Overview
The Gatherers were a small company who travelled from world to world, collecting exotic mammals, fish and plants, and transporting them to other spheres where they could command higher prices. For example, The Gatherers would collect rare birds from the Isle of Dragons on Krynn in Krynnspace and then transport them to the bustling city of Greyhawk on Oerth in Greyspace where no such species existed, and where they could be sold to the highest bidder. Other companies tried to muscle in on their business, but the company had always managed to... persuade... their competitors to try another line of work.
Activities
Of course, the activities of the Gatherers caused a great deal of controversy. On one side were those who supported their work, and often profited by helping them search for rare plants and animals and informing them about newly-discovered species. Occasionally the company would even pay others to help them capture animals and collect plants. Such supporters often claimed that the company's enterprise could guarantee that certain rare species would continue to prosper and multiply; for example, a species of birds threatened with extinction on Krynn might thrive in the forests of Toril. Local officials tended to support the Gatherers, as they profited directly from the money the company spread around.
However, there were various small but vocal groups opposed to the Gatherers, who claimed that it was wrong to transplant plant and animal life to other worlds - or even to other continents on the same world. They contended that the creatures and plants lived in specific locations for a reason, and that nature should not be meddled with. These individuals, among them high-ranking druids, claimed that The Gatherers could cause the extinction of entire species by collecting too many specimens. Further, they feared that introducing a foreign species into another ecosystem could harm the land through the introduction of unwanted pests, predators, or disease.
A few local governments had begun thinking about adopting laws regulating the trade in exotic plants and animals - either supporting the trade or prohibiting it. On the whole public opinion remained in favor of the trade due to the financial opportunities it represented.
Tactics
On planets such as Krynn in Krynnspace, that were heavily populated with numerous centralized governments, The Gatherers preferred to remain unnoticed, landing their spelljamming ship under the cover of darkness in areas where a wealth of animal and plant life awaited them. In this way, they ensured that the locals remained oblivious to their true activities, believing them to be nothing more than a well-maintained sea-going craft. The few people that were aware pf the company's spacefaring origins and their true operations were generally supportive due to the financial rewards. The Gatherers tended to avoid ports such as the one located in the city of Palanthas, preferring to sell their exotic specimens via agents and other intermediaries. On less populous worlds, such as Reorx, The Gatherers took less precautions to conceal their origins or their true purpose, which occasionally lead to conflict with opposition groups.
Ships
The Gatherers operated a small galleon which was equipped with cages and tanks to store their living specimens while they were in transit to another world. The company found that most locals would overlook the vessel, believing it to be nothing more than a well-kept sea-faring craft.
Members
The Gatherers were led by Rohgan, a warrior from Toril who had a majority stake in the company. As captain, he was assisted by the first mate, Talf the Bold, and the company's primary helmsman, Adima the Peg. The rest of the small company was made up of a mix of warriors, priests and rogues of various races.
History
Less than a decade ago, a band of adventurers from Toril in Realmspace procured their own spelljamming ship and began travelling from world to world looking for adventure. After several abortive expeditions on the planet Chislev in Krynnspace, which garnered them nothing more than several bruises and empty pockets, they decided to gather some of the exotic looking plants and try to sell them. They were frankly amazed at how much gold the plants brought, and they immediately returned to Chislev for another load. Expanding their operations to other worlds, the adventurers quickly learned that collecting and selling rare plants and animals was far more profitable than delving into ruins and dungeons.
Appendix
External Links
- Dragon Isles article at the Chronicles of Astinus, a wiki for the Dragonlance campaign setting.
- Free City of Greyhawk article at Greyhawkonline.com, a wiki for the Greyhawk campaign setting.