Chapter Eight: The Goods of Europe

This chapter lists products of many industries that a troupe might select as covenant income sources. It also includes luxurious items, suitable as rewards for characters who complete difficult stories, or as the materials for Hermetic enchantment. Commodities can be divided into three classes: bulk goods, manufactured goods, and luxury goods.

Bulk Goods

Bulk goods are those that are traded in enormous volume between their sites of production and the cities that consume them. These include salt, food, drink, cooking oil, fuel, timber, and industrial materials. Most cities cannot supply these basic needs from their hinterlands, although many supplement international trade with locally produced goods. The profit on bulk goods is modest but sure, even for short journeys.

Alum is a mineral that acts as a fixative for dye. It is vital to the cloth trades, and is imported into northern Italy and Flanders in great quantities. The finest alum comes from Asia Minor. The island of Chios, which the Venetians seized after the Fourth Crusade, dominates the trade. A small amount of alum comes from within Europe, but it is unsuitable for creating expensive fabrics.

Control of the alum supply is one of the primary pillars upon which the commercial power of Venice rests. The alum monopoly is vital to the wealth of Venice's ruling class. If a new source is found, and the new supplier is willing to make an exclusive distribution arrangement with the Venetians, war might be avoided. Proxies in Venice's pay will attempt to seize any new source of alum held by an unfriendly power.

The three prices given in the table are for alum that has been adulterated with salt, European alum, and Asian alum, respectively. There is no Expensive class of alum.

Brass and Bronze are used to cast large objects like doors, bells, statues, and church lecterns. They are also used for hollowware, tools, and decoration in situations where a metal more durable and less expensive than silver is appropriate. Less artistically, brass is also used to make the wires for wool cards, and to make pins. An important variant of bronze is bell bronze, which contains more copper, so it is harder and has better tone. The finest brassware and bronzeware is crafted in Belgium.

Brass is made of copper and an ore called calamine. Calamine is so heavy, and required in such great proportion, that brass is only cast where calamine and fuel are plentiful. Viable deposits of calamine are, therefore, very rare. A covenant that could extract this ore cheaply, using magical mining or heating, could rapidly become a regional supplier of brassware. Brass's lightness and durability makes it particularly suitable for magical item creation.

Bronze is made by mixing copper and tin. Bronze is usually smelted near the copper mine, with tin being shipped in. Bronze is used as a cheap replacement for ornamental brass.

Fuel is any substance that is burned for heat. The prices given on the table below are for wood, charcoal, and sea coal, respectively.

The usual fuel in Europe is wood. In some areas it is floated, unprocessed, downriver to mills close to its consumers. Merchants floating wood to a destination can sometimes just leave it in the water, guiding it with lines trailing from a boat.

Charcoal, which is the average fuel given on the price table, is wood that has been heated for a prolonged time to reduce its moisture content.

Coal is such a heavy commodity, relative to its value, that it is only exported from those places where it lies very close to a river or sea. It is often called "sea coal" by Mythic Europeans. Coal mining requires enormous quantities of wood, for bracing, and there are many coal deposits that Hermetic magi could make profitable with magic that are currently unexploited due to a lack of cheap bracing material. Sea coal is exported from northern England and the Rhineland, but is unknown in many parts of Europe, where charcoal is used instead.

Copper is a soft, reddish metal named after the island of Cyprus. In ancient times, it was forged into bronze weapons, but in Mythic Europe is primarily used to debase silver. The alloy of silver and copper is called bullion and is far more durable than pure silver, although it tarnishes rapidly. Bullion jewelry is usually 10% copper, but coins, which have suffered frequent debasements, may be up to 90% copper.

Copper is also used to make bronzeware and brassware, to make certain colors of dye, and to stain glass. Copper is also used as a less expensive alternative to silver or gold in enameling. It is traditional to make weathervanes from copper, particularly those shaped like roosters.

Cotton is predominantly grown in the areas of Europe that have been recaptured from the Muslims. Cotton is harvested for a period of about six weeks per year, beginning in October. Quality declines sharply toward the end of the season. Cotton is a valuable crop because when it is cleaned and converted to thread it loses only about one-tenth of its weight. This compares very favorably with greasy wool or silk cocoons.

