Era 8 Episode 1: Troubles in New Hallandren

[Karnatheon he/him]

13 minutes ago, Koloss17 said:

This man was surprisingly open about his intentions, which Venser appreciated. He was used to having to read someone’s story from their mannerisms, so not having to do that for once was a pleasant surprise.

”The designs and many of the crafts are my own, with some being imported. However, a true craftsman knows the works that sells the best are the ones that have soul to them,” Venser said, winking.

”yet with a shop like this, there is only so much that one can do yourself.”

There were distinct advantages to success. ‘A merchant that doesn’t have to work for their money is a successful merchant’ his babsk had said. But there were also disadvantages. Looking upon his shelves, there were only hints of his labor on display. He chose what to stock, and even designed some of the wares himself. The glass and obsidian daggers were carefully crafted, with the various styles of mistcoats and mistcloaks being designed, but not made, by him. Yet so much else was outsourced, bulk trades being sold for slight markups. He controlled the stock, yet few of it was his. Luckily his side business, that of custom weaponry, was all done by hand.

“What of you? Looking to start up shop? The Corridor has served me well, but I came here due to a unique opportunity.”

Laonin watched Venser as he spoke, feeling that there was more to the man than met the eye. His Jovial attitude seemed sincere though.

"Indeed. While there is skill in being able to recreate multiple of the same object very quickly. the true art of creation takes time. Many of my best pieces I would not wish to produce again, as each of them was a unique challenge to create, and some part of me was infused into them during the creation. I would not cheapen that by attempting to copy it." as Loanin said this he couldn't help but look down at his arms, his hands, and see the many marks and traces of his line of work upon them. The physical representation of the memories made during the process of creation.

"Which pieces are yours?" Laonin asked, looking around the shop. "I would love to be able to see your craftsmanship for myself. I believe you can learn a lot about a man by his work, his mind and soul brought forth into the physical realm. Do you have any favorites?"

"As for myself, I'm still trying to figure that out. I know I have the capability, as I have done so in the past. I'm just not certain if that is what I still wish to do. My perspective has changed somewhat during the last 5 years. I used to think that I could simply fix what was broken, restore what was lost, and that it would be enough. But coming back to the city, seeing that while my work did have some lasting affect in small ways, it didn't have the weight I had once hoped it would. As evidenced by this Perses I've heard tale of, it seems the city is still all too susceptible to the wrong kind of man grabbing it by the throat and forcing it into submission. It still seems as though the people are not empowered enough to be able to stop someone like him on their own, and the people with power to do so are either too busy with their own problems or not concerned enough to care." Saying all of this, Laonin realized he had begun clenching his fists tightly, causing his knuckles to whiten. Relaxing his hands he quickly shook out the inner tension that had built up, and continued.

"Apologies, I tend to get carried away sometimes. To more succinctly answer your question, I want to get involved in the city again. And I figured, what better way than to start with the kind of people I know, the kind of people I understand. Those who pour themselves into their work, whose blood sweat and tears have been infused into their creations. This may come off as being a little too forward, but I don't tend to beat around the bush. Would you be open to the idea of a partnership? Perhaps even a Coalition, if things take off. I know we've just met, and I don't expect you to throw your hat in with a stranger, but perhaps we can start things off with getting to know each other, and our workspaces, better?"

 

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Don't feel like you need to agree to this, I know Venser his own motivations and his own stuff going on. And if this wouldn't be appealing to him, that's okay.

 

[Koloss17 She/They]

15 minutes ago, Karnatheon said:

Laonin watched Venser as he spoke, feeling that there was more to the man than met the eye. His Jovial attitude seemed sincere though.

"Indeed. While there is skill in being able to recreate multiple of the same object very quickly. the true art of creation takes time. Many of my best pieces I would not wish to produce again, as each of them was a unique challenge to create, and some part of me was infused into them during the creation. I would not cheapen that by attempting to copy it." as Loanin said this he couldn't help but look down at his arms, his hands, and see the many marks and traces of his line of work upon them. The physical representation of the memories made during the process of creation.

"Which pieces are yours?" Laonin asked, looking around the shop. "I would love to be able to see your craftsmanship for myself. I believe you can learn a lot about a man by his work, his mind and soul brought forth into the physical realm. Do you have any favorites?"

"As for myself, I'm still trying to figure that out. I know I have the capability, as I have done so in the past. I'm just not certain if that is what I still wish to do. My perspective has changed somewhat during the last 5 years. I used to think that I could simply fix what was broken, restore what was lost, and that it would be enough. But coming back to the city, seeing that while my work did have some lasting affect in small ways, it didn't have the weight I had once hoped it would. As evidenced by this Perses I've heard tale of, it seems the city is still all too susceptible to the wrong kind of man grabbing it by the throat and forcing it into submission. It still seems as though the people are not empowered enough to be able to stop someone like him on their own, and the people with power to do so are either too busy with their own problems or not concerned enough to care." Saying all of this, Laonin realized he had begun clenching his fists tightly, causing his knuckles to whiten. Relaxing his hands he quickly shook out the inner tension that had built up, and continued.

