Thieves’ Market

---start-multi-column: MainBody

number of columns: 2  
column size: [69%, 30%]
border: [off]
shadow: off

Description

Near the Judgment Gate, not far from the The Grey Halls, lies a large plaza referred to as Thieves Market. From early in the morning until late in the evening the Market is a colorful tapestry of hawkers and their customers, locals and strangers, beggars and pickpockets, potential victims, and people of all descriptions. Even late at night, there is still much activity in the square, although not to the extent of the daytime bustle. The area is dotted with many tents and pavilions, and even semi-permanent stalls, wherein can be found services or displays of virtually any kind, and merchandise of diverse uses and qualities (not all of which has been obtained legally) - anything from a sword to a set of lock picks to a hand-painted chamber pot might be found in one of the establishments scattered about the great square.

Many shops and taverns are located around the fringe of Thieves’ Market and in most cases, they carry merchandise or offer services which do not conflict with the goods and services offered by the denizens of the Market. The exception to this rule is in the area of food and drink; there are a number of reasonably good taverns/restaurants among the businesses around the Market, which compete to an extent with the pushcarts and small vendors of the Market. The vendors usually carry items of a snacking style and some beverages (though seldom alcoholic - occasionally a small beer or very light ale), although some of them can provide nearly a full meal in the form of a variety of appetizers and specialty items. Most of the taverns provide full meals with accompanying fermented and distilled beverages, and some of them, like The Boar’s Head or The Crocked Constable, are capable of handling a relatively sumptuous banquet.

Hordes of beggars seem to infest the Market during the day and early evening, mingling with the crowds and the other street people. Many of the infirmities displayed for the gratification of the almsgivers are faked, but there are sufficient real wounds, amputations, sores, and just plain filth to make one glad to toss a copper or two just to get them to leave. Some of the beggars in the square, such as One-eyed Rachel, Guligin the Leper and Mikyl Two-Fingers (one on each hand - he was a lousy thief), have made the Market their station for years having marked out territories which are theirs, which they will defend with physical attack if necessary. These older beggars have also marked special “pigeons”, almoners who either prefer to dispense their charity to a particular person or will give to nearly anyone simply to get them to depart. Newer members of the society of dirt approaching one of these pigeons can cause interesting squabbles among these seemingly mobile piles of rags.

The beggars can be a source of information about what’s going on in Haven, and who’s who and who’s where. The mere suggestion of a gold piece, or even a small amount of silver, can literally make a deaf-mute sing like a canary (not in public, of course - it would ruin his act for begging). Many of the beggars in Haven are sub-rosa members of the Thieves Guild, reporting daily to one or another member of the Beggar King’s “council” with their tidbits of gossip. This information chain has enabled the Guild to keep track of various Black Hand operatives and other folk of interest in most locations in the city, regardless of their attempts at concealment. Mikyl Two-Fingers is one of the council, and many of the other beggars in the square keep him up-to-date on happenings in and around Thieves Market on a daily basis.

Information is available from many other sources as well. Many of the stall keepers keep their eyes and ears open, and some of the pushcart vendors wander over much of The South Corridor in their search for business. A little cash spread in the right places can reap a veritable windfall of juicy rumors, reports on various people’s comings and goings. Occasionally even worthwhile (and useful!) information and news can be obtained.

There are a number of pickpockets who frequent the Market. They tend to leave the locals alone (little to be made and way too much to lose), but any strangers are fair game. One or two of these cutpurses disguise themselves as beggars and use the proximity gained by begging to make their snatches.

GM’s Note: There is a 5% chance per hour, cumulative, spent in the Market that one or another pickpocket or cutpurse will make a try at a random player, usually the richest appearing member of the group; if the whole party is fairly opulent In appearance, the chance is 15% base + 10% per hour, cumulative.|GM Note

Shopping the Thieves’ Market

As the players wander about the Market, it is likely they will wish to check out merchandise in one or another of the bazaar’s establishments. Those numbered on the map are identified below. If you need more vendors they can be created randomly - refer to Random Market Stalls. The chance of finding a desired item, and honesty/Haggling rating for the vendor (names for random vendors are up to the GM).

