Nirritas & The Sand Scorpions

PART 1 - CAT QUEST!

Chapter 0 – Tales From The Historian - Nirritas & The Sand Scorpions

Nirritas Market encompasses almost half of the sprawling chaos that makes up the coastal city. It's a bizarre mixture of brightly coloured tents, stalls and buildings that seem to have been thrown together at random. Other than the Jewelled Palace and the surrounding area on the hilltop, there's no concept of class-based districts as you'd find in almost every city in the New Empire.

A wealthy merchant's mansion might be surrounded by run down shacks and cheap stalls. You might find a three-story luxury store being built next to a dilapidated scrap merchant's hovel. The stark contrast between different styles, quality and the sheer haphazardness of the city is beautiful and intriguing.

The Jewelled Palace doesn’t quite live up to its name, but it looks all the more spectacular for that. The Palace has its fair share of priceless jewels in the vaults, but in reality most of the “jewels” towering above the hilltop building are glass. That’s not because they’re being cheap (because the glass they use is nowhere near cheap), it’s because the glass looks more impressive!

The sun sparkles through massive multi-coloured windows and crystals, all angled precisely, with some deliberately offset by the slightest amount. It looks random, but it’s most definitely not! In the past, the designers made mistakes, and when they did, it caused chaos. When the sun was at its brightest, all it took was half a dozen incorrectly aligned windows to focus the suns power on a single spot, and the intensity was enough to set a building on fire. It was like a magnifying glass if they made a mistake, but that hadn’t happened in over seventy years. That was bad for business! Instead they realised the potential for harnessing the suns power, and used that for more sensible reasons than setting things on fire.

The windows were a beacon of prosperity, angled to cast rainbows over the desert in the morning, and the city in the afternoon. Few are allowed to ascend to the top of the Jewelled Palace to see the windows up close, but for those who have, it's an incredible view. Looking to the North, Nirritas spreads out before them, followed by the endless ocean. They can then spin to look to the South, where they see nothing but the endless desert. And at the right time, as the sun hits those windows, both are just as beautiful.

Of course, neither the ocean nor the desert are actually endless, but it makes it sound just as spectacular as it looks. However, the true beauty is seen from below. Looking up from Nirritas as the glass catches the sun at the right moment, it can take your breath away. Even on the hottest and busiest of days, the constant flow of traffic pauses. The more impatient might bristle in impatience as they attempt to push past, until they follow everyone’s gaze upwards, then they likewise halt in wonder.

Whether seeing The Jewelled Palace in the late afternoon for the first time or the thousandth, doesn’t matter. Nobody can deny the fact that the display is literally dazzling. Even the pickpockets stop in that moment (though they recover faster, and make more money in those seconds than the rest of the day).

There may not be any defined class system in Nirritas, but there is a vague system, or maybe a hint towards a hierarchy? Its more of a sliding scale than anything? It isn't based on birthright or inheritance, it's based on wealth. There’s no concept of royalty (good luck to anyone on that front), and there’s no official government as such. There are various organised bodies that work for Nirritas, and are paid through taxes, but it’s somewhat confusing as to how the money actually gets to them. The money quite simply flows where it needs to. People get paid, even if it isn’t documented anywhere. Oh there’s book keepers, accountants, and records. Everything is recorded, and they are meticulous. And yet if you were to try and trace the funds, you’d be doing well to work it out.

There is of course a loosely based control, and for the most part that’s controlled from those in the Jewelled Palace, but there’s no leader. It’s controlled loosely deliberately, but that doesn’t mean it’s lax. There’s a paradox if you’ve ever heard one? It doesn’t make sense, and yet if you try and abuse those loose controls, you’ll seriously regret it. It’s not just that you’ll end up dead, which is the most likely (and preferable) outcome, it’s the threat of the Sand Scorpions. You won’t find detail on the Sand Scorpions anywhere, because those who know anything about them have more sense than to document that anywhere.

So Nirritas is a city based on fear? To an extent, yes. However the Sand Scorpions rarely get involved in politics or finances directly. Nirritas is a city based on core human decency and respect! Now there’s a bigger paradox for you!

