Peddlers:
Peddlers are individuals who travel about with their wares looking for buyers and profit. Most peddlers are minor operators who carry their goods on
their back or on a single pack animal. Peddlers are not just limited to traveling from village to village, but also include individuals reselling items
within a town from carts or sacks. The goods they sell range from ribbons and caps, to pots and pans; mostly items a villager could not obtain locally
and townsman has no time to shop for.
Within the towns, another trade akin to the peddler is the victualer. The victualer sells hot and cold foods from a cart. The items they cook up
themselves or obtain from an inn or tavern, and vary from meat pies to pastries.
Local Operators:
These master Mercantylers are commonly the main operators of commercial activities within towns with a market size of 1-3. For most of the year they are
on the move, collecting local surpluses and taking orders for items not readily available and transporting these goods to a regional market. Once at the
market they obtain requested materials and acquire other goods that are commonly in demand back in their own market. During the winter months they still
do not rest, using the lull to make deals for the coming spring when the whole process starts again. Many of these individuals are satisfied with their
lot in life; however, their is a minority with dreams to expand their own wealth and area of operations.
Regional Operators:
These Mercantylers are the most influential and wealthy of their brethren; only being surpassed by the Merchant Bankers of the Eastern Venarian Sea.
Overall these men are located in towns/cities having a market size of 4 or greater and with a few exceptions rarely travel from their base of operations.
Instead they employ younger mercantylers to act as their agents, factors and/or junior partners. A regional operator focuses on acquiring imports that
he sells to local operators within his sphere of operations and buys the surplus items they have to offer and ships these goods to other regions where
they are in demand. These mercantylers place of business is their counting houses; an establishment that serves as residence, warehouse, showroom, and
office.
Merchant Adventurers:
As the name implies these are the true adventures of Kethira. These are bands or companies of mercantylers or come together for a specific enterprise or
journey over a specified period of time or indefinitely in the pursuit of trading activities. Instead of each mercantyler purchasing and controlling
their own goods each individual pools their funds and merchandise with all the members of the party and share the profits. The profits are shared out
according to what percentage of the overall value the individual mercantyler has contributed. Such companies have been known to travel from fair to fair
throughout northwestern Lýthia for years on end while its membership constantly changed as old companions moved on and new ones joined.
Factors/Agents:
These mercantylers can be journeymen or bonded masters who have signed a contract of service with another master mercantyler. Factors/agents are
typically junior members of the guild and looking for a way to improve their station in life. Typically they find themselves working in separate
locations purchasing and selling goods in accordance with their master's instructions, usually written. A factor typically works for a fixed salary and
represents his master in a distant locality for a year or more. At the end of his contract he must clear his books with his master before being
officially released from his obligations. An agent is usually hired on for a specific transaction and receives a small percentage of the profits as
compensation of his time.
Supercargoes:
The supercargo or ship’s scribe is a bonded-master mercantyler specializing in marine trade. Many of these individuals are young men with no hope
of acquiring a franchise and have a flare for adventure and travel. A supercargo usually holds an “Associate Membership” in the
Seamen’s Guild (12d/year). His duties include the purchase and sale of cargoes, calculation of freight rates, cargo stowage plans, etc. As a
guilded mercantyler, a supercargo generally negotiates better deals with his associates.
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