Navarr economic interests

The Navarr have little interest in money for money’s sake. Valuable property is often held communally in Stridings and Steadings. Trade between Navarr groups is seen as a utilitarian activity, a way to ensure that the Navarr have the things they need. Trade between the Navarr and others is valuable because it ensures that the Stridings remain welcome and the Trods remain open. Traders are very well respected, sometimes even the leaders of Stridings, but trade is important for the benefits it brings, not for making individuals rich.

Navarr Stridings are usually small so the Navarr tend to specialize in moving individual items around the Empire. They try to make a habit of bringing specific items that people need. A Navarr who notes that a person in an isolated settlement needs a new plough blade will try to ensure they bring one with them when they returns, even though that may be a year later. If the person does not want the item it goes in to stock, but as often as not the need is still there by the time the Striding returns. In this way the Navarr have developed an almost magical reputation for turning up in isolated areas with exactly what a community most needs. This has served the Navarr incredibly well, making them welcome wherever they travel inside or outside the Empire.

In addition to this the Navarr are skilled at moving information and people around the land. From the earliest days of the Empire they acted as couriers, carrying important messages to far-flung places. They also act as guides, escorting individuals on a difficult trek between Nations. Over time most Stridings have become adept at conveying information and people, they strive to be discreet about what they are told, treating information and people like any other commodity – something to be moved to where it can do the most good. The latest word on the progress of a border war is every bit as important as replacement seed or a new hoe to a woman whose son has joined the Imperial army.

When Stridings gather together in other Nations, they often create a Fayre. Fayres are an extension of the traditional Navarr way of life, with Stridings camping and travelling together for a while, but the Fayres exist so that others can meet the Navarr, trade with them and join in their celebrations. The Navarr will adapt a Fayre to suit the particular tastes of their hosts, with the goal to produce a moment of trade and interaction that is also the best possible entertainment.

Like the Freeborn, the Navarr often travel beyond the borders of the Empire bringing back rare goods not found inside the Empire. The trade of dyes and pigments, spices and rare herbs is the what the Navarr are most commonly known for, but they also bring to the Empire unique flora from the deep forests that are especially prized by physicians and mages alike. However, for those rich enough, a ship or house built of Navarri hewn timber from the great trees of the heartwoods is a prize beyond reckoning. Across the Empire, Navarri-carved lintels and door frames are widely known for their properties of warding and defence. From dinner plates to spear-hafts, where timber is concerned the Navarri trade in the best.