Fish is a popular food, because the Church has decreed that it can be consumed on fast days and Fridays. It is preserved by salting, smoking, or pickling, and can be purchased virtually anywhere in Europe. Fishermen throughout Europe have many strange supernatural abilities, developed as protection from the danger of their profession. They also consider themselves to be particularly favored by the Divine, because at least four of the apostles were fishermen.

Flax production was introduced to Europe by Muslims. This plant is used to create linen. Paper is made of discarded linen. Flax seeds can be crushed to produce linseed oil, which is used as a varnish. Flax is extremely susceptible to magic: many folk traditions involving Midsummer bonfires involve people leaping over the fire to ensure that the flax will grow to the height of the flames, or the height to which the people leap. Flax is most available for the last month of autumn.

Foodstuffs include anything reasonably nutritious and suitable for human consumption. Many areas export a particular food. Most foodstuffs are seasonal, but the time of peak availability varies by type.

Furs of inexpensive varieties enter mainland Europe from Ireland and Northern Russia, where they are sold in barrels of a thousand. They are used to trim expensive clothing. Furs are available year round from Russia. Barrels from Russia sometimes include strange pelts of animals unknown in the rest of Europe.

Grain of many types is grown throughout Mythic Europe. Wheat is the dominant European grain. Barley has a higher yield, but grows only in better soil. The hardier rye and oats are grown in colder areas. Rice is considered a spice in Mythic Europe. Grain's peak season is in September and October. Grain plays so central a role in the lives of Europeans that its cultivation is riddled with faerie influences.

Hemp is a strong, relatively coarse plant fiber used to create durable fabric. It is used extensively in the manufacture of rope and canvas, the latter of which is described as average hemp cloth on the price table below. It grows well across a broad range of climates and soil types, so it is cultivated from Norway to Italy, both as a primary crop and in small patches that allow a farm to make its own ropes.

Rope must be made in a specialized building, called a rope walk, that is at least as long as the rope to be made, because there is no non-magical technique for coiling rope as it is manufactured. The ropes required by large vessels are extremely long, so suitable rope walks are expensive to construct, and usually belong to noblemen. In areas where the need for naval power is significant, like Venice, the ruler controls the rope works. Hemp's peak season is October.

Iron is a strong, inexpensive metal. Its ore can only be mined economically when it is close to water transport, and to fuel for smelting. Many rich deposits could be made viable with magical assistance.

Lead is a soft metal with an incredible array of uses. It is pliable and melts easily, so it is used to manufacture solder and pipes. It is found in pewter, in debased silver and gold, and in wine as a preservative. Scribes, including magi, rule pages with lead before writing. It is also used in many white pigments, so it is found in paint and cosmetics.

Lead is, however, insidiously poisonous. Roman scholars commented on the cretinism that was found in the families of lead miners, and Hermetic magi know that lead gradually destroys the sanity of those who are exposed to it. Smelting lead also produces unpleasant, sulfurous odors. Many cities do not allow leadworks in their vicinities. Covenants may find the production of this useful, but dangerous, commodity profitable. Lead deposits often contain traces of silver, which makes lead mining more attractive.

Oil is used for cooking, lighting, and in the textile industry. The cheapest oil, tallow, is a byproduct of slaughtering. The cheap, cooking oil of the Mediterranean comes from olives. It is harvested in winter and is available at peak prices from November to March. Butter is used as an alternative in colder areas. Expensive oil comes from whales.

Pitch is the resin of pine trees, extracted by slow, flameless burning. It is vital in naval industries and trade. Pitch is used to line the inside of waterproof containers. It is also used to preserve rope, canvas, and wood from water damage. It can be used unadulterated, but is often mixed with linseed oil to create a varnish. This mixture, which is popular for painting houses, is extremely flammable. Flaming pitch is used in warfare, and is particularly effective against wooden structures.