01 - Vorikooreis - Herbs and Minor Potions
02 - Ballard Lindsey - Produce
03 - Fernando “Fig” Garo - Barbering Service
04 - Vaunea “Dawncaller” Kolae-Gileana - Poultry Products
05 - Beydom & Son General Goods
06 - Daran Tiko - Furniture
07 - Biff Tekk - Butcher
08 - Dorki and his Dancing Girls - “Entertainment”
09 - Tael I’she-Kel’s Money Changing Service
10 - anathea-the-seeress
11 - Burbas “the Finder” - Locating Service
12 - Pickett “Lefty” Post - Merchandise
13 - Angus MacFarlane - Spices and Medicinals
14 - Barbara Weyr - Rugs and Carpets
15 - Laudie Daly’s Cooked Food

Also noteworthy is that occasionally (25%) a Market vendor of general oggd or decorative knicknacks may have one or two small metalwork items of great beauty and detail; so good that why they’re on sale in the Market is a good question. They are in fact “rejects” from Tacobur at Minotaur Metals, that were smuggled to the market by his assistant Vassig. If you lok closely at the artist signature (“Tacoburito”) you can tell that the “ito” was added later - a hint as to the origin and value.

Persons of Interest

Katarina: One of the more adept Market pick-pockets. In working clothes, Kat appears to be an adolescent youth or a small man. In other guises she is quite pretty and attractive. Think young Audry Hepburn.
Mykyl Two Fingers: A grimy, scarred and scabbed beggar with only one finger and thumb on each hand. He is a member of the Beggar King’s “council”
Silvertongue: He is a storyteller and can be found almost daily in the Market, beguiling adults and children alike with his tales of wondrous cities, faraway lands, and courageous adventurers seeking fabulous treasures.
Fingers Arthas: Local oick-pocket found in the Market
Vereet: deals in information. He will answer questions about virtually anything, the more complex, the higher the price
Flekhash the Abhorrent: One of the complete oddities of the bazaar is an old beggar who is found perched each morning near the well/fountain in the center of the plaza. He doesn’t move during the whole day, but seems to disappear somehow at dark, and always reappears in the morning. He is a mass of sores and scabrous peeling lacerations, one eye is missing (the other provides but a vacant vista), and hordes of flies surround his lumpish form and even buzz in and out of his continually open mouth and around the rotten stumps of his teeth - Flekhash is truly an abominable sight. There are many rumors about Flekhash, and many people who would like to find out how he does whatever it is he does. Many powers are ascribed to him (this is up to the individual GM, but personally we think it’s all a load of crap). His begging bowl is usually well supplied with money, for many in the Market consider it lucky to toss him an occasional coin.

[anchor|street_encounters]

Random Street Encounters

While a party is wandering through the area roll d1000 to determine what random encounter they may have. Note that some encounters may happen in multiple locations in the city so feel free to ignore the results if the event is a one-off and already happened.

[roll:d1000]	Encounter		Encounter		Encounter
001-023	Funeral Cortege	341-373	Swaggering Mercs	651-688	Come Hither Bop
024-061	[[[person/yok-the-seer	Yok the Seer]]](https://www.worldanvil.com/w/antheros-phre3d/a/street-encounters-plot#Yok_the_Seer)	374-396	Drunk Students	689-711
062-094	A Real Beer Bust	397-419	Cavalry Troop	712-759	Merchant Maulers
095-127	Package Proposition	420-457	Drunken Barbarians	760-782	Finnegan’s Wake
128-165	Yecch! Beggars!	458-490	Wrestling Match	783-805	Stoned Philosopher
166-213	Pouch on a String	491-523	”You! The Heckler!“	806-838	Street Musician
214-261	Reverse Pickpocket	524-561	”Appleby, I Presume?“	839-886	Trailing Arbutus
262-299	Dueling Daggers	562-594	Bang-up Gang-up	887-934	Tired Courtesan
300-317	Herds and Flocks	595-617	Devil-may-care Imp	935-967	The Illustrated Man
318-340	Oinks! and Away	618-650	Punch-out a Camel?	968-000	Wedding Celebration

People and Locations in the Thieves’ Market

People	Places
[tagged:thieves-market-person	list

Demographics

Government

Defenses

Industry & Trade

Infrastructure

Districts

Assets

Guilds & Factions

History

Points of Interest

Tourism

Architecture

Geography

Climate

Natural Resources

--- end-column ---

See also

Haggling
[[article/Random Market Stalls|Random Market Stalls]

Persons of Interest

Type: Neighbourhood

Other Name(s):

Located In: The South Corridor

Population:

Demonym:

Founded:

Runied:

Ruler:

Rank:

Ruling Organization:

Other Rulers:

Founders:

World Anvil Metadata

Id: 8b3bf96f-ea9a-4e39-8c3f-bda804df5cdb

Entity Type: Article / settlement

Category:

Tags: fcoh,neighbourhood

--- end-multi-column

--- start-multi-column: PreviousNext

number of columns: 2  
column size: [50%, 49%]
border: [off, off]
alignment: [left, right]

6053011d-37a6-4d6b-8e0b-41925f3bbd77