Eau-de-nil Elder - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Eau-de-nil Elder

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

© 2016 Christopher Burdett

2570.4

            The Eau-de-nil are some of the most skilled crafters residing in the Bazaar. Adult Eau-de-nil range from five to seven standard Bazaar cubits in height with the males being larger than the females. Their skin is a mottled gray-green with the color darkening at the end of their six limbs. Most Eau-de-nil are hairless, but it is not uncommon for larger males to have tufts of hair on their backs and around their ears. Their eyes can be dark blue to black, which gives them the appearance of having no pupils.

With four deft hands and a wealth of knowledge that has been passed down over many generations, Eau-de-nil have few crafting rivals. While capable of crafting almost anything they put their hands too, the Eau-de-nil are best known for their musical instruments. Many of the most famous musicians play Eau-de-nil instruments. Not only are the instruments capable of producing the best quality sounds, but the Eau-de-nil are also known to add secrets and surprises to everything they build. It is not uncommon for an Eau-de-nil instrument to have a secret compartment for a weapon, or for that matter to have a hidden weapon built into the instrument. Not all of the secrets of the Eau-de-nil are so aggressive, but like so many, they create what the market demands. I have personally examined musical instruments that contained compartments for extra strings or reeds, a second or even a third additional instrument, and some instruments that can be transformed into different instruments altogether.

There are accounts collected in the Tabellary of Truths that suggest that Eau-de-nil crafted instruments contain magickal properties. That said, there have never been any Eau-de-nil wielders of magicks, and there are no records to indicate the Eau-de-nil have contracted the services of magickal crafters. There is a great deal of anecdotal evidence collected in Grgur’s Tome of Archaic Events from musicians claiming that their instruments can enhance their abilities, generate accompanying music, or even play themselves. Even so, there is still a lack of documented evidence that Eau-de-nil instruments are magickal or are anything more than musical instruments created by superior crafters.

Recently, some Eau-de-nil have begun to move away from focusing on musical instruments. Seeking more profitable and higher demand wares, many have started creating armor and weapons. While still sought after, there is a consensus that these other items lack something that the Eau-de-nil instruments possess. What that missing element is, I cannot say. Perhaps given enough time Eau-de-nil armor will be as widely known and praised as Eau-de-nil instruments.

Agatha Luculent Habile, Acolyte of the Impure Husk

(Research submission)

For more samples of my work head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Belled Kreep - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Belled Kreep

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

© 2014 Christopher Burdett

            2561.1

            The Kreep are a puzzling race. While mentioned at length in Ferieal’s Zoography, Woodbane’s Journal of Beings, and Quirmiere’s Compendium of Beasts there is still no definitive theory as to where they originate or how their society is structured. The Kreep that have been documented stand between four to five standard Bazaar cubits tall. Their bodies range from dark green to a dusky gray with their backs spotted in white and yellow. Their eyes are a brilliant gold with flecks of black. The Kreep’s quills and tentacles can appear pale pink, lavender, or even orange. 

A solitary Kreep will typically appear in a village, town, or even the Bazaar and wonder around ringing its bells while continuously vocalizing. The Kreep get their name from one of their more common vocalizations, or at least a shortened version of it. To this day no being has been able to decipher the hisses, clicks, chirps, and hums that are considered their spoken language. While Ferieal argues that these vocalizations are not a language, the fact that the Kreep appear capable of crafting bells, fabric, leatherwork, and various other handmade objects would give credence that they are intelligent enough to have a spoken language. Ferieal insists that the Kreep are mindless animals that merely collect found objects to adorn their bodies in the act of disguise, mate attraction, or similar instinctual behavior. From my research, this line of thought seems flawed. The Kreep seem drawn to locations inhabited by other beings. They call attention to themselves and attempt to interact with all they encounter. The Kreep are also meaningful with the use of their bells, and melodious patterns are present. Mindless animals are not known for any of these behaviors. 

