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The Interesting Life of the Traveling Merchant
Sunfire
CONTENTS
Overview
A fantasy world is rich in terms of characters, from the mighty king sitting on his throne making decisions that shape the realm to the baker who’s making bread for his customers. One interesting character is that of the traveling merchant, who is colorful in his own right and is filled with many stories about the people he’s met on the road.
With the merchant comes a diversity of wares. Naturally what he sells depends on what type he is. A clothes merchant carries merchandise quite different than that of a food one which means that the protagonist is sure to come across many different ones on his quest, some of which will prove helpful and some not at all.
Just as there are pros and cons for every occupation, the same holds true for that of the traveling merchant. One such advantage is that he’s seen quite a bit on his travels and is more attuned to the going-ons in the world, especially those that will affect his bottom line. This makes him a useful repository of information for the hero to talk with.
On the opposite side, the career of the merchant who travels isn’t all fun and games. He spends quite a bit of time on the road, away from the people who matter the most to him. There’ll be times where he’ll be filled with loneliness as thoughts of his family flash through his mind.
This is the fourteenth article exploring the different kinds of fantasy characters. For more, check out our blog page where there’s a scintilla of fascinating articles waiting for you!
The Traveling Merchant and His Wares
The road is filled with all kinds of characters, from the intrepid explorer scouring the land for lost ruins to the traveling merchant who is going from town to town with the hopes of unloading his wares. He travels throughout the land and interacts with potential customers with a smile on his face. He cheerfully attempts to persuade them to purchase his wares and sometimes the attempt works, other times it doesn’t.
Since many fantasy worlds take place in medieval times, the merchant is either riding a horse by himself or has it hitched on a wagon chock-full of his merchandise. He travels through many different areas such as snow-laden plains, the marshy swamp, and the sweltering heat of the desert throughout the year, stopping periodically at homes every now and then. Whether it’s raining or snowing, he always has the right outfit to match the weather and area to keep him comfortable on his travels.
There are all kinds of merchandise the traveling merchant deals in. Common ones include household goods likes pots and pans, food from other parts of the world, and clothes and fabric materials. He can even carry weapons, gems, jewelry, and so on! For the hero on his quest, this means meeting just the right one who has what he needs could very well mean the difference between him reaching the next destination on his journey safely or not.
Cloth merchants carry several types of clothes and fabric with them. They range from shirts to shoes, silk to leather to cotton, and so on. They load up on them in the places they’re popular in and go to different areas where not many people know about them or are able to travel to buy them. They provide access to clothes and materials to towns and hamlets, serving as a lifeline to these communities to the world at-large.
The Pros of the Traveling Merchant
There are a number of pros when it comes to the merchant. While some stories lean more into the negative side of this career, there are some that emphasize the benefits of the traveling merchant, showcasing things that surprise a lot of people.
Though his primary focus might be selling his wares, there is a lot more to the traveling merchant than it seems at first glance. Behind the cheery smile on his face is a man who knows a lot more about the world than people think. That knowledge makes him perhaps an important character when it comes to news.
From town to town, the merchant interacts with many people. He asks them about what’s going on in the community and they ask him about what’s going on in the other cities and countries he’s recently been to. He hears a variety of stories and rumors and he keeps them in mind so that in the next town he’s in, he can tell people what he’s heard.
Another advantage of the traveling merchant is that he is essentially an information-broker. Besides filling people in on the going-ons in other cities and towns, he knows things that many people don’t know about. Things such as the location of rare metals, animals, castles and palaces. For the right price, he can tell people where to find a certain somebody that they’re searching for.
Whenever a major event transpires such as war or famine, the merchant is usually the first to know, considering it’ll affect his bottom line. He alerts people as he goes from town to town and the smart ones take advantage of the opportunity to raise their prices to try to make as much money as he can before his inventory runs out. Informing people gives them a chance to prepare and stock up on goods before it’s too late.
Finally, the traveling merchant brings with him ideas that people have never heard about. It could be a new technology, a new fashion trend, or something else. This bridges the road between different communities, strengthening them and bringing them closer. This helps build unity across the disparate parts of the realm who might not communicate with each other fairly often.
Disadvantages of the Traveling Merchant
While there are benefits for the merchant, it does come with its own share of downsides. These cons wind up making this character more nuanced, something that most people overlook. If done correctly, they can make the merchant one of the most interesting in terms of both the world and the plot.
The most obvious one is the fact that the traveling merchant spends weeks and months on the road away, away from the people who he cares about. Yes, he’s doing his job, working to support his family but he’s not spending time with his spouse and children. He’s missing out on time he will never get again.
The second disadvantage is that he gets lonely at times. The merchants who are on the road usually are by themselves, meaning they spend hours and hours by themselves with nobody to talk to. It’s a hard life, peddling wares from town to town and even the most seasoned ones will experience bouts of loneliness.
Even though he has merchandise to sell, there’s no guarantee the traveling merchant will be able to successfully unload it all. He spends money to carry products from town to town, hoping to get people to buy them and while he works assiduously to persuade them, his charms won’t work on all of his potential customers. He runs the risk of being stuck with goods he cannot sell and he needs that money to both buy more goods to sell and to send home to his family.
Some of, not all, the goods he carries don’t last forever. This is especially true regarding consumables like food. Clothes and other products can get damaged in a number of ways from a heavy rainstorm to getting stuck on something and they tear apart, making them worthless to sell. Thus, the merchant is racing against time, trying to get rid of as much of his inventory as he can before it’s too late which can make him more tense.
Tying it all Together
The traveling merchant doesn’t just sell different kinds of merchandise, he is a goldmine when it comes to information. He regales people with stories from distant lands, telling them about the latest events such as a war breaking out, the development of a revolutionary new technology that will change lives, and so forth. For people who are looking for something, he’s a great person to ask for info!
The wares he sells comes in many forms and sizes. Some are necessities like food and clothes whereas others are strictly optional like weapons and household items. This means people are likely to encounter different ones on the road and who knows, meeting the right one can greatly ease the travails of traveling.
The traveling merchant comes with several key advantages. One of which is that he meets many people across his journeys where he learns about the going-ons in the community which he can use to tell people in other cities. He develops many relationships that he can tap into when needed.
There are also some disadvantages for this character. For instance, he must sell as many of his products as he can before it’s too late, especially if they are consumables or can get damaged on the road. He doesn’t want to get stuck with goods he cannot sell or have no other means of getting rid of since he needs that money to acquire more and to send home to his loved ones.
From peddling wares to being a great source for info, the traveling merchant is a fantastic addition to the world and the plot. Bringing this character into yours is a great way to show your audience a glimpse of a world larger than the one they’ve seen thus far!
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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