Gors Velen marketplace

The marketplace in Gors Velen is even noisier and certainly much larger than the bustling fish market. Here you can find food and wares of all sorts from all over the known world. Even the livestock runs to the exotic, as Ciri finds out when she sees her first camel while being shown around by Fabio Sachs. It is here that Ciri first catches the attention of Tissaia de Vries and Margarita Laux-Antille.

While sight-seeing, Ciri and Fabio come upon a semi-circular area near the city walls full of tents where the "less savoury" attractions seem to be. There they spy a barker advertising a "real zerrikanian basilisk" on display. Unable to resist, they pay their fare and enter to see the show. It doesn't take long for Ciri to see that this is no basilisk, but a small and rather dirty wyvern trapped in a cage rather too small to hold it.

Unable to contain herself, Ciri starts making rather snide comments for all to hear and is soon the centre of attention, something Yennefer had specifically asked her to beware not to do. One thing leads to another and the young witcheress goes up on the stage to prove that the animal in the cage is no basilisk by standing close enough for it to "breathe its deadly venomous breath" on her. Since there seems to be no way to dissuade her, Fabio accompanies her onto the stage, as does a young squire, much to the dismay of the young woman he is escorting.

While the three are on stage, the cage suddenly gives way and the wyvern is freed. Ciri quickly puts her training into action, takes the sword off the young (and still stunned) squire and makes quick work of the beast, slicing off both its head and its tail before returning the sword. The panicked crowd, believing that the squire had dealt with the wyvern gather round to congratulate the young man.

Realizing that she has likely gone too far and made herself the centre of attention, Ciri decides to make herself scarce. She orders Fabio to get out of the tent and meet her on the other side of the marketplace. Meanwhile, she activates the magic stone Yennefer had given her in case of emergency and makes her way out of the tent invisibly. It is the activation of the stone that catches the attention of Tissaia and Margarita.

The two sorceresses happen to be in town trying to track down a group of students who recently escaped Aretuza. They mistakenly assume that since she used magic, Ciri must be one of the escapees. Only a trip back to the bank and the word of Yennefer convinces them otherwise.

Place du marché à Gors Velen