Pilots, merchants and the organization of trade in south-western Hârn

Ilkka Leskelä, © 2006 (ileskela@hotmail.com)

Disclaimer: This is a derivative work discussing Hârn or Hârn World, originally created by N. Robin Crossby. No assertion of copyright to Hârn or Hârn World is made by producer or the publisher of this work.

Contents

  1. Numbers
    1. How to utilize the OGT?
    2. The number of pilots and Merchants
  2. Pilots and Vessels
    1. Pilots, piloting routines and vessels in south-western Hârn
    2. Regional maritime trade
    3. Pilots and trade on Lake Benath
    4. Pilots and trade along the western coast
    5. Pilots and trade along the southern coast
    6. Conclusion
    7. Excursion: vessel types
  3. Merchants
    1. Merchants and mercantile routines in south-western Harn
    2. Resident merchants
    3. Merchants organizing the caravan trade
    4. Supercargoes
    5. Itinerant merchants
  4. Retrospective
    1. Maritime culture in south-western Harn
    2. Is this realistic?
  5. Appendix: SW Harn and regional trading voyages

Part I – Numbers

1. How to utilize the OGT?

The approximate number of pilots and merchants in south-western Harn can be derived from the Occupation Generation Table (OGT, given on Character 3 in HMI). Using the OGT for this purpose is supported by the notion (on Character 2), that “the table generates “authentic” results based on the structure of medieval societies”. However, it should be noted that the results are “authentic”, not accurate. Also, the results represent the proportions of parent occupations. If we think that people in certain occupations will have generally more offspring than people in other professions, the OGT wouldn’t represent the professions present in the society, but the proportions of professionals that have offspring. However, I find this very unlikely. I will proceed with the understanding that the OGT generates results that describe the societies in general, not just the proportions of professionals that have offspring.

Further problems with the OGT are granulation and failure margins. The table creates similar numbers of all the rare occupations, all of which are composed of 0.1 % of the total population. It is probable that all rare occupations are not equally rare. Thus the failure margins for all rare occupations are considerable. It is possible that the proportions have been rounded to 0.1 %, meaning that the true range of the proportions of the rare occupations range between 0.05 % and 0.14 %. Thus numbers for the rare occupations should be approached with caution, always bearing in mind the possibilities suggested by the error margins.

In addition, the OGT lists parent occupations, in most cases meaning the occupation of the father, ie. the head of household. But if we take the number of adults (15+ years) on Harn being 50–60 % of the population (as is typical of pre-modern population patterns), and bear in mind that women play a larger role in the society than women in medieval Europe, we end with a number of professional adults of about 30 %. This is a markedly larger number than the number of households, which is approximately the population number divided by five. However, a significant proportion of the Harnic professional adults in guild occupations are apprentices and journeymen, the number of masters being as low as a third or fourth of the total of the professional adults in guild occupations.

This means that in addition to the failure margins created by the OGT, we have to face failure margins created by the fact that we don’t know 1) how many adult professionals there are on Harn, and 2) what is the proportion of apprentices, journeymen and masters to each other. If we operate with the number of households, in the case of guild occupations the result is the number of masters and journeymen with families, but again, we don’t know the proportions. However, in the case of the pilots the result is only the number of masters and apprentices, as the Pilots’ Guild doesn’t have journeymen.

2. The number of pilots and merchants

Bearing in mind the problems of the OGT, the error margins for the number of pilots is as much as 75%, and for the number of merchants as much as 55 %. We might still present an approximate estimate of the number of pilots and merchants in south-western Harn, based on the OGT and the number of households.

Region Approx. households Pilots Error margin Merchants Error Margin
Kingdom of Rethem 19,640 20 ± 75% 118 ± 55%
Kingdom of Kanday 19,840 20 ± 75% 119 ± 55%
Thardic Republic 20,950 21 ± 75% 126 ± 55%
Total (rounded) 60,000 60 ± 75% 360 ± 55%

As can be seen, the number of pilots in south-western Harn ranges from 15 to more than hundred. The number of merchants is proportionally more accurate, ranging from about 160 to about 560. But the high and low ends are less probable, and especially in the case of the pilots the low end is practically impossible, as we will see.

