Greed is Good (IC)

[Blarghy]

Alec never thought of it that way. For some reason he assumed that coins were somehow more valuable, having been officially minted, than nuggets, dust, or bars. Now that he considers it, melting down the coins he took as his share of the bandit loot might fit his plan nicely enough.

"Good point," he cheerfully admits. The ruby and figurine go into his pocket, and he holds the frostwine more carefully. "I'll speak with Mister Jasper. Thank you for your help; I'm sure I'll be back. You've got too many great things here not to."

He waves farewell and goes to look for the jewelry smith.

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...Looking back, I forgot the "ry" on "jewelry" in my last post. Alec wants a guy who makes jewelry, not just cuts jewels. Hopefully that'll be ok (he might need a gem cutter too, but that depends on the jewelry maker).

[The Orange Zergling]

Thorus squints at the sun, then turns to Adrian. "Probably oughta bring ya back ta the wagons. Dunno if Alec'd be out fer my guts if I let ya wander around on yer own." He makes his way down to the wagons. After depositing Adrian, he seeks out Glaffin at the caravan. "Evenin'."

[Destro_Yersul]

OOC:

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Eesh, four days since I updated this? I'm sorry, guys, I guess I let things get away from me there.

Alec:

Taking his leave of Stonehelm's shop, Alec headed into the more travelled sections of the market. The dwarf had given him good directions before he left, which made finding the shop he was looking for easy. It was a two-story affair, with a large window in which was displayed predominantly silver jewelry. Some of it was set with gems, and much of it was not. Over the door was a sign, advertising the shop as belonging to "Jasper and Son, fine jewelers"

Entering to the tune of a jingling bell that hung over the door, the pirate was greeted by a man with a neatly clipped beard, standing at the counter and speaking with a pair of elves. "Be right with you," he assured Alec, before returning to his other customers. In the time this afforded him to look around, he was able to get a closer look at the jewelry. Jasper's style seemed to favour elaborate engraving and designs constructed of silver wire. He made rings and necklaces, pins and brooches, all of it priced quite reasonably as far as Alec could tell. The bell over the door sounded again after a few minutes, and Jasper spoke up again.

"My apologies for your wait, sir. What can I do for you?"

Glaffin and Cecily:

"That's the common ones," the guard agreed. "Unfortunately the libraries are members only, but anyone is welcome to join. The guild tithes ten crowns a month, and there is the initial signing fee of twenty five, but if you ask me the libraries are worth the price to access. Some of the more valuable material is reserved for higher ranking members, though."

Gesturing with his hand acrss the lobby, the guard indicated a door in the far back, out of the way of most of the foot traffic in the building. "If you're interested, you can go through there to sign up. We don't expect much in terms of keeping secrets, just keep us apprised of anything interesting that comes up in your research, and don't make a habit of copying things down for outsiders. We value the spread of knowledge, but the place couldn't survive without tithes to pay for upkeep."

Thorus, Glaffin and Cecily - Later:

Travelling back to the caravan in relative silence, Adrian left to go find something to help with once they'd arrived. Thorus noticed that he'd been keeping an eye on the route they'd taken, and probably could have found his own way back without much of an issue.

[Blarghy]

If this room was bigger and other customers weren't around, Jasper might've mysteriously lost a few of his smaller pieces. Alec also feels he's pushed his luck enough for one day, though. The little statue of his god feels comfortable in his pocket, but he doesn't expect it to protect him. Possibly the opposite. Challenges are welcome all the same; he won't complain if his life gets more complicated. Not that Alec needs help finding trouble on his own.

Regardless, he nods politely to the jeweler. "I'm looking to have a custom piece made. A ring would be too small, I think, but a brooch or necklace might fit the gems I have in mind. A ruby centerpiece with pearls arranged around it, up to seven of them. However many fit without making it look cluttered. I'm open to suggestions on the actual design. The base metal, too. It looks like you mostly work with silver, which is fine, but I think a more reddish metal would fit the ruby better because of its properties. Colored gold, maybe, alloyed with copper. I'll show you what I mean."

He goes to the counter and sets out the pearls he stole in Seabreak so Jasper can have a look, then takes one of his knives and tries to replicate the trick Stonehelm showed him, putting the ruby to the blade and tapping it. "I'd like the jewelry to take advantage of this bit of magic. When the wearer taps the ruby to activate it, I want the metal to light up like it's on fire, like it's the sunset, not to just shimmer like I expect silver would. What do you think?"

