Grand Market

The Grand Market is an endless marketplace used to buy and sell goods of all kinds, whether legal or otherwise.

Entering

The Grand Market can be entered through a few different means, though the most common is by entering a pre-built portal. Other methods include:

• Throwing a Platinum Coin into a well and then jumping in after it (though full wells sometimes do not work for this)
• Bribing a Platinum Golem into giving you access
• Attempting to swim in a pile of currency (coins tend to give the highest chance of this)
• Binding a Warp Key to the Grand Market on a previous trip, then using the warp key to return there at a later time (note that this is the only other method to consistently return to the Grand Market beyond pre-built portals, due to teleportation spells not allowing access to the Grand Market)

Exiting

A creature can exit the Grand Market at any time by closing their eyes and thinking about the location they entered from. They will always exit in the exact location they entered initially from, no matter how far they travel in the Grand Market.

Geography

The Grand Market consists of an endless labyrinth of stalls and shops haphazardly stacked on top of each other that block out the sun in most locations. The stalls themselves are made of a wide variety of materials and are seemingly immune to the weight and effects of the other buildings, with massive marble structures being found balancing on the top of tents and forges being built atop wooden structures. The structures are also entirely immune to any sort of damage caused by anyone or anything other than the shopkeeper who owns that shop (usually referred to as the Owner).

Localized Phenomena

One of the unique phenomena of the Grand Market is known as the Equal Exchange Effect (also known as E3). When an Owner first sets up a shop in the Grand Market, they're given a unique, magical ability to exchange currency and objects for materials to build their shop. This effect happens at will, is irreversible, and unlike traditional alchemy, is based on the rough "worth" of that object or currency relative to the material.
A secondary effect that is ever present within the Grand Market is the inability for an Owner or customer to directly lie about a product. While information can be hidden and twisted, a direct lie will result in the liar giving the true information instead, usually with much more details than they would've if they'd just been truthful in the first place.
The final effect is a preventative measure against crime. Theft is possible in the Grand Market, however Owners are much more perceptive to potential thieves than they would be in a different plane. On top of this, they can permanently bar entry to their store to an individual or group of individuals, and can share their "bar list" with networks of other owners to prevent thieving. Unlike theft, violent crimes are nearly impossible in the Grand Market. Not only are shops and products indestructible while in the possession of an Owner or customer rendering property damage impossible, any violent crimes will result in a near infinite number of Clay Golems grabbing the perpetrator through the ground and pulling them under.

Climate

The climate and atmosphere in the Grand Market always feels slightly stuffy and stale, no matter what a creature is normally used to.

Fauna & Flora

There is no known natural flora or fauna that originate from the Grand Market. Despite this, several pest animals and plants have made their way into the dimension in shipping crates and other shipping containers, and a small number of creatures have escaped their shops due to negligent Owners.

Natural Resources

Though many would assume the Grand Market to be an incredible source of materials due to the E3, this is not the case. All building materials created through the E3 that exit the Grand Market disintegrate into a fine powder that fully disappears within a day. These materials generally find themselves attached to the store shortly after the disappearance of the dust, though some have reported material taking much longer to return or not returning at all. On top of this, any material or object created through the E3 with the intention of being sold, or any that is attempted to be sold regardless of the initial intention, instantly disintegrates. These materials only rarely re-materialize.

Tourism

Creatures from all different planes and walks of life visit this dimension to shop, sell, or trade. While most only visit short term as there's little to do beyond shopping here, some still choose to set up a permanent living quarters in their shop and live here full time.

Type

Dimensional plane