Astrid Whitepeak
04-02-14, 12:32 AM
After wandering aimlessly through the area for most of the morning, perusing the wares and staring longingly at several lovingly crafted Talymer longbows, Astrid finally dragged herself away to the one business that she actually intended to spend coin at today. The silversmith’s shop was a small affair, tucked away in a corner of the market district dedicated to other jewelers and fine metalworkers. The sound of hammers ringing against metal was constant here, a steady percussion which no doubt aggravated the delicate sensibilities of the upper classes, hence the isolation. A pair of small bells – silver, of course – chimed as Astrid opened the door and walked into the building. A young man in a rich, silk doublet embroidered with thread of gold was standing at the counter, speaking with the clerk about a commission of his own.
Astrid shuffled her feet uncertainly, looking around the room as she waited for the clerk to finish with him. The layout of the shop floor was simple and open, with several velvet covered shelves lining the wall, and a large chandelier providing ample light for customers to adequately appreciate the skill of the craftsmanship. The weaver in her took particular interest in the large, finely detailed rug she believed might be from Corone that covered the floor; no workers would be allowed to tromp muddy boots into this establishment! Several begemmed pendants hung on chains so fine that looked like spun silver were on display on one of those shelves, each one more impressive than the last. The other platforms held a wide variety of miscellaneous goods the nobility might desire for their homes; here there were sets of cutlery, there a set of matching goblets embossed with the seal of some great House. A slightly convex disk roughly two hands across and worked in dizzyingly elaborate geometric patterns was mounted on the wall behind the counter, above a door leading to the back of the shop where the sound of small hammers pinging against metal could be heard. Astrid idly wondered if it was supposed to be a fantastical rendering of a shield, but dismissed the idea out of hand. No one could be foolish enough to actually believe that wielding a silver buckler would be anything more than an expensive form of suicide. If the shining surface did not immediately draw every archer on the field’s eye, it would certainly not stop a blade once the distance was closed. Then again, she thought wryly, she wouldn’t put it past the nobility to try it if it meant they could hold their noses even a fraction higher in the air.
As the conversation at the counter wore on, Astrid worked her finger under the collar of her tunic unconsciously. She felt entirely out of her element in places such as this, having spent most of her life believing that even a single gold piece was a fortune beyond measure. Since leaving Loshad she had certainly come to realize just how off-base her naïve assumptions had been, but even so she could not shake the feeling that she simply did not belong here. The pieces on display in one case alone could have fed the entirety of her village for months, and she could not even fathom how much the entire inventory would cost. It was mindboggling to think that anyone could be so free with their coin as to need silver spoons! A bored looking man leaned lazily against the doorframe, but Astrid could see the way his eyes seemed to take in his surroundings and noted how they lingered in their appraisal of her. He knew that she was out of place here as well, and clearly expected trouble from her.
Finally the shopkeeper finished with the young noble, and bowed to him as he walked past Astrid without even seeing her. He probably assumed she was a courier for some other family with too much money to know what to do with. The clerk gave her a quick once-over, taking in her clothing and looking for a coinpurse on her hip. Astrid had worn her finest today, but she was sure it was still far from the attire of the shop’s usual clientele. As she approached the counter she pulled a sheet of parchment from the pocket of her pack, unfolded it, and carefully pressed the creased surfaces down on the counter in front of the clerk. The drawing on it was a simple sketch; she was never going to be an artist, but she hoped it could get the message across clearly enough.
OOC: I have no idea what the coinage of Salvar looks like according to the lore (I don’t know if things ever got that specific), but in my head I imagine that one side is stamped with the likeness of the king and the reverse has some sort of symbol of the Church (again, is there lore for this?). Astrid wants to get a silver necklace with the copper coin mentioned periodically in this (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?26794-The-Cold-Hand-of-Mercy-(Semi-Solo)) thread mounted Church-side out to the front of a disk. On the back of the pendant she wants a stylized sunburst etched into the surface, along with the words “Do Better” in Salvic. She would also like a matching chain to go with it, thick enough that it would not easily snap with her continually wearing it under her shirt.
Astrid shuffled her feet uncertainly, looking around the room as she waited for the clerk to finish with him. The layout of the shop floor was simple and open, with several velvet covered shelves lining the wall, and a large chandelier providing ample light for customers to adequately appreciate the skill of the craftsmanship. The weaver in her took particular interest in the large, finely detailed rug she believed might be from Corone that covered the floor; no workers would be allowed to tromp muddy boots into this establishment! Several begemmed pendants hung on chains so fine that looked like spun silver were on display on one of those shelves, each one more impressive than the last. The other platforms held a wide variety of miscellaneous goods the nobility might desire for their homes; here there were sets of cutlery, there a set of matching goblets embossed with the seal of some great House. A slightly convex disk roughly two hands across and worked in dizzyingly elaborate geometric patterns was mounted on the wall behind the counter, above a door leading to the back of the shop where the sound of small hammers pinging against metal could be heard. Astrid idly wondered if it was supposed to be a fantastical rendering of a shield, but dismissed the idea out of hand. No one could be foolish enough to actually believe that wielding a silver buckler would be anything more than an expensive form of suicide. If the shining surface did not immediately draw every archer on the field’s eye, it would certainly not stop a blade once the distance was closed. Then again, she thought wryly, she wouldn’t put it past the nobility to try it if it meant they could hold their noses even a fraction higher in the air.
As the conversation at the counter wore on, Astrid worked her finger under the collar of her tunic unconsciously. She felt entirely out of her element in places such as this, having spent most of her life believing that even a single gold piece was a fortune beyond measure. Since leaving Loshad she had certainly come to realize just how off-base her naïve assumptions had been, but even so she could not shake the feeling that she simply did not belong here. The pieces on display in one case alone could have fed the entirety of her village for months, and she could not even fathom how much the entire inventory would cost. It was mindboggling to think that anyone could be so free with their coin as to need silver spoons! A bored looking man leaned lazily against the doorframe, but Astrid could see the way his eyes seemed to take in his surroundings and noted how they lingered in their appraisal of her. He knew that she was out of place here as well, and clearly expected trouble from her.
Finally the shopkeeper finished with the young noble, and bowed to him as he walked past Astrid without even seeing her. He probably assumed she was a courier for some other family with too much money to know what to do with. The clerk gave her a quick once-over, taking in her clothing and looking for a coinpurse on her hip. Astrid had worn her finest today, but she was sure it was still far from the attire of the shop’s usual clientele. As she approached the counter she pulled a sheet of parchment from the pocket of her pack, unfolded it, and carefully pressed the creased surfaces down on the counter in front of the clerk. The drawing on it was a simple sketch; she was never going to be an artist, but she hoped it could get the message across clearly enough.
OOC: I have no idea what the coinage of Salvar looks like according to the lore (I don’t know if things ever got that specific), but in my head I imagine that one side is stamped with the likeness of the king and the reverse has some sort of symbol of the Church (again, is there lore for this?). Astrid wants to get a silver necklace with the copper coin mentioned periodically in this (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?26794-The-Cold-Hand-of-Mercy-(Semi-Solo)) thread mounted Church-side out to the front of a disk. On the back of the pendant she wants a stylized sunburst etched into the surface, along with the words “Do Better” in Salvic. She would also like a matching chain to go with it, thick enough that it would not easily snap with her continually wearing it under her shirt.