Rattail

Mango Pirate is a slot canyon harboring the best and rarest wares to be found anywhere in Sornieth, with the finest smugglers thieves crime bosses merchants and traders to offer them! Located in the desolate deserts of the Shifting Expanse, both the hostile environment and powerful enchantments layered over the canyon keep tight-arsed officials and strict snot-nosed party crashers from finding and ruining the smuggling operations, er, trustworthy and mutually beneficial business transactions that take place here. No creeping spells or spying cables can worm into the sandstone walls, not without EllenJane knowing about it, and sending Soup to, ah, take care of it.

Of course, such a place invites a variety of clientele, each with their individual wants, price ranges, and . . . . ability to stomach, let's say, the queasier ends of business. Fortunately, each of the four tiers of the canyon (or, levels of interconnected caves carved into the rock, much like floors of an apartment skyscraper) caters to a specific crowd. The higher you go, the steeper the prices hike—for good reason! Ladders and ramps criss-cross up the walls from berth to berth and bridges span the width of the canyon to facilitate flightless dragons moving between tiers, while those with wings and the daring to try their luck maneuvering the throng of dragons darting through the air determined to chase down their prize. Anyone can find anything that'll satiate their desires.

THE BEDROCK
The ground level of the canyon, where much of the friendlier yet frenetic purchasing and selling takes place to the crowds of arrivals and residents alike. Peddlers yell out the prices of their goods to hapless travelers, entice hatchlings with sweets, and all but clamber atop their competitors to try and lure customers away. An explosion of color, movement, and noise, walking through the Bedrock can be an overwhelming experience for even experienced tourists, especially when shows and exhibitions are put on, like that of Torero running her herd through to put on a rodeo, or the hours before a day race at Socket Gorge is set to begin.

The most abundant items for sale on the Bedrock are, by far, charms and other protective devices claimed by their vendors to grant the wearer protection from the deadly storms that flood the canyon more frequently than anyone would like. Of course, deep berths in the higher tiers can ensure a dragon's safety from the Stormcatcher's ferocity, but for those unfortunate fellows whose coinpurses run thin . . . Well, with this here RAINCATCH AMULET, you're SURE to stay dry all night through! Guaranteed! No, I do not have my claws crossed behind my back, why would you dare make such a shocking and hurtful accusation, I say!

There's always an anxious hum to the hustle and bustle of Bedrock, an almost religious attention paid to the heralds announcing updates to the day's forecast, and even then, quick glances sent skyward whenever a drifting cloud briefly dims the sunlight. When clouds gather, the market is packed up and put away quicker than a fly twitches its wings, and once everyone's squeezed into a berth, whichever one they can afford, an eerie, tense silence tightens over the canyon as all await the fury of the storm.

A WINDOW
The Window is the second level tier of the canyon, its berths reaching several wingspans up off the ground—yet still in danger of flooding when a storm hits. (Most of) the berths are carved to countermand flooding as much as possible, from having drains and employing water mages to simple sloped floors and gates to keep dragons and possessions from sweeping out into the canyon by the ferocious current. The fact that a few unlucky chaps are killed by every other storm or so when bunking in a Window berth drives nervous dragons into the next tier up, but they'll never find a cheaper place to rent than in the Window.

It's not all terror and dismay, though! The Window's berths are laid out in a logical grid that's easy to navigate, even for hatchlings. During sunny weather, it moves at a calmer pace than the Bedrock, offering a kind respite from the heat and crowds, and a few businesses like the Duskfall Tavern provide services of food, drink, stories, and rest at a reasonable price. Residents here are FAR more tame and reliable than those upstairs, even the Cellarites will agree to that!


THE CELLAR
While the Window (barely) manages to scrounge up a somewhat salvageable reputation for the canyon, the third level tier . . . it's the reason all those nasty nasty rumors start up and spread like rotfruit, yeah . . . What was that? Oh, are they true? The rumors? Oh, haha. I mean, truth is a subjective thing, it really just comes down to they-said it-said—BUT. There are a few good general, guidelines, that any dragon ought to know before placing claw in a Cellar berth.

Do NOT take your hatchlings up into the Cellar if you do not wish for them to participate in or be coerced into partaking of:
- Gambling
- Illegal ring fighting
- Pickpocketing, petty theft, back-tunnel muggings
- Pleasure dens
- Imbibing Of Substances
- Black market dealings
- Assassin work, mercenary work, other-hired-wings-for-various-purposes work
- Gang violence
- Curses, witchcraft, definitely not Shade dealings (what are you, some kinda Seeker?) (that's a joke) (haha), other miscellaneous dark magecraft
- Random violence
- General violence
- Violence
- Less petty theft and more very serious theft planned by incompetent crime lords about to land their entire crew behind bars
- Scandalous secrets trafficking
- . . . and more fun activities!

DO take your hatchlings into the Cellar if you just don't give a sh!t, I guess. I hung out there all the time, and look at me! I'm great! Rumors, shumors, amiright? At least in the Cellar, floodwaters usually don't reach the lower berths! (usually)

AN ATTIC
Well, on one claw, the Attic is dry as sand, bones, dust, etc. etc. Never been flooded in all the time since this muck moved in. But on the other claw . . . said muck. See, the fourth tier is EllenJane's domain, her private berth and her office where she sells permits for stall space on the Bedrock market and rentals of berths in all the tiers. Everything that allows Mango Pirate to exist and function, is because of her.

It's her magic that wards the canyon from prying eyes and ears, and it's her magic that threatens to bring the canyon down like so much dust if anyone steps too far out of line. Fortunately, those lines are widely spaced—she sure doesn't give a flying fluke about what a dragon gets up to here, as long as they follow her berth and permit rules. Speaking of, she'll want to meet you. Oh, yes, she knows you're here. Ward magic, remember? She gets a tingle for each newcomer to set claw on her territory. She'll only need to meet you the once, and if her shadow doesn't eat you, then so as the Eleven favors, you'll rarely repeat the experience (only to renew permits, generally, if you're lucky)!

Pretty neat, right? Except, it's her, so, you know. :/

She isn't alone up there, of course. But compared to the tightly-packed masses in the lower three tiers, the Attic is almost vacant. Many a berth stands completely empty, even during storms. Why can't you rent there? Oh, sweetsnap. Because the few dragons who do rent up there could buy you, and your family, and your family's ancestors three generations back, and every possession and every bit of territory you and all yours have ever claimed as your own—and they'd still have enough over to bribe a Deity, you follow? No, don't bother to complain. Don't. They're not just rich. There's a reason the Cellar keeps its filth to itself. For example, you don't mess with the Junctioneers, cuz—actually, frankly, I value my hide too much to go into any further detail beyond that, so read between the lines. For your own safety. And all your loved ones/things.

So there's Mango Pirate Canyon! And there's much more to be seen. Watch out for a kid digging through your trash and laundry heaps, steer clear of the ramblings of this old mad prophet, don't worry about Felisnigripes spooking your kid, it means nothing by it, probably, and most of all. THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU FOR TAKING MY TOUR AND READING MY PAMPHLET ALL THE WAY THROUGH I JUST KNEW YOU'D LOVE IT AND LOVE ME AND WE ARE BEST FRIENDS NOW AREN'T WE SO HOW ABOUT A DRINK AT DUSKFALL, HUH? ;;D