Key of Destiny

[Toliudar]

Talia

Talia, never one to stray too far from a prosaic view of reality, promptly called out: Hey, waitaminute! We got two elves right here, and they don't know any more than the rest of us. At least tell us what elves we should be going to.

She pulls up the tent flap, seeking further answers.

[Annalia]

When Talia entered the tent, she found the small gnome to be examining intently an emerald brooch, running his fingers across it. He looked up in her general direction, visibly surprised and confused by the intrusion. He smiled and spoke up, speaking at an incredible speed. "Oh! Acustomer! Idon'tseewhatelvesyou'retalkingaboutbutifyouseekto buysomethingI'mhere! Ihavewaresofallsortsyou'llsee: potionsandbroochesandgoodluckcharms. Everything!"

[Toliudar]

Talia

The young woman holds out both hands, palm out, attempting to slow the verbal assault.

Please, sir! I'm sure your charms are magically delic - er, fabulous. But I just wanted to clarify - what group of elves should we seek out to learn more about this key. Path. Thing.

[Annalia]

Halthorne simply stared at a point close to Talia and shook his head. "I don't know no group of elves!" He exclaimed, slowing down his speech rate slightly to be understandable by possible customers. He then put the brooch back and grumbled "Allmadthesehumans.Itellyouthey'reallmad andtheythinktheyknowall.I'vegotnaughtodowithelves. "

[TwoCents]

Ivistka One-Named, Kagonesti Barbarian

Ivistka stood and thought for a moment, and then followed Talia into the tent. She touched her friend gently on the shoulder, "Talia, peace. It is a foolish to force the wind into a cage. It is also foolish to seek clarity from one touched by Chaos."

Smiling at Halthorne, whose blindness luckily prevented him from seeing the grimace Iv considered a friendly and open smile, she asked him, "Have you charms of the forest? I seek the way of the Rangers."

After doing business with the gnome, and perhaps spending a few silvers, Iv gestured to Talia that she wished to speak to her privately, outside the tent.

"The Silvanesti rangers saved Sir Vazler at the gate. I suggest we start there. All we need to do is find them," Iv said, quietly, to the others. This time her lips quirked with real amusement. "It is said that if a job is easy, anyone can do it. We must be very special."

[Toliudar]

Talia

Nodding humbly, Talia smiles at Iv.

I guess you're right. Not everyone has the Mother's clarity, and patience is a paramount virtue.

[Darius]

Caminus

"And why, pray tell, have you no business with elves?"

[Parrallathan]

Sir Vazler

The squire was by all means confused by the gnome - not that one wouldn't normally be, but for the solamnic, even moreso - as he followed into the tent. Tapping the others on the shoulder, he whispered to them.

"That is.. bizarre. Why was this gnome - as he is now doing - recognise and speak to us in common when he is clearly more accustomed to speaking in.. gnomish?" Sir Vazler asked, puzzled by the mere change in attitudes. "They said this one was a mystic - perhaps the key did something to him to make him say those things?"

[Zweanslord]

William Jackson

William had stood with the others and while he had frowned about the gnome and his change of behaviour, he let the others deal with it. Especially since he was not quite getting what the gnome was saying with his speedy talk. Thus he stood by idly, seeing how the others talked. He nodded when Ivestka suggested they start witht he rangers. It sounded like a good plan. When Sir Vazler tapped them on the shoulder, William gave a whisper in reply. "Perhaps he is gifted by the gods with mystical, unexplainable, visions?" Or at least, that was a guess from William. He shrugged a bit, hinting that it mattered not much, for they had their information now. "Perhaps a challenge, a puzzle, we must solve?"

[Rawhide]

Posting on behalf of Annalia due to technical issues.


"Yes, yes, I have ranger!" The old gnome exclaimed, ignoring Talia entirely now. He ran his hand over the shelf near him. Old, wrinkled fingers took in the relief, and he shook his head. "Not here, not here." He mumbled, moving down the shelf until he exclaimed. "Haha! Herearetheranger-ythings. What do you seek? Wolf, Bear, Fox, Raven, Lynx, I have many totems animal."

Halthorne was touching a number of small wax or wood figurines in turn, naming the animal they represented after only a second of fingery-exploration. Most figurines were dusty and had visibly remained there for a long time - not unlike the vast majority of Halthorne's wares.

While he waited for Iv's answer, he answered Caminus' question, talking very slowly for a gnome - or, at an apparently normal rate. "I did not mean with elves in general, but when you ask for a group of elves, I don't know what you mean. I know no specific group, unless you talk of races, and I don't care about races. I can't see the difference."

[TwoCents]

Ivistka One-Named, Kagonesti Barbarian

"So, grandfather, you do not know where I might find the Rangers? I heard they were in this town. Might you know of the place they stay?," Iv said in a bored tone of voice while she looked over Halthorne's wares. She looked closely at the figurines to see if any of them seemed less dusty, or carved differently, or made of any odd materials. She didn't expect to find anything unusual, but the way the past few days had been she wasn't taking anything for granted.



