War and Trade (Zor vs. Baalgad)

The people of Zor are traders. They conquer other lands by making them dependent on their goods. The Badari need Zorian cedar trees and resin for their construction, as well as certain types of magic spells. The Shamar in the south enjoy Zorian silk and fine, dyed cloth. The Tashtak depend on the wine trade to quell their warlike dragon natures. It is trade that conquers nations, the Zorians will tell you, and because of this, the Zorian have no standing military, only a small group of advisor's capable of raising a militia if necessary.

The Zorians worship Melqart. Melqart is a god concerned with the cycle of nature, living in harmony.

The worshippers of Baal (Pelor), such as those in Baalgad, appear as warmongers to the trade focused Zorians. Baal is about physical power, of defense and war, of about direct confrontation and heroism fighting evil. Those who worship Baal think likewise, and those who follow Melqart find clerics of Baal a necessary evil, at best.

You would want Baalites to guard your walls, although it would be an admission that you've failed in your economic diplomacy. You prefer such people out of sight, out of town, in the hinterlands protecting your borders like the ignorant, slow thinking warriors they appear to be. Thus the Zorians have little respect for their cousins in Baalgad. If it comes to war, a failure already, Zorians may request assistance. Otherwise, a problem in Baalgad is due to the ignorance of the Baalites and the citizenry. Surely they can think their way out of the problem. They better, because Zor has few physical resources to put down a real threat.

Melqart


Baal