The dispute began over a bolt of trade cloth.
The merchant was a goblin named Fezz, one of the first non-orc civilians to open a permanent stall in Yohan's eastern market quarter. He had been there two years and in that time had learned to haggle in three dialects and to keep his scale weights honest because Sakh'arran's inspectors checked them every other week without announcing which week. The stall was small but organized with the particular precision that goblins brought to any system they owned: bolts stacked by weight, prices chalked clearly, samples hung at eye level for taller customers.
The orc who ruined the morning was named Bhar'kull, recently arrived from the disbanded Broken Tooth Clan's eastern territories. He was Fourth Realm, built wide through the chest, and he carried the particular confidence of a fighter who had spent his life in places where argument ended with whoever hit hardest.
