Junk Modulation

[Visla Eraclaire]

A red robed agent of House Eraclaire fumbled about the bazaar looking for a suitable shop. He carried in his hand a staff recently purchased at auction capable of producing explosions three times a day. He also bore a mark on his face from his mistress' reaction when he presented it to her.

"You spent six hundred of my gold pieces on this junk!? I can produce explosions at will!" she had said before striking him with a gloved hand. "The money is no object, but don't come back until this useless little stick is something useful. Sell it, trade it, change it, just make it decent."

It was now his duty to make it useful to her, albeit at additional cost.

He approached an enchanters stall and placed the staff on the counter. Once he caught the notice of the proprietor he made his proposal.

"I have here an enchanted object and I need it... modified. The enchantment is fine, I just need it in a more convenient package. Sheathe it in a metal scepter and have the enchantment only activate when an object is struck with a red orb at the end. Keep it light and make sure it looks stylish, or I fear dire consequences."

[Taskmienster]

The enchanter, a recent exile of Raiaera, smiled at the man. It was not his first customer, but the shop had only been opened for a few months at best. He looked at the object, running his thin fingers over it before looking back to the man. “What kind of metal would you require for the scepter? And would you prefer a specific stone, perhaps something valuable and precious? Or just a small trinket? A man such as yourself seems to be one that would only accept the best of my works.”

[Visla Eraclaire]

"Durability is a major concern. The metal needs to withstand the weapon's own explosions as well as being able to deflect blows. As far as the stone goes... a ruby would be ideal, but I'd rather spend the gold on making the thing sturdy, so make it a garnet."

[Taskmienster]

“For the metal, it depends on what exactly you’d be interested in. Something magically resistant, I would suggest dehlar. It’s a grayish metal but it is rather heavy when enough of it is used, and for this job it would probably not be more than 4 pounds due to it simply being a coating. However, if you have the money and would like something purely resistant to fire and explosions I would suggest the better titanium. It’s difficult to find in bulk for larger weapons, but as a coating for the staff it would not be too difficult to find enough for it.” The elf tapped his finger on the counter while looking at the ceiling, doing small calculations in his head. “Dehlar, of average quality would be about 110 gold for average quality work, and upwards of 200 gold for masterwork quality. The titanium coating would be around 450 gold, with masterwork quality being upwards of 700 gold. A garnet a top that, the size of the inside of my palm, is close to 150 gold, and a ruby of equal size would be 500 gold.”

[Visla Eraclaire]

"The titanium seems more apt. Even with the low thickness, any weight is likely to bother my Lady. Given the difference in cost, I will settle for the garnet, its deeper reds are more suitable in any event. As for the masterworking, I suppose the craftsmanship is desirable, though the price seems somewhat high. Let me ask you this to see if you can earn that extra coin. How much would it cost to increase the function of the enchantment itself?

At present, I am told it works three times a day. How much to make it function more, or at will? Similarly, could the enchantment be made to function as a ray cast by the gem at range?"

[Taskmienster]

"I could give you a small discount on the masterwork titanium for the staff. Due to its size and shape it's not going to be difficult finding too much titanium for it. How about 650 for the staff's coating, with the garnet added that would bring you up to 800 gold. For the additional enchantments though..." the elf sighed and tried to think of how to work it as well as what it would cost. "I would say additional uses would be something limited still, I could possibly add on another two uses for another 700 gold. However, concentrating the magic into a ray to shoot at an opponent would be much easier with any sort of focus crystal. With the garnet, it would be just as strong as the enchantment you already have, but would only have a reach of about 20 feet. Realigning it so that is has focus would only be 500 gold."

[Visla Eraclaire]

"Seven hundred for two charges?"

The man started laughing and then turned to a scowl.

"Look, you must take me for quite the fool, and normally you'd be right. I don't know a damned thing about the value of metals or craftsmanship. I just have a big pile of gold that isn't even mine, but in this case I know I'm getting taken for a ride."

He snatched the item off the counter.

"I bought this thing for six hundred gold pieces, a bit too much even, and it has three charges. Two more for seven hundred is a joke and it tells me you truly aren't serious about this transaction."

The man walked out. He'd find another way to fix up the item for his mistress, somewhere far from the greedy paws of Bazaar merchants.

[Taskmienster]

"Enchanting over another enchantment... not an easy task no matter how arrogant someone is. Plus, purchase at an auction doesn't necessarily mean that is how much the object is worth to begin with..." The elves voice was pointless though, as the man was shuffling his way out the door quickly. It was a waste, or at least the exile felt that way. Bartering was never not an option, but it would not have changed the prices by more than a hundred or two per gold anyway.

"Oh well," the enchanter said with a shrug and went back to fiddling with a new woven spell that he couldn't quite figure out.