Shadow Plateau trade goods

[Squaredeal Sten]

What would the Shadow Plateau import?  What would the Shadow Plateau export?

It is not a major region, so this is not defined in the Guide to Glorantha.

The Shadow Plateau was devastated by the destruction of the Palace of Black Glass, but that was hundreds of years ago on the current timeline.  There is a sizeable population of Uz there, 41,000 (though this makes the plateau one of the least populated troll realms)  and they should trade

(a) with the Kitori / Troll woods,

(b) with Orlanthi humans (some of this being mediated by the Kitori), and

(c)with the other troll realms.

I can imagine these flows of goods:

Human to Uz:  Livestock, ingots of bronze (the Uz have Zorak Zoran smiths), worked bronze (weapons, tools, scales for armor), other materials not found on the Plateau like ivory, rarer non-igneous rock minerals, some scents and perfumes, spices.

Other Uz realms to Shadow Platau:  The Shadow Plateau will import spider silk from Cragspider's realm, and giant bee products from Dagori Inkarth where the Vale of Flowers is.  These places would seem to have distinct advantages in production, not to deny that some Gorakiki - Bee  and Aranea initiates may live on the Shadow Plateau.

Troll Woods to and from Shadow Plateau:  I imagine the Kitori as either self sufficient hunter-gatherers, farmers, herders. or middlemen conducting trade southward  with Heortland and Esrolia.  They will produce things - but with a population of only 5,000 their economic capacity is limited.  They would have an advantage in production of insect products, and another advantage in pottery and redsmithing for Uz customers, because the human Kitori won't have the instinctive aversion to fire that Uz do. even Zorak Zoran Uz.

Most of the Shadow Plateau's Uz population is "subterranean" according to the Guide.  But the Plateau is vegetated, so I imagine these Uz as mostly hunter-gatherers, living fairly well from a large area.  Twp places are listed as urban in the Guide.   

I can imagine the Uz of the Plateau producing and exporting a variety of insects and insect products;  and fungi, some with medicinal or hallucinatory value; and of course lead, what else would you get from the lead hills?.  Troll drinks too, of course.  And  since Belintar's death, they have been raiding. 

What other economic aspects of the Shadow Plateau can you imagine?

 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Squaredeal Sten
spelling mostly

[mfbrandi]

1 hour ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

The Shadow Plateau was devastated by the destruction of the Palace of Black Glass

So how about some wordplay-based poison as an export?

If you grind any obsidian remnant of the Palace to extreme fineness, then via alchemy — or a curse (accounts vary) — it becomes a deadly poison. Well, deadly to anything that lacks the constitution of a troll, vulture, or hyena. Known as “church grain,” “stained glass,” and “Ezkankekko’s revenge.”

“I know it is expensive, but the grinding is skilled work: if the grains aren’t fine enough, no poison; if the obsidian is not from the Palace, no poison. This is no cheap knock-off. Undetectable — my word on it! If anyone asks, you have a rodent problem. You didn’t buy it from me. In fact, we never met.”
 

• The term ground-glass, as it relates to poisoning, is a corruption of grain d’église, the term given … to the seeds of … Abrus precatorius. The seeds contain the extremely toxic lectin abrin, whose toxicity is over 30 times that of ricin.
  — Wikipedia: Ground Glass

Edited October 18, 2023 by mfbrandi
' —> ’

[jajagappa]

3 hours ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

What other economic aspects of the Shadow Plateau can you imagine?

Lead! The Lead Hills are now one of the leading sources of this metal in central Genertela. Greatly desired by trolls of Halikiv and Dagori Inkarth, as well as the Kitori Woods.  I picture many small lead mines as small groups of troll families dig into the remains of the monstrous beast living the surface greatly pitted.

Earthblood! The Tarpit seems like a natural earthblood well. This is greatly desired by the shipwrights throughout the Holy Country. Also desired by Earth and Fire cults as fuel for temple lamps.

Black Ash from the top of the plateau. Combined with various fats, this can produce an abrasive cleansing soap. Popular in the baths of Esrolia.

Shards of Black Glass. "Covered the plateau with broken black glass of every conceivable size" - Given the magical destruction of the Palace of Black Glass, I personally believe that shards still rain down from on high on to the lands below. But they might be especially harvested and traded with the dragonewts for use in their klanths.

