Bédenes/1st edition/24

The annual Emesa Beast Fair starts after the Festival of the Pillars ends. Some visitors to Bedenes depart for Emesa early to avoid becoming an unwilling participant in the ceremonies.

Ham is one of the main exporters of wild beasts in Lythia, and Peran is the prime source of wild and exotic beasts. This has made the Emesa Beast Fair one of the pre-eminent marketplaces for wild and exotic beasts on Ham. For six days, lvashu-hunters, agents of the Order of the Octagonal Pit, traders from the Kustan moot, and fur trappers from all over Peran converge on Emesa.

The Pamesani games are the primary consumers of live wild beasts on Ham and large beasts, such as Hirenu and Griffins, are a specialty of the fair. Others come to Emesa to buy beasts to provide other entertainments, for stock breeding, for study by arcanists, or as a sign of their status and wealth.

The fair grew from the traditional fur trading that had taken place in Emesa for generations. It was Granek who recognized its economic potential and, in 702, the Akarata decreed that the previous prerogatives of the Mangai no longer held sway and the Warriors would license all traders. The Emesa Mangai immediately lodged protests against the loss of their privileges but withdrew their complaint after meeting with Granek The Mangai in Emesa has been compliant ever since.

Trade at the Fair
In addition to wild and exotic beasts, other riches of Peran are the subject of transactions into civilized hands. Furs are by far the most common and valuable product, but herbs and other goods change hands as well. The fair is a magnet for trappers coming out of Peran with the product of a year's hard labor and for traders returning from the Kuboran moot at Kustan.

In addition to trade in animals and animal products, local guildsmen flock from across the hundred to sell to the influx of visitors and meet their every need. They resupply the traders for their return journey south and the trappers for another long season in the wilderness.

The Akarata and his Meketas accept much of their tribute and taxes in the form of pelts, beasts, preserved foods, and slaves. Between trade of their own goods, taxes on trade of all goods, and fees on the traders, the Warriors of Mameka profit very well indeed.

Ilviran priests from Golotha are said to be able to control Ivashu. The usual religious intolerance of the Mamakans is stretched to accommodate these visitors. The Ilvirans can command fabulous sums, as there are nearly always Ivashu to be pacified at the Fair.

The Emesa Beast Fair is a tense mix of frontier wildness and the discipline of the Warriors. The schedule follows this routine fairly closely in most years.

10-13 Agrazhar: Employment Bazaar
Craftsmen who failed to find a new master at Bedenes during the Festival of the Pillars, or who lost their place, come to the fair in hope of finding new employment. Beast hunters of sufficient skill to capture animals with minimal injury can command good wages. Common laborers are always in demand for a one-way trip to Golotha.

12-13 Agrazhar: The Beast Auction
The Akarata claims the right of first refusal on every beast to be traded at the Fair. He, or more often Granek, selects a creature that he expects to fetch a great price and pays a "fair price" for it. At noon on the 13th, this beast is auctioned to the highest bidder, often selling for five or six times what the Akarata paid for it. By tradition, slaves are auctioned after the beasts. Those who failed in the beast auction can spend their silver on slaves.

14 Agrazhar: Judgment Day
While trading continues on the common, the Akarata's Court is held on the 14th of Agrazhar and includes trials by combat and judgment of capital crimes. Those sentenced to death are taken in chains to Bedenes, where they will grace the Fire-Iron.

15 Agrazhar: Blessing and Procession
At the end of the Fair on the morning of 15th Agrazhar, the Aperterahn pronounces a blessing over the assembled travelers. The Akarata sends his annual tribute to the Senesharil in Golotha in the custody of the Master of Silence, accompanied by the newly ordained priests and a company of Warriors. Additional security is guaranteed by the mercantylers and their guards who also travel south at the end of the Fair.