Codex Badger Guide Monlon¶
A Badger's Guide to Monlon, Volume 1: by Leonias Mellitas, a Badger.
In this volume you'll find a guide to the Holy City of Monlon. It's written for use by the Badgers, and as such it is designed for people with a spirit of adventure, and the will to serve our fair Republic of Iridine! Enjoy it, and remember to pass along the help to others!
Arrival
You arrive via the ferry from Vetallun (see: A Badgers Guide to Vetallun). Welcome to the Holy City of Monlon!
(For a history of the city, see the relevant volume). Now that you know about the city, lets go explore!
Oh, do remember: no kissing in public! You wind up jailed, its not worth it. (Unless the kiss is really good).
Ive broken this guide down into major sections: The Ferry Area, the West Quarter, the Palisade and Temple, the North Quarter, the City Center,
the East Quarter, and the Docks.
--Monlon Ferry Area--
Walking north from the ramp, you reach the ticketing shack. The interior of this small grey shack are no
more extraordinary than its facade. Here you will meet Maela, a peppy young lady with rosy cheeks
spotted with freckles. A ferry ticket costs 30d, but the Badgers may be able to offer you a complimentary
ticket! You may also be able to hitch a ride with a member of the MVG if you tell them you are on a
pilgrimage (see: A Badgers Guide to the Defenders of Iridine).
If you walk to the west and south of the ticketing shack, youll find a dock for boats. I believe you can rent
these, but I am unsure of whats involved. It appears that a soldier will guard your boat for you while you
are away.
Walk north off the dock, then northwest onto the cobblestone street. Youll see two muddy paths, one to
the north and one to the southwest. The one to the north leads to a shack, but when I visited, it was empty.
There is a trapdoor in the shack, but I found it to be locked. I later found out why: some thoughtless person
had put an extremely poisonous pin on the underside of that door, which would bring you to the point of
death if you opened it. Imagine that a trapped trapdoor! Amazing.
Heading southwest down the muddy path will take you to an old hovel constructed of unbaked mudbricks
under a leaky roof of tiles. Here, sitting on her favorite stool, is the woman Beastia, an ancient creature
who is blind, toothless, dirty, and possibly deaf. At least, she didnt seem to respond to my greetings,
though she did display some rags that you can buy for about 2 sterces. There are a variety of colors and
quality, some ranging up to a few denars, or possibly more. The flap of her tent will close behind you when
you enter, so dont be alarmed. As she is old, and helpless, it would be a kindness to purchase one of her
rags. Remember: it is the way of the Badger to be kind to those who are in need.
Leave Beastias tent, and return to the road. Look around you: to the south, youll see the lake that your
ferry came in on. To the west, there is an expanse of barren fields and hillsides. The war has taken a toll
on the lands around Monlon, but there are rumors that this damage will soon be repaired by pilgrims and
other devoted people.
--West Quarter--
Head north up the road. After a short walk, you can veer east onto a small shore of gritty dark sand. This
shore is pinched between the road to the west and Lake Monlons dark waters to the east. It also circles
around the Clubs Shop, which is the next stop for Badgers who like blunt weapons. The shop is kind of
rough-looking, but there is a neat mosaic showing brave Iridine warriors (like the Badgers!) routing a
bunch of cowardly Cinerans. (No offense to our Badgers of Cineran persuasion!) .
Rook is the staves teacher here, though I didnt get any lessons from him so I cant compare him to the
price-gouging you get at Ledas. He cuts an impressive figure: not too tall, but very beefy. You may note
hes missing some fingers, but let me save you some grief and advise that you not make a big deal out of
it. However, DO note that the tunic he wears is edged with pictures of Badgers! He must be an ally of
ours. The Clubs and CMs teacher is Rontubius. I know nothing about those weapons, so I leave that to
another Badger.
Just north of the club shop is a part of the city thats great when the stomach is empty, the mouth is dry, or
the body is weary. To the east is Belisas grocery. The grocer is a happy, soft-featured older woman. You
should compliment her on her hair ribbon, and shell be kind to you. Nice fruits and vegetables here,
ranging from about 3d to 12d.
Around the corner from her grocery is the bakery of Arbitio, a man who is jolly and fat as a baker should
be. He gave me some free bread, so do bring him some business as a thank-you! He sells breads, tarts,
and sweet pastries ranging up to 9d. Treat yourself a Badger cant adventure on an empty stomach!
On the west side of that street, youll find the Lost Amulet Inn. I tried to find out why its called that, but
no one remembered or wanted to tell. The bar is run by Mankus, who looks dirty but serves a clean mug
of ale (4d) as well as some fat fish and even fattier porridge. Avoid both, eat at the Bakery. The bars got
the usual drinking crowd, but youll also see some pilgrims, fishermen and miners. (See: A Badgers
Guide to Hunting Grounds: the Monlon Mines).