In the following I will proceed using the number of pilots as the number of master pilots, and the number of merchants as the number of master merchants and more or less settled journeymen with families. In the case of the pilots, I will study both the low (40), medium (60) and high (80) approximates of the number of pilots, concentrating on the medium number. In the case of merchants, I will be less elaborate. The reader should make his/her own decisions on the precise number of each profession, but I hope the following gives good guidelines for such decision making.

Part II – Pilots and vessels

1. Pilots, piloting routines and vessels in south-western Harn

As fishing vessels and vessels with a length of less than 30’ don’t require a pilot, it may be assumed that the pilots in south-western Harn have jobs as pilots on medium and large merchant and navy vessels, while some of them take responsibility of the major ports as harbourmasters. There are harbourmasters in all major ports (maritime market size of 1 or more), meaning all the cities and some larger towns around castles and keeps. This makes the number of harbourmaster pilots about 15. The nature of their jobs is such that they don’t have time to pilot individual ships on longer voyages. To have pilots on ships, the number of pilots in south-western Harn must be significantly larger than the number of harbourmasters.

The number of locally owned medium and large merchant and navy vessels operating from the ports of south-western Harn cannot be larger than the number of pilots in this region. If the number of harbourmaster pilots is subtracted from the total number of pilots, there are at most some 90 medium and large vessels in south-western Harn that can be used for other purposes than fishing. If we use the approximate medium number of pilots, the number is around 45, and can be lower still, because some small vessels that don’t actually require pilots may still have them. Because all Harnic vessels can be used for military purposes with only superficial additions (wooden castles), it is probable that in peacetime all the vessels needing a pilot perform trade missions.

The medium and large merchant vessels of south-western Harn mainly sail between the more important ports, leaving local trade for smaller river and coastal craft. Very few of the merchant vessels on River Thard need pilots, and thus we can find three major regions of maritime merchandise in south-western Harn: 1) Lake Benath, centred on Shiran, 2) Western, centred on Golotha, 3) Southern, centred on Aleath. The vessels operating in the western and southern waters can mix freely (but usually don’t), while the vessels on Lake Benath usually sail in this region only. In addition, some vessels operating in the western and southern regions at least occasionally head for Cherafir or for other ports of the Gulf of Ederwyn. Similarly, Aleath and perhaps even Golotha are visited every year by vessels from Cherafir – perhaps even beyond.

2. Regional maritime trade

Regional maritime trade is depending on the ability of local inland and river trade to provide the major ports with sufficient quantities of goods. In the context of south-western Harn, the question is mainly if Golotha or Aleath serves as the major import and export site. Looking at the map of Harn, it is apparent that maritime trading contacts with northern Harn (read Orbaal) and Golotha are minimal, and mainly centred on fish products, salt and probably ivory. This makes Golotha the western end of the trading route that connects Golotha and Aleath to Cherafir and to the Lythian maritime network. The Lythian economic map shows that the trading route leads no further than Aleath, meaning that Golotha doesn’t play an important role in the Lythian trade.

The separation of Golotha from the Lythian trade is further supported by the Harnic sources: Golotha generally lacks maritime trade, being a nexus of Peran trade, local sea-coast trade, River Thard trade and the local fishing industry (Golotha 1). While Golotha has a market size of 4 and Aleath only 3 (Pilots’ Almanac: Port Almanac, Harn region), it is apparent that the market of Golotha is mostly of local character while the market of Aleath serves regional and interregional trade. Aleath probably serves also as the main import and export port for Thardan goods. Apparently the route via the River Tharda to Golotha and from there over to Aleath is more expensive and less secure than the land route to Dyrisa and from there via River Eryn to Aleath.