There’s no voting system, and there’s definitely no monarchy. Anyone trying to proclaim themselves as King would be dead within minutes. Nirritas had learned that lesson a long time ago, the hard way. Those with the most money have the most power, and that filters up and down.

So what's new about that? The richest are the most powerful! The threat of a slow and painful death if you cross the line. It’s an endless cycle, disgustingly repeated everywhere, anywhere you go, for eternity? But as hinted at, that isn’t the full story with regards to Nirritas. They’d been through severe hardships, they’d learned their lessons, and they’d learned their lessons. Yes that was repeated twice deliberately! Like any city they knew new pain and suffering, and they’d decided (or better put, it had evolved), so the richest were the most powerful!

What’s your point? You’re going in circles here? The fact is that the richest understood the mistakes of their predecessors, and they’d learned from them. They not only understood commerce, they respected it, and they respected the people. There’s no doubt as to whether those at the top were corrupt (as everywhere), but they weren't stupid (unlike everywhere else). They tax the people, but it wasn't ridiculous (as everywhere else), and they don't milk them (unlike everywhere else). Instead, they do things efficiently (not only unlike everywhere else, but entirely unique)! They look at the city as a whole, and they look at the long term. They grease the wheels when they need to, but they don’t like doing it. Greasing the wheels costs money, and profit is everything. They’re cut-throat when they need to be, but again, only when they need to be. Cut-throat costs money, and cut-throat isn’t good for business! The most bizarre thing is, the people in charge are actually intelligent (unlike everywhere else). That’s why everything works.

Money is made through hard work and profit, and that applies to those at the top, just as much as it does to those at the bottom. Wasting money isn’t profitable. When you’re at the top, where you waste money anywhere down the chain, that wastes everyone’s money. Most of that money flows upwards into their pockets, so the more efficiently the city runs, the more money they make! That simple!

Efficiency? Madness!

It’s profitable for those at the top to take care of their people (a lesson learned the hard way), so they do just that! They take care of the elderly, they take care of the sick, they take care of the orphans, and they take care of their people. Happy people work more efficiently. If you know your family’s taken care of, and that when you’re sick or grow old, you’re taken care of - you're happier, work harder, more efficiently, and make more money. The old people have wisdom, if not through intelligence, by experience. The old aren’t a burden, they're an asset.

Madness!

That all sounds cold and calculated, but that’s an unfair assessment of Nirritas. The other incredible thing is, they do genuinely care. It’s a system that’s been in place for hundreds of years, after the city was almost wiped out hundreds of years ago. It was a particularly harsh summer, the oasis dried up, and the Nirras river dried up. The populace were stricken with disease, and they couldn’t maintain the city. The old and the weak died first, and as they did, all their knowledge and skills died with them. The children died next, and with that combination, Nirritas came close to death. The city couldn’t function, there was nobody to maintain the streets, and the King just sat there in his Jewelled Palace. He defended the Palace, and what little water was left in the lake. He locked the gates and his guards were ordered to kill anyone who even attempted to ascend the hill.

The city was on the brink of collapse, but two events save Nirritas. The first is what they theatrically call The Night Of The Screaming Jewels. The entire city heard the screaming from the Jewelled Palace. It continued for hours, and in the morning the gates were opened. Those who first entered the citadel were horrified when they found The King, all his family, all his friends, and all his guards in the Jewelled Hall. Every single person in the Palace lay dead in that hall. Over 300 bodies were strewn about the floor.

The Sand Scorpions had killed every single one of them. They’d done it quickly and efficiently, apart from when it came to the King and his advisors. They were left hanging from the roof, and they had died slowly.

Those left in the city found enough grain and food for those left in the city to survive for several weeks, and enough water in the oasis to last for a fortnight if they used it sparingly. They might have been tempted to take control and fight over what was left, but the Sand Scorpions had left a clear message. They distributed it evenly, and the managed it efficiently.

