Barter

Trade Pavilion 


 * ''Dominating the central area of the Mongoose Exchange beyond, the Trade Pavilion of the freehold known as Crown's Refuge is a unique vision indeed. Essentially one large bazaar, the pavilion has been dedicated to permitting anyone that has something to trade or just show off to do just that!


 * ''Suffice to say that much of the deep redwood floor space of the pavilion has been taken up with various display racks and tables and even a cart or two here and there, all accompanied by a dazzling array of goods and creations - be they food, weapons, armor, statues, art, botanical creations, and all those who have made them.


 * ''Although usually busy and filled to capacity, the region as a whole lacks the chaos and noise of Fastheld's own Market District. Though the Mongoose Exchange is, in and of itself, only a fraction of the size of that merchant-dominated pseudo-city within the Empire, there just seems to be a general lack of whatever it is that makes people shout and scream at you to buy their wares, and that missing element soon becomes clear: Money.


 * ''Trade is mutual within Crown's Refuge, it seems, and so the honest exchange of items is paramount above all, leaving people to browse in peace and merely enjoy that which other people have created *for* them to enjoy. Much care has also been granted in the spacing of the various displays to allow for the extra room required by the Syladris to move around in. Slopes lead back off the pavilion and into the Mongoose Exchange at regular intervals, while the gently tapered redwood roof above ensures that the elements have no chance to spoil that which is on offer.

Here's an odd sight: Thayndor Zahir, obviously exerting himself tonight, stripped of his elegant tabard, longbow, and even his knife, lugs a heavy wine keg into the Pavilion. He pulls himself off to one side and pauses, scanning the room as he wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. It appears as though he has been pulling the thing for some time -- probably all the way up from the ship -- completely on his own.

It's this time, with Thayndor entering the pavilion, that Wolfsbane moves forward to cross the distance held between he and the noble. Having been shadowing him since he entered the city, the ranger hasn't shown any inclination to speak with the Zahir until now. "Deepers will be pissed with you," he notes dryly.

Thayndor Zahir turns at the voice, arching an eyebrow. He chuckles once. "I gave them orders not to drink it," he replies. "I didn't bring the wine kegs to drink. I brought them for this specific purpose." He pats the keg. "We need to restock our food supplies. A keg of good Fastheld wine for a barrel of Wildlander jerky seems more than fair to me."

"I figured you weren't going to drink it somewhere," Wolfsbane answers with a blink. He looks down at the wine keg again for a moment, considering. "Well. Don't get taken advantage of."

Thayndor Zahir snorts. "Easier said than done," Thayndor replies. "I have much to learn when it comes to Wildlander bargaining." He leans against the keg, looking back at Vhramis. The Zahir adds, quietly, "There is also the matter of other supplies to be acquired. A shield and longbow."

Vhramis grimaces slightly at that, for some reason, averting his eyes from the other man. "I'll just take yours. Or Temple's. For the meantime at least. I'll just figure something out later for a more permenant solution." Even if he's never quite made a bow himself, he's used one long enough to be quite familiar with how one could be put together. It can't be that hard, right?

"It was a tough decision and one that, it seems, is not well appreciated. But for our purposes and given what we knew it was the right decision. You are welcome to the use of mine, which I have not brought with me at the moment." Thayndor frowns. "Actually, I may have something else which could in a roundabout manner get you a longbow. There is a very nice tapestry hanging in my cabin ... but I do not know how much value a Wildlander will place on something with no functional purpose." He exhales and looks out over the market. "I suppose I'm about to find out how Wildlanders define value, aren't I?"

Vhramis shrugs slightly, lifting an eyebrow back to Thayndor. "We took away their independence, really. It'll be on the back of the minds in everyone in this city that they were saved, not by their own efforts, but by that of a Drake." He crosses his arms at his chest and sighs. "Used to be functionality was key, with small things thrown in, like liquor and wine. They seem to have much better access to alcohol, though, if they have a damn tavern built."

