"Natural Resources"
From WorkCDN
MINERALS
All mineral deposits in the game are permanent, meaning they are inexhaustible. Though inexhaustible, they are by no means equal. A gold mine in the game's equivalent of Wales will not be as productive as a gold mine in the game's equivalent of Western Turkey (ancient Anatolia or Lydia). Nor do mines and quarries exist except as players establish them. Once established, mines and quarries need to be maintained. Mines and quarries may be converted into dungeons, if taken over by a player more interested in other sorts of activities. They may also be captured or destroyed by enemy forces. They can also be taken over by monsters. If one nation desires any resource without having to fight for it, they may simply trade it, along trade routes. However, only RANGERS can establish trade routes. The following list does not include jewels specifically, as those are mostly silicates of certain minerals, and therefore would be a by-product of mining and quarrying.
AVAILABLE METALS: Gold, Silver, Copper, Tin, Iron and Lead: Gold and Silver have a monetary value. Tin is valuable for making pots and pans, therefore boosting a nation's population (better cooking means better nutrition means more people). A larger population means more soldiers for fighting, more workers for the economy, more priests for the religion/s, etc etc. Iron and Lead improve warfare, but Iron requires higher maintenance, as it rusts. Acquiring copper or bronze allows players to improve iron weapons automatically, as the nation's smithies will use primitive electrolysis to coat the iron with a thin veneer of the softer metal, which won't rust. Bronze (functioning as brass in this game)is also chemically neutral, which means it won't be affected by acid.
AVAILABLE ROCKS: Limestone, Marble, Granite, Fine Clay, Fine Sand, and Flint: Limestone, Marble and Granite are used to make stone buildings. Limestone can also be processed into plaster, white-wash and cement. While regular clay can be found anywhere, and all civilizations will be able to make their own pottery, the clay and sand listed can be used to produced fine pottery and glass, respectively. Flint was not only used for making fire, but for making axes as well.
AVAILABLE MINERALS: Coal, Peat, Sulfur, Mercury, Salt, and Diamonds: Diamonds are not only valuable, but can be used for various practical purposes (mostly artistic etchings). Salt was an extremely valuable commodity in the ancient world, so much so that wars were fought over sources, and the Romans paid their soldiers with it. Coal and Peat are obviously fuel, and will increase a nation's production of pottery, metal items, bricks, and bread. Sulfur can be used for spells/potions by Mages, medical treatments by Clerics, as well as used by a nation's NPC population as a fungicide & pesticide, increasing agricultural production, especially that of grapes (and therefore wine). Mercury can be used by Mages for useful potions, and by Clerics for dubious medical treatments. Its main practical benefit is in the unrefined state, as "Cinnabar," which can be used as a red pigment in protective paints.
VEGETABLES
Some plants will be found naturally in many places, while others can only be discovered in certain places. Plants can be introduced into other zones (by Rangers), where they will either thrive or die out, depending on the weather and soil conditions, and the wisdom of the exploiters. If a plant resource is exhausted, it can only recover if the exploitation stops. Agricultural industries need to be maintained by the players, or the production will slow down. Industries (represented by such things as mills, farms, and sawmills) can be destroyed or captured.
AVAILABLE AGRICULTURAL CROPS: Rice, Wheat, Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Beans, Dates, Grapes, Citrus: Because of the diversity of vegetation, this list combines several crops under one option. For instance, whether NPC or player, a farmer may grow "vegetables," a term covering a wide variety of unmentioned things. The same with fruits, nuts, and beans. Wheat is the same thing as wheat, rye, or barley. Grapes also covers berries. In the game, Citrus is the same thing as lemons, grapefruit or oranges. The varieties aren't mentioned in the game. Rice (as a grain), Citrus and Dates are distinct because they're grown differently than Wheat or Apples, in terms either season or style of farming. Dates can be processed to make a kind of honey-like syrup. Beans includes chickpeas, which in the Middle East makes Hummous (the best condiment in the world), and falafel.
AVAILABLE INDUSTRIAL CROPS: Cedar, Ebony, Mahogany, Jute, Papyrus, Flax, Lotus, Incense, Olives: Cedar includes all the pine trees. While almost every zone will have trees available for construction, industrial timber comes from pine, which can also be used to make ships for trading and war. Ebony and Mahogany are expensive timber only found in Africa and East Asia, respectively. Jute includes Hemp, and can be used to make sacks, rope, nets, etc. It can also be exploited as a narcotic. Papyrus is native to the Middle East and north Africa, and is used to make paper. Flax includes Cotton, which was used all over the ancient world to make linen, through a labor-intensive process. Lotus includes lillies, and was used in perfumes, and as a narcotic (therefore of value to criminals, addicts, mages, and clerics). Olives are not only used as food, but the oil is good for burning, medicine, and cooking.
AVAILABLE MINOR CROPS: Coffee, Tea, Mint, Herbs, Melons, Spice, Sugar, Kelp and Mushrooms: In the ancient world, coffee was primarily used in Arabia and northern Africa, and little known outside the tribes who drank it. Tea has been enjoyed by the Far East for thousands of years. Sugar was extremely rare in the ancient world, but more common in the Far East, where it was originally grown. "Herbs" includes a wide variety of things not mentioned specifically in the game, but includes garlic and mustard. "Spice" includes everything from pepper to cinnamon to curry.
ANIMALS
While some animals can be found in many zones and regions, there are some which can be found only in specific places, at least initially. RANGERS are able to introduce animals into new areas, where they will thrive or die out, depending on the environment and/or exploitation. The list here is NOT exhaustive, as it only includes animals available for commercial purposes. Any of these animals are available to MAGES for use in monster creation.
MAJOR "HERDS:" Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Chickens, Bees, Silkworms, Geese, Horses, Camels, Elephants, Donkeys, Peacocks: This list only includes the domestic variety of each animal, not the wild versions (such as wildebeests, bighorns and boars). Cattle produce milk, meat, and leather. Sheep includes goats, and produce wool, milk, meat, vellum (for scrolls), and fertilizer. Pigs produce fertilizer, pork, fat/lard/grease, and pigskin. Chickens and Geese produce meat, eggs, and feathers. Bees produce honey. Horses, Camels, Donkeys, and Elephants can be used as in labor, traveling or combat (although Elephant maintenance is expensive, as one might well imagine). Peacocks are bred primarily for their plumage.
MAJOR "HUNTS:" Deer, Rabbits, Sharks, Shrimp, Squid, Oysters, Fish, Morux, Seals, Locusts, Bears, and Sponges: Squid are not only for eating, but are exploited for ink. Deer produce hides, meat, and antlers (as a tool, weapon, or charm). Rabbits produce fur, meat and charms, and be used as pets. Sharks can be hunted for their teeth (useful in charms and weaponry) and meat. Oysters are for food and pearls. Morux is a kind of sea-snail that was used in the ancient Mediterranean to produce an extremely valuable purple dye by the Greeks and Phoenicians. Locusts weren't exactly hunted in the typical sense, but were a source of nutrition to desert-dwelling tribes.
OTHER ANIMALS: Dogs, Cats, Monkeys, Songbirds, Tortoises, Leopards, Ostriches, Crocodiles, Pythons, Doves, Scorpions, and Beetles: Most of these animals can be exploited as pets and/or for use in torture and executions. Beetles here are not flesh-eating "Mummy" variety, but simply the sort of beetles the ancient world used to extract dyes from. That's disgusting, but true. Ostriches can be exploited for their plumage, eggs, and sometimes even their meat. Turtles can be made into soup and lyres.
