Trade is a thing that happens all over the dragonscape. This drek is part of a collection of tribes in British Columbia known as The Masquerade. Though many of the items on their trader travois could be items that you would expect to find all over the DragonScape, as some little explanations on each.
going left to right, items in the travois and then on the ground, as some things were removed for image clarity and put on the "ground"
1) Cedarbark sash: Cedarbark is a very high value material in all the major regions of British Columbia, even cultures that might not be able to make it might trade it at a high barter and it is easy to transport. It is common for traders to wear things that they wouldn't have a problem giving away, you use the space you got.
2) Scalehides are a very good resource to have, they're common but most villages are happy to have some more as you can turn it into anything from clothing to shelter roofing, you can use it decoratively or use it as matting to not clop your hooves in the mud, all sorts of things and most drekir are pretty happy to trade away scalehide. I would expect more on this travois though I wanted the image to be somewhat understandable
2) Alcohol is something you see all over the dragonscape, roughly fermented fruits, mushrooms, meats, and vegetables for the pleasure of getting drunk. While drinking alcohol works very differently with drekir due to their ectotherm and metabolic rate, they can still get drunk. And in most every region there is an alcohol of some type. Amongst the tribes of the Masquerade they mostly make Dolberry wine, which is a very Mealy and sour wine
3) Oats are a common starch in the region, they are one of the plants that hasn't changed much from the prepulse aside from going wild and being a lot less effecient of a crop, though it is commonly gathered and sometimes grown. While drekir are omnivores with a heavy meat diet, starches still help a drek balance out their caloric intake and is an easier way to feed oneself. Though wild oats are mostly harvested as agriculture is somewhat limited in the region it is a very popular travel food as it keeps very well. And it might be traded situationally though it's more for the traders than the customers
4) Axes are a common tool in conjunction with adzes, while axes are not the perfect ergonomic tool for drekir it's still often made from either 1st gen familiarity or because drekir haven't figured out a better wood processing tool. Tools are commonly traded as general items in barter
5) Parsley Root is a common spice in the region as it grows naturally, it is difficult to harvest properly as the parsley root will burrow deeper underground if people try to dig it out, making it a laborous plant to harvest. But as spices are a very important trade in the dragonscape it's no different here, it's a spice people want and it carries some notable value. Amongst the Masquerade tribes they like to use it for Skrimir meat, as the earthy spice compliments the gamey skrimir pine snake meat
6) Pottery is sorta a masquerade special, they try to make "blank" pots for trade as generally the drekir they trade with like to decorate the pots themselves. Considering they have a lot of clay and have, over the past 50 years, developed a great skill for primitive pottery has made them a great source of pottery in the regions of BC. They try to make them in as many shapes and sizes as possible and there are often tons of pots in a typical Travois (even in just drekir travois in general)
7) Knives are a general purpose tool, you process wood, meat, hide, fibers, mud, basically everything with this and many drekir will keep a stone knife on their person as they work day to day. Knives are very common though some drekir are content with giving away a handful of klangur catches or some Magalar eggs in exchange for a knife that they don't have to knap or grind
8) Masks are typically taken on the route for masquerade traders. Missionary work is typical of most drekir tribes, as like the sivilao they tend to think that they have the world figured out and need to help/save other folks. So they like to try and trade or give masks to other drekir to help protect them from the demons that they wear their own masks for. The masks are also sometimes used as backup masks in case a mask breaks on the road which happens. This mask in particular is meant for a stop at a local mouth cave that is home to a small tribe of cave drekir
it is likely noone will take it
9) Wyrl Blankets are a serious luxury in the region as there isn't any big pastoral cultures in the region, or at least not ones that specialize in herding wyrms. So this had to of been a rare luxury from outside of the region (probably from previous trade with the otterboy culture villages) So this would go for a high barter amongst these traders. It's a rare item and a very nice item to have in the cold and humid pacific northwestern temperate rainforest
10) Spears, like tools, are a popular sell as again, drekir if they can help it don't always want to make their own tools. though like knives, spears wouldn't be a thing you would be bartering much for, perhaps some easy food so you don't need to hunt on that night. Easy sells like these are common amongst traders as if they can't score an egg trade to lay in the hay for a tenth day then it can at least bag a trade of food for your caravan
