering it to the ghosts of the dead who consume it and then provide their own supernatural assistance to the ritual being performed - an unlikely story but one that is hard to prove one way or another.

Tombstone

• Consumable powder

Also known as Tarfos, this is a powder that when consumed insulates one from the emotion of fear. It is very popular with Axou soldiers, pit fighters, criminals, and a small number of very dangerous ritual magicians. Repeated use of Tarfos apparently increases the threat of death - not because it is particularly venomous but because an absence of fear can lead to users failing to run away from obviously fatal situations.

Unwound Coil

• Consumable paste

Most of this medicinal compound is produced in the Tunnels of Kaban from a variety of local fungus mixed with ground bonemeal. The oily substance has a distinct burnt smell, and is often used by Axou physicks as an analgesic. Like Bonedust the Unwound Coil has recently been discussed in Conclave, although the outcome was inconclusive. Used correctly, the paste causes fear and anxiety to melt away, leaving the user with a sense of profound calm; there is some evidence however that this state also interferes with the ability of a user to employ spiritual ceremonies.

Commonwealth

• Imperial fleet captains can trade directly with the ports of Volkavaar and Leerdam

The great power of the Commonwealth lies across the Sea of Steel to the west of the Empire. It shares a continent with the Principalities of Jarm who are its constant rivals. Commonwealth ports offer wholesome consumables, and various goods that offer assistance to soldiers and warriors.

Bloodclay

• Consumable salve

Known to Commonwealth healers and military folk as Blutlehm this is a deep red clay-like substance found alongside weltsilver veins across the Commonwealth. It has been harvested for centuries as a useful medicinal tool in its own right, but quickly loses potence when exposed to air and sunlight. Fifty years ago a wife-and-husband team, Maria and Petrus Heiling, found a way to use ambergelt to preserve its useful life-giving properties. "Bloodclay" was the result, a thick earthy salve that even the most inept use can apply to prevent death. This consumable closes bleeding wounds and will bring anyone who is still alive back from the brink of death. It has proved very popular indeed with Commonwealth soldiers.

Draught of Clear Headedness

• Consumable liquid

Known in the Gesamemanspreche as Getränk der Klarheit, which translates very roughly as "Draught of Clear Headedness", this is a tonic made with carefully refined bladeroot and marrowort, infused with water drawn from deep limestone wells, and the pressed juice of a rare mountain flower. The recipe for Klarheit is a carefully guarded secret among alpine communities around Volkavaar dedicated to the Commonwealth state religion, but it puts some Imperial apothecary in mind of the Tisanes of the Labyrinth. It specifically enhances the ability of someone familiar with liao ceremonies to banish unwanted auras, drive away malign spirits, end hauntings, and even (it is whispered) sever spiritually awakened folk from the ability to create auras. It also has a more mundane use - it helps clear the mind and allow one to focus despite distractions or confusion.

Hero Stone

• Consumable stone

The western provinces of the Commonwealth are rich in white granite and weltsilver, but also some minerals unknown in the Empire. Heldenstein - "hero stone" - is a smooth golden stone that possesses magical properties. Shaped and polished, the best examples have the ability to empower certain kinds of ritual magic. It is in demand among Commonwealth magicians, but there is enough of a surplus to make it available to foreign traders. It functions a little like the vis all magicians are familiar with but rather than helping to perform rituals of a certain realm it provides magical energy to any Summer magic ritual that enchants an individual with greater prowess or strength.

Little Iron Fist

The "Little Iron Fist" or Eisenfaust a talisman constructed in the form of a ring of iron or, in some cases, an entire iron gauntlet crusted with tempest jade. It is of particular use to a battle mage. As long as the attuned wearer already knows how to cast the repel spell they can do so an additional time each day without depleting their reserves of personal mana. There are apparently two other, increasingly potent, versions of this talisman made by Commonwealth artisans, but they are not available for sale on the open market.