Thayndor Zahir winces. "There must be some way to shift their thinking," he replies. "And wine is still wine. Wine for food is a fair trade no matter what access you have to either." The Zahir looks up, frowning slightly. "And the Drake left troubled. I am obviously by no means an expert in the species, but the movements of one who believes that something is wrong are in some ways universal. Crown's Refuge is not out of the woods yet."

That actually draws Vhramis' interest, and pulls a small frown across his face. "Val'sharax was troubled? How could you tell? What did he do, exactly?" He glances about, his voice lowering as he speaks, and steps closer to the Zahir.

"Did you not see? He paused after the deed was done," Thayndor replies, quietly. "He had fulfilled his end of the bargain. He had undone what, I am told, he had a hand in starting in the first place. Val'sharax seems to me to be the kind of ... being ... that walks confidently away from an enemy when it has been cleanly slain without a second thought -- a being that would move quickly to the next order of business on his doubtless quite demanding schedule."

"But he didn't. He hesitated, he looked back. Unsure, I think, as to whether or not the job was finished."

"I didn't see anything," Wolfsbane states. "I left immediately after. But..we'll have to investigate more. If, for some reason, Val'sharax never fulfilled his part of the deal entirely.." He blinks at his words, before his shoulders slump. "But that's foolish. We'd never catch him in something like that."

"Val'sharax left himself a caveat," Thayndor replies. "The third item, Soravyn's, was never delivered. Consequently he never promised total obliteration. And he clearly specified that the one enemy was left alive. After all this he still hesitated. I have been outwitted, Wolfsbane; I don't like being outwitted. Hopefully learning what you know, and what Soravyn knows, I will be able to avoid it a second time." He grins a small grin. "And you should have faith, Wolfsbane, in our abilities. You've dealt with much beyond the knowledge of mortal men, and survived to tell the tale; what else is on the list of feats you could possibly add to your repertoire but outsmarting a drake?" The Zahir looks out on the trade pavilion.

"But to more pressing matters. We need more goods to trade. I feel that perhaps I should barter this wine for something we can use to gain items of greater value ... who among us has trades and crafts? Kael is a carpenter, is he not?"

"If I remember, he never specifically said he wanted Soravyn's sword. He just mentioned my bow and Lucius' shield. But this is stupid and pointless to dwell on," Wolfsbane answers with a small grimace. "As I said to Lucius, the best way to deal with Drakes is to not deal with them at all. I know that now, and I've paid a price that will haunt me for the rest of my life." He shrugs slightly at the latter question. "I believe. You'd need to ask him."

Thayndor Zahir nods, slowly. "I had a large part in that lesson, Wolfsbane; I placed pressure on you without assuming the responsibility for the decision on behalf of the group. As a leader I should have made the decision myself rather than influencing your own -- the responsibility is partially mine. And I will be more insistent in controlling the decisions we make in the future for exactly this reason -- I should be the one to bear the consequences of choices like those, not you."

Thayndor draws a breath. "Who else in our group knows a craft? Lucius claims he can cook," he adds with a chuckle.

"I can't imagine Lucius opening a stall and cooking meat, but maybe," Vhramis states with a small shrug. "Could be worth asking him to see what he thinks. Otherwise, maybe you can just trade directly for the wine. I don't know how long you planned on dwelling here. Having Kael ply his trade could take some time."

Thayndor Zahir nods. "True," he says. "I plan on moving on as soon as possible; I am sure you agree with me that this is the best course of action. But we need weapons. Do you think we could trade two of our three kegs for something worth a bow and a shield?" He surveys the market tables, frowning. "You're a hunter, and to a certain extent a Wildlander. What single item would be worth a bow and shield to you?

"A bow is my life, and my companion," Wolfsbane states with a small shrug. "So a lot. A shield, I don't know. I've not have uses for one. Best to just ask around, really, and see what you can find. I doubt people would mind being questioned."

"It would be easier if we had access to a bowyer," Thayndor says, frowning still.

"Someone here must do it. It's a city in the wilderness," Wolfsbane answers, looking about, and shrugging. "And we all saw plenty of archers."

