Closed Selling a Stick[Abstract]

[Clyde Sullins]

24 Summer 513 It had only been a day since he finished his newest creation was completed, but already Clyde was proud of it. Just looking at it, it was a beauty. He had gone through quite a bit of trouble just in making it, going to Mura to get the wood, then finding someone who could carve it and imbue it with Izentor. And then the arduous task of both making it a REAL Magic Staff, as opposed to what many others would think of, a normal staff imbued with normal Magecrafting steps, without the special step he took... And on top of that, heaping a few steps in structural durability enhancement... After all that done, Clyde was left with a blue staff of a fine make, that sent a shiver up his spine(in a Auristical way), each time he picked it up. It could probably cross with a steel bladed weapon, and be no the worse for wear. Petch, it might even damage or at least dull the blade. He could not imagine having created something finer... Though he planned to do just that, once he had the time, and the proceeds from this endeavor... For a moment his remaining Izentored Vian wood staff he had at home crossed his mind. It was bigger than this one, but similar to the base state of this one, before he Magecrafted it... But he needed to focus on the task at hand, selling this staff. Usually when he wanted to sell his Magecrafted creations, he went to the Nitrozian's. He had sold them all to the same man, who then likely had turned around and sold it to someone else. Or perhaps his family had kept it, Clyde was unsure. Though they likely had the funds for it, while few others but the other families of Ravok did. But of all the things he had made, this was certainly the finest. Even better than the last thing he had sold, a Anti-Yukman dagger. Finally Clyde was there, and knocked upon the front door of the shop twice to announce his presence, before walking inside the establishment.

[Abstract]

A scrawny man glanced up, slightly bored looking, as Clyde entered. He straightened from some sort of writing, appearing as if he didn't really care about the visitor. Until he saw the staff, of course. The clerk eyed it suspiciously, not liking the funny blue color.

"Good morning" he said stiffly, hands clasped behind his back. It was obvious that the man simply wanted to ask 'what is that', but resisted it for sake of politeness. He wasn't the same man Clyde had come across before, though he didn't look entirely remarkable. He had thin, weak looking fingers that tapped the desk impatiently, their tips stained in ink. His hair was surprisingly neat, the dark strands barely reaching his shoulders. His clothes, however, were mussed and slightly dirty.

"What can I do for you today, sir?" His voice had a slight drone to it, though his hazel eyes held quite the interest. "Might it be... that staff?" Apparently his curiosity had gotten the better of him as he said that, and one of his hands reached out an inch to grab the strange object, before retreating suddenly. He winced at the lack of tact, before deciding that he couldn't exactly take the statement back... and simply waited for an answer.

[Clyde Sullins]

When Clyde entered, he had expected to be met by the same man as on his other visits, the same Nitrozian who had bought his other creations. When dealing with such things, familiarity was a comforting thing. He liked the fact that he had a history with that Nitrozian, all of his sales going well and building up his credibility over time. Along with that, he felt he knew how to deal with that man. However he was upset to find that the Nitrozian he knew was not there. Clyde glanced about, thinking perhaps he was off somewhere else tending to another client, but he did not see him. Unless of course he was in some other room... This new man had longish black hair, a ink stained quality to his fingers which made Clyde hesitant to let him hold the staff, even before it was asked. But he knew inevitably he would ask to hold it, and he did not like the thought of such a dirty fingered person grubbing up his staff... Not that it would damage it, the staff would be unfazed by such low level threats as a meager ink stain... But it was the principle of it he supposed. "Morning to you..." The man asked of his business, why he was hear, and questioned out loud if it had to do with the staff Clyde held... And then he reached out for it, pulling his hand back before actually taking it. But still... Clyde only just kept from recoiling as the hand reached out suddenly for his creation without permission, and let out a huff of air as the hand stopped and pulled back, the man clearly thinking better of his own action. If one thing was for sure, it was that this Nitrozian was less impressive than the last one he had met here, he did not exude the same air of... Competence. Or was he even a Nitrozian, he did not seem to act like it. "Yes, I am here in regards to this staff, it is my latest enchantment I am interested in selling... However you are not the Nitrozian I am familiar with, whom I have sold my other items of Magecrafting to. Where is he?" Clyde made his statement in this fashion for several reasons. For one, it made a clear statement that he had been here before, and had sold items to the prior owner and runner of this establishment. It also asked the question Clyde wanted asked, where was the Nitrozian he knew and had made deals with in the past, and why was he not here?

[Abstract]

The man brightened at the mention of a magecrafted staff, but that expression quickly turned into a frown when Clyde asked about the other shop keeper. "Other guy? Yea, the guy before me. He left. Personal reasons, apparently... wouldn't tell anyone. So now I'm in charge, and I can do anything that he can do!" He straightened with an odd kind of pride, assuming an important looking stance. Of course, on such a scrawny man, it looked nearly comical.

