Karo Village

Banner by Terry-Lynn L!

The young boy laughed as he moved amongst the busy stalls with his mother. Karo Village was always busy, esseni moving from place to place, men and women attempting to barter with the Sorenian traders for crystals. The small shadow sprite at the boys side squeaked and grabbed onto his thumb, pulling in a tiny attempt to drag him forward. The boy followed, eyes sparkling as they lit on the shoni crystals the trader had for sale.
His mother, a tall Rahnika smiled softly, following her son's erratic movements with ease. "Your sprite sees something?" She asked, her common heavily accented.
The boy bobbed his head, grinning toothily to reveal his missing front tooth. "Yeah!! Riani says this red one is pretty!!" He pointed to a bright red stone that matched his eyes. His mother glanced to the seller, a slender Sorenian woman. She smiled nervously before speaking. "I admit that I'm... unfamiliar with this..." She murmured, the feathers on either side of her head flicking.
The trader waved a hand, smiling. "Do not worry, your child is a Shonia, correct?" The mother nodded, one hand on the boy's shoulder. The seller leaned down, meeting the boy's eyes. "Your shoni sprite seems set on that gem," she murmured. "What will you trade for it?"
The boy reached into the small satchel at his hip while his shadow sprite circled the gem, squeaking happily. The boy produced a rahnika feather, the red as striking as his eyes. "This was mine." He said, trying to sound profound. "It grew in my hair but it fell out. Mom said I'm not gonna grow anymore, so it's precious." He offered the feather to the seller. "Is... Is that enough?"
The seller smiled softly, accepting the feather carefully. "Of course it is." She handed him the bright red crystal, leaning out of her stall slightly. "You can have this made into a necklace over at that stall." She murmured.
The boy began to jump up and down excitedly before rushing off to the stall, crystal held high and shadow sprite at his side. His mother smiled warmly. "Thank you," she murmured.

Karo Village is the only place on Tarin where shoni crystals can be bought, sold, and traded. These magically enhanced crystals are the only way to safely carry the elemental spirits called shoni sprites with you without risk of harm coming to them or the owner.
Karo specializes in both empty crystals, ready to be inhabited by a shoni sprite, or crystals that already have a sprite attached. The "pre-filled" crystals are sold as exotic pets to the wealthy and other enthusiasts.

Demographics

Native villagers are all Sorenian. Most in Karo village are merchants who specialize in transporting shoni crystals. Others are jewelry makers, specializing in creating the casings or wrappings to hold shoni crystals.

Industry & Trade

Karo Village deals entirely in trading and selling Shoni Crystals. As shoni sprites have become somewhat of an exotic pet in recent years, business has been booming and it is at times difficult to keep up with demand.
The crystals that are brought to Karo have already been imbued with magic by Sorenians in other parts of the country. These stones require careful handling, particularly after one is inhabited by one of the elemental spirits called shoni sprites. Most stalls are covered with dampening runes that keep the sprites bonded to crystals sold as exotic pets calm.
Karo's other main export is shoni crystals that sprites have abandoned. These stones still hold powerful elemental magic, and are sold to scientific researchers who specialize in making constructs.

Type

Village

Population

528