Lady Amethyst’s Wondrous Bazaar

Located under the Barrier Mountains in Lacrienta, Lady Amethyst’s Wondrous Bazaar sits underground, 4 miles away from the edge of the Gloomdeep’s first layer; the Upper Roads. It is a huge place hidden from the surface world, although there are some unsavory individuals that have knowledge of the place and where it is located. It boasts a plethora of shops, goods and other services that cannot be found in most other places in Rythalion, however it is not a place for the light hearted or earnest individuals. The Bazaar attracts all kinds of customers; from shady merchants and dubious entrepreneurs, to adventurers and mercenaries looking to buy rare equipment and magic items, to outright criminals laying low and hiding from the authorities of the surface or the Gloomdeep. Humans and all kinds of races can be found in the Bazaar; even races of creatures that would otherwise be considered threats in most communities like Illithids, Beholders, various Fey and even some Devils and Yugoloths. In Lady Amethyst’s Wondrous Bazaar no one cares who you are or what you look like; they only care if you do good business and paying well. However, exceptions do exist as per the rules set by Lady Amethyst herself. She frowns on thieves and she has a whole wall dedicated to displaying their severed arms as a reminder not to steal and generally not to cause trouble. She calls it  Wall of Naughtiness .

In order to find the way to the bazaar one must find its first entrance, hidden in Sydesikah Forest where the forest meets the mountainside of the Barrier Mountains; where one of the tributaries that form the Slithering River starts flowing. Once inside, there is a specific question in the passage's wall written in draconic. If the answer is correctly answered aloud while the writing is touched by the speaker, the speaker gets teleported into the bazaar's entrance. The answer can be learned from people in the bazaar or from people outside that know it and are trusting enough or bribed well in order to share it. The other way to reach the bazaar is to walk the path and caverns for 6 miles until the entrance is reached. A similar procedure is followed if someone wants to reach it from the Gloomdeep, although creatures from the Gloomdep are well versed in traversing the underground so they can find it more easily and with less trouble than surfacers.

Rules
-No Demons allowed. If you are a demon or you brought demons as your company you will be removed.

-The only undead allowed as customers are strictly various types of liches and they are asked to refrain from summoning or bringing other undead here as they might be confused for merchandise and/or otherwise cause trouble. Should the above come to pass you will be removed. Exceptions can be made only to undead accompanied by a personage who vouches for said undead to an Overseer, and only if the Overseer agrees.

-Pets are to be placed in the special areas designed for them.

-No fighting in the Bazaar's grounds; pit fighting is exempt. If you must fight go into our services for pit fighting. If you want to kill someone do so outside, killing is generally forbidden in the premises. In case a fight breaks out that is not in a pit fighting service, the Bouncers will escort you outside or to the afterlife.

-If you break something, you pay for it; one way or another.

-If you are caught stealing, your hand and/or appendage will be cut off and be displayed in the Wall of Naughtiness.

-No plane-shifting allowed in the Bazaar; if you need to leave the Plane there is a service for that. If you need to leave the Plane and do not wish to employ our service for interplanar travel, do so outside the premises of the Bazaar. Should you be seen plane-shifting in the premises you will be temporarily banned.

-No teleportation allowed in the Bazaar. The only teleportation that is allowed is performed by our Teleportation Service. Should you be seen teleporting in the premises you will be temporarily banned.

-No resurrections allowed in the Bazaar. If you need to have someone resurrected in the premises do so outside. Otherwise you can use a service for that; the only way resurrections are allowed.

-There are no criminals here, except from those who are decreed as such by an Overseer or by Lady Amethyst herself.

-Should you wish to open up shop in our Bazaar, seek an Overseer and they, in turn, will present you to Lady Amethyst for an interview or for the scheduling of one.

