Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Radiance of Tordithas (closed)

Layne cackled at the troll's idea of sacrificing what obviously was a golem or some other form of familiar. It would have struck immensely more grievously had she pointed to one of her own kind, but the choice of the machination perched on his meaty shoulders was enough to poke the easily entertained mage.

"No sacrifice then." He said as he hastily returned to scrawling. The tip of his feather paused at the sudden and unannounced disappearance of one of those who'd accepted the terms, the one who's smoke smelled incredibly enticing. It resumed thereafter with his penmanship unwavering. "I believe I'm ascertaining a pattern here... Well!" The long scroll dragged uncoiled to its full length on the smooth grass as he began towards the city proper, agreeing with the elf. "So the theory of Radiance Cycles prevails after all... who would'a thunk? I honestly believed that birdbrain from Evapir was full of it... Insensitive questions toward the eldritch and Merfolk's skin tones aside, we should be off as the elf says. I have many insensitive questions of my own in the meantime. There is so much ground to cover. Aw, we've yet to even introduce ourselves... You... may... the..." His running string of verbal thoughts was already fading into the open air as he made no attempt to compensate for the growing distance.

Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes at the creature before her, "That's definitely a side-grade." she stated with small tilt of her head and a small smile before slowly starting to walk towards civilization. Her momentum halted however when he effortlessly removed one of their companions without warning. A static portal quickly appearing and disappearing from view, removing one of the trolls, it drew up memories of her own arrival. Granted, it was a rougher looking portal but she couldn't argue, a portal is a portal. Looking downwards Lucy felt a small warmth pass over her.... she had a goal now, a way to find her father...and a way home. A small sigh escaped from her lips, maybe this adventure would be worth it after all? She'd never let Enchi know it, not yet anyways.. but she was actually starting to look forward to this...quest.

Looking at him her face slowly curled into a knowing smirk, "Huh, made a mistake Enchi?" she stated witha small waggle of her brow. She would've continued on teasing until the second troll brought up sacrifices, an eyebrow slowly found itself rising higher on her face. She shook her head before starting her slow walk again anything else said could be said whilst they walked. Enchi may have denied the need for sacrifices, but considering they were partly doing this for his entertainment it wasn't much better. It was just her luck her solution had to present itself as an egotistical being that found joy in the hardships of others. Just her luck. Her thought's were interrupted by Duran's bumbled question, it's randomness causing her to take a quick glance back at him with a questioning look upon her face. She kept walking, dutifully listening and ignoring the young human and Enchi's talking really only bothering to respond to Eschallus's point on matter and energy. "The laws of thermodynamics, don't creatures like you ignore those?" she asked not bothering to stop.

After a few minutes of walking without the young blabbermouth quieting down her mind was crying for her to do something about it. After a few more minutes, she finally gave in and decided to finally interrupt. Leaning sideways towards him she gave him a small nudge before simply saying, "Where you from kid?" at the very least, it'd be a change of pace from his radiance theories and conjecture.

Rona kinda frowned at the denial of a sacrifice turning back to the now more human-like eyeball man and frowned, even more, when she noticed Togu slip into a portal. As much as it dishearted her to see him gone it was for the best. He was much more of a lover than a fighter in most cases, unlike her. She was very much the opposite. Sure she liked to snuggle as much as the next person but the act of smashing in skulls was much more thrilling. Although loving a good fight and not being afraid of most things was a great strength it was also a great downfall of hers. She hardly ever pulled away from a combat situation even if she was very worn down. If this quest of theirs led anywhere to a fight she was definitely better suited.

Soon enough her attention was brought back to the words from the others and to the two of them wandering away. She turned her gaze back to Eschallus. Seeing his power and hearing the way he spoke he was the definite leader of this little group she was placed in. Giving him a nod and a sort of grunt in recognition she decided to simply follow suit and started to walk not too far behind the others.

