After grabbing lunch and feeding his ravenous familiar, Mike left the University and caught a coach to the market district.
Climbing down off of the contraption, he was once again overwhelmed with the sheer number and variety of people crowding the area, filling the air with the sounds of industry and commerce.
While taking a moment to soak it all in, he was nearly run over by a wagon pulled by a car-sized lizard. He managed to get out of the way as it blazed past him creating a cloud of dust. A stream of invective from the driver could be heard as the wagon continued on, not even bothering to stop to see if he was alright.
Coughing, Mike took a moment to clean the dust off himself with a quick application of Lifestyle Magic.
[Well, that spoiled my mood.]
Sighing, he started winding his way through the crowd, looking for a store that might sell alchemical goods. He'd taken some time to review the alchemy book he'd picked up in the library, and had compiled a list of things he thought he would need in the future.
While he was walking, his attention was drawn to a slightly unusual group who were operating a stall selling jewelry and accessories. The designs were full of elaborate whorls and patterns with an almost jarring mix of colors between the component parts.
As far as he could see, only a few pedestrians made anything more than a cursory attempt to examine the group's wares. Something he suspected was due to their appearance.
There were five of them minding the stall, each of oddly thin figures stood a little shorter than 2m tall. They wore a sort of chitinous armor made of overlapping blue-gray plates, which appeared to have been crafted from the exoskeleton of some kind of gigantic insect. The most fascinating part of their appearance, however, was their heads.
They were bald and almost featureless. Only a pair of flat, pitch black orbs interrupted the expanse of pale white flesh that extended from their armor. Curious, Mike used Appraise on the leading figure.
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Liolweth
Age: 234
Race: Sarn (Hinguth)
Class: Warrior Merchant
Title: Guardian of the Five Coins
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The other four had the same race and class combinations. Figuring that he had the time, Mike sauntered over to see what the Sarn had to offer.
He gave the merchants a polite nod, and started appraising the collection of jewelry, looking for anything of interest or special value. While certainly pretty, in a somewhat alien manner, most of the accessories were simply for display. Figuring that he might as well pick up a few good looking items for his female party members, he spent a fair amount of time contemplating his options.
Finally he settled on two pieces. For Tal, he chose a necklace made of a white, flexible metal, studded with sea-green stones that looked almost blue in the right light. For Sera he picked out a thin copper bracelet, with elaborate, almost organic looking, etchings and a large red gemstone set in its center.
Just as he was about to start the process of haggling, he caught sight of an unusual ring he'd missed completely. It was simple band, seemingly carved out of a single piece of obsidian. Curious and sensing that it might be more than it appeared, he used Appraise.
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{Band of the Evernight}
Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 2)
This ring was carved from a piece of Elder Obsidian, hailing from the realm of Noctunis, realm of the Evernight. Enchanted by Kalthuwn, master artificer of the Juilit caste of the Sarn, it blesses its wearers with the power of the dark place of its birth. Moderate enhancement to the effect of stealth based skills used at night. Minor increase to the efficiency and effectiveness of Dark Elemental Magic. Allows wearer to see clearly in darkness.
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Slightly stunned about stumbling over such an item amidst the rest of the jewelry, he wasted no time in adding it to the other potential purchases. "How much for these?" He asked distractedly while contemplating the uses he could put the ring to.
Liolweth, the Sarn merchant he directed the question to, responded by making a strange vibrating noise that seemed to be an exclamation of surprise, before speaking in a humming buzz that which emerged from the skin of its head. "You know the language of the Sarn?"
Realizing his mistake, Mike thought quickly, forcing himself to speak in the common tongue of the region. "Ah, I picked it up in my travels, I only know a little bit."
The merchant also switched, conversing in a low, buzzing voice that sounded a bit like someone trying to talk through a fan. "Still, your pronunciation was perfect. This one commends you for your skill. Not many of your kind could create the sounds necessary to form an interrogative statement. To answer your question, however, I will need to consult with my kin. If you don't mind?"
"Please, go right ahead." Despite the merchant's unusual appearance and method of speech, Mike was finding himself forming a slightly positive impression of the Sarn. Although, he was having trouble trying to discern how he should refer to the creature.
The five strange merchants huddled together and engaged in an intense round of high speed buzzing in their native language. The conversation went so quickly, Mike didn't have a chance to catch more than a few words. As far as he could tell, they were working out how much they should sell the ring for.
