[Charles Mckinna]

Julius scipion, valton, evening

Julius listened as the dark elf responded he let out a hearty laugh before replying "to right about sticks and my [censored] I have been building and overseeing today so forgive as well as my old legion instincts, I do not know who my family are, that explains my ineptitude towards the caste besides its all gone to oblivion" he sneezed before patting the summer on the shoulder and returning to his home.

[Laura Cartwright]

Danus Maximus. Helas Folly.

As I sat down the Dunmer finally had the nerve to speak. He insulted my race. And my friend Julius. I got up went straight to his face. I did not cared if he was a telavani, or if he will use his magic against me.

"It may have have took the empire 80 years to rule Morrowind friend, but that was the past. Look at your homeland now. Either destroyed or Argonian Territory. I mean no offense to the Dunmer but you are looking into the past. Morrowind right now can't defend against the empire should there somehow but unlikely be another war. And this imbecile as you call it is not that bad of a ruler. Atleast given the circumstances he had to go through. And the reason why we have to bend over to the damn thalmor is because we had no other choice. We could not continue the war. Someday things will change but not if short sighted fools like Ulfric is doing what he is doing.

And you may have not intentionally tried to kill them, but you still went too far, and damaged property you do not own. And over what? An error? You call accidently dropping something that caused little if any damage an error of their ways? As for the Telavani. They may have done that to people in the past. But that was then; this is now. And the Telavani, or any of the great houses, no longer exists. I'm afraid you're delusional friend."

I then spit in the ground in disgust. The elf is living in the past too much.

[lucy chadwick]

Roymund Inventius, Helas' Folly. Evening

The barman served Roymund his drink, though didnt lend any explaination to the current situation. He seemed distracted by the Nord which the Altmer had propped up against the bar.
With a shrug, Roymund took a gulp of his mug, using his good arm, then turned to watch the fellows argue. Seems it was the Dunmers chance to exchange words, instead off simply offering a smug smirk. He spoke with an unnatural calmness for the tone of words he used, it appeared to Roymund that this aged Dark Elf had spent many of his days defending his and his kin's views.

His speech seemed effective enough, the Altmer made his excuses and made his way out of the Inn. As he passed, Roymund muttered a faint chuckle "Clearly been put in his place, that one" he thought to himself.
Returning his attention to the remaining few, the Imperial was more inclined to stand his ground in the argument which was a commendable trait. Roymunds attention switched to that of the Imperials men, they'd shown little emotion so far apart from mere amusemant at the situation. Roymund took another gulp from his mug of mead "Not a bad brew" he thought to himself.

[Matthew Aaron Evans]

Theseus, Forge, Evening

The Breton took his hand in a firm handshake. They were the hard hands of a worker, yet they still had a soft, feminine feel of a woman. A beautiful woman.

"Names Jacqueline."

Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Jacqueline.... The name reverberated through the Redguard's dumbstruck brain.

"Uh, are ya feeling alrite?" Jacqueline said with a hint of confusion.

"Oh yes I'm fine, ugh I mean I'll be fine, as in healthy fine." replied Theseus with a too- big smile.

more looks of confusion. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!

Jacqueline raised a questioning eyebrow at him. Theseus then realized that he still had her hand in his and recoiled back. He then proceeded to nervously scratch the back of his neck
with an embarrassed grin sketched onto his face. Way to make a first impression.

[Victoria Bartel]

Jacqueline, Forge Evening.

"Uh-huh..." she wasn't completely convinced. The man looked a bit feverish and his stumbling over words and strange behavior could very well be caused by some kind of illness. Jacqueline didn't really know what to say so she glanced at Gorbad to see if he had finished the nails yet. He didn't seem to be completely done yet so she looked back at Theseus and did her best to keep the conversation going.

"Uh... so what do ya do 'ere in Valton?"

[chloe hampson]

Theseus, Forge, Evening

The Redguard pondered what to say Just a traveler passing through is what he'd say, but instead all that came out was:

"Nothing."

