Ore Evaluation
Tenebrae - Thursday, September 26, 2019, 6:08 PM
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* A15: Mithralla Merchandise *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
Here, a large wooden structure has been built. Its somewhat eccentric yet elegant design suggests its owner may be of the arcane persuasion. To the side of the main structure is a small corral to for horses or wagons. Before the central building, a massive sword emerges from the earth. A sign upon it reads: "MITHRALA MERCHANDISE."
Inside is a small seating area with several comfortable chairs. To the back, an unobtrusive but businesslike sales counter, and two large signs. One asks patrons to please wait here and not disrupt those inside the lab. The other offers a lab rental at a very reasonable rate.
To the left and right are a large set of doors. The doors on the right lead to a large room which takes up most of the building. Several long tables are scattered about, many with small tool racks. A small forge sits off to the side. Unlike the average workshop, maps of celestial bodies and guides to the elemental planes line the walls. Large frameworks of brass, silver, and crystal occupy space between the tables. A large shelf dominates the far wall, the containers upon it sporting such labels as "wyvern bile," "sulfur," "tiger's tears," and other exotic items. A glass-covered hole in the roof, set with mirrors, offers direct sunlight, or moonlight, to shine upon various projects.
The doors to the left lead towards the direction of the mountains and what is reported to be a sildanyari-style ball room. Wizards.
During regular store hours, a young Llyranesi man, Belhan Mithralla, keeps an eye on the shop and the lab. When not cleaning or helping a customer, he can usually be found reading some book from the library.
Mikilos is outside the shop, in the dirt packed yard. A small train of carts has arrived. Specifically carts with rocks. Ore, really. The wizard looks over the selection, currently yelling at a large lizardman. Not a sith, but a massive 8' lizard with a long snakelike tail. "A pure ore makes for a more versitile material! Any alloys can be forged later, when we know exactly what we're working with!" The salamandar sighs with a puff of smoke. "We -do- know what we want, and that's high sulfur content. The tensile strength makes for a better weapon." The elf waves vaugely. "A harder weapon, maybe, but one more likely to shatter! That's not better!" The lizard huffs. "You wanted my advice, and this is it. You don't like it, find someone else." Mikilos sighs, and shrugs. "Fine, fine, we'll do it your way. But don't blame me when the result breaks on the anvil." The two eye each other for another moment, then nod, and both break into grins, the lizard speaking once more. "This is fun. I've never talked shop with an elf before. But I do need to head back. Let me know when everything is set up!" With that, the salamandar bursts into magical flames, the spell leaving nothing but a bit of smoke behind. <ignan>
Olek shows up outside the shop, looking surly and disreputable, which sadly is pretty typical of the dwarf. "Hey," he calls out. But then Mikilos is yelling some sort of gibberish at something magical, and he decides that maybe he ought to wait a bit and see what's going on.
Erendriel has had a rough week, so she's just unwinding with fresh bread in her hand, and window shopping. She wanders in, and takes a look around quietly.
Mikilos murmurs a few moments and gestures, the carts slowly starting to roll themselves towards the mountain wall of the yard, out of the way. Spying recent arrivals, the wizard raises a hand in greeting. "Salutations! How can I be of assistance?"
Kaelyn has arrived.
Olek looks Mikilos up and down, craning his neck to do so. "You the wizard here?" he asks gruffly. "Yer pretty tall," he observes. "D'you make the magic swords and such?" he wonders.
My word! Carts! From where had these carts originated? It was but a mystery! And one man in this city loved a good mystery more than any other and that man was The Honourable and Esteemed Professor Emeritus Basil Theodore Cunningsworth. It would be Basil T. Cunningsworth to his friends, but alas, the man in his sixties with the spring in his step of a man pretending to be far more sprightly than he truly was lacked significantly in the 'friends' department. They often grew annoyed at his natter, see. Like now. "My goodness!" exclaimed the bearded man with the thick white hair. He didn't look the part of a practitioner, soldier, in fact he looked something like a professor (appropriate) with his lovely yellow overcoat and his rucksack and his assorted other nice clothing bits. "Salamanders! I haven't seen salamanders since I was but a lad!" Who was he talking to? "Why I should have asked if one could heat the kettle, haw haw haw!" Now, Basil was here for something, but he was old, and forgetful, and to be perfectly honest not the most straightforward-thinking knife in the crayon box. As such, said purpose had slipped his mind. For here lay CARTS and ORES and he was fussing about poking his nose in them like a child on solstice day!
Erendriel is waving to Mikilos when things get going. Overhearing a man talking about salamanders, she loks over to Basil and smiles. "I speak Ignan. And so does the shop owner over here. If you needed help talking to a being of fire..."
Mikilos smiles, nodding to Olek. "I am, and I do. Mikilos Mithralla, Builder Arcane. Are you looking for any sort of blade in particular?" He glances to Basil, but after gnomes, goblins, and a few lutch to remain nameless, like Jibbom, random rambelings don't stick out as much as they might.
