[Location] The Slave Market

[Colombina]

The Slave Market One of the oldest trades, born when man discovered he could overcome another with force, slavery thrives in Ahnatep. Within the city, slavery is legal with certain parameters. An Eypharian cannot be made a slave by force, only through proof of the slave's debt to the possessor. All other races may be enslaved through any effective means. However, an opportunity to buy one's freedom always exists for any slave. At the time of a slave's purchase, a ransom price is set and proclaimed by the auctioneer after a brief conference with the new owner. Any who can pay the owner the ransom price is entitled to the slave under law. While the arrangement seems just on wadj, in practice the ransom price can be up to ten times what the slave was originally purchased for. Slaves are sold bi-weekly at auction, with sellers paying a fee to the auction house for each slave presented to the crowd and a portion of the sale price. Because of this arrangement, the house often has a planted member of the crowd to nudge prices upward. Bidders also pay a small fee to enter the slave market. It is rumored the slave market belongs to one of the Houses of the Four Winds, but there has been no public admission of ownership. The auction house provides both the venue and guards. Before sale, slaves are kept in stone cells beneath the market. Sunlight comes into the cells through a narrow horizontal chink high in one wall. The "window" is beyond the slave's reach and offers only a view of sky or passerby's ankles. Slaves receive an immovable pallet filled with sand and two meals of a barley porridge per day. Prior to sale, the slaver can pay for his merchandise to be pampered and finely attired by a group of women nicknamed "Undertakers", employed by the auction house. A prettier specimen will always catch a better price. The market itself is indoors, taking place in a room with marbled floors and brightly frescoed walls favoring turquoise and gold floral designs. Slaves are placed on a marble bidding block hidden by a heavily patterned curtain of burgundy and gold, while the auctioneer stands in a tall cedar podium beside the bidding block. When the bidding is ready to begin, the curtain is pulled back and the auctioneer describes the merit of the slave. Guards will turn the slave about, then chain them in place with bronze manacles attached to the block. Here, even the chains have an aspect of decadence. NPC's Secret : Nizam The Auctioner Almost as much a slave as what he auctions, Nizam is a fixture of the market. With a talent for numbers and appraisal, he was once an overseer of a wealthy house. A habit for gambling indebted him to the owners of the market where he works to pay off his debt. Now he seems more a voice than a man. The Head Undertakers A trio of sisters with an eye for beauty and strong stomachs are the head "Undertakers". After their half-brother inherited the bulk of the family's assets and his wife persuaded him from supporting his half-sisters, the girls were at a loss. With typical Eypharian cunning, the eldest looked for a lucrative niche three girls could fill. With oils, paints and cloth they turn sow's ears into silk purses. From left to right the cautious Kesi, the clever Eminah, and the bold leader of them, Nailah.

[Amaya]

Amaya was pushed into the room with marbled flooring and bright fresco floral walls. Her captor lead her to the marble bidding block and then took a few steps back. Amaya's amber eyes scanned the crowd of bidders who would bid on her. She couldn't believe how stupid she was to have been caught off guard in the desert she had been traveling through to get to the next town. Her captor jumped her and brought her to this place to sell her for gold.

She glanced around once more before finally lowering her eyes to the floor, not allowing a tear to escape her frightful eyes.

[Malia]

Timestamp (Malia & Amaya): 9th Day of Winter, 509 AV

Ahnatep. Malia had just entered the city and wasn't yet ready to think about establishments to spend the night at. As a Nuit, she didn't need to sleep, of course, but she couldn't wander around all the time either. Her body - the body she was occupying at that moment, that is - was still capable of feeling the pain of exhaustion too.

However, the day was still young and she decided to walk around a bit. That was when she caught sight of a luxurious building at the end of one street. The Eypharians didn't seem to pay too much attention to it, but she could see a few of them entering every now and then, indicating that apparently this building inhabited some sort of public entertainment. As a foreigner to the culture and society of the city, Malia wasn't sure, but she thought that most of the enterers appeared more extravagant and decorated with jewelry than the other passers-by.

