My favorite spots in the city, in no particular order, and excluding my shop, naturally, are the duel arena, the royal palace, the grand market, and a lovely tea shop owned by a woman named Veris.
My least favorite spot in the city is the southern gate. They know what they did.
-Basen Koh on the sights of New Avennia
The grand view of the city was obscured as they came down the hill. The high walls hid much, though the Royal palace and the tops of some of the towers at the city's center were visible for most of the remaining walk.
"Getting into and remaining in the city is controlled, so let me do the talking when we reach the southern gate," Arvind said.
As they approached the gate, Reid could tell something was off about it. Around half of the stone was scorched and cracked as though there had been an attack on the gate.
"What happened here?"
"No idea. It's been like that for years. I asked about it once, and the man at the gate said no amount of cleaning will remove the marks. Given the cracks, I'm not sure why they haven't rebuilt, but again, it's been like that for years."
The gate had a small line for entry. There were two carts in front of them, piled high with fresh produce. The land surrounding the city was all farmland, with the occasional pasture. Reid wasn't surprised, given the sheer amount of food that would be consumed by a city of this size.
When they made it to the front of the line, Arvind showed some paperwork.
"Returning home after a Royal Mage Society contract. Bringing in a new student," he thumbed over his shoulder at Reid.
The guard looked at Reid with a disinterested expression. He stamped something on Arvind's paper and handed it back. Then he pulled out another paper and wrote on it. To Reid's surprise, the paper felt magical in nature.
"Here's his pass. He's got a month to enroll, find housing, or a full sponsor. You're bringing him here, which means you can't sponsor him."
"Understood," Arvind said. Reid was glad at least one of them understood.
Without further delay, they were waved through the gate.
The first thing Reid noticed about the city was the smell. The fresh air of the countryside, with its notes of farmland and pasture, was replaced by the smell of humanity. It wasn't bad. Clearly, the city was kept clean, and they handled their waste properly. Still, it was unmistakably prominent to someone from a tiny town on the border. He let the smell fade to the back of his awareness. The road after the gate was wide and stretched straight as far as Reid could see.
"This is the heart road, as most people in the city call it. It connects the entire city from north to south. At this end is the southern gate, and at the other end is the northern gate. Right in the middle is the grand market. We'll head there first."
They walked up the heart road. It was busy. The population of Glarrus would be hard pressed to fill more than a block or two of the wide road. The people of New Avennia filled it and more. Carts stuck to two marked lanes on one side of the heart road while the masses of people traveled down the other side on foot. When Reid spotted his first non-human in the crowd, he stopped walking.
"Come on, kid. Keep moving, or you'll cause an incident. The heart road isn't a place for people to stop and have a casual conversation or look around."
Reid kept walking, but he craned his head to watch the huge person, seemingly made of wood and covered with bark, walk down the street heading away from him. He knew about some non-humans. He'd met some dwarves hired to expand the mines back home and a lizala the mayor had hired to try to explore some of the hard to reach places in the swamp. He'd been fascinated by their similarities and differences. The dwarves looked more or less human, if shorter and broader, but boasted natural earth magic that didn't come from items. The lizala had been the same size as a normal adult but was covered in scales and had a massive tail that it could use to swim through the swamp faster than Reid would have guessed was possible.
The tree person was more alien to his sensibilities than those others, and he desperately wanted to find it and have a conversation. When it passed out of sight, he kept on high alert for other non-humans in the city.
Arvind explained that most of what they passed were residential homes. The shops were located closer to the city's center, near the grand market, and the guilds and society buildings were located just beyond them, in the city's northern half. That was actually where the massive towers stood, and Reid suspected they were probably owned by the guilds and societies.
When they made it to the grand market, Reid's breath caught. Hundreds of stands were set up all around a massive square. There was room to travel between the rows, and each stall connected to the next, with canvas walls between. The most interesting part was the wooden signs displayed above each stall. Painted on the signs were names of shops, the types of goods they were selling, or just murals depicting all manner of things. He nearly gave himself whiplash, trying to look at each one on either side of the row they walked down.
