Open Market Mysteries

[Johanne]

70th Summer. The Market Place.

Oh, but Johanne loved the Market Days. The workday of a Chiet was so much more than what Johanne was used to, her easy, laidback job back in Lhavit, simply come in when she wanted, leave when she needed. But eight days of work with only two days off was something Johanne was not used to in the least. The Market Days had been something she adored since she had fallen into the city on such short notice: full of colour, noise, artworks and smells, freshly baked goods and artistry. The Inarta, usually so focused on survival and necessity, reveled in excess and want on the Market Days, and Johanne adored the explosion of culture that occured.

She had woken up in the sleepy heat of the summer morning, and gotten dressed in the Inartan clothes of a bryda quite quickly, excited for the day ahead. Even as she stumbled sleepily out of the Commonrooms, the corridors were eerily quiet, everyone either down at Thunder Bay or at the Markets already. Her purse in her satchel, slung over her shoulder, Johanne walked with a content smile on her face until she reached the beautiful open air Courtyard of the Sky.

All of a sudden, sounds of laughter and chatter met her ears, along with an explosion of colour and beautiful smells. Nodding at Dervain, she quickly explained that she was here to purchase a book and see what else she could find. The guard stood aside to let her enter, and Johanne wandered around the outer ring quite happily, looking leisurely at the stalls. Surely some people she knew were here at the Market, and she hoped she bumped into someone. The confidence of the Inarta had begun to rub off on the shy, scarred woman, her scars up both her arms to her shoulder on display to anyone who should look at her bare arms and shoulders.

She came across a stall that called Johanne's name incessantly. Yellowed books, new books, they were all spread out in a tantalising display with a sweet, smiling old man sitting behind the stall. Johanne nodded at him in a greeting, running her hands over the leather bindings, reading the titles.

"Common books have?" Johanne chirped in broken Nari. He laughed and pointed to the left where a very few titles were in a language Johanne recognised. Several of these she had read as a child, clearly meant to be for Yasi to tutor them in Common language, but there was one that she found interesting: The Orika and the Eagles. Johanne picked up, and pointed helplessly, as if silently asking how much. The old man laughed, and held up seven. After paying, Johanne walked away, happily slipping her book inside her satchel, ready for whatever other delights she might find.

OOCAnyone is welcome to join this thread! It is set on the calendar event of the 70th: "A mysterious sickness ails those who go to the Market. Symptoms: Intense sleepiness, dizziness, disorientation and blackouts. People rush to the infirmary." I'll introduce this later on. I'll subtract seven pinions from my ledger when this thread is graded!

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[Rayth]

Rayth was slowly browsing between the stalls. He normally doesn’t come to the market days very often, as he doesn’t have many things he needs to shop for. However, today was an exception to that. Rayth had just returned from a three-day hunting trip the day before, and was looking forward to spending some peaceful time crafting some bows over the next few days. However, he decided to take a break from his normal routine of mostly reading on his off days. After all, I can treat myself every once in a while, Rayth thought as he cam upon a booth with some interest to him. The sign on the booth proclaimed, Interesting Goods for All Trades. Between the sign’s interesting title and the brown-blonde hair of the trader behind the booth, Rayth figured he was probably a traveling merchant from out of town. “Hey friend!” The man behind the counter welcomed him, “Come, take a look around and find what you need! What is your trade?” “I am a huntsman, but I also-.” “A huntsman!” The trader exclaimed before Rayth could finish. “Well I have just the thing! A key survival tool for any huntsman! One necessary to survive!” He turned and grabed an item from the rest of his wares and held it out to Rayth. Rayth looked him in the eyes, trying and failing to keep an amused smile off his face. “Don’t you have more useful things to trade with than blankets?” He asked. The man shrugged slightly, “Well, you take what you can when you can. And you people of this city know how cold it get’s in the winter.” Rayth was smiling openly now. “We know better than most, but we tend to have our own blankets.” “This is no ordinary blanket! It is a winter survival tool! Made to keep you warm in even the coldest nights! It’s a wonder you’ve survived without one!” “Indeed.” Rayth replied evenly, although not quite managing to wipe the smirk from his face. “How much are you charging for this wonder of civilization?” The trader ignored the sarcasm and, with a smile that said things were going the way he wanted, said “It’s yours for one pinion.” A whole pinion? Rayth thought, It’s worth barely half of that! Either he thinks Inartans are thick as rocks, or he is used to haggling. While haggling prices was not common practice in Wind Reach, neither was it unheard of. Rayth slowly scratched his chin, then replied, “Honestly, I wouldn’t pay more than a third of that.” He said intently.” At the mans confused reaction he added, “I’ll be paying with Mizas” “Ah, well that’s all and good see but…” And so the haggling began. And, as is always the case, the price went up and down so many times that it almost made Rayth’s head spin at times. Eventually they settled on a price of five silver Mizas and five copper Mizas. Rayth was contemplating the traders last offer when he was suddenly seized by a strong yawn. Fearing that he was going to lose the customer, the trader dropped the price down to five silver Mizas. “A pleasure doing business with you.” The trader said. Rayth merely nodded. He was already considering all of the possible uses the blanket would have in a survival situation.