[Gullara]

[Earlier]

Cecily doesn't add anything to the conversation. For now she's just content to listen and learn. Besides, Glaffin's the one who needs to ask questions.

[Later]

Cecily is nearby when Thorus seeks out the dwarf, but she's out of the range of being part of the conversation. She glances toward the two, but doesn't make a move toward them.

[Destro_Yersul]

Alec

Pieces going missing might have been too difficult in any case. Jasper kept most of the items in glass cases, for display. Seeing the gem, and how it adhered to Alec's knife, making the blade glow softly, the Jeweler nodded.

"That could be done, I think. Perhaps in rose gold, though I'm not sure how the magic on this works. Possibly it will need some alteration, in which case I would have to call in a friend of mine. Did you need this in a specific time frame?"

[Blarghy]

"Sooner would be nice, but I understand that quality work needs time. I'd rather have a good piece later than a rushed piece quickly. Will I need to supply the metal, or do you have a reliable source for that?"

Rose gold sounds fine to Alec, limited though his experience is. His background in precious things mostly comes down to observing them from a distance. That seems to be changing, though; he likes the shift. Wealth might not be the only marker of success, but it's hard to say you've failed when you're rolling in a pile of coins like a mythical flying lizard.

[Slii Arhem]

The Azure

"Twenty five now and ten at the end of the month then? And what about making my own notes for personal use? I realize it's hard to police sharing of information that way, but At least at the outset the project I'm working on is going to require a lot of late nights spent back at my quarters, and I'd appreciate being able to take my notes back there with me." It would mean that the sheafs of parchment he bought at the caravan wouldn't go to waste as well.

The Caravan

"Hail Thorus, did your trip to the citadel bear any fruit?" the dwarf isn't feeling quite so talkative at the moment, stifling a yawn as he closes his pack and shoulders it. The strap cuts into his shoulder with how much is stuffed inside, but he doesn't seem to notice the weight.

[Sophistemon]

The Grey Elf's requests for a bank saw him pointed towards an imposing building with a stone facade, constructed well within the protective shadow of the keep. The windows were covered with thick iron bars, and the door was constructed of good, solid oak. Inside was quiet, insulated from the bustle of the markets by the walls. Every step echoed on the tiled floor, until he came up to the cashier - a mousey looking woman behind more bars, who peered at him as though he were an especially interesting type of rare coin.

"Hello, Sir," she said evenly. "How may I help you today?"

Indrys was pleased by the building's devotion to security, and once he made his way through the impressive doors he was struck by the interior's similarities to those few temples that he had opted to visit throughout the course of his life. As was with those houses of worship, the bank was quiet, solemn, and absolutely thrumming with a hidden undercurrent of true, indisputable power. When his turn came to approach the woman safely behind the iron bars of her alcove, he did so with the sort of walk that would artfully swing his half-cape from side to side across his back. "Good day," he responded, his lips cracking apart in a dazzling smile. "I am here as a representative of certain mercantile organizations that are newly arrived to the city. I have come to inquire as to the methods and securities of your institution's deposit and withdrawal systems." He spread his hands apart. "If it won't be too much of a bother, miss, would you mind guiding me through the procedures?"

[The Orange Zergling]

He shrugs. "Far as I'm concerned. Another day an' I'll be a lot more useful to you folks, I imagine." He tries to find a basin of water to wash his face -- or failing that, he'll pour out a waterskin over his head. There would be time for proper bathing later, unless Glaffin and Cecily intended to wait.

[Destro_Yersul]

Alec

"I can get the materials easily enough. What you describe seems fairly simple, the difficult part would be in adjusting the magic, if it proves to need adjusting. This sort of thing is normally designed to work with weapons, but I see no reason it couldn't be altered." There was a significant pause as Jasper studied the gem, before he added "speaking entirely as an expert in the field of jewelry, and not of magic."

Glaffin and Cecily - The Azure

"We're not trying to be the information guard, keeping all knowledge behind lock and key." The guard shrugged. "Just understand, it weakens the guild's position to share it for free. We're able to fund our member's research and pay for upkeep on guild holdings because of membership fees. Without dues paid to the guild, by its members, the guild would collapse, and we'd all be weaker for it. That said, you can feel free to take your notes with you."