"We're just going to have a quick pass through," Arvind said. "I wanted to point out that this is likely where you'll be able to find some work. Note any interesting businesses, and you can stop by tomorrow."
"Are they out here every day?"
"Many are, but today is Sunday, so it's more busy than usual. Many merchants have regular shops where they keep their merchandise and sell from during the week, or they craft during the week elsewhere and sell here on the weekend. If one of those catches your eye, you'll have to come back in a week or figure out where their shops are."
Reid wasn't sure that would be possible. His borrowed map of the city had many merchants listed, but there weren't nearly enough to cover all he saw in the market. He'd plan on exploring today and stopping back next weekend to find likely work. Besides, he had a larger concern today—finding a place to live.
Their "quick" pass through the market was slowed by the crowds and the sheer size of the area. After looping around the market for nearly an hour and grabbing lunch along the way, they headed north once more. Reid felt a little relieved to leave the market, and the feeling surprised him. It had been overwhelming. He wanted to learn and find someone to work for, but there had been too much to take in at once.
As Reid had suspected, Arvind pulled off the heart road near the base of a tall tower. He pointed up at it and then to another one on the opposite block.
"This is the Avennish Merchant's Guild, and that building over there is the Dusk Guild headquarters. They're one of several adventuring guilds, but they're the most welcoming of new people and the most likely to be able to find you a place to stay in the city. The Merchant's Guild could help, too, but merchants like to make deals. As a new hopeful city resident, the deals aren't likely to be in your favor."
Arvind checked his pocketwatch and grimaced. "I was going to take you in to make sure you got settled, but I'm out of time."
Arvind pulled out the magic paper he'd been given at the city gate.
"This is your visitation pass. It's magic, obviously, and allows the city's many bureaucrats to keep track of your stay in the city. In order to stay for longer than the month it provides, you either need to find a permanent residence, get a sponsor, or enroll in an academy in the city. I said you were a student at the gate because they don't actually care, and it comes with the fewest questions. You have a month, which isn't as much time as you might hope for. I recommend finding a sponsor. Get a job, and get your employer to sponsor you. That's the fastest and the cheapest. Permanent residence in the city means you'd have to buy a place. Unless your bag is actually full of gold, that's probably not going to happen."
"What about going to an academy? Can I do that? Is there a merchant's academy?"
Arvind shook his head. "No merchant's academy. There's an independent magic academy and the Royal Avennish Academy. They both teach more about magic and politics than trade. Besides, you'd need to apply and get admitted before enrolling, which can take months."
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"Ahh. I guess I need to find a job."
"That you do, but you will want to get temporary housing. As I said, the Dusk Guild should help with that. If you have a problem and end up without a place to stay, find the nearest messaging post and have them send this note with your location to that address. I'll be leaving town again tonight, so I can't put you up, but I have a friend who will let you crash for a night. Just one, though. Got it?"
Reid looked at the note. It had an address and a short note of explanation about who Reid was, signed by Arvind. It was a lot of information in a short amount of time, but he felt good about it.
"Got it. Thanks, Arvind. I'll figure it out!"
Arvind pat him on the shoulder. "Alright then, Reid. It was nice meeting you. I wish you luck. If you set up shop in the city, I'll find you sometime and say hello. Don't lose your pass!"
They parted, and Reid had the momentary panic of suddenly realizing he was alone in an unfamiliar city with nowhere to live and no one to rely on. He took some cleansing breaths. He knew what he needed to do.
He was right next to the Royal Merchant's Guild, so he checked it out first. The front glass doors slid open when he approached, without any interaction from him. It was a little ominous, but Reid kept his mind open to all new experiences. The entry room was larger than the Glarrus community center, where the entire town gathered to vote on issues. Marble statues of imperious looking men and women lined the hall. In the center, there was a green skinned man at a wide desk, and far behind him were three doors.
On either side of the room, people gathered into rough groups, looking over boards with postings. Occasionally, one of the groups pulled down a notice. By some unseen magic, a moment later, a new notice appeared to take its place. He needed to examine those boards, but he also didn't want to make an ass of himself by doing something he wasn't supposed to.
