The market square is jam packed with merchant stalls with locals from all around the region putting their goods up for sale. Mostly it is produce from the local farms but there is a stall for fresh caught fish, for scrimshaw and wooden carvings, tool repair and sharpening and more.

A tent has been set up in the market with signs of Harrow decks proclaiming it to be the place to get one's fortune read.

Inside the tent is dark but otherwise rather plain. A woman draped in Varisian silks smiles as the pair enter and behind her is an elderly ancient looking woman silently lying down on a makeshift bed.

"Greetings, I am Koya Mvashti. My mother, Nishka is unfortunately too ill to perform a reading so I will be the one to deal out the..."

She pauses, tilting her head back as if listening to something behind her. She rolls her eyes but gives a nod.

"Sorry, while Nishka is too tired to deal the cards she will still be involved in the Harrowing in spirit as it is a mystic tradition going back generations. If you would like the mysteries of past and future revealed to you then it shall only cost you a single copper today."

As she talks she begins shuffling the Harrow deck and her skill with the cards is obvious. Without any effort she makes the cards dance in shuffles, riffles, one-handed cuts, the cards just seem flow from years and years of using them to make a living.

OOC: 1cp for a harrow reading. No rolls needed.

"Three Goblins have found their way into your house and are tearing
it up! Toss them into the fireplace before they can destroy everything. One copper gets you three goblins to burn!"


A slender, stern faced man is shouting out to the crowd as he tosses a green beanbag back and forth. The beanbag has a crude goblin face drawn onto it.

A board has been set up with flames drawn at the bottom and three large holes drilled to it rests at 45° angle. Those who want to "toss the goblin" stand at a line drawn in the dirt and try to get the goblin beanbag into one of the three holes. Children get to toss at the closest hole, women at the second and men at the third.

Hosk seems to be really enjoying the game and especially when children step up to the line he makes noises presumably sounding like a goblin burning up in the fire every time the child scores a hit.

It seems that the winning prize for this booth are small bags of dried venison.

OOC: 1cp gets you 3 rolls. Depending on gender (I know, I know, bring it up to Hosk if you have an issue with it) you are either throwing at AC 12 or AC 15. If we had an alchemist they would get a trained proficiency in toss a "grenade-like weapon" but everyone else is unproficient.

An older, larger gentleman is standing at the entrance to the market square. Next to him are two 30' long doublelane tracks set up next to each other with a 3' gap between.
Near the starting line is a large cage with twelve lizards inside, each one has a set of twig and cloth wings attached to its back and they have been painted in different colors matching the common spectrum of dragons: Green, Blue, Black, White, Red, Brown, Gold, Copper, Silver, Bronze, Brass, and Steel. Someone knowledgeable in dragon lore might point out that there is no such thing as a Brown or Steel dragon but none of the other participants seem to notice or care.

Four players can play at once, each selecting a different "dragon". When the race starts they must goad their lizard down the track without touching it and the winner is the one that can coax it down the finish line first.

"Become the dragon trainer master! Find out which dragons are the fastest! Pick yourself a dragon and put it to the test in a race against your friends!"

In reply to Koya Mvashti (msg # 2):

Tristen wandered through the Market Square taking in the sights of the various sights. He was drawn to the local fare, especially those of Varisian origins. He examined a silk scarf before he heard Koya Mvashti announce that she would be conducting a Harrowing. He stepped closer for a closer view.

"I've never done this before... but I'm eager to give it a try." Tristen stepped forward and handed a copper piece. "Is this something like a reading into my past? Will it work if I'm tight lipped?" He offered a smile as he played along.

Subtract a copper

[From The Rusty Dragon]

Kraddock followed along.  He bought a bit of unidentifiable meat on a stick from a vendor and stepped up to watch Tristen get his Harrowing.

Koya pockets the copper piece and flips up a Harrow card for Tristen revealing the Wanderer.


"The Wanderer is someone involved in a long journey. Perhaps by choice or perhaps by fate their life shall travel far and wide. It could be a grand adventure, or a march one is forced upon."

With a flourish she collapses the card back into a deck and she continues to speak as she shuffles again and again.

"The Harrow is an ancient magic, one that has been passed from generation to generation. You have been Chosen. Let my words ring with reflection and I hope that they will come in handy when the time is right. With the Choosing completed we can now begin the Reading."

With skilled practice she shuffles and deals out the cards face down into a 3x3 grid. When she is done she gestures to the first column.

"The Harrow cards reveal the mysteries of the past, the present, and the future. The cards closest to you represent all that is good for you while the cards closest to me represent the obstacles to be faced. The past is revealed first, for it is immutable. The past is always one of truth as it has been carved into the stones of the ages."

With great skill she flips the cards over, one by one.