"Yes, but we did not see anyone inclined to give us a deal," the Zahir replies drily.

"Just don't go saying you're from Fastheld. It may make things easier," Wolfsbane states, equal dryness. "Let's just finish things here and make our way. It makes me ill to linger here, Thayndor. And we still need to finish this damn trek."

"I'll leave my House tabard on the boat, then," Thayndor replies, swallowing as he turns to Wolfsbane. "We will leave as soon as we have learned all we can. And we will not stop until we finish our journey."

"Good enough," the ranger nods his head at that, sighing. "Have a look about the city, when you can, though. Just avoid the northeast quad of it. There's nothing overly useful there." He grimaces at some thought, before gesturing to the keg. "Lets find a place to set this, then, so you can get to trading."

Thayndor Zahir nods. "I'd appreciate the help," Thayndor says, reaching for the keg. "Do they offer stalls, or must I just sit on it until someone comes by wanting to barter for it?" He muses aloud.

"I don't know. I think you just pick a place you like, and use it," Wolfsbane grunts at that. "Best spots probably taken early in the morning. How good are you at hawking, by the way?"

Thayndor Zahir snorts. "Not so much," he replies. "Another reason it would be better if we had a tradesman among our group. Although I can talk my way around most people, generally speaking."

"That'll work," the ranger mutters quietly. "Maybe add some big story about how you got it. Puff it up, a bit. Say it was brewed by wildlings, or something. Speaking of wildlings, I haven't heard anything about them from anyone here."

"As in, you believe they are keeping a low profile at the moment?" Thayndor replies, around a heavy breath, as he moves the keg towards the nearest row of traders.

"Suppose. Or they've just been boring," Wolfsbane shrugs slightly, glancing down to the man struggling with the keg. He sighs and extends his hands to grab part of it, lending his aid. "Still curious, though."

"Thanks." Thayndor adjusts his grip on part of the three-foot-long keg. "I suppose if the Wildlings were in trouble, they wouldn't be boring," he speculates, looking over his shoulder for a place to put the keg. "So perhaps no news is good news?"

"This Crown's Refuge seems much better set to handle any wildling trouble than the other kind. But yes," Vhramis states as they lug the keg over. "Anyway. Maybe they'd get my mind off things. They've always been..good at that."

"Personally I just hope they do not call in that favor," Thayndor replies. "We have thoroughly learned our lesson in interfering with business that does not involve us."

"Yes," Wolfsbane mutters at that, grimacing slightly, and glancing to Thayndor with what could be a worried expression. "I'm sure they forget. Besides, there's not much I could do that they couldn't, after all."

"Very true," Thayndor agrees. By now, the pair have headed towards the rear of the pavilion; here, away from the entrance, spots are available. The Zahir moves the keg towards a spot along the nearest walkway. "Rather than contemplating Wildlings overmuch, I would ask you to see what you can learn about Ebonhold, our goal and the situation to the north."

"Were you still planning on going there? I'm even more against it now, considering," Wolfsbane answers, releasing the keg and crossing his arms. "This just seals things in my mind that they're not very friendly."

"No," Thayndor replies, setting down the keg and then setting his tuchuss on it. Resting his hands on his knees, he looks up at Vhramis. "I am still confused: Ebonhold had a hand in the bandit occupation of Crown's Refuge? What was the motive?"

"Why ask me? I don't know their plans and purposes," the ranger answers with a grimace. "Suppose they wanted to weaken them enough to occupy it? Set their defense force against each other and lower their manpower, and defenses in the process of a siege. Ebonhold has always had a bit of an eye on this place."

"What makes you say that?" Thayndor asks the Wolfsbane.

"From when Zanorin was Archmage of the tower of Shadow in Ebonhold, he was quite interested in providing weapons and such to aid us in our defense," Wolfsbane replies with a small shrug. "Fastheld never offered anything, so perhaps he could have been plying for my favor. Though Zanorin was much more benevolent than anyone I suspect is there now."

