The Diamond Trade
Only characters with a Wisdom or Intelligence score 15 and above are aware of the intricacies of the diamond trade explained below.
In a world where spell components are judged on value and not on any unit of measurement (weight, volume, etc…) it can become very easy for monopolies to dictate these values. The most predominant and powerful example of this in Baal is the diamond trade. Diamonds in this world are key to magic concerning resurrection and extending natural lifetimes. Imagine the value of being able to resurrect your nation's greatest engineer or scholar to continue their pioneering research. Imagine the economic benefits of extending a monarch's reign: "No succession crisis for us, thanks! The 120 year reign of Ulf the Unremarkable continues." The elites of any successful polity would seek to control diamonds, just as they do currency, food, cultural norms, the administration of violence, and any other resource essential to the perpetuation of their power.
One thing to understand about spell components, especially ones with gold values attached to them, is that their values are subject to change. When someone casts revivify which needs diamonds worth a total of 300 GP the actual amount of diamonds this represents has fluctuated wildly throughout the ages. In the years before the War of the Kings, diamonds where easily found and regularly mined and the amount of diamonds necessary to cast Revivify was enough to fill a large bucket. These days due to artificial limitations and regulations, the required amount barely fills a tea cup. It is also important to note that the monetary value attached to these spells changes with time and the perceived value this would represent over a lifetime. This explains why after the War of the Kings Revivify only required about 50 GP worth of diamonds but as kingdoms prospered and grew so did the price for these kinds of spells. However, the actual necessary amount of diamonds in a spell is wholly dependent on supply and demand (the actual amount approaching an average of some sort which we’ll dive into a bit later).
For centuries, the diamond trade was a relatively free market, each government regulated diamonds as they would the carrying of weapons and potions but the prices and quantities varied organically. However, in the last 200 or so years a whole ecosystem has flourished around this trade and formed a strict monopoly. Two guilds/orders have established themselves as the authorities on diamonds and resurrections. The first one, the Drumvale guild of diamond miners owns almost the totality of diamond mines as well as the distribution and storage of diamond gems. This has been achieved mostly through legitimate buy outs and dealings however there are rumors of sabotage, blackmail and extortion being routinely used by the guild’s enforcers especially against people storing and selling diamonds independently. They also specifically limit the availability of diamonds on the market driving their price per volume up tremendously while also making the mining easier and more profitable as you need to mine less while still earning more. The second one, called the Order of Diagnosticians, serves the purpose of facilitating the use of resurrection spells as well as providing powerful magic users to cast them. They are necessary because most resurrection or life extending spells save for the clone spell are limited by old age. This means that someone that has died of old age cannot be resurrected. However, "old age" means any medical condition strongly associated with senescence. Effective medical interventions in the Order of Diagnosticians simply begin with killing the patient, followed by whatever surgical or magical intervention was required to correct their infirmity, concluding with a resurrection. Throw in potions of longevity and you have a recipe for extending the typical lifespan of a medieval notable to well beyond a century. This coupled with the possibility of immortality through the clone spell make Diamonds the most important material for the economic, cultural and political stability of a polity.
Because of it's very nature, the Drumvale guild of diamond miners needs to be an extremely secretive and elitist group. They have the power to topple governments relatively easily as without diamonds, avoiding death is nigh impossible and they themselves live out of time. It is said that the original founders are still running the guild almost 300 years after its inception. Who they really are is unclear but most theorize that it's a group of Northern adventurers that throughout their travels became obsessed with the idea of longevity and power. These days, very few kingdoms and cities are run without their blessing yet no one alive can say with certainty that they know the leaders of the guild. Due to this, it has been extremely hard to police or limit their influence through the world or even just negotiate with them. Since they have an almost complete monopoly on immortality and longevity they can name their prices. This also leads to powerful people offering them leeway with regards to the law in exchange for a couple extra years which allows the guild to act with relative impunity and exercise their own laws and retributions with no legal pushback.
Another thing that adds to the secrecy around the Drumvale guild is the lack of any idea where their headquarters or any of their branches are located. Those who have been allowed to visit them were often teleported to them or brought blindfolded. The ones who dared speak of their experiences recounted colossal halls adorned with the finest gems, metals and artwork often with a single skylight filling out the ceiling of the hall. Some even spoke of golden constructs guarding some of the numerous passages of these guild halls. One thing is for sure, no thief or thief guild has ever managed to steal anything from the Drumvale guild halls. Those foolhardy enough to attack their diamond transports were made examples and their corpses were strung up in front of family members or the guilds they came from. However, this isn't enough to dissuade most as it is rumored that just one of the minor Drumvale guildhalls could hold upwards of a million gold pieces worth of art, gold and of course, diamonds.
