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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 8550871" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>INTERLUDE: THE HIDDEN MARKET</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 6</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 3/paladin 3</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 5/rogue 1</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 6</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 12 February 2022</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>The next dreamer was in a town called Basker's Grove, which was still many hours away. Close to noon, the group came upon the small city of Kesselton, where they purchased some feed for the animals and stopped off in an inn for a hearty lunch. It was after they had finished eating and were loading up the wagon that they were approached by a white-haired gnome with a shockingly pointed moustache and beard. "Good afternoon," he said to the assembled group. "Would I be correct in assuming you are a band of professional adventurers?"</p><p></p><p>"We are," replied Alewyth, who had just been about to mount her dire goat Pyrite and get back on the road. "Have you need of adventurers?"</p><p></p><p>"I was rather more concerned with whether you might have a need for my services," replied the gnome. "Please allow me to introduce myself: I am <strong>Wangle Turdblossom</strong> and I represent a consortium of gnomes involved in the sale of various magic items. Might you be interested in the purchase of a magical item or two?"</p><p></p><p>Thurloe was interested, but that wasn't his primary concern at the moment. "'Turdblossom?'" he repeated. "Is that your real name?"</p><p></p><p>"It is indeed," replied Wangle, bowing and apparently well pleased by the human's reaction to his unusual surname. In gnomish culture, it was a sign of great honor for the ridiculousness of one's chosen name to be acknowledged and many gnomes spent months, if not years, deciding upon the perfect name for when they came of age and got to replace their birth name for one of their own choosing.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe looked around at the others. "Yeah, sure, we'll check out what you've got for sale."</p><p></p><p>"If you would come this way then, sir," replied Wangle, leading them back into the inn. He walked down a hallway, took a right, and stopped at a door to one of the rooms for rent. Unlike the other doors in the hallway, this one held a door knocker at a height well within reach of the three-foot-tall gnome. He rapped upon it four times, then opened the door and led the others inside. The door, however, did not lead to a guest room as might be expected but rather to an unadorned hallway leading to a small room with a gnome-sized desk and a curtain in the back. Wangle climbed into the chair behind the desk and looked over at the five adventurers who had followed him down the hallway. "Now then, who's first?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>"Uh, sure, I'll go first," Xandro replied, stepping up to the desk.</p><p></p><p>Wangle looked at him expectantly. "And what are you hoping to purchase?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>Xandro looked around at the bare walls of the little room. "I was kind of expecting a showroom or something," he said.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, you thought we were running a magic item shop!" exclaimed Wangle. "No, no, nothing like that - although we do occasionally run an actual marketplace on occasions, to get rid of specific items we're looking to turn over. But no, the set-up works like this: you put in your order, we find what it is you're after, agree upon a price with the current owner, and bam! - purchase completed. Now then, I repeat: what particular item were you hoping to purchase today?"</p><p></p><p>"Well," remarked Xandro, "I suppose I could do with a <em>wand of sound burst</em>...."</p><p></p><p>"A wand!" exclaimed Wangle. "Excellent! I don't deal with wands, though." As Xandro frowned in confusion, Wangle leaned forward and pushed a gemstone embedded in his desktop and leaned over it, saying, "Thaddeus! I have a customer for you!" Within moments, the curtains in the back of the room parted and another gnome stepped forward. "Good afternoon," he said. "I am <strong>Thaddeus Blunderbritches</strong> at your service, sir. I handle rods, staffs, and wands. If you would be so good as to step this way?" He held the curtain open and Xandro, a look of confusion still apparent on his face, walked through to another office.</p><p></p><p>"Now then: who's next?" asked Wangle. "You, sir, the half-orc."</p><p></p><p>Wakuren stepped forward. "I could use an upgrade to my armor," he suggested, but that only caused Wangle to frown in irritation. "Upgrade?" he scoffed. "We don't deal with upgrades - we are involved strictly in the sale of unwanted magic items! I could sell you a more powerful set of magic armor, if you wish - that looks to be full plate, is it?" Wakuren agreed that it was but said he didn't have enough money to purchase a new set of plate mail armor. "I'd be willing to trade this armor in as part of the payment," he suggested.