Shopkeepers and scholarly dons have always been at a disadvantage in combat ;-) (yes, I know about briatin scornfully called the "nation of shopkeepers"). On the other hand, they have strengths that Orlanth, Humakt or Urox simply can't match -it's just not in combat, it's in wealth, intellligence gathering and power-mongering!
> On the other hand, am I putting too much stress on combat and
> overlooking the importance of Communication and Travel affinities?
Issaries and LM are two cults that shouldn't be fighting (Chalan Arroy is another :-) ). they are exempt from fyrd duty, no-one expects them to be any good (though they still have their cultural 13 at close combat, remember). Even travelling merchants are expected to hire roughneck body- and caravan-guards, rather than doing it *all* themselves. And it's easy enough to boost your close combat by using one of your 1w or 5w at character creation time.
RR
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