The entrance to The Pirate Market is packed with all manner of festival goers, so much so that getting through the narrow chokepoint is difficult, as hundreds of attendees try to cram through the relatively narrow space between the Cathedral of Mithras the Risen and the Port Authority . The crush is not helped by a circus procession, complete with jugglers, fire breathers, musicians, and other performers that seems intent on making use of the same entrance.
After navigating the entrance, the fairgrounds opens up somewhat as the crowd spills out into the larger space, and you can at least take a breath and a look around. The smell is overpowering, unwashed creatures of several races, mixed with the flowering palm trees, tropical fruits, cinnamon, nutmeg, sour wine from the stalls. The din is more overpowering then the smells, as hundreds of voices converse, yell and swear at one another, competing to be heard in dozens of languages.
Two large stalls dominate the entrance. prominently hawking succulent fruits, vegetables and mixed drinks. Set slightly back from the main causeway, several larger merchant stalls selling more serious items cluster, taking advantage of all the foot traffic no doubt. One shop, with a large sign promising "Antidotes", is presided over by a tall, intimidating black woman dressed in occult paraphernalia. Her stall seems to caters to potions and alchemical concoctions, some of which she is brewing on the spot as you watch.
Out of another stall (marked "Quality Blades"), a halfling peddles swords, muskets and other weapons. A third stall, administered by an imposing, bare shirted man, sports a variety of exotic weapons including a trident and large war hammer, in addition to miscellaneous adventuring gear. Finally a dwarf runemaster stands next to a large merchant wagon, set up near the wall of the Cathedral, fiddling with a huge golem lying on a display table next to it.
And wait a minute, that dwarf looks familiar!