The straightness quickly disappeared as he remembered the staff. "Your staff! Yes! What can it do?" He rubbed his hands together in anticipation, leaning forward over the counter for a better look.

[Clyde Sullins]

The man was certainly no master of subterfuge, his emotions were easy to see as they flashed across his face, rapidly changing as his mood did. Which made Clyde wonder how such a person could prosper as a salesman and trader when he showed so easily what he felt... Of course unless he was simply doing so on purpose to make himself seem less skilled and a fool, so others would underestimate him and would be taken by surprise by a sudden wise dealing that did not at face value seem so wise... Clyde could see the logic behind such a train of thought as he had it, but he soon admitted to himself that such supposition while possible, seemed even to him to be bordering paranoid. But then his healthy sense of paranoia had kept him alive as a mage so far, when many others were not or would not still be... Regardless, he resolved to not trust the man, and to be careful in his dealings. He was already upset by the sudden change in dealers, and said dealers seemingly "on shirt sleeve" emotions did nothing to counter this. As the man leaned forward over the counter to look closer at his creation, Clyde held it up, holding both hands up palm to the ceiling, palms spaced out a bit along the staff, letting it balance on his hands in order to show it off, it and its immaculate isur carved face. "As I said, it has been enchanted via my own Magics, that of Magecrafting. Have you ever heard of a Magic Staff? Such as the ones used by wizards and mages of old? This is no simple creation, no mundane stick that can simply swing faster or that can take more hits, no this is much more. This is a TRUE Magic Staff, the proper tool of a powerful mage, a true and permanent conduit of personal Magics." By the way Clyde said "TRUE Magic Staff", it would likely seem clear that there was also a "not so true magic staff". This would of course be a normal staff with a normal enchantment laid upon it via Magecrafting, without the added step of making it into a true Magic Staff. Perhaps the man would know this, and know what Clyde meant by calling it a true staff, or perhaps this would require further explanation on the part of Clyde. It all depended upon how much he knew of Magecrafting. But unless asked, Clyde would give no further explanation here, instead continuing on full stride. "It's base item is made of the rare Vian Wood, found only on the Isle of Mura, of the Konti. Its wood is especially good for use in making Magic Staffs, better able to handle the Magics. After that it was carved by an Isur right here in Ravok, and imbued with the power of Izentor, making it far stronger and sturdier than any un-enhanced staff made of Vian wood, or even many hardier substances." Clyde would pause for a moment here to take a breath, and to let the man see the staff, before passing on to where his own work had come in. "But of course that was not enough, for my next step was that of Magecrafting. I took 3 steps of enchantment, each harder than the last, in order to push the item into a state of being far beyond its humble beginnings." Considering the story of how it was crafted, of wood from Mura and Izentor carved by a Isur, calling them humble beginnings was almost laughable, but still Clyde was in the full stride of telling of the story of the staff, and could not be stopped. And it was a good way of showing how far Clyde felt the staff had risen from its base point, which many would find to be a marvel. "I enhanced it with 2 steps to its durability, bringing up its hardiness and overall durability to something only matched by other such magical items. And then I made my third and final step, that of turning it into a TRUE Magic Staff, a conduit of djed for a personal mage, a extension of their body, the tool and ally most mages would give their right leg for." His story done, Clyde turned the staff, returning it to a two handed grip, and slammed it once on the ground before letting it rest in place. A motion made to bring attention to the end of his story, and to show how he did not fear it being damaged by such a blow. "That, is what it is, and what it does. And that is why it is blue." OOC: Sorry if I got a bit carried away, Clyde just could not help himself. And I quite enjoyed it also.

[Abstract]

The man's eyes widened as Clyde's description went on. Though he didn't really understand what a 'true' magic staff was... it sounded impressive. However, he did know most of the basics of magecrafting, so the three-step process mentioned brought a little awe into his features. He didn't speak, but instead stared at the staff, until Clyde was done his explanation.

"Well..." he muttered, nodding slightly. "This is one valuable staff then. As you say... perfect for a wizard..." He frowned, realizing he was probably expected to come up with a price. He retreated to his desk, picking up a heavy, handwritten book and flipping through the pages. If Clyde looked close, he wouldn't be able to read the contents, but certainly would be able to see lists and collumns of short words, with a few scribbled notes on the sides. In fact, this was a book with basic prices in it, so the shopkeeper would know what kind of price to be debating... since objects so rare as this were uncertain in their value.