-As per the terms of the contracts between Lady Amethyst and business owners in the Bazaar, shops and services will only accept currency from the following list:

Gold Coins

Platinum Coins

Trade Bars

Gems

Soul Coins

Soul Larvae

-If for any reason whatsoever Lady Amethyst herself deems your presence unwelcome, you will be removed and permanently banned. Lady Amethyst has every right to the use of force if compliance is not expressed or if a situation otherwise requires it.

-Three violations of any combinations of rules will result in a permanent ban from the Bazaar or from life.

Hooves and Horns
The biggest and most successful inn/tavern in the Bazaar. It has three floors. The first floor is where the tavern is located and the second and third floors are where the rooms are. Of course, the third floor is more expensive since its better adorned and more sought out because it’s further away from the loud tavern. Its owner and proprietor is a satyr named Skallie who loves her work and loves merriment and revelry to be present in her inn both for profit’s sake but also for personal enjoyment. Sometimes, Lady Amethyst herself visits Skallie’s inn; a fact that Skallie personally does not like that much because her patrons tend to be tense around the lady and don’t relax as much. The inn's namesake is inspired from Skallie's own hooves and horns but also from the hooves and horns of devils and other creatures that visit.

All That Glitters
An herbalist’s shop, as well as a magic shop selling scrolls, spellbooks, spell components and other useful items for an herbalist, an alchemist or a wizard. The owner of this shop is a Night Hag called Granny Riela, who is always on the lookout to trade for ingredients that are missing from her personal collection. She also offers good payment for any toenails of giants people bring her, for unknown reasons. She prefers to be paid with Soul Larvae.

Glup’s Steady Steeds
The kenku Glup sells mounts of all kinds here be it draft horses, war horses, giant lizards, elephants, ponies, mastiffs, hippogriffs, axe beaks, giant striders or dinosaurs from Tejar and Yohssalu. He has even trapped some Nightmares and also has infernal tacks for sale. He is the only one among other similar shops to have Nightmares.

The Giant’s Pit
Jokingly known as Trostr's Armpit, this is where pit fights take place, and the Fire Giant owner, Trostr, loves the fights and the stakes. Bets take place in all fights and there are plenty who wish to test their mettle and earn some gold or any currency they bet. Trostr wishes that the rules would let the fights be to the death but he still enjoys himself and making a lot of money in the process. He wishes that more people challenged him though.

Velvet Lips Brothel
This brothel has the best workers in the art of lovemaking in the Bazaar, a fact that is to be expected since it is the only brothel here whose people are also disciples of Lasentia, the goddess of lust, passion and hedonism. Here, no sexual practice is forbidden as long as all parties involved are consensual. It has something for everyone, be they of any gender or sexual orientation. Of course, things tend to get very intense as there is a reason why these disciples of Lasentia were ousted from Qazali in the surface. Be that as it may, it still has the most class out of the two other brothels in the Bazaar. Also, most undead and aberrations are not welcome as customers as is the case with most of the other brothels as well.

Red’s Enchanting World
As the name suggests, this is an enchanter’s shop. Red is a tiefling with red hair and red skin who specializes in enchanting items and also in the making of magic items. Prosthetic limbs, ersatz eyes and magical wheelchairs are also sold here. She also has spells for sale; pages ripped from various spellbooks. Red is the best enchanter in the Bazaar and she also claims that she is the best in Lacrienta. Rumors around the Bazaar also claim that she is a powerful wizard and also immortal. She sure is a mighty wizard but the claims about her immortality are unproven.

Protection from Death and Idiots
A smithy owned and run by the high elf Glenadora, a blacksmith who specializes in making heavy armor and shields. However, she also makes fine weapons; just not as fine as her armor. She has a deal with Red to enchant equipment for her to sell in the price of a magic item in exchange for repairs in Red’s shop as well as a permanent discount for Red. Glenadora herself is impatient with undecided customers and threatens to chase them off with a weapon of hers calling them names. Of course she never actually hurts them or fights them since it is against the rules.

