# Chapter 1: Grubber's Market

**Story**: Jack Toresal and The Secret Letter
**Version**: First Draft
**Last Updated**: 2026-02-18

---

## Map

> TODO: Convert original .emf map to ASCII. The schematic below shows major areas and general arrangement. Authoritative connections are listed per-room in the Rooms section.

```
                         Lord's Road (N, blocked by mercenaries)
                               |
                 Alley ---- NW Junction ---- Misc Food ---- E. Junction -- E.Edge → Ch.2
                (Roof)      /       \                         /      |
                        Herb        Fruit                    /       |
                         |            |                     /        |
                       Candle  ---- Hat                    /      Pottery
                         |            |                   /          |
                       Rope  ---- Weapons                /         Gems
                         |            |                 /
                      O.Silk ---- Leather              /
                         |                            /
                      I.Silk                         /
                         |                          /
                     Behind Tent                   /
                         |                        /
                    Center Post Top ─────────────
                     / |  |  \
                    N  S  E   W (anchor wires to perimeter posts)
```

**Note**: Inner stall connections are approximate. The market is a dense cluster of stalls with multiple paths between them. Rooms near the center post (Rope, Outside Silk, Pottery) can see the center post as a backdrop. Rooms on the outer ring (Fruit, Weapons, Gems, Herb, Eastern Junction) can see perimeter support posts as a backdrop.

## Rundown

**Entry Condition**: Opening scene. Jack is eating a stolen apple in an alley when mercenaries arrive and begin searching the market for her. See Events below for the opening sequence.

**Exit Condition**: Escape east through Eastern Edge to Commerce Street (Chapter 2). Requires both:
1. **Disguise**: Wearing the silk cloak in feminine style with hat removed
2. **Distraction**: Having slid down the anchor wire (creating a commotion that draws the guards' attention away from the eastern gate)

See [Escape Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-escape.md) for full mechanics.

**Time Pressure**: Yes — mercenary patrol. A mercenary entity wanders the market rooms. If the player lingers in the same room for 3 turns, the mercenary spots them and moves to grab. See [Escape Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-escape.md) for the full state machine.

**NPC Movement**:
- Mercenary: Wanders randomly through market rooms (not into Alley or Inside Silk Stall). Resets when player changes location.
- Monkey: Stationary on the support pole/wire near Exotic Gems Stall until traded with.

**Puzzle Summary**:
1. **Trading Chain** → Acquire silk cloak disguise. See [Trading Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-trading.md).
2. **Wire Slide Escape** → Create distraction + reach eastern gate. See [Escape Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-escape.md).

**Key Events**:
- Opening: Mercenary dialogue sequence (6 turns, heard from Alley and Outer Market Roof)
- Monkey theft: Triggered on first visit to Exotic Gems Stall
- Chapter exit: Walking east from Eastern Junction with disguise + distraction

---

## Player Character

**Description:**
> Most people know you as "Jack," a fourteen-year-old street urchin of uncertain means. You are slight of build for a boy your age, though your baggy clothes hide much of your physique. Your shoulder-length hair is ragged, a victim of many self-inflicted trimmings. Though usually in need of a good scrubbing, you are an attractive youth, with a softness to your face that makes you seem younger than your years.
>
> Fortunately, it also leads people to underestimate your wiles and resourcefulness, which has caused more than one stall keeper to call you by your second most common sobriquet, "That Damn Thief!"
>
> Only a few people know you by your real name, and you are pleased to keep it that way.

### Starting Inventory

#### Apple

**Traits**: Takeable, Edible
**Initial State**: In inventory

**Description:**
> Round, taut, green at the bottom shading up to red near the stem.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| EAT / TASTE | Mercenaries in marketplace | No time for breakfast right now! |
| EAT / TASTE | After opening scene | Crisp and delicious! |

#### Cloak (wool, masculine)

**Traits**: Takeable, Wearable
**Initial State**: Worn

**Description:**
> Your cloak is made of un-dyed wool, stained and patched in several places. You wear it in the masculine style, buckled to the side and thrown back over your right shoulder.

#### Satchel (cloth)

**Traits**: Container
**Initial State**: Carried

**Description:**
> Your trusty cloth satchel: big enough to hold the things you nick, small enough to not hamper your getaway.

#### Hat

**Traits**: Takeable, Wearable
**Initial State**: Worn

**Description:**
> A woolen cap, patchy and stained like the rest of you. Your hair is a bit longer than the fashion for boys your age, so you usually keep it stuffed up into your hat.

---

## Rooms

### Alley

**Exits**: SW: Northwest Junction. Up: Outer Market Roof (via crates).
**Light**: Lit (daylight)
**First Visit**: See Opening Event below.

