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Caveat Emptor
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2022 12:14 am
by Thomas
23rd Frost, 4621
Thomas had long since ceased feeling guilty selling junk to gullible Lorien Savants in Westfalen. For one thing, it's not like anyone in Lorien actually earned their money by doing anything, and for another, Westfalen's academics seemed to have bottomless pockets in their quest to do whatever it was they did with this stuff. They practically lined up to be ripped off, and it was easy money that could be put toward the creature comforts that made Lorien bearable, like soup, coffee, and sweaters. It was also fun to talk to them about acquiring whatever piece of junk he was selling.
In this case, Isidro Orguillo had returned from the Badlands of Daravin with ancient treasures relating to the fallen empire. Thomas whispered into the ears of acquisitive collectors and curious academics both about the potential wonders they could discover, but in the same breath warned them of other prospective buyers. He'd found that old Grisithian machinery improved by some nonsense symbols etched on with acid sold well. If the machine did something, like occasionally put out a purple spark when its gears were spun, so much the better. Even when it was just an inert heap, though, it still sold. Every customer thought they had the keys to revive something that had never been alive.
It had been a good run in Westfalen, and he was feeling he had better hit the road soon, or at least that Isidro had better leave town. Maybe allow for Lord Ashley to sell some junk to the Celebrants, instead, and mix it up a bit. For now, though, he saw an opportunity walking toward him. He never forgot a customer, even if not many of them came back for more.
In this case, though, she looked distinctly unhappy, but that was no reason for Isidro to anticipate trouble. After all, from Isidro's perspective, she had bought a perfectly usable artifact.
In a smooth Daravinian accent, he called out to her: "Ah, welcome back, my lady. How can I help you on this fine afternoon? Could I interest you in another curio?"
Re: Caveat Emptor
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 3:24 am
by Brell
Earlier that morning, Brell had been duped. She realized that now, and her simmering blood was thick in her veins.
The early hours were spent meandering through the markets to buy foodstuffs for the night’s supper with her daily stipend. Her haggling skills, though subpar, had done well enough. Her basket was nearly full of bread, cheese, cabbage, and onions, while a tightly packed cut of salted beef lay snug against the wicker. She remembered watching the butcher carefully, chiding him when she saw a dribble of blood ooze from the paper. Her basket would be tidy and clean, and she had him double pack the meat to ensure all remained as such.
As she doubled back towards her lodgings, she perused the side markets to spy for various oddities and trinkets. She was relatively new to these markets. Although Brell had lived in Westfalen for nearly a year, the first several months had been spent recovering from her initiation into Brand and toeing the line of overstepping during its study. After a harrowing period of near constant pain and frustration, she was given leave – or as she says, voluntold - to begin mingling with the commonfolk. Shopping was far from the top of her list of favorite tasks, but she carried out her duties. Begrudgingly.
Her mood lifted when she came across a peddler of what seemed to be curious artifacts. She heard the words ‘ancient’ and ‘treasure’ and ‘fallen empire’, and her speckled eyes nearly bore a hole through one particular piece. It was a long shaft of metal with various cogs integrated along its side, and it looked to sparkle in the sunlight. After an inspection, she noted the unknown symbols across its back and, after a brief haggle, purchased the artifact for what she deemed a fair price.
A fair price for a real artifact.
This was garbage. Refuse. Adney nearly screeched her voice raw when Brell returned and displayed her purchases.
The food? Excellent. The wasteful piece of junk? She would be washing the floors for weeks. Ah – and no supper tonight to ensure she remembered her folly when she felt the pangs of hunger.
Brell was no longer a small half-elf when she flew from her home towards the markets. No, she was a raging flurry of hair and skirts.
The man, Isidro he had called himself, crooned to her as she stomped her way towards him, arms folded and pressed against herself to help stifle the vibration of her rage.
“I swear, did you really think— AGH!” she started before throwing her hands up in pure display of frustration. Brell continued to stomp until she was nearly crushing his toes with her boots. An oddly dark finger – the hand and the visible forearm also black as pitch – rose to point up at him. “Did you /really/ think I wouldn’t notice you sold me an absolutely worthless piece of garbage? The symbols are..”
She gesticulated wildly with her hands as she tried to think of the proper word.
“Garbage!”
A repeat. She didn’t find the word she was looking for in that head of curls, but the word sounded brand new with the amount of spite behind it.
And then she took a heavy inhale, as if ready to go on a long, tiring, and troublesome rant.
Re: Caveat Emptor
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 6:00 pm
by Thomas
Oh. So it was safe to say she was not a satisfied customer, then. Thomas did not enjoy these interactions, mainly because they were bad for business. It was unusual and a bit fun to see this much passion from anyone in Lorien, though. One of the things he found quite odd about the population here was how disconnected and cold they were. It was as though the constant winter deadened their emotions, too, though that seemed a bit too poetic and symbolic to be the case.
