The Parda Plough

Written by CraftyGepetto

The Parda Plough is an enormous construct of hardwood and iron, often spanning 40’ wide. Designed to be drawn behind the Parda, the plow enables farmers to take full advantage of the Parda’s immense strength in the wide open fields of the Empire. Suitable for established field systems on large manors, the plough reduces necessary manpower and time to prepare fields, enabling a much higher level of farm productivity. In turn the higher food production enables the empire to enjoy a higher specialization of labor.
Due to its size and the limited level of technology (disc ploughs haven’t yet been invented), the Parda Plough sees most use in mature fields where rocks and stumps are not present. The Parda drawing the plough have to be trained to halt if the plough binds, as repairing the massive construction must be done in the field, and traveling blacksmiths are expensive commodities in a time-sensitive ploughing season. No specific creator is attributed to the plough; stories vary by region as to its origin. Many stories point to halfling or gnomish involvement in its creation, though neither use the immense Parda with any regularity in their own farming efforts. In the two centuries or so since the plough’s introduction, use of Parda as beasts of burden has increased significantly in the central empire.
Recognizing early the economic power of the plough, the Kelnaran Empire forbids non-citizens from using the plough, and vigorously maintains control over its use. Empire armed forces have descended on manors and farms using the plough illegally, destroying the plough and confiscating the Parda that pulled it. In addition owners are heavily fined, in some cases losing the manor and his or her rights as a citizen. In fewer circumstances the empire has attacked farms belonging to neighboring cultures who stole the technology for themselves.
Note: Parda are huge, hairless quadripedal herbivorous beasts of burden, 15’ tall at the shoulder and weighing over 20,000 pounds. They are native to the central empire and are used primarily for their strength.

Utility

Parda ploughing is faster and allows more acreages to come under cultivation, providing a significant economic boost to the area and allowing more division of labor.

Manufacturing

Hardwoods and a dedicated iron forge knowledgeable about forge construction. Due to their size, the ploughs are assembled on site at the manor where they will be used.

Image Credit: Pixabay, CC0

Inventor(s)

Unknown (see description)

Access & Availability

Citizens of the Kelnaran Empire are entitled to use the plough. Others are forbidden by empire law, and the empire is known to destroy illegal ploughs and confiscate the Parda who draw them.

Complexity

The plough is relatively complex for its function, mostly as a function of its size and the reinforcement necessary to undergo the immense strain of the Parda dragging it through heavy earth.

Discovery

The origins of the plough are lost to time; some think gnomish or halfling inventors were involved, and most regions have their own stories about it, if they think of such things at all.