Synchronizing Katapesh


Lost Omens Campaign Setting General Discussion

The Exchange

I was miffed that the information on the city of Katapesh in Dark Markets: A Guide to Katapesh did not synchronize with the article “The Katapesh Marketplace” by Richard Pett in Legacy of Fire: The Jackal’s Price. So what I did is attempt to fit in Pett’s locations in his article into the city as presented in Dark Markets. There are 13 markets in the Pett article. What follows is my suggested locations for them and my reasoning for why they fit in there.

The Exchange

Market #1: The Great Plaza.
I’ve decided the Great Plaza should go right in front of the Palace Gate leading into the Pactmasters compound in the Inner City. That would really send a signal that the Pactmasters support free trade at all costs, at all hours of the day and night. It’s also the only location with a lot of open space on the map. That space is filled with greenery representing the area around the Golden Oasis on the map of Katapesh, but I doubt there’d be a huge swath of green like that in a city of about 200k people. It’s also close to the Screaming Obelisk – and what city plaza doesn’t have a big clock/sundial marking the time near it? The fact that the aluum can get to it easily also recommends this location.

The Exchange

Market # 2: Sweat Town.
The area of Twilight Gate bordering the Sprawl is a good place for Sweat Town. It’s within the city walls, so any sweatshop slaves would have a harder time escaping from their masters than they would in the un-enclosed Sprawl. At the same time any prosperous Sweat Town residents or indentured servants who get their freedom could easily set up shop in the Sprawl nearby, contributing to its growth. “Sweat Town” could also be used as a nickname to indicate the Gladiators’ Guildhall nearby.

The Exchange

Market # 3: The Pesh Quarter.
Zandrek’s Pesh Palace stands on the border between the opulent wealth of the Inner City that surrounds the Golden Oasis, and the Pesh Quarter proper (which is still a prosperous area) which lines the streets and alleys east of the River Scorpius and west of the Grand Coliseum. North to south, the Pesh Quarter is “contained” (if such a word can be used in Katapesh) by the streets leading to Two Penny Bridge* on the north and Temple Span on the south. This area is close enough for the Pactmasters to keep a close watch on the pesh trade.

*

Spoiler:
I’d change that bridge’s name to Two Coppers Bridge, rather than pennies, which is a very English monetary unit.

The Exchange

Market #4: Streets of Silver and Gold.
This location needs to be secure, since it is the home of the city’s jewelers. I think placing it close by to the Immaculate Repository in Dawn Gate makes the most sense. Dawn Gate is a wealthy area, and with Abadar’s clerics so close, anyone who wants to rob or steal the treasures made in these streets would have a lot of angry clerics to contend with. Jewelers concerned about their most precious wares could store them in the temple vaults for safe keeping.

The Exchange

Market # 5: The Great Camel-Mart.
I at first thought the Great Camel Mart could be somewhat nearby Zulran’s Equines in Dawn Gate, given that people would want similar facilities for their mounts and wouldn’t want such markets spread throughout the city. In the market for a fine camel? A horse? Go to Dawn Gate. However, Alseen’s Camels is located in the Daystalls west of Dawn Gate. That’s the most likely location for the Great Camel Mart. Zulran probably stables his horses in the Daystalls until he can determine if their quality warrants bringing them through Serpent Gate into the city (it’s the long way around, but I doubt he’d ever stable the horses in Dog Town!). If he brings stud horses through Serpent Gate, the rich people around the Golden Oasis can get a good look at them.

The Exchange

Market #6: The Water Market.
The Water Market would of course be located in the Dock District, probably near Annexa Palanthea’s Fishy Menagerie, although the Water Market would move up and down the whole of the Dock District depending on where and when cargo is being un/loaded.

The Exchange

Market #7: The Grand Tannery.
I figured the Grand Tannery would need to be located outside the city gates, on the River Scorpius, so I placed it in the Sprawl near Toilers Bridge. It’s the work-shop/crafts area of the city and it’s far enough away that it won’t pollute the water most of the people drink, and close enough to the sea to blow away the smell. Unfortunately, Jerg’s Repair Shop will get a good whiff if the offshore flow turns a bit northward. People who want to sell camel hides to the tannery can cross from the Daystalls without going through the city.

