(009) Return to Ket

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Flewellen, Caine and Gustave; Main Way

Flewellen, Caine and Gustave all keep their heads down as they continue through the market and pass the surly militiamen before continuing along Main way toward the Traders' Concourse.

Once a little way beyond the market, they find Main way becoming wider, cleaner and better cobbled. The street seems improved with each step, with the buildings to either side growing in stature and style. Plainly this is the wealthy side of town.

Ahead the soon spy a grand, wide two story building with a dozen broad steps leading up to a great plaza before one enters the great hall itself. This must surely be The Traders' Concourse for there can hardly be a more august structure in all of Ket.

There are a score or so very well dressed merchants strolling the plaza discussing business in pairs and small groups. Most are accompanied by at least one discrete, but wary body guard. In addition to these there are almost as many soldiery as there are merchants guarding the plaza and the mighty entrance way to the Concourse itself -- although the immense brass shod double doors are thrown wide open.

The soldiers are in all manner of livery, depending upon to whom they answer. Sorely, Flewellen notes that while all of the Traders upon the plaza are Men, near half of the liveried soldiers are Snorks, and these are mostly about the entrace to the building. And that is where he must go to find the library!

Cain and Gustave, meanwhile, intend to turn to their right and find the jeweller along Crib Street...

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Caine and Gustave; Crib Street

Caine and Gustave turn away from The Traders' Concourse to head down Crib street. It is a narrower, but clean and well cobbled avenue supporting well made establishments of blue-grey stone rather than timber. At the concourse end of the street they are wide and inviting looking places, but as the pair proceed the building quickly grow narrower, darker, and less inviting. Regardless of these, Crib street is clearly home to a wealthy class of citizenry.

The pair pass the well to do homes and businesses of wealthy merchants, a hat maker, a fine tailor, an elegant pastry chef, and at last they come across Brigitta's Lavaliere. The sparkling clear stone hanging from a thick silver chain on the sign board makes it unmistakably a jeweller's store...

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:
As Ulric enters the shop he clears his throat loudly.

"Ughugh!"

He waits a moment to see if the giggling man responds or if someone pops out of the clutter of shelves, then continues.

"Where might I find the proprietor of this find establishment?" he asks no one in particular.

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

Ulric and Olaf; Flea Street

Ulric and Olaf make a sharp right from the market and begin to work their way along Flea street, a muddy, cobbled way where a busy hive of artisans and merchants do their trade. Most of the folk on the narrow street are Men, but Olaf spots a well dressed Snork merchant or two in the crowd.

Olaf frowns slightly at the sight of the Snorks, he just can't get over how they are treated here in what should be a *human* town.

After passing barely a dozen narrow establishments, the pair come across The Erstwhile Emporium, which is apparently an antiques bizarre that carries an unusual assortment of oddities; Without even entering the cramped premises Ulric spots an elaborate glass smoking pikes, mismatched pieces of armour, carved boxes and chests, folding ladders, furniture, tapestries, spears and axes, and hanging lanterns. It's all there, piled upon shelves, jumbled over bench tops, and hanging from the ceiling. Olaf wonders how customers are supposed to enter the place without knocking piles of stuff over!

"A cluttered store, a cluttered mind." Olaf says to Ulric.

There is a beefy looking security man to be seen snickering to himself as he apparently reads from a scroll in the shadows at the rear of the cramped store. The proprietor is nowhere to be seen...

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

As Ulric enters the shop he clears his throat loudly.

"Ughugh!"

He waits a moment to see if the giggling man responds or if someone pops out of the clutter of shelves, then continues.

"Where might I find the proprietor of this find establishment?" he asks no one in particular.

Olaf enters behind Ulric, but leaving some room between them just in case he needs to maneuver.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Ulric & Olaf; The Erstwhile Emporium

The beefy security Man hears Ulric's hurumph, and immediately puts aside his papers and stands up to cast an eye over his visitors. He is a thick-necked, barrel-chested and bald-headed fellow with a greying stubble about his chin and jowls. He is wearing a well worn leather apron over a short sleeved cotton shirt that does nothing to conceal the girth of his arms. His eyes seem beady and mistrustful as he scrutinises the new comers.

"I am Jurgen, the proprietor of this establishment," he says with a rather stand-offish wheeze. "And you are?"

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:

"I am Jurgen, the proprietor of this establishment," he says with a rather stand-offish wheeze. "And you are?"

"Good day to you, sir," Ulric says with a smile. "I am Ulric. My friend and I are looking for someone with knowledge of strange and unusual artifacts. We saw your shop from the street and thought you might be just the person we need."

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Ulric & Olaf; The Erstwhile Emporium

"Good day to you, sir," Ulric says with a smile. "I am Ulric. My friend and I are looking for someone with knowledge of strange and unusual artifacts. We saw your shop from the street and thought you might be just the person we need."

"Well now master Ulric," wheezes Jurgen as his eyes narrow suspiciously, "Let's see these 'artifacts' shall we, and we'll soon know what we're about." With a sweep of his thick arm he clears a smallish space amid the clutter on the bench before him making room for Ulric and Olaf to present their goods.

Olaf notices also that Jurgen seems to be keeping a careful eye on the street outside.

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:
Not wishing to show his full hand too soon, Ulric sets down his pack and retrieves the silver goblet and the heavy belt and sets them on the bench.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Ulric & Olaf; The Erstwhile Emporium

Not wishing to show his full hand too soon, Ulric sets down his pack and retrieves the silver goblet and the heavy belt and sets them on the bench.

"Well now, master Ulric," wheezes Jurgen, suddenly and completely focussed on the two objects set before him, "What have we here, indeed?"(/color)

He tampers for a moment with a strange looking lantern upon his bench until a bright white shaft of light issues from it and reflects off four mirrored shutters that surround it, so that the items on the bench are marvelously lit. Then, he pulls from a pocket on his apron front an eye piece rather like a very short telescope, which he grips in his left socket and examines first the silver goblet, and then the brass and copper belt very closely.

"It's not every day,"(/color) he wheezes as he places the goblet upon a delicate set of weighing scales, "That a pair of yokels who haven't washed in weeks waltz into my store and drop a two pound cup of silver on my desk,"(/color) he remarks cautiously without looking up from his work.

"Nor indeed that any artifact of the Yesterage makes an appearance,"(/color) he adds, a stronger note of suspicion detectable in his wheezy voice.

Finally, he pauses in his work. "I don't suppose you two would mind telling me how you came about these here?"(/color) he wheezes, a mixture of interest and caution written on his face. "And what you intend to do with them, at that!"(/color)