"Because I AM blue, my befuddled friend." He gurgled with amusement at Duran's simple question. "It wouldn't make much sense for me to become some other color simply because I changed form. Now look lively everyone. It might not seem like it, but this will be your first hurdle. Vadues is a big place with lots of wealth and splendor, but it can also be home to some ne'er-do-wells who would be happy to take your Radiance, and perhaps your life." He gave Duran a somewhat knowing wink before beckoning him along. "So try not to get too lost while doing your business."

Sure enough. Vadues was massive. And the group would soon find themselves dwarfed by the city sprawl. Adobe buildings with flat roofs and parapets as far as the eye could see, adorned with colorful banners and draperies. The odd fountain gurgled in distance, fueled by a pipe system that ran from the Oaisis' vast freshwater reservoir in the distance. Further in the alleys grew tighter, as stalls crowded inwards. The collection of inhabitants busied themselves with bartering for goods or fighting to outbid someone over a trinket. The aromas of cooked food and exotic oils and perfumes mixed into a tantalizing, thick atmosphere. And the sounds, oh boy the sounds. Everything from corner musicians with performers, to the drone of auctioneers and the grunt of beasts of burden.

This, this was the decadence of Vadues, the largest capital city of Tordithas.

(So here's your first task/prompt. Individually each person has about 10 pieces of small radiance. If your character wants to investigate for certain supplies, please roll an INT check. Also, watch out for the aforementioned ne'er-do-wells with a WIS check, lest your pockets get pilfered!)

It had been a long time since Duran had been in any city, and never had he seen one this massive. How so many strangers could willingly cram up next to each other was beyond him. So noisy and busy... how did anything have space to exist?

Well, one thing he knew for sure: crowds meant pickpockets, which meant leaving anything valuable out was an invite to get it taken. So, first thing's first, Duran tucked his pouch of radiance into his armor, looping its drawstring around the cord holding his mask. It was irritating, having that extra weight around his neck, but he figured it was necessary. He didn't really have a better option.

Second order of business? Scan for actual threats. Which he followed with (and double-checked throughout) task number three: shopping. Priority one was a real pack: something big enough to carry rations, rope, trap components, and other junk that might come in handy. But not too unwieldy to fight in. And preferably had some means of securing his weapon to.

It occured to him that openly carrying a spear in this crowded area might be a bad idea, but he sure wasn't going to let go of it any time soon. Again, he didn't have a better option. If the guards got upset, he'd try and leave town. No sense picking a fight over it, right? Right.

Layne was a long, long way from his shack in desolate Malsca, same as Lucy and the troll-man with Sylodes. He detailed in fine resolution the mundane in’s and out’s of a typical day. In his most recent case, it consisted of bird watching, bird feeding, and bird whispering. Crows. The hermit trained the little scamps to deliver messages all across West Tordithas. It wasn’t as profitable given no one has much to say to the simply delightful leadership of Malsca, but hey, there were a few families split with a lot of Umbrage discouraging the annual family gathering. And so Layne got by while he conducted research, of which he didn’t elaborate.

The mage rolled up and deposited his scroll away as they entered busy streets filled with prying eyes, his attention lingering on the many sights and ongoing conversations. There was worry edging on the otherwise further enthusiastic description of his dim lit providence starved of much else but hate and regret. He told specifically of how the coastal flock of the corvus variety that still clung to an old gallow tree would likely find new nests without his feeding, and that would be most upsetting. Not many lynches still took place since he’d settled near, apparently, so he’d just have to hope the paranoid cynics of the main isle found some excuse to vent their frustration on some criminal or traveler while he was away.

“... it matters less and less as I think on it, if this venture is as dire as it seems. Ahhh... I’m just not very well acquainted with desert vultures.” He shaded his eyes from the sconces and shimmers of Radiance passed between swift hands. “Tell me now… do you see any stalls toting regional maps?”

