The Berebeli

The Berebeli on the water

The Berebeli is a medium-sized Reikland river barge. It's 23 feet wide and some 75 feet long which makes for a spacious cargo vessel that can also fit into the narrow Weissbruck canal and other Reikland waterways. Larger barges do exist and can carry many times more cargo but these vessels cannot use the lesser canals nor travel as far upriver as smaller craft.

The bulk of the Berebeli is taken up by the hold. Robust cargo can - and often is - placed on the foredeck as well. There is a small forecastle that's used for observation when passing along difficult stretches of water. The cabin runs from the mainmast and aft. It's divided into three compartments: one for the captain, one for the first mate, and one for the rest of the crew. These rooms are often rented out to wealthier passengers - the crew will then sleep in hammocks or deck or in the hold depending on season and weather. Poorer passengers must stay on deck. The aft of the barge holds a small aftcastle (so the barge master can have a view over the cabin and cargo) where can be found the wheel.

The Berebeli normally has a crew of only six: the captain (missing), Josef (first mate/acting captain), two craftsmen (Gerd the carpenter and Waldo in charge of the sail, rig, and ropes), and two able rivermen (Norbert and Johan). A crew of eight or more would be better but as an independent trader, the Berebeli can't afford a bigger crew.

The Berebeli primarily runs the Bögenhafen-Weissbruck-Altdorf route but will sometimes go down to Carroburg or follow the Vorbergland canals all the way to Nuln. Only rarely does it venture out on the River Reik or along any of the other major waterways of the Empire.

Since the Berebeli isn't part of any trade guild it's very much dependent on staying on good terms with local merchants and town councils. It also needs to take whatever cargo and passengers it can get and for a lower price than guild vessels.

Overland transportation

The most common means of overland transportation is walking 😅 It takes a while to get where you need to be but it's cheap and you get a lot of fresh air. Coaching inns are so common along major thoroughfares that even walkers will find a place to stay the night. If not, there should be a village or farmstead nearby where a few shillings will buy a hot meal and a bed (or a place in the hayloft).

If you can afford to buy and keep a riding horse that's of course way faster and more convenient. A rider with a good steed can cover more ground than even the most determined foot-slogger. For most people, however, that's not an option. 

If you can't ride and don't want to walk, coaches are an option. Coach services run between all major cities and numerous smaller towns (the smaller the settlement, the less often they run). Coaches come in various sizes (most can carry 6 inside and a couple on the roof), levels of comfort, and speed (4 horses is the most common version). The very best lets you ride in relative comfort in less than a quarter of the time you'd use on foot.

Goods are typically transported in 4-wheel wagons like the one shown in the picture. Oxen are sometimes used but in the Empire, draft horses are much more common. If the load is heavy two horses can be hitched up. Some very heavy wagons might require 4 but that's an exception - many country roads can't handle such heavy loads anyway.

But the best way to transport passengers and goods is along the many waterways of the Empire. Major rivers reach all parts of the Empire save the north-central portions of Hochland, Middenland, Nordland, and Osterland. In Reikland there is an extensive network of canals as well.