It had been a long few months for Grobbik.  Though he had finally managed to best his mental block that had kept him from broadening his base of magical talent, the cost of the journey had been somewhat more than he had been prepared to accept.  Firstly, he had borrowed a powerstone from his roommate, Judoc and in the process of making the alchemical recipe to clear his mind, somehow the stone had been destroyed.  Loke had warned him that he couldn't guarantee the safety of a stone... that the recipe really called for a more powerful magical item but all the same, Grobbik couldn't shake the guilt of being responsible for the damage and he wished nothing more than to be free of the debt.  Loke had been another cost... though Grobbik wasn't entirely sure how badly he felt about that.  Loke had been his greatest mentor in water magic, certainly the greatest in that particular area in the college but his personal morality seemed to be somewhat lacking as was evidenced in the fact that he had essentially asked Grobbik to steal a magical necklace from the provost, even if only temporarily.  Since that night in Loke's offices the professor had been somewhat distant, instead giving his extra time to some of the other students and Grobbik had filled in the gaps with other professors and other activities.

Grobbik places the tips of his fingers inside the pocket of his jacket to feel the small lump encased in parchment paper.  He could easily envision the red star sapphire in his head for he had stared at the stone for several minutes, turning it in the light to watch the six-pointed star dance across the face of the opaque red rock.  Grobbik is still somewhat in shock that the knuckle-sized stone is in his possession, though in truth it is not really his to own.  He was carrying the stone for a new business associate, a recent acquaintance by the name of Eldoch who seemed to deal in so various and so many goods that he could barely keep all of his business together.  The man was just older than Grobbik and though he did not yet own his own premises he seemed to harbor the same ambitions that burned within Grobbik's heart and had taken more steps to get there.  Indeed, his business seemed to be doing well enough that he could afford (and by their discussion seemed to need) Grobbik to accomplish some of the jobs that required longer travel from the market or particular skills that Grobbik had readily available.  Grobbik had already had the good fortune to come by a sea astrolabe that Eldoch had not seemed to entirely know the value of.  After the conversation, Eldoch had let Grobbik off with the device to get a better price than he had been offered so far.  Grobbik had managed to get a more than fair price, and though the majority of the sum had gone back to Eldoch as part of the arrangement, Grobbik's purse was never the less bulging more than it had in quite some time.

Today, likewise was a job that Eldoch had thought would be more up Grobbik's alley than his own.  He had been given the stone with the name of a jeweler in the nobles district who Eldoch thought would be more than interested in it.  If he made the sale, Grobbik could keep 15% of the price, a sum which Grobbik hoped would put him out of his monetary woes for quite some time.

Grobbik picked up his pace as he hurried westward, the late afternoon sun already starting to glare painfully off the rooftops.  With a quick stop to look in each direction, Grobbik finally sees his mark, Oluruk Designs, and makes his way towards the door, pushing forward against the oaken doors as he hears the tinkling of a small bell overhead.  Inside are several glass cases filled with jewelry: rings, necklaces, hoops and free stones and though there are no customers, a tall and fleshy human woman stands behind the counter, a smile fixed upon her face as if painted on.

"Good evening sir!"  She purrs as soon as Grobbik walks in the door.  "What can I help you with tonight?"

OOC:  It is 1700 on the 5th of December.  Welcome back Grobbik and thanks for the patience.  Just to make sure everything is clear, you have been allowed to borrow the red star sapphire with the agreement that if you sell it, you get 15% of the sale price.  If you don't sell it, no harm no foul but don't expect to be paid.  Since classes take up the vast majority of your time during the days, you've snuck out at your earliest convenience but the long walk to Azer has still put you there in the late afternoon and due to the late time of year, sunset is not far off.  Fexzil Olouruk is the owner of the shop which Eldoch suggested because he deals in a high volume of fairly high end stones and jewelry and won't blink at paying out cash for a good deal.  Roll for reaction with the girl at an even roll for your status offset by your OPH.

Grobbik has a lot on his mind as he approaches the target of his travel, Oluruk Designs.  It had been a while since his event with Brother Loke, but he was still energized by it.  He could cast spells that weren't water based!  No matter how often he thought about it, Grobbik still found himself excited.  That didn't mean it was easy, mind you.  He felt the resistance every time he cast a spell from another college.  Maybe that happened because he had specialized in water magic for so long.  He didn't know, and didn't care.  What mattered to him was that the mana still flowed.

