What size is the island when the saga starts ? That probably puts a limit on total population, given that it takes about half a square kilometer of good land to support one family of peasants; more like a full square kilometer on a windy island. Fishing helps, of course, but it cannot replace the staples, and I very much doubt that importing food on a regular basis would be sustainable in the long term in 1210. So figure 10 people per square kilometer, using both fishing and agriculture as food sources.
If we figure that the village holds 500 person and makes up half of the island's total population, as a guess the island needs to be around 100 square kilometers to support them. That's about right for the AD 800 island, but far too much for the AD 1300 outline. But then I seem to remember that we were using the larger 800 island ?
A bit larger than the 1300 boundary, but nothing as large as the 800 one.
I'm still readjusting my understanding of the island as time goes and I uncover additional information, so things may move a little. For example, it seems that in 1200 there are still 2 castles on the island. They are visible on the map. One is on the left, right under the name "Rodbull", while the other is close to the main toen and is labelled "Castellum medenblyk Regis Ybbonis". I had missed that initially.
They are certainly importing foodstuff to the island, mostly grains and meat. Lots of fishing. But overall, the island is not self-sufficient food-wise. At least not if you want a balanced diet. The typical islander's diet is different than that of people from the continent -- very little bread and lots of fish.
One of the peculiarities of the island is the absence of large animals. No horses, donkeys, cows or oxen. So all trasportation is made using boats or hand carts.
I tried to google the population of Helgoland on Danish and German sites and found that in 1580 there were 56 families containing about 300 souls and in 1690 there were 960 people, but around 1550 the Plague killed most of the people on the island so I guess the numbers could have been higher earlier.
In 1216 there was a huge storm that seems to have diminished the island quite a lot. In year 1030 there were nine churchbells but after this storm only 2 remained.
What year is it now in the saga? 1210? We better prepare ourselves in 6 years then. :mrgreen:
Well, the light green island seems to be about 10 square kilometers. I'm not sure what size the virgae mentioned in the scale are (virga in latin = rod, staff, wand); but the vertical border gives the latitude, and 1 minute of latitude is equal to one nautical mile, which gives a usable scale.
2,000 people living on a island that size; even eating a lot of fish, they'd have to be importing quite a bit of grain, making the island far less isolated than I imagined...
No donkeys? Donkeys are quite a resilient animal and very hard working. It will be quite strange for none of these animals to be around, even if large herbivores are not common.
Not all of the inhabitants would be there full-time. The pilots, for example, would spend most of their time on ship navigating to and from the Elbe, Weser and Eider rivers. Same with the merchants who use the island as a transit point. So the population of the island would fluctuate a lot.
But yes, 2000 may be a bit on the high side. It's only a rough estimate, anyway. We won't be doing a census, are we?
As for food, expect to eat a lot of cabbage and fish. There's also plenty of seabird eggs, as well as seals for meat. Very little bread, unless you're a noble or a rich merchant.
My rationale regarding donkeys is that they would require more fodder than they are worth, considering the island's small size. Mutton is better than donkey meat. And I've read a tidbit about the only mean of transporting goods were handcarts. Can't remember where, or whether that was a recent thing, but I decided that it made a good story. So for some reason there are no donkeys on the island -- I may come up with a legend/myth as to why that is.
I am off until monday. Will reply then. No problem with the first contact with the merchant, i think we can play along a first contact Seems the aura covers the whole red rock
Just to let you guys know that over the next few days my ability to reply during the day might be limited. I'm starting a new job this morning, so access to the boards is uncertain from work. And I'll be busy meeting a lot of new people.
I'll still be able to read the message from my phone, and I'll reply in the evenings. So don't let that keep you from posting!
Where does he start? The island covers about 25 square miles, so it's a lot of area to cover. Consider that there are few roads, more like small trails.
And how detailed and systematic is his search? As in, how many square miles is he covering every day/week.
It's unlikely that he'll find vis sources this way... but you never know. He might get lucky.
Well, Pytheas will start with the most deserted places on the island, since they are both more likely to contain vis and less likely to contain annoyed people. He's going to trust on instinct and luck, not a systematic search. I figure he'll do well to cover a square mile a week... if that square mile is stretched into a long and very winding path 100 miles long and 50 feet wide.
Seems the aura covers the whole red rock
