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realmslore2000
Acolyte
USA
15 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Aug 2016 : 20:56:03
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Are here any known cattle(horse)drive(r)s around the waterdep and the North region?
who are they? names?
where are they based? city, areas?
what do they drive primarily?...cattle, horses, etc?
how many animals(head count)do they typically run?
how many riders and supply wagons are on a typical drive?
I'm thinking of running a cattle drive to waterdeep
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I'm an idea maker, not a writer |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11746 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2016 : 04:02:15
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| just wondering, without centralized transports like railways, would people really see this kind of thing happening? I only ask because it was the trains that turned the American cowboy into a big thing. Was this generally more localized in Europe? |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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moonbeast
Senior Scribe
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2016 : 05:56:49
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Cattle drives are probably more common in the villages and towns of the Western Heartlands…. which, after all, seems to be the "breadbasket" (agricultural and rural center) of the greater Sword Coast region.
Of course, the Heartlands is just directly south-east of Waterdeep. Waterdeep is located astride a river to the south, an ocean to its west, and the city was built on top of a mountain foothills area. Having hundreds of cattle make that trip is not going to be easy. Also, think about the merchant caravans that daily take the route along the major road (the Trade Way Road south of Waterdeep, which becomes the High Road to its north), and their caravans will be blocked by hundreds of cattle, causing a huge congestion and traffic along those roads. The roads, even the best roads of (medieval fantasy) are not very wide. The roads when going up the mountain paths will become even narrower. |
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Cards77
Senior Scribe
USA
745 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2016 : 14:40:28
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My impression from the various sources on the North, Waterdeep, and the Silver Marches indicates that 'cattle drives' as we would know them aren't really a thing. They would be rothe anyway.
American "cattle drives" were in response to an industrial complex: the railroad. Cattle drives were used as a means to get large quantities of animals to a rail station, which could then get them to markets in which demand and prices were higher.
"rothe drives" in the Realms would likely be economically unfeasible for several reasons 1) food was obtained much closer to where one lived 2) large metropolitan centers are few and 3) driving cattle and sheep would be a treacherous endeavor you're essentially escorting a moving all you can eat buffet for monsters (including dragons) 4) animals driven in such a way tend to lose weight which would cause them to lose market value, rivers must be crossed, legs will be broken, etc 5) opportunity cost: it would be far more lucrative to transport say furs from Silverymoon to Waterdeep in a traditional caravan.
However, several sources mention stockades and holding facilities for livestock at trading hubs, and 'centers' of livestock trade such as Yartar and Triboar. So clearly some movement of livestock occurred, but I believe it was on a much smaller and more local scale ie simply driving what rothe you needed to sell from pasture to the nearest market. Or perhaps incidentally moving livestock with a traditional caravan as convenience allows.
I do see a few exceptions though. A large livestock drive in the fall from Goldenfields to Waterdeep would make much sense. As would transport of livestock aboard ships from one port to another to facilitate trade (luskan to waterdeep for example).
In my game, I feel there is so much open space that most every town has more than enough pasture land to provide everyone nearby with a steady source of livestock and there is little reason to conduct large scale movements of such animals, except perhaps as noted above to large metropolitan centers where demand exceeds supply, and price are higher (Goldenfields to Waterdeep).
Hope this helps. In the end though it's your Realms, do as you see fit!
In the past I've run a "monster drive" of sorts. There are shops in Waterdeep that will pay very well for monsters captured alive and brought to the shop. Finding and capturing a few otyughs or some other exotic monsters and getting them back to Watderdeep could be a fun and challenging adventure.
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cattle (animal) drives