</p><p></p><p>But that only caused Wangle to frown all the harder. "Barter?" he squeaked. "We don't engage in <em>barter</em>. Cash only, although gemstones are also accepted. Very well, I'll send you to our armor and weapons expert; we'll have Mr. Rection see what he can do for you."</p><p></p><p>"Misdirection?" asked Wakuren, misunderstanding what the little gnome had just said to him.</p><p></p><p>"Eh? What?" demanded Wangle, before realizing the half-orc's mistake. "No, no, Mr. Rection," he repeated, before pushing another gemstone on his desk and leaning forward. "Biggie? We have a customer for you." He then looked over at the other three adventurers, all waiting in line. "Next?" he asked, looking up at Zander.</p><p></p><p>Before he could answer, the curtains parted again and out stepped a burly gnome almost four feet tall. He wore the stereotypical pointed hat most often associated with gnomes but that was about all that was typical about him, for he had a stern, no-nonsense attitude quite different from the carefree and whimsical ways of the average gnome. "You're looking for magical armor?" <strong>Biggie Rection</strong> demanded of Wakuren. "This way, then." And he led the half-orc through the curtain to his own office.</p><p></p><p>"I understand there are magic items that can increase my overall level of toughness," Zander said, getting back to Wangle's question to him.</p><p></p><p>Wangle looked the slender elf over with a practiced eye. "Yes, I can see how that might be desirable," he agreed. "An <em>amulet of health</em> is what you need. They come in three main levels of strength," the gnome advised, then rattled off prices for each. Zander indicated he could only afford the cheapest of the three. "Just as well," Wangle replied, "those are the easiest to get a hold of." He bent over his desk again to summon another gnome to assist the elven sorcerer. "Wangle?" he asked. "We have a customer to see you."</p><p></p><p>"Wait a minute - I thought you were Wangle," said Zander, brows furrowed in puzzlement.</p><p></p><p>Wangle looked up at him, smirking at his little joke. "I am!" he cried. "I'll be able to help you with your purchase - it's my area of specialty! But let's get these other two helped first, shall we?" He indicated Alewyth. "What can I help you with?" he asked her.</p><p></p><p>"I would like to be able to increase my speed," Alewyth answered the gnome.</p><p></p><p>"Drop you off the side of a cliff?" suggested Wangle, his face betraying no sense of teasing.</p><p></p><p>"I was actually hoping to move horizontally, not vertically."</p><p></p><p>"<em>Potion of haste</em>?" Wangle suggested.</p><p></p><p>"I was hoping for something a bit more permanent."</p><p></p><p>"<em>Boots of striding and springing</em>? Or is it springing and striding? I can never remember."</p><p></p><p>"Those sound promising," Alewyth replied. "How much are they?" Wangle rattled off the price, including the traditional 10% finder's fee. "I don't have that much," Alewyth bemoaned. "Anything else?"</p><p></p><p>"<em>Boots of haste</em>," suggested Wangle at once.</p><p></p><p>"Those are cheaper?"</p><p></p><p>"Oh no, they're way, way more expensive."</p><p></p><p>"Then that doesn't really help me. Any other suggestions, more in my price range?"</p><p></p><p>"<em>Polymorph</em> you into a cheetah?"</p><p></p><p>"I wouldn't be able to wield my warhammer as a cheetah, now, would I?"</p><p></p><p>"I do not recall that being a stipulation. Very well then, it sounds like your best bet is the <em>boots of striding and springing and striding</em>," recommended Wangle, figuring this way he was right either way. "If you want, you can put a down-payment on the boots and you can pick them up when you have the rest of the money."</p><p></p><p>"I don't know when we'll be by this way again," pointed out Alewyth.</p><p></p><p>"Pshaw!" scoffed Wangle. Then, to make sure his disdain was fully understood, he added, "Fiddlesticks! Poppycock! No worry at all - we'll deliver them to you." Alewyth was a bit leery and said she'd think it over while Wangle attended to Thurloe.</p><p></p><p>"Very well," Wangle agreed. "And what can I do for you, sir?"</p><p></p><p>"I'm interested in two things," Thurloe answered. "First of all, is there any kind of armor that would make it easier to cast arcane spells in? If so, I'd be interested in something like that. Otherwise, a simple <em>wand of shield</em> would do just as well."</p><p></p><p>"I'm not so sure about the armor," mused Wangle, thinking deeply and tugging on the points of his moustache as he did so. "The wand is a sure thing, though. Perhaps you could do with some Oral?"</p><p></p><p>"...Say what?" asked Thurloe, uncharacteristically flabbergasted.</p><p></p><p>"<strong>Oral Hijinx</strong>," Wangle said, leaning into his desk. "We have a customer for you."</p><p></p><p>"I thought that Bumblebritches guy handled wands," Thurloe replied.