Trade and the Economy

Perrenland is a wealthy and generally self-sufficient nation. The country produces sufficient agricultural produce and livestock that it does not need to import food, and is an exporter of luxury foodstuffs such as cheeses and schokolade (chocolate).

The principal national export is mercenaries, who bring coin from other nations back to Perrenland when they demobilise and return home. Fortunately, the inflationary effect of this influx of foreign wealth is limited because most mercenaries spend most of their wages while on route to Perrenland. Perrenland is also a major exporter of copper from the western Yatils and the Mounds of Dawn. Major imports include lumber and other wooden goods from Highfolk and the Vesve, luxury cloths and silks from the Baklunish west, and other luxury goods (such as fine wines and hand-written books).

Most international trade travels along the Velverdyva River, as do most travellers, who leave Perrenland through Highfolk for the central Flanaess. There are also established trade routes to Ket along the Krestingtrek, to the Wolf Nomads through Traft, and to Tusmit through the recently-opened tunnels of Khundholm.

Within Perrenland, most industries and professions are self-regulated by trade guilds, whose members (often called master, for example master baker, master smith) supervise the training of apprentices and their development into skilled professionals capable of earning an independent living. Membership of a guild is usually earned by demonstrating your ability to produce quality merchandise without requiring supervision and by paying an annual fee.

Most guilds are limited in scope to a town or city, though a small number of guilds (typically those where a town may only have enough business for one or two shops - for example, cartographers) are canton-wide or even nation-wide in scope. The trade guilds elect their own representative to the Concatenated Council of All Perrenland, and the arrangements needed to facilitate the electoral process encourage links between guilds in different parts of Perrenland.