[Stormhold Castle] Getting down to business

[Alistair deGrey]

26th of Winter, 509

deGrey stepped into the third tier of Stormhold Castle, and the cacophony of noise heard on the approach enveloped him. Shop keeps were plentiful, and customers were found in even more abundance. Alisair listened to the various dialects hawking and haggling for the best deals on a number of goods as he silently walked through the third tier. In this world of conversation and commerce, it felt off putting having no companion to speak with. But Alisair was accustomed to this particular brand of solitude, being the mute child in a choir.

Alisair walked over to a dyer's shop, and picked up a particularly vibrant purple tunic. The cloth was exquisite, and deGrey could tell immediately that this particular item was not within his meager means. The dyer, having just finished with his current customer, saw Alisair handling his goods and started yelling at the him,

"Put that down beggar! Your hands are soiling my clothes! Shoo, away with you plague ridden dog."

Alisair dropped the shirt and stepped back into the crowd, and then looked down at his filthy tunic that he had not replaced since his long trip to Syliras, and his equally dilapidated pants. He mentally added clothes to his list of items he needed before he continued his walk.

The warm smell of a baker's goods approached him as he strolled past the mans shop, and further down the line of shops he heard a clumsy customer drop a ceramic. Alisair had never seen such a massive commercial center before coming to this city a few days ago, and it was slightly overwhelming. How would he compete in a place like this? Who would purchase his inventions and toys? The reality of his position was truly sinking in, there was surely no place for a man like him in a world of practicality and mysticism. Despite his doubts, he hailed a guard and made his inquiry,

"How would one go about opening up one of these shops?"

[Gossamer]

The girl that had dropped the ceramic vase nearby grinned and straightened. Her dark hair was tied up and she was dressed like a shop girl in a neat blue skirt and white apron... an apron that was torn giving her the overall look of being accident prone. "Tis easy enough. You need to go see Loren Dyres or Kaylana Natra up on the first tier. They meet with people every other day... today in fact, right after their lunch. If one is gone, the other will be there. And if they are both gone, one of Loren's seconds will be in their place. You've got a half of a bell to get up there. There's a central stair down the hallway past the merchants and more towards the residential area. You just head down the hall, and speak with the guards at the base of the stairs. If they know you're here for an audience, they'll have someone escort you up." The shop girl said helpfully with a smile.

If he continued down the hallway like the shopgirl instructed, he'd find the guards and indeed get escorted upstairs. They didn't mess around, but they did give him a courtesy search, looking for weapons and vials, and asked him his reason for the audience. If he answered in a similar manner to the question he'd asked to the thin air in the merchant district, he'd be happily be escorted up two tiers. The second tier was dedicated to the knights and their headquarters, while the top tier was directly reserved for the Dyres and their close relatives, friends, and civic leaders.

Eventually, after multiple twists and turns, as well as climbing several stairs, the young man was escorted into an office that was done all in dark walnut wood and expansive red carpet. A fussy elderly woman eyed Alistair carefully, and then said "Loren is in. He can see you now." She said, keeping him waiting only a moment before escorting him into an inner circular office, rather plainer than the outer office, where a man was sitting behind a desk pouring over what looked like ledgers. He glanced up, rose, and walked around the desk to offer Alistair his hand.

"Greetings. I'm Loren Dyres. How can I assist you?"

Loren could not have been more than 35, if even that old. He was ruggedly handsome and his face held the lines of someone who worried and laughed in equal measures. He didn't resume his seat, but instead stood before Alistair, watching him with interest that wasn't feigned.

[Alistair deGrey]

deGrey made a bow, rather too deeply, to conceal the embarrassment and shame he felt so keenly due to his appearance. Managing to compose himself upon returning to his standing position, Alistair made his proposition,

"It is a simple enough matter, I wish to establish myself as a merchant in this magnificent city. Mind you, I am not unskilled in the making of all matters of devices. It would be my forte to contrive the ideas and inventions of people who lack the means to do so themselves, as well as hawking my own."

Alistair paused for a bit to allow the larger picture sink in, glancing around at the plain office. The smell of the paper and ink permeated the room, and the afternoon light that flooded the room threw the grandmaster's shadow against the wall. After a few more seconds of observation, deGrey continued,

"I've estimated my needs for my gadgeteering shop, I will indubitably need a workshop at the very least. As well, a smithy or alchemists laboratory would be rather helpful, but it is understandable if you would rather not expend said funds upon one such as myself. Then we calculate starting inventory and equipment, my costs estimate to be 2,100 gm as a maximum, or 900 at the minimum."

deGrey was a statue as he waited for the grandmaster's reply, his entire future may hinge on this opportunity. He would not let the water slip through his fingers again, he was far too thirsty.