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, Thaddeus might be our expert on hard-to-find items along those lines, but he's with another customer right now and I think you'll find any from our consortium will be able to handle things to your satisfaction." The curtain parted and a young, female gnome stepped through. "Someone looking for Oral?" she asked, smiling broadly up at the young fighter-wizard. "Here I am." She led Thurloe through the curtain back to her own office.</p><p></p><p>Eventually, the five heroes ended back in Wangle Turdblossom's office with their purchases. Thurloe had his <em>wand of shield</em>, Zander wore his <em>amulet of health</em> on a gold chain around his neck, and Wakuren's armor now had an <em>iron ward diamond</em> attached to the chest-plate, which Biggie had guaranteed would deflect some of the damage from incoming strikes during combat. Xandro's <em>wand of sound burst</em> was on order but probably wouldn't be available until the next day. "Don't go engaging in any anti-scrying techniques," advised Wangle Turdblossom to the bard. "We'll find your present location and bring the wand out to you, at which time you can pay the other half of the bill." The white-haired gnome looked at Alewyth. "Did you wish to put a down-payment down on those boots?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>Alewyth looked over at Xandro. "You paid half up front for your wand?" she asked him quietly. "What if they just rip you off?"</p><p></p><p>"We know where to find them," the bard replied, to which Wangle Turdblossom hid a smile. "Plus, they seem like a good bunch. I trust them."</p><p></p><p>Alewyth looked over at the gnome. "Do you take Kornakian coins?" she asked. She still had several hundred coins from the Barony of Kornak that weren't exactly popular in other lands.</p><p></p><p>"My dear lady, we accept coins from all over the world," Wangle assured her. Alewyth pulled out her Kornakian coins and counted them out to the little gnome, who wrote up a document with his signature stating the money was paid as a down-payment for a pair of "boots of springing and striding, or vice-versa, as the case may be." He reiterated his recommendation not to shield themselves from scrying attempts and wished them all a good day.</p><p></p><p>Once they were back on the road, Alewyth started voicing her doubts. "I hope we didn't just throw our money away," she said to Xandro.</p><p></p><p>"I doubt it," Xandro replied.</p><p></p><p>"Do you think that was even a legal establishment?" the dwarven priestess continued. "What if we're involved in trafficking stolen goods?"</p><p></p><p>"Then we're just innocent customers, taken in by the gnomes' dishonest shenanigans," Thurloe assured her. "They'd be the ones in trouble, not us." He turned to Wakuren, sitting in the front of the mule-driven wagon. "Did you get a chance to <em>detect evil</em> on them?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>"I suppose I had plenty of opportunities," Wakuren admitted. "But it never occurred to me. Plus, my eyes glow when I do it, so it's something people can see I'm doing, and it seemed insulting to go into a business establishment and pretty much say 'I suspect you might be evil' the first thing I get in there."</p><p></p><p>"Maybe you ought to buy a pair of magic goggles with shaded lenses," suggested Zander. "Then nobody could see your eyes glowing when you're checking people out for signs of evil."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah," agreed Wakuren. "There's a thought." And then he focused his attention back on the road, where Mica and Perseverance were plodding along, pulling the wagon behind them.</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>The adventure I had planned on running the players through during this session seemed like it could end up a little short, which was something I really wanted to avoid since our last session ended after two hours and only extended to two and a half because the PCs all leveled up to 6th level. So I decided to spring this little shopping excursion as a sort of "Side Trek" before the adventure itself started up. And this was also a solution to a problem I had caused: when designing this campaign, I decided I wanted a different "feel" from our previous two campaigns, which featured magic shops in the larger cities. So I decided there would be no such magic shops in this campaign, just the occasional stalls that sold potions and scrolls - one-shot items, in other words. But the PCs were now at 6th level and had been amassing money without much on which to spend it. So the Hidden Market is a compromise: a gnome-run consortium that deals with clients on an invitation-only basis, fetching magic items the original owners are willing to sell. I have designed some very specific ground rules for the Hidden Market, which all make sense to me but I don't wish to share because it will give away too much that I hope will eventually become apparent over the course of the campaign. But one of the rules is that they only sell previously existing items, they don't upgrade items or create new ones. And another rule is they accept any kinds of coins and gems but are not interested in all at any kind of bartering. And I think that's all I'll say about them for now, other than Harry got a kick out of the gnomes' ridiculous names, which was somewhat of a surprise for me because he usually just groans at my "dad jokes."