The State of the Chronicles: November 2010

We concluded talking about magic, discussed economics, and began talking about travel in Shokiyu this month.

I'll try to keep the daily updates coming through the holidays

Traveling in Shokiyu, Day 2

◦For traveling short distances within a city, what are the alternatives? Can people hire a cab, a litter, a rickshaw, or do they have to walk or rely on their own servants or horses?

Most Shokiyans prefer to walk, but large cities have a network of interconnected teleportation Crystals that can take you to popular points of interest (So Crystal A at the city entrance takes you to Crystal B at the town square--touching Crystal B again will take you to Crystal C nearby the marketplace, and so on.)

Unlike teleportation spells cast by someone (which have a higher risk of failing the more people you try to teleport), these crystals have immense magic power stored inside them potent enough to activate on a touch. While most beings use them just fine, some have slight nausea or fatigue as a side effect of exposure to the power.

Traveling in Shokiyu, Day 1

◦What are the common domesticated animals used for transportation at various levels of society — e.g., oxen, horses, donkeys, camels, etc.?

Horses, mules, and oxen are mainly used in most areas, with camels used in the desert and deer are often used in the mountains

Next topic

What topic should we discuss next, since most of the remaining economics questions ventures into areas I don't want to spoil?

Shokiyan Economics, Day 13

◦Who is responsible for coinage: the ruler, local barons, someone else (merchant guilds)? Are there generally acceptable standards? How easy/common is counterfeiting?

There are mints that create the official monetary pearl and its standard. Each lot of pearls has a invisible magical glyph on them (that can only be seen by a certain spell) to deter counterfeiting

Shokiyan Economics, Day 12

Is this a money-based economy, or mostly barter?

Money is common on Shokiyu, but you can also bargain or trade if you have no pearls on you

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm taking a break from worldbuilding today--don't stuff yourselves on turkey!

Shokiyan Economics, Day 11

◦Is there a merchant class? Where do they fit in society?

Merchants are the go betweens between craftsman and consumer--they buy low and sell high (or high but still reasonable)

Shokiyan Economics, Day 10

◦How are records kept — tally sticks, parchment, clay tablets, beads?


Records are written on enchanted scrolls--items sold, who bought them and at what price are recorded

Shokiyan Economics, Day 9

◦What regulations, if any, has the government/ruler placed on business practices?

To name a few:

--Merchants are entitled to set whatever price they deem appropriate, provided it does not exceed 50% of the highest price listed for that item in the Index of Commerce (so if the highest price for bread is 500 pearls, they can't go any higher then 750 pearls)

--Shokiyans are entitled to shop wherever they see fit (and any merchant's guild that says otherwise would be guilty of anti trust laws)

--The more expensive the item, the higher the tax, but no more than 20% of the sale price may be taken for tax

Shokiyan Economics, Day 8

◦Do different regions/cities specialize in specific crafts, processes, or products (examples: Damascus steel, Bordeaux wines, Chinese silk, Wisconsin cheese)? Do different races specialize?


Without giving too much away, elves and fairies are known for weapons and magical items such as jewelry and instruments. (The elves have a friendly rivalry with the dwarves concerning weapons)

Shokiyan Economics, Day 7

◦What is the process a young person goes through to enter a craft or trade? Are the craft requirements for various skill ranks (such as apprentice, journeyman, master, or med student, intern, doctor, specialist) standardized, or does rank depend more on the good favor of a master craftsman than it does on skill?

When someone wishes to learn a trade, they study in an apprenticeship, unless they choose a specialized career (such as a blademage), in which case they will study in an academy.

Ranks are standardized across trades, but they have different names depending on the trade

Shokiyan Economics, Day 6

◦Are industrial processes (e.g., swordmaking, weaving, etc.) considered “trade secrets,” or are they common knowledge?

Some specialized trades have trade secrets and guilds have their own trade secrets, but trades such as weaponmaking and weaving are common knowledge

Shokiyan Economics, Day 5

What are typical denominations? What types of currency is a traveler or merchant likely to carry on a trip? What are different coins called, and what are they worth?

The cuurency of Shokiyu is the pearl, but unlike pearls used for jewelry, the pearl used for currency is actually a transparent marble, allowing a design unique to each race to be magically imprinted on them to deter counterfeiting. (Shards are considered cents)

So 100 pearls=$1, but there are different colors to mark different denominations:

White=100
Pink-500
Red=1000
Orange-2000

and so on all the way to black pearls, worth a million

Shokiyan Economics, Day 4

◦Is currency and coinage standardized, or is there a system of exchange?

The currency of Shokiyu is standardized, with every race having a slightly different design to tell them apart

Shokiyan Economics, Day 3

◦What types of trades would be represented in a small town? A middle-sized town? A large city?

