Bilgewater: Economy
While it does reflect a de facto lawlessness that relies mostly on trade to keep it relevant, that’s not to say some amount of order isn’t maintained, albeit based in an anarchistic system led by essentially a warlord commanding multiple gangs/guilds/factions. However, due to a semblance of laws/rules/treaties understood and maintained (rather than enforced) between gangs, it more closely resembles a feudal system with powerful gang leaders instead of nobles. Each gang has its’ own ecosystem, though for the most part smaller gangs rely on larger gangs, and the uneasy equilibrium that exists between the two largest currently makes Bilgewater’s economy. Hence the corruption and violence that are constant.
A few things to note:
More valuable than any sort of currency or wares, is the ability to survive within this model, whether through individual strength or the ability to pay for your protection. Mortality is high, risk is high, personal safety for the average person is near nonexistent.
Is Bilgewater a black market?
Technically, no.
To define black market:
1. The illegal buying and selling of goods above the price fixed by a government. Black markets usually develop when, because of war, disaster,or public policy, a government tries to set prices for commodities instead of allowing the normal operations of supply and demand to set prices. 2. a place where such activity is carried on.
It would be more accurate to call it a grey market if anything. In a lawless nation, it is difficult to call the market illegal per se. However, the second part of the definition most definitely applies, as Bilgewater specializes in commodities that are hard to get elsewhere. It also fits the definition stating that it is a market both illegal and unregulated.
The closest thing to taxes as other places know them would be the money exchanged for protection, whether of individuals, trade routes, or goods. It is a haven for the unscrupulous, but those individuals still need services that would be provided by a standard citizen. Therefore, often artisans and those with skills in medicine and other trades will also find success they may not in other places (whether due to a simple reason like not finding one, or something more severe like exile or removal from a guild). In sum, it’s a lawless nation with a shaky economy at best, and that is one of the most daunting aspects of rectifying the town.