Kingdom Subsistence Systems

Credit: Rewilding Europe

Hello and welcome to my world building blog!

Today, I will be talking about Kingdom Subsistence Systems in Richard Baker's companion book to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: World Builder's Guidebook, published by TSR Ltd in 1996.

Last time, we left our kingdom of Azamar in the sub-arctic region of our campaign world.  The Chieftess Yngvild Skoptidottir and her Council of the Storm conscript able-bodied settlers/citizens to explore, persecute, and defend the realm.  We do not, however, know how this community sustains itself in such a desolate place.

Okay, so if you do some research on sub-arctic cities and communities on our world we call Earth, you will notice that a lot of them are really not all that desolate.  Winters may be brutal, but the summers, although quite cool, could very well be pleasant.  Like I had mentioned in my entry, Planetary Temperature and Seasonal Variations, "think of it the climate as being like that of southern Greenland, northern Sweden, or the middle of Alaska; summers are cool, but the winters will be frigid."

Looking at the tables in the World Builder's Guidebook, you will see predominant terrains like Deserts, Grasslands, Forests, and Prairies.  These terrains are further splint into tropical, temperate, and arctic regions.  Since Azamar is located in the sub-arctic region, we'll be using those tables and figure out what sustains the kingdom.

First up, the barrens.

"Wastelands incapable of supporting any type of life other than a few specialized species.  Visitors must bring their own food and water or perish.  Non-glaciated portions of Antarctica, mountain peaks, and the worst regions of the world's deserts are examples of this category."

These barrens regions, probably located closer to the arctic circle and beyond, will more than likely hold such specialized species of life.  And according to the book, what sustain Azamar is whaling/sealing.

"A good portion of the people spend much of their time on long whaling or sealing expeditions that can last for many months.  Unlike fishing, whaling and sealing tends to be more sporadic, bringing in large quantities of food and trade goods at less frequent intervals.  Whaling and sealing is almost exclusively a cold-water trade.  In other respects, whaling and sealing resembles fishing as a means of subsistence."

This gives us an idea that there is a frozen sea nearby.  Or perhaps the builders of Azamar settled next to this sea naming it the Wasting Bay.  Settlers of Azamar navigate the Wasting Bay, avoiding icebergs and cracking ice to locate and fish whales, spear seals, and then bring the spoils back to the community.

Desert, rocky

"Desert regions marked by boulder fields, stony wastes, and stretches of weathered bedrock with little topsoil.  Cactus forests or similar desert-adapted plants are common.  Scattered wells and verdant regions can be found."

We can imagine this same book's description within our own kingdom, except all is covered in ice and snow during the winter time.  In the summer, where there are just a few months of warmth, the cold-adapted plants spring up between the boulder fields and stony wastes.

Azamar, in these rocky deserts, are sustained by grazing and herding.

"Along with light agriculture, animal husbandry is the most common means of subsistence.  It is especially prevalent in cold, arid, or infertile areas such as the tropics where agriculture is impractical.  Grazing can support large populations, but also requires several times the amount of land that agriculture does.  As a result, villages and towns tend to be much farther apart in areas devoted to the keeping of livestock.  Sheep, cattle, goats, horses, and swine are the most common domestic animals."

This is all self-explanatory.  However, we have to keep in mind that our kingdom has a diameter of 450 miles.  Many villages and towns will be settled and built, and there is probably one major city where people will congregate because of religion, bartering, and/or other reasons.  So, these grazing areas probably dot the land.

Forest, light

"Needleleaf evergreens are the most common tree found in light forest.  There are two distinct types: taiga, the northern spruce and hemlock forests, found in the sub-arctic regions of the world; and sub-tropical pine forests, found in warm regions where the soil is unsuitable for heavier forestation."

A few light forests grow within Azamar, which is a good thing because it shows this "desolate" kingdom is not too desolate, at all.  What strikes me as interesting is the subsistence system within these light forests: Mining.  According to the World Builder's Guidebook:

"A specialized form of industry, mining in the medieval times included the excavation of coal, copper, iron, peat, salt, silver, and tin from the earth. The technology permitted only easily accessible ores to be reached. Various types and grades of stone were quarried for use in castles and cathedrals. Rare and precious materials such as gemstones and gold were almost always found by luck or circumstance. Mining communities are located at the site of the mineral in question, and may often be completely reliant on trade to supply food in exchange for raw ore. Dwarves, gnomes, and humanoids such as goblins are extremely efficient miners and can actually support mining camps or towns with very little agriculture, fishing, or herding."