Whether or not she found anything odd about the figures, she looked them over in search of a bobcat and an owl. If her search was successful, she tapped the gnome's hand gently with the totem(s) and began to haggle over the price.

[Forum Explorer]

Tobin

Tobin scanned the shelves intreasted for a short while, but not seeing anything too intreasting he takes out the music box and listens to it play.

[Annalia]

Halthorne's figurines all seem to be carved of the same low-quality wood or wax. There was indeed both a bobcat and an owl among them, animals for which the old gnome will ask ten steel. To her question, he simply answered "I don't know no rangers and I don't know no elves. Heard no such thing as rangers in - Oooh, that's a nice music. Is the instrument for sell?" He'd turned in Tobin's general direction and was obviously mistaken the haunting music from the sylvan box for some kind of instrument.

[Toliudar]

Talia

The gnome's prattling had set her ill at ease, and Talia had been happy to let the others chat with the little man. When he reached for the music box, she instinctively put a hand to the dagger at her belt, and it was all she could do to stop from stepping forward.

Patience and gentleness, ya big dumb cow. He's just looking.

[Forum Explorer]

Tobin
Sorry but I won't trade this box for anything. Tobin says a bit possesivly for a kender.

[Zweanslord]

William Jackson

William smiled when the gnome came with his totem animal statuettes. In a way, he found it amusing. Still, William himself had little to no interest in the statuettes presented, or the wares the gnome offered. When the gnome seemed interested in the music-box which Tobin had used to play music, William was glad to see it being handled swiftly.
He moved to look at the wares, but only with a faked look of interest on his face. He looked at the others, hoping that they had ideas that could help them, unlike the gnome in his current state.

[Darius]

Caminus

Satisfied with the answer given, Caminus continues to listen and observe. When the music begins playing, he thinks, That kender! His timing is impeccable. He awaits to see the recourse of this.

[Annalia]

"Aboxthatmakesmusic?" The old gnome asked rapidly, before shaking his head. "A shame you won't trade. A real shame."

He then turned his attention to Ivestka. "How about that bobcat? Or the owl?"

[TwoCents]

Ivistka One-Named, Kagonesti Barbarian

"They are adequate, but not worth what you ask. I offer you one steel for both. My generosity is only as a courtesy for your time," murmured Iv, commencing to haggle.

Spoiler

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Am I crazy, or is 10 steel way overpriced?

[Annalia]

"One steel? These aren't simple wax figures, my good lady. They are imbued with the essence of their corresponding animals. Tokens, I told you!" The gnome declared proudly. "You've been kind to an old, blind gnome, however - I'd accept six steel."

Spoiler

Show

Maaaybe you are, maybe you aren't. Then again, 10 steel is the price of 50' of silk rope, so it's not too wild a guess to say it's quite high.

[Darius]

Caminus

Cam waits to see what Iv will do.

[TwoCents]

Ivistka One-Named, Kagonesti Barbarian

Iv peered at the totems, trying to see the beast's expressions underneath the dust. Slowly she realized the tent was silent, and looked over at the others, looking at her. "Ah, Grandfather. That ridiculous offer was directed to me? As a kindness to an elder, I offer 3 steel for these 'tokens'."

Iv kept the tokens in her hand, apparently forgetting she had them, as she browsed slowly through the rest of Halthorne's wares.

[Annalia]

"Forthetwoofthem?! The old gnome exclaimed quickly, and he had trouble regaining enough control to slow down his voice. "No way. Just because I'm old and blind doesn't mean I don't know what my things are worth. It's three steel each or nothing!"

[TwoCents]

Ivistka One-Named, Kagonesti Barbarian

"Grandfather," Iv replied, her tone filled with reproach, "Just because I am young does not make me foolish. Two steel each, and I'll gift you this fresh rabbit pelt as well."

[Annalia]

The old gnome crossed his arms. "I have no need for a pelt. Three steel each is my last offer - and it is a good one."

[TwoCents]

Iv sighed, reached into her pouch, and carefully counted out five steel. She laid them down on the counter, and said, "Five steel. No more." She waited for a slow count of thirty, and if he had not agreed, picked up the coins again and walked out of the shop.

[Annalia]

The old gnome reached out for the five steel almost immediately. He then spent five minutes carefully feeling them, probably making sure they were indeed Steel coins. It took him more than thirty seconds but as he had the coins in hand, Iv was forced to wait a bit.

"Deal!" He declared as he pocketed the money. "Pleasure doing business with you and good luck with finding your elf-rangers-whatever."

[Darius]

Caminus

"Now that this is settled, may we continue on with more pressing matters?"

[Forum Explorer]

Tobin
Sure, how do you want to sneak in? Tobin replies cheerfully as he packs up the music box and gets ready to leave.

[Annalia]

"I know the way to the sewers. I never used it because it's so dangerous but the others showed me where it was." Cole said meekly, apparently surprised he'd had the guts to even speak up without being told to.