Soldier's Booze

• Consumable liquid

This mildly alcoholic tonic is very popular with Commonwealth soldiers who can afford it, and many carry a draught of Soldatentrunkin a metal flask inscribed with images of their home town or city. It is by all accounts created to a very old recipe, its local name a somewhat quaint term that roughly translates as "Soldier's Booze". The herbs used to brew it are steeped in alcoholic spirits, and it is apparently possible to determine where in the Commonwealth a sample of this tonic comes from by taste alone. Drunk and savoured, this liquid acts as a powerful healing potion that also alleviates the effects of venom. While the Commonwealth have never really encountered the Druj, some soldiers who have visited the Empire joke that they could drive the orcs of the Mallum away by breathing on them after drinking enough Soldatentrunk.

War Amulets

• Ribboned Item

Kriegsamulett are metal medallions, usually fashioned of some alloy of orichalcum, with dragonbone insets and generally depicting something that is a source of pride to the people of an area - a banner design, a motto, a local hero, an animal with a particular affinity for a place. They are another item popular among soldiers; a talisman that allows them to draw on reserves of strength on the battlefield. According to Imperial artisans who have had the opportunity to examine them, they are magic items that allow someone who already knows how to deliver a cleaving strike, mighty strikedown, or mortal blow to do so more often.

Soul Honey

• Consumable salve

Known as Seelenhonig, this is a pale preparation with a sticky base made from a certain kind of honey cultivated in the eastern Commonwealth. The salve it produces looks a little like white butter, but it has a distinctive smell described as "summery". Smeared on the cheeks under the eyes, across the brow, and on the backs of the wrists, "Soul Honey" helps strengthen the will of the one who uses it. In some ways it is similar to the effect of auras created by anointing (anathema to a nation that is deeply suspicious of auras in general), but rather than filling one with a virtuous impulse it is described as giving a profound sense of who one is.

Spice Paste

• Consumable spices

The Commonwealth is proud of its cuisine and proud of Würzpaste. Imperial traders call it "Spice Paste" but the merchants of Volkavaar say that the name fails to capture the specific resonance of wholesome magic it has for their people. It is a combination of herbs, salt, carefully shaved marrowort root, and (if local legend is to believed) a dash of honey from the Wald der Widersprüche (the "Forest of Contradictions", a Commonwealth term for the Primal Forest). This preparation is usually sold in small pouches. Mixed with a warm meal - usually a bowl of stew or soup - it unlocks wholesome magical properties. An individual who eats a bowl of food sprinkled with a whole pouch of Würzpaste finds their zest for life greatly increased, providing them with both greater endurance and fortitude for a time.

Principalities of Jarm

• Imperial fleet captains cannot currently trade with any Jarmish port

The Principalities of Jarm are a powerful nation dominated by the magician-princes and their families. Their sprawling nation lies across the Sea of Steel to the west of the Empire and sharesa continent with its eternal rival, the Commonwealth. Jarmish trade goods usually focus on items of value to magicians and battle mages.

Star Jewels

• Ribboned Item

Magicians rule in Jarm, more so than in any other nation of the known world. Their artisans are well versed in making useful talismans for use by spellcasters and ritual magicians. One common example are the star jewels - enchanted foci keyed to the constellations. These talismans are used by skilled Jarmish magicians to wield incantations more frequently, often on the battlefield. As with many magical items the strength of the individual star jewel varies depending on how expensive the materials used to create them are but even the weakest would allow a magician to cast - or in some cases swift cast - a specific spell at least two additional times each day. Even in Jarm the secrets of their manufacture are closely guarded by a handful of families foremost amongst whom are the Kobarid, who in the past have attempted to open trade links with the Empire - unsuccessfully. It is also a mystery what "keyed to the constellations" means. Is this a simple matter of the items being designed with specific constellations in mind, or is there a direct connection with the power they provide and the arts of astronomancy?

Jarmish Spices

• Consumable spices

Jarm is known for its complex and expensive spices, many of which have avowedly supernatural effects on those who consume them. Unlike a traditional potion, the Jarmish spices are not simply drunk but rather they are mixed with food or in some cases beverages, and consumed in that manner. A pouch of Jarmish spice flavours a single serving of food or drink, and bestows its effects on whoever eats that portion. It is apparently common for a Jarmish coven to share a meal before any significant ritual, each magician flavouring their plate or bowl with a suitable spice. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some spices have been cultivated in such a way that they are potentially harmful when consumed by anyone who is not a magician, but a close examination of these claims has yet to be made.

Further Reading

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