Culture
The original Shionel settlement was nothing more than an attempt at earning more money. It was difficult for individual merchants, entrepreneurs, and skilled laborers to be able to consistently receive a consistent demand for their goods and services and also be remunerated in a commensurate manner in that era and region.
The reason for this was that markets were nowhere near as sophisticated as they were today. There were no regulations or enforcement. Currency as a concept was still immature and in its infancy and the barter system was still in place for the most part. Furthermore, the fragmented groups were too small to have any meaningful currency that could be used universally within a certain geographic region, or could at least be exchanged for other currency.