As for the Inn itself, I can tell you nothing. Quillia, who runs it, seems nice enough, a soft young lady. Her
rooms run 62d a night, but I declined to rent one, which seemed to offend her in some way. I did slip into
an open guest room, which was free, but I had to contend with the presence of a bizarre religious scroll on
the wall. There are actually a number of free guest rooms, but all are weird in some way. In one, the
chamberpot was full and possibly alive. In another, people had clearly had lots of sacks& I fled without
taking any. Be warned, if you sleep for free, you can close the door but you wont have a key to lock it, so
theres not really security or privacy.
As you continue along the road to the north, nows a good time to point out the Governors Mansion.
Youll see it on your right, its hard to miss. I believe the Governors name is Flavius, but at the time of my
visit I wasnt able to meet with him. Well return to this part of the city later, but there is more to explore
on the west side! So, before you get to the Monlon Jail (which you wont be in unless you kiss someone
incautiously), turn west onto a dirt path.
Walk straight west, and youll bump into Dulcias shop. This pleasant young woman in her white veil will
sell you devotional items. But be aware: practicing the faith is not cheap. The least expensive item is an
unimpressive candlestick, which can be had for 12d. To really get on Ereals good side, consider the quartz
sunburst amulet a bargain, I suppose, at 1200d.
Further along the path you come to Lumbarius shack: Supplies and Mining Tools! His shack is falling
apart, his yard is messy, and hes barely got teeth enough to eat one of Belisas apples, but this friendly old
man is a joy to talk to. Sit in a rocking chair, chat him up, and pass the time. You can buy lots of supplies
here, standard adventuring fare but I advise you not to buy the mining equipment. Everyone I talk to tells
me that, for now at least, mining is a suckers game. Better to hunt in the mines and sell the parts than risk
your life for a few shiny rocks.
Just a bit northwest of Lumbarius place is a well, but as far as I know its pretty dried out. I couldnt tell
how deep it is, but I know if you throw something down there, its gone for good.
Head west from the well, until you hear barking. No surprise, youll come up to the dog shops. Before you
reach the actual kennels, youll see Aretas Collar Shop to the north. Now& before you go in here,
consider: a plain, simple leather collar costs 828d. Read that again. 828d for a loop of leather with a buckle
on it. Now consider: Aretas shop does not appear on the standard Monlon map. Do you know why? I
think its because shes ashamed. But now you know where it is, so you can be careful not to go there.
Across the path from the Collar Shop of Shame youll find a small garden and a shrine to Ereal. Sit on the
benches and relax. Just west of there, another shop that doesnt appear on our standard map: Maerodus,
teacher of knives, especially Cineran Knife Fighting. Hes not on the map because the Cinerans only
recently started teaching their ways to us. Also notice that the practice dummy here is wearing full armor.
Its a different experience to hit this than to hit the typical dummy. Theres a cot here thats good for a
nap, as well.
Continue to the end of the dirt path and you arrive at Canus shop. I dont know if other kennels exist in
the Republic, but I believe him when he says hes the finest. He should know, as hes missing a thumb,
and half an ear. As much as he resembles what he sells, you can see he cares for the animals, and they all
looked in excellent health. The typical dog is about 50 cents, more or less. I had my eye on a Setarine, but
we already had a dog at home in Badgers HQ and I thought shed be mad.
--Palisade and Temple--
Next stop on the tour is the Monlon Volunteer Guard Palisade, or Fort, which is where the group hangs
out. Its just a little bit north from the dirt path at the well. Unless youre a member, you cant get in on
your own, but you can see their purple flag flying proudly. So, continue up the dirt track towards the great
Monlon Temple and Catacombs.
Along the track you will find a strange-looking onyx obelisk. Theres writing on it, but I have no idea what
it says. I touched it, and didnt die, so I dont think its cursed or trapped or anything hilarious like that, but
I also have no idea why its there, except that its related to the temple. So, going on to the temple&
It is carved out of a mountain, which you approach by passing under a natural rocky arch. North of the
arch stands the clearing before the temple, which is a riot of color and life, and also a lot of onyx. Fruit
trees abound to the west, and gardens lead you on toward the temple entrance. Ascend the stairs to look
at the altar and you may see some gifts of flowers, candy and coins. If you dont see any there, you should
probably put some, because it cant hurt. The altar is surrounded by broken onyx columns with more
plaques in an unreadable (to me, anyway) language. Theres also a plaque and pedestal, thanking the
MVG on behalf of the priests and priestesses.