"Apologies, I tend to get carried away sometimes. To more succinctly answer your question, I want to get involved in the city again. And I figured, what better way than to start with the kind of people I know, the kind of people I understand. Those who pour themselves into their work, whose blood sweat and tears have been infused into their creations. This may come off as being a little too forward, but I don't tend to beat around the bush. Would you be open to the idea of a partnership? Perhaps even a Coalition, if things take off. I know we've just met, and I don't expect you to throw your hat in with a stranger, but perhaps we can start things off with getting to know each other, and our workspaces, better?"

 

 

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I’m down to do something with ya, but it is worth noting that Venser is an NPC. He hasn’t been approved, and his purpose is to largely assist in a character’s development, not further his own ambitions. While I can do something like what you’re proposing, I don’t want Venser to be acting too much like a PC.

 

[Karnatheon he/him]

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That's fair. I'm still trying to figure out how I want Laonin to try and accomplish his goals. Would Venser be open to showing Laonin around his crafting setup and some of the stuff he's made, or is he significantly more cagey about the black market stuff? I don't know how extreme of a situation it is. Either way, I think it would work for him to say no to Laonin, either now or after more conversation. That would put Laonin in a position where he needs to reassess things and maybe try a different approach.

 

[Koloss17 She/They]

On 2/11/2025 at 1:42 PM, Karnatheon said:

Laonin watched Venser as he spoke, feeling that there was more to the man than met the eye. His Jovial attitude seemed sincere though.

"Indeed. While there is skill in being able to recreate multiple of the same object very quickly. the true art of creation takes time. Many of my best pieces I would not wish to produce again, as each of them was a unique challenge to create, and some part of me was infused into them during the creation. I would not cheapen that by attempting to copy it." as Loanin said this he couldn't help but look down at his arms, his hands, and see the many marks and traces of his line of work upon them. The physical representation of the memories made during the process of creation.

"Which pieces are yours?" Laonin asked, looking around the shop. "I would love to be able to see your craftsmanship for myself. I believe you can learn a lot about a man by his work, his mind and soul brought forth into the physical realm. Do you have any favorites?"

"As for myself, I'm still trying to figure that out. I know I have the capability, as I have done so in the past. I'm just not certain if that is what I still wish to do. My perspective has changed somewhat during the last 5 years. I used to think that I could simply fix what was broken, restore what was lost, and that it would be enough. But coming back to the city, seeing that while my work did have some lasting affect in small ways, it didn't have the weight I had once hoped it would. As evidenced by this Perses I've heard tale of, it seems the city is still all too susceptible to the wrong kind of man grabbing it by the throat and forcing it into submission. It still seems as though the people are not empowered enough to be able to stop someone like him on their own, and the people with power to do so are either too busy with their own problems or not concerned enough to care." Saying all of this, Laonin realized he had begun clenching his fists tightly, causing his knuckles to whiten. Relaxing his hands he quickly shook out the inner tension that had built up, and continued.

"Apologies, I tend to get carried away sometimes. To more succinctly answer your question, I want to get involved in the city again. And I figured, what better way than to start with the kind of people I know, the kind of people I understand. Those who pour themselves into their work, whose blood sweat and tears have been infused into their creations. This may come off as being a little too forward, but I don't tend to beat around the bush. Would you be open to the idea of a partnership? Perhaps even a Coalition, if things take off. I know we've just met, and I don't expect you to throw your hat in with a stranger, but perhaps we can start things off with getting to know each other, and our workspaces, better?"

 

 

Venser thought for a moment. This man was surprisingly forward, which he appreciated. But still, he didn't know the man's motivations. He said one thing, and his body was saying the same, but in Alleycity, you could never fully trust someone.

"How about you meet me here after the shop's closed. I will consider your offer, and we shall discuss this further then. For now, I have customers to serve."

[Karnatheon he/him]

22 hours ago, Koloss17 said:

Venser thought for a moment. This man was surprisingly forward, which he appreciated. But still, he didn't know the man's motivations. He said one thing, and his body was saying the same, but in Alleycity, you could never fully trust someone.

"How about you meet me here after the shop's closed. I will consider your offer, and we shall discuss this further then. For now, I have customers to serve."

Laonin understood the man had a business to run, and that he needed time to think. This was likely an unexpected proposal for him. Finding something to keep himself busy while he waited wouldn't be a problem. 

"Of course, I shall return at that time. Have a pleasant day." Laonin said, then turned and walked out the door.

Walking back out into the sunlight, Laonin reveled in its warmth. He took a look around the street, then headed back home to keep himself occupied until Venser had closed shop and was ready to continue the discussion.