Ralph and the Pixie - Page 120/574

Birin gave Pran a look that may have concealed a smile, but Pran gave no sign. With a nod, Birin acquiesced, and began leading them further into the city.

Though not a large city by modern Human standards, Mirrindale nevertheless controlled Narvi and the surround lands for a good twenty miles in all directions, and was a city-state in its own right. The population of Mirrindale was swelling, however, augmented by rural folk from the surrounding lands, many of whom had never laid eyes upon any city, large or small. Many were quite overwhelmed by the, to their eyes, massive stone structures that gave their untrained eyes the impression of being great halls of learning, though in truth only a few buildings in the entire city could be referred to as such.

Mirrindale, was largely a center of trade, but unlike the town of Narvi, with its chaotic throngs of independent shop-owners, Mirrindale’s commerce was owned and controlled by its highly organized and wealthy Merchant class. And whereas Narvi’s stock in trade was local wares hocked by local farmers acting as artisans, tradesmen and craftsmen to augment their incomes, Mirrindale was a center of trade in a far broader sense. There was Dwarvish weaponry, jewelry, and exorbitantly expensive home crafts such as timepieces of Elven manufacture, which alone were rare and rarely-seen items; there were expensive Human silks, textiles, weaves, rugs, wood products, armour, weaponry, and tools such as spear shafts and farm implements made of ash, a wood unknown in the Elf Kingdom and much in demand.