The Corwythian Trade Agreements & Import Memorandum

Corwyth's trade practices and foreign relations are a curious mixture of unusually humane and unabashedly exploitative. Whereas on one hand they do no more trade than necessary with countries that employ slave labor, on the other hand they maintain a firm economic grip on their protectorates so that these protectorates can never achieve independence from the crown.

The isle of Corwyth itself produces strawberries, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, and the famous Corwyth apples. However, these are produced in small quantities, enough to supply only the isle itself. Corwyth's main sources of revenue are trade and manufacturing: raw materials from all around arrive at Corwyth to be put in the hands of carpenters, stonemasons, potters, goldsmiths, tailors and many others. These manufactured products are then traded back to the protectorates for more raw materials. Some of the fine products which are exported are waxed linens, painted linens, exquisite tapestries and hangings, fine carpets, jewelled goblets, golden plates and amber cups and clay vessels with beautiful raised carvings, furniture made of the highly prized woods available from Ythor and delicately worked, gilded leather, weaponry and armour (although the finest workmanship and quality is retained upon Corwyth itself. Coppher the Dwarf has a huge team of artisans who work for him to produce mass armour and so on.) The artistry of Corwthian painters and musicians is widely acclaimed, with Corwythian composers printing their music for world-wide distribution, and Corwythian sculptures and painters producing marvels which are eagerly sought. Corwyth's scholars, too, are considered the finest in the world, and the beautifully illuminated manuscripts, scrolls, and books from the Corwythian writers – of poetry, fables, geometry, mathematics, sciences, and medicine – are increasingly sought after.

The catch here is that whereas one might need one piece of lumber to build a chair, the going rate of trade is three pieces of lumber are worth one chair; therefore, the protectorates are kept in perpetual economic dependence.

As a foreign power's selling manufactured goods more cheaply, or buying the raw materials for a greater value might easily ruin this plan, Corwyth maintains garrisons of the Order of the Emerald Star in all of the protectorates, to impede the docking of foreign merchants, and to defend the protectorates, which therefore have no need for an independent army (which might be used as an instrument of revolt if it existed).

Corwyth's protectorates are Brocoida, Majimca and Pashamon, and though Ythor is officially a kingdom equal to Corwyth in the framework of the Empire, its economy is administered in much the as the protectorates'. Carillon, although not a protectorate, is an island which pays tax to Corwyth, in return for its protection and the regular supply of sugared treats. The inhabitants of Carillon are extremely fond of sweet things.

Brocoida, Majimca and Pashamon are each administered by a Lord Regent or Viceroy appointed by the Emperor, who see to it that the state of things is maintained, and that the populace be afforded equality and justice. To be fair to Corwyth, one must admit that though its policies ensure that these islands are unlikely to become independent or extravagantly wealthy, they also ensure social equality at a reasonably comfortable level for the people.

Brocoida exports mainly sugar canes and salt to Corwyth. Carillon Island exports silk, in colours that shimmer with magic. Some of the silk is used to produce the fine velvets of Corwyth, and these fabrics made into the finest clothes by the couturiers of Corwyth. Pashamon exports cotton, and Majimca produces wool (from the Corwythian Shorthorn – very fine wool indeed) and the exotic coffee bean – which forms the basis for Corwyth's fabulous and highly prized chocolates, as well as the distribution of coffee throughout the empire.

Carillon Island – a faery-tale island where tiny bells of the Carillon Lilies fill the air with the sweetest of chimes. It is said that Faer folk dwell here. The island is ringed with a pure white beach that almost glistens like magic, and the enchanting chimes of the Carillon Lilies that grow everywhere in the sweet grass add to the feeling of other-worldliness. Small gleaming paths lead the visitor from the beaches to the magnificent gardens of the island, in which hawthorn trees, foxglove, and groundsel grow in groves. There are the trumpet-shaped Carillon Lilies as well, and the delicate blue Forget-Alls, and many rings of lilac-tinged mushrooms. There are many bee-hives, and the hum of the bees adds a pleasant sonorousness to the beauty of the place. The sweet smell of the honeycomb is quite enticing. Scattered throughout the islands are several beautiful garden gazebos in the Silmarian style, made of the Corwythian white stone which is so precious. Laid out upon lavishly decked tables are delicacies to tempt the most hardened palate, goblets of fine sweet wine, tartlets, sugared plums, cakes, and so on. But beware: humans who step onto Carillon Island must be careful to neither eat nor drink anything there… lest they be trapped forever.
As one proceeds further, the sharp-eyed visitor may note that there are delicate gossamer-threads being spun on various trees, and that the spinners are either invisible or so tiny and fast that they cannot be seen. Occasionally, there may be heard tiny laughter… slightly mocking, and yet enchanting. It is believed that, shimmering in another dimension, the Faer Kingdom reaches all over this island, but that it cannot be seen except by the Faer folk themselves.
The fine silk produced by the faer folk is the export of this island.