Jacqueline's face shifted from confusion to what looked to be suspicion. She probably thinks I'm the biggest idiot east of Hammerfell. Theseus took a deep breath and tryed to come up with a way to salvage
whatever this "conversation" had turned into.

"N-nothing yet, Is what...what I meant to say. I'm a wanderer- I mean traveler."

[djimi]

Jacqueline, Forge, Evening.

"I see... so just passin' through? Or are ya lookin' fer a job? I've been seein' lotsa mercenaries 'ere in town. Don't know if I should take it as a good thing or bad, though. Guess this hold ain't tha safest place ta be in Skyrim."

[Doniesha World]

Theseus, Forge, Evening

'You know I can't really say for sure," said Theseus with a smile," I was injured pretty severely, and I don't now if I have the sufficient funds to pay off my medical debt."

This talking thing was getting easier. Just dont run your mouth and say something stupid.

"May I ask why you are in Valton?"

[Ludivine Poussineau]

Varyn, Hela's Folly, Evening


Varyn listened to the Imperial as he let loose another barrage of comebacks. The old elf just leaned back on the table and smiled as the infuriated man kept on. Hehe, what a fool. Just like the rest of his kind. Midway through his speech Varyn reached into his pocket and procured his pipe, which he then proceeded to light. He took a big puff of the pipe as the Imperial finished. The Telvanni Mage-Lord laughed lightly as the smoke drifted around his head.

"Oh you're done?" Varyn stared blankly at him for a moment, "Oh no, please, continue. I was liking your list of excuses my dear boy! You seem to have them down pretty well. I take it you have to recite them daily when faced with the truth of Cyrodiilic failure?" Varyn yipped a quick dry laugh as smoke poured out his mouth, "My older brother once told me that excuses are the tools with which persons with no purpose in view build for themselves great monuments of nothing, and with that list you've built a monument big enough to rival that white tower your emperor warms his ass on!"

The old mer cackled hysterically as he leaned up against the table. "Now be gone with you boy. I'll summon you if I need a good laugh. Next time dress in motley and wear some bells," the old mer chuckled as he continued to puff away on his pipe, filling the room with a rich aroma.

[Melanie]

Jacqueline, Forge, Evening.

It seemed Theseus didn't have any specific plans for his visit to Valton, but he was stuck here until he could pay off his medical treatment.

"Me? Oh, just tryin' ma luck away from home. I heard this Hold 'ere was brand new 'n that usually calls fer builders ta build stuff, ya know? But if there ain't no proper buildin' work to be had 'ere then I'll probably have ta move on 'n look elsewhere. In tha meantime I'm helpin' Alguidar around 'is farm 'n stuff. Ta pay fer lodging, kinda." An idea popped up in her head and she added "if ya ain't got that coin ta pay yer bill then how bout askin' ta work off yer debt?"

[RObert loVes MOmmy]

Theseus, Forge, Evening

Theseus's smile grew larger as the Breton lass suggested working off his debt. Two birds one stone.

"That sounds like a great idea!" He said rather too enthusiastically.

He turned his gaze towards the Nord.

"If you need any help around the farm, I'd be more than willing to help. I don't have any experience in farm work, but I'm a hard worker and know how to follow directions. Plus I can also act as a guard of sorts."

Theseus thought it over and then added, "But I won't be able to work for the next couple of days, I need time for my injuries to heal."

[Cool Man Sam]

Alguidar, Valton's Forge, Evening

The man turned to Jacqueline and introduced himself. Theseus was his name. His body language, awkward. His speech, clumsy. A casual conversation followed, the two seemed to get along. Kind of. Jacqueline showed concern over his condition and gave him advice. Taking a cue from her, Theseus finally faced the farmer again and asked for work.

Last time a stranger asked for work, it didn't end well. Thought Alguidar, suspicious of his affiliations. He was armed and covered in armor, but he wasn't a threat in his state. That and the slight Nordic features, let Alguidar at ease.

