>>This paragraph assumes that trade consists mostly of goods
>>sold from the west. However Esrolia is shipping grain to
>>the West on huge cogs. The cogs will have ample room to
>>carry any goods that would have normally carried by the
>>Trader Princes _and_ have space to spare on their outward
>>voyage.
>I suspect, from reading the Genertela Book, that those cogs are mostly
>built and owned by Nolos and Pasos. Having the ability to get grain
>directly would help those powers in their struggle with Guilmarn the
>Fat, but that same struggle would make shipping that grain on to
>the Safelster City States harder.
Why would the Quinpolic league want to sell grain to Safelster? By getting their food from overseas (like Athens did from the Black Sea and Rome from North Africa), they are able to support a larger population of crafters and artisans which flows into increased opulence for their city.
>>To travel from Galin to the headwaters of the Noshain, one
>>has to travel through the slightly odd people of Estali or
>>Helby and then straight through the lands of the outright
>>heathen Deer people. Although established, I must quibble
>>about whether such a route can said to be reasonably secure.
>The same source says: "The Damali are relatively peaceful and
>caravans commonly traverse this land on their way towards Wenelia
>and the New Fens."
The Damali Brown-deer folk may be peaceful but they are not the only deer people around. The most common are the Pralori Red Deer folk who in the first age were such a major nuisance such that King Lalmor had to seek help from then far-off World Council of Friends to protect the Vathmai from their raids. I doubt they are any less peaceful now. There's also the strange Alekki and the chaotic slime-deer people.
So while caravans may traverse Damali lands, I imagine this route is as prone to danger as the seaward routes from Nolos to Handra and from Handra to Nochet.
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