Stormrider
Librarian of the Littlest Bookshop of Horrors!
Inner Sanctum Nobility
Have you heard of the Night Market? Neither had I, until one night a few years ago...
An inconspicuous little envelope showed up at my door. A deep maroon in color with gold trim and lettering in a heavy brocade styling. Welcome to the Night Market.
"You've been accepted to a prestigious event, dear traveler. You're name has been drawn from our pool. Needless to say, we've had our eyes on you for a long long while." Enclosed was a simple match. "You'll need this."
I sure as hell didn't know what that meant at all, but I kept the match anyways. I didn't fully take it seriously. A week had passed with nothing to show for it. Until a strange man showed up at my residence late one evening. He knocked until I answered, and immediately bowed at the waist. He was a halfling, with wild looking strawberry blonde locks and beard that framed his face akin to that of a lion's mane. His smile was wide and bright, but his eyes... they were chilly and sinister, and completely black. Sclera and all. "My name is Elamin. Elamin Opè. And I'm to guide you to where you're meant to be my good fellow."
The confusion must've shown on my face, I'd never seen this fellow before, and I'm sure that I would've remembered such a curiously looking person. He pointed to my pocket, where I subconsciously kept the match. How did he know that? He motioned me outside, I had just gotten home and was dressed for an evening out luckily. We went around back to where my residence and another formed an alleyway of sorts. It was completely dark however. "Light your match and watch it carefully. Tread the alley back and forth three times while doing so. You'll arrive shortly." He smiled and put his hands behind his back as he watched me. I did what was asked, lighting the match and stared at it. My feet seemed to know the way.. as I rounded the alley for the final time and walked to the end.. instead of the space where our houses simply ended I was at the edge of a lake. A monstrously large lake, that was perfectly still and reflected the sky above. No stars, but a moon that looked like the shape of a skull...
In the middle of the lake was a large marketplace that seemed to be made of rafts tied together and anchored down. A rowboat awaited me, with an escort. Completely baffled.. I just stepped aboard.
When we got there, I was immediately bombarded by the sights.
A handsomely dressed orc, selling pixies that he had captured and caged. They were sold on sticks and I wasn't sure if they were meant to be shaken or eaten.
A hag, who introduced herself as Grandmother Tendon, who sold masks so realistic and lifelike that I could've sworn they were actual faces of people. I think I even caught one trying to say something to me wordlessly.
A vendor ran by a pair of fey siblings, brother and sister, who had on hand items from my own childhood. When I inquired where they got them, they agreed to sell them to me with the cost of them looking into my memories.
Then the 'Cursing Well'. It apparently worked the same as it's more mundane brethren with the sole changes of it cursed a victim instead of bringing luck to the user. The more potent an item dropped inside, the better the curse, and a voice would thank you every time you did so.
There was some order to the chaos however, as there were 'guards' if one could call them that. They kept the peace, and quite judiciously at that. I saw a pair wrangling a gnome who was selling werewolf pups and the blessings of lycanthropy. And there were others here who were browsing and purchasing, just like myself. A wizard with three winged spellbooks flying behind her speaking animatedly with a ring on her finger. A succubus leading a bound woman, who was smiling. They both were identical. Three cultists in dark robes that were hefting a large crate between them. As they passed the crate dropped and the lid opened, and disembodied hands began crawling out of the box like spiders.
Last but not least however, was the apparent Matron who ran the Night Market. Maha Rahba. She lived in a massive tree, yes, you heard me right, a real honest-to-goodness tree, out here right in the water on the planks. She was the most entrancing person I've ever seen. Tall, full bodied, with hair the color of starlight that sat in a highly sophisicated bun ontop of the crown of her head, a long braid running down her back. She wore a ruby colored ball gown that dragged close to 10 feet behind her. Black heels that glittered like diamonds on her feet. Her hands were bedecked in long gloves that traveled up her bicep, she held one of those fancy Audrey Style cigarette holders in her left hand, complete with smoking cigarette. She didn't speak to anyone, nor did anyone approach her, but she just sat and watched. Her eyes, black like that Elamin fellow's.
I ordered a drink from the local tavern, Knockshegowna. A lovely dirty martini. And all it cost me was the fingernail of my left ring finger and my reflection for a month. Quite the deal honestly, considering the tastiness of the beverage. If anyone knows how to go back, please let me know. And if you do get an invitation, I would highly recommend going. It changed my life.
