The High Market

The High Market is a maze of elegant awnings, genteel art galleries, courtly gentlemen, gracious ladies, and money-- lots of money. The High Market does not offer quite the variety of goods as may be found in the Petit Bazaar, nor the bargain prices. But if a customer seeks exquisite artisanship, exotic ingredients, and unique styling, the High Market is the place.

The High Market moves lazily every day except Freeday, when the number of stalls doubles and customers throng the narrow aisle.

The City Watch maintains diligent patrols through the High Market, never more than a round or two away.

The DM will have to haggle his way through negotiations for most items, using the prices listed in the Player's Hand book as guides. Generally, High Market prices run about 120-150% of the normal price of an item. The quality stands about a 50% chance of being equivalently superior.

Following is a partial list of booths to be found at the High Market. Booths in italics are present only on Freedays: all others are here every day.

High Market Merchant List
Turquoise and jade jewelry
Rare colognes and perfumes
Silks
Fresh fruits, domestic
Fruits and vegetables, imported
Fine meats. minutes after slaughter
Steel helmets and shields
Chain mail armor
Long swords , engraved
Boots of common and rare leather
Dwarven axes, hammers. and halberds
High fashion dresses and cloaks
Portrait painting
Ruby statuettes
Local wine, excellent quality
Sculptures
Diamond and emerald jewelry
Exotic hounds and cheetahs
Fresh cakes and pies
Imported whiskey
Gold and silver Jewelry
Windup toy dragons
Flowers and floral arrangements
Plate mail armor-orders taken
Leather armor

High Market. The High Market is a long-established feature marking the hub of the “Noble Quarter,” that part of the city north of the Nobles’ Wall. The High Market (or Grand Bazaar) is a large open space of packed earth and sand in a diamond shape, measuring about 200 feet north-south and 300 feet east-west. Every major northern street branches off from here. Wood-frame booths with pennants flying, colorful tents, open tables with bright silk coverings, and friendly merchants greet the happy customer. The High Market is open every day of the week, with the least vendors open on Godsday (some booths are open out of respect to the mercantile deity Zilchus) and the most businesses on Freeday, when the number of booths more than doubles. This area is always well patrolled because of the large sums of money changing hands here, and because the nobles demand security at all costs.

The goods sold at the High Market cost up to 150% the price of similar goods sold in the Low Market, but usually, the High Market items are of superior craftsmanship and better materials, and have prettier or more exotic decorations. Buyers may bargain to bring prices down, but the risk is great that the buyer will be told to go “down the hill, where they sell the cheap stuff” (in other words, the Low Market) if bargaining is pursued too often or with too much vigor.

Items typically sold here on a daily basis include semiprecious jewelry, colognes and perfumes, silk, domestic fresh fruits, imported fruits and vegetables, steel armor and weapons, fine leather footwear and other goods (saddles, armor, belts, bags, and more), high fashion clothing, local and imported wines, imported whiskey, local | sculptures and paintings, well-bred hounds, i fresh baked goods, well-crafted toys, fresh cut flowers, nonmagical potions and medications, colorful candles, and glassware. On Freeday, dwarf-made items from Greysmere and Karakast are on sale, with fresh fine meat and high quality jewelry. Special items imported from Dyvers, Veluna, Verbobonc, Furyondy, and Perrenland also appear here on a regular basis on Freedays since the conclusion of the Greyhawk Wars and the Great Northern Crusade.

DM's Notes: While contraband is very rare here, valuable items looted from other realms have been known to appear for sale. Such items are often pursued with vigor by their previous owners or have curses attached to them (leading to their speedy sale).