After he broke through the wall, Grobbik hadn't been sure what to do with himself.  Suddenly Brother Loke wasn't mentoring him any more, and he didn't have any experience with anything other than water magic.  Figuring out how to cast spells in a whole new school of magic wasn't easy on your own.  The movements were different, and Grobbik had to relearn how to cast spells by trial and error.

Eventually he discovered that the most effective path forward was to focus on one single school of magic, so he could really cement the new feeling that it evoked.  After his experience in the arena, Grobbik decided that the mending of flesh was the next place to focus his energies.  His line of work was dangerous, and recovery after a battle was just as important, if not more so.  Healing spells just... tasted different... compared to the clean flow of water spells.  Still, he had to admit, mending people's wounds gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.  It was a refreshing approach to fix the wounds that others experienced, even if he had only been able to handle minor cuts and scrapes thus far.

As he put his hand on the door, Grobbik paused for one more moment to think about the interaction with Brother Loke.  He had really dodged a bullet there (old halfling phrase).  After the fact,Grobbik really felt like Brother Loke had used him as a pawn in some larger scheme.  Had he followed through with it, he could have been expelled or even killed.  Obviously the provost greatly valued the item Loke had asked for, and if it had been destroyed in the phial, who knows what fallout would have occurred.  There would have been hell to pay.

On top of that, humans still dominated in this town.  Goblins were pretty well accepted when it came to magic, but he would have been an easy scapegoat for Brother Loke.  If he had quietly disappeared, no one would have really missed him save his parents.  Grobbik doubted the authorities would have done more than a cursory search before money changed hands and the investigation was closed.  The choice he made to step forward with the Provost could very well have saved his life.  It went badly, but it could have been far worse if the provost's prized magic item had gone missing.  He was better off for the episode.

With that, Grobbik opened the door and entered the store.


To be continued, just have a training starting and I wanted to save this off before I deal with the inside of the store.  Will post again when time allows.

As Grobbik enters Oluruk Designs, he notes that he is entering a well maintained establishment.  The door has some ornate designs on it, which he guessed probably contained runes of protection or warding.  The door handle was well worn, but made of sturdy brass.  The high polish of many hands made it stand out in the light of early evening.  Obviously the store was well established, and saw a lot of clientele.

Grobbik's suspicions were confirmed when he was greeted as soon as he entered the door.

"Good evening sir.....What can I help you with tonight?"

As he formulated a response, Grobbik took in the layout of the store.  The glass cases themselves stood out as a statement of prosperity.  Many shoppes didn't have access to the materials needed to protect their wares in that way.  He could see that the cases were full of items laid out in a neat and orderly fashion.  Even the floor was well swept  The whole arrangement made him more comfortable, since he was a little particular about being dirty.

After his eyes have swept the room, and after a short silence that was hopefully not awkward, Grobbik proceeds to the counter.  As he does, he answers the question she has posed to him.

"Well met Ma'am.  If you have a moment, I would discuss a small item with you.  Here, take a look at this and tell me what you think.  It is for sale, if you are interested."

As he approaches the lady, Grobbik will pull out the star sapphire and hand it over to the lady at the counter.  Normally he wouldn't be so forward, but the sound reputation of the store preceded them, and he knew the lady at the counter would be trustworthy.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:08, Sun 20 Aug 2017.

Grobbik makes all use of the first few moments he is in the store, sweeping the glass cases to take stock of the valuables and pushing his way to the counter to present his own wares.  Though Grobbik's own sense of optimism predominates, he can't help but notice the woman's lips curling slightly as he openly professes that he is here to sell and not to buy.  Still, the woman looks at the small parcel of paper, and unwraps the red sapphire, admiring it for mere moments before she pushes the item back towards Grobbik.

"It is a pretty thing...  Though I must say we do not have much need for more inventory in the present moment."

The woman looks from the stone back up to Grobbik and then refocuses back on the stone.

"What are you asking for it?"  The woman asks as an afterthought as she glances back towards the Goblin.

OOC:  To determine the worth of the stone, roll vs. Jeweler, which defaults to IQ-6.  You do get the bonus for your talent adding to your default.  PM me with your roll results and I'll let you know what you think it is worth.

Thread closed due to player abandonment
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:41, Sat 14 Apr 2018.