(The Leaning Boot was not marked on a map.  I just put a white 'X' there.  I hope you can see it.  It's above the orange line, which is the West Market)

As yiu skulking your way through the streets if the city, doing yiur best to avoid suspicion, Chadderly catches some disdainful looks from the locals, hearing them mutter when they think they're far enough "damned arcanists" and "it ain't natural".

Passing the parade route on your left, the decorstions end as you come to a street with a different aesthetician ad you cross from one side to the other.  Here in the City Center, lies a beatiful arrangement of mansions, each with three particular sides - one is entrance for the administration busy with clerks and overseers; one is a richly embasoned in messageboards with a gate leading to a small building where accountants and creditors meet clients who wish to take a debt from the noble house; and one that is for ceremonial visits from other nobility that attracts crowd from the less fortunate wishing to be blinded by the display of beauty, wealth and influence that Mulmaster has cultivated. It is almost king-worthy tradition that the nobility revels, but Selfaril dismisses as peacock rabble, and most Blades are too busy surviving to attend.

(Far down this street lies the Traveler's Cloak Inn.)

Farther south (the direction you were headed) you hear the sounds of a busy market.  (The orange line)

https://i.imgur.com/yMxAvZ8.jpeg

Cryptic Gravity

Gravity will sneak past the group of friendly adventurers and wander about the place all by herself. At first, she will follow the group of five men to closely inspect their actions. But, she will eventually find it as a tiresome activity and try to abandon the task. "Socket, do you hear the way people talk here? They have strange accent and stranger sense of fashion."

Stealth 25

If she manages to backtrack and finds herself lurking in the busy market, she will try to search for a shop that sells weapons and armors or a bookstore. Her intention is to buy a map of the place and locate a forge to work on her unfinished gears.

The west market runs from Southroad Keep to the docks, is the only typical market that anyone can visit on three days a week. It is considered neutral ground among Blades, as they are all grudgingly invested in its success. For most of the year, the Market is robust and vibrant. Plenty of visitors take advantage of some of the lowest prices for goods and services across roughly half of Sword Coast. 

Non-human races do relatively well on the West Market. Most of them are wise enough to only get a writ for a day, make their profit and leave the city gates before dark. A few dwarves have owned independent businesses, and a certain half-elf is known to copy the nobility fashion trends for the common people. Even half-orcs, males with cut-off ears or females with malnourished faces, are grudgingly welcomed. They lean by the walls or scour among the stalls, carrying, cleaning and disposing of spoiled goods. Every human in Mulmaster exploits half-orc labor for carrying their goods to their home. The Blade of Racial Affairs have tried to turn that into a legal business and raise prices, unsuccessfully.

Gravity locates a touristy kiosk at an intersection selling "Mulmaster" mugs, maps and fur-lined gloves of poor quality, (but better than nothing). 

(The maps are cheap, 2gp, and represent what you see above)

<space in the city is pretty compact, but there are many forges.  That sort if thing js the city's chief export, qhich actually makes shops selling the finer bits pretty rare.  You won't find a forge on the high street, though.  That's most on Ironhold Street (area with locations 6 and 10 on the map)   you can find wxoensive and exquisite tools and xlothes here, though.>

Two men lurk in a speace bwtween merchant tents set up in the street. Pale and wiry, with hollow faces, raven black unkept beards and wrinkled brooding eyes, wearing clothes that feature wolf pelts.  They might be identical twins except for the unique pattern of scars that adorns their faces. They hide from view if all except Angus, in whose line if sight they seem to be deliberately positioned.  As if they wish for he alone to see them.

(You're all still in the west market- I should clarify the orange line is where rhe market starts, it goes all the way to the city wall - its kind if a big deal.  I understand you're still headed to the leaning boot, this is just all on the way.  Travel tie. Through the dense streets is roughly an hour as yiu sneak through a zigzag of alleys and wait for the right moment to cross the broader avenues, looking always over your shoulder. )

Noticing the outlanders, Angus will say, "Carry on towards the tavern, I must stop for a moment, I will catch up shortly."   He will then stroll towards a vendor's booth near the twins, and pretend to peruse the goods for sale.

Speaking in alternate turns every three words or so, the pair inquire: "Do you think it will be sunny today or windy?"

Cryptic Gravity

Gravity will buy a map of Mulmaster and immediately mark some of the locations as already seen. She picks up a pair of cheap fur-lined gloves and puts them on, sniffing at the items to determine if these are second-hand. "How much do I need to pay for it? Do you have hooded cloaks fit for female anatomy? I'd like to buy one which is compatible for adults with frequent growth spurts."