"Well lad, I don't think I can use your services but... tell you what, you find me when you're feeling good and I might think of something, yes?"

Nothing came to mind at the time but you never know when you might need a sword and one skilled in using it.

"Say... you're not with the Legion, are you?" Kind of a silly question, if he were deceiving the farmer, he wouldn't say anyway. The earlier encounter with the Imperial kept Alguidar on his toes though.

[le GraiN]

Theseus, Forge, Evening

"No sir," Theseus responded, "I have no ties to either side in this war."

Theseus was a little curious about why the Nord would ask, considering he wasn't wearing legionnaire garb.

"I really must be going. It's getting late and i need the rest."

Theseus said his goodbyes and grinned at Jacqueline before turning around and hobbling back to the chapel.

(ooc I wont be able to post till tomorrow so I got Theseus out of there)

[Laura Mclean]

Jacqueline, Forge, Evening.

Jacqueline looked at Theseus as he made his way down the street. He was certainly an odd one. Then again Jacqueline had met plenty of other weirdos that day. When Theseus was so far away that she was sure he wouldn't hear, she let her thoughts run free. "I'm thinkin' 'em bandits got 'is head bumped up a bit too..."

[Samantha Wood]

Alguidar, Valton's Farm, Evening

Alguidar watched Theseus walk away. By the way he was limping, it was hard to see how he could recover fully in a couple of days. This healer he spoke of must be good.

"I'm thinkin' 'em bandits got 'is head bumped up a bit too..." Said Jacqueline. Alguidar chuckled and replied. "Yes. Just came by to say hello, apparently."

He turned back to the forge, hopefully the blacksmith would be about done by now.

"Anyway, I hope Roymund didn't turn to stone yet. Ha Ha!" Alguidar laughed before realizing it could actually have happened already. Then it wouldn't be funny anymore. He quickly wiped that smirk off his face.

[Sarah MacLeod]

Gorbad Yak-Bogadbu, his forge, evening.

The Theseus fella said goodbye and started walking away at the same time Gorbad threw the last nail in the water. Alguidar joked about his friend turning into stone, due to his decease, but Gorbad didn't find it amusing. It might very well be that way. Apparently the through had struck Alguidar as well, since the smirk disappeared quickly off his face.

"Here's the nails, four big ones and eight wide-headed ones." Gorbad said while he handed over the now cooled down nails to Jack. "Now you come see me once can afford the repair and I'll fix the knife."

He paused for a second. Should he ask these two to spread words around the town that the blacksmith had a rather unique armor for sale or not? He could do it himself, but it was always better if someone else recommended your wares than you personally. It was actually quite a terrible plan to try and sell a product alone, compared to strangers recommendation. "Why not?" He thought and continued,

"I don't supposed you could be so kind as to spread word around town that I'm selling a rather unique piece of armor? I'll show it to you if you're interested. For your troubles, once the armor is sold, you'll get a nice cut of 10% each. What do you say?" His expression was as sly as an orc's face could get. He was selling it for a high price, so even if he'd given a 25% cut each he'd walk out with plenty of coin.

[patricia kris]

Itan-Ru, Valton chapel, Evening

Roymund, having received his healing, and after thanking the young argonian and wishing him well, politely took his leave from the converted home that served as the chapel. Itan-Ru smiled to himself, happy that he was able to help the man. He began to empty out the main section of his pack, sending several books, potions, and sweets tumbling onto the table. He gathered up what he could in his arms and began to find proper places to put them.

the books were easy to get rid of; a nearby bookshelf had plenty of space. The potions and ingredients, along with his equipment for mixing them, were a bit more difficult to set down. Hmm.... there's not enough room down here, and even if there was, this is a chapel, not a lab. perhaps they should go in my room... with that, he made his way upstairs, careful not to drop any of his burden and cautiously opened the door to the main bedroom. He quickly located the desk and made his way there to set down his equipment before looking at the rest of the room.

his burden removed, he sat down at the chair in front of the desk for a moment and observed his new accommodations. A shelf stood by the desk, the perfect place to keep his alchemical supplies so they would be within easy reach when he was working. In front of the bed was a chest, its corresponding key sat on top of it. Itan-ru picked up the key and opened the chest, peering inside to find it was completely empty, as he'd expected, considering this home was unoccupied before today.