The Exchange

Market # 8: The Cattle Market.
The Inner City hosts the Grand Coliseum, and Pett mentions the Cattle Market (where slaves are sold) as providing slaves for the coliseum. I thought the Cattle Market would therefore be close to the coliseum in the Inner City. However, the Slave Block is located in the lower city near the Dockside district. To resolve this discrepancy, I thought it would be neat if the Cattle Market would surround the Slave Block (with the Block referring to the place of sale itself, and not the holding pens), and then when slaves were sold to the Grand Coliseum, they would be paraded up the Night Ramp of the Obsidian Wall to the street that leads to the Coliseum in the southern part of the Inner City. That way, people could see the slaves and bet on them as they ascend the ramp and go through the streets – and Night Ramp is just the right sort of place where that kind of gambling would go on. It would also be the most likely place for slaves to make a daring escape for freedom.

The Exchange

Market # 9: The Peculiar Emporium.
There are two choices: The Peculiar Emporium could surround the College of Dimensional Studies in the Inner City, near Oasis Bridge. This location is a good choice for the Emporium because it is close to the college’s wizards and scribes, and less experienced students could sell scrolls and potions at discount. The Emporium’s confusing maze of buildings and stalls mirror the confusing terrain inside the college. An alternate (and perhaps better) location for the Emporium is surrounding the Temple of Nethys near the Obsidian Wall. This location is closer to the Lower City’s description as “the world’s largest bazaar,” where the Emporium’s bridges and tunnels would fit in (and maybe even extend into the cliff-face).

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Market # 10: The Mechanical Market.
I at first thought putting the Mech Market near the Gilded Shell (an armorer’s shop in Dawn Gate) made the most sense, since both armorers and clockwork-makers need to be near smithies. But to put all those tinkers so close to the walls of the Pactmasters compound seemed odd. Wouldn’t the rich people complain about the noise? However, the Pactmasters are themselves odd, and might not mind the noise or strange inventions. They might even commission some strange inventions for themselves.

The Exchange

Market # 11: The Souk of the Magnificent and Inscrutable.
I think the Dock District is a good place for this souk, since a warship is for sale here, and most of the other things for sale would be costly and difficult to transport up the Obsidian Wall to the other districts. If the souk is placed to the northern edge of the district it’s less likely to be seen as a nuisance, and its giant statues and other large wares might not seem so huge when they are placed next to the Dockside Giant.

The Exchange

Market # 12: The Roof Market.
The logical place for this is on the roofs of the shops and stalls near the Great Plaza (where Pett says it is). However, I like the idea of the Roof Market being moveable, like the Nightstalls, and setting up on various rooftops in the city as rents rise and fall and properties are bought and sold. It makes the market more dynamic and adaptable.

The Exchange

Market # 13: The Menagerie.
Cindra’s Exotic Pets is located in the Lower City, so I think the Menagerie should be located there as well. I like that there are nice thick walls in that section of the city, should any beasts escape. The Zephyr Guard is located at nearby Council Hall to help contain any chaos that breaks out.

Contributor

If it helps, something I worked on in the past year was written with both of those sources in mind for background material. :)

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Todd Stewart wrote:
If it helps, something I worked on in the past year was written with both of those sources in mind for background material. :)

Is this something that has already been published? If so, links, please! (I can't keep up with all the awesome products Paizo keeps publishing!)

Contributor

Zeugma wrote:
Todd Stewart wrote:
If it helps, something I worked on in the past year was written with both of those sources in mind for background material. :)
Is this something that has already been published? If so, links, please! (I can't keep up with all the awesome products Paizo keeps publishing!)

The katapesh group of "monstrous slavers" in the forthcoming Rival Guide. They were mentioned in passing in the Paizo blog a little while back in an in-character teaser for the book. Otherwise, have to wait for that one to hit the street to know more. :)

The Exchange

Todd Stewart wrote:
The katapesh group of "monstrous slavers" in the forthcoming Rival Guide. They were mentioned in passing in the Paizo blog a little while back in an in-character teaser for the book. Otherwise, have to wait for that one to hit the street to know more. :)

Thanks, Todd! I'll check it out!

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