A Knife from the Dark
Void’s Gate, a guild of assassins based in the surface, owns this business. They are highly efficient and experts at what they do. Here, anyone who wants to employ the guild’s services makes a deal with the contacts deployed in the service’s building and the contact will inform the guild about the contract. The contacts also sell poisons and some weapons as a side business.

Mutables and Transmutables
Owned by the vampire Vodeus Artilius, it is one of the most prominent places in the Bazaar; it is the only service that will transmute copper to gold or silver to gold etc., for a fee of course. Typically the amount that Vodeus keeps is subtracted by the amount transmuted. The amount of coins must be of the same value as the desired amount. For example a silver coin won’t be transmuted to a gold coin but instead 10 silver coins will be transmuted into one gold coin. Sometimes Vodeus also asks that he be paid with blood instead, a fact he keeps hidden from the Overseers and Lady Amethyst.

Styx Lines
A union of merrenoloths operate this business that ferry people to the Lower Planes and back through the river Styx from portals they open for their boats to enter. They can also access Sigil through spontaneous portals found across the Styx. They say that Lady Amethyst made a contract with Charon himself to have this service in the Bazaar. A typical boat the merrenoloth ferrymen use is the Keelboat. It is equipped with two magic ballistae located in the front and back of the ship’s deck and operated by Hydroloths and/or Mezzoloths of the crew. The crew consists of up to five yugoloths other than merrenoloths, most often being hydroloths and mezzoloths that are ready to defend the boat if battle breaks out. The ferrymen prefer to be paid with Soul Coins.

Teleportation Service
This service is owned by Lady Amethyst herself. It is inside a building where teleportation circles are located, and is the only service to house such circles. Scores of Bouncers are always active here and always guard the building as well as the teleportation circles closely. Certain Overseers are in charge of the service here, and they are thorough about who uses the circles and when as well as where they are going. The have files of everyone that has ever used them contained in extradimensional spaces with the same functions as a Bag of Holding. The teleportation service is expensive and people are only allowed to leave through the circles and not arrive through them, however certain exceptions do exist. Should anyone arrive through the circles uninvited and unauthorized, the Bouncers will immediately attack. The circles lead to outposts owned by Lady Amethyst across Rythalion.

Whispers in Death’s Ear
This is a resurrection service owned by a human, a sweet-looking old lady with nice mannerisms and a gentle behavior named Gertrude. Although, she is a cleric of the goddess of darkness and corruption, Ansephal, she doesn’t look the part. When she casts resurrection, she always asks Ansephal, politely and gently, to give her the power to cast the spell and always says  thank you dark one  with a wholesome smile afterwards. While Gertrude is casting the spell, dark tendrils appear from the ground around her and shadowy butterflies flutter around whispering eerily in the language of the gods. Some of said butterflies may attach themselves to other mortals around the casting and whisper dark secrets to them.

Hammer and Knee
A smithy as well as a weapons and armor shop that is owned by two drow brothers hailing from the drow city of Tildaneve in the Gloomdeep. They sell all manners of weapons and armor and even have some rare magic equipment for sale as well. They can also enchant weapons and armor and also sell the so-called Drow Poison. They specialize in warhammers, and their pride is an exquisite warhammer that they made and named Kneeshatter. The shop got this name after the brothers tested Kneeshatter in more than a hundred knees. It is not for sale or so they say.

Blades of Hades
A mercenary guild run by Yugoloths. Their members consist almost entirely of Yugoloths who offer their services to the highest bidder. The guild leader, an ultroloth named Uthgazas, keeps the place orderly and ensures the guild members have the best training they can stomach and then some. The guild is not as big or fancy as similar guilds in Sigil but it gets the job done. They prefer Soul Coins to gold.

