Varushka economic interests
The land may be dangerous, but it is also rich. It is famous for its high quality furs, creating cloaks, robes and mantles in a range of colours and styles that mean many consider Varushkan fur the only fur to wear. Varushkan trees are another source of wealth. Amber is a common export, and many Varushkan men and women sport amber jewellery. Timber is also in high demand outside Varushka, and the Nation is home to many species of majestic hard woods.
The bones of the land itself are valuable – there are many rich deposits of iron and precious metals, and quarries that produce both fine quality stone and beautiful precious gemstones. Varushkan honey is a delicacy, with different regions producing different types of honey. Connoisseurs talk about Varushkan honey in the same way one might discuss fine wine or cheese. Honey and mead are both common Varushkan exports.
Varushka does not export many finished goods. Varushkan craftsmen tend to craft for their family and community, not for the wider world. The true wealth of the nation lies in raw materials, and in that it has become a great provider for the Empire.
In Varushka, nothing is free. The supernatural threats of the nation often seem strongest where the wealth is greatest, and those seeking to make their fortunes must contend with the malign creatures that come in darkness. As a result, operating a Varushkan mine or lumberyard, or entering the forests to hunt and trap, is not an entirely mundane business. A Varushkan lumberjack will commonly mark trees with a sigil the day before they plans to fell them, marking them as theirs and announcing their intent to claim them. Miners recite charms to bind the earth around them in slumber, and hunters carry talismans and fetishes designed to conceal them from the monsters that might otherwise hunt them in turn.
Every Varushkan family whispers a word of thanks when they throw wood on their fire – not for the tree that provided the wood, but for those who braved the forest to fetch it. Varushkan wood-cutters and hunters who travel to the wildest parts of the nation for the rarest trees and the best furs, are also generally students of the occult, and learn to craft amulets against the dark things that lurk in the forests.
Not all Varushkans dwell in the vales, there are countless isolated mines, quarries and similar across the nation where hard men and women work to make their living. Few of these outposts are joined to the network of warded roads that cross the nation and lacking the constant vigilance of a community they must be constantly guarded by Schlacta. Those who work there are often regarded as foolhardy, desperately gambling their lives to make their fortune.
Most outposts are ruled by a merchant Boyar. The best eventually grow to become a true vale, as people settle there to raise a family under the protection of the Boyar and their Schlacta. The worst have a reputation for iron rule and cruel discipline, a refuge for exiles and anyone prepared to wield an axe and follow orders. Most outposts were worked by Orc slaves in the past. That practice has long been illegal but many still retain a fetid air and often employ criminals working off a punishment. Varushkan magistrates keep a close eye on those they can travel to, but the more isolated outposts are difficult to reach.
While Varushka has towns that serve as trade hubs, it has no cities – but this was not always the case. In the early years of the Empire, it was convenient for traders to bring their goods to one location to meet their counterparts from outside their Nation. Over time this settlement – Temeshwar – grew to massive size. The single Boyar and their Schlacta gave way to a council of merchant Boyars, each with their own Schlacta. As the prosperity of the city grew, its connection to the lifestyles of the valley-dwelling Varushkans of the north dwindled. It began to look inwards, and southwards. In the year 98AE, Temeshwar petitioned the League for membership, and was accepted.
While some Varushkans were outraged by this apparent treachery, the majority simply shrugged. The defence of Temeshwar was now no-longer their concern; the inhabitants had simply looked for protection elsewhere. Relations remain mostly good, and the city is still a central trade hub for many Varushkan traders. The symbiotic relationship between Varushka – rich in raw materials – and the League – rich in worked goods – has made the fortunes of merchants from both nations. Temeshwar often sends trading groups into Varushka to get better prices, and there are plenty of traders from outside the Nation that seek to bypass the city to get the best deals.
The Navarri are welcome if irregular visitors to the land. They ensure that every settlement receives news of the wider Empire and provide additional protection to those who want to travel long distances. For their part, visiting Navarri know to keep to the roads and to consult the Wise Ones and Wardens whenever they can, to ensure they do not accidentally break some important taboo and bring disaster down on their own heads, and the heads of the people they move amongst.