There are numerous records of Kreep appearing in the Bazaar, stretching back many hundreds of years. Most documents mention a Kreep wondering the streets while ringing and vocalizing before disappearing into the depth of the Bazaar never to be seen again or leaving the Bazaar after a few weeks. In Grgur’s Tome of Uncelebrated Events, there is a notably different record from Izlalish the Knowing involving a Kreep from seven hundred and sixty-seven year ago.

A somewhat confrontational Kreep caught Izlalish the Knowing's attention, and she documented its time in the Bazaar. For several weeks this unusually large Kreep had been ringing its bells extremely loudly, making quite the commotion. The Kreep would step into the path of shoppers, seemingly on purpose, knocking many to the ground. Needless to say, this was causing a certain amount of concern with area shop owners. The confrontations continued until the Kreep crossed paths with a Woofettes. The Woofettes behaved as Woofettes do and after a very brief exchange, it savagely killed the Kreep. The inability of the Kreep and Woofettes to communicate with each other did little to de-escalate the situation. Due to the unusual circumstances of the interaction, the fact that the Woofettes had consumed some of the Kreep, and that the Woofettes was quick with reimbursement to a shop owner for lost sales during the attack and subsequent eating of the corpse, there was only a nominal penalty fee assigned to the Woofettes. What makes this all the stranger is that a second Kreep appeared in the Bazaar the very next day and directly sought out the same Woofettes. Again, being a Woofettes, after a brief interaction there was another dead Kreep. A second attack got the authorities more involved, and the Woofettes was jailed for a short time. Upon the release of the Woofettes, a third Kreep was already waiting for the Woofettes outside the jail. In a somewhat daring move, this third Kreep engaged the Woofettes immediately, and the Woofettes killed the Kreep in front of the constables. After this third fatality, the Woofettes was banished from the Bazaar. A fourth Kreep was approaching the Bazaar as the Woofettes was escorted out of the main gates. The Kreep followed the much faster Woofettes until they were both out of sight to Izlalish the Knowing.

This record only asks more questions than it answers. I fear that the Kreep will remain a mystery as long as their language remains undecipherable.

Agatha Luculent Habile, Acolyte of the Impure Husk

(Research submission)

For more samples of my work head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Woven Egg - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Woven Egg

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper 

© 2017 Christopher Burdett

2565.6

 Since her arrival in the Bazaar, nearly two thousand years ago, Shaper has been making and selling living tools. Stories of how Shaper makes these tools are as varied as her creations. It is widely accepted that some fairly powerful magicks and unorthodox mathematics are in use. Even so, there remains a missing piece to the puzzle that is Shaper's work. A missing piece that no one has been able to recreate, which is how Shaper continues her monopoly on living tools. Through my research, this missing piece is a device or construct referred to only as the Egg. 

While I have not been able to find any visual representations of the Egg, I have been able to uncover several descriptions. Of the dozen or so reports I have discovered, these three stand out. Nine hundred fifty-six years ago, Sysrus Ghet described the Egg as being, "Between five and six cubits in height. The sickly skin is fleshy and wet yet firm to the touch. The pale form is covered in holes from which Shaper's creations spring forth." Five hundred ninety-three years ago, Rhhutenfur K'lif Prex described the Egg as being, "A massive forty-six cubits in height, its black surface rippling with unseen power. All around its folded and creased form are large viewing ports where one can watch magick become life." One hundred two years ago Henturjox the Acclaimed described the Egg as being, "A grotesque blasphemy standing roughly twenty cubits tall. The form of the Egg is always changing - dripping, oozing, bubbling up, and caving in on itself. It is a nightmare made real. At the base can be found a massive belching maw that spits forth the vilest creations. These creations are little more than squirming feted sacks that give the appearance of life. The smell alone could knock a lesser being dead."*

Reconciling these three descriptions into one object is hard. It leaves me to speculate that either the Egg has changed over these many years or that there is, in fact, more than one Egg. The latter being most plausible simply due to the high volume of tools produced by Shaper. Since it is impossible to gain access to Shaper's tower, it is impossible to verify any of this myself. Much like the Gray Wanderer, the Egg remains one of the great mysteries of the Bazaar.

