MARKETPLACE

“I like to think of pickpocketing as an ‘impromptu welfare tax.’ And I’ve been taxing the market square heavily lately.”

—Syretare, guild thief

Social Class: Middle.

Power Center: Never.

Buildings: Open-air market, temple (any), average lodging (2%), average food (12%), exotic trades (3%), fine trades (12%), average trades (35%), poor trades (10%), fine services (5%), average services (15%), poor services (5%).

Description: The busiest district in any city, the marketplace is fi lled with people from all walks of life, buying, selling, haggling, arguing, browsing, and otherwise passing the day in commerce. Some marketplaces are open-air bazaars, their shops little more than wooden stands. Others consist of rows of buildings whose storefronts display various wares. Many market districts contain both sorts of places. People are clothed in a riot of colors and styles, and the air smells of cooking food, perfume, ripening fruits, sweat, and animal dung. The din of voices cannot entirely drown out the calls and tunes of street performers hoping to earn a few coppers by entertaining passersby.

Plot Hook: Pickpockets and cutpurses are nothing new in the marketplace. What authorities do not yet realize, however, is that the latest wave of theft is actually benefi ting a powerful wizard. She has hired thieves to bring her personal possessions to help her better scry on various citizens of the city, particularly the rich and powerful. By observing their behavior, she will soon be in a position to dominate various markets and anticipate legal decisions. Whether she intends merely to profi t from this spying, or illicitly change the course of city politics, is yet unknown.