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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 9705325" data-attributes="member: 4937">#25 “Tiny” Turstan the Porter: Human Com5“Tiny Turstan” as one might expect stands 6’7” and weighs 23 stone (20 STR, 16 CON).  He sits daily among the day laborers and those looking for work, usually near the fountain but under the eaves of the buildings when it rains.  A natural born bully, “Tiny Turstan” and his gang of a dozen porters monopolizes the trade in day laborers, forcing everyone else to hang back as if they were malingers and vagrants until his own people are hired.  If you aren’t one of his burly friends, then to get work you need his permission, generally a copper coin or farthing contributed to him after the day’s wages are earned to be advanced to the front of the line.  Violating his rules earns the offender a hard beating.  “Tiny” isn’t well liked by anyone but his stout cronies, as the man is as vain as his manners are crude.  While his racket doesn’t keep anyone from working in the planting or harvest season, when work is short and people go hungry he is greatly resented.  It wouldn’t be too surprising if eventually resentment reaches a level such that three or four of his victims arm themselves and resort to murder.  “Tiny” has a deep infatuation for Dunelmey the Mourner and keeps trying to crudely woo her with suggestive hints and crude flattery.  “Tiny” has no fear of anyone and enjoys testing himself in arm wrestling or fist fighting with anyone who looks large or tough, usually winning.  He holds no grudges if he loses.  He’s is trying to bait Roderick into a fight, for he is angry that some consider the jovial acatar a tougher man than himself.  For his part, he judges the cook a coward and effeminate.  “Tiny Turstan” and his gang are nearly at war with the Aldfrith (#12) and his family, and violence threatens to break out any day, for Aldfrith knows of his bullying ways and the two sides regularly exchange hard words.#26 Wilfram the Stapler: Human Com4Wilfram lives outside the city and buys and sells fleece and hides of lamb and sheep, bringing them into the city to sell to the fullers and vellimers other processers of such raw materials.  He has horse drawn wagon and when in the market acts as an auctioneer, putting up fleece for bid, generally selling his wares by midmorning and departing in the afternoon to repeat the process.  He is busy in the spring and available every day, but in other seasons comes in but once a week.  Since he sells out his wares quickly, he never bothers to erect a stall, but works off his cart.  Wilfram is a terse man with deep set eyes, a short stature, but thick forearms, whose affairs are little known to those in the city.  There is a rumor in the market, not commonly believed but still exchanged as gossip for lack of other information, that Wilfram is a devotee of some dark and dangerous god for which is procures sacrifices.#27 Torvold the Mummer: Human Rog1/Exp3Torvold is a street mummer who performs both silently and aloud according to his mood and the desires of his audience, in order to earn enough to buy bread and beer.  He wears and antic costume of gay colors sewn from rags and discarded finery, and wears a painted face and a hat with a tattered peacock feather.  He carries a walking cane as a prop.  Sometimes he is seen miming and clowning and at other times he recites with great skill portions of famous tragedies or comedies, acting out each of the parts in turn in different voices of his devising.  Most of the market enjoys his varied performances and he is accounted quite highly amongst most of the unofficial guild of buskers.  He gets along quite well with Guidmond (#8) and they often sit together or drink together in the evening,  He pretends to dislike Wigmar (#6) but doesn’t really have any conviction about it, thinking it but idle rumors and jealousy – for though he likes him, he well knows Guidmond’s vices.  He’s known to sit with Guimont (#20) during the day.  As is typical with members of his trade, he hates all beggars and thieves with a passion, having nothing good to say about any of them, considering his own trade honest labor and their (with some reason) dishonest.  He voices hypocritical agreement with Aldfrith that the watch should do more to jail beggers and vagrants, hypocritical because Aldfrith includes buskers among his definition of “riff raff”.  Torvold is oblivious to how much Galter (#29) dislikes him, mistaking Galter’s wit for good natured fun. Unbeknownst to any at the market, Torvold is a blood thirsty murderer, having beaten to death four beggars which he caught alone after dark, one of which was a child.  The watch has a low priority on such murderers, but the local cult of a psychopomp deity has gathered enough evidence to know the murderer is a “clown” and an inquisitor believes Torvald to be one of the suspects.  #28 Amiwold the Piper: Human Brd1Amiwold is a young man of 19 with tussled blond hair who wears livery of purple and blue like a footman, who works as a piper at funerals, parades, festivals and occasionally on pilgramages.   When he gets no better work he busks in the market, putting down his hat and hoping for coin.  He keeps his magical ability secret for fear of being thought a witch or warlock.  He has a strong wanderlust, and is often away from the city for weeks at a time, visiting neighboring cities and gathering stories and rumors.  After such travels, his recollections are often in high demand among the market folk, and he does as good trade talking as playing the pipes for a day.  Amiwold is a romantic who gives his heart to different usually unattainable lass every week.  He also has a deep admiration for the older buskers in the market, particularly Guidmond (#8) and Galter the Gleeman (#29).  Like Torvald he doesn’t believe the rumors about Wigmar, with whom he has an at least cordial relationship, but like Torvald he keeps his opinion to himself lest he lose the friendship of the other Buskers.  #29 Galter the Minstrel: Human Exp5Galter is a distinguished man in his early 50’s with dark hair except near his temples, a neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard, and a baritone voice of great richness and sweetness.  Like Guidmond he carries a lute but also has a lyre in a leather case on his back.  He wears a slender sword and is dressed, to at least casual inspection as a minor noble, save that he wears the tattered patchwork cloak of his office, held at the throat with a silver chain.  Galter is an accomplished minstrel versed in both low and high song and chant, and though he busks when he is bored largely earns is living playing at parties for the elite of the city or in taverns with the welcome permission of the keepers who know he draws a good and lively crowd who will be thirsty for beer and ale after much singing.  He secretly dislikes Torvold (#27) and has his doubts about Guidmond as well (#8) though he appreciate the man’s caustic wit.  He has a paternal relationship with young Amiwold (#28) and to a lesser extent Obert (#30).  Amongst the several women who crush on him is Hergryth (#18) but Galter has no desire to settle down, unless it is with some wealthy noble widow who could keep him in comfort.#30  Obert the Scribe: Human Exp2Obert young man in his late 20s who is a professional scribe and witness who composes letters or takes dictation for those who lack the wit or the education to write for themselves.  He also acts as a notary and witness of contracts in the marketplace.  He wears a simple grey robe and which does nothing to flatter his overly thin and scarecrow like appearance.   Elegant with words he is shy with his tongue and near sighted.  He normally sits among the day laborers waiting for work, but he has little in common with them.  He hopes to save enough to get his own stall to erect and present himself in a more respectable manner.  He believes he is madly in love with a milliner’s daughter whose shop faces the market, and when he has spare paper and ink he is always scribbling poetry.  He is considered inoffensive and generally well liked by all in the market, and the beggars and buskers watch his back.  Galter (#29) is aware of his crush on the milliner’s daughter and wonders how he might assist the earnest but poor and awkward young man in his suit.</blockquote>

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