Open Chronicles The Minor Magicks Market Bazaar

[Valik Emberson]

Elbion | Merchant District

One Week Prior, College of Elbion

“Well students, the quarter is nearly over, and your projects are due next period. As you’re all making your final touches I want to remind you of twi things. First, any project created with College resources is the property of the college per your signatures on the syllabi. Secondly, what you’re all going to turn in are going to be pieces of junk. This is expected. You are learning craftsmanship, and what you cobbled together this quarter will not be your magnum opus. Normally I emphasize this point by destroying each of your items on the final exam day. However, I have received informed of potential budget cuts to the enchantment department. To rectify this you will now be selling your projects an event I’m holding next week, the final sale price you get for your item will be 30% of your final grade. The exact formula is described in today’s handout, with the normal grad scale now being proportional to 75% of your final grade. For those if you who can count yes, that is a potential 105%. Please notate your enthusiasm in your student-instructor evaluations.”

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Current Day

Valik had just finished examining a handful of magic items crafted for his entry-level magical item crafting class, and put the five items up for sale. The part-dragonborn would discuss items with potential buyers, and speak honestly about the materials to anyone who asked. They were honestly impressive for first attempts at the age these kids were, but at the same time weren’t something that would sway a battle.

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Team Joe

A bit gaudy for Valik’s taste, but the first item, made by team Joe, headed by Jorthas Jacques, was named simply ‘The Cup’. ‘The Cup’ took magic from the ambient environment, and would turn up to a gallon of water a day into a black beverage known as ‘coffee’.

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Team Neverdie

A bit of a statement piece, the ‘Roach Broach’ was an amulet that was fueled by the wearer. For up to ten minutes at a time the wearer could force the insect on the broach to travel and act as the wearer’s eyes and ears. Interestingly the insect appeared to be quite hardy, handling toxic environments with ease. Even if the insect was destroyed, wearing the amulet would grow back the roach in around a week.

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Team Clean Machine

The ‘Mess Be Gone’ Flute, when played, would summon mice, pigeons, lizards, doves, and any other small animals nearby. These anim Would be compelled to clean their surroundings as long as the flute was playing. There was a wrinkle however, that the flute did not have a feature to make the animals go back home.

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Team Notes

The ‘Scribes Quill’ was an powerful feather. Upon attuning to a user with a prick of blood, the pen would write down whatever language the user heard and understood, provided it was close. Team Noted particularly impressed Valik by adding a multiple ink feature; if presented with multiple colors of ink the pen would color code each speaker and add a legend to the page. Sadly, colors were not consistent between pages, but the legend rectified that somewhat.

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Team Light My Way

Team Light My Way had created the ‘Fae Lantern’, a device which claimed go light up in the presence of Fae, and even change colors according to the court of Fae nearby. Valik only gave them partial credit, as the feature was largely untested. One of the team members was Fae, and the lantern worked in her presence, but Valik could not generalize functionality on one test case.

 

[Seretha ibnat Rezhe]

If there was one thing that Seretha could say spoke well of Elbion it was that they produced magic artifacts on an order like no other. At least, ones that were obtainable without the death of its rightful owner or the constant danger of ruin-diving. Certainly, she could do those things and even enjoy then in the case of the latter, but from a cost-benefit perspective, Elbion was the place to be.

There were minor trinkets all over, and as Seretha prowled between market stalls keeping mostly to herself but on the lookout for something notably pretty, she saw a far more impressive display than usual. The college itself? Well, that could still be anything... the archaeology department, the enchanters, even the administration simply clearing out storerooms. Rare, but anything was possible.

She pushed her way through the gathered throng to see what exactly was being presented. When she got to the front, her smiled dropped for a moment. Judging by the wares, they were student work. A pity, though after a moment's hesitation, perhaps an opportunity in the making.

Despite her initial disappointment, she turned cheerfully toward the draconine shopkeeper - a high academic if she had to guess by his robes, not a simple student.

"Fantastic samples," she said. Thinking of how well it would suit her Imperial-style desert wear, she added, "The brooch in particular seems quite my style."

Valik Emberson

 

[Valik Emberson]

The draconian Valik Emberson was busy helping his students hawk their wares when Valik noticed a tan-skinned elf making her way. An Abtati? Valik had taught a few of the desert elves in the past. Coming from Amol-Kalit was a dangerous journey, with no portal stone to aid. That, combined with Valik's experience telling him that Elves were typically older than they appeared distinguished her from the rest of the crowd.

She, unlike most of the folks here, probably had some level of funding if she was coming from such a distance.

"I appreciate your kind words." Valik replied to Seretha ibnat Rezhe . "The students have come quite far in such a short time, though I suspect you've dealt with more refined work. I should hope to have you back when some of my more advanced classes are ready to show their creations." He remarked, aiming to keep her interest. "As for the brooch, you're welcome to examine it." Valik motioned to the brooch on the table. "I'm happy to answer any questions you have. The students would also be happy to demonstrate it if you wish."

Valik motioned, and team 'Neverdie' made their way over, but gave the pair some space to examine. They were headed by Jolut, a young Nordenfiir with shaved head and a thick blonde mustache. He was flanked on one side by a hafling woman arrayed with piercing and on the right by a human dressed entirely in black despite the hotter weather. In other words, a typical group of college students. They were decidedly chalant, failing to hide their hopes that the Abtati would increase their final grade. Price would of course be discussed after the Abtati confirmed interest. Valik would not allow any of his students to appear uncouth.

