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19:30, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

PAST EVENT: Market Day.

Posted by GMFor group 0
GM
GM, 151 posts
The Narrator
Tue 22 Sep 2020
at 06:08
  • msg #1

EVENT: Market Day

As the final vestiges of summer fade from the air, fall’s first hints begin to sweep in on the ocean breeze. The air at night begins to grow chilly. The days begin to grow shorter. Even the fog which coats the city’s streets starts to seem more that of the spectral nature which haunts children’s fairytales rather than the simple ocean mists you’re used to.

This is the beginning of autumn in Tideswallow.

And, as any familiar with the city know, the beginning of Festival Season! To help cope with the shortening days and depressing atmosphere of southern Veltrian winters, the city holds a large number of sprawling festivities all throughout this half of the year. The first major one is the grand Harvest Festival. But shortly before that week-long extravaganza begins, the finest traders, merchants, and artisans from all across the region converge upon the city gates to hold a magnificent market to help get everyone in the spirit of things. This is their chance to spread their names before the Harvest Festival, when they will bring their absolute best goods to market.

For today’s market, however, they come with a plethora of... pretty good offerings. Things that they are confident will sell well and draw a crowd, without leaving them empty-handed when the HarFest markets begin.

The market has numerous stalls and stands to peruse as you see fit. Food and drink are readily available all throughout it. Some of the major sellers include:

-Magic item vendors
-Smiths (armor and weapons, typical blacksmithing supplies, metal-work, etc)
-Collectors (dealers of antiques, knowledge, and various items not found anywhere else)
-Food Merchants
-Artisans (woodworkers, enchanters, jewelers, clay-workers, clothiers, chefs/bakers, brewers/cider/mead/winemakers, etc)
-Local farmers
-Local fishermen
-Bards of varying degrees of skill
-Fortune tellers (card, ball, palm, or bone readings at three different parts of the market)
-Appraisers and identifiers

If there is something specific you are looking for, seek out one of Lord Sulthor van Ellsworth’s personal guard who are keeping watch throughout the market. They will be easily identifiable by their immense stature, jet-black plate armor, and massive cerulean-and-black checkerboard greatcloaks. They will be more than happy to direct or escort you to whatever it is you are seeking. Just don’t expect a great deal in the way of conversation out of them.



This event is two-fold. First, it is a chance for all of you to go about obtaining some items you may not have had access to at the beginning during character creation. Magic items can be procured from various traders, weapons can be bought from smiths and collectors alike, and virtually any custom item you may have in mind can be found here in some capacity. It will be a chance to get at least one new piece of gear to help round your characters out in some way or to make some connections they may not have had before.

Second, and possibly most importantly, it will be the first major chance for all characters to interact as a group. The festival is a one-day event which draws most of the city. For that reason, virtually every character in the campaign could find some reason to be there. The thread will be open for as long as needed, so feel free to drop in and out as you see fit. Those of you who may be... say... trapped in a room in a certain bard college meeting hall or something, can easily join in once you work your way out of that issue. Feel free to meet and interact to your heart’s content.

This message was lightly edited by the GM at 06:55, Tue 22 Sept 2020.
GM
GM, 152 posts
The Narrator
Tue 22 Sep 2020
at 06:12
  • msg #2

EVENT: Market Day

In reply to GM (msg # 1):

As the sun begins to rise, the first sounds of festivity can be heard in the Town Square. A great cavalcade of townspeople have made their way into the streets for the beginning of Market Day, the initial start to Festival Season.

Tents, stalls, and stands have been set up all throughout the square. They stretch down the main street, straight to the city gates; which have been cast wide for the occasion. Outside of the gates, the market spills into the barren no-mans-land around the walls and all the way to the edge of the sprawling cornfields surrounding the city.

In every direction, merchants are peddling their wares to any and all who pass by. Overhead, a joyous assortment of streamers, pennants, and colored lamps set to be lit at nightfall form a massive web above the crowds. Children dash here and there, hoping to catch the eye of the more charitable traders who might toss them a copper or a treat from their wagons. Their is a general air of excitement and wonder, which never seems to dull year to year. Older folks who have experienced almost 80 consecutive Market Days are still present, just as enraptured by the experience as those seeing it all for the first time.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:15, Tue 22 Sept 2020.
Yshtar
player, 1 post
Fri 25 Sep 2020
at 15:10
  • msg #3

EVENT: Market Day

Without trying to find a way to an inn to put some of her gear down after getting off the boat Yshtar heard the cries of the merchants and the murmur of people on Market day. She did not feel tired at all but instead was curious to explore the things this city had to offer. Markets were always the best place to see what sort of town one had entered.
She followed the crowds and entered into the market. Yshtar did not want to buy anything in particular but instead was just browsing wares to see if anything interesting came up.
GM
GM, 205 posts
The Narrator
Fri 25 Sep 2020
at 19:57
  • msg #4

EVENT: Market Day

In reply to Yshtar (msg # 3):

Entering from the docks, the Town Square and the entire street leading out beyond the gates appear to just be an endless sea of bodies. People are walking here and there, just passing through. Others are stopping at every cart, stall, or stand to have a look at what’s being sold. Still others seem to be attempting (with little success) to carefully pick their way through the crowds to reach some specific spot or another.

