He also has the option of paying for guards along the road to Greyport. It's for self-serving reasons, but trade to WW could tick up if there's less trouble with bandits along the way. Re-opening the mines in the pass could serve to introduce a dwarf girl. Setting up a woodcutting operation in the North Forest could be a way to tie Mia (and Granny) back to the rest of the game.
I think WW was more important before the Goblin War, it had a major Qetesh temple nearby and the the mines (persumably) sent their output through WW, but the population decrease from that put the area in decline and it's only been about a generation since the war. Personally I view the MC's adventures as a frame for WW beginning to recover from the war. Assuming he doesn't botch things because of his personal life, that is.
Rosy probably also bakes bread, the MC just doesn't have the option of buying it. And she is running short of flour every time the MC asks if she needs help baking... Selling bread to locals is more likely, with the pastries as a sideline which can only be afforded regularly by the Mayor's household. Maybe Captain Eckhart and a couple others as well. (Explaining why the MC buying them is worth an Affection bump.)
Edgar imports some of the high-quality items he sells to the MC and to a few others, but very likely makes others himself. Importing materials to make items is cheaper than importing finished items.
Just because we don't see fullers, spinners, weavers, and dyers, or other professions like tanners, doesn't mean they aren't there, only that there's no in-game reason to interact with them. Jacob has a milk cow (which goes dry if you pursue Rosy's questline) but we never see it. You only meet the Miller's family if you burn down their place. EDIT: And Marcus has helpers you only see when upgrading someone's place.
Weirdwood was/is definetly a poorer settlement especially compared to Greyport but alot of its issues I feel are a massive pile up from Goblin War to now (20 years later).
The Goblin War definitely coursed the region massive backlash as many died during the war & the Qeteshian faith (once a prominent religion near Weirdwood) has become all but forgotten. The Temple brought in pilgrims & trade from across the region so that entire situation, the war & aftermath, hit their economy HARD.
The rest of the issues are all building from their. 1st they never took Gabriel seriously about wiping out the Goblins (even though they were close according to him) & now they have infested the surrounding woods, stopping local hunters from bringing fresh game back to the town & threatening livestock.
The machinations of Cath has led to the bandits becoming organised & now the Western Road that connects Weirdwood to Greyport has become incredibly dangerous to traverse. Trade with the city is all but non existent. The Baron dosent seem to care about anything beyond the city walls & the mayor is too worried about the towns defense to send guards out (also they want MORE money for the dangers of it all).
The town has become so reliant on itself that they can only really use or sell what THEY produce, which already wasent much. The loss of Jacob's milking cow & trade with the city has removed milk from the shop. The snake infestation in the Mill has coursed the Miller to close his services. This has had major effects of stores like Jenny's General Store & Rosy's Bakery as they cant get the supplies they need to sell.
Not to mention the Mine in the Mountainpass that was apparently once very lucrative but eventually was closed off leaving them no mineral trade either.
Now I dunno if it's always been this way or a recent reaction to the struggling times but all services has become way too expensive for the average people (looking at you Marcus!!!!
). People are so worried that the second a scapegoat came to town they claimed she was a witch & began to plot her removal
(Ziva), the only reason she was spared?
.
Now look at all the problems that are STILL rising over the course of MC's adventure.
•The local Nergalites (led by Erevi) are plotting to finish what they started.
•Orcs are encroaching from the south & are definitely a threat to the locals.
•A vampire lord that's been imprisoned for over 200yrs cenantly wakes up & begins making a small army of werewolves & zombies!
•And the rise in man-eating monsters that have began to move in like Ogres, Trolls, Grumpkins & the like, who have no issue with making a meal of the locals.
Things be looking pretty dire for Weirdwood & I wouldnt be surprised if people have left the town for a better life somewhere else. All this to say that while the town is currently struggling & poor it's not out of possibility that they at one point were doing well enough. Things just havnt been kind as of late.
