Every Corner of the Map

It is deep in the Quiet Years. The Lower City is yet to gain its own wall, and the attatched 'Traveller's Camp' is getting rowdy. The The tongue of Natare - bridge is yet to be built, and each day the river clogs with vessels as the Bist make their way over the river to the upper city to work. And for some reason the mapmakers Lissino and Tevorde have been tasked with making a list of all the shops and barterers and places outside the market that exchange for goods. They have the weight of the Sigilholder looming over them, what do you - other than the goodness of your heart?

Plot points/Scenes

The following scenes are entirely optional, as Natare is a free-roam space and a GM could, if following the lore, explore the entire city, given time, in their own manner.

Scene 1A or B

A The party finds Tevorde in the marketplace, trying to talk to one of the stall vendors. She's being personable, but the vendor is just not interested in stopping to interview with the dark-romantic troll. The party can talk to her to learn that she is working with Lissino to make a map of all the businesses in Natare. That the three requirements they have are the where each business lies, an accurate map of the city in general, and which businesses work out of the marketplace.

B The party finds Lissino among a pile of bindings and paperbark scratchings, at the teashop owned by Mrs Estain. Mrs Estain tells her that Lissino is in a panic and could she help Lissino and Tevorde with their task. The previous information can be gained if talking with Lissino, or if Lissino sends them to Tevorde.

Scene 2

This scene is with the trademaster Daragan. He's concerned that a list of all the merchants might 'lock in' the trade within Natare and make it harder for people to barter the same kinds of product for a medium term before moving on. Or start up anew. He will ask you to look into who is asking the mapmakers to do this task and what their goals might be. He will barter you rare seeds for the effort.

Scene 3

Here will be a couple of scenes with people acting as traders and merchants, make it light and fluffy but with a little healthy caution.

Structure

Rising Action

The hunt leads you to the sigilholder of NGC (the mapmaking guild). They will remark that they are under private instruction and that further inquiry might lead them to asking the watchers to escort you out the city.

Inquiring with Br1n might have them suggest hiring of a bard to go and have a look at the sigilmaster's place - though now we are a thing employing a thing employing a thing territory.

Components

Moral Quandaries

One could break in to the Great Library of the Academy to use their roofspace - you'd just have to get a seeing device of some sort to make the purview easier. It would save so much time, but the watchers or the academy might have issues for the tresspass. And noone wants community service over a favour.

Red Herrings

There looks like there's a taller tree by the north wall of the upper city that might get a good view of the city - too bad the thing is rotten.

The Sigilholder has a missive by the council saying that their garden has been leaking fluids, and that watchers could be sent to investigate if that's not cleaned up.

Relations

Allies

Mrs Estain is a older lady with many age lines and many more shawls that cover her head, neck and shoulders. Her bare arms are covered in faded scarification that might have been intricate tattoos when she was younger. Owner of the teahouse Lissino is using as her base of research, Mrs Estain is connected to almost every one of the more mature characters in the plot - usually by some wild or outlandish tale. Her most recognisable trait to the younger generation is her nut and spice balls that attract all the local Salit when she makes a batch - which is often. Her deep green eyes are always smiling and kind.

Started in Spelling Map with a T

Related Organizations

• Academy of Natare
• Guild of Sigils and Designs

Related Locations

• Natare