</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>T-shirt worn: A "Duck Dynasty" shirt with the heads of the four most prominent members of the Robertson family, in all their full-bearded glory. It's the closest thing I have to a shirt featuring a bunch of gnomes.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 8550871, member: 508"] [B]INTERLUDE: THE HIDDEN MARKET[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 6[/INDENT] [INDENT] Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3[/INDENT] [INDENT] Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 3/paladin 3[/INDENT] [INDENT] Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 5/rogue 1[/INDENT] [INDENT] Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 6[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 12 February 2022 - - - The next dreamer was in a town called Basker's Grove, which was still many hours away. Close to noon, the group came upon the small city of Kesselton, where they purchased some feed for the animals and stopped off in an inn for a hearty lunch. It was after they had finished eating and were loading up the wagon that they were approached by a white-haired gnome with a shockingly pointed moustache and beard. "Good afternoon," he said to the assembled group. "Would I be correct in assuming you are a band of professional adventurers?" "We are," replied Alewyth, who had just been about to mount her dire goat Pyrite and get back on the road. "Have you need of adventurers?" "I was rather more concerned with whether you might have a need for my services," replied the gnome. "Please allow me to introduce myself: I am [B]Wangle Turdblossom[/B] and I represent a consortium of gnomes involved in the sale of various magic items. Might you be interested in the purchase of a magical item or two?" Thurloe was interested, but that wasn't his primary concern at the moment. "'Turdblossom?'" he repeated. "Is that your real name?" "It is indeed," replied Wangle, bowing and apparently well pleased by the human's reaction to his unusual surname. In gnomish culture, it was a sign of great honor for the ridiculousness of one's chosen name to be acknowledged and many gnomes spent months, if not years, deciding upon the perfect name for when they came of age and got to replace their birth name for one of their own choosing. Thurloe looked around at the others. "Yeah, sure, we'll check out what you've got for sale." "If you would come this way then, sir," replied Wangle, leading them back into the inn. He walked down a hallway, took a right, and stopped at a door to one of the rooms for rent. Unlike the other doors in the hallway, this one held a door knocker at a height well within reach of the three-foot-tall gnome. He rapped upon it four times, then opened the door and led the others inside. The door, however, did not lead to a guest room as might be expected but rather to an unadorned hallway leading to a small room with a gnome-sized desk and a curtain in the back. Wangle climbed into the chair behind the desk and looked over at the five adventurers who had followed him down the hallway. "Now then, who's first?" he asked. "Uh, sure, I'll go first," Xandro replied, stepping up to the desk. Wangle looked at him expectantly. "And what are you hoping to purchase?" he asked. Xandro looked around at the bare walls of the little room. "I was kind of expecting a showroom or something," he said. "Ah, you thought we were running a magic item shop!" exclaimed Wangle. "No, no, nothing like that - although we do occasionally run an actual marketplace on occasions, to get rid of specific items we're looking to turn over. But no, the set-up works like this: you put in your order, we find what it is you're after, agree upon a price with the current owner, and bam! - purchase completed. Now then, I repeat: what particular item were you hoping to purchase today?" "Well," remarked Xandro, "I suppose I could do with a [I]wand of sound burst[/I]...." "A wand!" exclaimed Wangle. "Excellent! I don't deal with wands, though." As Xandro frowned in confusion, Wangle leaned forward and pushed a gemstone embedded in his desktop and leaned over it, saying, "Thaddeus! I have a customer for you!" Within moments, the curtains in the back of the room parted and another gnome stepped forward. "Good afternoon," he said. "I am [B]Thaddeus Blunderbritches[/B] at your service, sir. I handle rods, staffs, and wands. If you would be so good as to step this way?" He held the curtain open and Xandro, a look of confusion still apparent on his face, walked through to another office. "Now then: who's next?" asked Wangle. "You, sir, the half-orc." Wakuren stepped forward. "I could use an upgrade to my armor," he suggested, but that only caused Wangle to frown in irritation. "Upgrade?" he scoffed. "We don't deal with upgrades - we are involved strictly in the sale of unwanted magic items! I could sell you a more powerful set of magic armor, if you wish - that looks to be full plate, is it?" Wakuren agreed that it was but said he didn't have enough money to purchase a new set of plate mail armor. "I'd be willing to trade this armor in as part of the payment," he suggested. But that only caused Wangle to frown all the harder. "Barter?" he squeaked. "We don't engage in [I]barter[/I]. Cash only, although gemstones are also accepted. Very well, I'll send you to our armor and weapons expert; we'll have Mr. Rection see what he can do for you." "Misdirection?" asked Wakuren, misunderstanding what the little gnome had just said to him. "Eh? What?" demanded Wangle, before realizing the half-orc's mistake. "No, no, Mr. Rection," he repeated, before pushing another gemstone on his desk and leaning forward. "Biggie? We have a customer for you." He then looked over at the other three adventurers, all waiting in line. "Next?" he asked, looking up at Zander. Before he could answer, the curtains parted again and out stepped a burly gnome almost four feet tall. He wore the stereotypical pointed hat most often associated with gnomes but that was about all that was typical about him, for he had a stern, no-nonsense attitude quite different from the carefree and whimsical ways of the average gnome. "You're looking for magical armor?" [B]Biggie Rection[/B] demanded of Wakuren. "This way, then." And he led the half-orc through the curtain to his own office. "I understand there are magic items that can increase my overall level of toughness," Zander said, getting back to Wangle's question to him. Wangle looked the slender elf over with a practiced eye. "Yes, I can see how that might be desirable," he agreed. "An [I]amulet of health[/I] is what you need. They come in three main levels of strength," the gnome advised, then rattled off prices for each. Zander indicated he could only afford the cheapest of the three. "Just as well," Wangle replied, "those are the easiest to get a hold of." He bent over his desk again to summon another gnome to assist the elven sorcerer. "Wangle?" he asked. "We have a customer to see you." "Wait a minute - I thought you were Wangle," said Zander, brows furrowed in puzzlement. Wangle looked up at him, smirking at his little joke. "I am!" he cried. "I'll be able to help you with your purchase - it's my area of specialty! But let's get these other two helped first, shall we?" He indicated Alewyth. "What can I help you with?" he asked her. "I would like to be able to increase my speed," Alewyth answered the gnome. "Drop you off the side of a cliff?" suggested Wangle, his face betraying no sense of teasing. "I was actually hoping to move horizontally, not vertically." "[I]Potion of haste[/I]?" Wangle suggested. "I was hoping for something a bit more permanent." "[I]Boots of striding and springing[/I]? Or is it springing and striding? I can never remember." "Those sound promising," Alewyth replied. "How much are they?" Wangle rattled off the price, including the traditional 10% finder's fee. "I don't have that much," Alewyth bemoaned. "Anything else?" "[I]Boots of haste[/I]," suggested Wangle at once. "Those are cheaper?" "Oh no, they're way, way more expensive." "Then that doesn't really help me. Any other suggestions, more in my price range?" "[I]Polymorph[/I] you into a cheetah?" "I wouldn't be able to wield my warhammer as a cheetah, now, would I?" "I do not recall that being a stipulation. Very well then, it sounds like your best bet is the [I]boots of striding and springing and striding[/I]," recommended Wangle, figuring this way he was right either way. "If you want, you can put a down-payment on the boots and you can pick them up when you have the rest of the money." "I don't know when we'll be by this way again," pointed out Alewyth. "Pshaw!" scoffed Wangle. Then, to make sure his disdain was fully understood, he added, "Fiddlesticks! Poppycock! No worry at all - we'll deliver them to you." Alewyth was a bit leery and said she'd think it over while Wangle attended to Thurloe. "Very well," Wangle agreed. "And what can I do for you, sir?" "I'm interested in two things," Thurloe answered. "First of all, is there any kind of armor that would make it easier to cast arcane spells in? If so, I'd be interested in something like that. Otherwise, a simple [I]wand of shield[/I] would do just as well." "I'm not so sure about the armor," mused Wangle, thinking deeply and tugging on the points of his moustache as he did so. "The wand is a sure thing, though. Perhaps you could do with some Oral?" "...Say what?" asked Thurloe, uncharacteristically flabbergasted. "[B]Oral Hijinx[/B]," Wangle said, leaning into his desk. "We have a customer for you." "I thought that Bumblebritches guy handled wands," Thurloe replied. "Oh, Thaddeus might be our expert on hard-to-find items along those lines, but he's with another customer right now and I think you'll find any from our consortium will be able to handle things to your satisfaction." The curtain parted and a young, female gnome stepped