Duran was fortunate, while the crowd would have made it hard to spot every little detail, his own experience and shrewd actions had thwarted stray pilfering hands that pawed at his being as he passed through the crowd. A distant vendor hawking pretty average fare glanced up from his untouched table and looked the mask-toting person in the eye. Now here came a person who looked in need of something he had, and the haggard looking elderly man eagerly beckoned Duran over. It wasn't the most glamorous collection of items, and it certainly hadn't been tooled with looks in mind, but at the very least it looked durable. The leather stitched satchels and hiking packs sat piled in a jumbled heap, while other such supplies as lamps, climbing picks, and water skins had been similarly arranged. "Well now, you don't look like you've crossed a desert sir, but you do have the look in your eye like you're planning on it. You from around these parts? See anything you like?"

As for Layne, in spite of his lackadaisical outward demeanor, no one seemed to want to get near the lad. Indeed, for all the busy work the fellow market goers were up to, one look at Layne's clothing and people seemed to push and squeeze themselves away from him. But that didn't stop a determined stray from reaching out to grab him by the arm. "Maps?" inquired a young voice. One glance down and Layne would be met with a curious furred face. Black beady eyes and a quivering nose stared back from a tawny, angular face that looked more fitting on the shoulders of a common marsupial than a humanoid. "My ma has lots of maps if ya got the fare for it."

Tailing at the back of the group Eschallus kept tabs on each member of the group while dodging some concerned glances as well. The marketplace was indeed full of strange folk, but the Allseer's nature still hung about him like a foul presence, no matter how his disguise functioned to keep it contained. It didn't help that he would have loved to strip away his facade and see how the crowd would respond to something far more terrifying than anything the ilk of the Lightblind could spawn appear in their midst.

Alright, supplies, just what do we need? Lucy thought to herself, With her scruffy companion looking for rations, rope, junk and such and the human boy looking for maps she figured those would be well enough covered. Thinking hard she snapped her fingers, right! Dad always drilled her on this, water and a way to purify water, fire starters, medical supplies such as bandages, herbs, antivenom, etc. would be necessary to make sure they made it through a few weeks on their journey. Thinking hard she also figured they would need materials for building camp such as fabrics as well as materials for fixing equipment, such as blade sharpeners. The diversity of objects meant she had to look around carefully, herbs would for example likely be sold by farmers, alchemists, etc whilst building material would be from trade workers. Watching as Duran hid away his Radiance she figured she should do the same placing her own supply within an inner pocket discretely. She marvelled at the differences in culture, dress, and architecture of Vadues when compared to Sylodes she also felt some tenseness at the prospect of running into thieves or other troubles.

Mentions of sacrifice.. Deep down they were quite frankly honored - not many people give attention further than making sure to not step on anything. Though... they'd probably get stolen themselves if they weren't careful - and how unfortunate would that be, with such an optimal shoulder!
They couldn't really buy anything, nor did they really need to. Aside from the occasional watching for thieves (how hard could it possibly be?) there was nothing more but to observe. The crowds, the buildings, the design of it all... fascinating.

Having made his way to the table, Duran nodded absent-mindedly and offered the occasional grunt to the chatter. "Yeah. Looks good enough for what I need."

Nothing here was perfect, true, but nothing here looked like it would fall to pieces, either. Always a plus. To verify, Duran tugged at their seams and straps, then tested looping a few of the satchels onto one of the more shapely hiking packs. A few waterskins were added, then removed, and a test of fitting lamps and picks and a hammer or pitons into the satchels. Rope looped handsomely on the back, a crowbar or iron pot braided into it.

By the time he was finished, he had himself a goodly-sized pile of stuff centered around the pack he liked best. He'd still need to make a sling for his weapon, but that was as simple as finding lengthy leather strips or a hide to cut them from. He'd already found an awl in and amongst this junk and he could probably find other necessities elsewhere - flasks of oil, rations and mess kits, other leatherworking tools... Worse came to worse, he could 'borrow' some from somebody or paw through a refuse pile and find some junk to cobble together.