The hazards of the Golothan route are a result of its length, the rough waters of Emaba Strait, but also the political instability of Rethem. The heyday of the Golothan importance in regional navigation lies in the late 5th and early 6th centuries TR. In those days Golotha – then Merethos – was the centre of the Corani fleets exploring and conquering the western Harnic coast. Corani fleet bases in Selvos, Dunir and Hebos were strongly depending on the supply from and the shipyards of Merethos. The large pilots’ guildhouse in Golotha probably dates from those times. Its chambers are nowadays often empty, its registers and maps looted, its learning diminished.

3. Pilots and trade on Lake Benath

On Lake Benath, trade is mostly local, there being little demand for medium or large vessels. It is likely that there are very few medium and no larger merchant vessels. These vessels are used for larger shipments of salt, iron ore, men (slaves, mercenaries, legionaries and pilgrims heading to Araka-Kalai) and processed fish (that no longer belongs to the fishermen). All vessels may be used for all purposes, but there are likely one or two vessels that have been designed for transporting men/troops. As the distances are mostly short, the vessels can make numerous voyages each season, meaning that a large quantity of goods and men may be transported with few vessels. The number of vessels needing a pilot is probably at most one dozen.

4. Pilots and trade along the western coast

The western coastal trade of Harn may be divided into three categories: 1) connecting north-western Rethem and the southern coastal Peran to the area of Golotha, 2) serving the local trade around Golotha, 3) connecting Selvos to Golotha and serving as lifeline for the regional trade to Aleath. The major fishing activity centred in Boka Bay and the western islands doesn’t require pilots, and even if some large whaling vessels that sail far on the open seas might have them, fishing activity in general doesn’t give work for a significant number of pilots. The same can be said of the local trade around Golotha, as it is mostly done in small vessels. These vessels don’t require pilots, and the local boatmen know their habitual routes to and fro Golotha well enough to sail safely.

This means that almost all pilots in the more important ports of Golotha, Tormau and Shostim serve on medium and large merchant vessels sailing the Peran-Tormau-Shostim/Golotha route or the Golotha-Selvos-Sarkum-Aleath (and beyond) route. Of these the first route is comparable with the trade on Lake Benath, resulting in about a dozen medium vessels that need a pilot. The rest of the Golothan pilots, about half a dozen of them, sail south and west, to Aleath and beyond. Most of the vessels on this route that require a pilot are medium, but there are one or two large vessels. While the vessels requiring pilots on Lake Benath, the River Thard and on the north-western routes from Golotha, are mainly talbars and niviks, those that sail from Golotha to Aleath include a couple of daks. Both the king of Rethem and the earl of Tormau probably finance one or two sleek vessels that can be rowed, at best described as dragonships. The pilots operating these ships are the closest equivalent to admirals in the western waters of Harn.

5. Pilots and trade along the southern coast

The southern coastal trade of south-western Harn reaches from the Anfla Island in the west to the Domid Island in the east. The trade can be divided into two categories: 1) local trade with the barbarian Adaenum and Gozyda (Domid) fishermen, and the local Sarkum-Aleath line, 2) regional trade from Golotha to Sarkum to Aleath and from there on to Cherafir and beyond. The local trade with the barbarian fishermen is handled in small boats, and at most the Earl of Sarkum sponsors one or two medium niviks or dragonships that need a pilot – to dominate the Anfla Island. Again, the fishing activity in the waters south of Kanday doesn’t require pilots, if not for one or two larger whalers that sail far on the open seas. The pilots operating locally number less than half a dozen.

This means that most pilots in Sarkum and Aleath serve on medium and large vessels sailing the Golotha-Sarkum-Aleath route and the route to Cherafir and beyond. These pilots, about a dozen of them, serve on both niviks and daks, of which several are quite large. The vessels sailing eastwards from Aleath usually form seasonal convoys, and similar convoys (or one convoy only) from Cherafir arrives to Aleath every year.