The second event was a hurricane. The hurricane battered the city relentlessly for two full days, and it killed many. It destroyed buildings, shacks, tents, and left the city in ruins. Although that sounded bad, it saved them. It cleaned the streets and most importantly, it rained! It didn’t refill the oasis, but it was more than enough, and every single person was collecting as much rain water as they could!

As you’d expect after such an event, it was obviously an act of God! The Jewelled Priest had a vision, proclaiming that God had sent this mighty plague to test them! God had struck the city down for its sins, and only the strongest survived his test. Those who had survived were the worthy. They were all children of God! The plague was a test and after passing God’s test, he’d sent them rain to cleanse the city and cleanse their souls. Those who’d survived were God’s chosen few. The priest took up residence in the Jewelled Palace alongside his acolytes, and the city flocked to his new religion.

People flocked to the Jewelled Priest, and his new religion was highly successful. He was so successful, he last for a full week! What followed the Second Night Of The Screaming Jewels. They found the priest and his acolytes likewise hanging from the roof the following day. The Sand Scorpions had obviously been less than impressed with his new religion.

In the end the city decided that maybe it wasn’t the work of God? Maybe it had just been bad management by the King and those in charge all round. They strived to do better, and they did.

And Nirritas crept back from the ashes, and it thrived! Intelligent people took charge of the cities recovery. The people who fought to save the city loved the city, and they loved making profit. Nobody would be stupid enough to proclaim themselves King or start up a new religion. Nobody would claim to be in charge of the city, and those who abused their power usually wound up hanging from the ceiling in the main hall of the Jewelled Palace. It was a lesson well learned, not just from loss of profit, but from pain. And from all that came respect. Laugh away, but respect is a core sorely missing in so many cities. In Nirritas, it’s common for a rich merchant to become bankrupt overnight. It’s possible that those at the top might fall ill, and they grow old as well as anyone. What happened before might happen again. But the losses still weigh heavily on the city, and that was due to greed, corruption, and bad management. It’s respect based on human decency, and doing things because it’s the right thing to do. And bizarrely the right thing to do turns out to be very profitable?

Madness!

So the Sand Scorpions run the city? In a sense, but not really. Another paradox. They step in if required, but they mostly seem to just let Nirritas in peace. They are assassin’s and killers, and they’re really pretty evil, but they have no need for money. Why do they do it then? Who knows? What’s their goal? Who knows? Maybe in their cold hearted evil hearts there is a sliver of decency? Doubtful! Maybe they secretly run the city in the background? Possibly? Does it really matter? Don’t mess with the Sand Scorpions. Don’t mess with Nirritas.

So the Sand Scorpions are the good guys?

Most definitely not!

But the Sand Scorpions saved the city, and it’s no longer corrupt? Of course it’s corrupt! It's not that simple. There’s corruption everywhere. There are muggings, kidnappings, gangs, killings, and worse. The Sand Scorpions rarely get involved, but when they do, they kill everyone. They kill their target, their family, their children, their friends, and anyone in the general vicinity. They love killing. More likely they saw Nirritas dying, then decided to save it because if there’s no one to kill they’d get bored? Or maybe there’d be nobody left to recruit into their order and the Sand Scorpions would likewise die out?

But respect is somehow still a key principle for almost everyone, and that hasn’t been lost down the centuries. Respect isn't a word you would associate with most cities in the New Empire, but you would with Nirritas. Even the thieves and killers understand respect. They’ll still kill you for a few shards, but they’ll at least show you some respect as they slit your throat.

The only people they don't take care of are the jobless. There’s work everywhere; there’s a job for everyone. Again a lesson hard learned by that same event, where half the city died. Anyone healthy and fit who doesn't want to work? No problem! But they'll receive absolutely nothing. No handouts. Begging isn't frowned upon; it’s stamped upon with a booted heel, then crushed into the sand.

Stealing? Mugging? Black market activities? No problem. That's good, because you're helping the money flow. If you’re arrested, the massive fines you’ll have to pay help the money flow. If you can’t afford to pay your fines, you’re put to work. The criminals work the sewers, the mines, cleaning the streets, whatever is required, and if they work hard, they’re released all the quicker. That keeps the city maintained. Fortunes are made, and fortunes are lost. If someone’s down on their luck, there are jobs everywhere. They may not be nice jobs, but they are jobs all the same.

