bazaar

CN Small City
Corruption +3; Crime +4; Economy +5; Law -2; Lore +3; Society +4
Qualities Legendary Marketplace, Notorius, Prosperous, Strategic Location
Danger +15

Demographics

Government Autocracy
Population 5200 (3,100 humans; 1,300 Myrad’il; 800 other)
Notable NPCs

Magistrate Talbot (NG male human ex-paladin 5, cleric 9)

Marketplace

Base value 6800 gp (Black Market Connection: 13600 gp); Purchase Limit 20,000 gp; Spellcasting 7th level
Minor Items 4d4; Medium Items 3d4; Major Items 2d4

 

The Kh’dian Alleys

(KEH-dee’-an)

Formed by the convergence of the three main streets of Khadra’khal, this large triangular area with three entry points at the “corners” began as an open market before the Malan rogue adventurer Kh’dian Marach started the Bazaar’s first and only rogue’s guild with a tented tavern as the front to their meeting place.  Since then, the tents have been replaced by hard buildings with comparatively narrow alleys (10′-15′ wide) winding their way to any of the other businesses within the Alleys.
Kh’dian himself died about 175 years ago but the Alleys still bears his name.  His rogue’s guild, meanwhile, became a booming tavern (Nine Fools) and to this day remains a not-so secret meeting place for the thieves of Khadra’khal.
The Alleys caters to adventurers who pass through and know a little more about value than the commoner.  What is being sold is almost always used and rarely made by the person selling it; most of these goods are items brought back by other adventurers.  However only a few merchants will sell mundane items and most everything goes for actual value or less.  It’s not meant for those without gold, the Alleys is an adventurer’s haven and where many adventurers find their work.

Nine Fools

Once solely a front for the Khadra’khal Thieves Guild, the Nine Fools Pub is the hot spot of information about the outside world.  There’s no bar at Nine Fools, they consider that a waste of valuable space.  Instead you enter, pay your 2gp (they admit the price is high but so is the cost of “protection and service”), and sit at a table or against the wall on a pillowed floor.  A slave will immediately deliver a pitcher of wine, a bowl of bread and some cheese, enough for everyone in the party.  You can bring in outside food but no alcohol, that’s their business.  You must supply your own goblet.
A heavy canvas wall separates the main room from an area designated as the stage.  If you’re lucky, the wall will drop and entertainment will start which is guaranteed to be bizarre in the very least if Harik the Mage is hosting the show.  In which case, some rare and usually dignified creature will be forced to entertain.  Very rarely does anyone get hurt.  The next day, the creature is tossed in to one of the pits outside of the Alleys and if they can fight their way out, they are free to leave the Bazaar uncontested.

The Deh’nari

If Harij is not performing at the Nine Fools, the Deh’nari — unusually skilled dancers — may be provided as the entertainment.  If nothing else, they’re actually quite good and well taken care of though they do not receive any personal profit.  All of the Deh’nari are housed in a separate area of the Bazaar — the Ja’rim — but are able to come and go freely.  They are well-protected as a major source of revenue but may never leave the Bazaar itself owing to the glyph permanently branded on the inside of their left ankle.  Some wear it proudly and surround it with tattoos while others are ashamed of their enslaved state.  Nonetheless, the Deh’nari are considered a treasure of the Khadra’khal Bazaar and any abuse toward them is met with swift and often draconic punishment.