Chapter 2: City of Trade

"Another world, is it?" the clerk asks with a raised eyebrow. "Well, that's certainly an intriguing story. Wait here a moment."

The man ducks into the building proper. After several minutes, he returns with a beckoning gesture. "The Venture-Captain wishes to speak with you. Follow me, please."

Inside the lodge, you can see a dozen or so people dressed like adventurers. Some are relaxing with drinks in hand, others are poring over maps and tomes in a large library. The clerk leads you into an office adorned with numerous art objects and curios. Behind the desk is a woman with gently pointed ears like Michel's. She greets you and bids you to have a seat in one of several chairs arranged before her desk.

"I am Venture-Captain Aurora Steelbloom," she says. "My clerk tells me you claim to have been brought here from another world? I'll admit that you've piqued my curiosity. Please, tell me more."

Aurora nods. "Yes, actually. This isn't the first time something like this has happened," she says. "The Pathfinder Chronicles contain a few tales of visitors who have come to Golarion from other places, be they different planets or even completely different planes of existence. It's rare, but not unheard of. Can you tell me more about your world of origin?"

Aurora's eyebrows lift when she sees Michel's phone. "Fascinating. This looks like one of the technological wonders that have been unearthed in Numeria." Seeing your blank expressions, she elaborates. "Numeria is a land far to the north and east of here. Millenia ago, what we believe was a starfaring craft from another distant planet crashed into the wastes there. Ever since then, the natives and explorers have uncovered items and beings with far greater technology than anything we have yet to develop on Golarion."

She looks to Eugene. "Most visitors who come here via their own power also possess the means to return to their worlds and planes of origin. But your situation seems to be different than that. Something else brought you here. I think by first determining what that was and the purpose of your arrival here may be the first steps in figuring out how to get you back to your homes. It sounds like an adventure-in-the-making worthy of the Chronicles!"

"An archway an obelisk? Intriguing," Aurora says. "If you can tell me where it is, I'll send a team of agents to investigate it further. Maybe we can learn some clues as to its origin and purpose. And as a means of repayment, I do believe we have some tasks around the city that you can help us with."

She sifts through some papers on her desk, eventually pulling forth a piece of parchment emblazoned with the emblem of a golden set of scales. "Ah, here we are. This is a promissory note from the bank of Abadar. There's a merchant in the Nighstalls by the name of Palhuna Murqual. He's recently acquired a collection that the Pathfinder Society is interested in purchasing: the Monadistic Archive, a collection of scrolls from the Jistkan Imperium. The note should cover his asking price, but Murqual is crafty and may bargain for more. I can’t pay more gold than I already have offered, but if you can find other means of appeasing Murqual, I encourage you to do so. Do you have any questions?"

"Palhuna Murqual is known as one of the preeminent vendors of local antiquities, both magical and mundane. He's had some recent legal troubles lately, though, and rumor is he's looking for agents to get a few things done. You may be able to leverage that to your advantage."

---

Finding Murqual’s shop is easy enough. A few inquiries lead you to the Lower City of Katapesh, the largest and most densely populated section of the city. The Lower City contains the city’s sprawling docks and possibly the world’s largest bazaar—a collection of kiosks, tents, huts, carts, or simply rugs on open spaces of ground displaying a few odds and ends. The Lower City Bazaar stretches the entire length of the city, and nearly anything can be bought or sold there.

His establishment defies the stereotype for a shop in the infamous Nightstalls. It boasts a permanent location, instead of one that could be broken down and moved with ease. It is quite lavishly appointed, rather than being a shadowy, smoky hovel, and the air smells of vanilla and cardamom rather than incense. Inside, deep carpeting covers the floor. All sorts of curios and knickknacks adorn the shelves around the shop. A slim young man stands behind the counter, holding a ledger.

He gives you a slight bow as you enter. "Welcome. I am Palhuna Murqual. Have you come for business, or would you just like to browse?"

Murqual happily shows you some of his wares, including an elaborate clockwork owl, a glass orb that appears to have a miniature electric storm trapped within it, and a gleaming scimitar with a blade seemingly made of solid gold. All of the items, unfortunately, cost much more than you can afford at this point in time.

"Now, what is this business you have come to speak of?" Murqual asks curiously once the tour is complete.