Potash is the alkaline residue left after certain plants are burned. Eastern potash is irreplaceable in the production of quality glass and luxurious soaps. Like alum, fine potash is a commodity that Venice is willing to provoke war to control. A source closer to Venice than Asia Minor would both reduce the expenses involved in the glass trade and increase the volume that is produced, without substantially decreasing the price, provided Venice retained control of production and shipping. Cheap, European potash is made from trees like the elm.

Salt is boiled from brine wells in lead pans about three feet square. As the brine boils, salt scales form on the base of the pan. A worker needs to scrape this scale away, because if it becomes too thick, the pan overheats and melts. Damaged pans are, however, easily recast into new pans. Salt can only be extracted in areas where there is sufficient fuel for the boiling pans. A less efficient method, which uses earthenware pots in a kiln, is also known from Roman times.

Salt is mined in some areas. Being sent to the salt mines was one of the most severe punishments for Roman slaves, since the mortality rate was very high. Ancient salt mines tend to be haunted. Ancient salt mines in the Alps show that the pre-Roman inhabitants always mined salt in cakes shaped like hearts, for reasons unknown.

Salt makes bread and other starchy foods palatable. The production of salted meat and fish requires salt weighing about a quarter as much as the meat. Salt is a useful commodity because it is desired in every town, but does not rot or go stale, like many other bulk goods do. Mundane people do not usually extract salt directly from seawater, because it requires too much fuel. Some make artificial saltpans, creating brine, which they then boil, but this is a labor-intensive process. Hermetic magic, which allows heating without fuel, makes seawater a practical source of salt.

Raw Silk is farmed in many areas in the Mediterranean. Silk is produced whenever a stock of mulberry leaves is available, so peak season begins a month after spring starts, and ends when the plants shed their leaves in autumn.

Skins are a byproduct of butchery and hunting. They are exported in greatest quantity from the forests of Russia. Their peak period follows the autumn cull. Skins are turned into leather.

Timber is wood that has been cut into boards and dried. Different woods have varying properties, making them more or less suitable for various styles of construction. Expensive timbers, noted on the price table below, are rare and beautiful woods used for paneling and carving expensive furniture.

Tin is used in the creation of brass and pewter. Its ore is mined in Cornwall and the Rhineland. It is of such importance to the English economy that tin miners had their ancient privileges codified in 1201, allowing them to dig on the land of any person, to move streams to aid their work, and to ignore any call to attend on anyone, save the king's bailiff.

Wax is a byproduct of honey production, and is used to create candles for the rich. It is generally not valuable enough to be shipped large distances. Its peak period is in spring. Expensive waxes are perfumed and dyed to create expensive candles or distinctive sealing waxes. The cheap "wax" listed below on the price table is actually tallow, a slaughterhouse fat into which reeds are dipped.

Wine is produced throughout the warmer parts of Europe, and is shipped into the cooler parts in great quantity.

Wool prices dip in spring. The most valuable wool comes from England, although Iberian wool is almost as fine, and many other areas produce coarse wools.

Manufactured Goods

Volumes of manufactured goods worthy of trade are produced in the large cities of Europe and in two industrial regions, located in northern Italy and Flanders. The two industrial regions link over the Alps, which is an expensive route. Goods also move between them, in far smaller quantities, through the Black Sea and the Muslim lands of the Iberian Peninsula. Some merchants predict that, if the Reconquista in Iberia continues, the Atlantic route will become more dependable and the number of ships following it will increase.

A cluster of city-states dominates northern Italy. The most powerful is Venice, which dominates trade with Constantinople and the Levant. Genoa's merchants rival Venice's, and the Genoese have seeded the East with colonies, which provide agricultural goods, act as resupply points for traders, and offer friendly ports during war. Lucca is famous for its bankers and silks, and is the richest of the north Italian cities, apart from Venice. Siena's goldsmiths are renowned throughout Europe. Milan lies fortuitously close to the iron mines of the southern Alps, and is famous for armaments. Florence is well known for its cheap wool cloth and the inroads its merchants are making in the wool industry in Flanders. Pisa's merchants are famed, and it is favored by the Holy Roman Emperor. It also acts as the port for landlocked Florence.

