Mount&Blade/Towns

All towns share some common elements.

Town menu
Whenever you enter a town you will be presented with a menu of various options: from this menu you can trade directly with merchants as well as assess trade prices (see Trade) or jump to various locations in the town. You can also choose to go to these places on foot.

Merchants
Every town has two dealers located somewhere along its streets. One sells armor while the other sells weapons and shields. They are usually located close together. Unlike the merchant, they can be accessed at any time.

The merchant is inside his shop and deals in Goods and Horses. His shop is locked after dark and does not open again until the morning. His shop bears a sign depicting a money bag.

Tavern
The tavern is the place to recruit men and hear a few tales. The tavern keeper has nothing to say in this version, but the others do. The patrons are random, so you may find one or more of the following: Tavern patrons change almost every day, so check back every few days to see if anyone interesting has turned up.
 * A soldier from the mercenary faction; talk to him to find how many comrades he has with him, and how much it costs to recruit them. If your party is too full or you do not have enough money you will have the option of only recruiting some of them. Hired Blades are the toughest neutral troops you can acquire and can withstand a good deal of damage, so invest in a few if you can afford their weekly wages.
 * A Traveler, who will update you on what has happened in Calradia, for a small fee of course. He can also tell you where the companions are.
 * A Minstrel, who currently informs you that he is "not implemented in this version".
 * A Ransom Broker, who will buy prisoners for 50 denars a piece, no questions asked.
 * Ramun, a slave trader who gives you some advice on capturing prisoners; he is functionally identical to the Ransom broker.
 * A companion, who will gladly join you for a small fee and can be equipped, trained, and completely customised in the same manner as your own character. See Companions for more information.
 * One of two Book Vendors, who sell Books with various effects.
 * A Farmer, who offers you the Defeat Mountain Bandits quest.

Arena
The arena is a safe way of gaining combat experience and a bit of cash, and it's a good place to start learning how combat works. If you're feeling more adventurous you can also participate in the tournaments that take place in random towns every few days.