Indrys

The woman blinked at Indrys, lowering her eyebrows and managing to look even more like a mouse. "Well, it's very simple, sir. Once you open an account, you may make deposits to us. We issue value notes against your holdings with us, should you need them. There is a small service charge for the added security and peace of mind that comes with knowing we have your valuables stored safely away."

Blinking again, and continuing to peer out from behind the bars, the woman waited to see if her answer had satisfied the elf.

[Blarghy]

Knowing about as much about magic as he does about advanced physics, Alec will just have to take Jasper's word on this one. He does wonder if he's being conned here, though; he studies the jeweler for signs that he's trying to open the door for a future unnecessary charge.

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I'll leave you to roll my Sense Motive check, for obvious reasons.

"Alright. Can you give me a rough estimate? On the piece itself, based on what sort of jewelry you think would best showcase these gems. I assume you won't yet know how much it'll cost if we have to tamper with the ruby."

[Destro_Yersul]

Alec:

Jasper, by all appearances, ran a reputable shop. Alec somehow doubted he would have got to where he was by swindling his customers. The gem might cost some money to alter, but if it was necessary, well, there wasn't much for it.

"Pearls are the expensive bit, but you've supplied those. For a basic design, very simple, I can make a brooch at only 40 crowns. That's for rose gold, mind you. It would be more for something more elaborate, design-wise. If you like, what I can do is design a brooch and add clips to the back so you could attach a simple chain? The chain would be a little extra itself, of course."

[Blarghy]

He pictured a higher number, but he also pictured an elaborate design. Basic and simple doesn't suit the pirate, not since he isn't going for a minimalist look (although he doesn't want something gaudy either). "I don't know about a chain. If the brooch was in two pieces with the chain connecting them, I could see that, but just hanging down from the main piece, I think it's unnecessary. I do want a very nice, detailed product, though. I like my sunset metaphor earlier; could you design the brooch to resemble the sun with the ruby in the center and the pearls outside, closer to the points? A half-sun as though setting or rising might not look as nice, being asymmetrical and top-heavy. Don't feel pressured to cram all the pearls onto it if the result would be cluttered. If one or two are left over, I could offer them to you as part of payment, if you're willing."

The more he pays now, the more he can resell this for later. Alec is fine with investments.

[Slii Arhem]

He shrugs. "Far as I'm concerned. Another day an' I'll be a lot more useful to you folks, I imagine." He tries to find a basin of water to wash his face -- or failing that, he'll pour out a waterskin over his head. There would be time for proper bathing later, unless Glaffin and Cecily intended to wait.

A short bark of laughter explodes from Glaffin, "More useful to us? I can hardly imagine it being possible. Besides, with Tallhelm giving us our own wagon, you're more than a mere guard now, you're on equal footing with all the other members of the caravan!" Thorus' measure of worth was more than just his strong arm and keen instinct.

"As for my day, knowledge comes at a hefty price. Twenty five sovereigns today, and if I wind up spending a month here it will be another ten per month for as long as I'm in the Azure guild. They like to keep their knowledge behind such gates so they can keep paying out to collect more. Not sure if it's the right library for you, since if you plan on going with the caravan when it goes I doubt you'll get twenty five sovereigns worth of use out of it." Glaffin's mouth twists into a frown as he realizes his own thoughts.

"I'm not so sure anymore myself. I signed on as healer and craftsman to recoup my own costs, and thanks to our conquest on the road I've more than done that. I'll have to ask Tallhelm when he plans to pull out, and make my decision before then."

Glaffin and Cecily - The Azure

"We're not trying to be the information guard, keeping all knowledge behind lock and key." The guard shrugged. "Just understand, it weakens the guild's position to share it for free. We're able to fund our member's research and pay for upkeep on guild holdings because of membership fees. Without dues paid to the guild, by its members, the guild would collapse, and we'd all be weaker for it. That said, you can feel free to take your notes with you."

The Azure

"And they'll stay with me, of course. Thank you for your help." Glaffin moves past the guard to the indicated door. Time to pay his first guild dues and get a crack at that library. Clouds and steam, and any mentions of god-given prophecy, dance at the fore of his mind.