**Description:**
> This narrow alley is tucked away between a wooden storehouse on one side and the canvas wall of a stall keeper's tent on the other. It serves primarily as somewhere out-of-the-way for stall keepers to sweep their garbage into, so it's not exactly the most pleasant-smelling place in all of Miradan, but at least no one is likely to bother you here. You can leave to the southwest.

**Objects:**

#### Crates

**Traits**: Scenery, Climbable
**Initial State**: Fixed

**Initial Appearance:**
> Several crates are stacked up against the back wall of the alley.

**Description:**
> Just ordinary wooden crates, used by merchants throughout Miradan to store and ship goods. There are scores more just like these to be found all over the market.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| TAKE / PUSH | | Oof! What's in these things, gold bricks? At any rate, the crates are far too heavy for you to move. |
| OPEN / SEARCH | | The crates are all nailed shut. |
| CLIMB | | You nimbly hop up on top of the crates; from there, it's only a short scramble to the roof of the market. |

**Events:**

| Trigger | Text/Effect |
|---------|-------------|
| Leaving Alley during mercenary dialogue | Something -- an intuition? -- tells you it would be a good idea to stay out of sight for the moment. Maybe if you got some elevation, you could hear better. |

#### Opening Event

**Event [before play begins]:**
> Mid-morning always sees the Grubber's Market at its most crowded. Servants from the aristocratic districts and villagers from outside Toresal crush themselves into the maze of stalls and stretched canvas, hoping to beat the noontime heat and get the farmers' produce while it's still fresh. The press of bodies, the din of haggling and bargains struck -- it all makes getting around unnoticed easier, although not necessarily more pleasant. No fewer than half a dozen stall-gazing bumpkins have trod on your feet already this morning. You've kept your mouth shut, though. People remember an urchin who gives lip.
>
> "See anything you like?" asks the woman at the silk stall, with a teasing smile. You smile back. You couldn't afford the cheapest of her cloaks if you nicked ten purses in a morning, as Teisha well knows.
>
> "Oh, these are *much* too plain," you scoff, even as you gaze wistfully at the bright colors, the beautiful embroidery. Time for a bit of breakfast, you decide, and anyway if you linger too long, people will wonder what a boy is doing shopping for women's cloaks. "Perhaps I'll come back this afternoon, when you've put out your better wares."
>
> Teisha laughs. "Don't be a stranger, Jack."
>
> You make your way through the market, nicking an apple from the fruit stall while its owner haggles with some fat outlander over a bushel of kello fruit, until you reach a quiet alley where you can catch a breath from the crowds and enjoy your breakfast in peace. All in all, just another ordinary day at Grubber's Market.
>
> But the first bite is barely in your mouth before you hear rough voices at the alley's entrance, and in a moment your life is turned upside-down.

#### Mercenary Dialogue Sequence

**Programming Note:** The following messages start on the first turn and continue for the next five turns, one message per turn. The messages can be heard from the Alley and from the Outer Market Roof. The text of each message is different depending on which location the player is in.

**Turn 1:**
- **Alley:** A group of people have gathered just outside the alley. You can't quite hear what they're saying from here, but there is a grim, ugly tone to them that speaks of dangerous doings.

**Turn 2:**
- **Alley:** The voices continue. You make out the phrase, "...spread out..."
- **Outer Market Roof:** "...we know he skulks Grubber's most mornings, so spread out quick, cover all streets from the square," growls one of them, evidently the group's leader.

**Turn 3:**
- **Alley:** The voices continue. You make out the phrase, "...knives covered..."
- **Outer Market Roof:** The leader spits on the dusty ground. "Keep your eyes open and don't take guff. But for the love of Brigid, keep your tempers and your knives covered unless you really need em. Ain't bein paid to toss the locals."

**Turn 4:**
- **Alley:** The voices continue. You make out the phrase, "...stay out of sight..."
- **Outer Market Roof:** "And keep sharp!" the leader snaps. "Remember this is a kid we're lookin for. Kids move fast, stay out of sight, slip through crowds easy. I find out later he got away under your nose, I'll have it off!"
>
> Suddenly, that bit of apple you swallowed a minute ago turns into a cold, hard chunk in your belly.

**Turn 5:**
- **Alley:** The voices continue. You make out the phrase, "...got all that?"
- **Outer Market Roof:** "Now, everyone memorize the description." The leader pulls a dirty, folded bit of parchment from his belt and squints at it. "Shoulder-length brown hair," he reads, haltingly. "Green eyes. Slight of build. 'Ten, maybe twelve spans high." He holds his hand out flat, at what happens to be exactly your height. "Wears a gray cloak."
>
> He refolds the parchment and jams it back into his belt. "You dims got all that?"
>
> The others nod.

