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Chapter 4: The Southern Route - Introduction

To travel from the east side of the Commonwealth to the west, one has three practical options. The first is to travel by land – but horses are expensive, the transcontinental roads are poor, and Massylia is only mostly secured as part of the Commonwealth. The second is to sail around the northern end of Ensho, where the seas are warm and the coasts are rich – but the route is long indeed. The third option is to sail around the southern end of Ensho.

The southern route is fraught with dangers – the seas are cold, the shores oft rocky, the residents not always friendly and mostly poor – but for cargoes headed to or from far-off Umbar it is superior. The Valassyrian coastline is well-endowed with safe havens for journeying vessels, where vessels can cheaply resupply and repair, much cheaper than in Tavras. Once through the Frevanian Straight, the circulatory currents and the trade winds can carry a ship with its sails all hoisted directly to eastern Umbar with little trouble.

Equally, even southern Ensho has its riches. True, it is not as rich as Tavras or Nevarka, but equally that is an advantage, for the resources there can be acquired at discount compared to elsewhere en route. Copper, lead, and silver all make for good ballast in either direction, and bone crafts lend a rustic flair to any shipment whilst also being portable.

One should always be mindful of the locals when attempting to trade with them, however, and in Godclaw in particular; they do not take kindly to strangers. But for the adventurous captain and the becalmed one besides, the southern edge of Ensho, especially with the growing volumes of trade passing through, is a place where profitable business can be made.

From the Arguin Company Handbook, Third Edition. Published by Island Public Press.