He approached the desk at the center of the room. The man sitting there had dark green skin covered in runic tattoos that glowed ever so slightly. His brow and bare head were scaly, but the rest of his skin looked smooth. He looked up from some paperwork, and Reid tried his best not to flinch at the bright red eyes.
"Good afternoon, and welcome to the Merchant's Guild. Are you a member or just visiting?"
"Just visiting. I was wondering if I could get some information on the guild and if you could point me to the public notices?"
"Sure, sure. The public notices are just next to the door there; you passed them, but there's nothing on the board today. The other two boards in here are for guild members. They're mostly purchase requests submitted to the guild to be fulfilled by our members. We're open to the public for membership, and joining is a matter of proving you are an authorized resident of the city and filling out an application with your experience as a merchant. All levels of mercantile skill are accepted, so long as you're actively in the trade, as it were. Can I get you an application?"
"Ah, not today. I'm not technically a resident yet. I'm just here on a visitor's pass."
"Ahh. A fresh face to the city. Well, if you come by that authorization of residency and are interested in joining, all you need to do is stop by again. In any case, feel free to admire the art in the lobby or read the notices on the boards, but remember you will not be able to take any notices on the guild boards. Stop by if you have any questions."
"I'll do that, thanks!"
Reid checked out the board with a smaller crowd first. They were standing around and not paying attention. The five contracts he could see all seemed to be looking for raw materials.
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Wanted: Wool thread, wool cloth
Reward: 5 merits per fulfillment
Pay: 50 copper per yard, standard cloth. 20 copper per spool, standard thread.
Fulfillment Quantity: 10 yards of cloth, 30 spools of thread
Limits: 20 fulfillments
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The other four had a similar structure, with differing raw materials required and pay offered. He left the board and went to the opposite side of the room. This board had ten postings, and most of the requests were for more specific items rather than raw materials.
A new posting appeared without warning, and the groups around the board perked up, crowding around him to see. It was another of the same sort but looking for a particular species of lumber milled to specific dimensions. A tall man with wispy hair and a long nose grabbed the notice and turned to the group.
"Any bidders?"
No one replied, so he took the notice to the front desk. Curious, Reid followed him to see how the process worked.
"Good afternoon, Kenagavis," the tall man said to the green skinned man. "I'll pick up this one today."
The clerk accepted the note and marked off something in a thick book.
"I have you marked for fulfillment, Travis. Will there be anything else?"
"Can I get a public notice for some woodcutters? Nothing fancy. I just need to harvest what I have. General call, schedule one labor, tools provided. Probably around twenty hours of work. Send them by the yard during standard non-market hours."
"Very good, Travis. Any deadlines or incentives?"
Travis shook his head. A moment later, the green skinned man, Kenagavis, gestured to the board at the front of the hall. A notice appeared on it.
"All set. I've applied the posting fee to your account and set aside payment funds as well."
"Thanks."
With that, Travis turned and walked out of the building.
"Interested in what just happened?" Kenagavis asked, seeing Reid hovering nearby.
"Yeah! When I get settled, I am hoping to join, but I don't have much experience as a merchant, to be honest. Even less with the guilds."
The clerk stood up from his desk. Reid tried not to be intimidated by the extremely nice man, but between the green skin, red eyes, and the fact that he was eight feet tall, it was challenging. The man paused, noticing the obvious discomfort on Reid's face and in his body language.
"New to the city, right? Have you met many outside your own race?"
Reid's face flushed in embarrassment. He resolved to learn as much as he could about people from other races because he didn't enjoy the shame he felt at not knowing.
"Sorry. Yes. I've only met some dwarves and a lizala. I've seen a few different races in the city, and I feel bad that I don't even know what they are."
Kenagavis laughed.
"No need to feel embarrassed, young man. I respect your honesty. Have you stopped in at the Dusk Guild?"
"No. The man I traveled with to the city suggested I go there next, though."
"Smart man. They'll help you get on your feet. They have guides to all the races you're likely to see in the city. But if you'll allow, I'll introduce you to my race on behalf of all my people."