In a world where spell components are judged on value and not on any unit of measurement (weight, volume, etc…) it can become very easy for monopolies to dictate these values. The most predominant and powerful example of this in Baal is the diamond trade. Diamonds in this world are key to magic concerning resurrection and extending natural lifetimes. Imagine the value of being able to resurrect your nation's greatest engineer or scholar to continue their pioneering research. Imagine the economic benefits of extending a monarch's reign: "No succession crisis for us, thanks! The 120 year reign of Ulf the Unremarkable continues." The elites of any successful polity would seek to control diamonds, just as they do currency, food, cultural norms, the administration of violence, and any other resource essential to the perpetuation of their power.
One thing to understand about spell components, especially ones with gold values attached to them, is that their values are subject to change. When someone casts revivify which needs diamonds worth a total of 300 GP the actual amount of diamonds this represents has fluctuated wildly throughout the ages. In the years before the War of the Kings, diamonds where easily found and regularly mined and the amount of diamonds necessary to cast Revivify was enough to fill a large bucket. These days due to artificial limitations and regulations, the required amount barely fills a tea cup. It is also important to note that the monetary value attached to these spells changes with time and the perceived value this would represent over a lifetime. This explains why after the War of the Kings Revivify only required about 50 GP worth of diamonds but as kingdoms prospered and grew so did the price for these kinds of spells. However, the actual necessary amount of diamonds in a spell is wholly dependent on supply and demand (the actual amount approaching an average of some sort which we’ll dive into a bit later).
For centuries, the diamond trade was a relatively free market, each government regulated diamonds as they would the carrying of weapons and potions but the prices and quantities varied organically. However, in the last 200 or so years a whole ecosystem has flourished around this trade and formed a strict monopoly. Two guilds/orders have established themselves as the authorities on diamonds and resurrections. The first one, the Drumvale guild of diamond miners owns almost the totality of diamond mines as well as the distribution and storage of diamond gems. This has been achieved mostly through legitimate buy outs and dealings however there are rumors of sabotage, blackmail and extortion being routinely used by the guild’s enforcers especially against people storing and selling diamonds independently. They also specifically limit the availability of diamonds on the market driving their price per volume up tremendously while also making the mining easier and more profitable as you need to mine less while still earning more. The second one, called the Order of Diagnosticians, serves the purpose of facilitating the use of resurrection spells as well as providing powerful magic users to cast them. They are necessary because most resurrection or life extending spells save for the clone spell are limited by old age. This means that someone that has died of old age cannot be resurrected. However, "old age" means any medical condition strongly associated with senescence. Effective medical interventions in the Order of Diagnosticians simply begin with killing the patient, followed by whatever surgical or magical intervention was required to correct their infirmity, concluding with a resurrection. Throw in potions of longevity and you have a recipe for extending the typical lifespan of a medieval notable to well beyond a century. This coupled with the possibility of immortality through the clone spell make Diamonds the most important material for the economic, cultural and political stability of a polity.
Because of it's very nature, the Drumvale guild of diamond miners needs to be an extremely secretive and elitist group. They have the power to topple governments relatively easily as without diamonds, avoiding death is nigh impossible and they themselves live out of time. It is said that the original founders are still running the guild almost 300 years after its inception. Who they really are is unclear but most theorize that it's a group of Northern adventurers that throughout their travels became obsessed with the idea of longevity and power. These days, very few kingdoms and cities are run without their blessing yet no one alive can say with certainty that they know the leaders of the guild. Due to this, it has been extremely hard to police or limit their influence through the world or even just negotiate with them. Since they have an almost complete monopoly on immortality and longevity they can name their prices. This also leads to powerful people offering them leeway with regards to the law in exchange for a couple extra years which allows the guild to act with relative impunity and exercise their own laws and retributions with no legal pushback.
Another thing that adds to the secrecy around the Drumvale guild is the lack of any idea where their headquarters or any of their branches are located. Those who have been allowed to visit them were often teleported to them or brought blindfolded. The ones who dared speak of their experiences recounted colossal halls adorned with the finest gems, metals and artwork often with a single skylight filling out the ceiling of the hall. Some even spoke of golden constructs guarding some of the numerous passages of these guild halls. One thing is for sure, no thief or thief guild has ever managed to steal anything from the Drumvale guild halls. Those foolhardy enough to attack their diamond transports were made examples and their corpses were strung up in front of family members or the guilds they came from. However, this isn't enough to dissuade most as it is rumored that just one of the minor Drumvale guildhalls could hold upwards of a million gold pieces worth of art, gold and of course, diamonds.
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