[Gossamer]

Loren raised an eyebrow. There was something to say about someone who marched into the Grandmaster's Office and demanded a business and upwards of two thousand gold mizas. Loren leaned forwards, laying down his quill and carefully reaching over to cap his ink well. He sanded the ledger he was writing in, carefully blew it off, and then closed the oversized book. The sound of creaking leather filled the room as he shifted on his chair. Tilting his head, the Knight studied the new commer, noted his poor dress, and frowned slightly.

"It is customary for introductions before making demands. I am Loren Dyres, Grandmaster Knight and of the founding family of the Syliran Knights. Syliras and those that establish businesses here are indeed my affairs, but it is nice to know a little something about the person I am speaking too. A name would be a good start." The Grandmaster suggested as he rose from his chair, circled around the desk, and offered his hand to the stranger.

"Now, when it comes to businesses, we really like to see skilled labor opening up shops. What sort of experience do you have specifically and what sort of shop EXACTLY are you wishing to open. So far I've heard inventors, gadgeteering, alchemy, and that rather sounds like an engineer of small devices, but I am not exactly certain." The handsome knight said, smiling thoughtfully as he waited for a proper introduction and some sort of better explanation than a simple demand.

[Alistair deGrey]

deGrey tapped his foot several times on the floor, the sound reverberating throughout the circular office. He shook he head, to hell with formalities! Of course, he was only thinking this because he had completely forgotten them. Regardless, Alistair indulged the grandmaster, albeit his tone was terser,

"Ah yes, my sincerest apologies Sir Loren, formalities often slip my mind." Alistair threw a fake smile across his face before forging forward,
"I am called Alistair deGrey, I hail from Zeltiva. I have no family or acquaintances in Syliras, and in Zeltiva..." The smile fled deGrey's features as his mind raced over memories of his family, this conversation was not pleasant any longer. The room seemed smaller, the light dimmer, the grandmaster a ruthless inquisitor. deGrey deigned not to continue on the subject.

"There is nothing else of import about my origins. On the nature of my business, you are correct, I am an engineer of devices. My work would be to bring the ideas of the populace to fruition. If somebody brings an idea or sketch to me, I could invent a working prototype for them. As well as doing said, orders, I would sell inventions of my own design." Alisair paused for a while, wishing for an end to the conversation at hand, but not willing to give in quite this easily,

"I am most skilled in the design and engineering of mechanical devices, as that is what I mainly studied in the academies of Zeltiva. My secondary studies involved some metal working, to smelt my own parts, and a bit of alchemy as well. Of the three, alchemy would be the long term investment on your part, as I am not yet skilled enough in the field to produce results of quality. As well, I am educated in the forte of mathematics."

Alistair swayed on his feet like a tree in a storm, completely drained socially from this presentation; wanting nothing more than a great deal of solitude.

[Gossamer]

Loren looked thoughtful. This was better, and truthfully some people grew nervous in the presence of those they thought held more power or prestige than they themselves. Not that the Syliran Knight thought such things, but the desk, the top tier office, and even the family name of Dyres in Syliras sometimes caused such reactions. Loren thought everyone was equal, truthfully, so long as they pulled equal weight. This gentleman, though he was scruffy and decidedly not as clean as he should have been to make such a pitch, deserved a chance to indeed pull his weight.

He did not, however, deserve a 2,000 gold miza chance. "I have a engineers workshop with a small forge on the third tier ground floor. It has an outside little courtyard, and is fairly spacious. The engineer that used to run it put in a great deal of the mechanics you'll find in Stormhold, but unfortunately his heart failed him and we lost him late last season. I think your skills could be of value in the form of a new shop. Fortunately, all his equipment is contained therein, and he had no heirs. That should save you a considerable cost. We can offer you the shop, though retain ownership of it and its contents, to freely use. It has a living quarters connected to it as well. I can offer you a salary of 8 gold mizas a day, plus a second salary of 7 gold mizas for a pair of assistants if you should require them. For materials, I can give you a startup cost of 500 gold mizas though the knighthood, for the use of the shop, would receive the profits from the shop. In turn, we'll provide the supplies so all your profits will be straight. How does that sound to you? And would you like to go see it?" He asked, leaning a hip against the desk and watching Alistairs reaction critically.

[Alistair deGrey]

As the grandmaster stopped speaking, Alistair's face broke into a wide smile. By all means he was still worn paper thin, but deGrey was finally out of the woods.

"Yes Sir Loren, I would be enthused to view the shop. As well, I thank you for this is more of an opportunity I would be receiving in any other city. I cannot appropriately express my gratitude."

With that Alistair allowed the smile to fade once more to a more neutral look and stepped to the side to let the grandmaster lead the way to the workshop. deGrey began wondering what the grandmaster really thought of him, and hoped that he would be able to perform to his expectations. Oh well, he thought, it was not only irrelevant to have such thoughts, but counterproductive. With that, Alistair awaited the Grandmaster's direction.

[Gossamer]

Loren nodded, rose, and lead the way. He nodded to his assistant as they passed by, exiting the office and leading Alistair down a set of hallways to another private stair that lead from the knights tier to the ground floor. The route was circular, but there were enough windows that Alistair got a good idea of where he was going after they passed down to the ground floor tier, which was bustling with activity. There were people in the wide hallways, lingering in the courtyards where small food booths had been set up to feed people at tables that scattered through the crowd. Loren nodded to quiet a few people, stopping to talk once to someone who touched his arm briefly.

A pair of shadows flanked him, but stayed well back from Alistair and his escort, giving the Grandmaster both protection and privacy.

Finally, they stopped at the end of a long hallway (which explained why the shop had a small outdoor area) and unlocked the last door at the end of it. It opened into a decent sized display area that was about twenty feet by thirty feet in diameter. Most of the walls held shelves that were adjustable. There was a long counter with a marble top but glass displays beneath at the far end, and a pair of small windows on either side of it that actually looked into a workshop rather than outside. The workshop itself was roughly thirty by thirty feet and contained long counters, cabinets loaded with tools, and a doorway that lead outside to the forge area. Long windows flanked its outer wall letting in light. A small door lead off to the east, which opened into a room with a bed, chair, desk, and hearth. They were sleeping quarters, but nothing spacious.

Loren gave Alistair a few minutes to look around.

"Well, what do you think?" He asked, curiously. He truthfully had no idea if this was what Alistair had in mind or not.

[Alistair deGrey]

Whilst Loren and he were making their way through the throngs of people coagulating the hallways, deGrey felt the eyes of the people curiously watching them. Alistair thought he knew what they were thinking, and did his best to ignore it. The gossips of the castle were none of his concern, for the time being.

deGrey allowed the questioning gazes to fall to the back of his mind as they stopped in front of a door. Loren proceeded to unlock it and the two stepped into the store's display room. Alistair was shocked, this room was extravagant beyond his wildest imaginations. As the grandmaster gave him a tour, deGrey ran his hands over the finely cut marble tables of the display room, the worn wood of the workshop. Despite the exceptional craftsmanship put into this place, deGrey could see some dust accumulated on the tables and floor from lack of use. The room smelled musty from being locked up so long, and the smell of dew soaked ash could be discovered in the courtyard. All of this was delightful to deGrey, it smelled of, of a future.

Alistair was once more stolen from reverie when grandmaster Loren inquired as to whether or not Alistair liked the store. Nev.. Never "Never have experienced more elation! This is beyond wildest fantasy, I cannot express my gratitude to the Knights. Truly, if there is ever anything you require of me, I am at your disposal to the fullest." He then made a deep bow to the grandmaster, and upon straightening, "However, I am sure there are many more pressing matters for a grandmaster to attend to. Acquainting myself with the store will be simple enough. Again I thank you grandmaster Loren."

[Gossamer]

The dismissal was obvious and didn't set well with the grandmaster. Loren was kind, had infinite patience, but the young man's rudeness was extraordinary. Here he'd just offered him what equated to a palace in terms of a shop, gave him startup funding, and would arrange for the man to have productive work, employ others, and contribute to the community... and the thanks he got was the equivalent of 'Move along now... I'm done with you.'

He snorted slightly, wishing Kaylana was there for a moment. She could have read the young man's motives easier than the human could have. So, rather than leave, Loren Dyres paused. "My proper is title is Grandmaster Dyres. First names are not appropriate unless you and I are on an equal footing. Somehow, I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon. Secondly, when someone hands you a shop and startup funding, its not appropriate to dismiss them so hastily. And at the point that your 500 gold miza startup funding exceeds the profits you make monthly as well as what it costs to make those profits, we'll take the shop away and provide it to someone who knows how to handle their business better. I want to make that absolutely clear. Now, you'll need to sign some forms and leave them at my office to make it all legal and to show you understand what your getting into." The Grandmaster said, his voice taking on a slightly hard edge. Alistair, he decided, was going to have to learn a lot better manners if his shop was going to be successful in Syliras.

Loren Dyres pulled the paperwork out of his tunic and handed it to Alistair.

Business Agreement Shop Title: Tinker's Shop Location: 4204 3rd Tier - StormHold Attending Knight: Grandmaster Dyres Agreement: Use of shop and equipment within in exchange for complete profits from the shop. Funding will be provided in the amount of 500 gold miza a season with 500 gold miza to start up provided that profits from the shop return, after costs, at least 250 gold miza a season or higher. Salary: 8 GM to Alistair deGrey Additional Salary: 7 GM for one assistant Void: Contract can be voided at any time by the Syliran Knights, and will be immediately voided if the undersigned is arrested for any reason within the city of Syliras. Signed:_________________________________________________

"Sign and return this to the office before you officially open, and we have an agreement. If you have any questions, asking them now would be good, or my office is always open during normal hours." The grandmaster said. If Alistair had anything else to add, he'd pause to respond. Otherwise, he'd turn on his heel and depart, a bad taste left in his mouth.