"Please! I really want to know more! I have a feeling I'm going to be doing that for a while."
Kenagavis nodded. "Let's walk to the public board. Now, my people are known as the orkenna. We are a peaceful people with a natural affinity for fire. Despite our stature, we are physically similar to humans in strength. However, our scales, a vestigial remnant of what we once were, are quite tough and cover our entire head and backside down to our feet. In terms of customs, we're more or less fully integrated with human, and Avennish, society. We have some unique heritage remaining from our lost homeland, but it's nothing to worry about."
Reid had so many questions. They had a country, but now it's lost? What were they descended from? Scales and an affinity for fire...dragons? He had so many questions, but he was still unsure what might come off as rude or inappropriate. He needed that guide.
"Wow. Thank you so much for filling me in. So basically, just treat you like the people you are."
"Exactly. We're just trying to get by, the same as everyone. We're not trying to take over anything, as some like to say. We don't even have our own country. If you treat us with respect, you will get the same in return. I understand our appearance can be intimidating to humans, and no one will perceive your small startlement as a slight against us."
Reid nodded. "Thanks. I'm Reid, by the way."
"Kenagavis."
They shook hands, and then the orkenna pointed Reid's attention to the public board they had reached.
"Now, as for what Travis did. He accepted a notice, which I recorded, and then asked for a new notice to be posted."
Reid saw the notice and read it.
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Help Wanted: Lumber harvesting
Reward: 1 merit per 5 standard hours
Pay: 1 Silver per standard hour
Fulfillment: N/A
Limits: 20 standard hours
Description: Laborers needed for lumber harvesting outside the city. No experience is required. Magical implements are provided. See the desk for more details.
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"There's a lot going on here," Reid said, not understanding basically the entire posting.
"There is. You'll want to learn the terminology, as it will be consistent across the city. 'Reward' is something offered by a specific guild, and those are the most inconsistent. Here at the Royal Merchant's Guild, we offer merits that can be exchanged for various goods, services, and discounts with members. 'Standard hours' is how we estimate work. A standard hour is simply how long it will take for a person with no extra magical ability or enhancements to complete a job."
"So if I have a magic ability that lets me cut down trees, I get paid for how long it would have taken me?"
"Yes. If you could cut down the trees in an instant, you would still make twenty silver. It's spelled out so multiple people can take a notice, or someone on a notice can stop after only partially completing it and still get paid."
"Huh, I guess that's good."
"Indeed. Fulfillment is what constitutes job completion or batch completion for a specific job. It's more or less obvious when you see it used, but for a job like this, Travis doesn't want to pay per tree or anything like that."
"Okay," Reid said, nodding. "I think that all makes sense. And tools provided? Magic tools? What does that mean."
"It's not always the case, but for a simple job like this, it generally means that magic axes that make cutting trees easier will be provided. It's one of the reasons this type of contract doesn't require any experience."
"Wow, they just have them lying around to use? In my village, magic was pretty rare. It was a big deal whenever someone found a magic item in the swamp. I wonder why it's so different here."
Kenagavis looked confused by the statement but didn't ask why they were finding magic items in a swamp. "Economies differ, and magic differs. You'll find that relics of ages gone by, as I assume your swamp might contain, are significantly more sought after than the simple magic we put into tools."
Reid wanted to know more, but a line was forming back at the clerk's desk.
"I'm happy to explain more when you next stop in, Reid. For now, I must return to work, and I suggest you heed your traveling companion's advice and stop by the Dusk Guild."
Reid thanked him and let him get back to work. When he was back outside, he took a breath of fresh air. The talk with Kenagavis had settled him. There were good people here and opportunity. He almost took the contract for the woodcutting, curious about what it was like. Maybe he'd stop by tomorrow.
Reid crossed the busy heart road and looked up at the Dusk Guild. The buildings were amazing. Taller than he'd ever imagined and full of windows, not like the dark stone, windowless towers he'd imagined once filled the Broken Swamp. The doors of this building didn't open automatically for him. He pulled open one of the tall doors, and the sounds of a fight in progress flooded out to greet him.