Riverfolk Barge

Following the avalanche that blocked the Tremenydh Pass, the traders that were left stranded from the rest of their clan, and unable to trade along their traditional route.


After several attempts to return to their previous way of living, these traders soon turned their hand to trading on the River Glanwyn, vastly increasing the efficiency with which ores are traded from the Dwarven Houses to the city of Aberston whilst decreasing the costs. 

They were able to do this by constructing several barges using the materials from deconstructed caravans. The ingenious design was devised by pooling their collective knowledge gleaned through centuries of interacting with almost every known culture in Belerion. The barge would need to be shallow enough to negotiate the notorious sandbars, narrow enough to navigate the meandering tributaries, and vast enough to contain significant volumes of ore. 

The design they settled on was a long, wooden construction with a broad, almost flat hull, allowing for the maximum space inside, stability in choppy waters, and a shallow enough draft as to negotiate all but the most perilous of sandbanks when fully loaded. The use of masts at only the bow and stern allowed for a clearer deck for more efficient loading and unloading of goods, as well as space for banks of oarsmen for shipping upstream with unfavourable winds. 
The expedited service that this barge provided soon proved to be a lucrative source of income for the traders, bringing about a golden of trade and prosperity for the cultures along the River Glanwyn and later, further beyond.