Freeport Municipal Auction House
Many goods pass through Freeport, and not all of them end up with their proper owners. When property is captured from thieves, confiscated from prisoners, or remains unclaimed for too long in places like the Vault, it’s remanded to the custody of the Municipal Auction House. Citizens and traders can also put goods up for auction if they can’t find a private buyer.
Architecture
The Auction House squats in the center of the Warehouse District, a low bunker of a building surrounded by a 20-foot wall, its top angled outward to hamper climbing attempts. In all, it gives the impression of being a prison. Guards are visible outside at auction time, while they keep a lower profile the rest of the month. The interior of the Auction House is almost as austere and simple as the outside. The main room houses chairs and tables lined up in front of the auctioneer’s dais and display stage. A second room is used to store the items and lots coming up for auction. When items are held at the Vault, they are normally transferred to the Auction House after payment is one month in arrears.
History
In a town as mercantile (and mercenary) as Freeport, some system had to be developed to convert excess booty into cash. Rather than mess with marketplaces, the second Sea Lord founded the Municipal Auction House as a way of getting rid of unnecessary goods while making a profit. Many decades later, the Auction House has become a pivotal part of Freeport’s economic turnaround; it may not generate huge profits, but it keeps goods circulating and generating wealth rather than languishing in a warehouse.
Auctions are held once a month with the air of a flea market or estate sale. Agents from the merchant houses are always in attendance, as are folk of the general populace; in a remarkable show of evenhandedness, the Sea Lords have always allowed everyone equal access to the auction, no matter their stature or influence. The auctioneer, in charge of the whole operation, is appointed by and answerable only to the Sea Lord themself.
Everything at the auctions is sold “as is.” Crates and packages not clearly labeled are sold as “grab bag” items. (No peeking inside ahead of time!) The list of odd items that have been purchased in these mystery lots ranges from enchanted swords to dead bodies to giant stone eggs to, well, pretty much anything else you can imagine.
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