Duran counted out his finds: 1 large pack, 2 mid-size satchels, 3 large pouches, an awl, 3 waterskins, 2 lamps, 2 hammers and climbing picks, 12 pitons, a pot, a decent length of rope (almost 50 feet), and a crowbar.

"How much for each of these? And how much if I take them together?"

"In Vadue, the business comes to you. Now that's convenience." Layne gave a little wave to Lucy as she scanned the plaza for her own needs. "I'll be off alone with this native leading the way with the promise of the exact goods I so happen to require. Later!" He shined a great grin to the boy. "Well my new mousy friend, lead the way."

With a gait that would normally pin him as the easiest of tourist marks, he went unmolested. Perhaps it was this demeanor pushed overboard which convinced the scouting eyes to not risk what could be read as some sort of bait. Perhaps he was just lucky. Either way, being surrounded by so many people was exciting.

Rona watched as everyone scampered into the crowd. She never really thought about trading things for the means of survival, at least not on a personal level. She was always taught to tough it out. A warrior of her stance needed to think on there feet, to fight with fist(or improvised weapon) to suffer threw thick and thin no matter the surroundings. She was never put in the middle of a city to prepare for a fight...

Making a move to place her radiance in her only pocket, between her bosom and leather chest cover, she started moving father into the crowd. She started looking over the several heads of the others on the street in hopes she could find a simple weapons stall and perhaps a potions stall.

((Note, if haggling with NPCs, you could try and persuade them to go lower with a Charisma check!))

Lucy's search for her item of choice would bring her past Duran, as the vendor he was currently haggling with was also in possession of other leather based goods, some sturdy looking poles, and tarps. Further down the way was a small square, in the center of which was a water spigot with a handful of armed guards stationed around it, taking payment from passersby to fill their containers or water their pack animals. Thankfully, the apparent price was relatively low, and Lucy's pouch of radiance was none the lighter than before. Many a stall smelled strongly of herbs, but it appeared than anything of medicinal quality would have to be concocted by hand. The most useful looking of which stalls was stationed by three scraggly looking crones, but upon further inspection their complexion was that of bark and moss. They were bickering amongst themselves over obscure remedies when one took notice of Lucy. "AH! She looks like a she could settle this! Tell em miss, which is better for a cough, fever few or ginger root?"

Trine got some quizzical looks for sitting atop Duran's shoulder. A few curious onlookers cooed and reached for the mechanical cat, their looks of adoration briefly puzzled by the cool metallic surface, but otherwise they left the curious feline unmolested. Even the ones who looked to have devious plans for Trine thought better of it when they saw the company they kept.

The old man that Duran was dealing with got an eager twinkle in his eye at the quantity of things being considered grew before him. It had been a long day, and the general residents of Vadues were well prepared and had little need of his wares. This person however, was not from around here, and was clearly headed for parts elsewhere. "Well each thing you piled on there is worth about a shard apiece. Tell ya what, I'll give you the lot for eight pieces 'a radiance, how's about it?"

The small furred child eagerly led Layne through a few twists in the city layout, past the square with a spigot into a more stately looking building. The immediate reception was a warmly lit interior with walls plastered with maps of all sizes. stands and cases also carried more opulent depictions of Tordithas' over world, inked in color and illuminated with gold flakes. Most seemed far too valuable for a trek into the unknown, some even appeared to be for kingdoms to the north, or towns that had all but been forgotten as the Lightblind overran them. Most curious however was a collection of very plain looking maps, nothing more than crisscrossing lines and sloping paths. "AH! Dinne' mind those antiques. No ones been to those old mines fer centuries!" Called a larger looking marsupial across the shop. The small child ran and clutched at her ink stained apron pointing with glee at Layne. "See! I told ya! Funny people always ask for maps!" "Mind yer manners dear." She cleared her throat. "Err, what can I do for ye sir? "

As for Rona, her inexperience in bartering as well as discretion led to an unfortunate jostle with another passerby. In the flurry of dropped things and disgruntled scramble to retrieve them, a pair of swift fingers swooped in and plucked loose a glimmering piece of radiance before hastening away into the crowd. The unfortunate bystander meanwhile stormed away into a rather... prickly looking tent, simply bristling with armaments and grisly looking instruments of hunting and trapping. Animal pelts and mounted trophies stared back with lifeless glass eyes.

