Traders come from quite a distance to attend the market and games in Pasar. Pasar itself has a population of 700, effectively 5 large villages which have merged into one larger one. Many of the inhabitants actually farm a bit further out along the Pasar corridor; others are foresters. There are boats across the river into the forest here, usually for a small toll. The boats are hide coracles for the most part- large creatures must cross on the rope-pulled raft which is just outside Pasar proper and charges quite a premium for the experience. They always have trouble with breaking ropes and inadequate pulley systems; a simple block and tackle would make their whole operation much more efficient.

During market days the grass greens of Pasar are converted into hectic, bustling markets. Huge thewed Kemes warriors haggle with skinny old timers for a particularly fine spearhead, farmers try to tempt passers-by with the aroma of roasting metakeenos, apple brandy, sweet horevo-nut pastries; fishermen cook whole river trout over open fires, which hiss and spit as the juices of lemons are squeezed over the succulent fish. The whole town is a-buzz with activity.

Here and there are a few non-Kemes traders from further afield. There is Gouna the Furrier from Galadiahos, trading southern needles, thread and fine bolts of cloth for small scraps of cured furs which will fetch a king’s ransom in the courts of Korona. A group of Pagoth led by Hening the silent browse the carved ivory and carry bundles of arrows for trade. Bobrok the disreputable looks like a tramp but his wagon has a dozen guards and when he twitches the curtain back to produce a fine axe head for inspection the inside glitters like a goldmine. Several men from the mining forts are here to lay in winter stocks; they look despondent this year because they have been forbidden to trade any of the precious metals they mine and are finding that Kemes farmers may not be sophisticates but they know how much their surplus apples are worth!

Gouna can tell the players that King Tharos has recently consolidated his reign with a relatively bloodless purge, but that most of the bureaucrats who were secretly plotting to depose Tharos in favour of his half sister Erevna lost their heads. Erevna herself fled under a curse but no-one knows where she went and the chief vizier, Kolakas, has gone with her. Stavrotos has had a lot of problems with ship being lost at sea- the weather has been very bad this year but some say that pirates are operating in the great sea once more.

Hening and his group are a wandering copse of pagoth who are wandering this part of the world in search of a way of releasing one of the group, a young sapling called Bernafsu from a dreadful curse laid on his by a priest called Derajat, one of the monks from the Biara Berhala, when they beat him up when they discovered him raping a young woman near the mining town of Intan. The curse is a Dream Eater like that described in the chronicles.

Bobruk the disreputable is from the twin cities and is on a dual mission- certainly he is a trader but he’s also a spy for the rulers of the twin cities and will certainly try to find out about what the company is doing. He will be quite cagey as to where he comes from but his accent will be identifiable if anyone talks to him for very long. He is a fairly venal man but has hardly any sense of smell; he does not realise that his body odour is strong enough to kill fleas at twenty paces.

The men from the fort are Bangsat, Nomor, Murka and Gering. The word from Merah is that the battle against the tribesmen isn’t going very well and there are dark mutterings that perhaps another city-state is backing the outlanders in order to get their hands on Merah’s mineral wealth.

All sorts of games are played- boasting contests are amongst the most popular. As usual, the contests finish when someone lays a bet that his opponent cannot actually prove a boast. The bet is never larger that a metakeenos. Standard bets would be a metakeenos, an armful of apples or a skin of Jabukovo (which is their cider) or Inje (the freeze-distilled spirits).

Favourites:

Spear throwing

Arm wrestling

Balancing

Juggling with all four arms

Metakeenos heaving

Climbing

Balancing on things eg the rope across the river that the log ferry goes on

These contests usually attract a good audience, who help adjudicate things like distances run and time. The audience is allowed side bets but only if the bet is of lower value than the contestants- it would be a considerable faux pas to bet more than the boasters.

The goddess laid down rules for the hunting of Kejang. It is only allowed for the moon after the truce unless the village is starving. If the village is starving then any and all rules are waived, these rules apply only to hunting for sport.

First, only warriors who have come of age may go on the hunt. The tribe must hunt together and if any outsiders are invited, they must hunt with the tribe. Everyone on the hunt must co-operate and not try to hinder anyone else. The most important rule is that the safety of your fellow hunters is more important than the success of the hunt, for after all you are not starving. No hunter must deliberately put another in danger of which he is unaware. If a hunter is injured it is more important to tend to him than to kill the Kejang. No hunter must be so foolhardy as to put others in danger by his actions, but no hunter must show cowardice either. The Kejang hunt is a sacred tradition and anyone whose honour is besmirched must not be allowed on the hunt.

Magic is very certainly not allowed, it devalues the who endeavour, but they’ll have to find that out for themselves.

One of the main purposes of the hunt is to make sure the warriors remain together in one place while the farmers all get home safely after the truce. A second purpose is to get the warriors of different villages working together, as a whole tribe and even including outsiders.

The Kejang hunters usually go out for three or four days, with a day’s rest in between. Most days they do catch a kejang, on really good days they might get several. The hunting party has about three or four warriors from each of a dozen villages so normally numbers between 20 and 40.

The Kejang of the Northern forest are much more aggressive than their more southerly cousins. They stand between five and seven feet high at the shoulder and are about 12 feet long. Their bony head-shields are almost impervious to weapons and their eyes are well protected. Even the weak spot at the back of the neck is harder to reach than for the southern Kejang. They are also more or less omnivorous although they typically only east meat that is already dead. Their charge is terrifying and their speed is frankly astonishing and has caught out many a hunter.

Co 9 In 2 Dmg +8 or +12 if caught by a charge

Ph 40 Es 2 Def –10 from front –7 from side or rear

Hits 160

Anyone charged by a Northern Kejang must make a daunting (16) spirit check or freeze for a single round in shock. A mishap means the hunter is paralysed with fear until the Kejang is out of sight, then he will flee.

The Kejang is quick and if attacked by multiple foes can attack three people per round- one with horns, one with claws, one with a bash with the tail. They are smart and will not hang around; if surrounded they’ll try to barge someone out of the way and escape. (Average strength vs strength).

It is possible but difficult to find a weak spot on a Kejang. A daunting dex vs. agility is required to get at the eyes or joints, which will allow the attack to ignore armour and may cause some special effect is particularly successful. A desperate de vs. agility is required to find the slot behind the neck under the bone shield that leads to the spinal column and the brain; if the Kejang is charging you at the time it is Impossible(24)!