He stops for a moment though, and considers Cecily, "I suppose I should ask you if you care to join it as well. If not then I could see my way into coming back later to join while we both take a walk around the city. Leaving you at the door would be terribly bad manners of me."

[The Orange Zergling]

Thorus frowns, the compliments forgotten. "I'd hafta join the thing just ta get in once, even if yer with me?" He couldn't imagine paying that much gold to get into a library, let alone more for the privilege of being allowed to go back. "Is their stock any good, at least? Must be worth somethin' to make folks go through all that trouble."

[Destro_Yersul]

Alec

"I could do that, certainly. It would go up to around 85 crowns for something more elaborate like that. The chain would be so you could convert it into a pendant, if desired, and would itself run five crowns or so." Moving over next to a display case filled with elaborate wire pendants on fine silver chain, Jasper gestured at the items on display.

"I wouldn't be doing something with wire for yours, but there are a handful of examples in here of other styles." The dwarf Alec had spoken to had been right, Jasper did good work. A lot of this was worth plenty more than its weight in material, simply by virtue of the artistic value.

[Blarghy]

"Done. The chain too. When should I stop back in to hear about the ruby, if that needs work?"

Alec assumes he'll pay when the brooch is finished (although whoever tampers with the gem might want more immediate payment). After all, if he doesn't come through, Jasper could presumably just keep the prize and sell it himself.

[Gullara]

[The Azure]

"Oh, it would be. You can go and abandon me now." Cecily teases. "I'd be interested to see the library if I could, but I won't be opposed to that walk if that's our alternative."

[Destro_Yersul]

Alec

"Thank you, sir. Stop by tomorrow, I'll know by then if the magic needs adjusting." Taking the pearls and the gem, Jasper waited only long enough to see if Alec needed anything else before retreating to the counter.

Glaffin - The Azure

Leaving Cecily behind, Glaffin stepped through the door and into a small and well-ordered office. There was a desk, with a simple oil lamp on it, and a narrow window at the back. On the desk was a large ledger, with more of the black-bound books neatly labelled and placed on shelves alongside dozens of compartments that held single scrolls in simple cases. A woman was seated at the desk, working with an abacus and making calculations on a scrap bit of parchment. She looked up when the dwarf entered, nodding and sweeping her calculations off to one side, then raising an inquisitive eyebrow and waiting for him to introduce himself.

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I'm assuming, by the way, that Glaffin takes Cecily at face value. If that's not the case, I can edit, or we can resolve this anyways and assume it happens after the walk. Otherwise, I have nothing to update for =P

[Blarghy]

Following a polite nod, Alec exits the shop. He isn't fully sure what to do next; the budding ideas he has concerning Finley aren't entirely fleshed out yet, and he hasn't even set up the meeting. Before he nails down the date, he should find out how much more time Thorus needs with his practice sessions. That's as good an objective as any, so he heads back to the caravan.

"You suitably thrashed all the fresh recruits, I trust," he says by way of greeting when he finds the other man.

* * *

A bit later, once he's done speaking with Thorus, he hunts for a younger member of the company. If Adrian is busy with something, Alec pitches in. It's rude to just stand and talk to someone who's working; if you're going to be distracting, you should also be helpful.

The pirate asks the same question he asks every evening. "What did you learn today?"

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Seems like things have been slow lately, so I don't want to further slow them by doing every conversation separately. Also, I have things Alec can do this evening, but nothing that can't wait until the following day, so if the library group wants to snap him up, you can (I think you said you were going to look at libraries, anyway).

[The Orange Zergling]

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My apologies for the delay - I somehow missed the fact you were talking to me.

The soldier chuckles the sound of boulders scraping together. "Green as grass, most of 'em. Don't think I did anythin' permanent, though."

[Slii Arhem]

The Azure

"Glaffin Pickthrower, here to pay dues and join the guild. I've heard much about your resources and libraries from all the way down in Ferrum, and it happened that as I was passing through with a caravan I found myself in need of these resources for my own studies." Glaffin may not be a scholar, but it's old habit for him to speak as one. Brothers of the cloth and keepers of knowledge were alike in his clan, and although he was mostly trained as the former to go along with his work as a smith, he wasn't completely ignorant of higher studies.

He takes the required gold pieces out of his pouch and counts them out into the palm of his hand, having them ready for when she asks, but not laying them on the table of his own volition.