In a small town, you'd have farmers for food, carpenters to build houses, a blacksmith for tools and weaponry, and maybe an herbalist to sell medicine from the Seer (if the Seer doesn't do healings after a certain time.) In a middle-sized town and a city, you have those, plus the city guard, the occassional minstrel performing in the square, and sellers of all kinds of goods

Shokiyan Economics, Day 2

◦Are people able to cross-craft, I.e., learn or perform different trades? Does cross-crafting require guild permission, a write from an overlord, or is it automatically guaranteed by law? How strict are craft restrictions — are carpenters the only people allowed to build houses?

People are welcome to learn as many trades as they wish--they just need to ask a guildmaster. Most Shokiyans, however, are content with one trade with another to fall back on just in case--so anyone with a decent amount of carpentry skills can build houses

Shokiyan Economics, Day 1

◦How is business organized? Are there trade unions? Guild structures? Multi-state corporations? International cartels?

Each trade has its own guild, which sets rules concerning both guild members and individuals in that trade

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 40

◦Can spells and/or magical items be used to increase the efficiency of manufacturing or mass production? Do businesses keep a wizard on retainer, as modern businesses might keep a lawyer or efficiency expert? What, exactly, are they paying for?

The general speed up spell can also be used to speed up a laborious process (eg. building a ship). A mage is on hand to do this in such a business to cast the spell if necessary (as per guidelines to its use) and to oversee the magically affected process to assure quality is not lost

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 39

◦Can spells and/or magical items be mass-produced? Are there magic carpet factories and boutiques selling magic rings?

Only the basic spells and magic items are mass produced and sold--anything stronger you have to ask a mage directly or go questing for it

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 38

To what degree does the presence of magic, magical objects, and wizards replace technology?

Many machine jobs and entertainment are done by magical means on Shokiyu--without giving too much away, magic cold chests and cold rooms replace refrigerators and freezers, telepathy replaces the phone and mystical scrolls replace movies (those that can be commanded replace video games)

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 37

Can an ordinary, non-weapon-type object be enchanted to make it extremely lethal (the Frying Pan of Death) or will this work properly only on things that are already weapons? Can ordinary objects be enchanted to make them (or their user) supremely good at something (the Frying Pan of Ultimate Gourmet Cooking, the Comb of No Bad Hair Days Ever)? How common and useful are such enchantments?

Frying Pans of Doom won't work, but Frying Pans of Ultimate Gourmet Cooking would work for a specified number of meals before needing to be recharged (unless it was a powerful fairy item that never runs out)

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 36

◦How has the presence of magic affected weapons technology? Can magic make weapons more effective? Do you have to do anything special to walls, armor, or weapons to make them better able to resist enemy spells?

As mentioned before, magic can usually add an elemental's power to an attack, or add defense against certain elements (or all of them)

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 35

◦Are magical weapons available? Can magic be used in warfare? In what ways? Are spells fast enough to be useful in hand-to-hand combat, or is magic more of a siege weapon, used only for long, slow things?

Magical weapons are plentiful on Shokiyu--they are usually used to give attacks elemental affinities (or to protect yourself from them). Some spells can be cast from a weapon, so spells can be used in battle

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 34

◦Are there magical means of rapid communication? How commonly are they used? For what purposes?

Seers can use telepathy between each other to relay urgent messages to other Seers

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 33

◦Are there magical means of transportation (teleport spells, magic carpets, dragon-riding)? How do they compare in speed, safety and expense to non-magical means? Are there any drawbacks to magical travel (for example, teleport sickness)? How commonly are they used, and for what purposes (industrial shipping vs. travel for fun)?

Teleportation and dragon riding are availiable, but teleportation is generally used for objects (as the risk of the teleportation failing rises with the more people you try to teleport)

Dragon riding is generally used to transport people, but it can get pricey, as each dragon rider charges his or her own rate.

Up Next

After we finish going over magic, we will next talk about the physical features and history of Shokiyu, followed by its people and customs.

Of course, if there's any topic you want to go over besides those, let me know.

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 32

◦Are certain spells (as opposed to magic generally) illegal? Why — because of the effect of the spell, or because of the ingredients or procedures needed to cast it, or what? If so, how would a criminal magician be detected? Apprehended? Punished? Is catching and punishing illegal magicians the responsibility of the magician’s guild, or do the ordinary courts have to handle it?

Spells that cause curses, disease, or manipulate time or the weather (unless for very specific reasons) are usually illegal--and usually the effects would be felt. Usually, the Seer punishes rogue mages, but if the spell was involved in a crime (i.e. using a lightning spell to break into a house), the courts punish the mage

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 31

◦Are there fashions/fads in magic — are herbal spells “in” this year and ritual spells “out,” or vice versa?

No--magic is not subject to fads.

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 30

◦Is the relative power of a country or ruler usually measured by the size of the army, the number and ability of his wizards, or the amount of money at his disposal?

The amount of trade passing through the area measures a Shokiyan ruler's power--a good ruler provides for the people instead of amassing brute force.

The Magic of Shokiyu, Day 29

◦Are wizards above or below the law — I.e., do they have full rights as citizens, no rights, or can they do as they like without regard to anyone else’s rights?

Mages have the same rights as others--mages doing what they please with no regard for other's rights gets them punished.