[Glorantha] Re: interesting issaries character needs a sidekick

[Donald R. Oddy]

In message <A1FECB5464C62C498C187D21C080FFA245FEFC at OMAEXMB02.corp.westworlds.com> "Thompson, Todd L." writes:

>> >Issaries merchants don't rip people off. It's against the cult's
>> >nature, simple as that.
>>
>> It's against the *god's* nature which means a follower risks losing
>> their magic if they try to make unequal exchanges. Bear in mind
>> that the spirit of reprisal for Issaries is "Raw Greed" so a
>> merchant suffering from that will try and defraud their customers.
>
>If an Issaries merchant comes to despairing village and uses their
>situation to profit then that would seem to be an unequal exchange.

Not necessarily, if the people he is dealing with value his wares
highly enough to pay his price that's equal exchange. He makes
his profit by bringing goods from where they are cheap to where
they are expensive. Unequal exchange is where duress or deceit is 
used.

>Given that generosity is a virtue generally held in regard for 
>Orlanthi not helping even if it costs you could be construed as 
>an unequal exchange?  Helping to the point where it would ruin 
>you would certainly not be expected.

Generosity is a virtue not an obligation. Furthermore it is often
a political act - a chieftain gifts his followers generously to
maintain their support. A merchant might well gift the leader of
a clan he was visiting to trade but would expect something in 
return. Being generous to foreigners is not common.

>If an Issaries merchant were not given hospitality by a prosperous 
>clan then inequality is on them and a little monkey thieving 
>wouldn't likely put magic in jeopardy.
>
>If a traveling Issaries merchant were to share some news but no one
>offered any news, drink, or food in return then what Orlanthi would
>begrudge them some small thieving to fill their tummy with both the
>necessary ingredients of life: ale and food?

Hospitality is entirely an separate issue and covered in some
detail in TR. A merchant visiting a clan would expect hospitality
and expect to behave correctly. Thieving is a breech of that
hospitality and would be treated the same whoever did it. A
merchant would also lose his reputation making it impossible to
trade there again.

>Naturally the uncouth non-Orlanthi are not familiar with the ways 
>of hospitality and generosity are thus likely to be in a perpetual 
>state of unequal exchange.

No, the concept of equal exchange exists across Glorantha. Many 
cultures are far more merchantile than the Orlanthi where trading
is a specialist occupation performed by a few people in a clan.

>You could take everything a Lunar tax collector owns and still not 
>be close to balancing that exchange :)

Not by his standards, the exchange is taxes for the protection and
benefits of the empire. But he's not a merchant so it doesn't matter.

>What an interesting dilemma Issaries devotees must face when sent to
>negotiate tribute for their clan or tribe?  

No problem, the exchange is tribute against an end to fighting. In
practice clan wars usually have a stack of claims on both sides
and it's a matter of agreeing a value for each of those claims.
Of course the militarily stronger clan will tend to get more
compensation for their losses but if they are too greedy the war
will start up again. This is why marriages are often used to seal
such treaties - both sides then have a strong reason not to fight.

>I wonder if they have a greater difficulty finding families willing 
>to sell their daughter off to them, knowing that he will have his 
>skills and her intimate knowledge of them when negotiating a dowry?

Ernalda doesn't *sell* her daughters! 

Haggling over the dowry and brideprice are mostly done by the 
couple's female relatives and trading is a valuable skill so a 
merchant is a good catch. In any case it may be bride that's 
the merchant.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/