Olek peers at the old human, then at Erendriel, but neither seem to have business with the shopkeeper. "Well," he says, and pulls the axe from the side of his pack, where it's lashed on loosely for quick use. It's a well-made weapon, if workmanlike and not particularly fancy.
"Look at this! I say! This is remarkably shiny!" Wise words of wisdom from a man who was definitely not a lecturer in geology. Basil was bent over almost-half to get a look in the cart, standing on his tippytoes for better viewing angle. There was a creak in his back he happily disregarded, opting to ignore the potential ramifications until the tea had kicked in. Tea! My word! Basil you daft fool you had a thing you had to do! "Oh bother! Bother! Ahem!" Uh oh. "EXCUSE ME!" he bellowed towards the elvish person who looked like they were in charge. "I am seeking the LIBRARY, for I wish to peruse a few history textbooks of some repute in order to determine events of note in the past... twenty years? Twenty. That's right. Twenty. Oh yes I do speak Ignan as well thank you kindly sir," he said to the lady, abruptly interrupting himself. "HISTORY TEXTBOOKS! Yes! That's it. And some tea. Do you have a kettle? I am DYING for a cup of tea."
Erendriel blinks and folds her arms. "Sir?!" the young half-elf squeaks. "Um, ok...." she then trails off, shaking her head and turning back to Mikilos, shrugging exaggeratedly his direction.
Mikilos looks over the axe a moment before nodding. "Looks like it should be able to hold an enchantment. I'm currently working on a different project, which should wrap up in about a week. If you don't want to wait, can try the Guild of Explorers of the Arcanists Society, see if anyone else is advailible right away." Turning focus to Basil, he nods with a smile. "Inside, to the left, should be a kettle on, I think is a Xian blend but not certain. The library is behind the lab area, are signs up. What particular history are you seeking?"
Olek ohs at the idea there is a waiting period. "Well, okay," he says gruffly. "I'll try there." And without further ado, he turns and stomps off, his gaze turning across Erendriel and Basil again before he heads out.
Olek has disconnected.
Basil T. Cunningsworth, he of sound mind and firm demeanour, didn't quite know how to respond to that. He squinted, peering at the young squeaky half-elf as though he didn't quite believe her. With the fussiness of a man who knew he was absolutely right and that therefore it was elementary that everyone else was wrong, he withdrew a pair of spectacles, a small handkerchief, wiped A with B, and placed the viewing implements firmly on his nose. Now, with clearer vision, he asked, "Are you SURE? Should you not be out on the field roughing it up over a ball sport or some sort of fisticuffs?" He paused, considering something resembling tact, and then completely blew himself out of the water with, "though I can't say I understand the fashion of youth these days. Those goggles are for engineering or preventing small creatures from beyond the veil from plucking out one's oculars, if I say so myself, having had my oculars almost plucked out by a creature from beyond the veil in my youth." Sorry, shopowner fellow, Basil had fired himself off on an old man tangent again.
Incooomiiiing! Ok, so not so bad, but a rather buxom red-headed Elf can be seen skipping her way into the area... She pauses just inside and glances around curiously "Oooooooohhhhhhhh!" she says, hands being held out to the side before coming back down again. She then spins around some,, now looking around "I havn't been near this place before!" She calls out and waggles her arms some now (Repose with modification)
Erendriel turns again toward Basil. "I don't know what goggles other people wear, but the goggles I wear are functional. They allow me to see details and events that I otherwise might not ntice. It can save a life, you know."
Mikilos blinks twice, eyeing Basil with amusement. "Tea. Xain blend. Inside and to the left." he reminds gently. Turning attention to the most recent arrival, he raises a hand in greeting. "Greetings and welcome to Mithralla Merchandise. If you have any questions, plase just let me know."
"Oh! Bully!" was Basil's jovial response. Life saving was a wonderful thing. "You'll do well in this life, my lad!" It was almost like he was trying to get himself killed. "Now then, tea, tea, YES, OF COURSE! Excuse me, I must have tea. Everyone must have tea!" The old doddery professor was rambling as he went inside the shop, looking at but not noticing the decor, the chairs, the signs, in fact he completely ignored the signs because one told him to wait, and Basil T. Cunningsworth waits for no one. From within the shop there was the sound of footsteps, boots on wood, a cry of "A laboratory! My word, what the youth achieves!" and then, "Aha!" Clearly, Basil had found tea.
Erendriel can't figure this guy out. But hey, she's had a rough week, let's do something differnt. She approaches Basil, follows him into the shop. "Hello, my name is Erendriel. Are you new here? You like tea?" she says, doing her best to put on a bright smile.
Has nooo problem with the bright smile.. SHe peers around hearing mention of tea... "Oooh! Tea!! Kin I have a buuuuunch of black tea, with all the nifty mulling spices, like cinnamon, cardamom and ginger innit... please?!?!?" She calls out, and now her hands are all but a blur as she's flapping them.