Layne stopped examining the various charts, most of which he showed a mild interest save for the stark cavern inkings. "I require your goods today. A sprawling journey is no doubt in my near future, and information will be vital to its success. Guessing what will be vital is where my troubles arise..." He went about the room picking out what could not be rolled up and carried himself.

Caolist, and its surrounding lakes. Vadues' desert. The port town of Alacer (that one Layne always regretted not visiting). He skipped out on Sylodes given his accompanying natives from the region, and just as well ignored the western cities in favor of a vague continental map, one which he could only hope held distances that could be trusted.

"Might as well throw in those antiques. Even if I've no use for them now, spelunking into unknown territory is... well, my territory." Layne laughed with himself. "Might be able to pull something from them one day. Anywho, let's see... let's also add this... one..."

Layne's friendly gaiety fell away at the sighting of a familiar layout of terrain and sharp city signafiers. It was one of those maps of townships long fallen to the hordes, this one perhaps the most infamous. There at one lower corner was Mineoll written. Layne hovered his fingers over the lettering, the glass display preforming its duty of preventing touchy customers from staining the parchment of oils. Layne traced a path on the glass through the sharp blocks of buildings deep into the ruined city, of which wasn't marked at all. It depicted a righted city dedicated to the arcane arts unsullied. Shadowy images filled in what the ink could not portray; images of what it was then and no doubt still was. He utilized the muddy memories to locate the exact spot where they might still be conducting their fruitless research, hidden away in that hopeless recess like stubborn coots.

Layne hummed. "This one as well." He dug into his pouch and laid out what he assumed was a decent payment for four maps and load of near useless etchings; two out of his eight shards of Radiance he'd much rather toy with than trade away. That gave him an idea, and returned him to his prior eager demeanor. "Say! I'm not sure if this is enough for everything, so how about a roundabout deal?"

The black quill was produced and whipped above one of the glowing shards, its tip drawing a wispy string of dust that he pulled up and over his head in a big show. The dust condensed from its messy cloud, forming a thin line that tethered the tip of the quill to the source of the arcane. It didn't adhere to gravity and floated freely in swirling patterns he didn't even consider might "wow" the mother and child. "I'm a Magi, ma'dam, one who deals in the conjuring of familiars by trade. I could trade this service in the form of a pet sentry to guard your valuable goods for a reasonable shaving off my total. What do you say?"

The Merfolk woman kept back within her new group- listening, waiting, getting a feel for the room as it were. She had noted an uncomfortable expression on the presumably Elven woman and thought to herself how dry and warm her skin felt on her body. Like a snake about to shed, her skin was tight and just a touch unpleasant. The cool wet embrace of the waters of her home seemed farther away with each step they took into this dry heat. Valdues was nothing like Caolist Isles, the only real city she'd ventured out to from her people. A lesser race may have taken offense to the comment of color, but lets be serious here for a moment. With a body like hers, Algae's complacency is not easily shaken.

Her mood increased as soon as the group worked their way into the marketplace, all thoughts of temperature drifted off and away like the heat waves coming off the buildings around them. Algae found her way among the smells and the sounds, music singing to her like a familiar cry of a lover, seeking her company once more. The life of the place drew her in and she became one with the performers and the musicians. First and foremost she needed information. She already had her own weapons and minimal gear. She was often sent on group scouting missions, so the idea of a quest was not unheard of, and in fact she was fairly well equipped for a sudden mission. In any new place however, you need the upper hand and she sought to do just that.

