Basic Information Name: Leopold Halley Aliases: Leo Gender: Male Race: Human Age: 18 (the age he tells to others) Profession: Apprentice wandmaker, adventurer. Faction: None yet
Physical Information Height: 175 cm Weight: 80 kilos Body build: Gangly, lanky youth Skin&hair & eyes: Light skin, prone to freckle. Short unkempt blond hair, blue eyes. Scars&tattos: None
Mental Information Alignment: Neutral Philosophy: "The multiverse is my shellfish to be shaped" Deity/Beliefs: ?? Personality:
[u]Enthusiastic[/u] [u]Fool With Money[/u] [u]Day dreamer[/u] [u]Hopeless romantic[/u] [/li]
Additional Information Gear: Haphazard. Poor dress sense. Wears and uses things as he finds and acquires them without thought for style or colours. Habbits/hobbies: Poetry, music, making things, adventuring. General Health: Good health Weaknesses: Pretty girls & poetry, musical & magical curios.
~Journal, There is a first time for everything so here goes. It will pay me well I think to write my dealings down, lest I forget and let my mind wander into dreams and verse :-
My first week and I avoided taking on debt - this time - with Sir Hildmor but its tempting when the gold is hard to make from adventure or poem and I see such fancies and curios for sale.
Found myself a possible apprenticeship with Sir Aeron to craft wands. He seems to be well known and prestigious enchanter. Mom will be pleased if it brings steady income.
Nearly got to see a whore house with Sir Vincent after stumbling across three adventurers in the Hall of Records when I delivered some books. I was offered to join their next escapades, which I was led to believe was this whorehouse. It was a joke, apparently. I wonder how pretty the girls are there or if they are all haggish like the one who sells the bone wands?
I met with an experienced wand crafter - Lady Samarra - elf woman with sharp features, helpful too when I needed fire to my sword and she gave me a free boost of her spells. I would do well to watch her craft and study if I am to be of help to Sir Aeron.
The draw of seeing the lady sirens of Brux in their glory prevents me from ensuring good gold lines my pocket by wandering beneath the city. Yet the neverending dusk is so much more attractive to inspire than the dark dirge offered by sewer raiding.
Second week and I got the wight and trashed a few ogre zombies, slaughtered a few ghouls and ghasts for those claws to blend and grind down to their basic essence and found way into some underground docks place full of skeletons and ghosts! I had to dodge the ghostly captain but took down a few skeletons and snuck a few rib bones. Splendid fun. Particularly as the new wand I made to bless the sword, taken from a scroll more suited for use by paladin, made the whole process easier.
Note to self: there's money to be made in wands that bless weapons - must seek out more vellum bearing other paladin spell types and learn how to transfer them to wand. On to a winner there.
I sold my first of them to one man who looked like he 'was' a paladin. Sold another wand to sir Vincent to enable him to see better in the dark. Not only that, sir Aeron allowed me to make sale of pieces from his own stock and take a cut of the price. One special ring, one silver dragon helm later I was up 700 gold pieces! I think I did okay in my sales patter and managed to get some wraith residue and sequencer potion thrown in the deal.
I failed badly to charm one pretty girl in the bazaar with a bunch of flowers. They were a bit floppy and wilted but were all I could find at short notice. Even knelt to give them to her but she threw them aside. I did not even get her name. Sir Vincent and sir Selmar suggest I try candy or perfume next when I spoke to them about it as we roamed in Brux. So when I got back to the bazaar, I bought some cheap scent from one stall seller and will try again if I see her. Pongs a bit strong but girls like to smell sweet don't they?
Also rather taken with miss Kyri. Far too small I know on account of being a halfling (probably has hairy club feet too). Plus she has weird accent - but those eyes of hers! I could fall into those sparkling beauties and never come up for air. There's poetry in those dazzlers. Sir Selmar said to try use a spell to change her or my size, but I don't really want to go smaller. I'm still not sure about going out with a girl with hairy club feet even if I could get her taller. I will see if I can persuade her to take her boots off to check before I commit too much.