now left to right on the mat
11) Decorated pots are sometimes traded, these are typically pots that the tribe used for a while and may not want for one reason or another so instead of just getting rid of it, they're trying to trade it off to a tribe that may want it
12) Atlatls are common weapons in many drekir cultures, and unlike weapons like slings or simple javelins they can range from very expedient and improvised atlatls made of branches to ornate and heavily decorated carved ones. Atlatls in many BC cultures are something of a status symbol between tribes and it is common for cultures like the Seattlan villages to wear atlatls as a fashion accessory in addition to a tool. So making nice looking atlatls may attract a drek who wants a cool atlatl (to get all the boys n gals of course) but isn't a hunter or doesn't want to make their own
13) Atlatl Darts and Quiver as if you are serious about throwing some darts then of course the trader is gonna try and barter something from you for those too for similar reasons as the atlatl this can work pretty well
14) Pilpipes are common throughout the pacific northwest as a natural flower known as colloquially as the "pilver" which is a ohndemic flower that, when ground and smoked, is a mild psychoactive drug due to natural alchemical processes in the plant. So many cultures have made pilpipes for smoking the drug and it is common that some adolescent drek wants to get in on the pilver and needs a pipe
15) Dart heads, if you already have an atlatl that you like it is common for traders to also pitch things like dart heads (or in other regions things like slingstones or javelin heads) so that a customer can save time. "You don't need to bug your denmates to knap a nice dart head, we'll trade you these ones!" type of deal. As while tribes are mostly self sufficient saving time (and not having to bug your den knapper) are good incentives for a drek to trade
16) Salt, sorry i missed salt. Salt is a HUGELY valuable spice and mineral that is difficult to get in this region (at least to my knowledge there are no big salt mines in BC). Salt has a ton of uses from food preservation to medicinal uses, and even just flavor. So any trader worth their salt will keep some salt on them to trade with local villages, it is a thing that everyone wants and it's easy to get a good barter deal from a handful of salt
17) Canadian Chert is a resource that is mostly dominated by the Masquerade tribes, and as such it's something that is almost always in their travois, as they know they can trade it easily and for a good deal in their favor. While other drekir cultures have become accustomed to grinding rocks into points, knapping is faster and if possible they would rather just surrender some of their own posessions in return for some good chert
I imagine they would actually have a lot more rocks than this but I didn't know how to draw that without blocking the image, so the chert there is just a small sample
18) Alcohol Again, sometimes you just need to lap up a bitta booze
19) Firespell flint is a magical material made from unevenly compressing mana in a rapid and aggressive manner I think i've talked about it as a material. Firespell flint is possibly the most traded of spell flints as having a knappable rock of fire is invaluable. A drek can use it as a light source or start a fire without having to rub sticks together or get a fire mage, it's a source of warmth that can be worn which is critical in winter or cold conditions to not immediately freeze to death. So most traders the dragonscape over have figured out that keeping a rock of firespell flint with them as just always a good idea
20) The protective mat is just made of woven plant fibers with no particular plant matter in mind. It's primary purpose is to go over the top of the travois to keep rain, insects, and other environmental issues from getting into the travois's stock. While traders don't always do this, sometimes they might trade the mat away if they have run out of things to trade or are just trying to get back home and need a bit of somethin to help them get there
some other things that aren't pictured
1) Raw Clay is a common good to trade, just because pottery is nice to have and raw clay is a good resource
2) Alchemicals that range from medicinal to poisons to drugs to non consumable alchemicals that are of use are frequently traded
3) Animals as sometimes traders might take a small animals like Bulver, Juklir, or Klangur that they have caught and/or domesticated and trade them live to other drekir. As a living animal is as fresh as can be and meat is always a nice sell
(seriously just read up on the live animal trading that went on historically its a very common practice)
this can also be things like live eggs that can be hatched by the village to get them started on animal husbandry
4) Prostitution, as drekir are a very polygamous species, there are few qualms about getting down and dirty with another if it means you get the product you want. This can vary by culture but it is common for both males and females to engage in sex trades to get the goods or services they want when working with or as a trader.
