Postfest V, Part II: The Caltaran Horse Fair
Date: Tue, August 09, 2005 Topic: Peoples & Culture
The greatest horse market of the Flanaess is also the greatest gathering of thieves. Come join the Attloi, Rhennee and the halflings in appraising the finest horseflesh, but guard your purse!
The Caltaran Horse Fair By: Glenn Vincent Dammerung, GVDammerung Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.
Date: 20th Wealsun Location: Caltaran (Independent Town on Nyr Dyv) Type: Market
Horses provide transportation, personal or drawing a coach. They are beasts of burden, whether pulling carts, wagons or plows. Upon horses, knights ride to war. The racing of horses is universally popular. It should come as no surprise then that horse fairs are common throughout the Flanaess, places where horses are bought and sold. While famous horse fairs take place in Hookhill in the Gran March (13th Planting), Waybury in the Duchy of Ulek (4th Wealsun), Free Borough in Furyondy (23rd Wealsun), Mowbren in Nyrond (28th Flocktime) and Pitchfield in the Sunndi (14th Wealsun), the grandest horse fair of all is universally acknowledge to be held on the 20th of Wealsun in the town of Caltaran, west of Dyvers at the mouth of the Velverdyva River.
The Caltaran Horse Fair stands above the other famous horse fairs for it is that horse fair run and most attended by the Attloi and their more famous cousins, the Rhennee. Nomadic wanders, the Attloi are supreme judges of horseflesh. Surprisingly, their Rhennee cousins are only slightly less astute and for a waterborne culture have a great admiration and appreciation for good horseflesh. At the Caltaran Horse Fair ,Attloi caravans from around the Flanaess annually converge. They are met there by numerous Rhennee barges that will line the water verge several deep. To this mix come the so-called “lightfoot” halflings, who wander much as the Attloi, and who are themselves keen judges of horse flesh. Other horse buyers and sellers come from around the Flanaess but are usually outnumbered by the Attloi, Rhennee and lightfoot halflings.
In such company, if it needs to be said, one must assiduously guard ones purse. Nowhere is there a greater annual gathering of thieves, cutpurses and conmen than the Caltaran Horse Fair. The buying and selling of horseflesh is the business of the day but thievery comes in a close second. Representatives from Greyhawk’s Thieves Guild, those of Dyvers, Verbobonc, Hardby, Leukish, Radigast City and even the Bandit Kingdoms all attend. The pickings from the assembled horse buyers are sufficient cause but the opportunity to consort and conspire with one’s fellows seems as irresistible, for at the Caltaran Horse Fair there is a general truce observed among thieves. If some criminal enterprise that involves more than the local thieves guild of one of the aforementioned cities is afoot, it was likely discussed, if not planned and agreed to, at the Caltaran Horse Fair.
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