"I have the best cloaks in all of this sphere. I'm confident there are several in your size. And the price is certainly fair. Do try one on."
- Arlo Green of The Caravan
"Cloaks? You can buy them anywhere. but my goods are rare and wonderful. Magical horse and griffon barding are my specialties. Won't you take a look."
- Sylvan Silvermoon of The Caravan
Overview
The Crimson Caravan, or "The Caravan" as it was known to the inhabitants of Krynnspace, was a mercantile consortium established by three dozen merchants who decided to pool their resources to purchase a very large galleon. Each merchant had an equal share in the company, and decisions regarding operational policies, trade routes, tax rates and price increases were all decided through consensus during lengthy sessions attended by all members.
Activities
The Caravan travelled from world to world, dealing with local shop owners, government officials and those among the general public who wished to purchase unusual or specialized goods. The company regularly stopped at ports throughout Krynnspace, including the moons of Zivilyn and the Stellar Islands. Further, they had regular customers throughout Greyspace and Realmspace who placed standing orders with them for certain goods, and were even contracted to transport goods from one sphere to the next. To fill their orders, individual merchants would often hire adventuring companies to acquire the items they needed, which they would then sell elsewhere for a steep profit.
Ships
The Caravan was based on a very large galleon with a cargo capacity of over 40 tons. To ensure the ship was operated effectively, the merchants chartered a retired Shou Lung explorer by the name of Ching Tao Ling to captain the vessel, granting him full authority over all operations onboard the ship.
Relationships
Friends
The Caravan made it a point of meeting up with the Golden Blade company on a regular basis, as they had standing orders with the merchants for clothes, wine, and other items from Shou Lung. Captain Ching Tao Ling had become close friends with Dao Ming, the Shou captain of the Golden Blade, and they often swapped stories about ships they had encountered in wildspace, rumors about local pirates, and updates on what was happening in the various spelljamming ports.
Members
By consensus, each member of the Caravan had to specialize in a different type of merchandise, allowing the company to maintain a degree of harmony and cooperation amongst its members. The Caravan's charter stated that if a member was caught dealing in goods already assigned to another, the company could, in extreme cases, cancel their membership and reimburse their shares.
The current roster of merchant members of the Caravan, and the goods they specialised in, included the following:
Employees
The merchants employed thirty-six servants to see to their personal needs, as well as assisting the ship's crew with maintenance, sailing the vessel and to handle most of the ship's cargo.
The Caravan also usually employed twenty mercenary warriors and four spellcasters to provide protection for the merchants. When in port, half of the guards remained onboard the galleon to protect the goods in storage, while the remainder acted as bodyguards, protecting the merchants and ensuring the local thieves didn't lighten their purses. If particularly valuable cargo was being transported, or if there had been rumors of active pirates in the area, the Caravan would employ additional guards as needed.