The Three Market Squares

The center of city life in the Heart of the Desert is the Market Squares. Each of the major markets – North, South, and West – each feature a central, open square often decorated with a fountain fed by the central oasis, displays of various art pieces ("permanent" and temporary), and stages for performers to delight and entertain shoppers and merchants alike. Most of the markets are open to the sky with large streets branching off of the main square, draped in strips of colorful cloth and textiles creating unique, changing patterns of shade and sun. Portions of the markets are fully covered by colorful textiles or by larger buildings, providing shade and relief in the hottest parts of the afternoon. Although these covered portions of the markets remain busy at all times of day, the open markets are usually busy in the morning and evening, with a break during the peak of the blazing afternoon sun. It is not uncommon for merchants to be "closed for a nap" in the hottest hours of the day.

The North Market

For those familiar with history and regional relationships of old, the North Market is a remnant and relic of the past, when fortune and creativity melded together… when the great City of Gold served as patron to the City of the Arts. In the center of the large square is a large fountain that has been carved to depict the meeting of two groups as they exchange goods: humanoids dressed in gold-lined orange tunics followed by horse-drawn carts and saddled massive goats across from humanoids adorned in various colors leading seal-drawn sleds with the top of a Sivat barely visible. Small offshoots of the fountain are carved to vaguely resemble wishing wells. There is often an abundance of silver and gold coins in these small pools of water.

Large archways allow easy access into massive buildings that surround the open square. Each archway is uniquely shaped, but all are lined with patterns of metal that shine in the desert sun. Intricate patterns of vibrant colors interweave with the metal to decorate the walls around the open arches that stretch two to three-stories high. With the abundance of high walls, there are an ample amount of textiles, cloth, fabric, and rugs hanging from various windows and roofs. Any bare wall space is covered in murals in a vast variety of styles and covering a wide variety of artistic topics. Atop the buildings, one might stop to have an early breakfast or a late dinner to avoid the heat of the sun. Or, one might partake in the rooftop gardens.

Passing through the large archways, the large market buildings are relatively open with various stairways leading up multiple floors. Chandeliers of different color glass and metallic flutes dangle from the ceilings, reflecting light in a myriad of mesmerizing colors. As the wind blows through, melodies can be heard and they sound different depending on what floor you’re on. Permanent shops can be found on the upper floors while incoming merchants can set up stalls and tents on the ground floor, permitting them to sell even when the afternoon sun blazes hottest.

Although the “permanent” artistic fixture is believed to be the murals, any local will tell you how the murals change – often subtly – but the fountain remains. Every day at sundown, the illusions spring to life. A tiny glimmer of a land now lost. Two groups of traders make their exchange. For historical preservation, it is one of the few art pieces that is illegal to tamper with in any way.

Temporary art fixtures of this market include primarily textile displays as most of the textile business is clustered around the square. These fixtures can be either the product of competition, in which they allow the populace to vote, or collaboration, flooding the market with intricately depicted stories, scenes, colors, and emotions that could not be accomplished alone. As the textiles drift in the breeze above, performers of all kind take to any of the five stages, one outside each of the major archways. Performances are typically well coordinated to avoid unnecessary clash, but every now and then cacophony reigns. Is it not worth it for that rare, yet beautiful moment, where the unexpected becomes the most perfect harmony?

Notable Locations in the North Market

Although many of the merchants and wares fluctuate from day to day, there are a handful of establishments that remain. Beyond the rooftop restaurants and gardens, the following are some notable establishments:

Textiles of the Bards & Muses – On the second floor of the one of the North market buildings is a relatively sprawling shop with almost every square inch covered by fabric, yarn, or intricately woven textiles. One of the longer standing businesses in the North Market, the business earned its name by weaving the tales told by traveling bards into textiles for locals to remember when the bards had moved on. It was quite popular during a time in Lark’Hal’s history where desert travel became easier, allowing more people to come and go.
Sweet Embers & Northern Delights Bakeries – Directly across the street from one another just outside the main North Market square are two competing bakeries. The first, Sweet Embers, is owned by a fire genasi woman who specializes in bruléed, fried, and spicy pastries and baked goods – anything with a little bit of fire in it. The second, Northern Delights, is owned by a charming, down-to-earth half-orc man whose three daughters can often be found giving out samples in the town square. He makes the best baklava in town.

The South Market

Often referred to as one of the “Artistic Havens” of the Heart of the Desert, the South Market is the most diffuse of the markets and is often flooded and covered with temporary structures, stages in various arrangements and configurations, and unique collaborations between artists displayed on the ground, from the roofs, and seemingly floating in the air. Scattered amidst this large square, covered by the occasional patch of shade from a nearby tree, local artists flock here to sell and share their wares, whether that is jewelry, paintings, poems, books, songs, handcrafted instruments, and more.

