Ships and Wagons used in the Trade sector

Two types of transportation are used in the trade sector, wagons and ships. The wagons are covered and frequently include a small covered living area. Pulled by hessiks, a hooved animal that is sturdy and is able to go long distances with less food and water than the more common siks, which are used primarily by the upper class for hunting and recreation. The transportation of choice is the ship. It allows for goods to move quickly and, although there is some risk of pirates or poor weather, these are off set by the wide variety of good that are able to be carried. A trip from the city on the East coast on the Great Winter Road could take 6 months or more. The same trip going by the ocean route is, in comparison, only 6 weeks if the weather is favorable.
Ships, however, are far more expensive to build and the average trader just starting out would have a difficult time acquiring and so must deal with oddities and rare items if they want to make money. The traders in wagons also band together and are known to travel in groups of ten or more for protection, comradery and in order to purchase a greater variety of goods. The profits from the excursions are usually split evenly amongst the caravan. For this reason it is more likely to find caravans that consist solely of traders whom are related. It is hard for a new trader to break into an established caravan system and starting their own brings its own risks.
Both ships and caravan traders belong to the same guild in order to promote equanimity after the Great Trade Wars. Currently, there still exists great tension between the two groups although violence is rare. Occasionally a family will have both a wagon caravan and a ship and these families have places on the High Council of the guild and are prominent in government.
Nobody trusts them.