The northern European industrial area is smaller than the Italian, but is still substantial. This region is centered in Flanders and Brabant, although it spreads beyond these areas into many surrounding lands. This region lies partway between London, Paris, and the emerging cities on the Baltic and in the Rhineland. Its key cities are Arras, which is the main port for English wool imports, and Bruges, which is its greatest manufacturing center.

Ceramics are made by applying heat to molded clay. Pottery is the most commonly traded form in Mythic Europe, but tiles and bricks are also shipped in quantity, particularly out of Flanders.

Cotton Cloth is a light fabric used for undergarments, summer clothes, and bedding. It is produced by an industry centered in the north of Italy, and cotton rivals cheap wool as a garment material for the poor.

Glass of the best quality is imported from the Orient, but Constantinople and Venice both produce cheaper, less clear glass. Glass production requires pure sand, cheap fuel, and excellent potash or lime.

Ironware refers to a wide variety of fireproof, impact-resistant tools.

Leather is simply tanned animal skins. Leather is valuable as a clothing material because it is more durable and waterproof than woven fabric. Parchment is made by stretching and shaving hides that would otherwise become leather.

Linen is a fabric used for bedding and garments that lie against the skin. Coarser linens are used for cheaper garments and fabrics.

Paper is a writing surface made of wood pulp or linen rags. It is not durable, but is convenient for temporary records.

Pewter is an alloy of tin, copper, and lead used for ornamental pieces, as a cheaper alternative to glass or silver.

Tapestries and Embroideries are heavy cloths that display colorful designs. In tapestries, commonly from the Levant and Africa, this is woven into the cloth. England, in particular, is famous for embroidery, where colored thread is stitched through a length of fine wool to create patterns similar to tapestries.

Luxury Goods

Luxury goods are used by the powerful to display their status. In many parts of Europe it is forbidden for poor people to own these status symbols. Clothing, in particular, is often regulated, but the women of the merchant class are surprisingly adept at finding legal loopholes to allow them to continue wearing fabrics, furs, and ornaments that are forbidden.

The prices given for expensive fabrics, below, are for rare, luxurious items made of that cloth. Fine cotton, linen, and wool are cheaper substitutes for silk but are incredibly expensive compared to the coarser wool and cotton used by poorer people. The finest silk, damask, is hand-painted by Oriental artisans, and is sold by the piece.

Amber is found washed up on the shores of the Baltic, where it is said to be the rubble of the walls of a faerie princess's undersea castle. It is also mined in Hungary. Its function is ornamental.

Dyes and Inks come from a wide variety of sources. The most expensive, a purple, comes from one gland in a Mediterranean shellfish. Vermillion, an expensive red, comes from an insect that the Romans thought a worm. Other imported dyes come from minerals or rare plants. Poor people use floral and ocher dyes.

Furs of the more expensive varieties tend to enter Europe through the Black Sea. They are used to trim the clothing of rich people.

Gemstones do not generally come from Europe. True gems are so valuable that only the senior nobility can readily purchase them. Semiprecious stones, listed as cheap gemstones on the price table, are used for jewelry, but they are also ground up for expensive paint, and used in mosaics and other ornaments.

Gold is mined erratically in the Rhineland, Hungary, and Transylvania. Most of Europe's gold comes from deepest Africa. Gold coins are no longer minted anywhere in Europe, although the eastern bezant remains in circulation in the remnants of the Empire.

Horses are used for transport and labor. Fine warhorses are extremely expensive.

Ivory comes from India, predominantly through Armenia and Africa. The finest carved ivory comes from Paris.

Pearls are the most expensive commodity regularly traded in Europe. The finest pearls come from the sea of Arabia. Smaller, less lustrous, irregularly shaped pearls are harvested in the rivers of Europe. Scotland and Russia are particularly famed for these pearls, although a few are found in other areas. On the price table below, average pearls are river pearls, or poor quality Arabic pearls. There are no cheap pearls; the price given for fake pearls instead.

Saffron is listed separately from other spices because it is so much more expensive. The finest saffron is imported into Europe, while average saffron is produced in the eastern Mediterranean. There is a strong market for saffron that has been adulterated with non-fragrant portions of the saffron flower, or other yellow spices like turmeric.

