Nightmare in Katapesh IC

[SanguinePenguin]

The merchant nods at Kharash, "please, call me Zetath! Ah, dwarven goods. Pahmet? Well," he asked the question rhetorically, then turns to the table and scans its contents, "ah! Yes, these two gold riveted saingham were found buried in the sand near an oasis about a three days trek south of Wati. They lay next to the bleached bones of a dwarf - one would suspect, Pahmet. I was not there when they were uncovered mind you, but I trust the finder's word absolutely. Ten gold for one, fifteen for the set."

Perhaps sensing that his customer lacks the requisite funds, he says, "I have some more." He bends down and digs up one of several crates from under the stand, and pulls it out. Seeming to remember something else, he grabs a hefty dwarven waraxe from within another crate, "the waraxe belonged to a caravan guard I once travelled with who had a bit too much of the life on that trip, and offered to sell the axe on our arrival in Katapesh. I took the deal, even though I hadn't a clue what I would do with the axe... I hope he's well. I would sell it for... 2 gold, 4 silver. In the crate, there are... the names for them escape me, friend, so please forgive the uncouth 'beard jewelry.' I would be happy to sell you any of the pieces at a good rate. Please excuse me, take a look, and let me know what you'd like."

He then moves over to a Kelesh man in a yellow turban who picked up a tea kettle, "why, my friend, this brass kettle may be worn, but it was hauled from the ruins of Sephar-Taj in Vudra! As it came from within the largest building there, it likely belonged to the mayor or a high priest. Eight gold and it is yours!"

Spoiler

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The dwarven waraxe appears to be a dwarven waraxe
If you would like any beard jewerly, you can buy it at a "good" rate, pay what you want, and it would be of appropriate quality.

Gex explains his plight to the crone, who looks back at him with a look of confusion. "Have you never engaged in commerce before, boy? I give you a price, and if you cannot pay for it, you go earn the money, then you come back with the money, you give it to me, and I give you what you wanted. I’m sure a handsome devil like yourself could make some money quickly, there are over a dozen brothels in the city. I'll be here when you have the coin," she motions him away. Without warning, a loud CAW echoes though the small shop. The sound came from a raven perched high in an alcove, who up until that moment had not made its presence known. "Really?" she asks the bird who responds, CAW CAW CAW. "Very well. I could give you a tarot reading, if you'd like. Free of charge."

Gurmok sets into haggling with enthusiasm, if no aptitude. The fast talking merchant is clearly no stranger to the art of haggling, but after some back and forth Gurmok scores a clear victory in this circumlocutory sojourn, and manages to talk Paggron down to one silver for a pot that will last a week.

Erthin nods understandingly to Mauricio, "far from being a waste of my time, your interest is the best investment so far today. As you can imagine, foot traffic in the bazaar looking for a carriage isn't common, but every other week or so, I book a new order here. Barring some crisis, I am here every Starday for Grand Bazaar. My workshop is down in the Sprawl and you can usually catch me there other days of the week." Mauricio is pretty confident that price is on the high side, but definitely reasonable. The merchant does not appear to be trying to cheat him.