OOCRayth seems to have been infected. So what should this disease be? A minor nuisance that causes a panic? Or an actually somewhat dangerous disease? And do you know any good healers?

[Johanne]

Johanne walked through the Market Place, Yasi darting and laughing, little toddlers grasping onto their mother's bryda, afraid to get lost in this tantalising world of colours and smells. She clutched her new book to her chest as she walked, smiling softly to herself as she perused the stalls without any real intention of buying anything further, unless something absolutely perfect for the Denvali girl appeared. She was content enough with a book, just one book, that would assuredly provide her with bells of entertainment.

As she walked around the outer ring, where the simpler and cheaper goods were held, more stocked with practical tools for survival than with trinkets for enjoyment, Johanne came across a stall that held survival goods. She stopped, looking at the goods that the merchant was selling, preoccupied with another customer, a short red-headed man with bright falcon eyes. She didn't intend to buy any of these goods, but Johanne wished some of these had been available to her before she'd left Lhavit, or rather, been snatched. It would have made the whole thing easier.

Her ears picked up the haggling in Nari, and Johanne could not help but listen in. She truly understood very little of the language, but random words were easily translatable, having heard them on a daily basis since coming to Wind Reach: pinions, mizas, business. The conversation was generally unintelligible to her, but she understood the general premise: haggling. Something she really did not have the knack for.

Seeing the man yawn, she stifled a smile and turned away, amused that this master merchant of goods had been unable to keep the interest of the Inarta man. Johanne was to keep trawling round the rings, enjoying the goods of the market place, but she took not one step away from the booth before she was beset with a sudden illness. All of a sudden, her head began to spin like a top, never ceasing, and her body felt strange and fuzzy. Attempting to take one step more, Johanne collapsed in the Market Place, gasping aloud as her body betrayed her and she fell to the hard, stone ground.

OOCFeel free to jump in and help Jo up: she's not unconscious, just unable to support herself. We can use the NPCs in the Infirmary but let's keep the mystery going in the Market Place a little longer.

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[Rayth]

Rayth was shaken from his reverie by sight of the brown haired woman falling to the ground. He tossed his new winter sheet over his shoulder as he pushed his way through the slight crowd that was gathering around her. Some of the people appeared worried at her sudden collapse, while others reacted with nervousness and suspicion, but all of them kept their distance from the woman. Rayth shoulder them out of his way. “If you oafs aren’t going to help, then at least give the lady some space!” he admonished, as he squeezed into the circle to where the woman lay, and got his first good view of her. As he had seen when he glimpsed her fall, she had long brown hair, and stood quite tall for a woman, looking to be slightly taller than he himself. She didn’t look to be an Inartan, but that wasn’t too rare, and it wasn’t what he was paying most attention to. It was her arms that caught his eyes, with scars carved into delicate shapes and intriguing images that covered her forearms up to her elbows. He wondered at them, but leaned down to check on her. Her eyes opened slowly and she looked around her in confusion. “Are you alright?” Rayth asked her, speaking in common. He leaned over her and offered his hand to help her up. She doesn’t seem injured, Rayth thought, I wonder what happened. From behind him he heard some of the gathered onlookers speculating amongst themselves, wondering if her collapse was caused by magic or related means. He turned to them, “If all you have to offer this woman in terms of help is baseless gossip, then you can leave.” most of the watchers slowly started to trickle away from the woman, some abashed, others frustrated at being dismissed in that way, but not seeing any point in arguing when he was trying to help the woman. One or two did throw him frustrated glares as they left though. One yasi remained, watching distractedly, as if not completely sure what to think about what he was witnessing, if he had even noticed at all. “Why don’t you run along and find a healer and let her know what happened.” Rayth told him. When the yasi didn’t move or respond, Rayth said, “Hey, wake up!” The yasi started violently and stared at Rayth. “If your done sleeping, go get a healer and bring him back here!” Rayth snarled. The youth took off at a run while Rayth pondered his mood. Normally he didn’t get agitated very easily. His shrugged it away, he was tired and off balance, he probably just hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night. He turned to the woman, “I’m sorry, my name is Rayth. May I ask your name, and what happened to you?”