Ferruga Island – an island that is very bare and sparse. Not much vegetation, but lots of rocks. There’s a forest just behind the beach, and it’s called The Forest. There is a ridge called The Ridge (trolls named it – they figured they would just call it what it was…). There is also a mountain. It’s not called The Mountain. It’s actually called Troll Mountain (a vast step in imagination for the trolls). Unsurprisingly, trolls dwell here. There are vast mines on Ferruga Island, with many, many precious stones waiting to be mined. The trees of The Forest are birches, oaks, and willows. Exports – precious stones.

Pashamon – an island shaped a little like a whirlwind. It is primarily a rural island, largely covered by cotton fields, and the population live in thatched cottages upon the fields, and spend their days picking cotton. Twice a year, the cotton is transported to the main town – a port town, called Porto Paroto. There are three rivers that irrigate the entire island – the Rio Algodonna, the Rio Enbranquo, and the Rio Quotonete. The pub in Porto Paroto is called the Sampty Dampty, there is a shipping office, a general store, a school and church, some warehouses, and a General Hall, where entertainments are put on to amuse the locals.

Majimca – an island whose aroma has caused even sailors in a terrible hurry to get home to make a small diversion… the divine smell of coffee. For this island has vast coffee fields, where the precious bean is grown. The northern end of the island is all farm country, with the town of Wolle being the main gathering place for the rural sheep-farmers. The sheep of Majimca are very fluffy white sheep known as the Corwythian Shorthorns, and produce exquisitely fine wool. The rest of the island is given over to coffee fields. Large estates have their own fields, and the workers live in cottages upon the estates. There's another town - Almir - named after the Empress, whose love for coffee is well known. The town used to be called Coco, and the channel between the coast and a small island (no more than a mere speck upon which the Dodo bird dwells) called Dodo is still known as the Coco Channel.
Both towns have the usual Great Hall, church, school, and tavern – the taverns being The Great Woolly-Head, and the Royal Bean, respectively.

Ythor is a slightly different matter due to its advanced size. It produces fat for cooking (Sebaca Fields), oils for use in perfumes, shampoos, cleansers, and so on (Unctic Mines), and the famous whitestone (Blancamur Caves), along with lumber, fish, and varied crops (main Ythor). Some manufacturing exists in Pallmor, but most of the manufactured goods are still imported from Corwyth, and are therefore more expensive. A large variety of vegetables, fruits, and meats are exported from Ythor – usually in preserved form. They are of good quality, and the preservation method is jealously guarded by Corwyth itself.

The elves of Korenae and the dwarves of the Glitterplain, both within Ythor, signed a treaty with the Emperor Du'Amaral years back in which they swear fealty to Corwyth and pay a tribute in magical wood and valuable gold, silver, and copper yearly. Apart from the tribute, the Ice Plains elves provide pelts of the Frozen Salamanders, and from the Veldt Woods of the Korenae region, which is balmy in temperature, and gleaming with mystery, come the berries from the trees, pelts from the Tusked Gabilons (white, deep sable, and black, also spotted varieties), as well as an astonishing array of costly herbs and spices. (These include cinammon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, turmeric, and sage, parsley, thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, dill, oregano, cardomom, cassia bark, chives, cumin, horseradish, mint, marjoram, saffron, sorrell, turmeric… as well as the unusual – abasca (a pungent and powerful spice), segera leaves (very delicate flavour), and boryn (an indescribable spice – quite sweet, but with a unique flavour encountered nowhere else.) Corwyth, in turn, supplies the elves with many fine things – such as the exquisite objets d'art produced by Corwythian artisans, the drink so beloved of elves (Yedra – made from Yeddirue), and Holy Water and Holy Symbols, which help against the Undead. Elves feel decidedly uncomfortable with such Holy things, but considering that Holy Water is their only defence against Vampires and other Undead creatures, they consider the discomfort bearable. The Dwarves will pay high prices for diamonds, too.