(Oh great, thinks Angus.  This damned coat is going in the trash at the first opportunity...)

"Definitely sunny, friends, things are looking up."

"The gloves are 5 gold, and hand made.  I don't sell Cloaks myself, too much overhead to wear house them, you know.  But there are some fine shops all along the market that sell fadhiond from here and abroad." The merchant informs Gravity.  (She can look in the immediate vicinity and find a variety of these items.  In fact, one might notice that few of the customers in the west market seem to be local.  Those who wear the local fashion seem to have recently acquired these pieces ad rhey look brand new, many others are obvious tourists, shivering in their thin traveler's clothes as they shop for a fair price on warmer outerwear, but find none - fair prices that is, outerwear is plentiful.

<Either style of hooded cloak (local or exotic) will cost Gravity 120gp (she can pick any style she pleases)>

If she asks for a better price, she will be told "I can't just give these away, my writ won't pay for itself.  Perhaps if you return during GoldenMonth, late under Leaffall, there may be deals had."

<You mentioned secondhand gloves. There are actually a fair number of pawn shops in the city, and indeed youll fi d some even here in the West Market.  After all, folks might not have much to keep them warm and might in turn find the terms of an exchange more favorable with the promise of a warm coat.  Let me know if you'd like to visit one.>

Quote from rob88scps2 >>

(Oh great, thinks Angus.  This damned coat is going in the trash at the first opportunity...)

"Definitely sunny, friends, things are looking up."

"Pity," says the pale man, "it agrees not with my fair complexion." His twin continues: "Perhaps I'll see you again in the evening."  At this they take a step back and seem to fade into the shadows, and they are gone.

So, on to the Boot, stopping by a pawn shop or headed some place else? 

"Although there are plenty of deals to be had here in Mulmaster, most if not all will still be there tomorrow. We should seek the safety of the 'Boot' and get off the streets, we've already drawn too much attention as it is."

Chadderlay will keep a brisk pace on course to the 'Leaning Boot.'

<odd note, but true and potentially important, the market only operates three days in ten, but stores are open continuously, its just expensive to have a writ for that. Also, traders from out of town will try to sell everything they have in a single day, which might effect pricing by tine time of day - not that you would know that, unless you asked.  This is especially true of nonhuman races in the city, who generally see themselves as more sensible in this regard. >

<The name is kind of a hint.  See, the market is in the southern part of the city, and if anything more east than west, so why West Market? simple - the fact that the writ you buy to sell there is good for just that day means the most desirable places are struck by daylight the latest, keeping shoppers on the street in these areas later, extending busy hours of trade.  The buildings of the city cast shadows in the east from late afternoon, but the west part of the market, near the docks, have no tall building to their west, so they can watch the sunset, alongside their customers.  The market is named, thus for the desirable side thereof.  I would love to have NPCs relate all these things, but I find it harder to engage them in pbp - something I need to work on.  Map guy would have been a good source for all this info.  IRL I'd have spread it across more NPCs, but the lag makes me want to trim those.>

As you continue west, the crowds remain into the afternoon, but once you reach the docks, the scene changes.  The last stalls of the West Market give way to warehouses and other nondescript utilitarian buildings.  As you continue on, the streets become more sparse and the building more derelict. Though much of the city has been rebuilt or renovated, streets blocked off to isolate the open wounds of the elemental incursion,  this area remains largely in a state of disrepair.

Very few people call this district their home since recently a massive fire consumed half of the buildings and the neighborhood is undergoing massive renovations.  People are pushed into the city walls living in hand-made shelter and tents hoping by winter the district would welcome them back. Much of the district is massive warehouses occupied by aging ships needing repair before they return to the Moonsea. There is a lighthouse, and further east a building with open windows and doors.  a trio of half-orc longshoreman stumble in, ready for a pint by the looks of them.  above the door stands a large bronze likeness of a boar impaled on a skewer.

<make a perception check, anyone/everyone.  I'll let you know if I see a number high enough.  your'e looking for a detail, nothing is going to pop up and grab you.>

Angus Passive Perception 10

Active Perception 11

Perception 4

Chadderlay's Perception: 21

Behind you stands a dockside tallhouse. Sam spots a single old boot, nailed to a post at the top of the steps at street level that lead to the basement beneath the building.

The orchestra that entered the building with the bronze boar are bodily ejected from the building, protesting all the while.  As the burly human who seems to have escorted them out stands in the doorway, you csn hear even at thus distance the raucous sounds of the patrons within.  It looks like the interior of the place actually spans multiple adjoining buildings, making it rather large.

Listening, you hear only a low hum from the rooms below the tallhouse with the boot above the stairs - a somber Dwarven dirge.