Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

Theo smiled as Natalia asked to see what was behind the curtain, so to speak. She did make overtures about thinking about this or that, about doubting whether this was on the up and up. But in the end, in the midst of negotiation, she forgot the most important thing. What she saw in her hands had value. The unknown? The unseeable? That had none, until it was revealed.

And reveal it, Theo did. A curtain suddenly opened behind him, and behind it was a book. Etched in silver leaf upon its cover was the title of a book on caregiving, entitled "A Father's Disappointment".

"Well done! You've given back what you found, and earned, a father's disappointment! This is quite a rare issue." He said, lying. Any copy could be found in the library or Scholar's Nook or elsewhere. It was a very popular edition, in fact.

"Now, off with you, and I'll take these things, thank you very much..." Theo grabbed her things with surprising adroitness, and they were tucked behind the counter. She would shortly after be ushered off the boat, with her book.
She shook her head at Balthazar, and pushed the goods he'd bargained for toward him. As she did so, she winked at him.

"Now now, no rushing. I'll give you these things to hang onto for now. Wait for my word to arrive by courier. This courier will bear the details of my tasks. But for now? A taste of what is to come." She offered him a small vial from behind the counter, which was a solvent that would act upon one of the bottles. "This will work on the bottle associated with transmutation sparks. Use it to open it, and you might delve into the secret history of magic, if you possess it."

So saying, she also slid over the history tome, allowing him to purchase this as well. "You know the value of things, that is for sure. I would expect nothing less from a Yaralon Mercenary." So saying, she winked, and then went on to usher him out of the shop and off the gangplank leading to the pier.
The merchant with Rei'sari smiled at her, and winked. "You have done well to purchase these precious things in front of you. You know true value when you see it, don't you?" The merchant smiled more broadly, and then offered all that Rei'sari had gathered, the spices that could mimick the flavor of any fruit when applied to candy.

"Now, take these, with my compliments. Thank you for your patronage!" She said, and then Rei'sari would be ushered from the ship, with her gains.
Vhunhald gasped at every appropriate moment in Darius' tale. It was truly breathtaking, with all of the twists and turns one would expect. Bravery, steadfastness in the face of danger, the cowardice and selfishness of villains, and even threw in a reference to a great man-eating beast in there. Vhunhald could do nothing but clap for Darius, his stunned silence beaming in his eyes.

"Truly, a story worth telling again and again. I will accept this trade of information. And with it, I offer you happily the sword knot, and a boon." Vhunhald winked at Darius, and then slid the goods that he'd bargained for so far. The books on the pirate lords, as well as the sword knot.

"You've warmed an old trader's heart with such rousing tales, Darius. Well done, and godspeed on your tasks."

So saying, he would be ushered from the boat, as it was time for the Night Market to depart soon. After all the others were ushered off teh boats, the ships sailed, leaving Oram and Zoro travelling along the pier, when they were chance met by a tall dark man, flipping a pair of coins in either hand.
Oram and Zoro.

It was perhaps by fate or chance that Oram and Zoro found themselves walking along the same pier. The ships were leaving, so there would be no more time for either to browse, sadly. But there was a man, dark of hair and dark of robe, who stood in their path, facing them. He flipped two similar coins in his hand, and gave them a tight, professional smile.

"I am Chamadarst. And you two have happened to pass the final test of the Night Market. For that, I offer you a boon, should you accept it."

So saying, he tossed them both the nel that was flipping in his hand. To one then the other. "Once in your lifetime, one side of this nel will buy you another life should you happen to die while carrying it. The other half will purchase the temporary isolation of another, also once in a lifetime. Just this. For two of the more shrewd customers of the Night Market. That is all."

So saying, he did something that Chamadarst didn't often do. He reached out, and if they allowed, would shake their hands. He explained, "With this handshake, I offer my acumen with coin, and an ability to impart the frailty of glass."