"I did not mean to offense, Doña, and clearly I have caused you no small amount of it. I am merely an explorer of foreign lands, and I bring back what I find. I cannot be certain for you that my curios will be of academic or etheric value, depending on the nature of your studies. I can only say that what I have found is odd and seems to be potentially of some use to the fine Savants of Westfalen. If you happened to have brought back what you bought with you, I can take a look at it and try to recall more information about where I found it, and perhaps not dig there again for some time. I cannot provide an exchange, however, or a refund. All sales are final. My hope is that if you can't find an immediate use for it, an eventual one will be revealed."
His smile remained in place, but at this point it was the smile of a shopkeeper wishing for a customer to leave the store. He doubted she would be satisfied with what comfort he could offer, but farthings were farthings, and he was not in the business of giving them back simply someone was unhappy.
Re: Caveat Emptor
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:32 am
by Brell
Ah. So this was to be his game, was it? He would treat her like any ordinary, gullible customer when he knew well enough that his wares were illegitimate. This man was lucky she had opted to rant at him rather than addressing the guard. With such turmoil in Lorien, commonfolk were struggling enough each day. What good was it to con them out of their dwindling coin?
At his prompting, Brell withdrew the so-called artifact from a pocket deep within the layers of her skirts but kept it close to her chest. She turned it just enough for the light to hit the symbols across its back and pointed at them with her free hand. Her fingers dragged up and down the piece and tapped it with a fingernail impatiently.
“The garbage is here. The symbols mean nothing,” she snarled, wrinkling her nose. “There is no use for this hunk of metal. My teacher, a scholar, reviewed this and ensured me it was worth nothing. The symbols are fake. You are fake.”
Still keeping the piece of junk close to her breast, her free hand moved to rest against her hip. Her weight shifted to compliment the look. Oh, the sass.
“How dare you? There are people starving and you would take the few farthings they have left?” she added, voice lowering. “We do not take kindly on those who would sell fraudulent magic artifacts here. I should have you reported to the guard. Perhaps they would know what to do with this, and you.”
Her tone was brusque, and it was clearly meant to be taken as a threat. Her eyes, a mix of dark brown and blotched white, stared into his as she issued this challenge. She was a small woman, but her anger radiated off her in waves. In that moment, Brell felt seven feet tall.
Re: Caveat Emptor
Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:16 am
by Thomas
Her moralizing amused him. A Savant wanted to reprimand to him about how he was somehow responsible for people starving on the street? This was Lorien. People were hungry, perhaps, but no one was starving except for Nameless like him. Where he'd grown up things were far more grim. Most places he'd been, for that matter. He supposed if she'd never left Lorien, though, she would not be aware of just how good the proper citizens here had it.
His smile still in place, he shrugged. "And yet, though I've cruelly snatched the last of your coin you would use for a crust of moldy bread to prevent succumbing to starvation, here you are, somehow finding the energy to lecture me for the error of my ways. It is not a crime, my Lady, for a humble amateur Nameless like me to provide a knowledgeable Savant like you the opportunity to discover if an artifact has value. I'm sorry that it did not, and I'm sorry that your teacher took you to task for it, but that does not change the fact that I transported it here at considerable time and cost, and that does not change the fact that there are no refunds."
"If you wish to summon the Argents on me so that they can apply their own particular sort of justice to the situation, I suppose that's your prerogative. They can seize my property, or jail me, or behead me where I stand, depending on their whims, and you can walk away feeling satisfied that justice is served. My blood can be on your hands, if that will somehow improve your mood."
He crossed his arms. He didn't want her to contemplate that option too closely. He had to provide an alternative, and quickly.
"You could also think about what it is I could do for you that would satisfy you, as you're here, talking to me, which means you don't actually want to watch a very large angry man impale me on a polearm. What can your good friend Isidro do for you, Doña?" He said with a bit of a charming bow.
Re: Caveat Emptor
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2022 10:12 pm
by Brell
Brell fought the urge to roll her eyes at his response. A liar was a liar, and his honeyed reasonings fell on deaf ears. He had sold her, a respected mage, garbage and expected her to not return and demand something worth her coin? Or cause a fuss? What sort of weeping heart did he think she had beating within her breast?
“You are a liar, Isidro. You sell heaps of metal that do nothing but glint in the sun and imply their potential wonders. How can I believe that you brought them here? Perhaps you found these things--“ She paused to gesture towards his wares with a wickedly fast hand. “—in a back alley somewhere far closer to home. Or stole them from a blacksmith?”
There’s a gasp.
“Perhaps you have a deal with a blacksmith, hm? Taking a cut of your farthings?”
The youth wagged her purchased junk towards him in a manner that.. well, she tried to be menacing. But she held the piece too close to her chest and it was clear she had no intention of closing the distance between them.
“You are right, though still a liar. There is no need to call the Argents for such a thing. This is Pact business, and we have no need of Argent noses sniffing around. Mages are to act more… hm.” She brought the tip of the metal shaft to her chin as she pondered for a moment. “…Tactfully.”
Brell nodded. There was the word! Smiling to herself, she folded her arms and shifted her weight, metal still clutched in her hand. “Give me something worth value. And do not argue with me on what is valuable. You know what I ask for and I’ll not have it any other way.”
She canted her head, curls hanging to the side. A pointed ear poked free.
“Do you understand?”