Right by the Glitterplains is a small, reasonably active volcano, Volcano Fiammarus, whose lava is used by dwarves to whip up their favourite frothy desert, pav-lava. The lava is collected or extracted by trolls, many of whom have travelled to Ythor in a bid to see more of life. They usually end up in the Glitterplain area.

The Woods of Derenai, the home of the dryads, consist of many trees, growing in a perfect circle. Beautiful and mysterious, apart from magic wood (used for magic wands, staves, etc.) this area does not produce anything material except for dryad poetry. There is a small but choice market for this.

The Saporia Lake, in the centre of these Woods, is the home of water-nymphs, and is full of enchantment. A small river runs through the woods, and spills into the Lake in a beautiful waterfall. The song of the naiads is said to be extraordinarily beautiful, and is captured in the delicately creamy shells known as Harp Shells. These shells fetch quite high prices on the market, and Corwyth markets them as collectors' items.

Corwyth has a peace treaty signed with Ferruga Island, whose trolls produce many precious stones which are bought by Corwythian merchants in trade for weapons and whatever other whims the trolls might have. The precious stones include: jade, emeralds, chrysolite, selenite, ruby, jasper, turquoise, topaz, moonstones, opals, sapphires, beryls, amethyst, chalcedonies, sards, onyx, diamonds, lapis lazuli, wine-coloured carbuncles and green carbuncles. Also from this island are the beautiful marbles – black marbles, green marbles, and deep blue marbles – which, although not so highly prized as the Corwythian stone, are nevertheless valuable and elegant.

Corwyth's foreign relations become much trickier with the Kingdom of Egala. A peace treaty exists, but relations are strained due to Egala's use of slave labour. Corwyth would ordinarily not maintain diplomatic relations with such a state, and would possibly go to war with it, but Egala is the biggest kingdom in Corwyth's area. Much trade happens between the two, and is indispensable to both of their economies, which is why Corwyth turns a blind eye to the slave labor. Much of the crops and the lumber from Ythor goes here, in trade for metals such as tin, lead, iron, and mercury, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, zinc, and platinum, from the Egalan mines, and for Yeddirue, a substance that, TOP SECRET – NOT REVEALED – NO, DON'T ASK – I'M NOT TELLING. The fabulous glass of Egala is also imported by Corwyth. Egala also produce figs, dates, many fruits, fine honey, and cured meats – but these are not required items by Corwyth. Corwyth of course urges Egala at every opportunity to reduce their slave labor, but this would be a long and difficult process for the Egalans…

If relations with Egala can be called uneasy, relations with Salinia are a disaster waiting to happen. The Treaty of Nichtfechten guarantees an “infinite and everlasting peace and respect of the frontiers” between Salinia and Corwyth, but Salinia's spying, slavery, and other known abuses of Corwyth's good will have caused the current rulers of Corwyth to begin sending large contingents of soldiers to Ythor in the event of a possible war. The Emperor Sciefyr himself had stated that he believed that the Treaty had to be revised, “with a view to Salinia's current actions and position”.

People in the know generally think that Salinia had better be careful, or it will find itself in a war against the greatest military power of the hemisphere…

The continent of Tyroppally is further east of Egala, a place of rich natural beauties, and is a favourite as a tourist attraction. Silvania is one of the largest kingdoms on this continent - it has many noble families, and a well-established court. The capital is also called Silvania, and other counties within include Norshire, and Starhaven. Nancia is another kingdom upon this continent - smaller. Exports...feathers, iron and small carvings of Tippa trees, a strange tree that grows only on Tyroppally. The Kingdom of the Gromboolian Mountains is a separate kingdom on that mainland - accessible only through a Gromboolian Rabbit Hole. The Kingdom of the Gromboolian Mountains exports scientific inventions to Corwyth, and Corwyth exports books, coffee, chocolate, and clothing to the Gromboolian Mountains.