**Turn 6:**
- **Alley:** Someone barks, "Okay, go!" You hear the jingle of mail and buckles as several heavy pairs of boots tromp past the alley entrance. You're not sure what just happened, but something tells you that it can't be good.
- **Outer Market Roof:** "Okay, go!" barks the leader, and the mercenaries set out in several directions, moving at a brisk walk. Two men position themselves at the gate to Lord's Road, leading out of town; the others enter the crowded market and start shoving their way through the suddenly flabbergasted crowds.
>
> Your heart sinks. This is definitely not good.

---

### Outer Market Roof

**Exits**: Down: Alley (via Northwest Junction)
**Light**: Lit (daylight, elevated)
**First Visit**: None (but mercenary dialogue continues here if in progress)

**Description:**
> The tiled roof of the storehouse is steep, but there's just enough purchase for you to scramble up to the top and get a look around. From here you have a good view of the market's northwest junction and the gate to Lord's Road heading north.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Go any direction other than down | | Not a good idea; the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the market are steep and slick, and the tiles have been known to come loose and fall off. It's precarious enough just staying here in one spot. If you're to make your escape, you'll have to make it down on the ground. |

**Objects:**

#### Mercenary Group (visible during opening dialogue)

**Traits**: Scenery, Distant

**Initial Appearance:**
> A group of tough-looking mercenaries has gathered at the Northwest Junction. One of them is barking orders at the others in an angry voice.

**Description:**
> They're not Lord's Guards, that's for sure. They wear no insignia, for one thing. Their arms and armor are mismatched, ugly, and scarred -- not an unfit description of the men themselves, either. Also, while the Guard would be concerned with keeping the peace in Grubber's Market, these bravos look ready to clobber anyone who gets in their way, and maybe burn down a few stalls while they're at it.
>
> So what are they doing here, you wonder? And come to think of it, where are the Lord's Guard, anyway?

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| TALK TO | | Somehow, you think it might be unwise to attract their attention. |
| Any other interaction | | Not while they're down on the ground and you're up on this roof. |

---

### Northwest Junction

**Exits**: NW: Alley. NE: Miscellaneous Food. S: (outer ring south). SE: (inner market stalls). N: Lord's Road (blocked).
**Light**: Lit (daylight, open area)
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> This is the northwest corner of Grubber's Market. You can skirt around the edge of the market to the northeast or south, or head into the center of the market to the southeast. A wide, paved road leads north, towards Lord's Keep. You can also duck back into the alley to the northwest.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Go N | Mercenaries present | You can't get out that way -- two of the mercenaries are loitering near the gate that leads out to Lord's Road. They haven't seen you yet, but you'd never get by without their noticing. |

---

### Miscellaneous Food

**Exits**: NW: (outer ring toward NW Junction). S: (outer ring toward Eastern Junction).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> Baskets bristling with loaves of bread; yellow pyramids of cheese; spiced jerky hanging in bundles overhead -- a typical grocer's stall. You can continue along the market's outer ring to the northwest or south.

**Objects:**

#### Food / Bread / Cheese / Jerky

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> The food looks tasty enough, but you don't really have time for a meal right now.

---

### Fruit Stall

**Exits**: SW: (inner stalls). SE: (toward Eastern Junction area).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> Bins heaped high with bright-colored fruit lend a pleasant fragrance to this end of the market (though by afternoon it will have become a cloying reek that attracts more flies than customers). Aisles between the stalls lead southwest and southeast.

**Objects:**

#### Bins / Fruit

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> Mostly domestic, apples and pears from the city orchards, or brambleberries from the northern counties. A few of the baskets contain more exotic fare: oranges, limes, and kello fruit -- even a bushel of bananas from the Kozar Delta.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| SMELL | | It all smells delicious. |

#### Kello Fruit

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> Normally you'd *kill* for a slice of kello, but these look a bit too green. Not quite in season.

#### Bananas

**Traits**: Takeable
**Initial State**: In fruit bins

**Description:**
> You rarely see bananas this far north. These look just about perfect -- plump, bright yellow with just a sprinkling of brown freckles.

**Notes**: Taking the banana is free (no coin required). Used to trade with the monkey for the necklace.

#### Apples

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> You already sampled one this morning, and they're not half bad.

#### Brambleberries

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> The thumb-sized clusters are shiny and bluish-black. Your mouth waters at the thought of how tart they must be.

#### Oranges

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> The oranges look pale and disappointingly small.

#### Limes

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> The dark green limes look refreshing.