6. Conclusion

As a conclusion, we might give a regional breakdown of all the pilots active in south-western Harn. These numbers include the number of harbourmasters, which should be subtracted to get the number of practicing pilots. The number of harbourmasters has been derived from the Pilots’ Almanac (Port Almanac: Harn Region) assuming that every listed port needs a harbourmaster, while smaller docks can do without. The total number of practising pilots is simultaneously the number of medium and large merchant vessels operating in the given region. The percentage given for regional pilots includes the practicing pilots only, the number of harbourmaster being added to this. Again, these numbers are vague, and only show my interpretation of the state of things. Because of the error margins, three alternative numbers are given.

Region Extent of trade Pilots % Number of Pilots of which
Harbourmasters
Low Medium High
Lake Benath local 15 8 11 14 4
Thard River local 10 7 9 11 5
Western local 20 8 12 16 3
Western regional 15 4 7 10 0
Southern local 10 6 8 10 3
Southern regional 30 7 13 19 0
Total 100 40 60 80 15

This table leads to several conclusions:

  1. The Harnic sources strongly support the interpretation that there are less than 50 and probably only around 30 medium and large merchant vessels operating on the sea coasts of south-western Harn. Another dozen medium merchant vessels operate on the Lake Benath and River Tharda. (If the low end of the number of pilots is stressed, the whole of south-western Harn would be served by some 25 medium and large merchant vessels only!)
  2. The number of pilots operating on River Thard is insignificant. This is very interesting considering the petition of the Pilots’ Guild that is supposed to pass in the Thardic Senate. If all vessels over 16 feet of length on River Thard would require pilots, the importance of the Pilots’ Guild in Tharda would rise immensely. It is questionable if the Pilots’ Guild can guarantee a pilot for all the river craft that would require a pilot. This lack might prove fatal for the river traffic, either stopping a substantial part of it or making it mostly illegal.
  3. About half of the pilots operating on River Thard and on Lake Benath are resident harbourmasters, while in other regions the pilots are mostly navigators on merchant vessels. This emphasizes the administrative role of the Pilots’ Guild in the Thardic Republic, while in the kingdoms the guild is concentrated on actual navigation.

7. Excursion: vessel types

More can be said of the medium and large vessels operating on the waters of south-western Harn. Talbars of medium size (30’-40’) are used on Lake Benath, on River Thard, and on western coastal waters. They number about one dozen. Different types of medium and large merchant vessels that can be called niviks are used on Lake Benath and in all coastal waters. There are about one dozen medium (30’-50’) niviks, and half a dozen that can be called large (50’-60’). In addition to the merchant vessels, medium sized talbars and niviks are used for open sea fishing and whaling.

Modern vessels with high freeboard and a steering rudder, termed daks, are found in western and southern regional trade only. They number about ten. Perhaps two of the daks are large (70’+), representing the cutting edge technology available at the Aleathian shipyard. In times of war, these vessels are also used as navy ships, their high freeboard and castles giving a marked advantage on lower ships. The king of Kanday probably finances shares on some daks, and is able to use them for naval warfare if needed.

There are also a couple of sleek, oared warships, built in the manner of Ivinian dragonships. These are owned by the king of Rethem, the earl of Tormau, and the earl of Sarkum (the king of Kanday uses hired daks for naval warfare). Supported by several smaller craft, these ships represent the standing navies of south-western Harn. Their main function is to make and prevent coastal raids.

It is highly improbable that the shipwrights of south-western Harn know how to build karunes or galleys (larun) of the Venarian Sea type. Shipwrights, pilots, merchants and seamen may have seen such vessels in Cherafir, and some karunes may have visited Aleath or even Golotha. However, these ships belong to a different world. While the pilots of south-western Harn would certainly find a Venarian rigged mesan mast useful in the rugged seas around Harn, they are used to handle their traditional vessels with square sails, and manage well enough.

In a table form the vessels can be roughly organized as follows. If you decide to follow the higher or lower number of pilots, modify the numbers accordingly upwards or downwards by 40 %. If you prefer to tone the Harnic technological leve up or down, change the proportion of the vessel types accordingly.

