THE MARKETPLACE OF MIRALOTOT

What's mine is yours
what's yours is mine,
let our powers cross the line
I offer up this gift to share
switch our powers through the air



One of the things Faërie is known for is the bustling trade which occurs there all the time. One can either commission exceptional artists and craftsmen directly, or one can go to the many marketplaces spread out across the land. Yet the biggest marketplace of all is Miralotot, the nest of ants which never sleeps.



It consists of the craziest collection of booths, tents, stalls and shacks ever heaped together, and one could walk in it for days and never get out at the other end. It's located in a lush and airy forest, set in the late stages of summer. Much of the market is two-storied, for traders have begun building shops and walkways on top of other structures, and this has only added a third dimension to the already incomprehensible layout of the place.



One of the things which makes it so successful is that Miralotot is not controlled by any one house, but is rather run by a council of nobles from different houses. This means that the rules and trades aren't as subjective as they are in the more private locations, and that the merchandice can flow a bit more freely. There are a set of rules which they have worked out between them, and everyone who enters the marketplace are compelled by the powerful magic of the place to obey them. This adds a layer of safety to those who spend a lot of time here (the traders and craftsmen), which in turn makes them stay longer. This has made Miralotot to become known for contaning the best of the best. Of course, it's also known for having the worst of the worst, and buying anything is done at the customers own risk.



Getting to and from the Marketplace is rather easy, for several of the paths lead out into different small gateways in the forest, and yet other paths take you to the different realms of the houses. A road of pure silver runs all the way from the border of Miralotot to the Emerald Palace of Tir-Na-Nog itself, and the Queen has been known to ride with her entourage to observe fairy life in person. Of course, she has also been rumoured to appear incognito in the marketplace, disguised by sneaky glamours, and these stories coupled with the standard clientele of the place keeps visitors and inhabitants alike on their guard.




The fairies hold a fair, they say,
Beyond the hills when skies are grey
And daylight things are laid away.
And very strange their marketing,
If we could see them on the wing
with all the fairy ware they bring.




There are few permanent dwellings in Miralotot, and most fey simply stay there for short periods of time until they've either sold what they had or bought what they wanted. But there are certain people who stay at a more or less permanent basis. There is the council, of course, who founded the place and still oversees the daily business. They are mostly from Aoor and Frial, with some smaller houses like Silduar also represented. There are some who simply love the atmosphere of chaos and so choose to live among the bustling crowds, usually causing trouble just for kicks. Then there are those who have permanent shops here, rare as they might be. Most others are travellers, either they buy or sell, or which realm they come from.

The Rules:

Stealing is forbidden. Anyone caught stealing must serve the victim for seventy years, without question or disobedience.

No violence may be committed within the market, and those who intentionally harm another being through violent means can never again enter Miralotot.

Any deals agreed upon in the marketplace is enforced by magical powers. It is impossible to not follow the requirements of the agreements to the letter. This means that it is fully possible to trade away ones health or time and other abstract commodities. It also means that backing out of a deal is impossible, so one should excert extreme caution over what one agrees to.

Telling an untruth about what you're selling or trading is impossible. This does not mean that you can't mislead, omit details or let the customer believe what he wants, but saying something about the wares that isn't true simply isn't allowed. Strangely enough, those fey who never, ever, speak the truth are immune from this rule. They are therefore very suspect in the eyes of many traders. It should also be noted that promises are also counted as a commodity to be bought or bargained for, and fall under this rule too.


This means that if you know what you're doing, the marketplace can be completely safe, and is the ideal place to strike a bargain. If you're ignorant, you might end up enslaved for a century, or worse. Quite a lot of the fey see it as a sport to fool the visitors, and strange clauses and footnotes to the agreements are among the most honest pitfalls offered. There are also those who would frame visitors for theft merely to get a convenient servant, but this is risky. The retribution if this plot is discovered is extremely severe.


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