#### Backdrop: Support Post

**Initial Appearance:**
> Nearby stands a thick wooden post.

**Description:**
> It's one of several posts that support the large canvas awnings stretched above the market square. You can see one of the main support wires running from the top of this post to the top of the high post rising up from the center of the market.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| CLIMB | | You could shimmy up there easily enough, but it would attract too much attention. |

---

### Eastern Junction

**Exits**: N: (outer ring north). S: (outer ring south). W: (inner market stalls). E: Eastern Edge (conditional — see Escape Puzzle Spec).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> You're near the eastern edge of Grubber's Market. Commerce Street lies to the east. You can travel along the outer ring of stalls to the north or south, or head towards the market's central hub to the west.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Go E | No disguise | The ideal escape would be to head east, to Commerce Street, and lose yourself in the maze of the city. But a pair of mercenaries have planted themselves by the entrance to the square, and are eyeballing everyone who passes through. You'll need a disguise or a distraction -- preferably both -- to get past them. |
| Go E | Disguise but no wire-slide distraction | You try to keep your head down and not walk too fast, but the mercenaries are being thorough. One of them points at you and says, "Check that one!" / The other one steps into your path. Before you can react, he bends down and stares into your face, then rips the bonnet off your head. "It's the boy!" he shouts, grabbing your arm. [Starts mercenary grab sequence.] |
| Go E | After escaping mercenary grab at gate | There's too many of them in that direction; you've no choice but to dive back into the market! |
| (event after above) | | That was close -- *too* close. The mercenaries are paying too much attention for you to just slip by, even in disguise. You'll need to create some kind of distraction. |
| Go E | Disguise + wire-slide distraction | You keep your head down and walk at a steady pace -- not too fast, not too slow. The mercenaries posted at the market's entrance aren't paying attention: they're looking over your head at the market, trying to see what the big commotion is under the awnings. / You hold your breath as you walk past, close enough to touch one of them. No one stops you. Five more steps...four...three... / And then you are past them, out of Grubber's Market and into Commerce Street and the inner city. |

#### Backdrop: Support Post

(Same as Fruit Stall support post.)

---

### Eastern Edge

**Exits**: W: Eastern Junction. E: Commerce Street (chapter exit).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: Transition room — player only reaches here after passing the Eastern Junction gate check.

**Description:**
> Grubber's market is to the west, along with the searching mercenaries. Commerce Street beckons to the east.

---

### Hat Stall

**Exits**: N: (stalls). SW: (stalls).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> Hats of all styles and sizes hang from scores of wooden pegs, surrounding the stall itself in forest of varied headgear. More stalls lie to the north and southwest.

**Objects:**

#### Hats

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> If you can wear it on your head, it's sold here. Big, flop-brimmed traveling hats; small, leather workman's caps; wide *sappans* of woven straw from the Kozar delta; fancy, feathered hats for courtly balls; and even a few ordinary bonnets.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| TRADE / BUY | | You already have a perfectly serviceable hat -- better save your money for something more useful. |

---

### Weapons Trader

**Exits**: E: (stalls). NW: (stalls).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> The weaponsmith's wares hang from wooden racks along the sides of this stall, a grim picket fence of down-hanging blades. You can find less intimidating stalls to the east and northwest.

**Objects:**

#### Weapons / Swords / Knives (display)

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> Swords and knives, mostly. Nothing fancy; just sharp, practical, and deadly.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| BUY | | "I'm afraid most of my wares are out of your price range, boy," says the smith with a shrug. "But I do take trade." |

See [Trading Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-trading.md) for knife-for-coin trade interactions.

#### Coin

**Traits**: Takeable
**Initial State**: Not in play (received from trading knife)

**Description:**
> It's a silver coin, thick and heavy. Stamped on one side is the Toresal coat of arms; on the other, a crescent moon. It's enough to buy something inexpensive, if you're not too picky about getting change.

#### Backdrop: Support Post

(Same as Fruit Stall support post.)

---

### Leather Shop

**Exits**: N: (stalls). SE: (stalls).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> You pause here for a few deep breaths -- you've always enjoyed the smell around the leather merchant's stall. More stalls lie to the north and southeast.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| SMELL | | The smell of leather reminds always makes you think of traveling in distant, dangerous lands. It's the smell of adventure. |

**Objects:**

#### Leather Goods (display)

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> This merchant deals in riding equipment -- reins, harnesses, stirrups, and the like. A full riding saddle sits on proud display near the back. There are a few items of clothing for sale as well, mostly various styles of scabbards and belts.

#### Saddle

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> It's well out of your price range. Besides, horses make you nervous.

#### Scabbard

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> Some of the scabbards are very pretty, but they're not much use to you without a sword.

#### Belt

**Traits**: Takeable, Wearable
**Initial State**: On display

**Description (on display):**
> Now, a good belt is always useful. The ones on display here aren't anything fancy, but they're sturdy and well-crafted.

**Description (in inventory):**
> A sturdy and supple strap of leather, three feet long.

**Notes**: Purchased with coin. Used for wire-slide escape. See [Trading Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-trading.md) and [Escape Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-escape.md).

