The Zynyx Market
The settlement isn’t particularly sprawling, it’s grown higher rather than wider, and many of its buildings, especially the riverside ones are two or three stories tall. The roofs are mostly clay tiles, as befits a settlement famous for its clay works. The stretch of river south of the settlement is also known for its beds of bamboo and other much more exotic reeds and other flora and fauna.
There is an unusual concentration of clay deposits of various qualities in the region around the Market, as it’s locally known. A few different kinds of clays can be mined here, and most of the really good clay deposits are on the southern side of the river. Workers work there during the daytime, and the mined clay is either stored in secure sheds on the same side, or brought back to the north side. The southern side of the river is more liable to be hit by bandits. There have been very occasional cases of fauna from the Stormwastes reaching the river, though the fortress at Storm’s Edge has been successfully keeping those away from the settled lands for many arcs now.
The brickworks are mostly situated on the northern side of the river, slightly downstream from the town itself. They produce a few different kinds of fired bricks, a sturdy red, and a delicate more expensive grey that’s often used on facades. Many of the works specialize in making roofing tiles, of both the glazed and unglazed varieties.
Most of the fuel needed for the firing of the brick kilns comes from the small cluster of woods that surround the town. There was some attempt at getting the timber needed for firing bricks from the Mistral Woods, but loggers were known to occasionally go missing during any logging attempts. There were always accidents and mishaps happening till the locals from the Mistral Village managed to convince the Market folks that persisting in the face of this opposition wasn’t a good idea.
Additionally, a few finer varieties of clay, which are more suitable for pottery and artistic works, are extracted and processed to remove impurities like organic matter, gravel, stones etc. This pre-prepared clay is in good demand by artists and sculptors across the whole Rharne territory. There is also a fair local pottery industry, that is more focused on dinnerware. The pieces are pale and dense, and are further painted with delicate designs featuring various flowers, lightning related motifs, fauna etc and glazed.
In certain circles, Zynyx Market is also known as Hunter’s Base. This refers to certain professional hunters who’ve made the market their base. For the right fee, they can arrange expeditions to the unpopulated parts of the Stormlands, including the Stormwastes. The expeditions can be simpler safari style operations, for rich tourists wanting to taste the danger of seeing the incredible Stormlands fauna in their natural habitat, or they can be for trophy hunting enthusiasts.
These expeditions skirt the every edge of what’s legal. However for the person with the right connections, getting expert help in hunting specifically protected fauna and flora for smuggling and the black market isn’t impossible. The biggest target for this would be the Zephyrus cubs, which are smuggled to the other continents hidden in ship’s holds from Volta. Volta is in fact the primary hub of such trade, with the alchemists wanting many of the fauna and flora components.
The Zynyx market provides a low key place to ship such goods across the whole Rharne region via a trusted smuggling network, which is rumored to be controlled by Rharne’s Shadow Quarter.The Lightning Cathedral has been trying its best to figure out how the Zephyrus smuggling happens, and to crack down on those involved, but every time an expedition is intercepted, it is found to be either a safari or a trophy hunting one. It is suspected that someone influential is behind the whole murky operation.
Hunting and Safari Prices
Location NPC List
Moderator's Note: Players are welcome to use these NPCs if they're writing about this location.
Race: Biqaj/Human
DoB: 692
Title: Safari Coordinator
Skills: Ranged Combat - Shortbow (Expert), Hunting (Expert), Stealth (Expert), Endurance (Competent), Business Management (Expert)
Dria is an enterprising woman who manages all of the local safaris that are run from the Zynyx Market. She commands a great deal of respect from the other locals and very few people ever dare to get in her way. Dria is a dark haired beauty with soft brown eyes and deep tan skin. She flirts with tourists and hunters alike if it will tempt them to pay through the nose for a guided safari of the surrounding area. Dria is also secretly in charge of all illegal poaching activities within the Market. She is especially efficient at managing the capture and sale of Zephyrus cubs.
Credit: Pepper
Dria Norri
DoB: 692
Title: Safari Coordinator
Skills: Ranged Combat - Shortbow (Expert), Hunting (Expert), Stealth (Expert), Endurance (Competent), Business Management (Expert)
Dria is an enterprising woman who manages all of the local safaris that are run from the Zynyx Market. She commands a great deal of respect from the other locals and very few people ever dare to get in her way. Dria is a dark haired beauty with soft brown eyes and deep tan skin. She flirts with tourists and hunters alike if it will tempt them to pay through the nose for a guided safari of the surrounding area. Dria is also secretly in charge of all illegal poaching activities within the Market. She is especially efficient at managing the capture and sale of Zephyrus cubs.