Silk cloth is the lightest, smoothest, and most luxurious of the fibers found in Europe. It is used for garments, linings, and anywhere ostentatious wealth is appropriate, like banners or tournament gear. Cheap silk is grown in Europe, while average silk comes from Asia. The most expensive silk is damask. It is painted silk of the highest quality, which takes its name from Damascus, where much of it is produced.

Silver is used for the coining of money, but also for silverware. Silver coins, and some ingots, are made of bullion, which is usually 10% copper, but can be up to 90% copper.

Slaves are shipped into Europe predominantly from Russia and North Africa. Young, female slaves are the most expensive in Europe, while in Arabia male slaves are preferred. The latter are raised as laborers. Slavery is still found in the Arabic lands, Sicily, southern Italy, Russia, southern France, and southern Iberia. Transporting slaves requires extraordinary tonnage, since their food and water must also be shipped.

Soap, made in Iberia from olive oil and potash, is the cheapest of the luxury goods shipped across Europe. Cheap, black soap from Germany is used by poorer people.

Spices include medicinal and culinary spices. The term is used broadly in Mythic Europe and includes three price strata. Dried fruit (currants, figs, prunes, and raisins), almonds, and rice are the cheapest class. Pepper and sugar are the average class. Aromatic spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and mace, cost far more. Peasants use local alternatives, like salt, vinegar, mustard, onions, and garlic.

Weapons are manufactured in most of the capital cities of Europe's kingdoms. The area around Milan is famous for the quality of its armaments, and its capacity to produce enormous numbers of weapons to order.

Commercial Sources of Trade Goods

The following lists of commercial sources of trade goods include only those places that merchants consider useful for purchasing large volumes of material, at prices that allow profitable transport. Most goods can be found in any large city, and are available in smaller centers intermittently. Italic mentions denote regions that are famous for exporting an item. If a commodity is marked as cheap, then only standard and shoddy goods are available at that rate, while commodities marked fine include superior and excellent versions.

Fish is an exceptional case. Any coastal town can provide fish at an exportable rate. Some locales are particularly famous for fish, and these are listed below.

Africa

Principal Ports (Alexandria, Tunis, Algiers): Dyes, Gold, Inks, Ivory, Cheap Potash, Cheap Spices, Wax, Wool

Baltic Sea

All Areas: Amber**,** Grain, Pitch, Timber, Wood
Denmark (Copenhagen, Aarhus): Foodstuffs (Cattle), Leather, Horses, Cheap Potash, Slaves
Norway (Oslo, Bergen): Foodstuffs (Butter), Iron, Leather, Skins, Timber, Wood, also noted for gyrfalcons
Russia: (Novgorod, Pskov): Fish (Sturgeon), Cheap Furs, Cheap Potash, Wax
Southern Coast (Danzig, Lubeck, Reval, and Riga): Fish (Herring), Grain, Pitch, Wax
Sweden (Abo, Stockholm): Copper, Iron

Black Sea

(Excluding Romania)

All Areas: Grain, Salt, Slaves
Bulgaria (Trnovo, Varna): Gold, Grain
Crimea (Kaffa): Furs, Slaves, Wax
Trebizond (Trebizond): Cotton, Ivory, Silk, Spices

British Isles

All Areas: Foodstuffs (Cheese), Grain, Leather
Scotland (Edinburgh, Aberdeen): Fish (Cod), Standard Pearls (Tay), Wool

Ireland (Cork, Dublin): Flax, Furs
England (Bristol, London, Scarborough, Southampton): Amber, Brass, Coal, Embroidery, Lead, Fine Raw Wool, Silver (the wool surplus creates an oversupply of silver in the economy), Tin

France

(Including Calais and Gascony, excluding the industrial area in Flanders and Belgium)

Atlantic Coast (Nantes, Bayonne, Bordeaux): Flax, Salt, Cheap Wine
Northern (Calais, Rouen, Paris, Rheims, Troyes): Dye (Madder), Dye (Woad), Grain, Carved Ivory, Linen, Raw Wool, Wool Cloth
Southern (Marseilles, Narbonne, Salins-les-Bains, Toulouse): Dye, Salt, Slaves, Wine