through. "Someone looking for Oral?" she asked, smiling broadly up at the young fighter-wizard. "Here I am." She led Thurloe through the curtain back to her own office. Eventually, the five heroes ended back in Wangle Turdblossom's office with their purchases. Thurloe had his [I]wand of shield[/I], Zander wore his [I]amulet of health[/I] on a gold chain around his neck, and Wakuren's armor now had an [I]iron ward diamond[/I] attached to the chest-plate, which Biggie had guaranteed would deflect some of the damage from incoming strikes during combat. Xandro's [I]wand of sound burst[/I] was on order but probably wouldn't be available until the next day. "Don't go engaging in any anti-scrying techniques," advised Wangle Turdblossom to the bard. "We'll find your present location and bring the wand out to you, at which time you can pay the other half of the bill." The white-haired gnome looked at Alewyth. "Did you wish to put a down-payment down on those boots?" he asked. Alewyth looked over at Xandro. "You paid half up front for your wand?" she asked him quietly. "What if they just rip you off?" "We know where to find them," the bard replied, to which Wangle Turdblossom hid a smile. "Plus, they seem like a good bunch. I trust them." Alewyth looked over at the gnome. "Do you take Kornakian coins?" she asked. She still had several hundred coins from the Barony of Kornak that weren't exactly popular in other lands. "My dear lady, we accept coins from all over the world," Wangle assured her. Alewyth pulled out her Kornakian coins and counted them out to the little gnome, who wrote up a document with his signature stating the money was paid as a down-payment for a pair of "boots of springing and striding, or vice-versa, as the case may be." He reiterated his recommendation not to shield themselves from scrying attempts and wished them all a good day. Once they were back on the road, Alewyth started voicing her doubts. "I hope we didn't just throw our money away," she said to Xandro. "I doubt it," Xandro replied. "Do you think that was even a legal establishment?" the dwarven priestess continued. "What if we're involved in trafficking stolen goods?" "Then we're just innocent customers, taken in by the gnomes' dishonest shenanigans," Thurloe assured her. "They'd be the ones in trouble, not us." He turned to Wakuren, sitting in the front of the mule-driven wagon. "Did you get a chance to [I]detect evil[/I] on them?" he asked. "I suppose I had plenty of opportunities," Wakuren admitted. "But it never occurred to me. Plus, my eyes glow when I do it, so it's something people can see I'm doing, and it seemed insulting to go into a business establishment and pretty much say 'I suspect you might be evil' the first thing I get in there." "Maybe you ought to buy a pair of magic goggles with shaded lenses," suggested Zander. "Then nobody could see your eyes glowing when you're checking people out for signs of evil." "Yeah," agreed Wakuren. "There's a thought." And then he focused his attention back on the road, where Mica and Perseverance were plodding along, pulling the wagon behind them. - - - The adventure I had planned on running the players through during this session seemed like it could end up a little short, which was something I really wanted to avoid since our last session ended after two hours and only extended to two and a half because the PCs all leveled up to 6th level. So I decided to spring this little shopping excursion as a sort of "Side Trek" before the adventure itself started up. And this was also a solution to a problem I had caused: when designing this campaign, I decided I wanted a different "feel" from our previous two campaigns, which featured magic shops in the larger cities. So I decided there would be no such magic shops in this campaign, just the occasional stalls that sold potions and scrolls - one-shot items, in other words. But the PCs were now at 6th level and had been amassing money without much on which to spend it. So the Hidden Market is a compromise: a gnome-run consortium that deals with clients on an invitation-only basis, fetching magic items the original owners are willing to sell. I have designed some very specific ground rules for the Hidden Market, which all make sense to me but I don't wish to share because it will give away too much that I hope will eventually become apparent over the course of the campaign. But one of the rules is that they only sell previously existing items, they don't upgrade items or create new ones. And another rule is they accept any kinds of coins and gems but are not interested in all at any kind of bartering. And I think that's all I'll say about them for now, other than Harry got a kick out of the gnomes' ridiculous names, which was somewhat of a surprise for me because he usually just groans at my "dad jokes." - - - T-shirt worn: A "Duck Dynasty" shirt with the heads of the four most prominent members of the Robertson family, in all their full-bearded glory. It's the closest thing I have to a shirt featuring a bunch of gnomes. [/QUOTE]
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