In most ports, ships are taxed bringing goods into the city. Not so in Nirritas, it's entirely the opposite. Customs are less than a joke for anyone arriving in Nirritas. You can bring in pretty much anything you want. However getting goods out of Nirritas is another story. They don't overly tax the populace, instead they brutally tax anyone moving wealth out of the city. That's where the money for the schools and hospitals comes from. Money coming in is good. Money going out is bad. It’s that simple.

It sounds like utter madness, and the city looks like complete madness? It's an utterly insane concept, and it’s chaos? Yes! But the proof is right there. Nirritas is the richest city in the world, and by no inconsiderable margin. The people are treated well, and they are happy. Traders come from far and wide to sell their wares without being taxed. They are only taxed on the way out. And those taxes apply (for the most part) to the money they’re left with as they leave again. The number of traders who retire in Nirritas is incredible, and that’s good. They’re not taking money out of the city, so they’re welcomed with open arms.

If you arrive in Nirritas with goods, then sell them for 1000 gold? No problem. Spend that 1000 gold tax free? No problem. Try to leave Nirritas with that 1000 gold? No problem, but you’ll be taxed at least 40%. Try to avoid paying your taxes, and you’ll seriously regret it! Avoiding paying taxes whilst leaving the city? That’s something they stamp down on with a booted heel, though in this case, those boots have spikes!

Thelmos had travelled far and wide and visited every city, but there was nothing even remotely similar to Nirritas. She loved it! Within the city there were few areas you could truly define as a district, other than in a loose sense. It was more a spattering of general themes that became more prominent in some areas, where they overlapped in some sort of vague nod towards a sense of order. Most of the food stalls congregated around the central plaza’s (of which there was eight), and the wide main road leading from the docks to the Palace. However they could also be found in abundance at the outer edges of the city. The fish stalls were mainly located close to the docks as you'd expect, but there was numerous stalls further afield to cater for those who didn't want to cross the city to buy their fish. That was common sense, and not that surprising really, so no different to anywhere else? And yet the layout was bizarre all the same. The metal workers tend towards the East due to the Nirras River streaming down from the Palace, where their forges spew out a continuous stream of smoke, night and day. The jewellers tend to congregate towards the West, and that area is notable by the obvious wealth on display, and the additional guards looking out for pickpockets and thieves.

The taverns, inns, musicians and street entertainers are mostly found to the North of the plaza, and that area is one continuous party – day and night. Anyone with any sense might post additional guards there, but given the entire city is based on commerce, the guards are posted wherever the wealth is (and to prevent that wealth from leaving the city).

There were definitely different themes, but they didn't correlate to any particular area. That said, there were areas you might want to avoid at night, and there were areas you'd most definitely want to avoid at night. Thelmos had once spent two full weeks exploring the city, but she'd have needed months to come even close to discovering everything, especially as some of the stalls changed daily. The stalls, the plots, and the buildings were likewise traded fiercely, and that was another area where taxes applied, though they weren’t severe. As one trader's business expanded, they'd upgrade from a market stall to a ground floor office. As their business struggled, they'd downgrade. Some traders worked together in guilds and would continuously swap with each other where they found it more profitable, or based on the time of year, or the crops. Large guilds and monopolies weren’t illegal. They were taxed so heavily, they might as well be crushed under a booted heel. And that applied just as much to the gangs as it did to the guilds. Corruption was rife, and those at that top had an incredible amount of power, but they kept a close eye on anyone abusing that power (and that included themselves).

-=-=-

Thelmos admitted she might have explored more of the city on her last visit if she hadn't spent five days in what she called the “party” district to the North. The two Northern Plaza were huge! The music, plays, singing, circuses, magicians, fire breathers, shows, and street performers drew her in. They were incredible, and although most of them toured the New Empire, the best didn’t need to. They stayed in Nirritas all year round. During the yearly festival those on tour always returned, because the party spread throughout the city for an entire week, and it was utter chaos!

