Tide Trader

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Travel to almost any port in the land, and odds are good you can find at least a few Tide Traders. They are well-known, sea-faring Elven merchants from the Empire of Al'Jymoor, referred too in less flattering terms as "Sea Gypsies" or "Drift Merchants". To be a Tide Trader is more than a profession, it is a way of life: Never setting down roots. Living shipboard on the open seas. Striving to buy (or "find") low cost goods from one port of call and selling them for substantially more at the next.
The Tide Traders of Al'Jymoor are the lifeblood of sea-based logistics in Gokrenxia. Licensed by the Stormbreak Dwarves, they move goods and information from one city to the next, bringing in vital funds to support the Elven Empire.

Career Progression

Shallows (Apprentice)

Aspiring Tide Traders begin as "Shallows", apprentices in the craft. They require a full-fledged Trader who agrees to take them on as a mentor. The length of an Apprenticeship varies from one mentor to the next. typically last about two years. The Shallow is initiated with an arcane contract and gains a mystic sigil allowing the mentor to track them. During this time, the Shallows perform all of the most menial tasks at the whim of their mentor. They serve as runners and messengers, spies and information gatherers. They are expected to listen and rarely speak when negotiations are underway. Mentors typically cover costs associated with the training of a Shallow, making it a sizable investment.

Storms (Journeyman)

When a Shallow has fulfilled their mentor's training, they are presented a specific task which they accomplish, a running total of the full cost their apprenticeship, and finally promoted to the status of "Storm". Their mystic sigil is modified to reflect their new status and they are released into the world to begin trading. They are free to go forth and trade when and where they desire, but are expected to visit the Empire at least one per year to pay down their debt. Shallows failing to do so can may be blacklisted, or worse, may have Tide Hunters set upon them to exact a toll. Journeymen are called Storms because they are known for crashing onto the Tide Trader scene like a tempest, making waves as they hustle to establish their own networks of contacts, pay their taxes, make ends meet, and still have enough left over to put toward their Apprenticeship.

Deep (Master)

Once a Storm has repaid his Apprenticeship and completed the Journeyman task set forth by their Mentor, they may petition to become a Deep Trader. Once approved, they return to Al'Jymoor where they are presented to the community by their mentor with much pomp and circumstance. Their sigils are modified once again to reflect their Deep Tide Trader status and they are free to roam to the world and ply their trade as they see fit (provided they continue to pay proper taxes to the Empire, the Dwarves, and the ship Captain). Deep merchants also gain access to the Tide Library, a volume of arcane magic focused on their trade. Particularly successful Deep Traders often seek to purchase their own ship, thus decreasing the amount of taxes needing to be paid, and increasing their share (known as the "count").

A coin to the Empire.
A coin to the Mount.
A coin to the Captain.
The rest is your Count.

— The Tide Trader's Tax

Alternative Names
Drift Merchants
Sea Gypsies

Demand
High

Trust Factor
Low to Moderate

Demographics
100% Elven

Associated Location(s)
Al'Jymoor
Any port along outer Gokrenxia

Hazards (in no particular order)
Storms
Capsizing
Collisions
Running aground
Pirates
Mutinies
Fire
Injury
Starvation
Dehydration
Disease
Robbery
Backstabbing
Local abuse of power
Just to name a few...