(4) Bazaar

[OGRE MAGE]

Bazaar

Bazaar.jpg (10.68 KiB) Viewed 899 times

Loud cries and shouting shake the dry desert air here in Xambaala’s teeming bazaar. Circular in shape, with a short central stone fount (the most common water source for the general public), this colorful, odiferous, marketplace is filled with an array of different peoples and beasts of every sort. Camels, cattle, dogs, pigs, donkeys, mammoths, and pigeons all add to the pungent cacophony. Commoners, foreigners, merchants, mongers, craftsman, and slaves all mill about the bazaar, looking through the many tents and covered tables.

The towns many dung collectors congregate here as well, selling their fuel and fighting each other over the best targets to follow. Their stench combined with the smell of sweat, blood, exotic spices, and a variety of cooking foods assail the senses of both the wealthy merchants and the copper-less slaves alike.

Goods of all kinds are delivered here directly from the docks area where vendors hawk from open storefronts and temporary baked-brick stalls covered with white cloth canopies that provide scant shelter from Zakaths prolonged sun and sandy winds. Several units of the Satraps patrolling soldiers can be found here, and while the entire affair appears to be a chaotic maelstrom, an undetectable order is kept at all times. Any crime is dealt with quickly and harshly.

The Fighting Arena, the Blood Tower, the Temple of Helios, and the Astrologers Tower are all clearly visible from this centrally located area of town.

[OGRE MAGE]

Looking For.......
6:00pm, Windy, Dusty, Dry

After bathing, dinner, and a few drinks, Kain and Ceana make their way from Aramis’ Caravanserai, towards the massive fighting arena in the distance, before turning up the busy street that heads into Xambaala's central bazaar. It is easy enough to find from the noise alone, as hawkers and merchants shout over the top of the usual din of the place.

The overwhelmed gawking pair of obvious newcomers are greeted at the outskirts of the still active circle of stalls by a little man leading a massive woolly mammoth loaded up with what appear to be huge sacks of grain or spices. The immense animal relieves itself of some extra weight right there in the dirt street, dumping a large load of hot, steaming crap at the feet of the onlookers. Before either of them has time to yell about it, a pair of skinny men, one young and the other old and wearing very little clothing, rush up behind the beast to scoop up the hot mess with flat bladed shovels, eagerly filling a wide wicker basket with their smelly lucre before it even has a chance to cool.

A nearby Ixian woman wearing a colorful turban calls out to the pair in common from her tiny blue tent set up alongside the entrance street. "Good thing you weren't looking up, eh? Would the pretty lady like to hear her fortune while visiting our fair Xambaala?" She points to a small table and chairs set up under her tent, slowly pulling away the white cloth draped over what appears to be a ball of pure crystal. "Only 1 gold coin each."

Actions?

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

Kain chuckles at the comment and smiles warmly at the fortune teller. "Come Ceana, let's read your fortune. I already know mine, it was to walk the streets of the city with a beautiful woman."

He cajoles Ceana into getting her fortune read, which he pays for. 1gp deducted

"See what she has to say about tall dark strangers. And ruins."

[OGRE MAGE]

Looking For.......
6:00pm, Windy, Dusty, Dry

Ceana turns up her pretty nose at the woman's obviously inflated "tourist" pricing for her fortune telling skills, but when Kain offers to pay, she plays along.

"Oh yes, I really should know what to expect in this new land." The pair enter the small tent and sit down at the rickety wooden table. The woman smiles a mouthful of crooked teeth before purring out her routine.

"Oh yes, good choice my dear. One never knows just what you might learn through the magic crystal."

After biting into the gold coin before slipping it into a layer of thin clothing, she stares into the ball for a while and nothing happens. Then, all of the sudden the crystal fogs over inside with a swirling white mist before slowly switching over to a darker grey color. "I see many things. Fortune. Glory. Danger. And dare I say.......love?"

"Before I can give details, I will need some of my own. Where have you two come from, and what brings you all the way here to our troubled Xambaala?"

Actions?

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

He smiles at the fortune-teller, and shares. "I've come from Yithorium, across the desert, looking for treasure." Kain chuckles. "Maybe I should open a fortune-teller shop of my own."

"Do you see anything outside the city? A location?"

[OGRE MAGE]

The fortune teller looks up and smirks at Kain, but Ceana seems interested in hearing more.

“A location you say? There are many hidden things in the sands around Xambaala. You need only look deeper. I see something beginning to show itself. Perhaps you can give me more details.”

[Monsieur Rose]

Kain

"Let's see...I was hoping you could give more details, but I remember something about a flag? And Danger."

Kain is well aware of the possible scams fortune-tellers run, but he can't help himself to play along. He does pay attention to the surroundings as the fortune-teller gazes into the ball. Looking for possible listeners hoping to get a jump on new leads.

[OGRE MAGE]

Looking For.......
6:05pm, Windy, Dusty, Dry

Ceana plays along with the production completely, enjoying the non-lethal excitement but not expecting much in the way of results either. She holds the woman’s hands and concentrates on the glass ball as directed, eventually gasping loudly when she actually does see what the woman is describing in the crystal.