While she was approaching it, the building caught her interest. Right in front of it she stopped, admiring the architecture, then entered: A slender, almost thin woman of average size, with pale skin and long, black hair that was dusty from travelling through the desert. She hadn't even bathed since walking through the gates ... Her eyes were pitch-black empty holes, seemingly emotionless, and she kept them down. Although the Eypharians she had already spoken to had seemed polite and rather friendly, one never knew what could happen.

At a slow, relaxed pace she walked through the rooms. A small fee was required, but she paid without further thinking, assuming that there was some kind of art exhibition or some similar event taking place. Then she found the main room - and stared at the extraordinarily frescoed walls in awe. So much color, so much patterns, shapes! Still staring she wandered around a bit.

After a while she noticed the marble block at the top of the room. And eventually had an insight. Not an exhibition, worse, much worse! Her eyes widened, and she couldn't turn them off of the marble block where people ... no, creatures of agony, slaves were shown.

[Colombina]

Malia's horror was a rare commodity in the market. Slavery was a part of life in the Burning Lands. The strong survived and the weak were overcome. Unlike Syliras and Yahebah, in Ahnatep there was little mercy and even less pity for failures.

Amaya represented an investment, she was handled briskly and firmly, like a prized horse. Bruising would diminish her value and the house's take. The general lack of cruelty was based on pragmatism instead of altruism.

Nizam, the auctioneer, was standing at his podium scribbling on a long scroll of wadj that ended near the top of his feet.

He cleared his throat and crisply asked, "Age and race?"

The purveyors were not the patient sort to wait for her answer. Amaya had three guards on her, one for each arm while the other looked at her scalp, her eyes and lifted her lips to check her teeth. Long canines gave him pause.

He then answered Nizam, "Variable. She's got jackal teeth."
"Kelvic," Nizam curtly answered after a brief glance at Amaya.
"She could be a hybrid--," the guard began but was crisply cut off.
"Kelvic. I've been doing this long enough to know."

With a brusque gesture, Nizam dismissed the extra guard. His low voice then swelled and cut through the inarticulate buzz of the market.

"Young, female, carnivorous Kelvic in good health. Let's start the bidding at twenty-five gold mizas."

Before Nizam could ask, an Eypharian man wearing simple clothes and the crest of the noble house he served spoke up.
"Thirty mizas."

"Thirty," Nizam quickly retorted, "Do I hear thirty-five?"

[Amaya]

Amaya resisted the urge to bite the guard who touched her lips. She felt ashamed to be in a place of such vile activity, but she had no other choice. Her only hope was if some kind soul would buy her and get her as far away from the city as possible.

[Malia]

Malia tried to get as close to the bidding block as possible, watching how they treated the girl like an object, how they examined her ... She felt great pity for the girl and nothing but dislike for the men who were selling her. Why did people do such things? They could use animals for minor tasks, after all!

Maybe that was the problem, she realized. As a Kelvic, the girl possessed certain abilities that would make her stronger, faster and more dangerous than humans could ever be. Without training, without any weapon. Her teeth and her animal form were the perfect weapons, but also the perfect tools for those who knew how to control her.

If Malia had been smart enough to speak up, she immediately would have yelled at the girl: "Run! Break free and run, they'll never get you!" Of course she didn't. She had to be careful what she did as long as she hadn't accustomed to the culture and lifestyle of these people.

So she remained, watching every single movement, everything they did with the girl ... watching how the bidding began. Without even realizing it, she compared the starting sum to the amount of money she carried with her, considering whether she could afford such a purchase.

Still she wasn't sure what she should do. The best idea seemed to continue observing and learning from the behavior of the Eypharians. Perhaps she would then be able to understand what they did and join them to have an impact on the bidding.

Perhaps.

[Colombina]

Nizam's question met a quick retort from a long-necked Eypharian wearing a jackal's head ring. "Thirty-five."
Then came another voice volleyed from the back, "Forty!"
The bidders raised fans or hands glittering with jewelry, to draw Nizam's attention as they shouted offers.
"Forty-five!"
Here there was a lull in activity and Nizam scanned the crowd as he announced, "Last bid Forty-Five. Do I hear fifty?"
There was no jolt of activity from the buzzing audience, so Nizam coaxed them.
"This girl is no mere human, but may serve as an intelligent guardian for your house. Some of you have paid more for wild jackals to defend your doors. Why not fifty for a creature who can fulfill this role and wear a pretty face?"