5) Labor, as sometimes traders might be in a village for a few days by sheer circumstance and labor may be offered in return for a product, building, crafting, hunting, butchering, gardening, etc. it's an easy trade to just get a trader to do you a favor in return for that thing they want. Traders often use this to hire guards or guides in regions they aren't familiar with. Offering cool stuff in return for things like guarding and guiding
6) Decorative and pretty things, from seashells and natural stones to plastone and lovely pieces of jewelry, body paint or decorations are commonly given to drekir, as some villages love seashells (for example) but may not be close enough to the coast
And some objectives in trading
So when a caravan arrives to a village and starts bartering there they are tending to try and do one of two things
1) The obvious thing, get valuable goods, resources, tools or technology to return to their own village to better themselves
2) get things that they might not want for their village but know they could trade to another group of drekir for something that is potentially better
so it is common that, as a caravan winds through the known trade routes, to trade off some things and pack on new things that are just traded away in other villages. So the things on a travois are always changing according to how the last deals went and what the drekir have picked out to trade to the next village on their route in 2 or so weeks
so the stuff you see a caravan off with might be completely replaced in 3 or 4 weeks as that group of drekir continue through the route
Trade Routes
Obviously vary wildly, there are two common sorts of systems that shake out though
1) The drekir trade in a massive circle, basically running around back into their original village in a large circle
2) They simply take a one way road up and down, passing through the same villages twice as they return back to their home village
depending on the culture they do different things on the route
I would say the Masquerade is more of category two, they pick a route (North, South, or East), walk that route for about 2-3 months
hit the end of their route, and then turn around to walk back to their village for about another 2-3 months, perhaps a bit shorter thanks to them not stopping at every village wall or nomadic tribal encounter to trade things
going left to right, items in the travois and then on the ground, as some things were removed for image clarity and put on the "ground"
1) Cedarbark sash: Cedarbark is a very high value material in all the major regions of British Columbia, even cultures that might not be able to make it might trade it at a high barter and it is easy to transport. It is common for traders to wear things that they wouldn't have a problem giving away, you use the space you got.
2) Scalehides are a very good resource to have, they're common but most villages are happy to have some more as you can turn it into anything from clothing to shelter roofing, you can use it decoratively or use it as matting to not clop your hooves in the mud, all sorts of things and most drekir are pretty happy to trade away scalehide. I would expect more on this travois though I wanted the image to be somewhat understandable
2) Alcohol is something you see all over the dragonscape, roughly fermented fruits, mushrooms, meats, and vegetables for the pleasure of getting drunk. While drinking alcohol works very differently with drekir due to their ectotherm and metabolic rate, they can still get drunk. And in most every region there is an alcohol of some type. Amongst the tribes of the Masquerade they mostly make Dolberry wine, which is a very Mealy and sour wine
3) Oats are a common starch in the region, they are one of the plants that hasn't changed much from the prepulse aside from going wild and being a lot less effecient of a crop, though it is commonly gathered and sometimes grown. While drekir are omnivores with a heavy meat diet, starches still help a drek balance out their caloric intake and is an easier way to feed oneself. Though wild oats are mostly harvested as agriculture is somewhat limited in the region it is a very popular travel food as it keeps very well. And it might be traded situationally though it's more for the traders than the customers
4) Axes are a common tool in conjunction with adzes, while axes are not the perfect ergonomic tool for drekir it's still often made from either 1st gen familiarity or because drekir haven't figured out a better wood processing tool. Tools are commonly traded as general items in barter
5) Parsley Root is a common spice in the region as it grows naturally, it is difficult to harvest properly as the parsley root will burrow deeper underground if people try to dig it out, making it a laborous plant to harvest. But as spices are a very important trade in the dragonscape it's no different here, it's a spice people want and it carries some notable value. Amongst the Masquerade tribes they like to use it for Skrimir meat, as the earthy spice compliments the gamey skrimir pine snake meat
