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59th: A fisherman finds a grand piano in his nets. When played, those around it grow cold and drowsy. Naturally, he decides to sell it in the Fourth Day Market.

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Known as the Celestial Seat, Nyka is a religious city in Northern Sylira. Ruled by four demigods and traversed by a large crevice, the monk-city is both mystical and dangerous. [Lore]

[The Fourth Day Market] Not All Black and White

Postby Alija on December 6th, 2015, 2:49 pm

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60th

He always urged her to go. He said it was good to keep up appearances, to offer a little advertisement for the shop. He told her you could find the best items, hidden away, that shops were selective, that she needed to be seen as Nykan, not a foreigner.

Alija knew the true reason why he told her to go: her father could not leave, but she could. He wanted her to be his eyes on the city he had grown used to, and to tell her all that was happening. One of those things was the Fourth Day Market.

This time, she gave in, taking Kial in one hand and the leash to Trump in the other. They paraded through the streets, taking in every detail - the markings on the walls, the hooded monks and the everyday people, the only similarity between Zeltiva and this place. Wherever you went, you would see them: the woman and their children, the men, the young and the old. She tried to smile at everyone, but found her smile directed to the floor.

Being friendly and open was hard when surrounded by strangers, despite having lived in Nyka for more than a season now.

The Celestial Square was crowded with stalls and goods, pottery flooding the section she had entered. People called out, advertising their prices, and she stopped to examine a pitcher with green leaves along the edge. It was pretty, and she brought up the courage to ask for the price.
"Gallon - I'd take a laat," the stall-keeper barked out, and Alija shook her head, shocked at the price.
"I'd buy it if it were half that," she replied, with a look of shock from the passerbys.
"She didn't try to haggle, did she?" one of them whispered, and Alija realised her mistake. Quickly, she pulled out a coin, flicking it at the stall-keeper, and snatched the pitcher up, marching away swiftly. Shocked looks followed her, but thankfully, nothing else did. Better get out of here, and quickly.

Her next stop was at the section with cloths. Different materials, different colours, but all beautiful. The city of Nyka had asked for a flag, and many crowded around the stall buying materials for their design. Alija had her own, so joined the crowd, picking out her own fabrics. She chose carefully, feeling through the material as she tried to judge whether it would sew together well. Eventually, she chose, placing the selected materials and paying quickly with no protest to the price.

ledgergallon pitcher - 1 laat
red cotton -1.5 laats
black cotton - 1.5 laats
yellow cotton - 1.5 laats
(all rounded up to make up for more expensive prices in market)
total - 5.5 laats
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Alija
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[The Fourth Day Market] Not All Black and White

Postby Alija on February 9th, 2016, 10:13 pm

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She moved on to the next stall, then the next and the next. A large crowd caught her eye, and the Zeltivan woman made her way over, pushing through to see what the excitement was. A piano, sitting in the middle of the crowd, seaweed lying across the top and water still dripping from it. A fisherman, from the look and smell of him, stood beside it, grinning proudly at his catch.

A grand piano, found in the sea around Nyka! Whatever next?

The crowd called for a performance, the man getting a little uncertain. He wasn't a musician, and, as it turned out, no one else knew how to play it. Slowly, the man inched over, hovering over the black and white keys as he gazed nervously around. This had never been part of the plan. He had wanted to show off his catch and get a good price for it.

He played one note: chilling, haunting. It brought shivers from the inside, strange, unnatural shivers. Then another, the same chilling feeling. It echoed through her bones, and from the expressions of the others, it wasn't just her. He played several notes in succession, running his fingers up and down it more fluently. Each one had, behind the initial noise of the key being pressed and the tone of the note, the same chill. It made her feel cold, as if a strange wind wrapped around her. Strange because it was inside, not outside her body.

A drowsiness overcame her by the last note, but when it had finished, the effects started to fade. People started to murmur and whisper, moving away rather scared. The fisherman, realising the negative effect, moved away from the keys, closing the lid quickly.

The large crowd from before started to leave, stragglers left behind. One was Alija, eyes firmly trained on the piano. She wanted to, almost needed to, learn it. Not the instrument, but the secret behind the feeling it so clearly gave. Her eyes inched, wanted to see the aura, but Alija didnt trust herself. Not here, not now, not in this situation. Perhaps the aura had worse effects than the music.

So she had to take it home.
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[The Fourth Day Market] Not All Black and White

Postby Alija on February 9th, 2016, 11:13 pm

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"I'll buy it!" Her sudden announcement brought a variety of stares, some confused, thinking her crazy to purchase the strange instrument, others jealous, because she had the courage to say it, or because she had the money to buy it without knowing the price.

Money. Alija hadn't even considered it, but know that she thought about it, she realised a piano, even an ordinary one, would cost a lot. But it was too late. The woman was happy with her choice of clothing: lace gloves and a fine dress gave the appearance of someone wealthy. An image to match the action. She let herself pretend she didn't care about the price.

She handed the pitcher and rolls of cloth to Kial for a second, watching the small boy struggle with them, before approaching the fisherman, repeating herself. "I'll buy it. Name your price."