---

### Herb Stall

**Exits**: S: (inner stalls). N: (market perimeter / outer ring).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> The herb stall is usually a quieter place. Customers like to browse, poke their noses into the various jars and pouches, and judge the potency of a potential purchase at their leisure. You've never understood the fascination, yourself. More interesting stalls are to the south, and the market opens out a little to the north.

**Objects:**

#### Herbs (display)

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> TODO: awaiting spec — herb stall description in source repeats the room description. Distinct examine text needed for the herbs as objects.

#### Backdrop: Support Post

(Same as Fruit Stall support post.)

---

### Candle Maker

**Exits**: SE: (stalls). SW: (stalls).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> The heat and fumes from the candle maker's tallow pots make this stall an unpleasant place to loiter. Still, people need candles, and customers seem to be buying them as fast as the stall keeper can dip them. Other stalls are to the southeast and southwest.

**Objects:**

#### Candles (display)

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> The candles hang in pairs from long wooden dowels, connected to each other by their common wick. Most of them are tallow, fast-burning and cheap, but near the back there are boxes of premade wax candles in different colors.

#### Tallow Pots

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> The candle merchant keeps a pair of small cauldrons at a constant boil, filled with bubbling, yellowing goop.

---

### Rope Stall

**Exits**: NE: (stalls). SE: (stalls). NW: (market perimeter / outer ring).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> One thing you can say about the rope stall: you'll never spend a moment wondering what's for sale. Rope and lots of it, thick and thin, knotted or loose, in heaps and in coils, stacked on the floor or hanging from pegs. More stalls are to the northeast and southeast, and the market opens out a bit to the northwest.

**Objects:**

#### Rope (display)

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> Coarse braids of scratchy hemp, stiff and tough.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| BUY (with coin) | | The rope merchant takes your coin and looks at it for a moment, considering its worth. Then he takes the end of one of his cheaper coils, measures out about ten feet, cuts it, and tosses it to you. |

#### Rope (inventory)

**Traits**: Takeable
**Initial State**: Not in play (purchased with coin)

**Description:**
> The rope is thick and stiffened with tar. The rough hemp scratches your hands when you try to grip it.

**Notes**: Can attempt to use for wire slide, but fails. See [Escape Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-escape.md).

#### Backdrop: Center Post

**Initial Appearance:**
> Rising up behind the stall is a tall wooden post.

**Description:**
> The central post that holds up the system of canvas awnings stretched over the market square. It rises up from the midst of a cluster of stalls in the middle of the market, to a height of about twenty feet. Thick, taut support wires stretch from the top of the post to the four cardinal directions.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Any interaction (when not adjacent) | | The stalls surrounding the center post are backed up tightly against it. You'll have to find a way behind them to get to the post. |

---

### Pottery Stall

**Exits**: NW: (stalls). SW: (stalls). E: (market edge / toward Eastern Junction).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> The wares at the pottery stall are spread out on the ground or set on low benches, forcing browsers and passers-by to step carefully around them. There are more stalls to the northwest and southwest, or you can head out to the market's edge to the east.

**Objects:**

#### Pottery (display)

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> From tall, narrow, precariously balanced urns to round, gourd-like jars to shallow bowls, each is uniquely shaped, yet they all share a common, graceful curve. Most of them are made of fired clay from the Westlands, decorated with colorful glazes.

#### Backdrop: Center Post

(Same as Rope Stall center post.)

---

### Exotic Gems Stall

**Exits**: W: (stalls). NE: (stalls).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: Monkey theft event triggers (see below).

**Description:**
> The shelves of this stall are lined with black velvet cloth, across which are spread dozens of jewels in exotic colors and cuts, all glittering in the dusty sunlight. Other stalls lie to the west and northeast.

**Objects:**

#### Gems (display)

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> Some of them are loose stones; others are set in finely wrought rings and necklaces. Most of them were probably illegally smuggled from over the western mountains, which is why they're cheap enough to be affordable by anyone in Grubber's Market. Still, they're far, far out of your price range.

#### Backdrop: Support Post

(Same as Fruit Stall support post.)

#### NPC: Monkey

**Initial Event [after entering Gem Stall for the first time]:**
> Suddenly you hear a commotion from the back of the stall: the crash of a display case hitting the ground; shouts and curses from the stall keeper; and a horrific, gibbering shriek.
>
> "Come back here, you flea-bitten thief!" yells the stall keeper, and for a panicked moment you think he means *you*. Then you see something small and gray dart up to the roof of the stall... it's just a forest monkey, probably someone's pet running loose. And it's clutching one of the stall keeper's necklaces in its tiny black fist.
>
> The monkey turns and screeches back at the stall keeper, dodges a clumsily thrown dirt clod, and scampers up the nearby support pole.