6) Pottery is sorta a masquerade special, they try to make "blank" pots for trade as generally the drekir they trade with like to decorate the pots themselves. Considering they have a lot of clay and have, over the past 50 years, developed a great skill for primitive pottery has made them a great source of pottery in the regions of BC. They try to make them in as many shapes and sizes as possible and there are often tons of pots in a typical Travois (even in just drekir travois in general)
7) Knives are a general purpose tool, you process wood, meat, hide, fibers, mud, basically everything with this and many drekir will keep a stone knife on their person as they work day to day. Knives are very common though some drekir are content with giving away a handful of klangur catches or some Magalar eggs in exchange for a knife that they don't have to knap or grind
8) Masks are typically taken on the route for masquerade traders. Missionary work is typical of most drekir tribes, as like the sivilao they tend to think that they have the world figured out and need to help/save other folks. So they like to try and trade or give masks to other drekir to help protect them from the demons that they wear their own masks for. The masks are also sometimes used as backup masks in case a mask breaks on the road which happens. This mask in particular is meant for a stop at a local mouth cave that is home to a small tribe of cave drekir
it is likely noone will take it
9) Wyrl Blankets are a serious luxury in the region as there isn't any big pastoral cultures in the region, or at least not ones that specialize in herding wyrms. So this had to of been a rare luxury from outside of the region (probably from previous trade with the otterboy culture villages) So this would go for a high barter amongst these traders. It's a rare item and a very nice item to have in the cold and humid pacific northwestern temperate rainforest
10) Spears, like tools, are a popular sell as again, drekir if they can help it don't always want to make their own tools. though like knives, spears wouldn't be a thing you would be bartering much for, perhaps some easy food so you don't need to hunt on that night. Easy sells like these are common amongst traders as if they can't score an egg trade to lay in the hay for a tenth day then it can at least bag a trade of food for your caravan
now left to right on the mat
11) Decorated pots are sometimes traded, these are typically pots that the tribe used for a while and may not want for one reason or another so instead of just getting rid of it, they're trying to trade it off to a tribe that may want it
12) Atlatls are common weapons in many drekir cultures, and unlike weapons like slings or simple javelins they can range from very expedient and improvised atlatls made of branches to ornate and heavily decorated carved ones. Atlatls in many BC cultures are something of a status symbol between tribes and it is common for cultures like the Seattlan villages to wear atlatls as a fashion accessory in addition to a tool. So making nice looking atlatls may attract a drek who wants a cool atlatl (to get all the boys n gals of course) but isn't a hunter or doesn't want to make their own
13) Atlatl Darts and Quiver as if you are serious about throwing some darts then of course the trader is gonna try and barter something from you for those too for similar reasons as the atlatl this can work pretty well
14) Pilpipes are common throughout the pacific northwest as a natural flower known as colloquially as the "pilver" which is a ohndemic flower that, when ground and smoked, is a mild psychoactive drug due to natural alchemical processes in the plant. So many cultures have made pilpipes for smoking the drug and it is common that some adolescent drek wants to get in on the pilver and needs a pipe
15) Dart heads, if you already have an atlatl that you like it is common for traders to also pitch things like dart heads (or in other regions things like slingstones or javelin heads) so that a customer can save time. "You don't need to bug your denmates to knap a nice dart head, we'll trade you these ones!" type of deal. As while tribes are mostly self sufficient saving time (and not having to bug your den knapper) are good incentives for a drek to trade
16) Salt, sorry i missed salt. Salt is a HUGELY valuable spice and mineral that is difficult to get in this region (at least to my knowledge there are no big salt mines in BC). Salt has a ton of uses from food preservation to medicinal uses, and even just flavor. So any trader worth their salt will keep some salt on them to trade with local villages, it is a thing that everyone wants and it's easy to get a good barter deal from a handful of salt
