On the Construction of a Caduceus (Part 1)

[Zook Murnig]

Radasanth was a big city, to be sure. Larger than any Caduceus had seen before, though given his history that didn't say much. He'd grown up in a small town on the edge of Concordia and spent the past ten years in a similarly tiny village high in the Comb Mountains.

The hustle and bustle of city life was new to the country magician, and his disorientation was only worsened by the fact that he had gone to the bazaar district in search of components for a wand.

He wandered the streets aimlessly, finding no organization whatsoever to the marketplace. Weapon shops right next to fruit stands, followed immediately by stores selling all manner of things ranging from handcrafted musical instruments to animal tooth jewelry. He feared he would never find what he was looking for.

Then he saw it. A little hut with a sign out front depicting a wide-brimmed pointed hat and a wand. Caduceus pushed his way through the crowds to get there and stepped inside.

The hut was larger inside than he would have thought, with wands and staves and other magical implements hanging and lying everywhere for display. In a clear space on the desk lay a single bell, which the magician rang, summoning the shopkeep to help him.

[Artifex Felicis]

The shopkeep breathed heavy as he came from his work station. Much of what he did involved carving larger staves and smaller wands. Of course, some also paid to have a full staff whittled down from a hand cut tree. It was tiresome work in order to bring the magic tool out of the wood, and even moreso when the stuffy wizards demanded it in under three days. Still, Albane was paid more then enough for his duties.

He wiped his body off with a towel, returning and standing before his worn counter and looking at a new customer. He didn't seem to be all that old, and in Albane's line of work he could spot any novice spell caster. Of course, he had trouble picking out those who had potential, but he left that aside. He was about as close to immune to magic as one could possibly get. Every shop within fifty yards of his was completely barren of any magic thanks to that little trick of his. It was amusing to see some of the more powerful mages try to bully lower prices.

"Welcome, so whatcha want?" Albane asked quickly. He was not a complicated man, and his vocabulary was not quite as sophisticated as his customers. Of course, they also couldn't make goods even a third as good as Albane's.

[Zook Murnig]

As the man came into the room Caduceus felt somehow detached from the ether and his magic. He could not feel the elemental energies anymore, and it made him uncomfortable. Best not to drag this out, he thought.

Leaning in to speak confidentially with the large man, Caduceus described what he sought. "I need parts for a wand. I will construct the wand myself, but I need the components. I need three things for it. A hollow shaft of liviol yew, about 12 inches in length. A length of magnetized steel of 13 inches, shaped and sized to fit inside of the wooden rod. And a single fire opal, the size of my thumb, from the tip to the knuckle."

He straightened back up, saying, "When can you have those ready for me? And how much will it cost?"

[Artifex Felicis]

Albane's brow furrowed for a moment, and he bent down to pick up a small piece of cotton and a piece of charcoal. He continued speaking as he scribbled onto the cloth. "I don't carry gems of any value here," he explained. He handed the piece of cotton to the boy. "Bring that down a couple stores. The sign outside'll be a gem. Can't miss it. She'll get whatcha want. As for the rest of it, it'll be about 345 gold or so. I'll need a couple hours to carve your wood to some steel."

[Zook Murnig]

Caduceus paid the man in full and took the voucher a short ways down the street, to the shop indicated. After picking up the fire opal, the magician wandered around the bazaar for a few hours, looking through all the strange things for sale. Eventually, he made his way back around to the wand shop to retrieve the hollow liviol yew rod and the shaft of magnetized steel it was carved to match.

[Artifex Felicis]

Albane finished the boy's parts quickly enough, taking what he needed and sending him on his way after that.

((Transaction complete!

345 gold taken away! 0 remains at time of thread completion!))

[Karuka]

EXP added, GP deducted.