Olafson tannery

Olafson Tanneries

On Nilfeheim, local industry is cottage style and each Clan has one or several speciality products they produce. Mostly for the local market but also for export via the XChange. The Olafson Clan used to make leather, pelts, ale, Fangsnapper meat and hides, salted snd pickled fish.[2] Clan associated Freemen and Lowmen work in these Clan Businesses. Freemen are often well paid tradesmen or specialists, while Lowmen usually do the general labor. Officially Freemen and Lowmen are paid salaries, but in bad times or when demand is low,when business is bad Lowmen are often paid only in Food and shelter. Olafson Tanneries used to produce Nilfeheim's finest leather and the Olafson fish hide leather[3] was famous even beyond Nilfeheim and demanded good prices. But due to missmanagement and old fashioned tradition based business decissions the Olafson clan lost much business and profit and was just barely hanging on. After the loss of the Fangsnapper herds and the fishing boats  the main source of hides was lost, the clan had to buy hides and fish from other clans, which eliminated almost all profit. Then the Freemen left because of not getting paid or not getting paid enough and with the Freemen most of the skilled labor was lost. Most of the Lowmen left (those who could) some were sold to other clans[1] Olafson Tanneries were abandoned and the remaining labor force moved and merged with the Ragnarssons [4] labor force and Tanneries.



[1] Technically slave trade, but officially the labor force was "outsourced" or  as the Representative of Nilfeheim called it : The trade and lease in Labor force not sentient beings. Labor agencies basically, the trade in Labor

[2] Olafson Ale, Olafson Pickled Fish

[3] Elena Olafson successfully marketed Olafson Fish leather to DeNoir - Fashion and started a Fish leather factory in Halstaad Fjord ( the first actual factory of Nilfeheim). Erica Olafson's famous Fish leather suit is on display in the Union Museum on Pluribus (The Tigershark Exhibit - as of 5090)

[4] The Olafson and the Ragnarsson Clan merged into the Olafson Clan by marriage and the death of the last Ragnarsson male.