Vessel type Medium Large Fishing Burthen
Talbar 12 (30'-40') - many 250
Nivik 12 (30'-50') 6 (50'-60') some 1100
Dak 8 (50'-70') 2 70' + 2200
Dragon 4 (60'-80') 1 80'+ 350
Total 36 9 3900

The burthen is the maximum, being lowered by crew compartments, cabins and provision storages. It doesn’t represent the maximum burthen available in the shipping of south-western Harn, because local cargoes are often transported in ships and boats less than 30’ of length. It should be noted, however, that the tunnage of the medium and large ships is about 4000, which equals the tunnage of about 500 small talbars or 1000 large pindas. Thus it is likely that the 45 or so medium and large vessels transport an amount of goods equivalent to as much as half the total goods transported yearly in south-western Harn. At least they totally dominate the regional and interregional trade.

Part III – Merchants

1. Merchants and mercantile routines in south-western Harn

As it is normal for Harnic merchants to possess some skills in arms, it seems that the Harnic merchant generally resembles the merchant of the early medieval times. He is less specialized and often travels with the goods himself. Thus the number of resident merchants is small, while the number of itinerant merchants is large. There are two special types of itinerant merchants that deserve special notion: those operating the caravan trade, and those serving as supercargoes on merchant vessels.

2. Resident merchants

Thus the number of resident merchants in south-western Harn is perhaps around 10% of the total merchants, their number being at the most 50. These merchants are the big men with large assets. In Tharda they are either members of the senatorial families or at least entertain tight contacts with them. In Rethem and Kanday they are somewhat less connected to the ruling elite, having more independent positions as members of the Golothan and Aleathian city councils and in the Merchants’ Guild.

Many big merchants have invested in shares of ships, and some operate mainly as ship owners, having close connections with the Shipwright’s Guild. There are also other connections between the guilds. In Tharda, many big merchants operate in salt and ore trade, having close connections with the Salters’ and Miners’ Guilds, perhaps being members in these guilds in addition to their membership in the Merchants’ Guild. Similarly, in Kanday many big merchants operate in textile trade, having close connections with the Clothiers’ Guild.

3. Merchants organizing the caravan trade

The next group in importance and wealth are merchants organizing the caravan trade. They have assets and contacts, and are well travelled. In order to be able to organize matters between the realms of Rethem, Kanday, Tharda and Kaldor, they keep a distance to local ruling elites, and form a kind of community that meets physically in Dyrisa, Coranan, Moleryn and Tashal. The elites don’t truly trust them, as they might serve as agents of the enemy realm. On the other hand, everyone knows that someone has to do the job, and thus the caravan masters are tolerated. The number of merchants not only taking part in but operating the caravan trade is two or three dozen.

4. Supercargoes

The supercargoes, or bonded merchants on merchant vessels form a group somewhat similar to the merchants operating the caravan trade. They mostly decide what is loaded on the ships and where the cargo is sold. They are tightly connected to merchants and ship owners in the major ports, but because of their smaller assets and substantial independence they don’t belong to the group of big merchants.

The number of supercargoes on merchant vessels cannot be higher than the number of the merchant vessels. The following calculations are based on a medium number of pilots, from which the number of resident harbourmasters has been subtracted. Because some vessels don’t have bonded merchants, their number on medium and large merchant vessels is probably smaller than the number of these vessels, ie. perhaps 30 or 40. On the other hand, there are numerous small merchant vessels, and some of them might have bonded master merchants, even if it is somewhat questionable if ships operating with small cargoes really can afford for such a luxury. All in all the number of supercargoes is probably around 40–50.

