Merchant Houses are the lifeblood of the land. If strongholds represent the bones that allows a community or nation to grow – Merchant Houses are the blood that circulates goods and ideas between them. Merchant houses enable trade, they are the outlet for the goods a community produces, enable transportation for one area to another and bring in the items a town needs to develop - as well delivering a few foreign luxuries.

Merchant houses start small - perhaps just a single serai, mule train (or a Jetty with fishing boat) and shop to serve s the local community. They bring goods and produce from the surrounding countryside and sell it in their own settlement. Then they take the produce from their town back along the same route. Once they have office, warehouses and more sophisticated forms of transport, they start trading with local towns.

As a merchant house grows, it develops a network of trade links, and their specialist stores start to play an influential role in their local economy. A well-established Merchant House will have a presence many settlements and communities. The most powerful, will link cities and metropolises across the world! Don't forget that a wealthy merchant may well buy homes in all the places they trade, and they probably have at least one Noble or Aristocratic quality house somewhere.

Merchant Houses progress by building Merchant Bases and Trade Routes.

From starting out small, in a single village or small town, a merchant can grow to become a Merchant Prince - with homes and businesses that fall into three or four jurisdictions. This means that if they fall out with one local ruler, they can move their home and business to another area. In some ways, they have more independence than ruling princes - but without the titles that go with it.

Merchant Houses have three big advantages that most other business don't have.

• Special Economy - all the Ships, Boats, Trade Trains and Caravans are listed as special economy. This does not affect the size of a settlement, so once you have your Jetty or Serai, you can add boats and mules without asking permission. This is a big advantage, as the land owner can't ask you for a social contribution. Most other businesses expect to pay 0.5pc per point of investment 'tax' - You get your mules, Oxen, vessels etc, Investment Tax free.
• Merchant Bases - If you establish a merchant base (a specific collection of land based developments) you earn extra BP each Campaign Round. This represents the amount of control that you have over goods arriving and being sold in the settlement - and you can do this once (in some cases, twice) for each settlement. No other business gets this sort of benefit at all.
• Trade Routes - there are always established trade routes in a world - Roads and Rivers that allow trade between different parts of the world. If you can link different trading regions together, you can get a bonus for that as well - the better the link, the bigger the bonus :) However your company may only benefit from one trade link between countries, regions, provinces. For Example, DELEM has a 'Trade Route' between Restov and Tusk. Restov is the main trading city in Southern Region, Restov is an independent City. Delem can't now establish a minor trade route between Nikvata's and New Dawn - because Nikvata's is part of Restov and New Dawn is part of Southern and it is, effectively, the same trade route. A competing trade house can establish their own 'trade route' between Restov and Tusk - but one trade hose can't have two different trade routes between the same two political entities. NOTE: You cannot get trade route benefits from merchant Bases in the same political entity (ie Southern Region) so you can' have a trade route between Ringbridge and Wyvern Bridge.

A merchants base in a settlement is what sets them apart from simple traders - even the smallest merchant has some measure of control of the goods that arrive in the settlement, and some way of selling the goods to the locals. The benefits represent the extra value that comes from the merchant's control of the local economy. Mule trains and fishing boats connects local towns and villages and perhaps spread a bit further. Shallops and Ox trains move goods between the towns and other economic centres. Caravans and larger merchant Vessels handle longer routes between cities.

• NOTE 1: These are minimum requirements, bases can be larger than those specified here, so long as they fit within the town/district - However, they don't gain any 'extra' benefits (Consumption, benfits for base size, etc) until they meet all the requirements for a particular catagory of base. However, a Merchant Base may only one of jetty/Wharf/Waterfront/Serai/Caravanserai, and they can only (at most) be one size larger than the minimum requirement listed.
• NOTE 2: If you want to expand your business in a settlement, see the multiple bases section below.

• Local Base:
• Minimum Requirements are
• Can be built in any size settlement.
• All: Shop
• Land: A Serai, Mule Train.
• Water: A Jetty, Fishing Boats.
• Benefit: +1 Special Economy (does not need to be balanced) (for each local base)

• Town Base
• Minimum Requirements are
• Town, City or Metropolis (not in a village)
• All: Shipping Office, Warehouse and one of a Shop, Merchant Store or Local Market.
• Land: Serai, at least one Ox Train or two Mule Trains.
• Water: Jetty, at least one Shallop.
• Benefits: +2 Special Economy (does not need to be balanced) (for each town base)

• City Base
• Minimum Requirements are
• City or Metropolis (not a town or a village)
• All: Shipping Office, Large Warehouse and either a Luxury Store or Regional Market.
• Land: Caravanserai, at least one Caravan.
• Water: Wharf, at least one Trade or Merchant ship (Keeler, Wherry or Sailing Barge).
• Benefits: +3 Special Economy (does not need to be balanced) (for every City Base that your business owns)

• Waterfront
• Minimum Requirements are
• Metropolis (not a city, town or a village)
• All: Shipping Office, 2x Large Warehouse and either a Shopping Court or Great Market.
• Water: Quayside, at least one Merchant ship (Wherry or Sailing Barge).
• Benefits: +4 Special Economy (does not need to be balanced) (for every Waterfront that your business owns)

In some settlements you may have two merchant bases, however you must build a Cross Shipping Office to coordinate activities between the merchant bases first. You should expect rulers and city councils to ask for a larger than normal community contribution, if they think you are trying to create a monopoly for yourself.

