Black Saffron
Mythical Spice
A quick glance around shows that no one is watching as an old Halfling pulls a small case from his pocket, presenting his wares to the Humans surrounding him. The delicate black stems in the case are said to be a rare spice, one worth the price of over 500 gold. For spices, that price is unheard of, more akin to the price of a well-made shield or weapon instead of a few grams of something that will disappear in a single meal or sip of tea. Laughter echoes as the Humans stare at the Halfling, surprised by the price before the Halfling reaches for another case in his pocket.
The second case is full of similar stems, red in color and more vibrant than the woven color of the Halfling's clothes. The old man says that these stems are also rare, but their price is not as high. 10 gold will buy a couple of grams of this spice, enough for a few pots of tea, a few spiced dinners. Since the price of the black stems was too high for the Humans' liking, the Halfling can cut them a deal for this simple saffron, far less than its true price.
A deal is made and coin is exchanged. The Humans are none the wiser that this particular exchange was scripted, all in the name of setting prices when demand and trade drove something simple to ridiculous heights. The idea of Black Saffron had saved the spice market of the Little Greenwood from greed, a failing economy that could have ruined all that had been built in Coastland.
Summary
Saffron is a coveted spice, not only in the Little Greenwood but throughout most of the world for its flavor. This spice is very rare to come by and can only be harvested from a specific flower that grows in the wilds of the Little Greenwood. Because of this rarity, the demand for saffron drove up the price exponentially, far past the normal copper and silver that most spices went for.
Some in Coastland enjoyed the extreme prices for saffron as it was an easy way to line their pockets, but this greed would begin to cause problems that threatened all exports from the Little Greenwood. As the price of saffron continued to rise, more and more countries refused to do business with the Halflings, believing them to be little more than greedy liars.
Someone came up with the idea of black saffron, a special type of saffron that was even more rare and cost astronomical amounts. The flavor and palatability of the spice were played up to be some of the most fragrant and delicious, causing people to want it, but not be able to afford it. With this in mind, black saffron was offered first before a seller would offer regular saffron at a “steal” of a price, often a handful of gold coins.
Spread
It is unknown how truly far this myth has spread but it has spread far enough that those that had once ended their trade agreements with Coastland over the price of saffron and other spices have since reinstated those contracts. Outside of the Little Greenwood, few know that black saffron is little more than a myth and the small cases that are carried of the so-called spice are nothing more than regular saffron rolled in soot.
Saffron
Saffron is a spice commonly used throughout the world for tea and cooking. Almost all saffron in the world is grown in the Little Greenwood, making it one of the most expensive spices to purchase.
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This is great. So sneaky, but great.
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