He walked back downstairs to grab his pack, now much lighter since he'd removed the equipment, statue, and books, and made his way back to his room. There was till one weighty object at the bottom of the pack; his sleeping potions. He reached his room and stood before the chest, reaching into his bag and pulling out a wooden box about the size of one of the larger books, but significantly thicker from top to bottom. if it were to be opened, several racks could slide out to maximize storage space, each of the many slots storing a tiny bottle of a powerful medicine to induce sleep. It only took him two sips to be tired enough to fall asleep within minutes.

With his pack now mostly emptied, he went downstairs and sat down in the bench in front of the statue of Mara, silently thanking her for this opportunity to help the people of this town in any way he could. After a few minutes of prayer, he grabbed one of his personal notebooks that he kept in the side pocket of his pack and sat down at the table, also pulling out a quill and a bottle of ink. He opened his notebook to a fresh page and began thinking of earlier, when he'd healed the Jarl's raven. He drew an outline of a bird, its wings spread across the pages filling in the blank space inside with rough outlines of what he sensed when he'd been examining it. The way he "saw" the bird's systems wasn't through his eyes, he was almost feeling them with magic, tracing their paths to learn what their purpose was. Whenever he completed one of these paths on paper, he would pause in his drawing to add notes about them.

He knew this would take some time to finish, but he didn't mind as he had plenty of time before the day was done. He conjured a small flame to ignite a candle for light and continued his work, quietly humming to himself.

[Mari martnez Martinez]

Jacqueline

Gorbad was done with the nails now and had offered them to advertise one of his pieces for a small percentage of the selling price.

"Sure thing, I'l do ma best" she smiled. "Which armour is it?"

[Astargoth Rockin' Design]

Fiona's Tower to Helas' Folly, evening
Leandra

Jormaw asking if he could accompany her threw a stick in her mental wheel for a second, but after but a bit of straining, the metaphorical stick was broken and the wheel trundled on. "...Sure." The mumbled response came to his query as the Nibenese stepped out as well, proceeding down the spiral staircase in a light cloud of steam, musings and hunger. 'Meditation' was not precisely what she would've called her intentions, but where just moments ago she would've rambled on about the subject on her way down, now she felt content to converse only with herself.

Traps and clannfear notwithstanding, that was a pretty calm day here. Mostly the kind of thing I hoped for from this whole 'new hold' concept, light work with the promise of pay and the chance to rest a bit.

Step, step, step, down the stairs she went. Her Dwemer-augmented arm clanged silently and twitched slightly with every tread.

Well, that and an Argonian thrown in for a bonus. Wonder how long he'll be following me around. Useful enough for now, and I suppose if it gets annoying I can just apply some good old racism and be rid of him... Or tie him up... Roll him up in a carpet? Enough possibilities to make this whole 'mysterious duo' gig fun enough for the meantime.

Ignoring the fact her metal-clad fist clenched abruptly, Leandra slipped outside of the keep, taking a slightly deeper breath of the air. For all its flaws, Skyrim was good on the lungs at least; the crisp air up here in the not-entirely-northmost north she could definitely live with. In the waning light of the sun that was about to hide behind the mountains, the whole town of Valton seemed almost as idyllic as her childhood home.

Unconsciously, the mercenary scratched the locket hanging from her neck. Maybe she wasn't one for more permanent settling down, but that didn't mean that she didn't miss her home somewhere beneath the lust for travel; having an image of it, frozen in time just as she remembered it, was something of a relief in those moments of longing.