It is a veritable maze of life, and the feeling of it all couldn’t be more of a relief after your time at sea. The ship had been crowded as well, but not like this. There was no joy on the voyage here. No sense of wonder or excitement. Just duty to get reach the destination in one piece. Now you were able to truly take your time and breathe in the world around you.

As you walk, you come across a number of gaudy, expensive looking stalls. One proves to be a high-end baker’s culinary stand where various pastries and small sweets are being handed out for folks to try for free. Another is an enchantment shop’s street-side stall, run by a tall, somewhat elderly looking tabaxi man with thick black fur, piercing golden eyes, and a suave satin vest. He calls out to citizens from behind his counter, inviting them to examine his various wares. Beyond his stand, you find yourself before a pair of competing smithy stalls, each selling various weapons and tools of trade. One seems to specialize in long-reaching weapons while the other appears to be more dedicated to short blades and defensive fighting options. Between all of these you find numerous food carts, farm stalls, and all manner of small-town oddities (for instance, at one point a little red kobold runs up and hands you a well-made flier inviting you to check out the Thermal Remedies Bathhouse in the Entertainment District) to take in.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:59, Fri 25 Sept 2020.
Mystrala
player, 29 posts
Sat 26 Sep 2020
at 17:01
  • msg #5

EVENT: Market Day

While clearly not trying to interfere with the Kobold's efforts Mystrala doesn't quite avoid them, or skip talking to the merchants they engage with, in a few cases she offers some soothing words to cover for their ruffled feathers, or even writes down the name and brief description of any particularly troublesome people in a notebook of some sort.   In general she passes through market itself just like anyone else, although her traveling clothes are of significantly higher quality than most they are still focused on being rugged.

Buying the occasional souvenir or mostly useless trinket as much as a way to start a conversation with the merchants as anything else she seems to be distributing something among them, but is considerably more subtle about it than the little red kobolds rushing about.
Shivom Grozvog
player, 51 posts
Sat 26 Sep 2020
at 19:23
  • msg #6

EVENT: Market Day

Shivom wandered the market, thinking about his act as much as the merchant's wares. He hadn't been in a crowd this thick in awhile. The last time, he had been a diversion for a crew of pickpockets. So despite ruminating about his performance, he still kept an eye out for the underside of this event. It'd be a little embarrassing to be victimized himself.

"Last night wasn't a bust, but it was definitely the wrong direction. I'm gonna have to clean things up if I want to get into a better club. And I doubt anyone who knows anything about Lord van Ellsworth is gonna be hanging out in a low-life bar," thought Shivom. "I'm also gonna need to generate more income if I need to bribe someone or move up into a nicer place."

He paused to buy the occasional pastry, and then was drawn in by the shops selling magic items. He would be in the market for both some big and small items if the price were right. But not weaponry.

"Before I blow it at a nicer club, I should test out a less rowdy act in an out of the way tavern. But one nicer than the Salty Seaman. Probably upgrade my potential contacts if I do that. Invent a stage name too. Put a little distance between my old act and the new one."

Shivom stopped at a table selling purported magic items other than weapons. "Whadda you got here? he asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:27, Sat 26 Sept 2020.
Yshtar
player, 2 posts
Mon 28 Sep 2020
at 13:55
  • msg #7

EVENT: Market Day

In reply to GM (msg # 4):

Relieved of the travel Yshtar sighs and even accepts the flier puzzled. She hasn't seen much of these lately and nodded thinking she'll visit the establishment later. First thing's first she went up to the defensive arms merchant first to check their wares.
"Good afternoon. Can you show me what you have?" she asked in a friendly manner "I also have a chain mail I would be willing to sell if that is possible.
Opportunities. She was looking what the town had to offer and what they were lacking.
GM
GM, 218 posts
The Narrator
Mon 28 Sep 2020
at 18:34
  • msg #8

EVENT: Market Day

In reply to Shivom Grozvog (msg # 6):

The tabaxi man behind the counter lets out a soft chuckle. “What I have, my friend, is a small sampling of the collection you can browse back in the artisan district... and a potential new customer with a discerning eye, yes?”