What kind of mines are in these light forests?  Do the forests grow atop the foothills of mountains?  Perhaps there is a mountain range nearby and the Azamars take advantage of the little warmth tree roots provide within the mines.  Maybe it's the tree roots themselves, deep in the earth, that produce a resource that calls for the mines to be built in the first place.

Forest, medium

"Mixed forest, ranging from broadleaf evergreens found in tropical highlands to temperate and subarctic woodlands.  If you don't know what kind of forest to select for a particular region, this is a good default."

The subsistence system in these medium forests is fishing.

"Obviously, fishing is only an option if a sizable body of water is nearby.  Large rivers and lakes can support fishing communities, but most harvesting of water resources can be found near the ocean, especially in very cold or very hot regions that are difficult to cultivate.  Fishing alone can support small towns in rich waters, but fishing communities often supplement their catch by keeping herds of livestock, whaling and sealing, or turning to raiding in lean times."

One could imagine a few of these forests growing on the shores of the Wasting Bay.  A large river flows from the nearby mountains and empties into the bay, where smaller villages spring up within the forests to be fished.  Look at that!  We have a huge sea the Azamars know as the Wasting Bay, and a large river they call the Surging Beck that flows through the Fairsend Wood.  More than likely, creeks and streams flow from and to the Surging Beck with their own smaller ecosystems of fish and other aquatic life.

Grassland

Within Azamar, grasslands grow.  I am thinking that the capitol city of Azamar is built within that grassland region.

"This covers a variety of terrain types, ranging from tropical grasslands to dry northern steppes and prairie.  Warm, humid grasslands may consist of tall elephant grass or regions too steep or high to support forestation.  Warm, dry grasslands tend to form savannahs or veldts--the Serengeti Plain of Africa is an example of this.  Temperate and sub-arctic grasslands are steppe or prairie."

The Skarfanes Expanse is where Reykjaa, the capitol of Azamar, was built.  This is also where Chieftess Yngvild Skoptidottir has built her longhouse palace.  Within this grassland region is a light agriculture system.

"Some form of basic agriculture is possible in almost any climate.  Examples of light agriculture include slash-and-burn agriculture in the tropics, orchards, marginal regions supported through heavy irrigation, or special measures, or low-yield grain harvests in the short growing season.  Small cities can be supported through light agriculture, if a strong social organization exists.  Otherwise, light agriculture can only support small towns or villages."

And lastly, marsh/swamp.

"Large expanses of marsh or swamp only form in low-lying regions with poor drainage, although smaller bogs and fens might occur almost anywhere.  Marshes tend to include large reed seas and expanses of semi-open water; the Florida Everglades is an excellent example of this type of marsh.  Salt marshes along low-lying coastlines are also common.  Swamps, on the other hand, include large tracts of drowning forest, with trees such as cypresses or mangroves adapted for life in standing water.  The Louisiana bayou is an example of swamp."

It's hard to imagine a marsh or swamp within our frozen tundra of a kingdom.  But doing a search on our planet Earth brings up a whole list of subarctic locations well within the region and close to the arctic circle.  Maybe the salt marshes of Azamar are located in the south on the shores of the Wasting Bay.  Within this region of marsh must be a drowning forest of sorts because the subsistence system here is forestry.

"Logging, trapping, and hunting are the three main practices associated with forestry.  Forestry by itself cannot support towns of any size unless the towns can supplement their food supply through fishing or whaling.  However, communities that trade forest products in exchange for food can grow into large towns or small cities.  Elves are known to be able to bring large areas of forest under light cultivation without disturbing the natural beauty of the woodlands, and can build much larger kingdoms based on forestry."

One could imagine the winter elves of Azamar caring for and cultivating the area of the kingdom.

A look back at our (is it really ours, at this point?) kingdom of Azamar, we can see that the kingdom supports itself by whaling and sealing, fishing, mining, grazing and herding, light agriculture, and forestry.  With all of this supporting Azamar, one wonders what was left behind in the nearby ruins that is so important.  Perhaps a delve into the pantheon of Azamar will shed some light as to the creators of these ancient ruins.

Next week, we'll delve into the religions of Azamar.

I hope you enjoyed the read, and until next time, thanks for reading.