Hozjrik’s Pickles (Petrichor 365)

Want to preserve food?  If you do not use magic, your options are limited, salting, drying, and pickling.  For the Hozjrik, it is pickling!

Hozkrik‘s workshop a small building, with a deep cellar.  The preparation is done on the ground floor and then aged in the basement.  There is a large cast iron stove, various barrels, pots for preparation, and a small pen out back for a pair of goats (usually) who consume all of the leftover bits and pieces from the various processes.

The basement is full of barrels, casks, and jars and the smell of fermentation.  There is a winch above the exterior doors leading down to help in lowering and lifting items in and out of it.

He works with his wife, Lozia, who does much of the preparation work.  While their three children help with many tasks.  One of the most important is gathering empty jars and casks from the ships that arrive in port.

Aloysius’ Library and School (Petrichor 365)

Between Fort Ajzure and the Grand Market, though nearer to the market, is a round building, two stories tall with narrow windows all around.  The doors are iron-bound and close-fitting, anyone with the appropriate skills will notice the doors and windows are warded against pests and water as well as against thieves.

The front door has a sign reading ‘library’ over it while the back door has one reading ‘school’.  Both parts are useful for learning and Aloysius Inktouch prizes learning above almost everything else.  Finding that Port Imperial did not have a library, he took up a subscription among the Imperial bureaucracy and others to build a library and school on Petrichor.  It was quickly and efficiently built and books and scrolls were imported.

The Saucy Seadragon Tavern (Petrichor 365)

Near the Imperial Docks, there is a small tavern, it is easy to miss among the warehouses around it.  It seems much older than it is made of salvaged wood from crates and ships, local stone, and anything else that came to hand.  It is two stories tall with the upper story overhanging the ground floor.

The sign is of a green seadragon emerging out of the grey-blue sea, it is cunningly carved so that as the sign shifts in the wind, the seadragon appears to wink at the viewer.

Logan’s Well (Petrichor 365)

In one of the recently built-up areas, there is a well at the center of the square they are built around.  Logan Stonehammer, a Gemkine warrior and engineer, was part of the construction crew and, tired of hauling water from afar, set about digging a well.  Luckily for him, he had the advice of a water-seeker on where to dig.

Tuesday Magic Item – Equinox Wine

Gollaon watched as the wine was decanted with great ceremony, the shadowy purple color contrasted with the bright silver base of the crystal goblet.

Voddick whispered.  “Are you sure this is wise?”

“It would be impolite to refuse to drink now,” Gollaon whispered back.

Equinox Wine

Made of a precise mix of dark winter wine and white summer wine with a slight infusion of magical herbs, Equinox Wine has a unique taste but it is only magical when imbibed with the proper ceremony at dawn or sunset on the Equinox.  The wine tastes of spring growth and fall harvest, winter frost and summer warmth, it is a rare experience.

Hammari’s Fruit Tent (Petrichor 365)

One of the many colorful sights in the Open Market is Hammari’s Fruit Tent, a riot of bright colors, mostly greens, yellows, and reds.  Inside are piles and boxes of fruit.  All are arranged artistically around the central poles that support the tent.  When the tent is closed, it is magically sealed and protected, requiring magic or extreme physical force to get in.

There is a place for people to sit and enjoy their purchases in the tent, complete with bowls of water to wash off the juices and towels to dry one’s hands afterward.  Some merchants, but more often their spouses, meet here to buy fruit, obviously, but also to take a moment to relax in their shopping.  It is a good place for gossip and news, but mostly gossip.

Happy Rei’s Sweets (Petrichor 365)

A small round building, three stories tall with a conical roof stands just beyond the edge of the Great Market.  Its window are made from multiple small pieces of recovered glass some clear, many colored.  The sign above the door says simply “Sweets.”

The shop smells of sugar and fruit, stepping in there are candies of all sorts are on display from boiled sweets to candied fruits. even occasionally chocolates. 

Superheroes – Once upon a Time in 1969 – Issue 16 – Grasp of the Black Hand

This story follows Issue 15 (and its B-Story) relatively soon thereafter, but how much time has passed or the exact date is not stated but it is definitely still winter in New York.

Cover: Our team caught in a massive clawed black hand (it is symbolism) with the cityscape in the background  The bottom is emblazoned with “How will our brave teens escape the Grasp of the Black Hand!?”

Opening page:  Three vampire-like creatures and six wolfmen charging out of the panel.  A city street behind them.  “What have our teen heroes gotten themselves into?  Turn the page to find out!”

Orsman’s Oatcakes (Petrichor 365)

Supplies for travelers and settlers, and to a lesser extent sailors, are an essential market.  One of the leaders in this market is Orsman’s Oatcakes.

While only being in existence for just under two years, it has become well-known.  Orsman Klipoond, from the outskirts of Asterdahl, came to Port Imperial as part of a merchant group.  He quickly realized that there was a market for good, long-lasting food, he convinced his compatriots of the same and got them to invest.

The Marketplace Vigilants (Petrichor 365)

The Grand Market and the Open Market, to a greater extent, have to contend with thieves, petty and otherwise.  To combat this, they have worked out a system of voluntary contributions to fund a set of Vigilants to keep watch, deter and, if needed, catch thieves.

Merchants and traders who contribute to the Vigilants are given a badge to display to indicate that they are in good standing.  While the Vigilants broadly protect everyone in the markets, they pay special attention to those with badges.  The Vigilants also form the core of any firefighting that needs to be done, fire ultimately being an even greater threat than theft, knowing where buckets are stored and the sources of water in the area.