Divers Woodworks

[Helgraf]

A large pavillion tent lined the Street; the fabric was of a deep shade of blue, near to black; and the fabric bore silver chasing and mother-of-pearl decorative mesh. A sign was planted in the ground that read as follows:

Divers Woodworks
Meeting all your custom woodworking needs; we craft in any form of wood. Wide selection, and custom commissions taken. Metal and mineral inlays available upon request. Enhancements and Enchantments by negotiation. Specialty and obscure offers entertained - inquire within.

Propriter and Owner, Master woodworker Bry Helgraz.

As one enters the tent, a U shape of sturdy wooden tables greets the eye; upon it several sample of woodwork, ranging from depictions of animals to busts of various people and entities, to simple wooden jewelry, some pieces set with small gemstones, others without, to wooden practice weaponry. Staves of various designs were carefully displayed on a hand-carved mahogany weapons rack. In a glassteel case reinforced by a custom-researched variant of forcecage lay a trio of rings, each set with a large gemstone, an onyx, a star-sapphire, and a corundum emerald; these all glowed with a pale radiance.

The shop owner stands in the center of the U of tables, often working on another piece as he talks business or pleasure with his potential customers. On those occasions he is not available, his assistant Aerich watches over the shop, manages sales and takes custom commissions to be turned over for later approval or denial. The shop is guarded by magical wards to protect against theft and damage to the property; should these wards be dispelled or suppressed (as by antimagic, for example, or crafty use of Disable Device), they will call (not summon) guardians to defend the shop from assault and theft; called creatured do not vanish when exposed to antimagic; unlike summons. Suppression of the wards will also trigger a remote alarm to alert the shop owner.

The Owner (PC)
Bry Helgraz

An older-looking gentleman in simple black robes of a fashion similiar to those worn by a western monastic order comes through the door. A simple length of white wood held in his left hand aids the steps of his leather sandaled feet. A whipcord belt held the robes close on the line of his hip. His hood was down, revealing a slender face; short-cropped red hair swept back; precisely trimmed to the inner curve of the earlobe on each side; it hung down to the nape of the neck behind. Tiny silver lines followed the small muscles of his face, giving the faint suggestion of a silvery net in which his head was caught. On his chest a tiny brass star with seven points, and at its center overlaid, a small crescent moon of silver.

NPC(s)
Aerich Mendahlsohn - Aerich is a Zabrak; a humanoform species of no small endurance and willpower, though somewhat lacking in pure strength. They bear a crown or crest of small horns about their typically bald heads; Aerich's is shaped like a ring of eight such upward-angling protrusions roughtly evenly spaces around his skull with a ninth growth in the center that curves back slightly. Like many of his kind, his resistance to mental influence is better than normal; unlike many of his kind, he has deliberately focused this ability to an extreme; he qualifies as a psionic hole; actually draining off excess psionic energy in the area around him; in addition to the near immunity to mental influence, this dampens any psi or psi-like effect manifested in his vicinity, including the manifestation of crystalline, ectoplasmic, or energy blasts generated by psionic ability. He is quiet, but possesses a sharp dry wit on those occasions he chooses to speak.

Notes
((For simpler items, prices will be competitive and in fact somewhat less than 'standard' For custom commisions, pricing will depend on the amount of effort needed to construct the work, special materials required and the effort needed to acquire them, enchantments or enhancements requested - and so on. The more difficult the commision, the higher the price will be. While the player is interacting, special discounts may be offered if the character (Bry Helgraz) feels it appropriate. Customers dealing with Aerich Mendahlsohn will be quoted default market prices and he will not haggle, nor guarantee a price on a commision - neither will he guarantee approval of a commision; all special commisions must be approved by the shop owner (Bry Helgraz) before any work will begin on them.))

[Helgraf]

Another day dawned; sunlight peeking through the front flaps of the pavilion tent. A small enamel tub sat on the dirt, and in it a mixture of chemicals; within the morass, a block of wood that would be carved into a bust was soaking. It had already been smoothed and pared down to the rough outline of the head it would eventually be shaped to resemble, and now it absorbed the chemicals; softening the wood slightly, making it a little more pliable; the bath would also give it a deep, robust shine.

He'd already set aside the gems he'd planned to use; tiny spinals which he'd carefully carved out small holes in the centers of; in these he'd fit tiny sapphires, each with a small occlusion which would give the appearance of a pupil in the center of the gemstone eye.

It was officially opening day, but the disturbances about town apparently were keeping traffic from his tent; it certainly wasn't the heat; an ambient ripple from para-elemental ice kept the inside of the tent much cooler than the sunny outdoors.

While he waited for the soak to complete, he whittled a length of duskwood into a finely wrought quarterstaff.

[Helgraf]

The mage, having found business to be acceptable, if a mite slow, decides to head into the Streets.

[thehothead]

The lone backpacker walks in.
My walking stick is broken. Can you fix it?
He puts an intricitely carved walking stick snapped in half on the table. So intricate, in fact, that the small backpacker carved into a small section of it has a seemingly identical walking stick.

