Getting Your Five a Day

The Fruitmarket lies at the heart of the Wynds, its stalls overflowing with fresh produce, herbs, and spices brought in daily from the surrounding farmlands. Farmers, merchants, and townsfolk mingle in a riot of color, scent, and sound, creating one of the most vibrant markets in Aranthaes.

Rows of baskets and crates spill with ripe apples, pears, melons, and exotic fruits carried in from distant ports. Herbs hang in fragrant bundles, while sacks of spices are weighed out by the pinch. The air is heavy with sweetness, undercut by the earthy smell of freshly turned soil and the tang of citrus peel.

Crowds bustle shoulder to shoulder, voices rising in constant chatter and haggling. Farmers boast of their harvests, spice merchants tempt buyers with exotic blends, and children slip through the throng clutching sticky fruits. For many, the Fruitmarket is more than simply a place to shop, but a daily gathering point, alive with gossip and the business of the Wynds.
 

Vendors and Trade

Most stalls are run by farmers’ families who have sold here for generations, though some merchants import rare goods from far-off lands. The market is also a proving ground for newcomers, offering space to those who can shout loudest and sell fastest. Adventurers sometimes pass through for trail rations, dried fruits, or the occasional unusual herb said to have healing properties.
 

Atmosphere

The Fruitmarket is lively and inviting, but the bustle and chaos make it easy for pickpockets to work unnoticed. Bargains can be found for those willing to haggle, though the best fruits often disappear quickly into the hands of innkeepers and wealthy households.
 

Everyday Fruit

Apples & Pears
Common orchard fruit sold loose by the piece or cheaply by the basket. Quality varies with season and how early in the morning one arrives.
1 cp each or 6 cp per basket

Plums, Cherries & Small Stone Fruit
Sold in paper cones, small bowls or mixed handfuls during the warmer months.
3 cp per handful

Oranges & Lemons
Brought in from the warmer island slopes and valued as much for cooking as for eating fresh.
2 cp each

Figs & Dates
Fresh when in season, dried for much of the year. Popular with labourers because they travel well and provide quick energy.
4 cp per small bag

Melon
Sweet summer melon sold whole or cut into thick slices at busy stalls.
5 cp whole or 1 cp per slice

Everyday Vegetables

Onions, Carrots & Turnips
The backbone of Wynds cooking, usually sold together in mixed baskets for soups, stews and roasting.
4 cp per basket

Potatoes
Common, filling and cheap, sold by weight or in small sacks. Smaller and bruised potatoes are cheaper still late in the day.
2 cp per lb

Cabbage & Greens
Heads of cabbage, kale, chard and whatever leafy greens are freshest that week.
2 cp each or bundle

Beans & Peas
Fresh in season, dried during colder months and sold by the scoop.
3 cp per scoop

Mushrooms
Common field and forest varieties, inspected quickly but not always perfectly by market sellers.
4 cp per basket

Tomatoes, Peppers & Courgettes
Warm-weather vegetables from the island’s lower farms, commonly used in sauces, stews and grilled dishes.
4 cp per mixed basket

Herbs & Kitchen Plants

Fresh Herb Bundle
Parsley, mint, thyme, rosemary, basil or similar kitchen herbs tied into small bunches.
1 cp

Garlic Braid
A short plait of garlic bulbs hung from hooks around many market stalls.
3 cp

Fresh Mint
Large fragrant bunches sold especially for tea, sauces and cooling summer drinks.
2 cp per bunch

Hot Pepper String
A cord of small red peppers ranging from pleasantly warming to deeply regrettable.
4 cp

Aranthaen Specialities

Gold Pear
A small yellow island pear with unusually fragrant flesh and a thin skin that develops a metallic sheen when perfectly ripe.
4 cp each

Bune’s Tears
Tiny translucent green grapes grown on exposed slopes above the city. Sweet at first, followed by a sharp almost salty finish.
8 cp per bunch

Crag Plums
Dark purple fruit grown on hardy trees clinging to rocky ground around Mon Arant. Tart when raw but excellent baked with honey.
5 cp per handful