[Quiarinox]

oocHello, dear Johanne... P.S I swear I didn't follow you here like a lost puppy. xD She had spent several days in Wind Reach already, wandering and investigating and generally lurking at the edges of the society, watching and waiting for something she didn't yet know. Daille bade his time in the library, longing for the Basilika and the sights of his hometown, and she could not bear to remain in his company when there were other things she could do in this new place with this race of people she didn't understand. She often thought that if it were not for the fire in her hair, these people would have been less receptive to her, and since she believed utterly in the sentimentality of the human race she didn't wonder if they pitied the small, angry girl with the horrid scars she wore so proudly and the gauntness she and her companion embodied after their trek through the tall spires of the Unforgiving. She didn't believe in human compassion or pity, didn't see it in the gold and blue and green eyes that looked upon her and chirped their Common words with the annoying pitch of a bird. Quiarinox often longed for Lhavit as well. The Marketplace was the one place she avoided, typically. Settled in one of the few open areas of the city, it was often crowded and noisy and left much to be desired in terms of the peace and serenity of the long nights she had spent in Lhavit where they were more apt to stare longingly at the sky than bicker with each other over who looked prettiest. She didn't expect the commotion, but like a moth to a flame she was drawn to the instance of chaotic happenings and crowded with the small Inarta women to peer down at the prone figure on the ground. And Quiarinox smiled to herself, because she recognised that pathetic little curl of a girl that seemed so frightened and lost and she knew that, should the girl only lift her eyes, she would also recognise the human that was not human that stood among the bird people. She stepped forward, a helpful smile on her face as she pushed through the lingering Inarta, and knelt next to Johanne, reaching to curl one of her small hands around the woman's wrist as she leaned in to whisper to her, perhaps to offer courage or assistance. "You haven't changed," she said quietly, feeling the coursing of chaon through her throat as she worked with that Inarta man that so brazenly stepped forward to assist to coax the human to her senses. "I wonder how weak you really are." She looked to the Inarta now and smiled, offering a tremulous quiver in her face to express her worry. Her hand lingered upon the arm of the woman unless pushed away, as though a reminder. "I think we should move her out of the way of the sun and crowds for now. It's really hot and the shade should do her some good," she offered. She looked back at Johanne, the kindness not fading to the inward disgust at the situation. "Are you okay to move? Johanne?"

[Arlon Synvan]

Quite a nice day it was today indeed, but Arlon was in a bitter mood. The Endal whom he was tending had asked of him to run down to the market place and buy a vase which he would probably give away to some woman he fancied; but what did he know. He wasn't always tasked with helping guardsmen and the Endal with menial tasks but when he did and got no advice or help in his progress in becoming one of the so respected Warriors on the eagles; he tended to see it pointless. However, Arlon honoured his duty and did what he was told. Many fine wares were placed on the various stands that were around the market. It felt like walking through a corridor, only that the walls were covered by goods and anxious salesmen. He stopped once or twice to take a look at the things that was to buy, it interested him but not in the manner that he sought to own them. Walking around the stands, searching for the item that had been requested, he'd occationally check that his beloved blade and bow were in place. You can't be wary enough for pick-pockets and Deks scrounging for something to sell so they can be fed for another day. Time passed and he became restless, why in all the heights of the Unforgiving did the Endal think that Arlon would know anything about what makes a pretty vase? For him it was just a trinket, something to sell for better equipment and food. Arlon let out a sigh and gritted his teeth in irritation only to snap out of his troubles by noticing a circle of people who would seem to be observing something. Before he could reach the on-lookers they dispersed by a screaming man of his own kind, frustrated by the lack of assistance they would give to the situation. Now he understood, a woman had fallen to the ground. Arlon felt the urge to help but also the pressing matter of the vase he was looking for. His mind became torn between going about his business or lending a hand. A woman had now also joined in to help the girl in dire need with his kinsman, he shook his head and stepped forward and knelt down. Who cares about the vase, it could be bought later, he thought. The Endal scolding him for not obeying and a firm lecture to respect the castes was a punishment he could take. -"Is she alright? Not good to litter the streets of the marketplace at this hour." He uttered, looking back and forth between his fellow Inartan and the stranger woman for a response. "OOC" : Hope you guys don't mind if I hop in?

[Estrellir Konrath]

JOHANNE

Skills
Observation +2

Lores
Market day in Wind Reach
The sound of haggling in Nari
Hit with a mysterious illness

RAYTH
QUIARINOX
ARLEN SYNVAN

Withheld due to inactivity/retirement

COMMENTS

Definitely an interesting thread idea! If you've any questions or concerns, by all means PM me!