Navear's Story - 20-28 of Famine, YND 744

Entry 1 - Your days of shore leave are filled with the details of setting up Halaan with a forge in which to create a new Coin of Power, valuing the party's treasure & trade goods, and re-purchasing the equipment you lost in the shipwreck.

It turns out these simple tasks are a lot more difficult than you expected, and you discover a lot about the City of Zoa and its guilds. Setting out to purchase a set of jeweler's tools you find that no merchant will sell you a set of tools without verifiying your guild credentials. Not being a guild member, you are turned away a few times, learning in the process that the guilds seem to control a lot of what goes on in Zoa. There are a lot of guilds, seemingly for all professions and trades - even the Clerics and Mages are organized into guilds And they have a lot more power than guilds typically do - not only can they restrict the sale of tools to members only, they can also levy a 10% tax on all tools as well.

Entry into a trade guild is no mean feat - typically a Zoan child starts an apprenticeship at the age of 10 or 12 years old, and his family often pays a tuition to the Master for his time. After 8-10 years training he is tested for a journeyman's rank and allowed to enter the guild. You could shortcut the process by finding a Master willing to test you, but he would command a significant fee for the service. The professional guilds - such as the Merchants or Mages - are easier to join, one just need to declare an intent to settle in Zoa and pay the guild dues, after the applicant demonstrates they have the relevant skills and assets required to succeed. Geolain even suggests you join the wizard's guild, especially if you are going to continue to summon horses in the street. Geolain also lets you in on part of the secret of why he lives in the Dregs.

"Its a lot easier to obtain some rarer items in the Dregs, Navear" he says as you help him setup some alchemical apparati under Halaan's direction. "why don't you head for the shops along Harbourfront Lane near the Low Market and look for your goods there. I'm sure you'll find what you need."

Taking his advice, you explore the neighbourhood around the low market (taking care to guard your purse) and find a number of shops selling a bit of this and that. After some surreptitious discussion, you manage to purchase a set of Jeweler's tools and book binder's implements (and a set of thieves picks on the sly).