[Helgraf]

As the lone backpacker showed the broken walking stick to Aerich, the Zabrak on duty, Helgraf ducked back into the cool pavillion tent from without, and slid over to look at the piece.

"A recursive design. Good work, by the look of it. Do you want a simple rebinding, or a more substantial reconstruction? Also, does the piece bear - or did it bear - any enhancements that might need restoring or reweaving?"

He picked up the headpiece and let long fingertips run along the details of the work, 'reading' the wood with fingerpads.

Aerich, for his part, moved to the back of the tent to attend to another customer with a less complex requirement.

[thehothead]

I don't know. I never asked.

((What exactly is he doing?))

[Helgraf]

"Mmmm, probably best to treat it with caution then as I repair it. At least, I presume you wish it repaired, sir ..." he trailed off, not having a name to put to the person.

((His fingers are sensitive - not magically or anything like that, but he's learned to focus his sense of touch kind of like some blind people become very good at hearing because they pay so much more attention to what they hear. It gives him a feel for the wood, any hidden knots or flaws or the like he might need to be aware of, and such. Harmless, really, unless hitting a certain spot makes a blade pop out or something; in which case he'd have noticed the weight difference.))

[thehothead]

((Then he would notice that the would iscompletely, totally, and in all other way's PERFECT. Unnaturally so))

You want my name? I don't remember it. It's been so long since I've used it...
It appears he may be about to start crying.

[Helgraf]

The old man picked up the lower half of the walking stick now, giving it the same treatment. He then carefully set them both down and felt along the break point, attempting to determine if it was a clean cut, a sawing process, a splinting bit of hack-work, or in what way the whole had become sundered.

"Aye, well, what do ye go by then?"

[thehothead]

I haven't gone by anything in so long. My only talking has been prayers, thats the only reason I can still speak.

He can't tell. It's not really definately ANYTHING that caused it.

[Helgraf]

His lips pursed slightly.

"So ... we have a gap in your memories ... and a gap in your walking stick, both equally puzzling in manner. Still, there's a number of ways we could go about fixing the latter; as for the former, that is hardly my specialty."

He slid the two sundered ends together, holding them thus, bringing his left hand over, curling the fingers around to encompass the break and hold the whole in one hand.

"It presents an interesting puzzle, sir. I shall be glad to see what I can do for you."

[thehothead]

Thankyou. I shall return later.
The lone backpacker exits the tent.

[Helgraf]

Helgraf pursed his lips. The cut was too perfect. He set the two pieces into a holding stand and quietly invoked arcane sight, followed by true seeing. There might or might not be magic here, but he was determined to learn more of the mystery of the walking stick. It could prove quite important to know if, say, trying a conventional double-screw would cause some untold discharge; or whether trying a simple mending enchantment would activate some unknown defense.

He peered at the walking stick. One hand went to a kit, removing three bottles. Two oils and an acid.

[thehothead]

There are a few minor enchantments of protection and good luck, but it seems a simple mending will suffice.

[Helgraf]

He nodded quietly to himself, opening the first oil bottle and carefully anointing the two points of break. The oil should soak into the wood and soften it just a bit. He took a length of pora bark, wound it around the break, then murmured the spell of mending.

The second oil and the acid were held in reserve, to polish the mended piece and ensure no secondary flaws remained...

[thehothead]

It works perfectly fine.

[Helgraf]

The spell completed, he continued as planned, ensuring the stick was both clean and well polished for its eventual return to the nameless gentleman. He paused for a bit, considering.

Perhaps he might add a small enchantment of his own to the piece. Its owner seemed to suffer from certain lapses. A small guidance spell, one that might give the owner just a subtle nudge when choosing between paths...

He considered even as he worked.

[thehothead]

((Completely your choice as to whether or an attempt is made at that))

[Helgraf]

((Yes, that's a given that it's my choice whether or not to attempt it))

A slight smile. A nod to himself. It was a simple enough addition, and it would compliment the magics of luck and protection already present in the piece, so there should be no real resistance to the effect. The focus would be the smaller staff in the hands of the figure carved in the larger.

He closed his eyes a moment, focusing on the void ... then directed a single thread of it toward the piece.

[thehothead]

The magic sort of jumps out of his control for a bit, about a milisecond, but still noticable.

[Helgraf]

The loose jangle was seized upon and coaxed back into order. He attempted it again, watching each thread of the magic with particular care this time.

[thehothead]

This time, the magic resists entry into the walking stick.

[Helgraf]

He shook his head. The effort involved in adding the additional enchantment wasn't worth the investment, especially since the client hadn't asked for the addition. If the spirit of the staff wished to be stubborn, it was all fine to Helgraf.

He set the walking stick into a sandalwood box, closing the clasp and putting a cold iron lock on it to hold it secure until the gentleman returned.