Mother’s Lantern
A bright orange, lantern-shaped fruit with soft fragrant flesh, commonly eaten chilled or preserved in syrup.
6 cp each

Silverleaf Greens
Broad pale-green leaves with a faint silvery underside, slightly peppery and traditionally wilted in butter or oil.
5 cp per bundle

Stoneheart Root
A dense grey-skinned root vegetable that keeps for months and becomes surprisingly sweet when slowly roasted.
3 cp each

Sunburst Peppers
Yellow-and-red striped peppers grown on the warmer terraces. Mild, fruity and particularly good stuffed or grilled.
5 cp for three

Dried & Preserved

Dried Fruit Mix
Apples, figs, plums and other seasonal fruit dried for storage and sold in small cloth bags.
5 cp per bag

Pickled Vegetables
Onions, cabbage, cucumbers, peppers or mixed roots preserved in sharp vinegar and sold from large jars.
4 cp per jar

Preserved Lemons
Salted lemons packed tightly into jars and used extensively in fish, lamb and stew dishes.
6 cp per jar

Honeyed Figs
Soft dried figs packed in local honey. More indulgent than ordinary dried fruit but still affordable as a small treat.
8 cp per small jar

Ready to Eat

Fresh Fruit Cup
A paper cup or small bowl of whatever fruit is ripe that morning, chopped and ready to eat while walking.
3 cp

Salted Cucumber
A whole cucumber split lengthways and rubbed with salt, herbs and vinegar.
2 cp

Roasted Corn
A whole cob charred over coals and rubbed with salt and butter.
3 cp

Hot Stoneheart Root
A whole Stoneheart root slow-roasted in the market ovens until soft, split open and finished with salt and a little dripping or butter.
3 cp

Honeyed Fruit Skewer
Chunks of seasonal fruit brushed with honey and briefly charred over a small brazier.
4 cp

Bruised Basket
A mixed bag of fruit and vegetables too marked or overripe for the better stalls but still perfectly usable for cooking.
2 cp

 

Encounters

The Fruitmarket is full of life – and not without its small dangers and dramas. Roll d10 for possible encounters…

  1. A farmer loudly claims his apples are enchanted for long life, that ‘keepeth the doctor parted’ daring anyone to prove him wrong.
    Farmer: AC 10, HP 8, staff (1d6), work clothes.
  2. A group of children dart through the crowd with stolen fruit, laughing as they scatter in different directions.
    Children (1d4+1): AC 10, HP 4, improvised weapons (1d4).
  3. A spice merchant insists a pouch of “healing herbs” is genuine, but the mixture smells strongly of sawdust.
    Merchant: AC 11, HP 9, dagger (1d4), fine robes.
  4. A crate splits open in front of the adventurers, spilling exotic fruits that roll through the market – some valuable, others rotting.
    Hazard: DC 12 Dexterity save to avoid slipping, possible profit if gathered quickly.
  5. A pickpocket blends with the crowd, targeting those distracted by brightly colored stalls.
    Thief: AC 12, HP 8, dagger (1d4), rags.
  6. A traveling bard performs a playful song about the Fruitmarket, drawing a crowd and creating a perfect cover for mischief.
    Bard: AC 13, HP 14, lute (1d4), leather armor.
  7. A squabble breaks out between two stallholders over stolen produce, each accusing the other in front of a growing crowd.
    Vendors (2): AC 11, HP 10, clubs (1d6), aprons.
  8. A strange fruit seller offers a spiky, glowing melon, claiming it comes from a cursed grove. No one can decide if it’s safe.
    Seller: AC 11, HP 7, club (1d4), patched tunic.
  9. A noble’s servant pushes through the crowd to buy the best produce, shoving commoners aside and stirring resentment.
    Servant: AC 11, HP 9, dagger (1d4), livery.
  10. A sudden downpour of rain sends the vendors working outside, scrambling to cover their goods – and creates chaos as shoppers push for the sheltered parts of the market.
    Hazard: stalls collapse or shift, possible DC 13 Strength save to avoid injury.
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