“Yes. Yes. I see your flag, sir. A blood red banner in the sand. It points to a small building in the distance. A stone chamber, with heavy doors, half buried in the sand. A Mausoleum! But! But! Beware! Dreadful creatures from the grave haunt this place.”

Ceana jumps back from the table, half startled. “She speaks the truth! I saw these things too!”

The woman just stares at the druid with an astonished look on her sharp features.

Actions?

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

He smiles and nods at Ceana, impressed at her commitment to the bit. "Amazing! A Mausoleum, you say?" Turning to the fortune-teller, he recognizes the surprise on her face and reconsiders. "Wait. You saw the same thing? Huh. Maybe I really should open up a business."

"What do you make of that, Miss? I'm starting to suspect that wasn't foretold. Or should I applaud your showmanship?"

Kain is ready to leave, impressed by the show, but will linger if Ceana starts looking for answers.

[OGRE MAGE]

Sorry, man! I was hoping Hedge would pop back in here eventually…..

Looking For.......
6:05pm, Windy, Dusty, Dry

The seer looks up with a satisfied expression. “You must be a sorcerer of some kind, eh! For the crystal visions are often enhanced around other sources of magical emanations.”

Ceana blinks and shakes her head rapidly. “I’m sure I saw it. A stone mausoleum just beyond the Old City.” She pauses again in deep thought. “What seems even more strange is that……….I think I know how to get there.”

Her bright eyes light up as she snaps her head towards Kain suddenly. “Should we go look?”

Actions?

[hedgeknight]

Sorry, man! I was hoping Hedge would pop back in here eventually…..

Ceana blinks and shakes her head rapidly. “I’m sure I saw it. A stone mausoleum just beyond the Old City.” She pauses again in deep thought. “What seems even more strange is that……….I think I know how to get there.”
Her bright eyes light up as she snaps her head towards Kain suddenly. “Should we go look?”

Ceana lays a hand on Kain's arm. "I said, should we go look? I think I know how to get there?"
The Keltish druid looks back at the fortuneteller and bows her head slightly. "My thanks to you for the revelation. May Yoon'Deh bring you many blessings."

Thanks for taking care of Ceana for me, Rob.
Back in the saddle!

[OGRE MAGE]

Welcome back!

[Monsieur Rose]

Welcome back!

Kainaxarthos

He smiles as Ceana puts her hand on him. "By all means. Let's do it."

Kain thanks the fortune-teller and walks out with Ceana. "So. What can you tell me? Do you need to write it down, in case you lose the vision?" He walks close with Ceana, conspiring in the early evening. "What supplies do we need for this? Or are we just taking a peek?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Mausoleum Hunting
6:25pm, Windy, Dusty, Dry

The seer bows low with a genuine smile as the duo takes their leave.

Kain asks Ceana what she needs to do to remember the way to confirm this vision, but the druid has already started walking away from the Bazaar as it winds down for the day.

They walk together for a few blocks uninterrupted, eventually reaching the outskirts of dwellings and businesses at the inner edge of the Old City. The street they are on ends abruptly, with a dune of blowing sand starting to creep ever closer to the center of town.

They climb up on a nearby wall to get a better view out past the Old City, and sure enough, they both spot a large rectangular stone structure a short distance outside of Xambaala. It appears to stand all alone in the growing shadows of the desert evening, and there is no sign of anyone else nearby.

Actions?

[hedgeknight]

Ceana

"I think...that is the structure that haunts my visions," she says with a sudden shudder. "I know I'm destined to go there...but to what end? Maybe best we explore it during the day; what do you think?"

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

He moves next to Ceana and puts an arm around her. "Then we will go there together. But maybe daylight is a good idea." Kain chuckles while looking out across the sands.

"I'd be up for going to take a quick look now, but I suspect that the bell will ring soon. And I have no idea what that really means. It's most likely overblown, isolated incidences outside the wall that builds into legend, but I'd like to see it first."

Kain suggests watching from inside the wall, gathering information on how to avoid patrols and reenter the city. He wants to know how tight security is.

[hedgeknight]

Ceana

Ceana shrugs, but does not shrug Kain's arm from her shoulder.
"Let go for a quick look, eh?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Mausoleum Hunting
6:30pm, Windy, Dusty, Dry

With about an hour and a half of daylight left, you could certainly reach the area and get back before the Eventide bell is rung. But I will obviously leave that up to you.

Ceana thinks this must be the place she saw in her visions, but it looks different to her somehow. Maybe its the distance, or the lack of snakes.

They consider their options for a moment, wondering if it would be safe to travel there alone. Kain doesn't see any Xambaali patrols anywhere in the area of Old City, though they watch the busy streets back near the Bazaar fairly closely. It seems the Satrap has little concern for protecting life outside of the populated common areas.

Walking down the dilapidated wall a bit further, the Cleric notices a line of recent footprints in the nearby sand at the base of the wall. They appear to head in the direction of the distant stone mausoleum.

Actions?

[hedgeknight]

Ceana

The druid turns to Kain with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Shall we follow?"

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

Ah. For some reason, I thought 7 was the bell. Again, reading is hard.

Kain grins and motions for Ceana to lead with a flourish. "Lead the way, oh enlightened seer."