5. Itinerant merchants

The rest of the merchants in south-western Harn – some 60-70 % or 200-250 – operate in local trade, dealing with local guildsmen, rural producers and bailiffs and nobles. They travel between the markets of the countryside with a group of mules or with a wagon, occasionally taking part in the large seasonal caravans, and sometimes braving risky routes that can result in high profits. Some own small vessels and instead of trailing their routes overland, sail from coastal village to coastal village. Some have connections with the barbarians. A large number navigate the rivers Thard and Eryn in boats 29’ long.

Many small merchants have specialized in one or two articles, and know the local producers and consumers personally. Sometimes it is hard to tell them apart from chandlers, and the Chandlers’ Guild occasionally takes action against too successful local merchants. Many of the small merchants are happy with their profession, but some vie for a position among the more successful merchants, gathering more assets and more connections, and playing a game of high stakes with mutual trust and guild politics.

Part IV – Retrospective

1. Maritime culture in south-western Harn

The small number of pilots and larger merchant vessels on the south-western waters of Harn is a result of the low population density of Harn. Small communities cannot support large scale trade, or the vessels needed for such trade. However, the small numbers have some interesting consequences in the maritime culture of south-western Harn.

First of all, larger ships (ships longer than 29’) are special. Few shipwrights know how to build them. Their appearance rouses feelings, and being a captain or a pilot of such a ship is a great honour. All ships have names, and the names of the large vessels are well-known in every port, however small. Some ships, pilots and captains (usually those on the same ship) have legendary fames. Seamen serving on the large vessels sail farther, stay away from home longer, and make better personal deals in far away harbours. Little boys and deck hands on small boats watch these ships with awe, dreaming of the adventures the men on such ships experience.

Larger ships are expensive investments, and require much care. Maritime laws and the whole Pilots’ Guild are centred on managing such ships. Only a handful of harbours have facilities for the daks, so that they especially are concentrated on regional routes between major ports, Golotha, Aleath and Cherafir. Because of their expensiveness, the owners of the ships consider long before letting the ships to be used in hazardous waters or in military affairs. This makes sea battles between major ships extremely rare. The possibility of loosing such a ship with its pilot and experienced crew is too large a risk for most ship owners. Of course, the kings and some earls are a special case, having large, stable incomes.

In the end the small number of medium and large ships makes it possible to write descriptions of all of them, giving much colour to a maritime campaign. It is not an insurmountable task to invent names and personal histories for the more important owners, captains and pilots. Their connections with each other and with the mercantile and political elites could lead into several scenarios that need not necessarily involve actual maritime routines. In the case of the pilots, creating the whole Pilots’ Guild for south-western Harn could be possible.

2. Is this realistic?

A central question for texts describing Harnic phenomena is their “realness” – however schizophrenic that might sound when speaking of a fantasy world. But the principle in creating Harn has been its “realness”. The Harnic sources imply a clearly defined socio-economic and technological level, resembling the situation in medieval England and Western Europe in general. Thus we might ask if it is “realistic” to have only 45 medium and large merchant vessels operating on the waters of south-western Harn, and only some 20 of them sailing on regional routes, connecting Golotha and Aleath with Cherafir.

First we have to find parallels in medieval Europe. The civilized population of south-western Harn is about 300.000. If we include the southern Kubora, the Adaenum, the Gozyda and the western Tulwyn, the total population of the Harnic south-western economic area still remains under 350.000. Considering the British Isles, south-western Harn best parallels the position of southern Ireland with ports like Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Westford. The connections of south-western Harn with Cherafir and other major Lythian ports can be compared with the medieval connections of southern Ireland to the major ports in the region of the English Channel, like Rouen, Boulogne and Brugge. Both the socio-economic situation and the distances fall reasonably close to each other.

But the problem here is the existence of middlemen: the ports in southern and south-western England, like Bristol and Southampton apparently controlled the trade between Irish and Channel ports. Harn has no equivalent for such middle ports in the Ederwynic Gulf, meaning that the goods of south-western Harn are not traded in, say, Evael, Belna Island or at the mouth of River Ulmerien, but taken directly to Cherafir. Thus we find out that the medieval British Isles do not resemble Harn in this aspect. More importantly, we lack statistical data of the number of Irish ships visiting the English or the Channel ports in the early or high medieval period. It is probable that Irish ships didn’t operate much further than the Irish Sea.