**Initial Appearance (on the pole):**
> The monkey is here, balanced on the wire, just a few feet away.

**Description:**
> It has silvery fur and black mask-like markings on its startlingly human face. It seems to regard you with a mixture of curiosity and amusement, as though you were some strange little animal whose antics it found entertaining. [if it has the necklace] It grips the necklace like a cherished possession, tight against its tiny chest.

**Idle Behaviors (1 in 5 chance each turn):**
- The monkey bounces up and down on its wire, screeching happily.
- The monkey turns the necklace over and over in its tiny hands, staring intently into the gem's blue depths.
- The monkey tosses the necklace high in the air, swings itself under the wire and back up again with its tail, and at the last second catches the necklace in its little black hands.
- The monkey hoots at you.
- The monkey sniffs at you and shrieks with amusement.

**Idle Behaviors when player has banana (1 in 5 chance each turn):**
- The monkey sniffs at you excitedly, and emits a hopeful chirp.
- The monkey hops up and down on the wire, and makes a gesture with its tiny hands as though it were peeling a banana.
- The monkey stares hungrily at your banana.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| TAKE necklace | | [random] The monkey screeches at you and backs away. / The monkey jumps back, chattering angrily and holding the necklace out of reach. / The monkey scampers back, clutching the necklace to its chest. / The monkey hops back a few feet on the wire and blows a raspberry at you, as though daring you to come after it. |
| GIVE banana / TRADE banana for necklace | Has banana | See Banana-Necklace Trade below. |

**Banana-Necklace Trade:**
> You hold the banana out and wiggle it enticingly. "Here, monkey. C'mon, little monkey," you whisper, trying to ignore how stupid it sounds.
>
> The monkey creeps closer, eyes locked on the yellow fruit. It's only about a foot away from your out-stretched hand now. Its little face contorts into bizarre expressions as it wrestles with the conflicting desires to grab the tasty treat, hold onto the shiny trinket, and stay out of your reach, all at the same time.
>
> Suddenly the monkey lunges. You make with your free hand. The monkey grabs the banana just as your fingers hook around the necklace's chain. The monkey screams and jumps six feet straight up, lands on your head, and scampers off down the wire behind you. Your heart leaps into your throat as you lose your balance on top of the pole. You totter, pinwheel your arms... and stay on.
>
> You're breathing hard, but you're safe. And you have the necklace.
>
> Somewhere far below you, a stallkeeper is cursing and wiping smushed banana off his face.

#### Necklace

**Traits**: Takeable, Wearable
**Initial State**: Held by monkey

**Description:**
> It's a beautiful gem, clear blue with a deep indigo star in its center, set in a silver-wrought starburst on a silver chain. You could easily trade it for any piece of merchandise in the market. Or you could... you know... wear it.

**Notes**: Used to trade with Teisha for the silk cloak. See [Trading Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-trading.md).

---

### Outside Silk Stall

**Exits**: N: Inside Silk Stall. NE: (stalls). NW: (stalls).
**Light**: Lit
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> Teisha has done well enough for herself that her "stall" is actually a full-on tent. You can enter the tent to the north, or continue on to other stalls to the northeast or northwest.

#### Backdrop: Center Post

(Same as Rope Stall center post.)

---

### Inside Silk Stall

**Exits**: S: Outside Silk Stall. Gap: Behind Silk Tent (through narrow gap in back).
**Light**: Lit (filtered through fabric)
**First Visit**: Teisha greeting (see NPC below).

**Description:**
> The fabric walls lend a bit of privacy and quiet from the crowds outside (in addition to keeping dust off the merchandise). Beautiful silk garments hang from racks on either side. The main market lies to the south. A narrow gap in the back leads behind the tent.

**Objects:**

#### Garments (display)

**Traits**: Scenery

**Description:**
> Gowns, robes, capes, cloaks, and shawls -- their hems rippling with the slightest movement of air, shimmering with that soft, liquid glow that only silk has. You sigh. Dressing up like a boy is definitely *fun*, but looking at Teisha's wares always makes you yearn for something a little bit more... elegant.

#### NPC: Teisha

**Initial Appearance:**
> Teisha sits on a stool in back, smiling distractedly.

**Description:**
> Teisha is a short, busty woman with a smile as warm as her tumbling red curls. She likes you, and she knows that you'd never nick from her stall, so she lets you hang around the stall and look through the merchandise. She also knows your big secret (guessed it the very first time she caught you loitering at the tent flap), which is a little bit scary and a little bit of a relief -- it's nice to be able to let your guard down and talk to someone outside the Maiden's House.

**Idle Actions (1 per turn, randomized):**
- Teisha hums quietly to herself.
- Teisha smiles at you warmly.
- Teisha brushes a loose thread from the sleeve of one of her gowns.
- Teisha toys with her measuring cord, spinning it idly.

