How do the Erebor Dwarves trade their products?

[grachinski]

Basically 2 things. First, in the first chapters of The Hobbit is mentioned that children are given dwarven toys as presents. Also in other places is mentioned that products from Ererebor travel to a lot of distant lands. But how this products are transported? I mean, the old forest road is practically abandoned (in TOR it is mentioned the road isn't safe), there is the elven road but I take regular travelers can't take it (or maybe it's just a secret path). Surrounding the forest wouldn't make sense, south is to close to Mordor and Dol Guldur and north is close to the dragon mountains. So, what path do the caravans take?

Second, how payment is made in general? I've read a lot of Tolkien products but I've never read anything about a coin based monetary system.

[Tolwen]

Coins are mentioned when the Hobbits are in Bree, so they are used. These economic details weren't the focus of the story, and so they were mentioned only in passing. In the HoMe 12 Tolkien mentions the basic values of Gondorian coins, so we can be pretty sure that the people in the Nothwest used coins for their trade.
Concerning travel, it'd bet on a path round the northern part of Mirkwood and use of the Old Forest Road (for well-guarded caravans). The former one might be the more safe passage, since the dragons seem to have not bothered anyone in the region since the Dwarves fled from the Grey Mountains in TA 2590. Smaugs attack on Erebor can be seen as an extraordinary far reach of a dragon (far beyond their normal area of activity), lured by the immense riches.

Edit: It might be worthwile to evaluate whether the Wood-elves would be willing to let regular mannish and/or dwarvish trade pass through their realm via the Elf-path.

Cheers
Tolwen

[Stormcrow]

Since the Battle of Five Armies, the Grey Mountains have been depleted of goblins. I suspect the dragons of the Withered Heath don't fly south of the mountains very much. Therefore, traders would go round the north of Mirkwood.

The Old Forest Road isn't serviceable at its eastern end, and its proximity to the Mountains of Mirkwood means that it probably never will be for the rest of the Third Age, though undoubtedly traders would be interested in trying to open it up (as in "The Marsh-Bell").

Travelers without a great deal of cargo might get permission from the Elvenking to use the elf-path though the north of Mirkwood. After the Battle of Five Armies, the Elvenking is probably more willing to allow travelers through his realm. The crossing of the magic stream would have to be improved, of course.

[Mim]

The crossing of the magic stream would have to be improved, of course.

What a great plot for an adventure Stormcrow. I hope they detail the source of the Enchanted Stream in The Heart of the Wild. I was never too keen about what MERP did with it, & am curious to see if Francesco or Gareth write something up on it.

[Stormcrow]

What did MERP do with it?

[grachinski]

I fear that surrounding the forest would also take a caravan to close to Gundabad. Also, thinking about it now, what make the Old Forest Road any more dangerous than the other roads? I know it's closed but what does that mean exactly.

Thanks for the coins reply. Do you guys know if there is the traditional copper, silver and gold coins?

[Tolwen]

What did MERP do with it?

Nothing that I know of - simply because it was set 1300 years before TOR's temporal focus. In these times, the road was probably in frequent use.

Cheers
Tolwen

[Mim]

@Stormcrow, MERP developed a plot around a renegade Edain animist named Lhachglin, who secretly served Sauron from Sarn Goriwing (Abhorrent Spray's Stone), a ninety foot spire of igneous rock that rose from the Mountains of Mirkwood at the source of the Enchanted Stream. They sort of beat around the bush about whether he directly corrupted the stream or indirectly contributed, but that was the gist. There's no reason, of course, why an LM who likes the story can't convert it to ToR & later in the timeline - it's in their Northern Mirkwood The Wood-Elves Realm supplement, but I don't recall if they continued the plot with their latter versions.

[tkdco2]

Wow, I remember Llachglin! I played that adventure. My group was able to put a stop to him.

[Francesco]

Thanks for the coins reply. Do you guys know if there is the traditional copper, silver and gold coins?

Yes, there are gold pieces, silver pennies and copper coins. The Lake-town Sourcebook has some additional details on those ('Silver and Gold', page 13).

Francesco