Re: Caveat Emptor
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2022 10:57 pm
by Thomas
Thomas' eyes lit up. Today had finally gotten interesting. The accusations of dishonesty he was long inured to, and to her suppositions about him not actually digging them up but sourcing them elsewhere, his expression remained positive but impassive. If she wanted to knock him off balance, she'd have to try a bit harder than that. Then she gave up the leverage of the Argent threat, which was a bit foolish, because what she'd returned for, it turned out, was a negotiation
"Well, if you wish to haggle with me, that is something else again! Normally, I would be closing the door upon you, so to speak, but something about you, I like." He grinned at her. It wasn't a lie. He appreciated her fire and how forthright she was. It was like a strongly spiced drink, clearing out the glum and fog of Lorien.
"Now that the properties of the item you purchased turned out not to be as promising as you'd hoped, though, I'm not sure it's worth as much as you paid for it, unfortunately. And, of course, there's my own time and expenses to consider, as well as the fact that I'd be violating my own policy, which would make me an oathbreaker in a way, no? All things considered, though I can offer you something worth, perhaps... fifteen percent of the original sum."
He wondered if she even knew how to haggle. He got the sense that things in Lorien were much more orderly, with prices set by central boards and everyone sort of grimly abiding by the letter of the law, complete with taxes and receipts. If she didn't, this was one more service he was providing, but on this day and in this way, he was prepared to be a giver.
Re: Caveat Emptor
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2022 8:18 pm
by Brell
Brell simply looked at him for a moment, quiet and bewildered. Then she sharply exhaled a scoff before breaking out into a quiet laugh. Was he truly trying to give her something of lesser value? The gall! The audacity!
She tucked the piece of metal back into her skirts. The weight served as a reminder of her anger and would be better hidden away. Also.. best to not have an improvised weapon ready as her blood continued to simmer. If he required the piece back, she’d retrieve it then.
“Fif..fifteen percent? What sort of mockery is this?” she said, her tone biting. “You will offer something of full value. Or multiple things that add to be full value. Honeyed words and haggling will only sour my mood more than it’s already been fouled.” Her hands fell to her hips and her weight shifted yet again as she straightened to look up at the man defiantly. Length. Intimidate.
She huffed, frustrated, and her blackened hands rose to rub at her temples when she felt the onset of a headache. After a quick glance upward towards the high sun, Brell lifted the scarf about her shoulders to hang slightly over her face and offer her eyes some shade. Her shoulders relaxed unconsciously. Her eyes widened to their natural state as well, and she realized she had been squinting a tad throughout the argument with Isidro.
Brell would need to speak with Adney to change her errand responsibilities to those at or after dusk. It was tiring to wander about during the day, and it was clear her daylight eyesight was worsening.
And then her mind returned to the task at hand.
“You have sold me garbage and my demand is perfectly fair. A reputable merchant would ensure their customer gets the full value of the product they purchased. Yes? Are you confirming you are not a reputable merchant?”
Re: Caveat Emptor
Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2022 2:03 am
by Thomas
"Doña, you wound me," Isidro replied, clutching his chest as though she'd stabbed him. "I am already willing to bend my no refunds policy by offering you a partial exchange and you are treating me as though we are not friends. Are we not friends, engaging in a perfectly lovely conversation full of possibility? As for my not being a reputable merchant, my lady, I never claimed to be a merchant, but I am perfectly reputable."
"I am a traveler and I am a purveyor of curios. I leave it to those with far more intelligence and expertise, wise women such as you, to determine if what I find is of any value. As you so astutely pointed out, this piece did not satisfy -- why then would I offer you something of equivalence to what you paid for it? You purchased a raffle ticket, and it turned out not to be the winning combination that you so hoped for. I am sorry for this, and I do wish to help, but I'm not sure that what you're asking me for is so well thought out as all of this. You are asking a man who has nothing more than the clothes on his back and a humble wagon he calls home to shoulder this burden when you are a fancy and learned Savant, who lives in a house and is a part of some illustrious society? Do you not see how this is unjust?"
Without waiting for an answer, he turned tail and went into his wagon. He didn't close the door behind him, but nor did he invite her in. From the exterior, the sounds of furious rummaging, hemming and hawing could be heard, before he emerged from the near-total darkness of his wagon with a few cloth bins holding all manner of oddments: glass beads, paperweights, pocket watches, necklaces, bracelets, fountain pens, the odd loose gemstone, and even the dull wooden stock of a gun, noticeable to those with discerning eyes, but not in this moment to Thomas, who was occupied with laying out what he had.
"I pick up, trade, haggle, buy, sell, and swap with a great many people, Doña. Perhaps you can find an object in here that satisfies? Something that sparkles perhaps, or a set of ivory dice for nights of fun with friends and mulled wine? Does anything catch your eye?"
Re: Caveat Emptor
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2022 3:18 pm
by Salen
Thomas
Lores
You are rewarded 10 lores of your choice (Label them as CE for clarification)
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Points: 10
Brell
Lores
You are awarded 10 lores of your choice (Label them as CE for clarification.
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Points: 10
Comments: Such a shame this couldnt continue, I wanted to see Thomas get lynched by Brell (Well not lynched but beat up good.) Enjoy your rewards.