Another potential comparative situation can be found on the 14th and 15th century Baltic Sea. Here, medieval Finland was a periphery with estimated 300.000 people, connected to the major Hanseatic ports like Lubeck and Gdansk. Again, both the socio-economic situation and the distances fall reasonably close to the situation of south-western Harn. And – here we can find some data on the number of ships! Finnish ships visiting Lubeck in the late 14th century numbered less than ten yearly. A century later, Finnish ships visiting Gdansk numbered between 14 and 38 yearly. We should bear in mind that ships might have sailed the route more than once per year, as is attested by several sources. Also, the size of the ships is not given, meaning that there might have been a number of smaller ships. Even mere boats made such long trips, as is attested by other sources.

There were, however, plenty of middlemen between Finland and the Hanseatic ports: namely the cities and citizens of Stockholm, Reval and possibly Riga. This means that goods to and from Finland travelled also in foreign ships, meaning that actual shiploads passing between Finland and the Hanseatic cities were larger than the shiploads transported directly. Thus there are important problems also with this parallel case.

But this is as close to a reality check we can get. Overall, the magnitude of shipping between Finland and the Hanseatic ports seems to resemble the shipping between south-western Harn and Cherafir, the numbers of larger ships being counted in tens and twenties, the local coastal and river trade remaining foremost a realm of small ships and boats.

Appendix: SW Harn and regional trading voyages

The pilots and merchants of south-western Harn mostly make local or short voyages, very few of them risking longer voyages. This has a profound effect on the use of maritime trade voyage generation table on Maritime Trade 2 (Pilots’ Almanac) – the vessels of south-western Harn generally do not sail on longer than short voyages, but trade in Cherafir for products of the larger Lythian trade. The possible exceptions are voyages to Sea of Ivae (as far as Chelemby) and the Ederwynic Gulf (to Emelrene, Palithane and Tarkain). Voyages possible and typical for vessels of south-western Harn can be summarized as follows.

from Golotha Voyage Ships No. of voyages per year Type of voyages
west to Peran local all types several single vessels
west to Sarkum local all types several single vessels
south to Aleath short niviks and daks one or two small convoys
from Aleath Voyage Ships No. of voyages per year Type of voyages
west to Golotha short niviks and daks one or two small convoys
west to Sarkum/Anfla local all types several single vessels
east to Domid I. local all types several single vessels
east to Cherafir short niviks and daks one or two large convoys
east to SW Sea of Ivae (1) medium only daks one or none (2)
east to Emelrene short niviks and daks one (2)
east to Palithane/Tarkain medium only daks one or none (3)
south to Hepekeria (4) medium only daks one or none (3)

Footnotes

(1) Thay, Eshapel, Karemus, Chelemby

(2) The Aleathian convoys reaching Cherafir might sail on to Emelrene and sometimes as far as Sea of Ivae or Palithane and Tarkain. Such voyages are planned well ahead, and goods meant to be sold in distant harbours may wait for the shipping for a year or even longer. Trips to Thay may be made by single vessels, departing from the Cherafir convoy, but all other trips involve several ships, mostly daks. It is also possible for ships to join convoys starting in Cherafir.

(3) Aleathians probably know that there is land on the southern side of the Gulf of Ederwyn (thinking of why they call it “gulf”…). To reach this land is very hazardous, and it is possible that voyages to reach this land have never been made. On the other hand, trading with the Hepekerian ports without of paying the tolls in Cherafir can be lucrative. A direct route to Hepekeria is, however, almost impossible for the shipping technology of south-western Harn. The direct trip to Hepekeria would take about one month, and the risks of the open ocean are tremendous. However, passing Cherafir and sailing over Plaithane and Tarkain to Hepekeria might be an option.

(4) Hegovnis, Isynen

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