02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

108.1.141.197
54 Iron Kingdoms
percent, and each point of failure raises the price by
the same amount. Make only one check to represent
the whole haggling process. Buying goods in bulk
directly from their producer usually secures a discount
of one percent for every ten units purchased, up to a
maximum of 15 percent. Hence, someone purchasing
50 backpacks would receive a 5 percent discount on
the basic price.
Selling goods involves finding a buyer (Gather
Information check, DC as above) or waiting for
one to come along. At this point the appraisal and
haggling is repeated. In all cases, the seller must
ensure she holds all relevant licenses and has paid
all necessary taxes. Licenses can be obtained from
government offices—or from the Temple of Menoth
in the Protectorate—for a fee.
Buying or selling on the black market is more
difficult. As well as the Gather Information check,
the character must make a successful Bluff check
(same DC) for a dealer to ‘overhear’ his soliciting.
Any law-abiding citizens in the area might make a
Sense Motive check to notice this, which may lead
to confrontation or a tip to the authorities about the
illegal dealings.
Adventurers will probably not turn trader, seek to
obtain the necessary licenses, and concern themselves
with the minutiae of local taxation. Far more likely
they will tag along with merchants as guards. Due to
their slim profit margins, individual merchants can
rarely afford to cover the costs of hiring their own
guards, so they often travel in convoy where they can
pool their resources to pay for protection even though
they may work for different—even rival—commercial
interests. Typically a guard captain will negotiate the
protection contract and take responsibility for the
actions of his men.
In most societies, this legal guard contract provides
sufficient protection in case an employer is found
guilty of breaking the law. However, the Protectorate
considers guards complicit in the crime, and Khador
assumes guilt although the individuals concerned
usually have the chance to argue their case.
In addition to the private convoy protection
contracts, some regular trade routes provide
protection of their own paid for by the tolls levied
from travelers. The Cygnaran road wardens, for
example, have patrolled the King’s Highway and the
Great Northern Tradeway all the way to Llael for
decades. Many merchants following this route choose
to wait at one of the fortified hostels until the next
patrol arrives, ready to escort them along the harsh
and dangerous edges of the Bloodstone Marches. (See
“Roads & Rails,” pp. 91-98.)
Winds of War
sinCe the onset of War, the king’s highWay and the great
northern tradeWay have been used by Cygnaran armed
forCes, and it is not unCommon to see Companies of trenChers
and long gunners marChing to and fro on these important
highWays. indeed, the ranks of the road Wardens are spread
thin as many of them have joined the Cause for king and
Country.
Mechanization &
Industry
The Orgoth Dark Age
Before the Orgoth invaded, western Immoren
experienced a great age of technological advancements.
Discoveries came in rapid succession and culminated
in the invention of the steam engine. Prior to
Orgoth dominance, the Immorese had developed
steam-driven mining equipment, locomotives, and
steam-driven paddle wheels. Development continued
through the start of the invasion but halted once the
enemy completed thier conquest.
Fearing reprisals from the learned among the
Immorese, the Orgoth detained and murdered
thousands of inventors, scientists, and alchemists,
destroying printing presses and burning all published
material to restrict the flow of information. With the
population enslaved and forced to work in mines or
factories, the only innovations were those demanded
by Orgoth overlords. The centuries of Orgoth rule
were literally a scientific Dark Age.
Ironically, those harsh conditions created a
new breed of thinkers who ultimately overthrew
the Orgoth. After the Gift (of magic, see Chapter