Merchant

Merchants are a core part of the Antiqua Orbis world. However, the generation of money and items within the world is limited.

An inn, such as the Innland Inn in Illyria, is owned by Pietr Vikersk II. Pietr owes fealty to Elizabeth O’Malley, the Duchess of Illyria. The goods sold and purchased at the Inn, as are the prices, are limited and fixed by the game. Pietr is strictly an NPC.

A player owns a merchant (John Smith). John builds an inn further down the road towards Goranth. John buys and sells goods and services at the prices the player sets. Additionally, John does not pledge allegiance to Elizabeth or Pietr and thus does not pay taxes.

As Pietr has pledged fealty to Elizabeth and paid his taxes, he is under the protection of the duchy. If a group of bandits moves into the area, Pietr has the right to request aid from Elizabeth to stamp out the bandits. On the other hand, John does not and must deal with the bandits on his own. John may then hire mercenaries from Pietr to protect his interests.

A merchant may set up a forge, an apothecary business, or a stable. A character may also select levels as a merchant. Merchants are “owned” by an account and can be associated with a family, clan, or tribal name. This allows characters of the same family or tribal name to obtain benefits not available to other characters. Character merchant abilities can increase over time, just as NPC merchants will.

NPCs and merchants are the backbone of a society. They perform all the functions needed for a society in a given area to succeed. They consist of artisans, innkeepers, mayors, rulers, and even some mercenaries.