*It should be noted for transparency in my research that Sysrus Ghet, Rhhutenfur K'lif Prex, and Henturjox the Acclaimed were all thieves. Their descriptions are a result of them breaking into Shaper's tower. While some may discredit their accounts, just because they are thieves does not make them liars. It should be added that Sysrus and Rhhutenfur were listed as being murdered shortly after documenting what they had seen in the tower. Henturjox the Acclaimed was said to have lost her mind and committed suicide after recording what she had seen in the tower.

Agatha Luculent Habile, Acolyte of the Impure Husk

(Research Notes)

For more samples of my work head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Gray Wanderer - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

 

Gray Wanderer

9 x 12 - Pencil on paper 

© 2014 Christopher Burdett

2563.4

            The Gray Wanderer remains one of the biggest mysteries of the Bazaar. There are many theories as to what the Gray Wander is and to why it only appears at night in the oldest parts of the Bazaar. There has yet to be any substantial evidence to prove these theories, let alone give any definitive insight into its origins. Confirmed sightings of the Gray Wanderer date back at least fifteen hundred years. There is anecdotal evidence contained in the Books of Jungli that would suggest that the Gray Wanderer might be as old as the Bazaar itself.

The Vault of Credulity and Vault of Advertence state that the Gray Wanderer is a ghost or similar malevolent spirit, but this does not explain many of the eyewitness accounts regarding its actions and behaviors. There are a great many records in Grgur’s Tome of Peculiar Events and Grgur’s Tome of Fugacious Events of the Gray Wanderer simply wandering along streets seeming to browse the storefronts. The Gray Wanderer is said to inspect the various goods for sale, almost as if it is trying to understand the items or ascertain their purposes. This is not the general behavior of the ghost population of the Bazaar. The physical appearance described in the witness statements also does not align with any ghost or specter on record.

Comparing the descriptions from Quirmiere’s Compendium of Beasts, the Ouroboros Chronicles, and numerous eyewitness accounts from the past several hundred years, the Gray Wanderer is described as being in the range of eight to ten standard Bazaar cubits in height. It has pale tentacles upon its in face, hands, and feet which lead some to believe that its entire body is covered in tentacles. Its eyes have been described as being a brilliant white, a dull red-orange of a dying fire, and even a swallowing black that is darker than the deepest cave. The Gray Wanderer is cloaked and shrouded in many layers of well-worn gray fabric and leather, which is generally believed where the Wanderer obtained its name. It carries a lamp of magickal or animal in nature and consorts with a bird, or similar creature, that never leaves the Gray Wanderer’s shoulder. All about its body are many talismans, bobbles, and chains made of pewter or similar metal, and when combined with its awkward gait gives it a singular sound as it walks.

The Malison Achieves described the approach of the Gray Wanderer as being heralded with the chimes of your own coffin nails. I find this description overly dramatic and plays into the fears of the Gray Wanderer. While it is true the Gray Wanderer has killed, I have found in all but one or two instances that those killed were the first to strike. Stranger still, in most situations when the Gray Wanderer has slain an attacker it has returned life to the dead attacker. If restoring life to the deceased was not enough, the Gray Wander often cures any disease and illness that the individual had in life. These actions and abilities go well beyond that of any ghost or specter cataloged. There are reports in the Ouroboros Chronicles of the Gray Wanderer appearing and vanishing into thin air, but this alone should not be used to conclude that the Gray Wander is merely a ghost.

My findings rule out the Gray Wanderer being a ghost and suggest that we are dealing with something that is unique, extremely powerful, and vastly older than previously imagined.

Agatha Luculent Habile, Acolyte of the Impure Husk

(Research submission)

For more samples of my work head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com