North of the clearing is the temples inner courtyard, with columns carved into the rock, and interesting
statues. Ereals sunburt is carved everywhere. Climb the wide white marble steps to reach the temple
itself.
The main hall of the temple is quite impressive and beautiful, with frescoes on the ceiling, columns all
around, and a mosaic which is actually kind of unmemorable. To the west, you can enter the Monlon
Catacombs, where you can hunt and have various adventures. To the east is the coma ward (run by
Cogita), the healer (Cipus), and a place to make donations to the Hospice by offering money to Arturio.
As Baders tend to get in some serious scrapes, I encourage you to be generous.
On the platform north of the main hall are several altars and candles. At the head of that is the podium,
with a jade statue of Ereal. Its very inspiring, and worth the trip for any pilgrim.
--City Center--
Now that your soul has been enriched, head back down the path, and turn east at the MVG fort back onto
the main street. Youll note Nolirs shop on your left (also not on the standard map), where the silly little
fellow will sell you pens and, if you can believe it, scented parchments. Scented! Why? Who knows. Each
sheet costs 30d, so you can bet the Badgers Guides are not written on them. Also he doesnt sell ink, so
if you forgot to bring some youre out of luck.
Keep going east until you get to the flagstone plaza. This is a major intersection, and to your west is the
Monlon Jail. Wave to the people who kissed in public. Here you can see a Vigile, who is customarily tall
and has markings on his face. Sarah is also here, but Im not sure why.
North of the jail, you pass the Courthouse on your way to the North Quarter of the city. I dont think
tourists are allowed in, so unless you have some legal issue youll only see the tall, gilded bronze doors.
--North Quarter--
North from the courthouse puts you square in the North Quarter. Right away there are some useful shops:
a bronze shop, an iron shop, and a place to buy figurines. The bronze shop is run by the old fighter Jovinus,
and you can buy everything from a razor (34d) to a bronze gladius (about 2 talents). The ironmonger
Lepidus is a bundle of energy, and hell cheerfully sell you anything from an iron collar (156d) to a 5-talent
iron gladius. Telaria, in her cluttered figurine shop to the south, will sell you tiny models of animals,
gladiators, or boats, for about 420d.
Continuing northwest takes you to the Wild Boar Inn. When I went in there, the place was empty except
for Pluvris the barkeep, so I guess its not entirely a misleading name. I can recommend the Crazy Water
here, and the food is quite good as well. He didnt seem to want to rent me a room, so I dont know how
to do that, or how much they cost. However, theres a quiet little garden out behind the Inn, in the
northwest corner of this part of the city.
Roughly across the street from Telarias is Caesarias pleasant hair ornament shop. Shes quite pretty, but
dont let that fool you, because she drives a hard bargain. 150 denars will get you a strip of leather, and an
investment of 25 talents will get you a gold chain. Its not my cup of tea, or cup of hair ornament, but you
might like it.
North up the flagstone road will take you to one-eyed Valanais leather shop (leggings for 230d, a hat for
102d, other items various). Across the street are the mule stables, where you can poke around in the
stables and the haystacks. I like them, I think theyre comforting for some reason. Gnaum, who looks
about how youd expect a mule-wrangler to look, cannot actually rent you a mule. He blames the
government, but I didnt follow up on it.
Of note to Badgers who like armor and weapons, the other Bronze Shop, run by Grathus, will sell you
some nice items, including a caged faceplate (50 talents), a lorica hamata (2 and a half talents), and other
various weapons and armor. He frowned when I mentioned Jovinus, so there might be a small rivalry there.
You can follow the dirt path out of Grathus shop, around behind the mule stables, to finish your tour of the
North Quarter. As you come back toward the center of the city, youll pass a large building which I think
is someones domus, and then youll come to one of several shrines to Ereal in Monlon. These shrines
contain an altar, and some other decoration, and are a nice place to stop and rest and think about the holy
purpose of the City.
Return to the Center of the city, and head east away from the jail. On your left (to the north), youll see a
temple to that other great religion of Iridine: the Monlon Bank. There are lots of options from the plaza in
front of the bank. Directly to the east, a marble colonnade leads you to the second shrine in Monlon.
Actually this one is nicer than the other one I mentioned, so maybe this is the main one. Look at the
sphere, especially, and note how many figurines have been left as offerings. You, too, could leave an
offering.
--East Quarter--
Northeast of the plaza takes you to several shops: perfume, a consignment shop, a cloth shop, and finally
the Monlon Baths. At the perfume shop you can basically buy love, in liquid form, from Caradrus. Samples
are, fortunately, available: just take a splinter from the cubbyholes. However, if you wanted to reward your
faithful guide-writer by, say, bringing him a vial of Moonslight perfume for his lady, that would be
appreciated. That vial is a steal at a very cheap 250 talents. Otherwise, other perfumes are in the 3-to-20 talent range.