We know from the Guide that "Many plants dot the top of the plateau". These are clearly shadow-loving plants, and given that the plateau top is also very dry, they must be drought tolerant. Some might be unusual healing herbs or poisonous. 

Rains may well percolate through the ash and soil into the rocks of the plateau. Is it particularly pure? From Trollpak we have: "THE STYX GROTTO is the underground passage cut by the river through this corner of the Shadow Plateau. It divides and drops, collects in pools with only underground outlets, and generally has cut magnificent passages through this rock, where trolls have lived since its beginning."

Given the size of the plateau, and likely the presence of large caverns within, there may well be a colony of dark elves creating large fungus gardens. Anything found in the Voralans JC supplement might be feasible. As Dagori Inkarth has its own fungus gardens, more likely anything grown is traded with the Kitori Woods or the alchemists and herbalists of Nochet and Esrolia.

We also have from Trollpak: "BLACKWELL is a troll city or fort. At its center is a well, covered with stone, where the brains of the dead monster seeped into the ground and burbled up again. The Pharaoh built a wall around that, and ordered the trolls to live there and keep everything away from the well." What is the nature of the monster's brains? A food of the gods? Something that gives strange visions? Or does consuming it change you into some strange creature of Darkness? Why did the God-king want to keep people away from it?

[Squaredeal Sten]

Now will Plant Lore still extend to fungi?  Or do certain alchemists and more Uz have a Fungus Lore skill?  Thi is relevant to the conduct of trade in those goods.

Edited October 19, 2023 by Squaredeal Sten
Spelling / typing

[jajagappa]

8 hours ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

Now will Plant Lore sill extend to fungi?  Or do certain alchemists and more Uz have a Fungus Lore skill?  Thi is relevant to the conduct of trade in those goods.

I'd keep it the same - too much fragmentation of lore skills otherwise, though I'm sure the elves would argue with that opinion.

[Erol of Backford]

There was a bit of discussion regarding Axe Hall and a few of the above items.

There are many pilgrims from Nochet up to Axe Hall and so whatever cannot be generated on the plateau will need to be brought up there.

Blood beer by the Axe Maidens will be something traded, possibly in quantities to trolls but I am not sure Gloranthian humans like the taste of that or other drink with similar interesting bases and or adds that say the trolls would like? I always go back the the Grog Shoppe.

Trollkin as food, slaves and if smart enough as values would be traded for sure...

Insects.

 

[Squaredeal Sten]

Thinking about that Tarpit tar as Earthblood:  It is a useful commodity.

Would it be traded, with a secondary benefit to the Uz in that removing it may gradually deplete the Tarpit and reopen the way to the Underworld?

Or would trade be refused. as the tar is held to be remains of the Only Old One, a demigod,  and therefore sacred?

 

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by Squaredeal Sten
Spelling / typing

[g33k]

1 hour ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

...

Or would trade be refused. as the tar is held to be remains of the Only Old One, a demigod,  and therefore sacred?

Bronze is godbone.

Magic crystals are godblood.

Unless they think the OOO is coming back & will need all his Earthblood-tar ... ?

Edited October 20, 2023 by g33k

[mfbrandi]

22 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Blood beer by the Axe Maidens will be something traded, possibly in quantities to trolls but I am not sure Gloranthian humans like the taste of that or other drink with similar interesting bases

Maybe it tastes like Guinness.

[Erol of Backford]

54 minutes ago, mfbrandi said:

Maybe it tastes like Guinness

Yes of course it does, the Babeester Gor PC's shield is below. The Axe Maidens have been brewing the double bock blood beer since 1397, it says so on the label.

[Squaredeal Sten]

I really like Spaten beer, and it has never tasted like blood.  Just in case anyone wonders.

[Erol of Backford]

1 hour ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

I really like Spaten beer, and it has never tasted like blood.

Not at all, I love it as well as Guinness, especially when in County Tipperary!

I just noted that Spaten was since 1397 and as its early 17th century in Glorantha... though the technological level is lower "Bronze Age"... maybe Optimator would be a good character name?

[Cassius]

6 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

maybe Optimator would be a good character name?

For a munchkin, it will. 😀

[Squaredeal Sten]

Optimator son 0f Spaten, i like it.    Ideally an initiate of Minlister, and dual initiate of some other god with more punch.