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As Alzar arrives, a city guard tells him its 8 silver to enter. Beyond the gate is a narrow muddy street with people in their best clothes. There are brightly colored outfits, and jugglers, fire-eaters, and more. There are drums, whistles and such. Alzar asks what the celebration and the guard tells him it is the Festival of Lucor. The guard tells him that all weapons but daggers must be bound. Unbound weapons will be fines, murder by unbound is jailtime and perhaps death. The axe is bound to Alzar’s back and the staff has added softeners to it. It will take one round to unbind each weapon.
Alzar pays one gold and gets change, and then enters the city.
Beyond the gate is a swirl of people. Alzar moves the gold purse up his body to just below his throat. Uncomfortable, and very safe. There are acrobats, knife throwers, and a small menagerie of exotic animals with a small bear, wolves, a giant scorpion, and a stirge. The smells of sewage, grilled meats, breads, sweat and wine all mingle into an olfactory explosion.
Alzar grabs some meat of an unknown type from a nearby vendor and begins to walk around. Suddenly, the crowd makes a path and the music fades to bells and chanting. The people start to eagerly anticipate the procession. Alzar inquires to what it is.
This is the Procession of Lucor, which honors a local legendary cleric who, centuries ago, cleared the dock area of this town from an ancient evil that kept shipping at bay. Ever since, the shipping has been the lifeblood of the city as vessels go up and down the river and Athaly is now a central trading town.
This Festival honors that act, and the Procession has a local female lady of notable rank lead a procession to the place at the docks where a statue of Lucor stands, and honor that statue with offerings and sacrifices. This lead, the Lady Magda, a Torenescu faction noble, has the honor.
The procession arrives. A sedan chair borne on the shoulders of clerics has the Lady Magda on top. Then, the procession stops as an argument has broken out. Alzar leans in to see what is happening. Two men, one small plump and pockmarked, and one tall and lean, are arguing with the lead bearer of the sedan chair. The small, plump man says to the bearer, “Bald-headed fool, do you Torenescu think you own the streets? There’s space for all of us without your ape-like behavior!”
The lead bearer contemptuously rebukes the man tells the “Radu Rabble” to get out of his way. The tall lean man spits on a likeness of Lucor and spits on it.
The lead bearer strikes the tall man, knocking him to the filth. The smaller man tenses, ready to lunge. Alzar chooses not to get involved. A few seconds later, just before fighting would break out, two men in green break up the argument and pacify both sides.
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