Luxuries and Luxury Goods
Since the formation of the second Empire and the forming of Ticetia and Caldonacia there have been rising levels of wealth and increasing comfort for the people of the lands that make up Arthea. The spread of wealth seems to have reached further down into the social structures as towns and cities have become more populous and the reliance of commercial services and industrial processes has grown.
This extra wealth among the middle classes has driven a demand for a wider range of goods during the 14th and 15th centuries, whole markets for goods that were not available during the first millennium following The Great Disaster. These goods seem to be quite specialised and difficult to grow or make, but their arrival is on the crest of a revolution of wealth that now even seems to be reaching the upper echelons of the lower classes.
For many of the middle and upper classes these goods define the lifestyle and mark the status of people living in modern Arthea.
Tobacco
This leaf will only grow on the south facing slopes south of Houlve in Tholain and south of Cavonry in Cerlain. There are many farmers there dedicated to its culture, but this makes it quite rare. The farmers were selling the un-cured leaves for between 1 and 2 gp an ounce in 1410, and this drove the price in apothecaries to between 5 and 10 gp per ounce for ready-to-smoke milled leaves.
Despite half of the country being further south than these places, Antaurus has never been able to cultivate a commercial crop, perhaps the land here is too exposed to the winds or there is too little rainfall. Some growers have managed a few leaves, with careful cultivation, but this is unusual; it seems that the Halflings here have had slightly more success than their human farming colleagues, but nobody is yet producing it on a large scale.
The hunt goes on for new strains of tobacco, some that are more hardy would be welcome - even if the quality were not so good. There seems to be plenty of activity on this front among apothecaries and farmers across the south of Antaurus especially.
In the campaign environment, of course, tobacco is a harmless substance. It is barely addictive, and there are no suggestions of any adverse health problems (perhaps down to the poor quality strains of tobacco that will grow in the south of Arthea). It is significantly less dangerous than, say, a horde of ogres or bugbears.
And there are other strains too. The most notable is a stronger, more addictive herb known as Ulcaco, closely related to both the cocoa plant and tobacco. It is very difficult to grow commercially, needing just the right mix of a moist cool atmosphere and gentle warming sunshine. It is far more flavoursome than tobacco, and its rarity and popularity makes it a target of heavy taxation. As a luxury item Ulcaco has taken off in a big way - its high price and distinctive, chocolatey smell make it a status symbol as well as a drug of choice.
Alcohol
Alcohol is made available in a variety of forms from from the fermenting of fruit and grain sugars, and its production takes place across all of the lands where humans dwell. It is only viable as a drink, but it takes many forms across Arthea, and the regional variations are immense.
Beer, Cider and Perry
Beer is the universal constant across the lands, although with such a wide range of beers it could hardly be described as universal at all. Each of the countries has its own styles of beer and these are influenced by the conditions in which grains are grown that can be malted and fermented. Across the south the barley is pale and golden, and tends to produce a lighter, more amber coloured beer, while in the north the barley used is heavier and is often traditionally roasted used to produce a much darker beer.
Beer is such a widely available commodity, and so is rarely seen as one of the luxury goods in the north - and it escapes the taxation that other alcohol drinks attract. But there are luxury versions of this most popular drink. In the south, beer is neither as popular or as widely available as in the northern kingdoms, and here it has fully earned its reputation for being the drink of the well-off. The beers produced by the Dwarves also are well renown, and many humans drink them despite them being unsuited to the human taste.
Across the north, where Wine is not produced so easily, the luxury market replaces many of the expensive wines with ciders and perrys. There are also similar drinks made from other soft fruits such as plums and berries. These attract the wine taxation, and this gives them both a position as a luxury good due to the high price, and of notoriety as they're often smuggled to avoid the taxes. Some strains of apples and pears makes their drink extremely expensive indeed - there are several small local brewers dotted across Ticetia and Caldonacia that make such exceptional quality ciders that they can sell them for more than 10gp per half pint mug.
Wine
Wine is the staple drink of the south. It is fermented from the juice of grapes, and just like beer in the north, is widely available. Most wine is not considered a luxury in the south - but there are many vineyards that produce exclusive wines that target just this market, being a product of smaller vineyards. These drinks are kept in short supply, which pushes up the price to reflects this rarity. There is beer and cider snobbery in the north, but this is far worse among the wine experts of the south.
Add into this the wines produced by the elves, which can fetch astonishing prices, and the exclusivity becomes (for some at least) the only factor behind owning an sharing such drinks. Wines have even become a target for wealthy collectors in many of the richest southern regions. The elves, of course, are outraged by this behaviour - but they still sell their wines to humans.
Spirits
Distilling is widespread across the lands. The duties imposed upon distilled drinks make them expensive, but this only seems to increase demand for some of them. From the wines of Limia and Antaurus they make a brandy which ranges in quality - but even the worst of these is reasonably good, and priced out of the range of most of the peasants and lower classes.
In addition to the Brandy, Tholain and Cerlain also produce fortified wines from around the cities of Sebrus, Morara and Nareth. Those of Cerlain are somewhat similar to Sherry or Amontillado, while Nareth produces a rich ruby wine much like Port. These are the staple of the upper classes, and in years passed some even reached the table of the Emperor. Production of these wines has steadily increased, and they're now also becoming popular among the richest of the middle classes. Nareth in particular is struggling to keep up with demand.
