Merchants

Alpha-2 Vendor NPC work-in-progress UI.

Merchant NPCs (also called Vendors) are present from the first stage of node development (Expedition).

• Merchant NPCs are identified by a golden shimmer on their nameplates.
• Merchant NPCs will in general be able to buy items from players.

Node types

Pre-alpha Metropolis node.

Nodes exist all throughout the world and the location of said node will determine its type; but this type will be... seen at the first stage of development when the first stage when a node propagates real-time assets in the world; is basically these NPCs, these merchants that come into an area and they offer services and/or of stores or whatever the deal may be. You will see the flavor of the node from those merchants. So if it's a military node you'll see military people. If it's... an economic node you'll see merchants. If it's a scientific one you'll see scholars; and if it's a divine one you'll see priests and clerics. So players will have a very firm understanding of which node is which type in order to know how they want to progress. – Steven Sharif

Nodi are assigned one of four (4) node types, each of which contain unique specializations.

• Players will be able to identify the type of a node at its first stage of development (Expedition) based on its NPC population.

Node type.	Specialization.	NPCs.	Currency.
Divine nodes	Faith and skill/equipment augment focuses	Priests	Favor
Economic nodes	Trade and merchant focuses	Merchants	-
Military nodes	Combattimento and class training focuses	Guards	Honor
Academic nodes	Artisan and construction focuses	Scholars	-

Ashes of Creation allows you, the player, to decide the fate of the world around you. With each Node Type, you can change the flow of resources and goods in the world. Will you grow the largest Economic Metropolis and help guide the riches of Verra, or will you choose another path unlocking new stories filled with allies and enemies?

Node types are predetermined and are the same across all servers.

• A node’s type is static. It does not change based on the node’s advancement or destruction.

For example, if a level 4 Scientific Node is destroyed, it will become a Level 0 Scientific Node. It will never be any other Node Type other than a Scientific Node. The location of these Types relates to the influences of the area around the Node. – Margaret Krohn

Node types affect various services and systems at each level of node advancement.

• Node governments
• Narrative
• NPCs
• Node buildings and amenities

Node types will be definitive during the Beta testing stages.

Beta testing will require that the node types be definitive; and that's because of how node types are integrated into the relating and corresponding neighboring points of interest and those quest lines. So it's not something we can swap very easily. – Steven Sharif

Mercati

Mercati are constructed service buildings that are available for placement by mayors of any Town (fase 4) node or higher. These are distinct from a market, which is the unique node building that unlocks at Village (fase 3) of Economic nodes.

• Marketplaces grant certain trade benefits as well as player stalls that the citizens may participate in.

These are buildings that the mayor has agency over determining whether or not they should be a constructed project. Constructible buildings can be selected at open plots that are gained as the as the node advances. If they elect to begin construction of one of these types of buildings- one of which is the marketplace- it'll grant certain trade benefits as well as some stalls that the citizens may participate in. – Steven Sharif

A node's government decides the placement of its marketplace. After that, the community must come together to build it.

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See also

• NPCs
• Nodi
• Economia