Vasdrias cloth shop is across the street from the Baths. It has supplies for tailors, from cloth (starting at
30d, but near 20 talents for silk) to scissors (250d). Behind this shop is Timmis consignment shop, where
a fledgling tailor can find work. I didnt see any orders when I was in there, but you may have better luck.
In the back room of Vasdrias place, Xantheros does something involving thread. Hes kind of an odd
character, but he gave me a free spool of thread, so he must be a good& person.
Now we head to the Monlon baths. You can enter via the room where Stefano stands, though Im not
sure what he does. He might be a guard, or a masseur? In the room next to his, youll find Machina, a man
who stands around in a towel all day. He will sell you soaps (up to 22d), and a ticket to the bath (180d). I
was running low on funds at this point, so I didnt go in. Rayna, in the room behind Machina, will gently
stop you if you try to enter without a ticket. Im not sure what shell do if you dont stop the first time.
tur
Before you leave the baths, do visit Oonas dining room in the back. Truly, there is no greater heroine in all
of Iridine than Oona! Start out with a bowl of river turtle soup (48d), fill up on the roast half-duck with
spicy orange sauce (192d), and cap off the meal with a glass of fig wine (26d) and youll see why shes as
vital to this republic as the Temple of Ereal itself. Give her a good tip for me, ok?
Something is guarded, just southeast of the baths. Im told that someone named Ostius has a practice
dummy, but I have no idea who they are, what that is, or why I wasnt allowed in. The Monlon message
office is across the street from the baths. It costs 1 or 4 cents to register (depending on if youre a citizen),
and 1 or 5 cents to send a message.
The road east from here will take you out of the city proper and toward the Mines, but head back towards
the plaza to finish exploring the East Quarter. When you get there, go southeast. To the north, youll see
two interesting shops. The ancient lady Drusilla will sell you various clay figurines out of her tent, most for
60d. You can leave these as an offering at the shrines, though I do not know exactly how that works, or
what you might expect to get by doing that. Next to Drusillas tent is Vendanas chamber, where she does some
kind of magic with cadaes that I dont really want to know about because it makes me nervous. Im told
that she accepts a one-talent donation for her weird services.
Now, onto the last part of our City tour, the docks!
--Monlon City Docks--
Head south of the cadae shop, passing to the east of the courthouse, until you see the large wooden
platform. Thats the northwest corner of the docks. There are a lot of warehouses and little passageways
here, but very few real places of interest. Youre probably very thirsty after all this running around, so stop
into Naucs place, which I think might be what its called. Since you should have eaten at Oonas already,
you probably arent hungry, but if you are I can recommend the crab legs. Otherwise, its ale, beer or
posca to wet yourself down with. You can sit in the side room, if you want extra privacy, but be warned
that Tarsus will absolutely NOT allow you into his kitchen. Hes not as friendly as the lady in the Toga, eh?
Now, heres a mystery for you, Badgers: why would a beautiful young lass like Corthina choose to open
up her gem-buying business in a room next to the down-at-heel Naucs Bar? I dont know either, and she
wouldnt tell me, but you can sell her some gems or buy a bit of jewelry.
Continuing east along the dock, you can climb a ladder down to a narrow wooden jetty, but its mostly just
to stretch your legs I think. Turn south, and walk by Sejanus fishing supply and boat rental shop. Ive
never rented one, but I think it costs 60d for a ticket.
Continue walking around the docks, and you might find fun little surprises. I found an abandoned set of
rooms& or at least I hope they were abandoned. That will determine whether or not I borrowed or stole
that pen&
In the southwest corner of the dock, youll find Aleas gambling house. As you would almost demand,
Alea is perky and attractive, though her hulking guard will help to keep you sensible. She will sell you
cards or spiced rum, which I recommend.
Walking north of Aleas, youll find the very last stops on our tour, the Fish Market. Somehow, I think
thats appropriate. In the tent, Jotapian and Hulla will sell you all kinds of tasty fish, from raw to cooked,
as well as more of that Crazy Water that Monlon is apparently famous for. North of that tent is
Sarrichims open-air fish market. I would strongly advise you be kind to her, as she carries a scaling knife
and seems to know what shes doing. She will sell you smoked eel. If you are a human being, you must eat this.
And thats all for the tour of the city itself! Monlons surroundings have many interesting sights, including
the sad wastes of the battlefields, the dark adventures in the Mines, the creepy fun to be had in the
Catacombs, and the pants-ruining fear of running for your life in the Ravines. More information will come
in future volumes of& A Badgers Guide to the Republic!