Odds are, Kae's allready had too much tea by this point!
Mikilos first thinks he doesn't need to follow along, there's nothing dangerous they could get into. Then the elf considers a moment. Maybe not dangerous to the average person, but to those two? The wizard follows along, just in case. "There might be chai, I'm really not sure what's on hand."
Inside, Basil hath found tea.
Sitting in one of the leather chairs with a cup of something hot, stirring it gently with a spoon, the absent-minded professor had finally found some measure of peace. "As I was saying," he started, having not been saying anything before, "tea is the lifeblood of the common people. To subsist on water or alcohol or /coffee/," his face twisted into an expression mixing equal parts disgust and disdain, "is uncouth, unseemly, and all together rather suspect. Tea is the drink of the wise, the educated. You there, my good man!" he was pointing his spoon at the elf who owned the shop now. Well, actually owned the shop, Basil was sitting around like he was the proprietor. "You have what I can see is a... laboratory. Truly an invention of the youth. In my day we had libraries." One day the penny would drop. "Speaking of. Library. Do you know where one is? You see I've been in Rune for the past twenty years. Enlightening, but dreadfully boring. Absolutely mind-numbing, I say. So much has happened and I feel I'm a bit out of sorts with the whole 'current events' thing. Is it true that there was a war?" Was there a war? Was Basil spitballing?
Erendriel persists. "So you've been in rune! So what do I call you? I'm Erendriel," she says again to Basil. Putting her hands on her knees, leaning forward a bit, looking at him and his tea. "I don't... use libraries so I don't really know much about them. If you can swing a deal with someone in the Arcanists Society you might be able to use their library. At least.. I'm sure they have one. Or 12. Though.. there's also a public library, but I don't know if it has magic stuff, if that's what you care about." She then takes a breath. "There was a war a long time ago, near where I'm from in Sendor, you know. Is that the one you mean?"
Mikilos gestures absently. "Library is towards the back. There's been several wars over the last 20 years. I took part in at least four of them. The Sendor War, the Runic war, the war of Dragonier, and the ongoing Myrrish civil war. To which are you refering?"
Basil T. Cunningsworth scoffed. "Been in Rune, pah! I am Rune! For I am The Honourable and Esteemed Professor Emeritus Basil Theodore Cunningsworth! Reams upon reams of long forgotten arcane knowledge are stored here," Basil pointed to his presumably empty head, "where the power is always at my command!" There was a pause as he sipped his tea, made a satisfied "Mm" sound, then said, "when I can be troubled." Perhaps because the knowledge in his head was indeed forgotten, because he'd forgotten it a long time ago. He was quite enjoying having someone to whom he could talk at. Not with. At. "So then, young child, tell me of this 'Society of Arcanists'. It's not another /school/, is it? I've had more than my fill of lecture halls. But not of the free lunches. If I can impart upon you any wisdom it's to never turn down a free lunch. Or tea. Always have tea ready for you never know when a pot is necessary. And if you don't know," he gestured with the spoon at the half-elf who's name he still didn't know, because he hadn't been listening, "then it's necessary. More wisdom for you, haw haw haw!" Tea sip, slurp.
To the proprietor, he said, "Not the Myrrish war. I visited home not so long ago and beheld that first-hand. All sorts of unseemly behaviour, one of many strong motivators to go back to Rune. But the others, fascinating!"
Kae all but kind of flaps her arms going in side "Chaaaai! Oooh gotta has it with cream!" She calls out happily, whilst suddenly holding up a large metaalic barrel thing! "This must be filllled! Yay!" She calls out happily.
Erendriel can't help but giggle at just how incredibly enthusiastic Kaelyn is about tea. Erendriel isn't in the mood for tea though, not at this moment. She's mostly just like, curious. "Basil, well hello," she nods. "There are schools in it, Basil, but there is more than a school there, you know? Sounds like Mikilos is willing to lend you his library though. Which is nice of him."
Mikilos considers a moment. "The Society does contain the College of Magic, which in turn has a number of lecture halls. But there are also practical workshops, labs, a fairly impressive library, and the cafeteria is well stocked if a bit exotic." He considers a moment. "I suspect you'll get on well with the headmistress." She's an airhead too, the wizard declines to say. "As for war, they do tend to be filled with unseemly behavior. A trait of the warlike, I suppose. The seemly and civilized tend towards more diplomatic resolutions, though one isn't always allowed the option." Tsking mildly, the magus stands, and bows politely. "Speakig of labs, I need to attend to mine. If you need anything, ask Belhan, he should be able to assist. Please excuse me sir, ladies." Bowing once more, Mikilos heads off into the back rooms, removing the door behind him. Which is to say, there's not a door there anymore, just a blank wall. Privacy, you know.