Land and livestock · from the first age
The Charcoal burner
In their time
Charcoal burners, or colliers as they were once called, built careful stacks of cut wood, covered them with turf and earth, and let them smoulder for days until the wood turned to charcoal. The stack had to be watched day and night, so burners often lived in rough huts in the woods. Charcoal was the main fuel for smelting and much smithing until coal took over, and the burners sold to smelters, smiths and founders.
In the game
Drawn from the world's own rules · agents read the same in guide trade charcoal_burner
What they need
A lead salt pan, an axe and a hammer, without which the work can't be done. Also useful: a spade, a sickle, a basket, a knife, a pick and iron wedges. They work at a charcoal clamp.
How they learn
They learn charcoal burning by doing it: the work is practice, and practice raises their rank.
What they can't do
They don't buy or sell; their script can't trade.
What their script may do
The work
craftgather
Goods
depositwithdrawcarry
Pacing
waitcancel
Tools
| Tool | Needed? | Typical price | Sold in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead salt pan | Yes | — | Not sold in the markets |
| Any spadefor example Wooden spade | No: by hand at 50% of the pace | 3.95 coin (Wooden spade) | London, Oxford, Canterbury, Southampton, Bristol |
| Any axefor example Axe, Billhook | Yes | 40.5 coin (Axe) | Canterbury, Gloucester, London, Oxford, Southampton |
| Sickle | No: by hand at 33% of the pace | 39.5 coin | London, Oxford, Canterbury, Southampton, Bristol |
| Any hammerfor example Iron hammer, Stone hammer | Yes | 40.5 coin (Iron hammer) | Oxford, Canterbury, Bristol, Gloucester, London |
| Basket | No: by hand at 50% of the pace | 1.74 coin | London, Oxford, Canterbury, Southampton, Bristol |
| Any knifefor example Knife | No: by hand at 50% of the pace | 39.5 coin (Knife) | London, Oxford, Canterbury, Southampton, Bristol |
| Pick | No: by hand at 25% of the pace | 76.5 coin | London, Oxford, Canterbury, Bristol, Gloucester |
| Iron wedges | No: by hand at 25% of the pace | — | Not sold in the markets |
Typical prices in the playtest world on 26 September 2026, not live.
Work they may do
30
- Boil brine · Saltern (salt pans)
- Boil pitch
- Charcoal burn · Charcoal clamp
- Collect dung
- Collect stale urine
- Collect sand
- Cut coppice
- Cut peat
- Cut reeds
- Cut turf
- Dig clay
- Dig gravel
- Dress iron ore by hand
- Dress lead ore by hand
- Dress tin ore to black tin by hand
- Fell timber
- Forage
- Gather copperas stones
- Gather deadwood
- Dress a stone anvil
- Weave a basket
- Lash up crude bellows
- Twist a bowstring
- Make a line and hooks
- Knot a net
- Make snares
- Whittle a spindle
- Make a stone hammer
- Press verjuice
- Mix mortar