• Location: Phoenix Square, Public Services Ring, New Kourou
• Type: Supplies · Social · Light Risk
• Era: Beta Age
• Tone: Bright · Bustling · Slightly chaotic

Atmosphere & Sensory Cues: Sizzling eel fat · drifting steam · shouting vendors · clatter of crates · children weaving between stalls

You step into Phoenix Square, and the noise is instant—a wall of shouting, sizzling grease, and clattering knives. Tarp sails snap overhead, casting restless, shifting shadows across the raised decking. The air is thick with the smell of driftwood smoke, sweat, and sweet, heavy fruit.

Through the haze, a rhythmic shout cuts through the chaos: 'Tasty Tandora! Healthy fruits! Smoothies - one K!'

The voice belongs to a broad-shouldered man in a juice-stained apron, standing behind a stall stacked high with orange pyramids. He leans over a mechanical press, wrestling a lever to fill cups with one hand while waving in customers with the other.

Around him, the market is a dense, shifting maze. Steaming Zelor rolls, racks of drying Mirel Leaf, and rows of curing Hoo and Odo meat crowd the aisles.

The crowd is thick here — a sea of ​​shoulders and elbows. It's a good place to disappear, but it's also a place with a thousand eyes. In a crush like this, you wouldn't see a threat coming until it was standing right next to you.

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Finlay attempts theft only if: PCs were not robbed previously and did not catch him last time OR PCs have passive Perception < 13 OR group splits or gets distracted

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If PCs purchased from a stall during The Man Without A Name: That vendor recognizes them and gives a 1 K discount or a free sample.

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• Tone: Bright, bustling, chaotic in a friendly-but-overwhelming way. Nothing here is lethal — but everything is distracting. The market should feel like a living organism with constant motion, noise, and temptation.

• Pacing: Keep things brisk. Use overlapping vendor calls, sizzling pans, courier drones zipping overhead, and shifting crowds to maintain momentum. The players should feel pulled in several directions at once.

• No Resolutions Here:
  • This scene is strictly about supplies, flavor, and small social beats.
  • Travel choices resolve in Scene 2a (Courier Station) or Scene 2b (Mandala’s Mounts) or Scene 2d (Cart Purchase).
  • If the pickpocket chase triggers, it should begin and end *inside Phoenix Square*.

• Focus the Stakes:
  • Food and water are crucial for the journey to Morningstar and beyond.
  • Losing money here may meaningfully affect later decisions (mount rental, caravan tickets).
  • The pickpocket introduces tension without derailing the adventure — a short spike of adrenaline.

• Continuity & Returning Player Recognition:
  • Vendors should recognize PCs who bought from them during the previous adventure and reward them with small discounts or friendly banter.
  • If Finlay Hyden robbed or was caught by the PCs previously, he does not strike again.

• Optional Trooper Tension:
  • If the PCs are wanted or suspicious, Troopers use the dense crowd to quietly observe them.
  • This should create pressure, not combat.

• Scene Flow:
  • Guide players toward choices — not outcomes.
  • The market gives information, supplies, rumors, and a single optional threat.
  • Once players have what they need, funnel them gently back to the travel decision.

Short version:

• ↑↑ Start: Hunting An Unknown Hunter
• ★ Overview: All Scenes of Hunting An Unknown Hunter
• ☞ Resolution: Case Resolution and discoverable Backstory
• ← Previous Scene: Scene 2 – Travel Preparations