Miracle Maker's Handbook
Talbot is lousy for manacite but if that's the only market you have try the farmers. They're superstitious like the rest but they keep secrets better than mostThe Miracle Maker's Handbook is a guide for Manacite Brokers, giving them the ins and outs of the trade within most of Tairos' major markets. It's unknown who originally wrote it, and who keeps slipping updated versions out into circulation, but it has become an invaluable resources not just to those that want to sell manacite but for those who deal with on a daily basis... adventurers. The chapters of the text will vary from edition to edition but generally they contain sections on how to identify the qualities of manacite, how to build a manacite gauge, how to handle manacite safely, best practices when selling to certain professions, and the general dispositions toward manacite in any given region. Some more helpful editions will even clue brokers into how manacite reaches certain areas how to tap into that business (and who's shoes to avoid stepping on). Below is the disposition towards manacite in all of Tairos' major regions, along with the most common routes manacite reaches those regions:
Ghal Pelor
Disposition - Very Positive Ghal Pelor is very open to manacite. Many of the city's vital infrastructures rely on it, such as the water pump station that supplies homes with fresh water, to the constabulary and army who make use of it in defense of the city. Supply - Most of the city's manacite comes in from Tengu Town and at the extreme markup the tengu and Ghal Ankharian dwarves place upon it. Manacite brokers operate openly and often get their supply from the Reaped product coming in from the east. Finer quality offerings come from more well-connected brokers and can be pricey to come by.Ghal Ankhar
Disposition - Neutral The mountain dwarves value manacite only for what it can be used to build. They see its use as a spell fuel to be very frivolous and wasteful. Prior to the arrival of the tengu they hoarded every piece, using it only to maintain their great halls and furnaces. Now that they have a special arrangement to protect the tengu, they take great sums of Reaped manacite home to help stabalize their crumbling nation, and to sell to the Frostmerites for profit. Supply - Thanks to the protection arrangement they have with the tengu, Ghal Ankhar is able to get their hands on a great deal of Reaped manacite. This flawed mana source is not ideal however and a broker able to bring in purer manacite consistently is worth a great deal to any dwarven lord. To protect their manacite the dwarves use armored vessels to pick it up in tengu town and sail it all the way back to the docks in the Ankharan mountains.Frial
Disposition - Very Negative Frial is far from any open source of manacite so each individual piece that makes it within city limits has the potential to be highly disruptive. They have laws governing its use, import, and ownership. That said, there is believed to be a hidden underground culture of magicians who thrive on what little manacite makes it in. Supply - Brokers must operate in secret here and their supply lines are in constant peril. Those with connections to Melanthris may be able to establish a somewhat regular source for manacite, even the occasional piece of Pristine manacite too. However; the elven lords are capricious and fickle with their loyalties. The underground society of magicians that operates just out of sight offers both an eager market willing to overpay, and a constant source of danger from those without aurins enough to spend.Melanthris
Disposition - Extremely Positive Manacite is viewed as the only means of securing power and maintaining one's lifestyle here. There is a need for manacite that eclipses all other nations, for the Melanthrin elves need a constant supply. The magical wards that protect the city require it. The elven military requires it to maintain their powerful fleets and weapons. The nobility use it as a status symbol. The city's apothecaries must have it to create the elixirs that keep the city's paragons healthy. Countless other examples exist, in fact, almost every facet of Melanthrin society hungers for manacite. Supply - Melanthris maintained its alliance with The Autumn Queen almost until the end of the war, meaning its vaults were overflowing with manacite even in the final days of the war. Brokers were not traditionally welcome nor needed within the Melanthris but as time has gone on rumors are circulating. Many of the vaults are said to be running empty as the the nobility burns through their stockpiles. Some of the lords are even willing to entertain brokers in their palaces now, hoping to secure not just a few pieces but entirely new supply lines.Frostmere
Disposition - Negative This region has a complicated attitude toward manacite. It has a desperate need for the resource but it also deeply dislikes everything it represents along with those that freely use it. A massive tree grows at the center of their capital city and the magic that this tree offers is sacred to their people. Thanks to The Queen's Rebuke however; this tree's health is in constant decline and requires manacite to live. While there are no actual laws governing the ownership of manacite, most citizens here will tithe it when possible. Those who don't are considered greedy souls putting themselves before the clans and the totems. Because the tree acts as a connection to the land and its spirits, the frostmerites prefer every non-essential piece of manacite go to the tree. Supply - The Ghal Ankharian dwarves are the primary provider of manacite. The Reaped manacite they offer marked up far over cost and it offers only the smallest benefits to the tree but there is no other source open to the north. Brokers have two paths for success here. First, the dwarves are always looking for intermediaries willing to peddle their manacite to resentful northerners. Second, Frostmere was host to many great battles against the Fae and much of the great enemy's stockpile was buried by the countless blizzards that have followed. An independent broker can make a fortune digging up old fae manacite and selling it to the frostmerites.Fiefdoms of Melanthris
Disposition - Very Negative Manacite supply is very strictly controlled here by the governor from Melanthris and the army. Almost all of the elven capital's food comes from this region and they deeply fear both magical disaster and unrest disrupting supply. There are already small groups that meet in secret, talking about revolt and uprising. For these groups manacite would be vital to their efforts (though they're more likely to kill for it then be able to pay). For the governor and the army, unlicensed trade is met with a death warrant. Supply - The fiefdoms receive their manacite from the royal vaults of Melanthris but this flows only into the hands of the governor (assuming it isn't stolen by dissidents). A manacite broker willing to risk their lives can make good aurins off Lakeside Elves who desperately need more than they are currently given. They can make even better profit selling to the governor's enemies, assuming the broker has leverage enough to not be killed and dumped into the lake first.Baradrad
Disposition - Positive This is a nation of magic users, all of them recognize the importance of manacite to maintaining their way of life in the Scorch. It's needed to maintain the wards that keep the city from being buried by sandstorms. It's also needed to keep their vulnerable gardens supplied with water. The city's disposition towards Necromancy has made it so they're not particularly squimish toward many of the taboos others hold, including the use of manacite and continuing study of magic. The only reason they do not rank higher in disposition is because of their conservatory attitudes toward manacite as compared to the wasteful nature of other nations. Supply - Baradrad's manacite comes from Tengu Town via dwarven ships but only in small supply. Ghal Ankhar and Ghal Pelor eat up most of what the tengu can supply, meaning Baradrad has to pay incredible fees to get the kind of supply they require. Brokers who can stomach the heat and dull themselves to the undead servants that maintain the city will find both windfalls and a welcoming atmosphere. There is also ample opportunity to dig up old graves in the desert too, for the brokers looking a secondary profit stream.Purpose
Provide helpful tips that are useful to novice and veteran manacite brokers. Well used older editions are often prized possessions as well, as many brokers fill the margins with their own notes and personal experiences.
Document Structure
Publication Status
There are always new versions of the handbook coming out. Who exactly is writing them and where they're being published is a mystery
Historical Details
Public Reaction
It will vary based on each regions' general disposition toward manacite
Type
Guide, How-to
Medium
Paper
Comments