Janderhoff, the overland portal to Avistan?

[Playsvillains]

Hey, guys!

I'm trying to understand Varisian trade realities (or invent them, if need be)...

Here's my main question:

----Does Janderhoff have easy access *across* the Mindspin Mountains?

I understand the Treaty of Crystalrock provided for a trade agreement between Cheliax and Janderhoff, while Korvosa was just an outpost of the former. I want to have a part of my campaign featuring the Magnimarian desire to befriend Janderhoff on its own terms, and perhaps sabotage the earlier Crystalrock Treaty...

If I'm a Magnimarian merchant, can I make provision to transport my goods up the river that leads to Janderhoff, and then pay Janderhoff a fee to get across (well, *through*, I'm hoping...) the Mindspin mountains, and thence to the whole of Avistan? Perhaps there are great freight elevators I could use to bring my goods from sea-level-ish up to the peaks, from whence I could coast down the other side into Nirmathis/Lastwall/ Fangwood... and thence to Lake Encarthan. That seems to be the logical desire, no?

This would be crucial, in my opinion, to bypassing Korvosa.

You'd accept raw goods from Garund by sea, refine them, combine them with local goods of open-sea fish, fabrics, and lumber, and then ship them up the rivers to Janderhoff where... I'm hoping that, being dwarves, they've tunneled a route *through* the Mindspins.

So everyone who's been thinking about the economics... please chime in!

Many thanks!

-Paul

[Mark Moreland]

Check out the Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale. It details the reopening of an overland pass through the Mindspins between Korvosa and Nirmathas. Long abandoned due to various natural threats, if it were reopened for trade caravans, by your PCs or otherwise, it makes a great way for Janderhoff to get good to central Avistan overland.

[Playsvillains]

Mark Moreland wrote:

Check out the Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale. It details the reopening of an overland pass through the Mindspins between Korvosa and Nirmathas. Long abandoned due to various natural threats, if it were reopened for trade caravans, by your PCs or otherwise, it makes a great way for Janderhoff to get good to central Avistan overland.

That's a good point. If the module were modified to make it a Janderhoff-ian and not Korvosan effort, and then it were assumed to be successful, they could open it to both cities.

The major problem is that it's so damn close to Korvosa, and with dwarves being such an insular people, relying on mined and forged goods and trading those for absolutely everything else (as I understand it), it makes a lot of sense that it would be Korvosa that opens... and then keeps... that pass open (as the module has it). Hard to convince the dwarves to step outside their mountain fortress, I would imagine...

I'm trying to justify the Italian City-State-ness of Magnimar (specifically I'm thinking Florence, I don't know if this has been discussed elsewhere...), and to do that, it needs to be a major artery of trade and artisan-ship. Seems like raw goods come mostly from the south, via ship, when they're not harvested locally... but the *markets* for those goods couldn't come from there. It couldn't be bi-directional. Cause it's one massive coast-line of *Enemy* (Nidal... eesh... and Cheliax).

So you've gotta puncture that eastern route (to get to 'civilization', where they'd appreciate fine goods, and have the cash for them), and it has to bypass Korvosa (who tax the hell out of everything and have serious animosity, I understand, for Magnimar).

Varisia itself is supposed to be a largely untouched wilderness. So it has little in the way of domestic markets.

Sorry if this is too complicated.

Is there another option I'm missing?

[Troubled_child]

Janderhoff as one of the sky citadels should have access to the Darklands if you want to be truly adventurous. Also you might want to look at Irrisen as a destination for trade. However the article on Magnimar in Rise of the Runelords suggests that the primary trade of the city is the exporting of artefacts from Varisia's past to Cheliax, Absalom and Osirion. You should also note that with Cheliax's expansionist dreams on hold, Cheliax shouldn't be considered a hostile coast line and should be considered a potential trade partner. The Jade Regent AP will allow you to potentially export over the Crown of the World to Tian Xia.

On a personal note, as a Shoanti player I hope to one day burn Magnimar to the ground but best of luck till then ;)

[Playsvillains]

Troubled_child wrote:

Janderhoff as one of the sky citadels should have access to the Darklands if you want to be truly adventurous. Also you might want to look at Irrisen as a destination for trade. However the article on Magnimar in Rise of the Runelords suggests that the primary trade of the city is the exporting of artefacts from Varisia's past to Cheliax, Absalom and Osirion. You should also note that with Cheliax's expansionist dreams on hold, Cheliax shouldn't be considered a hostile coast line and should be considered a potential trade partner. The Jade Regent AP will allow you to potentially export over the Crown of the World to Tian Xia.

Perfect. Lots of options to consider, thank you. Chelliax as a trading partner I'd never considered, but that's an excellent point.

Opens up all sorts of moral dilemmas, too, for PCs involved with that trade. Especially if that's a *significant* source of their wealth. :)