I've bought myself a mortar and pestle and a hammer. With the gloves I found I can now make reagents to essence and knock a weapon or set of armour into shape with mold and ingot. Looks like Miss Kyri is also crafter and trader in weapons so I best not tread on those hairy club toes by taking too much of her work and income away, not if I hope to get a date.
I'm learning lots just by hanging around sir Aeron and watching him at work as I make and sell wands, distill and grind reagents. I will try to establish myself as his official apprentice.
Side note: Sir Selmar told me I needed to drink the ale of Khazeet to stop the mould growing down -there- if I end up going to a whore house like Sir Vincent does.
First off. I got threatened by an heavily armoured orc for wearing what he thought was some clan armour. Tuxor armour? I picked the armour of freedom free off a bugbear or goblin I'd killed. Could have been an orc. I can't remember. I tried to bluff my way through but he was pretty scary and I'm sure he could hear my knees knocking. Said I was to get it changed to not resemble his Usktor armour or else he would b****gz me in the mouth. Cripes. That didn't sound good. Guess I'll finally have to get to that festhall place and swap the spikes for wings or something.
On better note I made my first proper craft and enchant for a customer today. An ogre named Grrargh who seemed far more friendly than the orc despite his bigger size, helped me get some reagent (rib bones and spider sacs) beneath the city AND defeat the ghostly captain. So I sorted him out with a bigger weapon, a massive greataxe, blazing with fire and more power than he'd seen before and charged him cost only. Won't do that that often but was good practice. Sir Aeron had to help me source a few things for the enchant I proposed. He was all keen on suggesting more to add but I knew the budget the ogre had to play with and his expectations were rising the more sir Aeron spouted. A ruby and emerald later, a few essences, a tuneful whistle and a touch of magic and I had the fire and power fixed into the greataxe. It was a beaut!
Note to self: might be worth fostering friendship with the ogre more incase I get into more trouble with the orcs.
I helped the master a bit more in his merchanting to sell a fine robe to a kobold (got a nice cut of the profit of that trade) but the best was that he gave me letter of introduction and charcoal sketch of the expert wandmaker he proposed I learn from. Seeing the sketch I knew her! She was the elf lady Samarra who had given my those first free boosts of power to my sword. Pleased as punch I was. Just hope she thinks well enough of me to take me on. I might have been a bit cocky on that first meet.
Final note. I haven't seen that pretty girl to try the perfume gift out on nor miss Kyri to check out her feet. Sir Selmar was egging me on about the hag Layla. I only smile at her to keep her sweet so I get good prices. No way am I going to lose my ******** to that one. Nor any orc.
Sir Selmar gave me gold upfront to make three axes for him. The man can't count. Lucky for him I am not too shady a merchant and I took the right amount of gold I needed (to make a 'little' profit of course) from his pouch.
Mom's pie tonight was at her usual amazing standards. Thought about inviting sir Selmar back to share the meal. Then decided against it - not going to encourage that old soldier to chat up my mom.
Lady Samarra. Older than mom. Older than anyone I've seen so far yet her sharp elf features hide just 'how' ancient she probably is. On one subject I think we connect - that of 'feeling' the art in creating and shaping things aside from formal traing - her by painting, me by my music and poetry. I gave her the letter of introduction from Sir Aeron and after afew questions about where I got my arcane training, she accepted me as pupil. Got to hand it to her. When I stumbled a couple of times seeing those orc and then having Sir Selmar put his big foot in things again in the presence of one pretty girl I met, she was helpful in boosting my moral and quietly confident that the orcs would not bosh-me if I rushed post haste to get my armour changed. Oh, mustn't forget to ask mom about whether she had formal or haphazard training herself so I can let lady Samarra know. Seems to want to know the background of my own and for the life of me I can't remember what mom told me about hers.
Sir Hildmor. Creepy guy, loan shark and merchant and who knows what else. Apparently he saw the first letter I wrote in response to lady Kree's odd advertisement about staves, which I now realise was about 'staff' for a business. I asked about and found out the lady Kree was his lady. He thinks I'm a piece of 'blech'. But I dunno, a part-time job in that 'business' as musician might, just might get me sorted - if I can meet a pleasure girl who will take me under her wing. Lets face it, as I hang around with Sir Selmar the girls tend to flock 'away' not 'toward'. Seems the lady Kree is a bard of some talent herself, well I could see that from her eloquent wording. I am probably going to have to perform to them to get my foot in the door. Better brush up a bit and spend some gold on better instruments.
Sir Selmar. Loud, blunt, veteran and axeman who is more tactless than me and not an ounce of charm in his body but, I dunno, I kind of like him. He's honest. I sorted him his three battleaxes he'd ordered and he's probably going to want some boost to power on them. I'll do what I can if he can help find the parts I need for it but I'm only a journeyman appentice and limited in what I can do until I can learn the art better. Lady Samarra's tutoring on wand craft will also help with the artistry I will need to put into other enchanting, nor forgetting learning from Sir Aeron's own mastery of the arcane. I'm very lucky I know to have those two personages behind me. Mom is overly 'huggy' just now on account of it.
Big orcs. Two of them, one I think is a clan leader the other one I heard is a warshaman, both seem pally with Sir Hildmor. Will keep out of their way I think - the one who threatened me with a 'boshing' before now proposed to sir Hildmor that he would take me on as 'cleaner of the guulra cage'??? I finally got smaller spikes on my pauldron to replace the longer ones that apparently are of the uskor style - he's off my back for now. Lady Samarra recommended I not get 'wings' - passee, she said. I took her word for it.
Miss Dante Saw a pretty girl today and seems to be working for lady Samarra too - supply work, I think. Long white silvery hair, trimest waist in very shapely plate armour, though she wore a small mask so I didn't get full and proper look at her face. What I can see, I can see she is pretty.
Dante - Dante - Dante.
Unusual but it has poetry. And so does her figure and form. She accepted my offer to escort her back to the 'new bordello' sometime - whereever that is. All was going well until sir Selmar intervened. I groan at thinking of his loud tactless 'help' at getting me set up with a pretty girl - he means well.
Briefly saw sir Vincent but didn't get much chance to talk with him and I helped an ogre 'Fist' by making him a pair of silver and cold iron kama's. All in all, an interesting day.
I owe Sir Aeron a fair few thousand now. I won't write just how much down, in case mom gets hold of this journal. He thinks I'll make the gold back soon enough if I keep up with the crafting and merchanting. I dunno. I've broken promise to mom already by getting into this debt but most of it is owed in return for his giving me my first enchanting kit. I've broken into it already to make some of my own experiments which won't return immediate payback but hopefully my new hammer-power will help me to find more gem and reagent over time to improve on my ability to offer customers these from my own stocks.
Very busy I am, which is a good thing, but I still manage to get out, scout about, find time to go adventure. I saw a green-tinged girl today - exotic looking - some 'prayer of dragon' edged her in a greenish aura. I couldn't keep my eyes off her, fascinating. Sir Vincent was about with one kobold and invited me to the ice plane. I managed to catch up a bit with him and two new fellows. One was in robes - a bit on the quiet side, but fast paced. The other a fighter type wearing a broad brim hat.
Back in the bazaar, I watch the queues form for Sir Aeron and I have to grin. He is a very popular fellow. I'm still amazed at my good luck and I try to take some of the burden from him but I can only do simple work and most adventurers want the best. Understandably. But I watch and learn. I did not have all the recipes and blow it all, he threw heavy pouch of gold at me to go get it sorted. Too busy to argue he was. So I did. What am I going to tell mom? Well I'm not. I can't! Its a huge huge debt.
I owe it to him to learn, do more and better work and fast! Thing is though. Some just won't give me second look. Too young! No beard! Ageist is what it is. Youngist even. And I said as much to that old mage in white - 'Grow a beard first'. Its not that I am not trying! Its because I'm fair and blond, a late developer.
I got a reply from the lady Kree, a letter, a riddle even! and a tube holding some glass beads. Bit obscure but I think I managed to translate it rightly. I've tied a few beads to hair and sewn some to tunic. Not too poncy but she sees them she should know. I'll wander about and below the city, carefully, to explore and find this 'Cage under the Cage' she means until its time.
Note to self: buy new lute, ready a new poem or song for an interview.