He grinned, eyes almost wide with surprise at such an easy sale. "200 laats." He hadn't even thought about it, listing a price from the top of his head. It was a large price too, large enough to make it something she didn't want to waste. Alija bit her lip, urging herself to picture herself as a rich lady with a large house, the piano as a centre piece. That was what she wanted. Better learnt to pay the price.

"Have you heard of the Ocean's Forge?" When he nodded, she continued, "Throw in delivery into my living room above the shop and I'll pay you there. Deal?" He looked her curiously. After all, this whole thing seemed too perfect. He didn't want to move the piano around before he got paid. Alija caught onto this, taking her money. 50 laats. That could work.

She handed them to him with a smile, "As a first payment. Of course," Alija leant a little closer, "I know people. So, at the 15th bell?"

Her suggestion didn't get missed by the fisherman who nodded, turning to his friends that had congregated behind, laughing at the whole thing. "You heard the lady. Let's move this!"
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[The Fourth Day Market] Not All Black and White

Postby Alija on February 10th, 2016, 7:45 pm

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They arrived before she did, piano waiting for her to let them in. She did so quickly, leading them up the stairs and into the living room. There, they cleared a space. It wasn't hard - the room was large anyway, only the fireplace and couch. They moved the couch to one side, still near the fire, leaving a large space for the grand piano to fit in.

Then they brought it in. Alija watched from the side as the group of men struggled to bring it up the stairs, every muscle bulging. Thegans joined them, strength from the smithy coming through as he pushed the instrument up. She was careful to warn them if it appeared that something would go wrong, which was every few ticks, and even when she did, something went wrong anyway.

At one point, they almost dropped the piano, fingers flailing out to catch it. Several got their fingers trapped, the piano resting against the wrought iron staircase with a strange noise as several keys depressed on their own, despite the lid being down. The chilling noise filled the room, making the men drowsy. Alija snapped her eyes back open, yelling at them to move. They huffed, moving the piano until the coldness stopped.

The main problem came when they reached the door. Of course, they could get it up the stairs, but the legs made it too wide to fit through the door. It wasn't like they could just hold it over the railing. Slowly, the piano was moved back down again, left on its side as it leant against the fisherman and his friends who stood catching their breath.

Alija looked it over, certain there was a way to get it up. Then she spotted it. If the legs were the problem, remove the legs! She leant next to one, grabbing hold of it and pulling to see if it moved. It budged, revealing that it was screwed in place. Alija twisted it rapidly, the leg popping out not long later. The other two followed quickly, Alija laying them on the floor with a smile.

"So boys, ready to try again?"

This time is was much more successful, and when they finally reached the living room, Alija followed with the legs, ready to re-install it. The process was quick and easy, and soon enough, she had the piano all set up. The men waited for their payment, thanked her and left, leaving her alone with her family and the piano.
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[The Fourth Day Market] Not All Black and White

Postby Alija on February 10th, 2016, 9:06 pm

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Her father came back down from where he had hid, staring at the new object with a look of confusion. "A grand piano?" he said simply, sighing. He hadn't expected her daughter to act like this, purchasing such a random, useless, and obviously expensive item. She grinned awkwardly.

"Listen," she said, moving over to the piano. She had planned ahead, purchasing a chair which Thegans had brought in for her. She set the piano up, propping the lid open and placing her hands on the keys. They lingered there, before she played several notes, one after the other, forming a scale of some sorts.

He looked at her, eyes wide with shock at the drowsiness that overcame him. "Get that cursed thing out of my house."

Alija stared straight back at him. It wasn't his house anymore. He had no right to tell her to get anything out of the house. If, after she studied it, she found it dangerous, she would be happy to do so. Until then, she wasn't. Especially after everything done to get it in. "No."

"No?" He raised his eyebrow, "No! This piano is cursed! Get. It. Out!"

"You can't tell me what to do. I'm a grown woman, I'm the reason you're alive. I could have kicked you out, of MY house. So no, it's staying."

He stared her down. "Alija, you may be making a big mistake."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see?" And with that, she played another scale, this one whole. A real scale. She smiled, finding the sound right, as well as chilling and mysterious. Tomorrow, investigation. Then after that, she didn't know. Could anyone in Nyka teach her?


ledgerChair, good - 1gm
Piano - 200 gm
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Alija
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[The Fourth Day Market] Not All Black and White

Postby Balderdash on April 29th, 2016, 8:00 am

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Delicious rewards! Happy days and jubilation!


You! :
Skill XP Awarded
Observation 3
Negotiation 2


Lores: Haggling Is Outlawed In The Fourth Day Market, Strange Thing: Soul Sapping Piano, Money Can Grease Elbows, Grown Women Make Their Own Decisions

Items and Consequences: +1 gallon pitcher, -201 Laat, +1 Spooky Piano
Being exposed to the piano’s music too long can leave one with a sense of hunger afterwards. It is inadvisable to play to the point of falling asleep at the keys. The piano will grow irritable if it isn’t played at least three times a week.


Ho-ho! So it begins!

If you have any questions or concerns about this grade, please PM me. A happy you is a happy Balderdash!

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