Germany

All Areas: Dye, Coal, Iron, Pitch, Cheap Potash, Timber
Bohemia (Prague): Copper, Cheap Glassware, Pewter, Silver (particularly at Jihlava after 1222), Wax
Central (Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Salzburg): Copper, Lead, Salt, Silver (particularly at Freiberg and Goslar), Wine
North (Cologne, Hamburg): Brass and Brassware, Salt, Cheap Weapons
South: Flax, Timber, Wine

The Holy Land and Ionian Asia Minor

Principal Ports and Cities (Beirut, Smyrna, Rhodes, Nicosia, Tyre): Alum, Cotton, Dye (Indigo and others), Potash, Saffron, Spices, Sugar (particularly in Cyprus), Fine Silk, Tapestries

Iberia

All Areas Except Mallorca: Dye (Woad, Crimson), Iron, Olive Oil, Paper, Wax, Wool
Muslim South and Aragon (Balansyia, Barcelona, Cartagena, Ishbiliyah, Malaqah, Qadis): Cotton, Flax, Linen, Cheap Silk, Slaves, Cheap Spices (particularly Rice), Sugar, Wine
Kingdom of Mallorca (Balearic Islands and Ibiza): Pottery, Salt
North and Center (Lisbon, Oporto, Corunna, Salamanca, Toledo): Soap, Weapons

Italy, Adjacent Islands, and Dalmatia

East Adriatic Coast (Ragusa, Spalato, Venice, Zara): Alum, Cloth (all types), Fish, Glass, Iron, Jewelry, Salt, Ships
Islands: Salt, Cotton (small quantities), Cheap Silk, Wine
Northern Industrial Area (Milan, Florence, Siena): Cheap Cloth (all types), Dye, Goldwork, Paper, Pottery, Warhorses, Weapons
South (Naples, Rome): Olive Oil, Cheap Silk, Wine
Southern Alpine Towns: Copper, Iron, Lead, Tin (small quantities)

Low Countries

Principal Ports and Cities (Arras, Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Liege, Utrecht): Brass (Liege), Copper, Dye (Woad, Madder), Linen, Cheap Silk Cloth, Tapestry, Timber, Wool Cloth (particularly sewn into luxurious trousers from Bruges)

Romania and the Byzantine Successor States in Europe and Aegean Islands

Romania (Constantinople): Honey, Olive Oil, Perfumes, Salt, Raw Silk, Cheap Silk Cloth, Slaves, Spices, Wax, Wine
Crete: Saffron (small quantities), Wine

Southern Russia, Poland, and Hungary

Russia (Kiev): Furs, Fish (Sturgeon), Cheap Potash, Average Pearls, Timber, Wood>br Poland (Poznan, Wroclaw, Cracow): Wool
Hungary (Zagreb, Pecs, Belgrade, Buda, Brasso, Esztergotti, Kolozsavar, Pozsony, Szeged, Temsevar): Copper, Foodstuffs (Cattle), Gold (small quantities), Leather

Places So Far as to Verge on the Mythical

Everywhere: Gemstones (type varies by place)
Iceland: Falcons
India: Diamonds, Dye (Brazilwood and others), Ivory, Pepper, Other Spices
Persian Gulf: Gems, Pearls, Saffron, Silk, Slaves
Serica: Silk, Spices

Prices of Goods

The list beginning on the next page gives a universal price for many commodities. All prices are in Mythic Pounds of silver per tun or ton. Some items are not ever sold by the ton, as noted, but are listed for comparison. This allows players whose characters are producing wealth magically to determine the value of the goods that they create. The categories are described in greater detail in Covenants, page 71, but players should assume that shoddy goods are used by the poor, standard goods are those used by most people, superior goods are used by the wealthy, and expensive goods are suitable only for the richest people.

The table has a series of gaps. The highest category, Flawless, is unused here. A ton of this quality of material is difficult to source or sell. Many entries have no value for Excellent. Hashed marks (#) indicate that tons of these commodities, of Excellent quality, cannot be procured. Asterisked (*) commodities are sold at differing purities, which pull the price away from average price. Silver, for example, is usually sold as an alloy called bullion, which is, at best, 10% copper. Silver that is more or less debased than usual has a price reflecting its metal content.

