[center][h1]The Clandestine[/h1][/center]
[hider=The City of Hathforth]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/WZVl8mP.jpeg[/img]
[/hider]
The winds blew northerly that day.

Blue skies promised better days, even when things seemed to only be getting worse. The marks of the dragon, of the interrupted execution, remained on people’s minds, even as they busied themselves with the pulling of the nets, the gutting of the fish, the transportation of goods off merchant vessels. Makeshift stalls crowded the paved, slippery streets, hawkers working to feed themselves off of the food they sold, while better-dressed folks had their guards push through the crowds as they reached those elusive auction houses that carried Seeds. Mundane Seeds, with nary a hint of true potency, but Seeds nonetheless, a status symbol of power and wealth.

No one knew what caused the fire. Perhaps a clumsy cook knocked over a portable stove. Perhaps a barrel of whale-oil had leaked during transportation. Perhaps an apprentice’s enchantment went horribly wrong. Perhaps a smoking hedonist had tipped the ashes in their pipe somewhere they shouldn’t have.

But there were sparks, and then there was smoke.

A cooking stall, made of wood and canvas, was set ablaze. The two workers scrambled away, rolling on the stone to put out their burning clothes, howling for help. An enterprising adventurer answered the call. This close to the waterfront, any fire could be extinguished with minimal magical effort. Seawater coalesced upon their staff, and then a jet of water was released upon the stall at the apex of the incantation!

The flames [i]exploded[/i] in response, flaring up as the oil that it had fed upon sparked and burst when introduced to water. People screamed, clothes catching fire, skin scalded by hot oil. Stalls caught and combusted, a thick, heavy smoke rolling along avenues as the fire spread further, burnt ever hotter.

By the time the bells began to ring, the marketplace was ablaze, and the boutique stores were in danger, as that pleasant wind pushed the flames to the next district over.