Finally, Liolweth turned back with an offer. "We can part with these two pieces," the merchant motioned to the necklace and bracelet, "for ten golden wrens. For the ring, we will require 152 golden wrens, and 13 silver spears."
He handed over the gold for the first two, not bothering to negotiate over an amount that was now trivial to him. "Why is the ring so expensive?"
"I believe you are aware it is an item of great mystical power. Crafted by one of the finest artificers of our race, this ring was meant as a gift to one of the ancient Swarm Lord's finest warriors. Alas, the warrior fell in battle with the Shade before the ring was finished. Since then it has passed from brood to brood, never finding a true home. It eventually came into our hands by the will of the Void, and now we seek to give it to a new worthy master." The Skarn blinked, a process that involved at least three eyelids that Mike could see.
"Fair enough, but I do feel the need to ask. Why is it such a specific number for the price?"
"Ordinarily, such an item would be almost priceless. However, since you bear the mark of the Other's attention, it is clear you would be a worthy owner. The price merely reflects our expense incurred as part of the journey to this city."
Mike felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise at the Lioweth's words. He didn't know how the Sarn had noticed the effects of his title, but it proved that it was possible for others to do so.
[I need to find a way of disguising myself, and my titles. Maybe there is a magic item capable of such a thing.]
Mike cleared his throat. "Hehem. Well, in that case, I would be willing to purchase this ring under one condition."
"Which is?" The merchant replied placidly.
"I would like to ask you some questions regarding you and your race."
Liolweth acquiesced, and led Mike to a small alcove behind the stall where they would have a little more privacy. After exchanging money for the ring, Mike started his barrage of questions.
He learned that the Sarn were a race of humanoids that hailed from the realm of Noctunis, a world of perpetual darkness created during the Second Age. While the Sarn's origins were shrouded in mystery, Liolweth admitted that his people preferred to believe that they had always existed there, coming into existence along with the realm itself.
The Sarn were a divided society, based on five distinct castes determined from birth. Liolweth and the others, belonged to the lowest caste, which was relegated to the strangely intertwined roles of traveling merchants and warriors. The rest of the Sarn rarely left Noctunis.
When asked how they went about travelling to and from Ea, Liolweth explained that their home realm had a mystical connection with the dark places of this world. Utilizing the magic inherent to their race, they could traverse the planes of existence with a ritual. According to the merchant, members of the Hinguth caste would make the journey to Ea a few times every year in order to barter for goods that would be unavailable in their home realm.
[It sounds like I could make quite a killing in trading if I could work out the specifics of inter-realm travel.]
"I have just two more questions for you." Mike said, after he'd finished digesting the information up to this point. "First, how did you manage to detect the 'Other's attention'? Second, what can you tell me about this Other?"
Liolweth made a sort of gurgling noise that Mike took for a hum of consternation. "Noctunis is close to the boundary between Ea and the rest of the multiverse. As such, it bears the...hm…..I suppose influence would be the appropriate term, of the Other. In Noctunis, things bearing the touch of the Other are dangerous, so, my species has developed the ability to detect it as a survival mechanism. We can detect the minor changes in the surrounding mana streams that signify the Other's attention. As to the other question, I am afraid that I cannot answer."
"Why is that?"
The merchant made a low pitched hum of apology, "As a member of the Hinguth, I am unworthy of speaking about the Other. Doing so is taboo. Should you ever find yourself in Noctunis, though, the members of the Cathini caste may teach you of it."
Realizing that he'd hit a dead end, Mike thanked the Sarn for answering his questions and finally introduced himself.
Once properly acquainted, he said his good byes, put the ring on, and stored his other purchases. He didn't really notice any difference, and figured he would have to try it out at night to get a real feel for the item's abilities. Putting it out of his mind, he resumed his hunt for an alchemical goods store.
After nearly an hour of wandering, Mike was starting to regret not asking for directions, when he came across a possible location. A small, ramshackle building was squeezed between a massive tannery (judging from the smell) and a blacksmith's shop specializing in carriage parts. A wooden sign hung above the door with the words 'Alchemical Needs' proudly displayed below a stylized mortar and pestle.
Ready to take any lead he could find after his search, Mike opened the rickety door, and stepped inside.