 Posted:
Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:51 am |
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**The story is set on a cloudy, but promising morning. Orophin, newly appointed the Patriarch of the Priests, was curing diseases runing wild through the small villages around Keltrath. On his way back to his guildhouse in Tyr, he decided to take a short walk through Keltrath Forest, to relax his nerves.**
Orophin wandered slowly between the thinly spread trees of Keltrath Forest, taking in the sounds of birds, insects, and the whispers of the villagers above his head. He still could not make out where exactly their houses and walkways were, though they were always so apparent when he visited on the occasional housecall to assist with a birth, or to cure some sort of illness, or wound. Mostly, he was just enjoying the silence, and the sounds of nature around him.
After a short while, he came upon a dirty walkway, leading into a small building. Kind of out of place for the area, but curiosity got the best of him. He took a look around, and saw a broken, faded sign swaying in the cool summer breeze, "The Weary Wanderer: Bargain Basement"
He stared at it for several seconds, deciphering the chipped and cracked paint, before he could safely say that he knew where he was. Ivy ran over the building, and cracks had begun to form in the stone walls. Dead and dying flowers, overrun by weeds, and thick grasses, surrounded the walkway, giving the building a derelect feeling. The door was slightly ajar, so he walked up to it slowly, and peeked inside.
The inside was covered in old, dusty racks, where merchandice was once stored. Old glass cases surrounded a small section, where a single man stood, staring straight ahead, a big smile on his face. In the glass case before him -- the only clean thing in the store, including the man -- was a steel longsword, which had obviously been forged by a talented man. He opened the door, and a small bell rang, announcing his arrival. The man looked over at him eagerly, and smiled wider, if such a thing was possible.
"Good day, M'lord! Would you like to browse our fine selection of goods?" Orophin looked around the store once more, and saw that the sword was the ONLY item in their "fine selection".
"Hrm..." said Orophin thoughtfully, "I see you've got only that one sword there, in that case. How much are you asking for it?"
"This here, M'lord, is the finest sword available to the public today! Masterfully crafted, a perfect balance, and made of the best Sehaelas Steel money can buy! It's yours for only 1400 coins!"
Orphin almost started choking at the mention of the rediculous price on the sword. "Ah...well....I think I'll pass on that one today...but tell me. Where is the owner of this shop? Is it you?"
The merchant sighed, but the untrusting smile still remained. "Nay, I do not own this shop, and the owner has not been seen in quite some time, which is why the items are...shall we say...understocked. I relied on the Owner, who's name I was never told, to keep us brimming with business!"
The man sighed again, and continued. "For quite some time, we were one of the most sucessful businesses in town! People from all over the world came to my humble shop to purchase a large variety of weapons, armors, and magical baubles. But, one day, the goods stopped coming in. Slowly, the shipments dwindled, until there was nothing left. Except this sword, here." He nudged the glass case with his boot. "And no fool will pay 1400 coins for a sword they can buy in Keltrath for 400!" He grumbled unhappily, and kneeled down to clean the scuff mark off the back of the case.
Orophin listened carefully, already putting a plan into motion. As the salesman leaned down to clean the case, Orophin slipped out of the store quietly, on his way into Keltrath at a hurried pace.
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Hours later, the bell above the door chimed once more, as Orophin entered the store for the second time that day. The merchant looked at Orophin, and said, "Well, well. Look who returns! The least you could have done was said farewell before dissapearing!"
Orophin smiled, and apologized profusely for his sudden departure earlier, and immediately started looking around the shop, making notes on a peice of parchment.
After a few moments, the merchant got curious. "Excuse me, Mr. Priest, might I ask what you are doing?"
Orophin smiled, and glanced at the merchant, saying "Making plans for you."
The merchant stayed silent for several moments, after which, he said, "Plans? For me?"
Orophin nodded, but said nothing, still scribbling directions on the parchment.
Half an hour later, and many, many more ignored questions from the merchant, and Orophin was done at last. He handed the directions to the merchant, and a red backpack. "Have those repairs and changes done as soon as you can, and be sure to follow every direcion precicely!"
The merchant laughed after reading the directions. "And why would I listen to such a parchment? These repairs and changes will not be free, you know!" Orophin gestured to the bag on the table. "Open it."
The merchant undid the ties on the front of the bag, and opened it to find a small fortune of gems and gold! The merchant gasped, and took a step back. "This...this is more money that we've EVER pulled in in the last 10 years!"
Orophin smiled, and added, "And it is to be used ONLY on the repairs of this shop. I want them done in two weeks, at the most. I suggest you get to work!" Orophin thanked the man, and started to walk out.
"Excuse me, Sir, but...who are you?"
Orophin turned, walked back to the desk, and showed the innkeeper another peice of parchment. The deed to the shop. The merchant read over the parchment carefully, taking several minutes to examine the signatures. "So, you're the new owner, are you?" Orophin nodded. The merchant eyed his new boss warily, and asked, "And what, exactly, will we be selling?"
Orophin grinned, and pulled a small purple vial out of his waist pouch, setting it on the desk before the merchant. "This potion will soften the hardest of blows." He pulled two others, one red, one blue, and set them both on the counter. "The red one will make you invulnerable to those of the Path of Darkness. The blue one, to the Path of Light" Once more, he reached into his pouch, pulling out a green potion, and setting it on the counter. "This one will regrow any body parts that a man has lost. Legs, arms, ears, fingers, eyes, toes, teeth."
The merchant stood, looking at the various vials and containers with awe, watching the magic swirl around inside them. Orophin quickly swept the potions back into his pouch. "Now, I suggest you get some professional craftsmen in this place, and fix it up! I will accept nothing short of what I've given you there on that parchment. You'll need Elven glass, and Elven Kar'Laikeri wood." Orophin wrote the name of the wood on the back of the parchment, underlining it twice.
"Go to the Elven Villages above this forest, and tell them Patriarch Orophin Cor'Mara, Revitalizer, has asked for a favor. When they are done, you will give them all, save 10,000, of that gold. There is over 500,000 gold in that backpack. After they finish their work, and they will do it for free, when you mention my name, you will donate that gold to Delandrial, the Village Sage, as a thank you from the Guild of Priests, and from yourself."
Orophin turned, and walked out as the merchant stood dumbfounded. Briefly, he thought of taking the gold, and running to Diabolus, where he could live the rest of his life in luxury. The candles in the shop dimmed, and a feeling of unease settled over him. He banished the thoughts from his head immedately, and the candles returned to normal, but the feeling took a bit of time to fully shake off.
The merchant grabbed a stack of parchment, copying down the plans for his soon to be clients. He would make his new owner proud to have trusted him, and prove to him that nothing less than perfection will come from dealing with the Weary Wanderer.
***END ACT I*** |
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Anonymous
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