Appraisals & Honey-Flavoured Piss

A roleplay transcript by Ven-Vyzran and Gisele

“Alright. I’ll be by later tonight then,” Silver confirmed as she turned from the goblin. Her daggers would be nicely sharpened by then. She stepped toward the next shop, giving Saffie a little smile. “When you see Flower, will you tell her I am looking for her?” The girl nodded and they exchanged pleasantries for a moment before Silver moved to one of the couches to have a seat. The place was busy today. The Crucible was always busy though but today moreso than usual.

Ven-Vyzran took a breath, waited a beat, and then stepped into the Crucible. It was as hot and airless as always. A good number of people were around, so he cast his red eyes quickly around the room, trying to see whether there was anyone he knew. He was unsurprised to find he knew most of the faces - or sometimes hoods - that he saw, though none were real acquaintances. Red, the fence, nodded across the room to him and Ven offered a tusky smile in return. They had done business for many many years and, prior to Gisele arriving in the city, the fence had been one of the few reasons he'd stepped foot in this den of thieves. No one else seemed to acknowledge him, but he spotted through the vines hanging above the bath the form of Gisele heading towards the couches. He moved carefully down the steps and, being careful not to alarm anyone, raised a large blue arm to catch her attention.

Gisele looked toward the movement and spotted Ven-Vyzran. “Hey you,” she said as she walked along the hot, steam pool toward him. “Got time to see my little treasures?” She asked, her blue eyes sparkling in the tallow’s light. “Or are you here for another reason?”

Ven-Vyzran chuckled at her greeting and question. "Usually come for Red," he said, gesturing to the fence. "He not as pretty as you." He resisted the temptation to hug her again. This was not the location for them to reveal the extent of their friendship. Instead he placed one large blue hand on her shoulder. "Yes, here for appraisal." The last word was ambitious with a mouth full of tusks and lips like pillows. He had spent many years nevertheless perfecting how to say it as best he could, given the reassurance it offered his customers to hear it. Even so, it sounded a lot like 'affwaisal'.

Gisele Valentein snickered softly at his joke and looked around for a spot that offered the most privacy they could muster in the small space. “Mmmm, let’s go over here,” she said as she stepped past him to lead him to a corner out of the way of everyone. She reached down into a pouch at her hip and retrieved a metal piece that she placed in his palm. “This was given to me by a stranger a few weeks ago.” She glanced at it longingly for a moment. “Wait here. I’ll grab the other item. Be right back,” she promised and made her way toward the bank.

Ven-Vyzran followed her to the corner by the food store and stood with his broad back to the room. A posture he would not normally adopt in a room full of rogues, but the Crucible was neutral ground. A rule enforced by all the Guilds with consistent lethality for transgressors. He held out his hand to take the metal piece she handed him and turned it over in his large fingers. It was a brooch. Delicately worked. Almost certainly dwarven. His eyes were drawn to the sapphire set in the centre of course. But the gemstone itself was the least interesting, though certainly most valuable component of the jewelry. He nodded at her notice that she'd be right back and took out his pince-nez to study the piece he held more closely.

Ghost returned to her and set the velveteen sack on the counter as he made notes of the withdrawal. She reached for the package, cradling it in her hands until he gave her a nod. A lazy grin played over her lips in return. Gisele walked across the stone flooring. “Well,” she quietly said when she rejoined her friend, “What do you make of it so far?”

Ven-Vyzran saw Gisele return out of the corner of his eye and rubbed his thumb over part of the back of the brooch, removing a small black piece of tarnish to reveal the maker's mark more clearly beneath it. "Dwarvish," he said. "But you know." He smiled, turning the brooch over again to look at the front. "Sapphire. Royal colour. Simple clasp brooch. Setting ornate." As he spoke, he pointed out each feature, from the rich, dark blue of the stone to the delicate filigree around the setting. "Think Ozdark smithwork. Small clan. Known for this technique." He held the brooch out, seeking to return it to her. "Estimate sapphire maybe one carat. Worth three months rent alone. Set in brooch from small clan - quite rare - brooch maybe worth another three months on top. Good money."

Gisele Valentein‘s gaze lingered on the brooch as Ven spoke of his findings. She hummed in approval as he continued to share details of the workmanship and gave an estimate of its worth. Ven knew his stuff, but she already knew this which was why she preferred bringing pieces to him when she could. “Most certainly a good amount of coin. Thanks, Ven,” she softly said and balanced the covered object in her one arm as she offered her other hand, palm-side up, to accept the brooch. Her gaze rose then to his and she gasped playfully as she spotted Ven’s spectacles. “Oh, now aren’t you so refined,” she teased good-naturedly. Every time she looked at her friend, her heart swelled. She had no idea what she would ever do without him. She cleared her throat awkwardly. When he handed her the ornate piece of jewelry, she slid it into a pouch and held out the bag with its mouth open wide so he could reach in and retrieve what was inside. “Now this one!”

Ven-Vyzran reached up to touch his glasses, self-conscious for a moment. "Hate them. But get old," he said, releasing the brooch into her hand and watching her return it. Then he pushed his hand into the cloth bag. His fingers closed around a spherical object wrapped in cloth. He removed it and began to unwrap it in the palm of his left hand. As he did so, a white light spilled out of the wrapping, so he turned himself away from the room again to hide it. He did not fully unwrap it, for to have done so would have flooded their corner of the Crucible in brilliant light. Instead, he re-wrapped it and changed his approach. He only needed to see a small part of it, so he now drew some of the cloth back with his thumb until just a sliver of the orb's shining white surface was revealed. Despite the brightness, there was no heat to the object. He had a fairly good idea what it was, but he wanted to try two more things to be sure. First, he blew gently on the exposed piece of the orb and the surface glowed more brightly. 

