Oh, interesting. Most of the Houses are pretty small though they have associated clans and towns which might be considered Trader Princes from a cultural standpoint. For example, the town of Yellowstone is about 1000 people plus surrounding farms and steads. These would have some following of the Church. Among the Trader Princes it is very much expected and many of the surrounding people also worship in it as well - it is rather inclusive. Politically, the Trader Princes' hand is very light on the surrounding areas (except Bastis which seems to have gone feudal) lest the natives realize just how weak they really are. The Princes provide several essential services to the communities - trade and communication and peace-brokering - that cannot be gotten elsewhere in Wenelia.
I think there are about 20-30 Houses but I only named a dozen or so in "Trader Princes." Some have been destroyed or subsumed into the locals but even then, there is usually some sort of Trader Princelike group to maintain the road and magic - Jubal Town being an example of this. They claim "no princes here" but the Wenelians in the surronding hills and valleys really can't see much of a difference. Most Houses control the Trade Path for about a day's journey to either side of their stronghold but some are actually set off the beaten path so to take advantage of exotic trade. Green-on- Ochre who trade with the Elves from Tallcastle would be a good example of this. Another would be the enterprising fellow near Jadnor who's reopened the coal mines there.
Oh, and the Trader Princes speak a somewhat archaic dialect of Safelestran with each other but they also know the local languages. The local languages differ radically along the Trade Road so having a common language reeinforces their common heritage. It also means that those who travel the road learn the language of the Princes and can communicate with others who are similarly inclined throughout the region...
...but a bet a bunch of them speak Trade Talk too. However, it is not as useful as it is elsewhere around the Middle Sea. As a relic of the God Learner expansion, Trade Talk was (and is!) taboo to many Wenelians after they purged their culture of such influences.
> BTW, one of my conceptions of the Trader Princes is the medieval Rus
> of Novogorad and Kiev. Scandinavians traders and rulers that become
> assimilated into the local population. I'm sure Mark can jump in
with
> plenty of ideas and thoughts.
The Nordic Rus rather than the later Teutonic settlers might be a good model to follow but I was thinking more along the lines of the Hudson Bay Company or the Nor-Wester's of the North American fur trade. The Trader Princes are not assimilating the way the Rus did for the reason that the Princes are very much about trade, travel and communication. The Grand Tour is probably the most important link they have. The Man in the High Castle by Jack Vance was of some inspiration to the Trader Princes to Nick Brook and I have to agree - excellent book about isolated communities surrounded by Other.
> I was thinking perhaps no more than about 30k folk in the Ashura
> Church out of a total Wenelia population of about 400k.
>
> Jeff
That seems about right or perhaps a bit low - I think the number might be as high as 50k. The Church may be extremely prevalent in County Bastis now and it has spread to the costal regions in recent years. There is a lot more cross church/pantheon/tradition overlapping in Wenelia than in more organized places. People worship whatever helps them survive. Only a fool or a fanatic discounts. Considering what a mess the God Learners left the region in, I can't say I blame them.
I should throw together some design notes and list my source material at some point.
Hope this helps!
Jeff
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