She was a singer primarily, but her dancing and instrumentals were in no way lacking as a performer at heart, so she would make a point to charm and introduce herself to those entertaining. After all her kind, performers, tends to pick up on all the juicy gossip, be it people in town, rumors about quests and treasure, or just the most interesting items and deals available. While she's at it of course, if some John or Jane became enthralled by her performance what kind of person would she be to ignore either their money or their interest? Anyone could hold vital information.

When passive she wears her whip-like sword wrapped up and stored behind the light pack on her back where she can feel it touching her bare skin through her open, flowing outfit, and her rope dart dagger was wrapped up as a bracer on her wrist, quite probably seemingly ornate and decorative to those who did not know the weapon. The small pouch of radiance was hidden behind and tied to the sharkskin armor around her waist, where she could feel it firmly pressed against her.

Lucy's eyes looked around from stand to stand, vendor to vendor, face to face. At one point she passed by her fellow companion hearing the outrageous pricing for the items, she couldn't help but feel a need to help out as well as a need for mischief. Her eyes widened as an idea came to mind, her mouth curling into a smirk. Tapping Duran on the shoulder as she passed by she gave him a wink as she simply stated loudly as she passed "there's another shop with better quality and prices a quarter of what he's asking for traveller" twisting around to look at Duran and the shop owner whilst shrugging. Turning the corner she couldn't help but chuckle and silently wish him good luck.

After moving further through the bustling crowds she managed to fill a few water containers for the journey thanking the guards for their hard work before continuing onwards looking to cross off the next item from her list. A few stalls had a herb here or there that could be useful which she bought, sighing at the fact that she would have to create some of the medicine herself instead of simply obtain it. As she walked towards the next stall she momentarily couldn't help but stop and smile, she'd heard of dryads and the like, mystical tales from when she was younger. And now here were three of them, old like her grandmother arguing over something.

The bickering amongst them paused when one of the old crones finally noticed her presence. "AH! She looks like a she could settle this! Tell em miss, which is better for a cough, fever few or ginger root?"

Looking from one to the other she moved closer placing her items down and taking a seat amongst them. Her eyes inspecting both of the mentioned herbs before looking up again at their expectant faces. A small chuckle left her lips at the expressions before her.

"Truthfully I've only had experience with ginger root, so I can't give an accurate answer but, if they both have properties that would help sooth or cure cough then they would both have value" She finally stated with a small smile.

"A whole shard apiece, for these?" He furrowed his brow, looking back down at his pile of things. Sturdy enough for a trip (he hoped) but surely not worth that much radiance. "I could do 5 pieces, maybe, since I grabbed such a pile, but eight? Some of this stuff's gone an' rusted or has holes I'll need t'mend!"

Most of those holes were small, true, only a problem if he were to put pitons or coin-sized things into the pockets affected.... but damage was damage. "A whole shard each, my left cheek," he grumbled, pointy teeth making a brief snarl as he did.

Lucy's input only lent to further dismay, and he shook his head. "Then maybe I should be asking 4 pieces for this lot or goin' wherever that other shop is... What do you think, cat?"

He didn't expect much an answer from Trine, but it stalled for time. He really was reluctant to walk away from all these goods, in case he couldn't find something comparable elsewhere. If worse came to worse, he'd probably fork over a good bit of radiance just for the leathergoods and rope.

The mother of the small child raised a curious expression. "A magi ye say? It's a rare sort of event to be venturing from your usual haunts ain't it? Tell me, is it a blue moon or a blood moon that'll be heraldin' this moment?" She let out a hearty laugh. "Ye'r quite th' charmer. I tell ye somethin', you can have those dusty parchments fer free if ye can get me a decent alarm bell. I'll give ye the rest of the maps for three pieces if yer magic does what ye sey it does!"