**Dialogue:**

| Topic | Condition | Response |
|-------|-----------|----------|
| (entering tent) | First time | "Hello, Jack," says Teisha. "Change your mind about that cloak?" Then she gets a look at your face and frowns. "Something the matter, sweetie? You look spooked." |
| (entering tent) | Subsequent | Teisha looks up. "Hi Jack. Hanging in there?" |
| Mercenaries | First time | "Mercenaries searching the market?" Teisha peeks out through the front flap. "Brigid help us," she mutters, glancing back at you. Although you know she cares about you, you also know that Teisha is a smart, practical woman, and first and foremost she is worried about losing her customers. "All right," she sighs, letting the flap fall closed. "You don't need to tell me if they're after you. I don't want to know. There's no room for you to hide in here, but if you want to you can slip out that way---" she points to the narrow gap in the back wall of the tent--- "and I'll pretend I never saw you." |
| Mercenaries | Subsequent | She makes a face. "I don't like it, Jack, but there's nothing I can do. Just try to stay out of their way." |
| Monkey | | Teisha rolls her eyes. "That pesky thing came in on with the fruit vendor's wagon yesterday and just made itself at home. Now it's all over the place, bothering everybody. Fortunately, it likes shiny things more than it likes women's clothes. Oh, and bananas. The little rodent loves bananas. Constantly drops the peels on the roof of my tent, too." |
| Necklace | | "That monkey got one of Hathid's necklaces?" Teisha laughs. "Ha! Serves the old huckster right. You should try giving it a banana, see if it'll trade." |
| Cloak | | "I can't just give you one, sweetie," Teisha says, sadly. "These silks are expensive, and I have to pay my suppliers and make a living for myself. If you have coin, or something worth trading, maybe I can cut you a deal. Otherwise..." |

**Trading for the Silk Cloak:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| TRADE (not necklace) | | Teisha shakes her head and hands the [whatever] back to you. "This just won't do," she says, not unkindly. |
| TRADE necklace | Has necklace | Teisha's eyebrow shoots up when you show her the necklace, but she manages to hide her excitement with the coolness of a professional haggler. "Not top quality," she mutters, "but very nice..." She gives you a look. "Now, tell me the truth, Jack, you didn't just steal this from somewhere, did you?" / You shake your head proudly. It's not *exactly* a lie. / "All right." The necklace disappears into one of Teisha's pockets. "Let's see..." she starts searching through the clothes on the racks, looking for something in your size. "This should fit. I think it suits you, too." She holds out a girl's cloak, simple but elegant. "What do you think?" / It's beautiful. Eagerly you nod your agreement. / Teisha smiles. "Then it's yours." |

**After Trading:**

| Trigger | Response |
|---------|----------|
| Putting on silk cloak in Teisha's presence (first time) | Teisha leans over and adjusts the fit, plucking at the fabric where it hangs from your shoulders. "I was right," she says. "It brings out your eyes. You look... almost *royal*." |
| Going north through back gap (first time) | Teisha holds the back flap as you duck through. "Be careful now..." she says, "...*Jacqueline*." |
| Going north through back gap (subsequent) | "Careful out there," calls Teisha as you duck through the back again. |

#### Silk Cloak

**Traits**: Takeable, Wearable
**Initial State**: Not in play (received from Teisha trade)

**Description:**
> It comes down to your ankles, a simple drape of soft, dusky green with silver trim. [if worn] You're wearing it in the feminine style, forward over both shoulders and clasped under your chin.

**Notes**: Part of the disguise system. Wearing the silk cloak in feminine style + removing hat = girl disguise. See [Trading Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-trading.md).

---

### Behind Silk Tent

**Exits**: S: Inside Silk Stall. Up: Top of Center Post (via climbing).
**Light**: Lit (shadowed)
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> This is an empty space formed by the backs of three stalls and Teisha's tent, meeting at the corners to form a cramped little square. It's barely big enough to stretch your arms out in. Right in the middle is the base of the huge central support post, which rises up a good twenty feet from here. You can duck back into Teisha's tent to the south.

**Objects:**

#### Center Post (climbable)

**Traits**: Climbable, Fixed

**Description:**
> It's huge, almost too big to put your arms around. Way up at the top, you can see wires stretching out in each of the cardinal directions.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| CLIMB / UP | | You're totally hidden back here, so there's no one to stop you from climbing. By the time you're high enough for people to see you, you're also high enough that no one will notice anyway; no one ever bothers to look up in the Grubber's Market. After a minute or so of grunting and sweating, you reach the top. |

---

### Top of Center Post

**Exits**: N/S/E/W: Via anchor cables (wire slide). Down: Behind Silk Tent.
**Light**: Lit (elevated, open sky)
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> Perched atop the high central post, you can look out over the whole market square. To the north, Lord's Road heads out of the city towards Lord's Keep, a mile or so from the city. To the east are rolling pastures; to the west, broken ground and scrub. In every other direction the city is surrounded by rolling meadows and farmlands.
>
> Four anchor cables stretch away in the four cardinal directions, attached to the smaller support posts at the perimeter of the market.