However although Thelmos had visited the city several times previously, and loved it, she really wasn't looking forward to this trip...

Chapter 2 – The Stench

Thelmos was in Nirritas for a reason, and had been steeling herself to enter the one area she’d always previously avoided. Although there might not be any consistent themes or rules as to who pitched what stalls where, there was one exception. That exception was a levelled out plateau to the West of the city. It was deliberately set further out – both due to the noise, and the smell.

She'd purchased a heavily perfumed square of white cloth, folded into a triangle, then wrapped it around her nose and mouth. She was one of dozens following the same process; however she instantly regretted not spending more time considering the hundreds of perfumes available. Combined with the blistering heat, she immediately felt nauseous at the overpowering smell.

A paradox indeed. Which stench is worse?

Stopping at one of the water fountains located at almost every crossroad, she took a long drink and refilled her flask. The other thing she loved about Nirritas was that even though it was utter chaos, the city was well kept. The sewer and water system was something that any city would do well to learn from. Although the city was rife with corruption, and the guards might turn a blind eye to a lot of crime, littering was not one of them.

Nirritas had learned its lesson several hundred years ago when a particularly harsh summer caused a severe drought. The river had dried up, and the combination of filth, litter, rats, poor sewage, and lack of fresh water, had caused disease to spread like wildfire through the city. Half of the city had died that summer, followed by thousands more in the following months. So for a city surrounded by unforgiving desert and baking in the heat of the sun, there was always clean water. Nirritas was well maintained and never stank of excrement, other than the one place she was now headed.

After soaking her cloth to wash out the sickly perfume, she re-tied it over her face, and the cool water felt good on her skin. She'd swapped out her usual white robe for flowing white trousers which she’d tucked into her boots. Otherwise, the hem of her robe would be covered in filth within minutes, and she'd be more likely to burn her robe than clean it afterwards. Her white shirt was likewise loose and flowing in an attempt to catch the breeze. Apart from the two orange sticks in a cross holding her black hair in place, and a cheap watch with a matching orange strap on her wrist – she was otherwise unadorned.

This section of the city didn't have an official name she knew of, but plenty of unofficial names. The Stench was the most common. There was many others, including, the zoo, the meat grinder, and much more unpleasant names. The Stench was where livestock and meat were traded. For the most part it was sheep, pigs, cows, chickens and goats, but you could find pretty much anything there. There was a vast array of more exotic animals, including elephants, zebras, lions, tigers, monkeys by the hundred, and brightly coloured birds by the thousand.

The noise was almost as horrific as the smell, but the worst thing for her was the state of the animals. To be fair, they were all well treated, fed and watered (unlike what she'd seen in some cities) but it still made her feel sick. Too many of the animals knew they were caged, and they weren't happy about it. And too many of knew their fate. It was like a constant state of barely contained panic, combined with misery. And she could feel that panic building before she even entered the district.

The smell sped her on her way to her destination, as she dodged through filth and a constant stream of merchants leading their animals down the streets. The main streets were hosed down every night, but even in the morning it was disgusting. Thelmos eventually found what was known as Cat Lane.

Cats were hugely popular in Nirritas and beyond, so there were dozens of shops and stalls lining each side of the street. Some were exotic cats and creatures of sheer beauty, selectively bred for hundreds of years. Others were hunting cats used for vermin control, or even guard duty. Cats were preferred in the outer farms, unlike in the New Empire where they used dogs. Others were either captured or bred wild cats which would likely rip the throat out of anything getting too close. Thelmos assumed the wild cats were used for either tracking larger prey or cat fighting. Cat fighting was an illegal practice to which most guards would turn a blind eye for a bribe, before using that same bribe to bet on the results of the fight.

She shook her head in misery at the sheer number of cats. It would take days to going through every shop and stall, and she still might not find what she was looking for. And that was assuming what she was looking for even existed in the first place, or could be found here.

