Also, expect that the Imperials demand taxes in specie (ie, cash money)
not kind. Of course, there are Etyries merchants available who will be
only too happy to pay for the Sartarite goods in official coinage. The
fact that they pay rather less than the going rate for the goods is,
I am sure, purely due to the expense of transporting the goods back to
more civil lands.
Add to this that they hit the cities and towns before heading into the
hills (and thus suck up all the coins in circulation) and that they use
the worst of the price differential between the Empire and Sartar
(buying animals at local prices, but any jewelry or magic at Tarsh or
even Heartland prices) and they can apply a lot of pressure without even
giving anything overt to complain to the local leaders. They might have
already outlawed the most successful Issaries merchants at their first
opportunity, with perfectly reasonable causes. The effect of total
control of the cash economy is purely accidental, I am sure.
It worked fairly well for the English in Scotland. I imagine that the
Riskland settlements are being used just like Canada and Australia
were in the RW, although that is closer to promoting settlements in
Afghanistan, in terms of danger. I wonder if they have thought of
banning Sartar-traditional style dress, except for the mercenary
regiments, and forcing everyone else to dress like Pelandan peasants?
Requiring tugging at forelocks whenever a Lunar official walks by?
Maybe, one governer putting his hat on a pole in the center of town and
requiring everyone to salute it?
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