Although the Square is mostly open, there is one large building that stands over the central fountain, lined with colorful totem-like pillars. Every inch of the buildings outer and inner walls are covered with art depicting mostly the God of Creativity, Music, and the Arts in the various forms they’ve found themselves in. Inside, the fountain stands as the large centerpiece, ornately carves with swirling motifs and adorned with colorful metallic scales. A few centuries ago, an artist rigged the fountain to send water through thin clear tubes so that it looks like the water id dancing through the air. Every now and then, children will slip something into the fountain – a toy fish or carving of a sand seal – and watch it swirl around and dance through the air. Beneath the dancing water, this Market regularly hosts poetry readings, concerts, bard and band battles, painting and sculpture classes, and more.

The sand “roadways” that cut through this market are particularly wide here with larger, circular patches of sand. On certain evenings, some of the more experienced sand seal riders from the nearby ranch pass through to perform daring acrobatic feats alongside their trusty seal steeds. People often stay late to watch the sand seal performances and the other nighttime festivities. As such, there are plenty of food vendors around to provide anyone with a snack to satisfy those late night munchies.

Seal of Approval: Seals & Sleds (S.A.S.S)

Just outside the Southern Gate of the Heart of the Desert – with the faintest silhouettes of the Sea of Moving Art in the distance – is the city’s largest sand seal ranch, SASS. They specialize in raising performance, racing, and general transportation sand seals. Primarily, their services are enlisted by the royal genasi families for their own personal use and to put into public transportation. They are more than happy to offer tours of the premises or to permit children (and even adults) an opportunity to pet some of their retired sand seals… they deserve all the pets and scritches after all.

The entire establishment is overseen by the two matriarchs: Aashvi & Saanvi. They generally handle the business side of things, but are both incredibly knowledgeable about sand seals. They are almost always irked by – but unwilling to part with – Ceasar, their resident sand seal wrangler, acrobat, and recently retired professional sand seal racer. Sand seals (and sleds) can be rented here for locals to travel to the Sea of Moving Art, which is where most of their business comes from. For tourists and non-locals, they are unwilling to party with their seals, but would be more than happy to provide a driver and guide.

The West Market

Located amidst the lower-middle class neighborhoods of the city, this market caters to those that live nearby and, as such, seem to lack various luxury and certain specialty stores. The fountain in the center of the square is somewhat cracked, but its waters – fed by the oasis – are still crystal clear. Copper and the occasional silver coin can be found scattered at its base, an old habit picked up from the ancient traders that used to come from the City of Fortune. The Market is primarily dedicated to receiving, processing, and distributing the influx of goods from the various caravans.

While the stages allocated for performances are smaller than the other markets, there is a unique arrangement of ropes and riggings that run across the square. Acrobats often use this set up to perform for those walking below. Many of the nobles, particularly air genasi, are known to use the riggings as they travel to the Sivat landing platform along the Southwest wall nearby. Additionally, although merchants, goods, and shoppers clearly dominate the space, the stone square itself is a work of art. Built originally by an artist before the Dread King’s War, the square is built of colorful stone, tiles, and sturdy glass in beautiful, intricate patterns. Over many years, wear and tear as disrupted the original stonework. In the tradition of the Sea of Moving Art, modern artists continue to fill in the broken pieces with their own unique patterns, creating a beautiful patchwork of styles, patterns, and colors.

Currently, there is a temporary art installation. One of the sand lanes has been blocked off and now features a set of sand seal sculptures, built entirely from the bones of sand seals who were harmed or killed during their careers in sand seal racing. How the bones were acquired isn’t fully known, but the artist – anonymous – left a note that indicates their intent: to highlight the often-questionable treatment and risk the animals face when brought into the sport. It is also conveniently placed in one of the most “accident-prone” locations along the city’s sand lanes… so perhaps an ulterior motive was to stop kids from crashing into merchant stalls. So many melons were lost.

The covered space of this market is primarily accomplished with old textiles, rugs, and curtains draped between buildings on a few of the larger streets. There is no “covered” open market space, but the largest establishment – the Dun’Mar Trading Company – is a massive building that often houses a small, select number of small-time, local merchants within the shade of their massive building.

The Dun'Mar Trading Company

The Dun'Mar Trading Company is the largest general store at the West Market. The front of the building features a few tapestries that bare the family crest: a glaive clutched in the talons of an Osprey with feathers tipped in a myriad of colors. A portion of the building was recently converted to an inn where any visiting Ladies of Life or Acolytes of the Dead may stay for free. As a store, the massive warehouse is capable of selling most items in bulk and oversees the movement of a large variety of products from outside of Lark'Hal throughout the Heart of the Desert. The interior of the store is neatly arranged with products organized by type and region. At the center is a walled off and secure area where the unique, odd, luxurious, and magical items are kept and sold, overseen by the owner herself, Angelica Dun'Mar.

Type

Market square

Parent Location

The Heart of the Desert

Owning Organization

The Royal Genasi Families