The Cafila
Wandering realm of Mouqol
Mouqol’s realm, called the Cafila, isn’t so much a location as a gathering of like-minds. It’s like a living, moving entity that transcends planes and boundaries, a collection of merchants, camels and horses, elephants and tame wolves, all kinds of beasts of burden, a bazaar’s worth of tents, mobile shrines, appraisers, artisans, entertainers and guards. This gaggle follow Mouqol as he weaves through the multiverse, becoming a unique wandering realm that embodies the essence of trade and exchange and reflecting Mouqol’s philosophy.
Mouqol’s miraculous mobile marketplace is a hub of endless trade, where items of unimaginable rarity and value change hands. The Cafila is capable of appearing virtually anywhere in the multiverse, providing Mouqol and his followers access to markets far beyond the reach of ordinary merchants, including dealings with the efreeti, the yugoloths, the gnomes of Bytopia and the powers of the Marketplace Eternal.
In the Cafila, every transaction is sacred and hard bargaining is near to sacrament; the marketplace itself is holy ground. Shrines to Mouqol double as bustling centres of commerce. The modest tithes collected from traders are used for the marketplace’s upkeep, with surpluses directed towards charitable works, reinforcing Mouqol’s disdain for the accumulation of wealth for wealth’s sake, and attempting to leave an area unspoiled and perhaps even improved in the wake of the Cafila.
As you step into Mouqol’s Cafila, you’re greeted by an expanse that defies the ordinary. No matter where it’s pitches up, the air vibrates almost like it’s part of the Plane of Fire, making the atmosphere shimmer like a mirage. Tents and stalls sprawl across the landscape, their fabrics a vibrant mosaic that seems to dance in the heat. It’s an eclectic mixture of influences, from Egyptian wagons, nomadic Berber, vistani caravans, and the diligent merchant artisans of dozens of distant realms.
Buildings magically raised up from mounds of sand that remain perpetually solid offer cool respite to weary travellers, their interiors adorned with intricate hieroglyphs and symbols that narrate histories of all the planes the Cafila has visited. Berber tents, adorned with intricate patterns and talismans, offer goods from across the planes, their proprietors echoing the nomadic spirit of their ancestors. These merchants, adept in the art of barter, weave tales as enthralling as the items they sell, from enchanted fabrics that change colour with the mood of the wearer to spices that can season any dish with the essence of a sunset.
Also winding through the Cafila are vistani caravans, alive with music and laughter. These traveling merchants bring a kaleidoscope of goods: potions that capture the essence of the four winds, earrings that whispers secrets of the multiverse, and instruments that play the haunting melodies of distant worlds. These cutters might offer readings and fortunes, guiding souls on their journey through the planes.
Among the stalls, merchant artisans from countless worlds display their craft, turning raw, otherworldly materials into exquisite works of art. Glass blown from the sands of time, metals forged in the heart of stars fallen from the sky, textiles woven from astral thread—each artisan is unique, offering treasures untold.
At the heart of the bazaar lies the Elemental Square, where the four elements converge in a stunning display of harmony and power. Here, fire dances with water, earth embraces air, and at the centre, a fountain of pure elemental energy cascades into the air, showering the square with sparks of light and colour, providing light in the evenings so trading can carry on all night.
Mouqol’s Cafila is always on the move, traversing the planes, appearing where it is least expected and most needed—and of course, most profitable. Its market stalls shift and change, leading shoppers and traders on unexpected journeys that intertwine their fates. The Cafila might appear in a square of the Marketplace Eternal, pictch up alongside Tradegate for a few weeks, then travel down into the Lower Planes to Dis, or the City of Brass in Fire. The route might seen random—but they do say powers move in mysterious ways. Of course, the one market that the Cafila will never be serving is the Great Bazaar of Sigil. It’s a fact that’s sure to rankle with Mouqol—although of course there’s nothing to prevent his merchants from hopping through a portal on their own, if they dare.
Sources:
