One thing I should note... if you're buying stuff, then generally, you can't just say "I buy it". You have to actually go talk to the shopkeeper, and yes, this matters because stores don't always have 'by the book' pricing.
"Let's head to the Sword and Bolt so I can pick up a back-up crossbow in case I need to shoot a grappling bolt in a hurry. It's a pain to reload this thing with specialty ammo," Anders suggested, hefting his heavy repeater. "After that, we can pick up some flight potions just in case when we get to the Guild before we select our mission."
Turlin's Well was the eastern district of the city further in from the walls - not the shiniest part of town, but bustling with people who liked to get jobs done. The Sword and Bolt was located immediately off of the bridge heading to the central island.
The store was run by two people - the middle-aged male was of Heldring descent, by the name of Thryme, while his companion Blotto was a halfling. Both looked up as you entered, and Thryme nodded slightly as I saw you. "What'cha looking for?" he inquired, gesturing at the swords and crossbows covering the walls. Many of them were of outstanding craftsmanship, and indeed, Blotto appeared to be in the middle of carefully carving a new hand crossbow.
Anders eyed the hand crossbow in progress, dreaming of possible applications, then snapped his eyes up to Thryme. "I'm looking to pick up a simple light crossbow for a job I have coming up. I'm likely to be dealing with somewhat perilous heights, and I've got a useful grappling bolt with a decent length of rope, but my trusty crossbow here just takes too damn long to load properly. I figure it'd be easier to just pull a back up already loaded than trying to load it in the middle of a landslide."
Scrolls are generally available from temples and the Wizard's Guild.
Blotto looked up at Anders' comments, and the halfling grinned. "Well, you're at the right place. Your basic light crossbow'll be forty harps and five drums, and yes, that's after taxes."40 GP, 2 SP, 5 CP. He paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, if you're in a situation where you need a backup, you don't want it to fail. These beauties-" he gestured to a selection of masterwork light crossbows, "-have a sharper shot than your average light one, and that little bit can make the difference when you need it the most."
Know Local (DC 5):
Blotto's price include a 15% Craftsman's tax the city requires him to charge - he's quoting you the correct market price.
"Sounds like a fair price, I'll take it," Anders replied as he counted out the coin. "I don't plan on using it for anything but shooting rocks, so I doubt I'll need the extra precision, and I doubt I can afford it right now anyways. That said... once I get a few more jobs under my belt, I might be looking to diversify into something a little more exotic. I've been considering learning to wield a pair of hand crossbows together, but that always ends with the problem of keeping the damned things properly loaded. Recently, I've heard of less common magical weapons that can load themselves. I don't suppose you know anything about how I might procure a pair of those?"
Blotto rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Magically self-loading, eh? We got a couple enchanted with endless ammunition in the back, but totally loading all by themselves? The high priests at the Temple of Skilled Hands might be able to get it done as a special order. I'm a follower myself-" he indicated a small carved badge on his clothing showing the symbol of Dre’uain the Lame, god of craft and the second-most-popular deity in the city, "-and the church doesn't pass up many opportunities to make a great piece even better. Helps us support the artists and crafters just starting out, too, so in my totally biased opinion, I'd say you should ask there first. Failing that, someone at the Wizard's Guild might be able to do it."
"Endless ammunition might do what I need, but actual loading would be even better, since it could incorporate all that fancy specialty ammunition I've been hearing about. Perhaps one of each? But I'm getting far ahead of myself. I thank you for the weapon, and I don't doubt I'll be back again for some of your other wares in the future." After securing his purchase, Anders rejoined his companions and hastened to the Wizard's Guild.
The Wizard's Guild looked much like it usually did - which was to say "somehow both very busy and very secretive at the same time". That probably had something to do with the fact that most casual visitors were all in the one hall, while most actual members tended to be somewhere further inside, doing whatever it was wizardly folk got up to in private. Shopping at the Wizard's Guild tended to occur at a desk in the back of the room, and mainly by flipping through binders full of item descriptions and asking whoever was on duty to bring it out. Aside from a few showpieces - really little more than objects glamered to be obviously magical - nothing was actually shown in such a public area.
It was said that particularly wealthy or powerful individuals could visit private showrooms for a more traditional shopping experience, but the only way to know for sure was to be more notable.
Anders waited his turn in line, then approached the counter. "Excuse me, how much would it cost for a potion that allows me to fly? It could be critical for my next mission."
After a moment, the attendant - a young apprentice doing some training, apparently - retrieved one of the binders and flipped it open. "Potions of flight are, let's see... standard price is seven hundred and fifty Harps, tax included. Details are here." he indicated a section on the page, which described the effects of the potion (including the speeds you could expect to obtain, how long it would last, and so on) in plenty of detail. "All potions sold are guaranteed by the Guild under our standard policy, of course."
Know Local (DC 8):
The Standard Sales Policy of the Wizard's Guild is, essentially, that all items will function as advertised. Complaints about failures have a scrying performed by the Master of the Divination School - a known member of the Dominion Arcane - to ascertain the truth. If a claim is found to be legitimate, the Guild's standard response is to make it right by whatever means necessary, up to and including resurrection magic if someone died as a result (although they usually get a church to do that bit). In such cases, the cost of the divination is waived, as are any other costs associated with the correcting action. Claims determined to be false, however, are charged at twice the normal rate for a scrying as punishment for wasting the Guild's time, and such individuals are blacklisted from the Guild and refused all services going forward. The Master of the Divination School is known to be scrupulously honest about such matters, though the Guild's quality-control and certification-for-sale processes are robust enough that complaints are quite rare to begin with.
"Excellent. I've heard fine things about the Guild's products." Anders counted out the coin and concluded his business, loaded the small vial into his open wrist sheathe in case he needed it in a hurry, then joined the others in line, ready to select there mission and be about their business.
"While we're here," Barion added, "Do you have a scroll of some sort that would make weapons temporarily magical? Looking for economy over power here."
"Scrolls? Yyyyyyyyes, but you're probably going to get better economy with one of the oils." the shopkeeper said, taking out another notebook and flipping through it. "Scrolls are a bit harder to use, see. Our most popular is an oil of the Magic Weapon spell - just smear it on your weapon and you've got a magic sword for a little while. It's not the strongest effect, but it gets the job done, and the going rate is fifty Harps per bottle."
Mystic 5/Investigator 5 | HP 33/33 | AC 19, Touch 12, FF 15 | CMB +4 | CMD 18 | Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +8 | Init +4 | Perception +10 (+12 vs Traps) | Extracts: 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3
Will merely looked around the guild hall as the others bought more wears. He had nothing specific he could prepare extract wise. Spider Climb and Shield were the obvious choices. Comprehend Languages too, maybe. A Cure Light for emergencies. The rest could be left open as the situation demanded. His own blade was already enchanted so he shouldn't have trouble hitting them. And most of his damage was elemental anyway. Air was the natural opposition to earth. It would also make him hard to hit. Earth, metal or fire Glyphs for the others. That should work.
Will goes to an open table and lays his portable alchemist set out and lines up four vials. On three he etches the rune for earth. On one, the rune for fire. Each already has an ounce of fluid, a catalyst of his own design. In two of the three earth vials he places a shaving of tortoise shell. In the fire vial, he places fleck of leechwort. And in the last earth vial he scoops a tiny spider from another container into the solution. Each vial is then shaken and charged through the rune. The addition in each dissolves completely, leaving all four glowing slightly.
Preparing two Shield, one cure light and one spider climb extract. Leaving the rest open in case they are needed.
The shopkeeper shrugged slightly. "Well, it's true that scrolls are cheaper. And as I said, we do have them in stock." he noted. "Most people just like the oils because they're easier to use - scrolls take technical know-how unless you're already pretty familiar with the spell written on it, and you can toss oils to friends who don't know how to cast magic so they can benefit from them, too. If you'd still prefer the scrolls, though, the standard rate is twenty-five Harps each."
Asem simply waits around for his companions to finish shopping, it was unfortunate that the mages won't let their customers wander around and see if anything would catch their attention, but well, given the kind of business they dealt with it was also pretty understandable.
Scrolls are available in pretty much whatever quantity you want, so buy away. XD ...But, uh, you do know that you can't actually use them, right? Your profile says you have no points in UMD, and that's one of the few skills that can't be used untrained. (Will got training, though, so he has at least a chance to activate them.)
That's the kind of thing that should be specified, since non-Spheres items are available. ...For that matter, most of the NPCs use Vancian magic. XD Sphere Scrolls are totally available.
Yes, sphere items can be purchased pretty much the same way Vancian ones can - and anything your budget could conceivably cover right now is in-stock. There are advantages to being in one of the largest trade cities of a world. XD Pricing follows what's in the main Spheres book (and the wiki).
With everything purchased, you were soon on your way back to get the final details from Spinel. Unlike your last trip through the planes, however, this time you were shown to one of the so-called 'clean rooms' a little ways inside the Apprentice Tower of the Wizard's Guild. The most notable part of these chambers was the way they'd been built to cast powerful dispels throughout a room when a panel on the outside was pressed, thereby getting rid of any lingering energies before your transit through the planes. And before long... you were off.
The first thing you saw when you arrived at the Crystal Roads of Deluer was the cloudy gray sky - mostly because the landing platform was small and you weren't exactly far from the edge. Around you, you could see dozens of floating spheres in many sizes - made of precious metals, giant gemstones, dirt and rock... most any earthy material you could imagine was present here, and in large quantities. At your feet was a large, permanent magic circle - clearly a teleport beacon of sorts to ensure safe arrivals - and a squat beast looked up at you from nearby. It was oddly symmetrical, with three arms, three legs, three eyes, and one huge mouth - and after a few moments, it said something in a language none of you knew (but was probably Terran, given that you were in an elemental plane of earth). A moment later, it tilted its head.