He spreads his arms out across the counter and you watch as several items appear there amongst the rest of the rather ordinary trinkets and baubles that had been on display. A silver goblet encrusted with pearls. A black leather scabbard big enough for a dagger, embellished with silver trim and tiny garnets. A little 20-sided die that appears to be made of ivory or some manner of polished bone. An ebony-wood flute-like instrument decorated with twisting snakes entwining its exterior. A pair of silver hoop earrings that glimmer and sparkle in the morning sunlight. And a small tin cylinder with a removable lid attached to a hinge at its top, looking wholly ordinary apart from a small engraving on the lid depicting a stained black mask, laughing on one side while weeping on the other.

“If you’ve the coin, any of these fine fascinations could very easily be your’s this day... what do you say, friend? Shall we conduct a bit of business on this glorious morning?”
GM
GM, 219 posts
The Narrator
Mon 28 Sep 2020
at 18:45
  • msg #9

EVENT: Market Day

In reply to Yshtar (msg # 7):

Seeing you approach, the dwarven woman currently bringing bits of steel and iron from a cart next to the stall over to the staging area she’s set up just behind it calls over to you. “Just a moment there, lass! Don’t bother with them, I’ll help you myself.”

Hearing their boss’ urgency, the two clerks behind the counter steps back and lets her through. “Sorry, sorry. You’re the first real customer we’ve had today what wasn’t just gawking. Can’t risk having these two galoots mucking up the sale!” She laughs and leans over the counter, extending one heavily calloused hand your way. “Drina Forgemire, at your service. Now, we’ve plenty to show ya if you’re in the market for a little bit of padding against the dangers of the world. As for your chain, we’ll need to take a look at it to judge the quality, but I’d wager I can take it off your hands for a reasonable enough price.”
Leena
player, 50 posts
Mon 28 Sep 2020
at 19:22
  • msg #10

EVENT: Market Day

Kendrie moves towards the first of the booths she had been spotted at earlier in the day, but now with gold in her pouch and a plan in mind.  Leena had been very pleased to hear about what her preliminary window-shopping had yielded.  So here she was again.

The first stop was to the booth of the foreign merchant with the thin, oiled mustache.  The black, leather satchel he'd shown to Kendrie earlier was a thing of beauty, and quite useful beyond it's mundane appearance.  Moving forward with a bit of extra sashay to her step, the half-elven woman smiled broadly.

"Fair afternoon again, sir.  We spoke a bit earlier about the satchel for my mistress?  The black one you showed me.  Is it still for sale?"
GM
GM, 222 posts
The Narrator
Mon 28 Sep 2020
at 19:32
  • msg #11

EVENT: Market Day

In reply to Leena (msg # 10):

“Ah-hah! Hello again, good miss! Your return I assume means that the haversack was to your employer’s liking? Haha... wonderful. Wonderful! So then. The price remains at 2000 gold pieces, as I said earlier.” He pulls the seemingly-ordinary bag from amongst the various wares he has stored in his cart at the city’s front gates. There is a great deal of finesse to every aspect of his display and you gather that this is a man who has had a great deal of experience working crowds all across the continent. A merchant truly at home with his trade.
Shivom Grozvog
player, 52 posts
Mon 28 Sep 2020
at 19:39
  • msg #12

EVENT: Market Day

Shivom looks at the newly revealed items and then turns his attention to the tabaxi. "Well, I'm looking for a couple items in particular. First, I've always been intrigued by the way those tieflings can boost their voices. Always wondered if I might come across something that would let me do that. I do a bit of entertaining myself and that always seemed useful. I'd also be interested in anything you have that obscures one from scrying. Not sure if that's in my price range though."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:40, Mon 28 Sept 2020.
Leena
player, 51 posts
Mon 28 Sep 2020
at 20:18
  • msg #13

EVENT: Market Day

"Yes indeed!  I made sure to let her know, in advance, how fine it was.  Alas, she asked me if I had tested it, and unfortunately, I had not.  May I do so now?"

Eyes wide, the winsome half-elf flashed a bright smile, almost shimmying in excitement at the opportunity to 'test' something magical...
GM
GM, 224 posts
The Narrator
Mon 28 Sep 2020
at 20:33
  • msg #14

EVENT: Market Day

In reply to Leena (msg # 13):

He gives you a bit of a scanning look, clearly attempting to deduce your sincerity.... but soon smiles and opens the bag before you; making sure to keep a loose, but still firm grip on it with both hands. “But of course! What sort of purveyor of fine wonders would I be if I did not trust my wares to hold up under scrutiny! Come, be my guest!”
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