Caravan

"Definitely the best in the city, though I imagine they can't have everything I'd bet good coin that they have more in one place than any other here. Of course, the fees might be so high because they have fewer applicants, and driving more of those applicants away with high fees. When your only stock and trade is knowledge, it becomes hard to sell yourself." An unfortunate fact of life. Most people held knowledge in contempt if it wasn't needed for simply living, he'd found.

"Hail Alec. Fair tidings on your journeys through the city I hope? I need to know when Tallhelm's picking up again, since a few contracts have come up that might better serve me to stay here and serve rather than leave early. I'm sure you know how it is." He coughs politely, but unsubtly, a gleam in his eye for just a moment.

[Blarghy]

"Bruises build character," he grins to Thorus. "How many more days do you think you'll knock them around the training yard before you feel comfortable with a sword again?"

To Glaffin, his eyes spark briefly as well, and one corner of his mouth draws up in a quirky smile. "I've come across some opportunities myself. Surely the caravan will linger here for a while; I'm not eager to leave soon either. Not when Stormgate seems so full of promise."

[Sophistemon]

Indrys

The woman blinked at Indrys, lowering her eyebrows and managing to look even more like a mouse. "Well, it's very simple, sir. Once you open an account, you may make deposits to us. We issue value notes against your holdings with us, should you need them. There is a small service charge for the added security and peace of mind that comes with knowing we have your valuables stored safely away."

Blinking again, and continuing to peer out from behind the bars, the woman waited to see if her answer had satisfied the elf.

Nodding his head so that his top-knot bobbed, Indrys spoke. "Ah, wonderful!" he replies. "Yes, that sounds very good. Except..." His features constrict with thoughtful pondering. "These 'value notes' that you've spoken of. Pardon me, I come from far away and think that we may use a different term among my people. Might you please define this for me, miss?"

[Destro_Yersul]

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Well, that was a long break from updates. Meant to do this earlier, sorry about that. I have a cold, and was not feeling up to it.

Alec

Adrian, of course, had spent the day with Thorus. When Alec found him, however, he was back with Dayne, the young guard having set up a board game that he'd likely bought or pilfered from one of the caravan's merchants. They likely would have been at target practice again, judging by the bow propped against Dayne's chair, but within city limits that had probably been judged as a questionable plan at best.

"I watched a lot of sparring," Adrian told Alec, moving one of his pieces across the board. It was an old Rannish game, meant to simulate warfare in some regard. Adrian didn't seem to be very good at it, though.

"I don't think that's enough for me to know how to use a sword, but it didn't look too hard. I've decided I don't want to be a soldier, though. Doesn't seem right, for me." Dayne illustrated the point by moving a little carven horse, and knocking over one of Adrian's pieces.

"Oh, I also spent a lot of time talking to the smith's apprentice, at the keep. Might go talk to mister Glaffin, a little later. There's a lot of things about metal work that I think he understands better."

Glaffin - The Azure

"Ah, wonderful." The woman smiled, almost imperceptibly. "There are a small number of documents for you to read, detailing the benefits and obligations of membership. I'll also need to get you to sign..."

She held up a finger, opening one of the drawers on her desk and shuffling through it. "...one of these, and if you'll give me the fee, I'll make sure you're issued with your proof of membership. This is required to access guild services, here and in other cities where there's an official guild presence. Don't lose it."

The mentioned documents were deposited on the desk, facing Glaffin. Many of them were long, and rolled up into scrolls. A quick skim told him that most of it wasn't necessary to read right away - there was a list of benefits, and a list of duties, a summation of what the various tithes were used for in case he was interested, and a short mission statement. The important thing was the actual contract, and that he was able to spend a little more time on. The Azure seemed to be in love with precise language, their official contract laid out so as to allow very little twisting of loopholes. It didn't seem detrimental, though - the organisation was, while protective, still very much dedicated to improving the capabilities of its members.

While he was reading it, the woman left the room, returning after a few minutes with a small wooden box and opening it to run through the contents, selecting a blue armband, blue sealing wax, and a metal wax seal. She busied herself with those, melting the wax onto a small parchment card and stamping it with the seal.

"any questions?" she asked at last, head down and working with an elegant quill to write Glaffin's name on the card.

