Herald of Steel

For the common people of Adhania, both men and women, the fashion during summer was to wear loose, baggy, clothes that were both comfortable and utilitarian.

Temperatures could reach peaks of nearly 40 degrees Celsius during the day during the season, so staying cool and well ventilated was crucial.

This 'flowing' style was also a result of people wanting to save on costs- by keeping the style and stitching simple, there was not so much cutting and fitting, and thus much less wastage of clothes.

If anyone has ordered a tailored suit will know exactly how expensive it can be compared to a regular store bought one.

As a matter of fact, ready made clothes, like the ones we find available in the supermarkets, and made to fit us reasonably well is a very, very modern concept that only started roughly 200 years ago.

And even then, there are many underdeveloped parts of the world, where to get a good pair of shirts and pants it was still best to order.

...

Then, alongside the groceries and clothes shops, there were many artisan shops, selling various everyday necessary items.

The largest among them were potters, selling cooking pots, intricate jugs, beautiful bowls, and exotic jars, meant for storing and preparing food, as well as just simple showpieces.

All of these products were of various shapes and sizes and differed greatly in quality, ranging from simple regional variants just painted a single color- red, to imports of exceptional standards made by expert hands using the best clay.

These pieces would be carved with intricate geometric patterns or pictures and painted with magnificent colors, then glazed to perfection i.e.- coated with a liquid suspension of finely ground minerals and fired in a kiln, giving the surface a smooth and shiny finish.

Once finished, each of these extraordinary pieces could go anywhere from a few hundred to even a few thousand ropals if they caught the eyes of a truly discerning customer.

Thus only the likes of super rich merchants and nobles like Alexander had even the guts to look at these high end products displayed so prominently on tall, wooden shelves,- described in vibrant colors of black, gold, blue, green, and purple and being regularly dusted to remove any dirt by many of the attending servants.

…..

Potters were the most populous of the artisan profession- a result of the high demand for all types of earthen vessels and the profession's low barriers to entry- all you needed was some clay and a potter's wheel.

Following them came the carpenters, selling furniture and well cut and cured timber for building homes.

But once again like with the clothes, any of it was hardly ever ready made.

People usually had to go to the shops and give the man details of the dimensions of the timber, bed, shelves, door, chairs, wardrobes, etc. he would like to have made.

Or perhaps, if the client was well known, a carpenter would send his apprentice to his house and take the measurements directly, making sure the intended furniture fit in the designated space.

And once the order was completed, it would be delivered by cart or the client be asked to pick it up himself, bringing a cart himself.

...

Carpenters lived side by side with blacksmiths, who were disproportionately numerous in Zanzan due to its unique situation.

Most of them worked for Alexander, while the few independent ones sold both civilian items like in the western district, as well as much more specialized and dangerous tools like large hammers, enormous saws, pliers, horseshoes, short swords, butcher knives, wooden shields, axes of various types and styles, spears and even crossbows- although the last item was heavily regulated.

Only nobles of high renown could purchase them and in quite limited quantities.

And even then they had to swear to the gods that these were to be only used in hunting or invoke the wrath of the gods.

Lastly, there were many blacksmiths who did not make any new items but simply repaired or enhanced them.

This might not sound that impressive, but the latter type of this kind of work was actually quite sought after.

These men were called gilders and they helped to etch various decorations onto weapons and armor, either just by working the current metal into intricate shapes or even using gold, silver, and other precious gems should the client so desire.

Thus all the intricate details on the pieces like the breastplate and ornately carved handles were the work of this lot.

And as these tasks required great expertise, they were quite well respected by their peers, with sometimes the armorers even collaborating with them to produce luxurious works of art and style.

Many of Alexander's and his retainer's flashy, ceremonial armor were even made through such a combination.

...

Rivaling the number of blacksmiths in Zanzan were the tanners and leather makers, who produced arguably even more varied types of goods.

The tanners were primarily responsible for processing the rawhide into useful and workable leather, which they did by removing all the hair through a variety of steps and then drying it.

Then the leather makers would take over, where they sometimes worked hand in hand with the blacksmiths.

They would make the scabbards for swords and daggers, the inner lining of shields and armor to give it a more comfortable feel, harnesses of horses, straps for the armor and occasionally even the buckle for the belt.

But if they were not interested in military products, they could always turn to the civilian market, which also had a great demand for boots, shoes, hats, coin purses, drinking pouches, leather coverings, and many more.

Alexander noticed an enormous variety of sizes, shapes, and colors for all these products, displayed in all types of ways- in open shelves, hung from wire racks, stored in front of large tables, and even bundled up in corners.

But what they all had in common was that strong smell of fresh leather coming out from them, drawing the crowd in.

Alexander noticed an especially large crowd in front of a specific large shoe shop, where the shopkeeper and his assistants appeared up to their necks in trying to deal with all the demands.

This shop was one of the first to use rubber soles and it drove all those who could afford it crazy.

….

Lastly, in the artisan category, there at last came two types of artisans who were the smallest of the bunch.

One of them was jewelers and goldsmiths, who only had two large such shops in the whole city.

They were very large and ornate shops no doubt, entirely made of marble and onyx, with one being owned by a rich noble and the other by the richest commoner in the city. The latter was very rich even in Pasha Muazz's times.

And these two almost exclusively served the rich and wealthy, as most commoners were too poor to even dare to step inside those oak doors.

If the ordinary populace wanted something made, nine times out of ten, they would go to the gilders, who were also part goldsmiths.

The men were much cheaper and yet, fully capable of meeting the simple design expectations of the regular people.

Thus because their clientele was so small and specific there was simply no more market for any other.

But Alexander believed with Zanzan's increased trade and wealth, more such shops were inevitable.

For now though, one of the guards at the jewel shop owned by that rich commoner very enthusiastically greeted Alexander upon seeing him, cordially urging him to take a look inside.

And after walking for hours, Alexander thought he could take the man on his offer.

The insides of the place were basically designed like a temple- with huge open windows and enormous open flamed braziers hanging from the ceiling illuminating the place.

Black and white mosaic patterns dotted the floor and walls, but these patterns were not simply painted, that would have been too cheap.

Rather they were made using a combination of marble and onyx slotted against one another like a jigsaw puzzle, giving the whole thing a very 'robust' feeling.

This was combined with the luxurious red and gold tapestries draped on the walls and the life like artwork of landscapes like the Cisran Hills, the walls of Thesalie, and Zanzan docks, as well as various beautiful women wearing immaculately made jewelry, making Alexander half mumble, 'Heh, this is more lavish than my own house.'

Inside the huge ballroom like space, the actual jewelry was displayed on tables covered by red, velvet like curtains arranged in a semi circular arc, placed atop very shiny trays, thus letting the two greatly contrast each other.

The collection was naturally as varied as they were fine- necklaces, earrings, bangles, anklets, chains, bracelets, if you could name it, they had it.

Made of various purity of gold, silver and studded with all kinds of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, etc, the intricate and magnificent designs were sure to impress even the most picky of customers.

Common designs of the jewelry included animals such as eagles, doves, phoenixes, bears, tigers, lions, elephants, various religious symbols, and beautiful plants and flowers, which would be etched with intricate geometric or sometimes even nongeometric patterns.

Alexander was basically spoiled for choice.

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