 

[Seretha ibnat Rezhe]

Seretha beamed at Valik Emberson and said, "Well, you do know your way into a girl's heart, don't you? I'll certainly see if my schedule allows for it, though my travels do take me quite far and wide."

She tapped a long, slender finger on the brooch. The touch was informative - it certainly had imbued power, and that power did bear some resemblance to her to her own work, though surely still well on the legal side of things in Elbion. It was also far less than any of the undead tools she'd create, even the simple messenger birds. So, a novelty, then, or just very efficient? College magic really could go either way and her divination skills were too underdeveloped to tell her more.

"As befits someone who enjoys finely made but eccentric jewellery...." Her other hand touched the necklace of bleached claws bound together around her neck. Each to the trained eye pulsed with stored energy, though to the mundane looked simply like a primitive string of bones. "This immediately draws my eyes, though as a collector and broker of curios I can't say the others spark no interest. But let's start here."

Looking at the Neverdie team, she made direct eye contact with each in turn, lingering for a moment longer than was typically comfortable.

"What makes your work special?" she finally asked, leaning forward to pick up the amulet and examine its details.

 

[Valik Emberson]

Valik let out a fang-fillled grin as the Abtati Seretha ibnat Rezhe examined the trio. It was a social tactic the Maerter recognized, putting the younger offguard by just breaking convention. He was intrigued to see how they handled it.

The human broke the eye contact, glancing at his artificially pale hands and examining his black-painted fingernails. The halfling girl did a bit better, maintaining the eye contact but visibly twitched a bit as annoyance came to her face. Looking at Jolut was like staring into the cold itself, unflinching and unforgiving.

The merchant asked her question and the students went through the awkward glances at each other, trying to determine who would speak first.

“It pulls the Price from the environment rather than the user, so it’s useful for non-mages.” The halfling said.

“As familiars go, this is also much less cumbersome than like, a cat or a squirrel.” The goth began. “It’s pretty good at getting in and out of buildings. Great for exploring an urban environment.”

“It’s also very hardy.” Jolut added. “It can operate in heat, cold, miasma. Even if it’s crushed it’ll regrow in a few days. Less in a mana-rich environment. We haven’t tested it yet, but going through a portal stone should restore it fully from any state.”

 

[Seretha ibnat Rezhe]

Seretha appraised each of the students as they spoke. Her eyes were focused intently and her jaw was set to create as serious of a look as possible.

Great for exploring an urban environment? Surely, then, doubly as good for ruin and cave diving. The number of times that Seretha had unwittingly endangered herself because she couldn't see around a corner or through to the other side of a narrow opening was too many to count.

She had considered using undead tools to help but their communication skills were thoroughly lacking and they tended not to have eyes she could see from. Besides, the sheer expense of energy if anything went wrong....

"Well, you speak so highly of its capabilities, I feel like I should test it out. How would I do that? And from what, exactly, does it pull its Price from? What are the rules?"

She typically tethered her bigger tools - undead plow horses and the like - to trees to help keep them going after her personal investment. But that was a very purposeful choice. Had they been careful in deciding the source?

Valik Emberson

 

[Valik Emberson]

The trio of students looked over at the Maester.

"Answer the question of price. I'll handle the rest." He nudged them.

"It pulls latent magic from the air. Sometimes places just have magic in them, but it also comes from waste in using magic."

"A lot of folks, especially if you're not well trained, pay a little extra price to do anything."

"But it there's not any latent magic around, it will pull the price from the wearer. Not harmful explicitly, but kinda sap your energy. Like you haven't slept in a while. It's limited in how much it'll pull at a time because of that, but it recharges slower because of that."

The trio would answer in turn as the gained confidence in what they were saying, and to reinforce points each other weren't hinting at.

"As for testing, you could request one of the students to perform a function for you." Valik added. "If you prefer to test yourself I'm amenable, but will need some leverage." He said casually. "The College typically takes currency, but I'm sure if you have something else in mind it will work." Valik said finally. He trusted himself well enough to know if he was getting scammed, but also that Seretha ibnat Rezhe had dealt in wares much more valuable.

 

[Seretha ibnat Rezhe]

"Good answers," Seretha said. For her own purposes, it would just end up drawing from her bone charms where she stored excess energy to power whatever magics she worked. The specifics didn't matter unless it was willing to draw from any surrounding life... a mistake that a novice could easily have made.

She then turned to Valik Emberson and nodded at him. She was used to not being trusted, and would have done the same in his position - though, her own artifacts came frequently with cost in blood and far more danger than some student academics in an enchanter's hall.

"Now, most of my wares and coin are secured back with my horses," she said. She'd come to Elbion this time for information and a purchase or two, not for any physical sales. "But if you'd accept this...."

She reached up and unclasped her bone-charm necklace, holding it aloft for Valik and his students to see. It radiated magical energy, each engraved claw hanging from it a potent source of power. "There's probably ten years worth of latent magic here, drawn mostly from myself testing my limits each day for what I can expend. I think that more than suffices as collateral."

For a human, she guessed, the amount of power there might have been unachievable. For her, it was the product of nearly forty years of trial, error, and eventually working out how to quickly and efficiently keep the charms charged through her frequent use.

"It's all animal bone, for the record. In case anyone was thinking anything untoward."