Indrys

"That is possible, yes," the woman agreed. "These are something a little newer, slips of paper sealed and certified by the bank to be worth a certain amount of coin. They are available in variable denominations, and are accepted widely across the country, a fact of which we are very proud. They save the bearer the weight of carrying around his entire fortune in heavy gold, and are of course much easier to store in large numbers."

[The Orange Zergling]

Thorus frowns and scratches his chin. "Hell, that's inconvenient." Still, it wasn't like he needed anything from the Azure... He opened his mouth to ask how tight the security was, but thought better of it. There would be more tactful ways to discover this.

He grins lopsidedly at Alec's comment about bruises. "Give it another day er so. Didn't think it'd go so fast, but it's like ridin' a horse; doesn't stay forgotten fer long."

[Slii Arhem]

The Azure

"Yes, I was wondering what I should do about travel. I'm currently traveling with a caravan, and if it stays that way, I'll likely be going on a loop all over the continent before getting back here, so I'm wondering if I have to do anything special to remain a guild member in good standing, if I can pay my dues at guild halls in other cities, what cities have those halls, and so on. I'm willing to pay backdues if I have to leave and can't be back before the month is up, but if there's another solution I'd be welcome to it." Backdues were almost universally inflated of course, hence his looking for a different option.

The documents would all be examined equally before he signed the contract, so long as it didn't mention anywhere that all discoveries had to be shared equally with the guild. That was one clause he wasn't sure if he'd have to violate, so he would be leery about signing something with it when he knew he might have to make it a lie later on.

Caravan

"Aye, it is. You'd think they'd have a public library for educating the masses and drawing in new scholars. Maybe they did and their books kept getting ruined or filched. However... bah, I shouldn't even be saying this, but so long as I'm paying for their services, if there's anything you want me to try to find on their shelves, I'll take a look for it for you and let you know what there is to find. Then, maybe when I'm taking my notes back at night, I'll ask your opinion on a few things I've found as an exchange, hm? It'd be good to have another head on this problem of mine to yammer at." Thorus can probably tell the very obvious subtext. While the books wouldn't come out of the Azure, there's nothing preventing Glaffin from bringing out his own notes on Thorus' subjects and asking for the man's opinion on them.

"Opportunities flow like gold, and nowhere thicker do they flow than where there's tide to propel them onwards, much as a dwarf would despise admitting it. Been off the mountain too long I have." He sighs regretfully, that's true in more ways than one.

[Blarghy]

Thorus and Glaffin

The priest's water-based comment draws Alec's glance; Glaffin's aspect confusion still seems in effect. Alec can sympathize somewhat. He's always followed the overall portfolio of his many-faced god, but some forms still unsettle him. "Home is well and good," he muses, "but I've never regretted stepping out in the world and having it change my outlook on things. Not always the most comfortable process, adopting strange ideas, but it makes you a better person in the end."

To Thorus, he tells the man, "Good. I'll see if I can arrange that meeting I told you about within the next few days, then."

* * *

Adrian

"He would, surely," Alec agrees. He wonders what else Adrian might learn from Glaffin too.

"Soldiering isn't my ideal job either. I prefer having more control over the people I work for, when I work for anyone at all. In the army, you don't always have that luxury. Losing my choice has never appealed to me. Smithing, though, is good work. Glaffin proves you can always make your way with it if you're skilled enough."

[Destro_Yersul]

Glaffin - The Azure

"If you can find another guildhall you can pay there. There's one in Holdfast and one in Lagrange, mostly the big cities, you see. I'm afraid I don't know if there's anything in Ferrum." - There was, Glaffin recalled. It had been smaller than the hall here, but it was still a guild presence. "Of course, you can also pay back dues, or just set up a small fund in advance to pay for you. Some of our more adventurous members do that."

The contract contained, to the dwarf's discerning eye, nothing that stated all discoveries had to be shared. If the guild was paying for it they expected a piece, but private research was something else. Sharing it was appreciated, of course, and would likely earn favour, but the contract didn't make it a requirement.

Alec

"That's what mister Thorus said," Adrian replied, staring at the board and tentatively shuffling one of his pieces a few spaces. "Being a soldier is all about going off to die for other men's glory. 'Course, I'm not sure I'd ever be as skilled a smith as mister Glaffin, either. Dwarves are supposed to have a natural appreciation for that sort of thing. I'll have to decide."