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Trade and Commerce
Many years ago, when the tribes began
to become less nomadic and create more permanent settlements
and outposts, they also began to produce surplus goods for trade
among their fellow Dalmites. Trading routes were established
between the outposts linking the eastern tribes with the tribes
of the far west. The outposts located near what are now known
as the Bloodlands became the trading center of the Dalmite Nation.
Various wars in the west have kept trade
there from gaining the foothold it has in the other regions.
However, during the reign of Fiandra as the clan leader of the
Duissa, trade flourished. The recent war with Tariana has destroyed
the western outposts and settlements and forced the clan to return
to its nomadic roots.
Swawor, which is situation near the
Bloodlands has recently become the most important trading center
outside of Tilitha. Located in near flourishing Bloodland towns
and not far from the Sakoian border, Swawor has gradually come
to reflect the independent, non-traditional ways of the Aerthilye
Clan. Traders of other cultures are welcomed into Swawor more
than any other Dalmite settlement. Although a rugged and unrefined
trading post, Swawor has become especially important to the western
Dalmites who travel there regularly to obtain goods unavailable
in the west.
Many of the regions and settlements
in the forests have developed crafts and skills that have provided
a way of life for the local Dalmites and have also become valuable
for trading. In the far east, canoes are crafted from trees,
horses are bred to be sure-footed in the forests, and rich resources
of clay are used to create beautiful pottery. In the Mataril
Woods, hardened wood products are created along with horticultural
wonders, which thrive in the rich soil. Furs, feathers, and hides
from forest creatures are traded in some of the forest communities
nearby and in the Tiaril Woods.
Gradually, trade is opening up within
the western regions to the Salan and Bloodland towns, which lie
along the borders of the forests. Salans value the finely crafted
wood products, healing potions and salves, elaborate pottery
creations, and rich dyes and textiles created in some Dalmite
settlements.
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