Finally he found a part on magecrafting, and dragged his finger down a list, muttering to himself. After a few more moments of silence, he glanced up, snapped the book shut, and gave Clyde a small smile. "I'll take it for 7 000 mizas" he stated, watching the mage. He, of course, was not starting at the official price for a 3-step magecrafted item... but a little below it. Bartering was obviously expected.

[Clyde Sullins]

It was not until he had concluded, that Clyde realized how far he had gotten into his story, how much energy he had put into it. Perhaps it was just a sign of affection he gave for his own craft, for his own creation by his two hands and his own sweat and blood. But one thing was for sure, he had no plan to undersell his work. Clyde nodded at his words, yes it was a staff perfect for a wizard, a personal wizard anyways. It was both a useful tool, and a sign that they had made it in their profession, if they were valued enough to garner such a staff. But before they could go on, the man darted off to look through some books that was filled with a jumble of words and numbers. Clyde could not make out what it all meant, it was far to confusing, and he did not have the eyes of a hawk to pick them out. But clearly he could assume it had something to do with them making a deal, or the price, since he would not go off to look at something off topic in the midst of such a discussion... Surely not? That would just be... Illogical... And while this might be the city of chaos, when money came into the formula most people were quite serious. And this was quite a bit of money involved. "I'll take it for 7,000 mizas." As the man said this, Clyde's neutral expression flickered to a slightly less neutral one, as the ends of his mouth noticeably turned downward. "I'm sorry, I thought I was here for a serious debate, not a insult to my crafting. After all the expense spent on this item, on gathering the parts, going to Mura for the wood, collecting and finding it with the aid of a Konti I had to pay, in the middle of a rainstorm no less... Then getting it back to Ravok, and finding someone who could carve and infuse it with Izentor... Then the actual arduous task of Magecrafting it, which took days upon days..." Clyde paused for a moment, and made sure to look the man in the eyes as he spoke next. "I think I would be practically giving it away, and impugning upon its honor, if I were to sell it for less than 11,000 gold mizas."

[Abstract]

OOCI'm really, really sorry for the delay on this

...and the short post...

The man's expression was blank as Clyde explained all the work he'd put into making the staff. Though magecrafting wasn't his strong suit... bartering was. He let out a snort at the re-proposed price, looking at the mage with incredibility. He raised both eyebrows at the number, before shaking his head.

"Eleven thousand? Eleven THOUSAND? I'm sorry, the best I can give you for that is seven thousand. Take it or leave it." The man wasn't about to give this up easily... and it would take some serious persuasion to make him move up. As if to enhance that point, he crossed his arms and leaned back on his heels, prepared for any offer Clyde might make next.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde's counter to the man's price position that was far to low, to one that was to high, had the needed effect. Albeit not to the end Clyde had expected. He had been trying to get him to move his own price up, to which Clyde could relinquish some of the position he had posited as his opening gambit... But the man seemed unwilling to move. However, while their were many things Clyde would do, underselling the item was not one of them. He would certainly go down from the price he had stated, which was so high only because the other man's was so low, but not that low. "Eleven thousand? Eleven THOUSAND? I'm sorry, the best I can give you for that is seven thousand. Take it or leave it." "Then if you are steadfast in your price, and unwilling to change it, I am afraid I will have to leave it. As I said, selling it at seven thousand would be a insult to my craft, and not worth the effort I put in. I may be willing to sell it for less than my opening bid, but not nearly as low as seven thousand." Clyde took a moment to pause, take a breath of Ravokian air, before going onward with his attempt at barter and persuasion. He was a master of neither, but he was getting better at it, and would do his best to voice his position. "I was hoping that this dealing could be the first of many, that should this deal do well more would follow and we could make a working relationship, as I did with your predecessor. I sold him several items over the years, of varying worth, all of which were good creations, and all of which I am sure served him well, whether he turned around and sold them, or kept them within your family." "However if even from the start you are unwilling to negotiate, and find a price that will better suite both of us... I will need then to find a new person to sell my creations to. I would be sad though, to see such a longstanding relationship end because one party is unwilling to compromise. I would prefer to keep the relationship alive, but I won't sell below my creations worth."

[Abstract]

The shopkeeper scowled at Clyde's refusal. He'd made a hasty assumption that the mage would have nowhere else to go, and therefore would be forced to sell his creation to him at whatever price he wanted. However, he belatedly realized that this was not the case, and that there were many potential buyers in Ravok that would have been happy to take the staff off the magecrafter's hands.

After working his jaw for several moments, and glaring into the polished wooden surface of the desk, he sighed. "Eight thousand," he stated grumpily, as if he hated to raise the price so much. Slowly and forcefully, his frown lifted into a simple, blank expression. Only then did the shopkeeper glance back at Clyde. "Will you take that price?"