There is a limit to the number of each type of building that can be built in a city. For merchant bases, the limiting factor will (most likely) be Shipping Offices.

• Town: 1x Town Base and 1x Local Base
• City: 1x City Base and 1x Town Base
• Metropolis: 1x Waterfront and 1 x City Base

Trade route link different provinces or states together. A water based trade route must have connecting waterways, while a land based route can use roads or highways, but not trails.

• Minor trade routes allow for a bit of trade between areas. Fishing Boats or Mule Trains carry a few small items, often speciality items, between states, and allow some contact between the residents. This brings a small benefit to the settlements and merchant, and is a good place to start.
• Lesser Trade Routes are a step up - Ox Trains and Shallops move more goods around between towns in different regions. Trade increases - with a wider range of goods moved and a bit of cultural transfer between the towns. It is beneficial for both the merchant who controls the Trade route and the towns involved.
• A Greater Trade Route is a step up again - as large vessels and caravans conduct trade between two cities. There is a large boost to the economy of both cities and the merchant who controls the trade route prospers.
• A Major Trade Route is very rare. This long distance route links metropolis to metropolis - and is huge boost to the merchant who can construct one.

The benefits and restrictions associated with different types of Regional Trade Route are listed below. Settlement, Base and Transport requirements MUST all be met to get the bonuses listed.

To gain the benefits listed a trade route must meet the minimum criteria listed under Settlement, Base and Transport at each end of the Trade Route. A Regional Trade Route between a city and a Small Town will never be more than 'Minor' - regardless of the transport and bases involved. The Consumption benefits go to the city or town at each end of the route. If more than one merchant house connects two settlements - the settlement only gets the best consumption modifier. DM Note: Influence is Reach Influence. Each Mercant House gains their own benefits - HOWEVER, they may only claim it once per route. For example, DELEM has a Trade Route that runs from Restov, through Newgate to Tusk. The Trade route benefits come from the Tusk / Restov connection. While Newgate keeps any benefits from the base built there, it doesn't get any extra benefit from the trade route.

Note: Only the best trade route counts. Dxamples … DELEM established a Trade Route between Restov and Newgate - Restov and Newgate get the benefits. However, once Delem build a Base in Tusk the trade route became Restov - Tusk and those two cities get the benefit. Newgate misses out. If V&A construct a local base in Jovvox and trade with Tusk - Tusk get the Minor Trade Route bonus. V&A do not get a trade route benefit for their Town Base at Ringbridge, as it is in the same state as Tusk.

Potential Destinations in the Stolen Lands game

Note

These developments work in the same way as any other business developments - you need the permission of the land owner to build them. However, they are the the developments that allow you to make use of the Tax Free developments described below.

Most Mule trains, Vessels and Caravans do not count against a settlement's Economy value, so you can buy them without permission from a landholder. However, you must have the appropriate land based development to benefit from any of these investments - so it is good to stay 'in favour' with the town, city or stronghold administration.

• (M) = Mobile. Vessels, Pack Trains and Caravans can be moved between bases at no cost.
• NOTE: These defence points refer only to the vessel, they cannot help to defend o settlement, BUT they count towards noble titles.

Every trade train, caravan or vessel is capable of defending itself to some extent – while most of its team/crew are Experts or Commoners, there are one or two warriors to look after security. That is enough to scare off casual bandits, but not enough to protect it from a band of marauding Orcs or Pirates determined to steal the cargo. Even so, most seasoned travellers wait and join up with merchant trains/vessels because some protection is better than travelling alone.

However, some larger caravans and vessels are better protected, and many more trained warriors to their team/crew (rather than Commoners). These merchants often carry less merchandise, and charge more than other carriers. The downside is that, these traders tend to have wealthier passengers and more expensive cargo – so they are more valuable targets.

NOTES:-

• Armed merchant vessels/caravans can add to their home port’s Defence Points. However, in time of war, a Merchant must recall their vessels/caravans to port/home and cease trading.
• Armed vessels/caravans take up space in their hometown. One area of space for each defence point – in line with other defensive developments. This represents the extra space required for homes, armouries etc for these higher status and better equipped crew. (and it keeps the rules working smoothly). For this reason, you have to ask the landowners permission before you base an armed vessel in their town (it affects the settlements balance, which the land owner is responsible for).
• Armed vessels and Caravan are restricted to those PCs who have permission to control troops. This is most PCs, a few NPCs and Entourage Cousins/Allies who have been admitted into the Southern Chapter in the rank of Member or above.
• These defence point DO count towards the owner's quest for a noble title.

Descriptions might vary slightly from buildings in other sections of the rules. But realistically, you can 'flavour' these however you like.

(M) = Mobile. Vessels, Mule Trains and Trade Caravans can be moved between bases at no cost.