The Broken Prince
A shop whose owner, the human Tamaz, sells zombies and other more minor undead. A customer who buys is given a charm in control of said undead. If the charm is broken or misplaced the undead will be free of the buyer’s control. The shop got its name after Tamaz found the corpse of traitor-prince Gustavion Wolfendale of Rineya 20 years ago after he was slain in the Battle of the Siblings during that time. He raised the prince as a zombie and it has been the mascot of his shop ever since.

Valnis's Hellish Emporium
Valnis the Imp owns this shop in which he sells oddities, miscellany, as well as some weapons and armor from Avernus and other layers of the Nine Hells. Some of these are scavenged by him in the wastes of Avernus from fallen combatants in the Blood War. The only devil who owns a shop here, he also brokers infernal deals representing Asmodeus and Mammon with mortals that are interested or ones he lures to make a contract. Valnis is an agent of the Archdevil Mammon, and much of his income and treasures go to him. Of course, Valnis’s pay is relatively good since the imp is producing results. Valnis also does this job in hopes that someday he will be promoted by Mammon. He prefers to hire Yugoloths to protect him and his shop and he also prefers to be paid with Soul Coins in exchange to his services.

Brainy Pastries and More Brainy Goodies
A halfling that people call Chiptooth owns this unique business. Chiptooth sells brains to Illithids here, and also to wizards who use the brains in experiments. Nobody knows where he gets all these brains. Chiptooth 's best friend is a Brain in a Jar named Cordelia. Cordelia's presence in the Bazaar is an exception to the no undead that aren't liches rule ordered by Lady Amethyst herself for reasons known only to her. Perhaps it is because a brain in a jar is reminiscent of a lich in nature given its intelligence and immortality but no one can truly know. Cordelia is known to occasionally have requests for adventurers and mercenaries in exchange for gold and other rewards. She protects Chiptooth and threatens anyone who mistreats him, and Chiptooth in turn would never let anyone harm Cordelia and her sale is out of the question. There are rumors that Cordelia was once Chiptooth' s wife but neither of them address these rumors.

Overseers and Bouncers
The Overseers are typically humanoid employees who work for Lady Amethyst and they are in charge of maintaining order in the Bazaar. They welcome newcomers, solve disputes between merchants and make sure all the rules are being followed to the letter. All of them keep a ledger that contains a list of all of the businesses in the Bazaar. They also are responsible for the security in the Bazaar; they control the Bouncers and are also in charge of maintaining the hidden entrance and modifying the means of how it is hidden. Their work is being tracked by Lady Amethyst and should she be disappointed an Overseer is likely to lose their job.

The Bouncers are Iron Golems positioned all across the Bazaar. They are inactive until called to duty by an Overseer. They are a force to be reckoned with and quick to neutralize threats to the Bazaar. Besides the Overseers, Lady Amethyst also has total control of the Bouncers and she is also able to overwrite the Overseers’ control of the Bouncers with hers should she will to. Once she is in control, no Overseer can overwrite her will upon the Bouncers. This also serves as a countermeasure should an Overseer goes rogue and tries to usurp control of the Bazaar by using the Bouncers.

Lady Amethyst
The founder and owner of the whole Bazaar; she is respected by all in the Bazaar and when that doesn’t apply she is feared. A woman of wisdom, logic and efficiency, she believes in clean transactions and the power of trade. She is not fond of fighting but will do so if need be. She appears to be a slim and attractive human woman in her thirties with dark purple hair, piercing yellow eyes that always wear a serious expression and is always seen calm even in relatively tense situations. She favors wearing expensive and regal-looking clothes and jewelry, and she has her own mansion in a cavern adjacent to the massive one where the Bazaar is. Although she appears to be a human woman, her true form is draconic.

She is an Amethyst Dragon, hence her title, that chooses to appear in crowds as a human. Of course everyone who frequents her Bazaar knows that fact as she does not hide it. She is speculated to be a thousand years old. No one really knows when she founded the Bazaar or why she chose to do it, aside from making money. Her real name is Velizanticariscintyx although not many know of it and even fewer can pronounce it.