Algae soon found herself a captive audience. When she took up a spot to preform, an unusual hush fell over the section of the marketplace. Then, as if on cue, nearby musicians who had been previously playing their own tunes keyed in on her alluring melody and played along. The crowd formed a circle as they listened, enraptured by the performance. And when the music subsided, a cheery uproar issued forth. Shards of radiance were tossed at the feet of Algae and her impromptu performers. A few less appreciative souls tried to discretely make off with pieces that had fallen by the wayside, but altogether, Algae became seven pieces richer. (so add 7 shards to the amount she has now.) One of her wayward admirers, a bespectacled individual of reptilian nature answered her call for inquiry. In between his starstruck babbling he mentioned something about a deep mine outside of the spire of Vadues' reach. The place had been untouched for centuries, but rumor had it that the spire's long-burning cache had been derived from it.

The three tree-like hags that Lucy was discussing with stared her in the face for a long moment before looking to one another in surprise. "Put them together? Why that's absurd!" "You'd dilute their potency!" "No, no! You ninnies, don't you see? Both together would be stronger not weaker!" There was another issue of squawking and quarreling before the three nodded in agreement. "You've done us a service young lady, now what can we do for you?" With a heave, all three rose, revealing that each hag was not a separate entity, but were all conjoined at the waist, like branches of a tree, but humanoid in shape. They gestured in unison deeper into the tent, where an exotic sprawl of ingredients, not just the common cooking herb or sniffle remedy variety, but resources of fine quality. Lucy would see everything from resources fit for making even the baldest of persons grow hair again, to dangerous plants who's poisons were the thing of nightmares.

The shopkeep Duran was in heated haggling with let out an exasperated hoot. "Four pieces!? You'll have me eating my own stock to get by!" He raised his hands, callouses and tool-scarring apparent. "I'll do six! And don't you be believing' that dame, I staked out this spot early this morning. You won't be finding another vender on this block unless you want to pay twice as much for a sack only worth toting a fancy poppet collection! Six pieces!" He started to look about anxiously, insulted for sure, but not willing to lose a customer, especially at the notion his wares were inadequate. Or worse, damaged goods." A-and I'll throw in the water skins free, plus a patchwork kit! I'll get you the cord and some of my shop scrap to mend it, but that's as far as I'll go! Six, and no less!"

Well six certainly was better than eight and might leave enough to grab rations and water someplace. Surely enough for the party to be away a short while wouldn't cost more than 4? And Duran was sure they could scrounge some kind of food out there. He was used to hunting and foraging, anyways.

"Hmn... fine," he grumbled, deft hands snagging the radiance pouch by its string and sliding out the agreed on amount. "6 pieces."

He would hand over the shards only after the vendor made good on the offer of kit and shop scraps.

Then everything would be packed away, slung on his back, and he would make his way elsewhere in the crowd. Now, he scanned for rations and noted the water point.

Almost as a running commentary in the back of his mind, though, was his prey drive. What could harm him? What could he do harm to? .... In this case the thoughts revolved around radiance and who looked like an easy mark. Maybe he'd take a stroll down a side alley and see who'd shake him down.

He was already in a foul mood, so why not? If worse came to worse, maybe they'd be willing to offer a small job...

All questions to address after the rations, of course.

Lucy's eyes widened, she hadn't known their kind could do that! It was a greatly intriguing bit of info she took in as she followed them inside. Her eyes again grew in size in wonder at the numerous potions, ingredients etc available inside the tent. It would have to cost a fortune she surmised.

After giving the inside a careful look Lucy realized that, try as she might, it would be hard to prepare for every possible situation and need, at least not for a believable price and carry weight. With a determined nod she took a seat and gave the three hags a friendly smile before speaking.

"To be completely frank, I'm not one hundred percent positive on what I will need. I'm on an important quest and will likely need medical supplies, anti venom, disinfectants, the like. With so many possible situations I'm not positive as to what will be required in the coming journey." she looked around once more before speaking continuing "You have a lovely assortment and if I had the money and means I'd purchase as much as possible but I have few shards and means to move equipment, I'd be grateful for any advice you may have as well as any suggestion" she finished with a smile before letting out an "oh!" in surprise. "I never asked for your names, completely rude of me I apologize!"