Weights and Measures

Dry goods are usually measured by weight, in pounds, for retail sale. Sixteen ounces equal one pound, or 1/2,240 of a ton. Many continental merchants use a different system, from Troyes, where the pound is divided into 12, larger, ounces.

Grain retails by volume, in bushels. Four pecks equal one bushel, which is one-eighth of a quarter, or 1/640 of a ton. Wool is measured by the sack. Each sack is designed to fill a wagon. Half-sacks are carried by draft animals.

Ale and wine are measured in gallons and shipped in tuns. Eight pints equal one gallon, which is about 1/120 of a pipe, or about 1/240 of a tun. A tun defines the weight of a ton.

Cloth is measured by length, in yards, or ells. Thirty-six inches equal three feet, or one yard. An ell can be up 45 inches, but varies widely. Light cloth, like silk, has greater length to the ton than heavy fabric, like canvas.

16 ounces = 1 pound = 1/2,240 ton
4 pecks = 1 bushel = 1/8 quarter = 1/640 ton
8 pints = 1 gallon = about 1/120 pipe = about 1/240 tun
36 inches = 3 feet = 1 yard

Prices of Goods Table

Commodity	Shoddy	Standard	Superior	Expensive	Notes
Alum	*	200	400
Brassware	150	300	600
Copper	*	*	*
Cotton Cloth	100	200	400	10,000	Fine cotton is rare, and a silk substitute.
Cotton, Raw	40	50	100	250
Dye	10	50		20,000	Sold in bottles of varying sizes
Fuel	1	2	3	n/a
Fish	50	75	100	#	The most expensive fish, whales and stur geons, usually belong to the king by right.
Flax	20	45	90	250
Fur and Hides	1	50	100	250
Foodstuffs	1	10	20	50
Gemstones	2,000 (fake)	10,000	80,000	100,000	Sold in ounces: 2 1/2 pounds per ounce for fine, 2 pounds per ounce for average
Glassware	#	1,500	2,000	2,500
Gold	*	*	*	24,200	Sold by the pound, at about ten pounds of silver per pound of gold
Grain	1	5	10	25
Hemp Cloth	45	60	100	#
Hemp, Raw	15	20	25	#
Horses	2	4	8	64	Two horses to the ton
Ink	10	25	50	10,000	Ground semiprecious stones, sold at one pound per four ounces, dry weight
Iron	*	*	*	120
Ironware and Weapons	125	250	500	2,500
Lead	*	*	*	60
Leather	150	250	500	2,500
Linen Cloth	125	175	350	1,750
Oil	2	10	20	100
Paper	75	150	300	#
Pearls	5 (fake)	80,000	120,000	n/a	Sold in ounces: 2 pounds per ounce for river pearls, 3 pounds per ounce for sea pearls
Pewterware	375	750	1,500	#	Expensive pewterware is unknown; people who could afford it buy silverware instead.
Pitch	1	2	4	20
Potash	20	#	#	400	Potash has only cheap and expensive forms.
Pottery	20	70	140	700
Saffron	*	*	*	25,000	Sold by the ton only rarely
Salt	*	*	*	120
Silk Cloth	12,500	25,000	50,000	#	Sold by the roll
Silk, Raw	300	500	600	#
Silver	250*	1,650*	2,200*	2,420
Slaves	1	2	4	#	Slaves cost between 5 and 10 pounds each.
Soap	0.5	1	5	10
Spices	5	50	1,500	2,000
Tapestries	100	3,000	6,000	#
Timber	2.5	5	10	25
Tin	*	*	*	250
Wax	2	5	10	#
Wine	5	10	20	50
Wool Cloth	50	150	300	3,000
Wool, Raw	25	50	100	500

Attribution

Content originally published in Ars Magica: Definitive Edition, ©2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Open License Markdown version by YR7 & OriginalMadman, https://github.com/OriginalMadman/Ars-Magica-Open-License

City and Guild Chapter Eight: The Goods of Europe

See Also