"From when Zanorin was Archmage of the tower of Shadow in Ebonhold, he was quite interested in providing weapons and such to aid us in our defense," Wolfsbane replies with a small shrug. "Fastheld never offered anything, so perhaps he could have been plying for my favor. Though Zanorin was much more benevolent than anyone I suspect is there now."

"It behooves the Emperor of Fastheld to know what Ebonhold is up to," Thayndor replies, frowning slightly. "Do you know to exactly what extent Ebonhold was involved in this bandit raid? And how was it that this mage came to be able to cast the spell that held Crown's Refuge in his thrall - Val'sharax implied that it was a bargain with Ebonhold. Perhaps the bandits simply bargained with Ebonhold as well.

"I don't know any of this," states Wolfsbane with a small shrug. "Val'sharax stated that he, perhaps, cast the spell over the city, at the deal from Ebonhold. Or that he facilitated the way for whatever it was to take power."

"Hopefully Soravyn will be able to elucidate ..." Thayndor frowns. "I also need a briefing on Soravyn's exact authority. What exactly is he Archon of? Whom does he serve?"

"Again. I don't know. Ask him yourself, I suggest. He'd best be able to explain. Crown's Refuge isn't led by nobility. It's lead by respect and trust. Or so it was when I was here. I don't see why it'd be different, now. I don't think he'd be in power if the people didn't trust or like him, though."

"Zahir are good leaders," Thayndor replies absently. "So he speaks for Crown's Refuge."

"He and this other Archmage, apparently," Wolfsbane shrugs at that. "I haven't met her. Don't know if I want to, really. I don't want to have to..explain myself again."

"I will take responsibility," Thayndor replies. "The actions of this party beyond the Wall are ultimately mine and then the Emperor's. Do not worry over that."

"Whatever," Wolfsbane grunts, looking away from the Zahir to watch the passerbys with an absent expression. "Some legend I turned out to be," he states to himself, under his breath, before snorting quietly in derision.

"Since when does Vhramis Wolfsbane care about anything except acting as he believes is right to act?" Thayndor asks, arching an eyebrow. "You earned your status by doing what seemed like a good idea to you at the time, did you not? Why should you behave differently now that you have achieved it?" The Zahir smirks. "I think, Wolfsbane, that you are learning something of what it means to be noble." More quietly, he adds, "Something that one can only be born into." He watches Vhramis' reaction carefully.

"Suppose so. But, being wrong still stings me. Not just being wrong, but being wrong to such a degree," Wolfsbane replies with a grunt. "I lived out here for over a year. I knew these people. Understood them. Taught them. They trusted me. And see what occured?"

The cloaked, armored form of Norran Lomasa walks into the pavilion at a slow, curious pace. He looks interested in what he passes, carefully making his way through the darkened bazaar nonchalantly.

"You took agency to save the town," Thayndor replies, blinking. "This was not the appropriation of independence by some outsider. This was the sacrifice of a citizen of Crown's Refuge, a founding father, caring for his own. Does Soravyn speak with the voice of Crown's Refuge or the voice of a political figure angry that he was upstaged by someone else with the potential to pull nearly as much weight in this town as he does?"

"I wouldn't want to think of him like that," Wolfsbane replies with a small shrug, turning back to face Thayndor. "It's not my nature..or my duty..to become wrapped up in politics. I'm a player of the shadows. It's where I belong. Not in the main light, but to the side. It's what I'm best at. He can have his acclaim if he wishes it."

Norran's interest is not held for too long, though. He glances off in the direction of the Mongoose Exchange, but decides instead to turn about and make his way back into the trade district. He clasps his hands behind his back, wandering off aimlessly out of the pavilion.

"Even when it debases you?" Thayndor asks, tilting his head.

"He was right in speaking down to me in one regard," Wolfsbane replies with a frown. "I was foolish for dealing with a Drake. And I paid the price for it. A lesson hard learned, but learned nonetheless. It'll be forgotten by the city eventually, I'm sure. But I'll endeavor to not."

"That is all that is required, I think," Thayndor replies, and heaves a sigh. He folds his arms and looks out over the Pavilion. "That and hopefully someone willing to barter for this keg of wine."