OOC Info [Suvan Sea OOC Thread] The Fierce Currents

[Trident]

Svefra don't earn income. The Svefra use bartering to acquire most of their items. They fish, weave, or do any other sort of material job and then sell those goods for other goods that they require. Money doesn't really factor in all that much.

Also, I have put in three new locations: Lake Levar from the Development Thread, God's Eye Point and Zurex Ruins. Feel free to check them out.

For those of you that are wondering, I'll be adding Crown Reef tomorrow. A mix-up means I'll have to alter the title and the Southern Suvan map, all of which must wait until tomorrow. I'll have it in shortly, however.

I apologize to those I owe posts to, and those who are requiring grading, I will respond as quickly as is possible. Which means, probably tomorrow. Today has just been...busy. Sorry.

- Trident

[Daske Baggywrinkle]

I noticed you've been busy, Trident. Way to go!!!


A question... Svefra don't earn income, but they do pay living expenses. Maybe I'm missing something obvious here?

[Trident]

Oh, I'm sorry. I construed the question wrong. They earn money from trading with outsiders, whom they don't barter with. They only barter among themselves. The expenses are paid with that money they gain from trading with or being employed by outsiders, that is, non-Svefra. Like, if a Svefra gets paid to ferry someone around, or an outsider buys some of their goods...they get paid in money.

And so, they still must pay living expenses.

[Ginny Ardell]

I don't want to be nitpicky, but I don't really get how that solves the issue. You've explained how they get money. But what do they need it for? I mean, they have shelter on their ships, and provide food for themselves by fishing. And they're supposed to be self-sufficient, aren't they?

[Trident]

They are not self-sufficient. They still need to buy supplies that they don't have, food, weapons, ship repairs, et cetera. They can't provide for everything, especially since most Svefra Pods aren't exactly that big. The are more like extended families living together, not exactly huge groups. Shortages of food, fresh water, and other goods all need to be accounted for. And a good chunk of their money goes into docking fees - payment for tying up at ports. They can't just sail around all the time!

It would be like a family on land, trying to be self-sufficient. It's very, very hard. And ultimately, there will be things they need which they cannot make themselves.

So, there are little ways they have to pay which eventually, adds up. Does that help? It's not exactly a simple concept.

[Ginny Ardell]

Totally, thanks!

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

Could you expound upon this and add it to the player's guide? It's not a question that's only going to come up once, and its reasoning is not intuitive for people that want to play a footloose and fancy free race. From my understanding, which admittedly is limited, it's entirely plausible that some Svefra dwell within their extensive pod and don't have a ship, don't have to buy things or pay docking fees, and simply work for their community while others take care of the business end of things. ie, Joe Blowhole fishes and makes fishing supplies for his pod as well as for the business minded pod mate that barters these for necessary supplies or takes them to a city to pay for a metal tool of some kind.

I think the basic idea regarding living expenses put forth in the price guide needs to be tweaked and adjusted for the Svefra, just as Wind Reach has its own system. Neither location can be treated like a city in the traditional sense, in the sense that the price list does. To personalize this, I think, would further embellish the unique nature of the area and race.

Just my two cents.

[Gossamer]

Ginny/Sable-

Think of it this way. When you fish.. you need bait which you can sometimes get, but where do you get the lovely woven thin line? Where do you get your fishhooks? Do the Svefra mine ore and turn it into hooks? Probably not. Your ship takes tons of resources just to keep going that you probably don't realize aren't easy to come by all the time. Someone has to grow hemp on the shore to make all that rope and someone has to weave all that canvas which btw is also an agricultural crop that the Svefra can't just go harvest or manufacture. We realize your not being nit-picky, but you have to think of all the details. You can't just live off the land. Where do you get your bladed weapons? Follow the trail of goods and services and you'll see how much the Svefra, while independent, have to rely on the people they trade with and provide services for in order to survive. All of Mizahar is interconnected like that.

I bet I could call up your CS and point out a dozen things on it your Svefra can't get alone or would rely on other cultures for.

Goss

[Trident]

In short, you pay for your living expenses indirectly.

You are right, though, this does need to be put in the Player's Guide, to prevent any more confusion.

[Sable Baggywrinkle]

Do you think the group nature of their social structure and loose concept of property makes a difference?

For instance, Joe Blowhole needs a new spring muhjigger for his mounted harpoon, he wanders over three boats, notices one sitting out not being used and takes it. That individual that used to own said spring realizes his spring is gone, maybe kicks himself for leaving it out, hopes that someone put it to good use, and goes to get himself another. Joe Blowhole just got himself his non-Svefran manufactured tool and didn't pay a dime. In any other culture he would have been accused of stealing for such an act, and most likely never would have even considered taking it.

Does the cost of living go up or down depending on pod size or specialty? Where the individual needs something but the likelihood that there's already something floating around for use is higher or lower?

What about those that live at the Anchorage Flotilla?

Do either of these things really matter? I don't know, but they did occur to me so I thought I'd toss them up for discussion.