Since the 1350s, Limia has been growing sugar beet, which seems to like the conditions on the western edge of that land. From that they've been producing a kind of rum, which has been locally popular since the beginning of the 1400's. The remoteness of the location and the small amount produced seems means very little escapes Limia's borders - and this makes it an hugely expensive drink in the other nations across the south. Very little indeed has made it to the north.
Further north, Jorlinum produces a Schnapps like drink from both apples and peaches, and also has a bourbon-like whiskey that it produces from grain grown in its western stretches. Hebria also makes a bourbon-like whiskey, but to the north of their land they've been producing a drink more akin to Scottish whisky and Irish whiskey. The Hebrian drink is clear (or only slightly coloured) as they don't produce it the same way as those to the north.
Whisky production seems to be best suited to the colder, higher mountain regions of the north. Both Ticetians and Caldonacians like to mature their whisky for many years too, and this means supplies are sometimes quite short. The best Caldonacian whisky comes from the Scourt Hills and Saltley regions, while Ticetians make good whisky in the Bainley, Yammel and Chastham regions.
In addition to the whisky, Caldonacia has been exporting Apple Brandy since the turn of the 1400's - this is distilled from cider and is popular in both Ticetia and in Hebria.
Coffee
Coffee is a recent introduction to the lands of Arthea, it arrived with other trade goods in 1408 when islands to the west were discovered. There have been many attempts to grow it with varying degrees of success, the best place seems to be on the higher wetter slopes in the warmest climates, and this has so far meant in the lower uplands of Limia and Antaurus - it seems to have taken best around Vinepsia in Limia and Calistorm in Antaurus.
It gained favour among the upper classes because of its exclusivity and the novelty aspect of the drink, although it has grown in popularity as time has passed and supplies have been grown domestically. It is one of the few goods Arthea imports, and hence is available in southern Ticetia (especially in Cellam) and in the south west of the Empire where the beans are grown.
The coffee produced is, perhaps, quite different to what would be expected from a jar of instant coffee - it is prepared as a very strong espresso-like shot, with a heavy taste. This is a style often associated with southern or south-eastern Europe. It is not drunk as a refreshing pick-me-up, but used as an awakener, to bludgeon taste buds into submission. Nobody yet takes it with cream or milk.
Spices
The use of spices is seemingly an Imperia-onlyl luxury. The lands of the north have never taken their use to any great extent, perhaps because since the mid 1200's the food supply problem has been solved and the quality of the food produced by the north has increased dramatically. Spices began being used across the south because often the quality of food produced has suffered as the lands warmed during the early part of the second millennium, and spices can be used to hide this. The biggest spices are Chilli, black peppercorns and Cinnamon, but others are also becoming popular. The prices for these can be high, as production of these is small and chefs are always looking out for new and interesting flavours.
The rise in spices also seems to be influencing a rise in the use of herbs too - although these are not a luxury in the south. Garlic is used widely, as is tarragon, mint, sage, parsley, oregano and basil. These are really cheap (they grow wild across much of Arthea) and are widely used in peasant cooking. Herb use in the north seems to be limited to a little mint and parsley.
Clothing
Clothes are not just for warmth, they denote status and position in the world. Luxury clothing is not just practical, but is also extremely comfortable. Most peasants wear clothes made of wool, linen and animal skins (leather for protection and sheep skin for warmth, which is particularly popular in Caldonacia where the coldest weather is experienced).
Luxury clothing is made of other materials. Silk is produced in many of the southern kingdoms, and cotton is now available in small quantities through a few small plantations in Jorlinum. These provide the comfortable clothes for the well off. Antaurus and Cerlain also produce velvets and cotton lace, which are popular among the nobles. Another fashionable status symbol is the trimming of clothing with the finest furs.
Along with clothing, adornments such as jewellery, belt buckles and brooches are also used. These are usually made from precious metals and the really well off adorn them with gemstones. Styles vary across the lands, but these kind of status symbols are easy to recognise.
Alongside the ostentatious use of clothing is another growing trend among the well off. While the martial skills have become the domain of the professional soldier and mercenary, the art of weapon use is still seen as a must-have skill among the rich. A whole new trade in non-armour has grown up alongside this fashion. Real armour is heavy and cumbersome, and simply not needed for normal day-to-day wear in most towns and cities. But to keep up the representation of being martially trained, those that can afford such luxury items have been buying and wearing suits of armour that look the party but are so lightweight as to offer no protection whatsoever. The defensive value is not needed, but the appearance of being well armed is. There are also suitably lightened weapons available too - but their lightness comes from a lack of strength. Such weapons are not intended to be used in earnest in a real fight.
Housing
Nothing speaks more highly of a citizen's social status than the place where they live. For most peasants and industrial workers, just having a waterproof home is enough. But those climbing in social circles need to be close to the decision makers and close to the courts in which they operate.
Large, extravagant homes with 'grynds' instead of gardens are very much the fashion. Such homes are the ultimate status symbol among the nobility and those who have made money out of their artisan craft. Homes scream out ones status and ranking far better than noble titles or business ventures. Demand for large, well built homes close to a city's ruler has never been higher, and looks set to rise more as land in these locations that can be used to develop new homes becomes more rare.