Bekkar Marketplace

Written by David_Ulph

Purpose / Function

The Bekkar Marketplace is the most popular mercantile and congregation point of Talvel's Point and even the whole Hold of Frostern. It lies near the Eastern wall of the city and on each coast of the River Bekkar, which it is named after.

Denizens

Horlo Lasg, Fishmonger

Horlo Lasg is a Frosian fishmonger for life and has a permanent stone structure for a stall in the Bekkar Marketplace where he sells his freshly caught fish as well as other cold meats and food. Horlo has a narrow face, with black hair and bright hazel eyes. He wears simple clothing and a wide-brimmed hat which he haggled off a passing Bludalf noble on his way back to Mylrondia. Horlo claims that his fishes are blessed by Kelai, Lord of the Sea, and eating the fish will bestow his wisdom upon you. While his main trade is fish, Horlo also sells a variety of other edibles such as nuts, honey, and locally sourced cold meats, all at average quality and below average prices. Haggling is nearly impossible with Horlo, unless it is even a somewhat remotely attractive female, who will find bartering significantly easier. Lasg though is commented as being highly unattractive though, both smelling and looking quite like the fish he sells.
Horlo himself is a very talkative and helpful man who will gladly tell anyone within earshot of his miraculous tales and fables out at sea. However, in secret, he is a very worried and paranoid man, for as much as he spouts the wise words of Kelai, Horlo is actually a member of an underground heretical cult dedicated to the outlawed goddess, Arassai.

Erel Steinidotr

Erel Steinidotr is a local merchant and has a stall in the Bekkar Marketplace that consists of a semi-permanent makeshift structure and a large cart with goods piled haphazardly on it. As a retired holy woman, Erel deals in religious goods and artefacts. Erel is tall, with braided grey hair and grey eyes. She wears sturdy deep red robes and a pewter amulet dedicated to her old patron God, Shyracon. Erel sells a variety of goods sourced from all over Frostern and even wider Elgerloria, such as scrolls and transcripts, blessings, and holy water, all at average prices you would expect for such artefacts. Haggling will always involve a high amount of bartering, as religion is taken extremely seriously by Erel.

Olag Meirlach

If Sargoth in his General Goods store refuses to see worth in what you try to sell him, old Olag Meirlach with her ramshackle cart of randomly stacked goods in the Bekkar Marketplace is the woman to see. As a true general goods merchant, Olag trades in anything and everything from hunting dogs to glasswork, loafs of bread to alchemical potions, all at bargain prices. Olag has white hair in an unusual style and hazel eyes, and large ears. She wears worn clothing and is known for her short temper and sharp tongue. Of course, she is mournful of the death of her husband who was an Imperial soldier, but she gets through through her grief by reciting stories to the orphans that beg close-by. Haggling with Olag can only happen with the cheaper items on display, but in Olag Meirlach's stall, there is rarely anything that isn't cheap.

Maera Brithidotr

Maera Brithidotr is a merchant with a small stall in the Bekkar Marketplace that consists of little more than a heap of sacks and baskets filled with finely crafted jewellery. Maera has golden hair and brown eyes. She wears leather armour and wields a long sword. While her name and accent indicates Maera is a Korg like all the other locals, it is rumoured that she is actually a thief from a foreign land who smuggled her highly valuable contraband into Frostern under the chaos of the Civil War to turn a tidy profit for herself. This would make sense considering much of her goods appear to be of Faar or even Myconthren origin, and no one is quite certain how or when she set up stall in Talvel's Point. Haggling with Maera is highly discouraged as her long sword is not always content with staying in it's sheath.

Holgi Dubbarson

Holgi Dubbarson is a local merchant with quite a large stand in the Bekkar Marketplace that consists of several connected stalls in a row and at the end sits a hand-cart which opens to display wares of apparel. Holgi is tall and thin, with red hair and large blue eyes. He wears leather armour and wields a short sword and darts. He is known for his weirdly specific knowledge of demons. In his collection of wares, Holgi sells everything from common clothing to armoured protection, "specialising" in selling above average underclothes and boots at average prices, and very valuable full plate greaves at very high prices. The armour Holgi sells is supplied mostly by the smith at Alnitaktown who sees himself as a competitor of The Winter's Anvil and uses Holgi as a means to rival Saemundr. Holgi himself is very generous and uses alot of strange slang which he picked up fighting as an Imperial soldier, and expects haggling but usually doesn't allow it to fly.

Bersi Coinnle

Bersi Coinnle is an immigrant merchant from the shores of the Stepping Stones in the Kingdom of Mordwynn with a small stand that consists of a small table with goods piled haphazardly. Bersi has gray hair and soft brown eyes, and a cropped beard. He wears sturdy clothing and several small tools hang from his belt. In his stall, Bersi trades all manners of household items including the odd foodstuffs. But Bersi himself is well known for his skills as a chandler and will often sell his latest fanciful sculpted candles. Bersi is extremely optimistic and will even encourage haggling to get his thrill of gambling going.

Alterations

The small port that links the Marketplace to it's respective Bekkar River is rarely used in the heat of the Civil War, with both factions placing blockades, restrictions and raids on almost all ships that attempt to sail into Frostern. With the Civil War going on, traffic is relatively sparse most of the time and the Marketplace is devoid of any guard activity due to double watches and patrols being required to ensure Imperial safety. Because of this, when crowds do begin to form, many pickpockets will stalk the unsuspecting customers. Many beggars also line the outskirts of the Marketplace.

Architecture

The wide open space of the Market is dotted with many stalls and merchants.
The Marketplace surrounds a large engraved statue of Padan, the Steelmaiden Goddess, showing encouragement to the arts and competition of haggling and bartering.
Near the centre of the area is also a small inscribed monument that resembles a rectangular boulder. This rock is the Stone of Dathran, where for an Earl of Skìrah to be truly legitimised as the High King, they must be crowned atop that stone.

Alternative Names

Talvel's Market, Padan's Court

Type

Market square

Parent Location

Talvel's Point