It is early spring, 1198, just past the seventh hour of the night. Buda-Pest itself  is coming alive again after the quet of winter. Daring traders arrive from the East and West, having braved late-winter storms and treacherous crossings through newly cleared mountain passes. After a tiring and uncomfortable journey, you have arrived outside the main gates of Pest. Clouds cover the sky and the ground underfoot is soggy with chilly rain. The low wooden walls of Pest stand before you, and the smell of livestock, lime, and smoke hang in the air.<br/><br/>The town guards are beginning to close the gates for the evening. One guard motions with his lantern and says [<strong>Hungarian</strong>]"<em>If you want to come inside tonight, you'd better hurry. The gates are closing</em>." As you look at the queue of wagons going inside, you see that they're all being searched by the town guard. The degree of searching seems related to the amount of bribe offered by said merchants. Your wagons are in a line to be searched, conveniently next to each other.<br/><br/>After passing through the gate, just before passing through the central market, you hear the sound of a small crowd ahead of you. In the centre of the market, a slave auction is in progress. You see a flabby man standing atop a platform. He holds a chain linked to a collar attached to a roughly clad, miserable-looking captive, who is forced to kneel before him, hands bound behind her back. A line of other captives is chained to a large stake driven into the ground nearby. Two men stand guard over them. Several people stand before the platform; a few call out bids. Torches illuminate the stage, but leave most of the crowd and nearby streets in shadow. Some members of the crowd appear to be little more than brigands - heavily armed, wild-looking men drawn from the nearby taverns to watch the entertainment. A few look as though they might be merchants in search of slaces to help in the workplace. One man stands out from the crowd, obviously a nobleman, as evidenced by his fine clothes and jewlery, he seems bored by the current offering, yet is clearly agitated. Perhaps he's waiting for something better to be offerred?<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Please describe your entry into the town and your reactions to the slave market.