Luxuries and Luxury Goods

Since the formation of the second Empire and the forming of ["Ticetia"] and ["Caldonacia"] there has been increasing 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, ["Amastia"] 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 Amastia 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.

Alcohol

Alcohol is made available from the fermenting of fruit and grain sugars across all of the lands. The drinks taken many forms across Arthea, and the regional variations are immense.

Beer, Cider and Perry

Beer is the universal constant across the lands, and 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 traditionally used to produce a much darker beer.

As beer is such a widely available commodity, it 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. In the south, beer is neither as popular or as widely available as in the northern kingdoms, and has a 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 of notoriety as they're often smuggled to avoid the taxes, and they're more expensive when purchased. 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 more exclusive wines from smaller vineyards, and makes supply, and hence the price, reflect 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 driving factor behind owning such drinks. Wines have even become a target for wealthy collectors in many of the richest southern regions.

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 ["Amastia"] 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 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 like scotch whisky. 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 always 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 proving 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 Amastia - it seems to have taken best around Vinepsia in Limia and Calistorm in Amastia.

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 grown. 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.

Spices

The use of spices is an Imperial luxury. The lands of the north have never taken hugely to spices, 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 hide some of 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.

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. Amastia 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.

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