I finally found her after a hunt in undersigil with Sir Selmar without success I returned later. 'Cage under Cage' was a new building still in construction in the undercity village. A less-than-cheery mercenary showed me to the front door and I made my way inside, tried not to step on the workman and, after a bit of exploring, found the lady Kree and sir Hildmor in a smokey office.
There is a lady sweet and kind, Was never a face so pleased my mind; I did but see her passing by, And yet, I'll love her till I die.
Her gesture, motion, and her smiles, Her wit, her voice my heart beguiles, Beguiles my heart, I know not why, And yet, I'll love her till I die.
Cupid is winged and he doth range, Her plane, so, my love doth change; But change she 'verse, or change she sky, Yet, I will love her till I die.
After singing her this short ballad she accepted me. Not sure Sir Hildmor was as impressed as she but then I'll be working for her, not him. I like her way with words. It's peculiar but stimulating to have to think in riddles all the time. She likes glass beads. Quite stunning to look at too in an odd way. Hoping she's sympathetic to things I write in my letter but I guess I'll have to see who and how she employs.
I had a talking to by the orc warshaman, Shard. He made me pay for his drink and told me he didn't want to have to ask next time but to have it waiting for him - I won't keep him waiting. I'm not stupid. He practically called me a 'girl' for running about. I'll show him. I'm not weak. I just happen to like poetry and song as well as fighting. We can't all be hulking warriors but I can hold my own. There's strength in song if he but knew it. Okay perhaps not the love ballad variety.
I spoke some with the kobold Trolde too but couldn't put any business his way. I like him.
I got all the recipes now with the loan Sir Aeron gave me. Most of it is now spent but I'm hoping will be a good investment and I can pay him back. I've done a few crafts since but I need to do plenty more. My power-hammer is awesome and my testing stick gives me a sharp tooth mastiff to run at my side.
Note to self: the new lute needs a few new strings. It is simple but will have to do for now.
Mom has been keeping me busy. She has not been that well but I managed to get out to play a couple of ballads at The Serpent's Gaze for lady Kree for one performance. I am not sure my soft ballads were the right choice to play during the rowdy gambling. I need to consider the type of patrons and perhaps find more rousing song.
I do not have much more of note to write other than I met up with one of the serving girls, Mai, of the Serpent's Gaze. Her skin was a colourful red and her fitted clothes of green. She must be new for I did not see her about the evening I performed. She is pretty, for a tiefling, when she does not hide her face with that mask. She seemed nice.
Note to self: Next enchanting experiment to use a ruby and emerald in conjunction upon a piece of armour, staff or sword as I find this colour combination inspiring.
My head hurts something bad after taking on Skor's dare to drink what seemed like a whole keg of baatorian ale. One mug and my knees wobbled. Two, and I thought I could take it in my stride. Three, and the domed cage was spinning badly. The fourth floored me.
What do I remember? A halfling stooping over me. A lady tiefling (did I blush? I hope I did not embarrass myself) supporting me to join Skor snoring on a barrel.
Mom would kill me if I returned in this state. When I woke with a thick head a couple of hours later I downed two jugs of water, cleaned myself up (wasn't sick, just crumpled with a furry tongue) and tried to tend to a sale of a wand without success, I could barely focus on what the lady was saying.
On better note, my foray into the slags of the hive was marginally more successful. While I did not find the exit for miss Kala after getting lost, I did manage a good trade with her swapping two near full charged wands of my own creation for her bag of bits for my alchemical work. I am proud to say she thought me a good guard of her person. And what a person! The drinking will not wipe my memory of her.
Note to self: I cannot hold beyond three tankards of baatorian - yet. I might sprout a few more hairs to chin and chest according to Skor when I do. Time will tell.
Note to self: not to take on two giants or salander chieftain just with song and sword and little knowing of the capabilities of a man with a funny accent I can barely understand who joins me in the challenge.
I am all mom's got, I cannot afford to fall and fail and yet I yearn for adventure and to make my fame and fortune.
On better note, I bumped into a sorceror sir Reshar who traded with me vellum and spell for my own creation of whistling wands. I charged him barely above the magical cost for the favour he did me in bringing new spell to extend my repertoire.