[thehothead]

Coincidentally, the lone backpacker walks in just a little bit later.
She want's me to ask you a few questions.

[Helgraf]

Helgraf looks up at the man's return, arches an eyebrow. "She?"

[thehothead]

Iislana, the homesick child. She gave the walking stick to me in the first place.

Helgraf will probably get the idea that he's talking about some sort of devine presence.

[Helgraf]

"Mmm, so you remember that much, at least," he replied. He opened the lock, removing it and opening the latch, to reach in and remove the walking stick.

"Would she care to ask these questions directly?"

[thehothead]

((a question. Has helgraf ever A) been seriously lost B) been homeless or C) had to do something he didn't want to do and regreted for quite a while afterwords for the sake of his own survival?))

[Helgraf]

((a question. Has helgraf ever A) been seriously lost B) been homeless or C) had to do something he didn't want to do and regreted for quite a while afterwords for the sake of his own survival?))

((I'm not at all sure how the answers to these questions would be known by others, but for the record A) Yes - with all the mucking about in other worlds and other realms he's done, getting seriously lost has certainly occured from time to time. B) Also Yes - though he lived a wanderer's life for a long time on purpose, so whether that counts, I'm not sure. He was also homeless for a while during his teen years. C) Given a span of almost 1700 years of age, yeah, I'd say it's come up at least once.))

[thehothead]

((It didn't matter if people knew it, it affected whether or not Iislana is visable to you))

A small girl of about the age of 6 appears.

Any emotion felt by anyone in the room will probably be replaced by empathy to this little girl.

In a voice that would melt almost anyones heart, she states, "I was not sure if I was your patron. I will ask myself though."

[Helgraf]

The mage looked at the young one who had just appeared. "Patroness or Matron, titled for the female, I believe. I take it then you are the one he calls Iislana."

He handed the walking stick over to the nameless one, then picked up from the ground a long white rod; folding one hand overtop the latticework at its top and the other over the first hand; the far end rested upon the stone beneath their feet.

"If you have something to ask of me ..." a roll of his shoulders as if to indicate she should do so.

"If on the other hand, you have something to ask of yourself, then do not feel compelled upon my account to hurry the matter."

[thehothead]

"Language is not my good point. Could you figure out how his walking stick was broke?"

[Helgraf]

"Mmm, this seems an entirely unrelated question to the one of patronage. I take it total awareness isn't one of your divine ... talents, then?"

[thehothead]

"Patronage allows you to see me. I only look after some people, and I didn't know if you were one. and No, it's not."

[Helgraf]

"It seems to resist my efforts to glean it magically. Learning what caused such a severance might well prove difficult."

[thehothead]

"I was hoping you might have figured it out through your knowledge of... woody things..."

[Helgraf]

He chuckled quietly. "It is an extremely clean cut, which suggests something with a very sharp edge and an extremely tightly controlled application of power. The cut is, frankly too perfect, much like the woodwork itself. I would surmise that the most likely candidate would therefore be an artifact-class item or the intervention of another deific level entity.

((And unless you just want me to make something up, I'll need some info, preferably via PM))

[thehothead]

"I see. Thank you for your time sir."
She promptly dissappears.

[Helgraf]

He regarded the nameless backpacker.

"Do you regularly suffer from divine visitations?"

[thehothead]

I usually talk to her, but she visits sometimes.

[Helgraf]

"Given her sphere of influence, I'm surprised she can't tell you what you've forgotten. It seems the sort of thing that should be within 'er baliwick."

[thehothead]

She doesn't know either. I lost it before I came anywhere she can see. Another... what did she call it... set of planes.

[Helgraf]

"Hrm. An enigma to be sure, then. I don't know enough about your prior ... planar cosmology ... to attempt to rift there, however."

[thehothead]

I only remember a few things about it clearly, I think it's because I did them so many times. I've guided my life by them as much as I could though.

[Helgraf]

"Does it work for you, then? Are you generally happy, on the whole?"

[thehothead]

Had two weeks with them applicable.

Only one's been constantly applicable, just parts of the others. only a little bit of one stopped being applicable. But the constant one has saved my life.

[Helgraf]

Helgraf tilts his head slightly to one side a moment. "Yes, functional. But in a more general sense, the prior question still applies."

[thehothead]

No not really. But, I've managed to stay sane.

[Helgraf]

"Mmm, so what keeps you going then?"

[thehothead]

The fact that I'm not unhappy either. and that theres a chance of me getting happy.

[Helgraf]

"Fair enough, fair enough," he replied with a slight nod of the head. "Was there anything else I could help you with today?"

[thehothead]

No, but thank you
He leaves.

[Helgraf]

Helgraf went back to working on a couple of pieces for display; an ornate staff made of three blended woods, with cold iron bands and caps, whose headpiece depicts a kitten reaching its forepaws out to grasp the small crystal mounted atop the piece. This piece was almost completed. The other one was just begun, as he started work on a bust whose features resembled those of the unusual lady who'd been in his shop earlier.