17) Canadian Chert is a resource that is mostly dominated by the Masquerade tribes, and as such it's something that is almost always in their travois, as they know they can trade it easily and for a good deal in their favor. While other drekir cultures have become accustomed to grinding rocks into points, knapping is faster and if possible they would rather just surrender some of their own posessions in return for some good chert
I imagine they would actually have a lot more rocks than this but I didn't know how to draw that without blocking the image, so the chert there is just a small sample
18) Alcohol Again, sometimes you just need to lap up a bitta booze
19) Firespell flint is a magical material made from unevenly compressing mana in a rapid and aggressive manner I think i've talked about it as a material. Firespell flint is possibly the most traded of spell flints as having a knappable rock of fire is invaluable. A drek can use it as a light source or start a fire without having to rub sticks together or get a fire mage, it's a source of warmth that can be worn which is critical in winter or cold conditions to not immediately freeze to death. So most traders the dragonscape over have figured out that keeping a rock of firespell flint with them as just always a good idea
20) The protective mat is just made of woven plant fibers with no particular plant matter in mind. It's primary purpose is to go over the top of the travois to keep rain, insects, and other environmental issues from getting into the travois's stock. While traders don't always do this, sometimes they might trade the mat away if they have run out of things to trade or are just trying to get back home and need a bit of somethin to help them get there
some other things that aren't pictured
1) Raw Clay is a common good to trade, just because pottery is nice to have and raw clay is a good resource
2) Alchemicals that range from medicinal to poisons to drugs to non consumable alchemicals that are of use are frequently traded
3) Animals as sometimes traders might take a small animals like Bulver, Juklir, or Klangur that they have caught and/or domesticated and trade them live to other drekir. As a living animal is as fresh as can be and meat is always a nice sell
(seriously just read up on the live animal trading that went on historically its a very common practice)
this can also be things like live eggs that can be hatched by the village to get them started on animal husbandry
4) Prostitution, as drekir are a very polygamous species, there are few qualms about getting down and dirty with another if it means you get the product you want. This can vary by culture but it is common for both males and females to engage in sex trades to get the goods or services they want when working with or as a trader.
5) Labor, as sometimes traders might be in a village for a few days by sheer circumstance and labor may be offered in return for a product, building, crafting, hunting, butchering, gardening, etc. it's an easy trade to just get a trader to do you a favor in return for that thing they want. Traders often use this to hire guards or guides in regions they aren't familiar with. Offering cool stuff in return for things like guarding and guiding
6) Decorative and pretty things, from seashells and natural stones to plastone and lovely pieces of jewelry, body paint or decorations are commonly given to drekir, as some villages love seashells (for example) but may not be close enough to the coast
And some objectives in trading
So when a caravan arrives to a village and starts bartering there they are tending to try and do one of two things
1) The obvious thing, get valuable goods, resources, tools or technology to return to their own village to better themselves
2) get things that they might not want for their village but know they could trade to another group of drekir for something that is potentially better
so it is common that, as a caravan winds through the known trade routes, to trade off some things and pack on new things that are just traded away in other villages. So the things on a travois are always changing according to how the last deals went and what the drekir have picked out to trade to the next village on their route in 2 or so weeks
so the stuff you see a caravan off with might be completely replaced in 3 or 4 weeks as that group of drekir continue through the route
Trade Routes
Obviously vary wildly, there are two common sorts of systems that shake out though
1) The drekir trade in a massive circle, basically running around back into their original village in a large circle
2) They simply take a one way road up and down, passing through the same villages twice as they return back to their home village
depending on the culture they do different things on the route
I would say the Masquerade is more of category two, they pick a route (North, South, or East), walk that route for about 2-3 months
hit the end of their route, and then turn around to walk back to their village for about another 2-3 months, perhaps a bit shorter thanks to them not stopping at every village wall or nomadic tribal encounter to trade things
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