**Objects:**

#### Anchor Cable (×4: north, south, east, west)

**Traits**: Fixed

**Description:**
> The cable is made of thick, braided wire. One end is attached to the top of the pole that you are currently balancing on; the other end is attached to a shorter support post at the [north/south/east/west] end of the market, far below.

**Notes**: Wire sliding mechanics are detailed in [Escape Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-escape.md). Sliding successfully moves the player to the room containing the corresponding perimeter support post.

---

### Grubber's Market (Night)

**Exits**: N: Lord's Road. NW: Alley. E: Merchant Street.
**Light**: Dark (moonlight)
**First Visit**: None

**Description:**
> At night, the normally crowded marketplace becomes an empty maze of shadows, abandoned stalls and rolled-up canvas. The Lord's Road lies north, your little alley lies northwest, and Merchant Street lies back east.

**Notes**: This single location represents the entire Grubber's Market during night scenes. Replaces all daytime market rooms.

---

## NPCs (Global)

### Mercenary (patrol)

See [Escape Puzzle Spec](../puzzles/chapter-01-escape.md) for the full mercenary encounter system including appearance states, idle behaviors, spot/grab/capture state machine, knife-stealing mechanics, and escape options.

### Stallkeeper (generic)

Present in all market stall rooms (not junctions, not silk tent interior).

**Description:**
> The stallkeeper looks nervous and irritable. Armed thugs stomping around the Grubber's Market is not good for business.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| TALK TO | | [random] The stallkeeper waves you off. "Take it somewhere else, kid." / The stallkeeper seems too distracted to talk to you. / The stallkeeper grunts noncommitally. |
| BUY (with coin) | | The stallkeeper barely glances at the coin before dropping it into his purse. "Sure, sure," he mutters, handing you [whatever]. "Here you go. Now beat it, all right?" |
| TAKE (without paying) | | Better not. Not only do the mercenaries have everyone on edge, but a good third of the normal shopping crowd have been scared off, which makes it that much easier for the stallkeeper to keep an eye on you. And if you get caught, the uproar will bring the mercenaries right to you. |
| Any other interaction with wares | | "Hey!" the stallkeeper glares at you. "Keep your sticky fingers away from the goods." |

### Shoppers / Marketgoers / Townsfolk (scenery)

Present in all Grubber's Market locations.

**Description:**
> The crowd here includes all sorts: country folk; poorer townsfolk; middle-class merchants looking for a bargain; servants of the upper class; even a few tourists and sea merchants come upriver from the coast. [if the Mercenary is in the location] Most of them keep their heads down and give the mercenary a wide berth. [end if] All of them are far too busy to pay attention to you.

**Commands:**

| Action | Condition | Response |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| TALK TO | First time | Some of the marketfolk glance at you; a few put their hands protectively around their moneypurses. But no one seems interested in having a conversation with a common street urchin. |
| TALK TO | Subsequent | It's no use; these people just want to get on with their business and be left alone. |
| Any other interaction | | [random] "Here, you! Scamper off, why don't you?" / The shopper roughly shoulders you aside. / The shopper waves you off, irritated. / "Take it somewhere else, kid, fore I call the guard." |

**Idle Behavior (1 in 10 chance each turn):**

> A \_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_ [1 in 4 chance:] with \_\_\_\_\_\_ [end] \_\_\_\_\_\_.

| Slot | Options |
|------|---------|
| First (adjective) | fat / gangly / pock-marked / piebald / sweaty / red-faced / ugly / gawking / sour-faced |
| Second (noun) | bumpkin / farmer / shopper / marketgoer / matron / servant / merchant |
| Third (detail, 1-in-4 chance) | an overstuffed basket over one arm / a scraggly moustache / a wen the size of a robin's egg on (his/her) nose / a look of grim determination on (his/her) face / crooked teeth / lice jumping out of (his/her) clothes / near-paralyzing halitosis |
| Fourth (action) | shoves you out of the way, muttering something about "street trash" / bumps into you hard enough to send you reeling against a nearby stall / steps on your foot / squeezes past you / argues loudly with a nearby stallkeeper / pauses to inspect the merchandise, then moves on / hurries through the crowd, muttering something about "bloodthirsty hooligans" invading the market / stalks by, muttering something about "penny-grubbing trinket-sellers" |