"Ah. Primes." the beast said. "Welcome to the Crystal Roads. Please state your names and business."
"Uh... I think he means where we're from. Whatever." Anders produced a quick bow, and then introduced the rest of the group. "We're here at the request of King Iyuxical to deal with the gargoyle problem, yes."
“Yep what he said.” Commented Asem, still a bit distracted by the amazing views of the celestial realm, his eyes darting from place to place. “And I'm Asem, who are you by the way?” He asked, his attention now focused again on the creature.
Mystic 5/Investigator 5 | HP 33/33 | AC 19, Touch 12, FF 15 | CMB +4 | CMD 18 | Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +8 | Init +4 | Perception +10 (+12 vs Traps) | Extracts: 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3
"Prime Material Plane," Will says to Barion. Will looks around more slowly than most, starring at objects for a moment before moving on. It was a habit that gave him a decent eye for detail. He looks over the side of the platform at the endless void below as he answers their guide. "Will Erland." The others had answered the second request so he only answered the first.
The creature simply nodded at your words. "I am the Gatekeeper here." it explained. "Know that this is a realm with laws. Know that you are here on acceptance, not on right. Humanoids are not permitted to freely roam the Crystal Roads - and above all, mining and stealing is forbidden on pain of death. Before you proceed to the gathering point for teams hunting gargoyles, you are required to undergo an inspection for mining tools and other forbidden objects. That will be conducted by our security team." At his words, the air flashed - and several celestials appeared there, including six canine-headed humanoids and a more normally humanoid entity with wide wings and a gentle expression.
"Sure thing. That's sorta the reason you've got this gargoyle problem right? They keep making off with the merchandise?" Anders approached the security team, opened his pack and handed it over. "Simple, straightforward rules. Strict punishment. I can work with that. Are we to be escorted during our time here then, since humanoids are not allowed to travel freely?"
[ooc]Uhhh my traveler's any-tool doesn't count as a mining tool, does it? Guess we'll found out, maybe they've got lockers by the exit."[/b]
"Sounds good. Do severed gargoyle parts count, though? Some of us have houses to decorate, and I could use a few good stone ornaments over the fireplace."
Mystic 5/Investigator 5 | HP 33/33 | AC 19, Touch 12, FF 15 | CMB +4 | CMD 18 | Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +8 | Init +4 | Perception +10 (+12 vs Traps) | Extracts: 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3
It can be any tool. A pick is a tool.
"Will we be able to purchase materials or a mining licence? There are a few minerals I am looking for for later projects," Will says. Being upfront seemed the way to go here. And to expedite things, he pulls from his pack the only thing that he could see as a mining tool. He retrieves an iron rod covered in metal plates and spikes. With practiced ease, he pulls twists and bends it into a pick. "Multi-tool," he explains. And just to show it wasn't solely a mining tool, he transforms it into shears and a hammer as well, then back into an iron rod. It was his favorite item and he was still trying to figure out how it worked.
Asem has a multitool too... it's pretty popular between adventurers
“Yeah I guess that can qualify as a mining tool. We are here with no interest in mining though, and it's the kind of stuff that can be useful while exploring.” Mused the young man as he showed the device to the guardians.
Meanwhile Asem is going to use mimicry on the guardian, I'm not sure if we will be doing much for the upcoming hour, but turning into an earth elemental could be useful.
I should note that the guardian is not an earth elemental... although those are plentiful around here and you can assume you'll have seen one by the time you get to any gargoyles.
Seeing the unusual tools, the security team conferred for a few moments amongst themselves. Then their head spoke. "I apologize, but we will have to take custody of the shifting tools while you're here." the humanoid angel said. "However, if you are interested in obtaining specific tools for your hunt, we can direct you to several shops that sell items approved by King Iyuxical. Since we are confiscating items that would normally be used for that, we can also provide you with a writ for a rather large discount."
Mystic 5/Investigator 5 | HP 33/33 | AC 19, Touch 12, FF 15 | CMB +4 | CMD 18 | Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +8 | Init +4 | Perception +10 (+12 vs Traps) | Extracts: 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3
"Are minerals discounted?" Will asks. Getting some ruby dust for cheap would be extremely helpful. But there were few situations he could imagine he'd need anything the Anytool could make in the current mission. Why spend the coin on mundane tools when he'd just get the Anytool back?
Asem too waited for the inspection to be over and handed the Anytool, annoying, but there wasn't much else they could do anyway. "Yeah we might need to resupply a bit." He commented, honestly speaking though, what the young man was looking for at the time was action.
"Minerals are generally not for sale here, aside from salt for use as a condiment." the celestial answered patiently. "King Iyuxical has a strict policy against that - minerals here do not simply regrow, so theft and loss is permanent unless great magics are used to restore the place. Given that it is his people's home, he is not inclined to allow visitors to simply take parts of it away, much the same way you would rarely allow a stranger to take a wall or roof from your home."