Nodding to himself, he then took the orb over to the nearest torch, careful not to expose it to the room. He turned the open side of the orb so that its surface was touching his skin and then held the hand clasping it within the flame. He counted to twenty, eyes glancing about the room to make sure no one was taking too much interest. Once his count was done he re-wrapped the orb, returned to Gisele and offered to place it back in the bag.

Gisele Valentein didn’t respond immediately when he spoke of disliking his spectacles as she did not want to disrupt his concentration. She watched him turn the orb over in his hands as he studied this and that. Her brows knitted together as he blew on it. She wasn’t sure what he was testing, but she would find out soon enough. As he nodded, she spoke, “The brooch was from an adventurer who traded it for food and drink. This object was given to me by a nymph from her treasure trove. She wasn’t sure of its origin or of the magic it possesses, but I find it fascinating, nonetheless.” She also found the nymph rather fascinating, but she kept that to herself.

Ven-Vyzran listened to the information she gave him about the brooch, wondering how desperate that trader must of been - or how hot the brooch might be. The detail about the orb was more interesting. "Nymph," he said with a slightly sour note in his usually even voice. He placed the orb back in the bag and hooked his thumbs into his belt, looking thoughtfully at his friend. "She not know. You not know?" he asked, wondering if she had any idea what the nymph had given her.

Gisele Valentein nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, a nymph! I’ve met a few since I have been here. Ansa`fel’s best kept secret, I say. They are so beautiful,” she rambled. She shook her head at his questions, attempting to clear her head. “No, know what?” He had certainly piqued her interest. “Tell me! Tell me and I’ll buy you all the drinks and food you can handle once we leave here.”

Ven-Vyzran sighed. An Ansa`fel nymph at that. The variety of magical detritus that turned up in their hands was unbelievable. He looked at his friend. "The orb in bag is Tear of Nyx," he said. "Have you heard this name?"

“Noooo,” she said, drawing the word out. Gisele felt as if he were building up to something big. Something terrifying? Or a huge let down on the actual value of the item. But, secretly, she didn’t care. It was a gift from a beautiful creature who she felt honored to make friends with. Who else could say they met and befriended a nymph? “What is it, Ven?”

"No one sure where come from. Least no wizard I ask," he shrugged. She was well aware of his low opinion of most wizards and his frustration that so many of his clients were of that persuasion. "Has two useful properties, one dangerous one, and one fatal one. First, person who hold Tear invulnerable to fire." Ven-Vyzran raised a finger on his right hand, to count the points he was making. "Second, orb shine brightly or absorb light, depending on need." Another finger. "Third, orb can make holder intransigent, so can walk through closed doors." A third finger. Now he held up his other hand. "All these sub-parts of dangerous property: orb can change nature of holder. In Ansa`fel, crystals limit this power. Elsewhere, orb change you completely. Magic behind Cradle of Undoing," he said, not sure if she'd have heard of the Än’vakor device.

“Oh… the Cradle of Undoing.” She looked down at the bagged orb, many thoughts swimming through in her head. She had heard of the device. “Can this be transformed, you think? To a more manageable size?” She had glanced back up at Ven, but found her gaze being drawn downward again. Walk through closed doors? Definitely beneficial for her line of work, but most certainly not in its current size. She would have to pick her orc friend’s brain more later. Perhaps over some drinks.

Ven-Vyzran shrugged. "I not know," he said. "Need ask wizard." He looked uncertainly at the bag. "And fatal property," he said after some moments, "is that orb drain life. Orb need recharge when used. Recharge from living things." He shifted his weight onto his back foot, unconsciously moving a little away from the bag as he said this.

Gisele Valentein groaned at that. She hated those mage types. In case anyone wasn’t aware by now. “Oh…” she said again as she had held the bag possessively for a time before he mentioned the draining of life. “Shit,” she said in a hushed voice. Her fingers loosened a bit and she sighed heavily. “Ok, uh… let me deposit this and we’ll go for a drink? Got time for me?” She knew she had taken up much of his time already, but she had been looking forward to spending more time with her friend. She needed some liquid courage to fill him in on things she couldn’t find the words for earlier. She wanted to tell him everything. Well, most everything she experienced in Banebirch anyway. Just in case trouble followed her…

Ven-Vyzran smiled. "Just not use it. Be fine," he said in an attempt to reassure her. Then he smiled. "Yes, have time," he answered. "But not here in Crucible. Somewhere with better air!" He took his Pince-nez off his nose and waited for her to return the bag with her treasures.

Gisele Valentein shoved further thought of the orb out of her mind as she turned it over to Ghost for safekeeping. She signed the ledger, thanked him, and was off. “Alright, Rat’s Den or want to head into the city?” She asked Ven as she walked with him toward the door.

"Rat's Den fine," Ven-Vyzran said. "At least air get there from upper tunnels." He followed her lead to the door. He too put the orb out of his mind. He was respectful of dangerous magical objects, but not afraid of them. His concern had been that she owned it without knowing what it was. But now he'd told her of the risk, he was fairly certain she'd be sensible. He took one last look back at the room before passing through the exit. He'd had more than enough of this place to last a good many days. He was looking forward to catching up with Gisele now over a mug of what the Rat's Den called mead, but he thought of more as honey-flavoured piss. Still, it was the company that would count.