However within fifteen minutes, she spotted it! The kitten was just sitting there in a shop window, looking straight at her. She’d thought she might have found it several times over the last ten years, and thought she was going crazy a lot more, but there was absolutely no doubt in her mind. This was the cat she’d been looking for!

The kitten was male, short-haired, dark grey to the point it was almost black, with a single white foot at the front right, and a white stripe on its tail. The markings weren’t all that uncommon, and she'd come across a few in other ports that she’d thought might be the one. But she knew the instant she met it's eyes. This was the one! The kitten’s eyes weren't just bright blue; they actually seemed to glow!

After looking at the kitten in wonder, she realised it wasn't just any shop. It belonged to a Niminese trader, and she'd just been standing in the street staring at the cat like a fool?

Blasted Niminese! It would have to be wouldn't it?

The shop owner glanced up at Thelmos, so she immediately looked away to browse the other stalls and shops. She then casually wandered further down the street, stopping at various shop windows. As if somehow that might fool the trader? She cursed herself.

You stupid idiot!

Niminese Traders are some of the wealthiest merchants alive, though few could work out why, given they had the most bizarre sales strategy. However Thelmos understood their success.

When trading, most haggling is pretty much standard fare wherever you go. You want to buy a hat? The trader says 5 shards. You say 2 shards. He says 4. You finally agree on 3. Everyone's happy, and if someone is dumb enough to pay 4 or 5 shards, the trader is even happier.

The Niminese don't work that way, and in fact sometimes use the exact opposite strategy. You want to buy a hat? The trader says 5 shards. You say 2 shards. The trader says 10 shards. It doesn't make any sense?

And yet somehow it works? Niminese traders are well trained, intuitive and very clever. They rarely trade in bulk items, because their strategy simply doesn’t work for bulk sales or common items. Instead Niminese traders focus on unique, specialist or rare items.

Niminese can read and influence people on a number of levels. Almost everyone has some talent in Dreaming, though few realise it. Some are natural Dreamers and more adept than most. Some have almost no natural skill, but can with the right training, become adept.

Niminese Traders are usually the latter. They aren’t selectively chosen and trained as Dauntilus Dreamer’s are, they are guided. They are trained from an early age to harness their skills in a different and more subtle way. They can ‘read’ a potential client, both through their talent, and through their mannerisms and body language. They judge just how much that person wants to buy their goods. They then base the price on how much they think that person is willing to pay for it, not on how much it's worth. They can, to a limited extent also ‘nudge’ the client into paying more than they would normally. It's more of a subtle suggestion, but combined with charmed words and intuition, it’s a powerful skill. They can't mind control as such, but they can definitely affect the outcome. If the populace ever realised they were being ‘nudged’ they'd probably string them up as witches, but people put it down to the legendary Niminese intuition and guile. And quite honestly, that is definitely the major influence. They are charismatic, clever, defensive and at the same time welcoming. There’s something about the allure of them, that draws you in. Even without the ‘nudge’, they can influence people.

They’re too blasted clever for their own good!

The problem was that the Niminese Dreamer talents didn't work on Thelmos, and she understood why (better than the Niminese did). They simply couldn't ‘read’ or ‘nudge’ her. They could definitely influence her through guile and psychology (again something she understood better than them), but they couldn’t get into her mind. That might sound like an advantage, but it was entirely the opposite! Niminese traders understood that somehow she was blocked to them, and they didn't like it. Being blocked was rare, and only usually seen when dealing with Dauntilus or a Dreamer. So the Niminese would be suspicious. If someone they can't read wanted something, it’s quite likely they’re either willing to pay a lot more, or the item is worth more than they thought.

So for Thelmos to just stand outside a shop owned by a Niminese Trader, gawping like an idiot at something she wanted to buy? In that moment it seemed quite obvious that although she thought she was clever, she was actually stupid.

Always good to be reminded of that from time to time! Yes! I’m an idiot!

Thelmos took a different route back through The Stench to avoid passing the shop again. She couldn't return too soon, and prayed nobody else would buy the kitten in the mean time. She suspected that was highly unlikely, and it was already too late. She doubted anyone could afford that kitten, and especially not her!