Trade Protocols and Salvage Economics

Contract timing often references environmental markers rather than abstract calendars. "Delivery before Gradient Feast" appears frequently in trade agreements, establishing deadlines aligned with optimal travel windows. Partial delivery protocols address the reality that caravans may lose portion of their cargo to weather or predation—most contracts specify minimum acceptable percentages (typically 70-80%) and adjusted payment scales for reduced deliveries.

Salvage rights follow complex hierarchies. Storm-damaged goods abandoned by caravans belong to whoever reaches them first, but "fresh" salvage—items lost within the current wind phase—requires notification to the original owner if known. Communities maintain salvage registries where found goods are logged, and unclaimed items pass to finders after one full wind cycle.

Salvage economics have created specialist scavenger caravans that follow major routes after severe weather, recovering and refurbishing damaged goods for resale. These operations walk ethical lines, as determining whether cargo was "abandoned" or simply temporarily sheltered during storms creates frequent disputes. Some settlements view scavenger caravans as vital recycling operations, while others consider them opportunistic vultures preying on others' misfortune.