-Found from the memoirs of one Brolin Mandow, notorious serial killer and sneak thief.
An inconspicuous little envelope showed up at my door. A deep maroon in color with gold trim and lettering in a heavy brocade styling. Welcome to the Night Market.
"You've been accepted to a prestigious event, dear traveler. You're name has been drawn from our pool. Needless to say, we've had our eyes on you for a long long while." Enclosed was a simple match. "You'll need this."
I sure as hell didn't know what that meant at all, but I kept the match anyways. I didn't fully take it seriously. A week had passed with nothing to show for it. Until a strange man showed up at my residence late one evening. He knocked until I answered, and immediately bowed at the waist. He was a halfling, with wild looking strawberry blonde locks and beard that framed his face akin to that of a lion's mane. His smile was wide and bright, but his eyes... they were chilly and sinister, and completely black. Sclera and all. "My name is Elamin. Elamin Opè. And I'm to guide you to where you're meant to be my good fellow."
The confusion must've shown on my face, I'd never seen this fellow before, and I'm sure that I would've remembered such a curiously looking person. He pointed to my pocket, where I subconsciously kept the match. How did he know that? He motioned me outside, I had just gotten home and was dressed for an evening out luckily. We went around back to where my residence and another formed an alleyway of sorts. It was completely dark however. "Light your match and watch it carefully. Tread the alley back and forth three times while doing so. You'll arrive shortly." He smiled and put his hands behind his back as he watched me. I did what was asked, lighting the match and stared at it. My feet seemed to know the way.. as I rounded the alley for the final time and walked to the end.. instead of the space where our houses simply ended I was at the edge of a lake. A monstrously large lake, that was perfectly still and reflected the sky above. No stars, but a moon that looked like the shape of a skull...
In the middle of the lake was a large marketplace that seemed to be made of rafts tied together and anchored down. A rowboat awaited me, with an escort. Completely baffled.. I just stepped aboard.
When we got there, I was immediately bombarded by the sights.
A handsomely dressed orc, selling pixies that he had captured and caged. They were sold on sticks and I wasn't sure if they were meant to be shaken or eaten.
A hag, who introduced herself as Grandmother Tendon, who sold masks so realistic and lifelike that I could've sworn they were actual faces of people. I think I even caught one trying to say something to me wordlessly.
A vendor ran by a pair of fey siblings, brother and sister, who had on hand items from my own childhood. When I inquired where they got them, they agreed to sell them to me with the cost of them looking into my memories.
Then the 'Cursing Well'. It apparently worked the same as it's more mundane brethren with the sole changes of it cursed a victim instead of bringing luck to the user. The more potent an item dropped inside, the better the curse, and a voice would thank you every time you did so.
There was some order to the chaos however, as there were 'guards' if one could call them that. They kept the peace, and quite judiciously at that. I saw a pair wrangling a gnome who was selling werewolf pups and the blessings of lycanthropy. And there were others here who were browsing and purchasing, just like myself. A wizard with three winged spellbooks flying behind her speaking animatedly with a ring on her finger. A succubus leading a bound woman, who was smiling. They both were identical. Three cultists in dark robes that were hefting a large crate between them. As they passed the crate dropped and the lid opened, and disembodied hands began crawling out of the box like spiders.
Last but not least however, was the apparent Matron who ran the Night Market. Maha Rahba. She lived in a massive tree, yes, you heard me right, a real honest-to-goodness tree, out here right in the water on the planks. She was the most entrancing person I've ever seen. Tall, full bodied, with hair the color of starlight that sat in a highly sophisicated bun ontop of the crown of her head, a long braid running down her back. She wore a ruby colored ball gown that dragged close to 10 feet behind her. Black heels that glittered like diamonds on her feet. Her hands were bedecked in long gloves that traveled up her bicep, she held one of those fancy Audrey Style cigarette holders in her left hand, complete with smoking cigarette. She didn't speak to anyone, nor did anyone approach her, but she just sat and watched. Her eyes, black like that Elamin fellow's.
I ordered a drink from the local tavern, Knockshegowna. A lovely dirty martini. And all it cost me was the fingernail of my left ring finger and my reflection for a month. Quite the deal honestly, considering the tastiness of the beverage. If anyone knows how to go back, please let me know. And if you do get an invitation, I would highly recommend going. It changed my life.
-Found from the memoirs of one Brolin Mandow, notorious serial killer and sneak thief.
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