Pro commercia et gloria – "For Goods and Glory"
Origins of the Dam Good Trading Co.
The Dam Good Trading Co. (DGTC) is a dynamic organization, seamlessly merging trade, logistics, and community development in the Hodgepocalypse. Born in the aftermath of cataclysmic events, the DGTC has grown into a leading entity across the shattered landscape of North America. Combining the innovation of the industrious Beaverfolk with centuries-old trading traditions, the company’s influence stretches far and wide, controlling crucial supply chains, rare goods, and vital infrastructure in a world struggling to rebuild.
Divisions of the Dam Good Trading Co.
- Mortimer’s Luxe: An exclusive marketplace for the elite, specializing in luxury goods and rare artifacts. It's where wealthy traders and adventurers go to find the finest items salvaged from the ruins of the old world.
- Beaver Bazaar: Located in the heart of Weird Pegg (Winnipeg), this eclectic market sells everything from mundane necessities to enchanted curiosities. It’s a bustling hub of commerce where deals are made and fortunes are lost.
- Great Northern Traders: A decentralized trade network known for distributing practical, essential supplies to settlements in the remote northern regions. Great Northern Traders deal in raw materials, foodstuffs, and survival gear.
- Keaton's Goods & Wares: An off-price emporium famous for high-quality salvaged goods. This division focuses on refurbished items and surplus gear at unbeatable prices, making it a favorite among scavengers and wanderers.
Operations and Structure
Each division operates semi-autonomously to cater to regional demands and ensure adaptability in a world where survival hinges on resourcefulness. The DGTC maintains outposts in strategic locations, offering defense and logistical support, while simultaneously ensuring their trade routes remain secure from rival factions and mutated threats.
Their Beaver Lodge Development branch manages real estate and community infrastructure, developing trade outposts, waystations, and supply hubs. The DGTC provides a sense of security and stability in a chaotic world, allowing settlements to thrive under their protection.
Defense and Fortification Strategies
DGTC outposts are modeled after the ancient Beaverfolk lodges, with an emphasis on natural fortifications and defensive ingenuity:
- Compound-Style Outposts: Built like mini-fortresses, DGTC trading posts are equipped with traps, palisades, and natural barriers like rivers or forests, ensuring the safety of their goods and people.
- Underwater Gardens and Hydropower: Many outposts feature hydro-powered defenses and underwater farms, making them self-sufficient and harder to siege.
- Tactics and Armament: DGTC defenders rely on guerrilla tactics, traps, and ambushes. They also favor cutting-edge tech, from enchanted firearms to magical artillery, ensuring their strongholds remain formidable.
Trade Goods and Offerings
DGTC’s wares include a mix of survival essentials and rare items, serving adventurers, mercenaries, and wealthy elites alike:
- Modern Weaponry and Armor: Firearms, explosives, custom armor, and other equipment suitable for traversing the hostile wastelands.
- Faustian Mechanisms: Enchanted firearms, magical automatons, and hybrid machinery that combine technology with arcane power.
- Underwater Farming Kits: Popular among aquatic species or communities near water, these kits help establish sustainable underwater gardens.
- Salvaged Vehicles: Custom-built vehicles (affectionately called "Sweet Rides") range from armored trucks to bizarre, exotic contraptions.
Transportation and Portages
In Hodgepocalypse Canada, with its extensive wetlands and forests, traditional vehicles struggle. Enter the Pack Rats, six-legged beasts bred for their strength and adaptability:
- Portage Routes: Pack Rats haul heavy loads across difficult terrain like dense forests or rocky outcrops, helping caravans move swiftly between riverways.
- Water-Compatible Movement: Pack Rats, while not fully aquatic, excel in wet environments, able to wade through rivers and bogs.
- Pack Rat Outposts: Special outposts serve as training centers for these creatures, where they are bred and prepared for overland trade routes.
Adventurer Hooks Involving Pack Rats
- The Pack Rat Problem: A DGTC trade route is blocked by a colony of wild Pack Rats, mutated by exposure to magical waste. Adventurers are hired to clear the infestation and recover stolen goods.
- The Great Pack Rat Rodeo: A yearly event in Weird Pegg draws competitors from all around. Adventurers are hired to investigate sabotage or compete in the rodeo.
- Lost Caravan: A DGTC caravan has disappeared in marshlands, and the usually docile Pack Rats are running wild. Adventurers are tasked with recovering the lost goods.
Key Dam Good Trading Co. Outposts Across Canada
Fort Driftwood (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- Focus: Central hub of DGTC’s operations, combining trade, governance, and research.
- Defenders: A mix of Beaverfolk, dwarves, humans, and Feylin, all experts in trap-laying and defense.
- Purpose: Serves as the primary warehouse and administrative center for DGTC operations.
Greenwood Enclave (Vancouver Island, British Columbia)
- Focus: Herbalism, potion-making, and trade in magical goods.
- Defenders: Animated plant creatures and Feylin defenders.
- Purpose: Produces rare herbs and potions.
The Silver Lodge (Banff, Alberta)
A mountain outpost leased to the Dam Good Trading Co by the teenage dragon, Jargon, who runs his territory with a mixture of youthful ambition and chaotic rule. Despite his draconic nature, Jargon engages in limited trade, especially in rare minerals, metals, and enchanted goods.
- Focus: Mining rare minerals and trading enchanted goods.
- Defenders: Elves, Minotaurs, and Feylin, using natural terrain for defense.
- Purpose: Jargon allows mining and limited trading of precious metals, alchemical reagents, and enchanted artifacts, though he demands a cut of all proceeds.
York Haven (Hudson Bay, Northern Manitoba)
- Focus: A fortified trading hub near the historic location of York Factory, known for its prominent portage and waterways. This outpost specializes in long-range, water-based trade, relying heavily on York boats to navigate the numerous rivers and coastlines. It takes advantage of the much milder climate to venture northward.
- Defenders: The rugged inhabitants include Humans, Dwarves, and adaptable Beaverfolk, who have constructed the outpost like a hybrid between a fort and a lodge. Defense systems include both traps and water-based barricades.
- Purpose: York Haven acts as a key supply stop for traders venturing further into the north and serves as a hub for aquatic farming, rare textiles, and alchemical materials sourced from the surrounding wetlands and forests.
Expanded Adventuring Hooks:
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
- The Good: A hidden cache of pre-Hodgepocalypse technology has been discovered in a remote, waterlogged ruin. DGTC hires adventurers to escort a convoy to the dig site and protect the engineers.
- The Bad: A DGTC supply convoy has vanished near Lake Agony, a desolate and dangerous region. The company needs scouts to recover the goods.
- The Ugly: A relic known as the Bone Mirror of the Old World was acquired by a DGTC agent. Rival factions want it, and a mole may be undermining the company from within.