"The Vision closest to you often means that you have been exposed to knowledge of the mystic arts. Perhaps you or someone close to you were trained in the arcane or were granted powers by the divine gods?

The Owl in the middle represents wisdom of the natural order. You are wise enough to know and understand your place in the world, for better or for worse.

The Desert misaligned. This represents a passage or journey with little hope.

Taken all together I would say that this would imply that you are a follower of the gods and they have granted you great wisdom and knowledge however you were on a path that has little hope of reaching fruition. You should consider a radical change of direction based on upon the present to reach your destined future."

She waves her hand over the middle column.

"The present is neither truth nor fiction, neither certain nor uncertain. It is exactly what it is as it transitions from the future to the past."





Her eyes widen as she flips over the cards.

"The Wanderer again, closest to you and in perfect alignment. You are becoming heavily involved in things that have been cast off long ago and this is the start of a major chapter in your life, one that you will cherish until the end of your days.

The Bear, perfectly aligned. It represents brute force being applied. As it is in the middle it is both brute force in your favor as well as that used against you. You will have to struggle physically.

The Teamster represents driving external pressure. As it is closest to me that means that this is pressure that will push you against your wishes, perhaps even to the point of breaking.

Taken together I think you are about to embark on a grand adventure that could cement you for the ages based upon the dangers of the past, but it will be a difficult struggle and your journey will leave you feeling like a leaf in the wind, being blown this way and that."


She sweeps her hands over the right most column.


"The future is the most uncertain, always in flux, always changing, and the most difficult to see. It is what most come to me to seek answers for but I must confess that they are the hardest to read. The future has no concept of time so what I may Harrow may not come to pass for many years or decades, or could be this very night. The future is also ever changing and these cards represent a path that may yet be or may never come to pass."

Once again she flips through the cards, one after another.





"The Snakebite, misaligned thankfully. In the position closest to you it represents a mental leap or discovery.

The Liar in the middle means love at its most treacherous. In the middle this could end up being good or bad.

Finally the Survivor closest to me. Misaligned it means tragic news or profound loss.

Taken together I would say that your minds will play a key part in your future successes however you will be disrupted by love. While whether it is good or bad will be up to you it will be disruptive. Finally there will be a tragic loss in your futures.

Looking at the whole board I would say you are the cusp of something great. I do not know when the future will take place but right now there is a powerful fate tugging at you and it would be best not to resist it."

She leaned back and gave Tristen time to process what he had just seen and heard.

Faeli waited in line meekly to have her futures read by Koya. The woman already had had such a significant role in the young gnome's life that she was almost an icon in the young wizard's eyes.

Faeli produced her copper and rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger, a gesture of nervousness as she waited and attempted to clear her mind because that's what you do if you want a really, really good reading.

When it was her turn the gnome produced her cooper and it magically split into two coins within her palm.

"For you." Faeli said grinning widely to hide her nervousness about what may be revealed of her future.

Koya takes the coin and nods, delivering the same opening speech as she did before. It is an opening she appears to have memorized and by now is akin to muscle memory as she gathers up the cards and begins shuffling.

"First we begin with the choosing. These cards shall represent your personal situation. It could be regarding the type of person you are or an event from past or future that is deeply intrinsic to you."

She sets the card down and with a sweep of her hand flips it over revealing the Waxwork.


"The Waxworks represents someone who is bound with a sense of helplessness. Taken together with the Wanderer it seems that you might be dragged along on an adventure not entirely on your choosing..."

With another sweep the card has disappeared and her other hand is already shuffling and cutting the deck one-handed.

"The Harrow cards reveal the mysteries of the past, the present, and the future. The cards closest to you represent all that is good for you while the cards closest to me represent the obstacles to be faced. The past is revealed first, for it is immutable. The past is always one of truth as it has been carved into the stones of the ages."

Once again she flips through the cards, one after another revealing the same cards that had turned for Tristen. Koya falls silent and without further fanfare flips over the rest of the cards revealing an identical Harrow as before.


She furrows her brow, staring deeply at the cards, then at Faeli, then at Tristen. Her eyes start looking at the pair with suspicion.

"Is this a joke? Some trick? I recognize someone skilled in the Art and I don't find this funny."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:54, Mon 19 Oct 2020.

"Koya, you know I have nothing but the deepest respect for you. You know, after you save my life after that goblin attack. I like a good trick as much as the next one but I do not think I understand the cards and what they mean enough to pull one over on you."  the gnome admitted genuinely.

"What has happened, what do you see?"

Koya nods her head over towards Tristen.


"I see the same fate for you as I do for him. Unless you two are working together that...that shouldn't be possible."

Razyll stepped forward with a copper peice, "What about me, what do you see?" the half-orc said as he stood behind Faelie.

This was curious to Razyll, but he suspected this was part of a scam to get more people to pay for a fortune.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 15:00, Mon 19 Oct 2020.