D&D 5E An Underdark Market

[pukunui]

Have a look at the Underdark trading post Mantol-Derith in Out of the Abyss. Even if you were to completely repopulate it, the location itself might still be of some use to you.

 

[CM]

Most of the others focused on trade goods, so here's some more esoteric stuff:

• Grelzik the goblin and her crew, selling captured "exotic" surface animals (deer, rabbits, chickens, pigs, goats)
• Moooolt the myconid, selling various powders, spices, and herbs (many of which he "produced" himself)
• Zolk the ogre, who's trying to hire himself out as a bodyguard
• Bertram the mad, a human who offers questionable translation and moneychanging services
• Skweek the kobold, who sells deep-fried rat-on-a-stick at a copper apiece
• The Gray One, a gray-skinned hobgoblin (actually a doppelganger) of indeterminate gender with limited telepathy who specializes in various mundane and magical means of extracting information on behalf of customers
• Sskall and Sskett, troglodyte brother and sister who offer underdark guide services, if you can get over the smell
• Mary the baker, an innocent little old lady who sells fresh bread and muffins... ?!
• "One-Eyed" William, a spectator beholder (with all its eyestalks severed) who offers fortune telling and magic divination services
• Sarfa the hobgoblin and her five sons, who buy, sell, and train underdark mounts such as steeders and cave lizards
  
  
  
  
  

 

[Ancalagon]

If trade to the surface is limited (save the daring Grelzik!), then you have to think about products that various groups/race may have control over but other races would want too. A lot of the ideas presented above will still work, just will need a bit of thought.

I like the idea of a dispute, but, in theory, this is one where the Pech should have the upper hand if it's strictly a "military" conflict. If they weren't strong enough (either by themselves, or through alliance) to fight off one faction, they wouldn't be in control of the marketplace! BUT even if the troglodytes are not be strong enough to invade the market by itself, they can still put a lot of pressure on the Pech by causing trouble, such as blockading one of the main routes to the market. Or they may have valuable goods that other races desire and their boycott is very bad for business.

I really do like this notion of an underground market, and your motivations for doing it are good. Keep in mind that enterprising PCs can make ridiculous amount of money with such a market. Certain gems and minerals will be easily 50% or less of surface price, and certain surface goods will easily sell for double or triple the price. So a (say) 5 000 gp investment could become 20 000 gp very reasonably.

The reason why this isn't done by regular merchants of course is the dangers involved.... adventure!

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

You could include a fighting pit, where representatives from all races are welcome to try their skill and brawn in the ring. This could be a slave thing though without the Drow maybe not. But certainly it is the real reason for the monthly market, which moves from place to place each month, and around which entertainment the market proper grew.

Who created the pit? What do the winners get? Up to you...

Maybe set up as a way to keep the peace between all the races by regulating battles into a series of contests. Letting off steam...

 

[CapnZapp]

I'll use this thread for Mantol Derith background atmosphere in my Out of the Abyss game

 

[Ancalagon]

One the things that can be really fun here is how flexible the setup can be.

Let's take Grelzik again. A bunch of goblins clearly seems under-powered for the area, but yet somehow Grelzik has pulled it off. She's either immensely lucky or *very* cunning. Grelzik could thus become a very useful ally OR a bitter rival. Either one is plausible, and it's one where good roleplaying, not fighting, could make all the difference.

 

[Gilladian]

This is all very helpful! I'll definitely look up Mantol Derith, and Grelzik et al are definitely in. The troglodyte guides will also be there as a hint of what's to come.

Any more ideas?

 

[EvanNave55]

Svirfneblin are another race I would recommend using. They would be the main sellers of minerals, things carved/forged from said stone and minerals, etc. They might also have occasionally offer services such as magic rituals, scrolls, or something else along those lines involving earth elementals.

 

[Ancalagon]

Svirfneblin is a very solid idea. My only concern is that it is a bit samey with Pech, but if you can find a way around that, a good suggestion.

I think Mantol Derith was also in a 3rd ed forgotten realms resource book called "underdark" so that is an alternative source of information on the area.

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Underdark_(sourcebook)

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Mantol-Derith

 

[Mecheon]

Svirfnebelin are master illusionists, so I would try to play that up a bit if you use them.

Though they could also work if you just need someone to have magical stuff in general. Some odd stuff