Finding the inn wasn't much trouble, sitting as it was smack dab in the middle of the town. Her hand yanked upwards a bit as she stopped to look at the sign; Helas' Folly, she read while hitting her shoulder. The Dwemer contraption responded with a loud rattle accompanied by a series of clangs coming upwards from her palm, her arm twitching again slightly before a great cloud of steam emerged from the pipe sticking out from her trenchcoat. Then, after another twitch, the contraption seemed to settle down for the moment, returning to its usual calm puffing. With a satisfied nod, Leandra pulled her goggles up to stop them from sliding over her eyes, took one last annoyed look at her little arm augmentation, pushed open the door and entered.

Typical Nordic establishment. Lots of mead, fire, song and wood, and probably not a drop of good wine nor a comfortable seat in sight. Her gaze wandered along the walls, looking for a comfortable corner to sit down in and try to get some sleep. While the mercenary had no idea whether there were any available rooms here, she wasn't intending to check. So long as you bought a bottle of wine and a good meal for herself, innkeepers tended to leave you alone, as she'd often found to be the case on her travels.

Her wandering gaze grind to a halt at a pair who seemed to be in the middle of something. As far as she could tell, the countryman of hers was arguing about whatever it was they were arguing about with a Dunmer who looked quite ancient indeed, if she knew anything about Mer aging. And who was dressed in a fashion she'd not seen since leaving the Synod.

"...What's a Telvanni doing in a Nordic hold anyway..." Without realizing, Leandra mumbled her thought aloud, a curious glint rekindled in her eyes. "Didn't realize this was good mushroom country..."

OOC: Damn you shoddy in transit posts, damn you to hell!

[Ricky Rayner]

Gorbad Yak-Bogadbu, his forge, evening.

After Gorbad had voiced his offer, Jack said yes without hesitation. Gorbad took the two of them inside his house, where there was only a single piece of armor to be seen. He figured he could perhaps buy a mannequin to place future armor upon, since this Jack fella was a mason, exactly how skilled was yet to be seen.

"This one right here." He nodded towards the black chitin and leather armor. It looked even more dangerous in the light of the fireplace than it had in the sunlight. The chest-armor was more chitin than the leg-guards and boots. The covered the front side of the armor, as well as most of the backside. The black leather fit seamlessly with the color of the chitin. Only Gorbad could spot where the chitin began and ended in this light, since he knew where to look and what to look for. The leg-guards had a solid piece of chitin covering the thigh and another solid piece covering the shinbone area. A third covered the knee. The back-side of the leg-guards had a few pieces of chitin seamlessly fit together with the leather that covered the entire leg-guards, like it covered all of the armor. When a person put this armor on, no skin would be visible. That was one of the biggest flaws in apprentice work armor. Not a mistake Gorbad did.

The boots were robust and thick, built to last in cold weather and deep snow, as well as soaking wet and hot conditions. It didn't protect against both as well as something specific designed to protect against weather, but it was better than most armor. The boots were a basic leather boot, with a few select pieces of chitin reinforcing them at strategic points, such as the side and the front. Then there were the basic leather gauntlets, with no chitin on them at all. But they were black, just like the rest of the armor and fit quite nicely together. He hadn't made a helmet, mostly because he hadn’t enough material for one, but also because he knew that a helmet could sometimes be the death of its user.

All in all, it was a beautiful armor to look at in day-light and the fire-place inside Gorbad’s house gave it a fierce look.
"It's basically a black leather armor with some chitin reinforcement, although you could say it's the other way around too." He paused for a moment when he thought about the mannequin he might need in the future. "Tell you what; the two of you spread word around town about this armor and you'll get 10% each of the profit I make when I sell it. Jack, is it possible that you could make me a mannequin for future use? If you did, your share of the armor's profit would be 25% when I sell it."

He was a merchant to the bone. The deal he'd just offered was in other words this: Gorbad would get a free mannequin and wouldn't have to pay either of them anything if he didn't sell the armor. If he did, however, he'd still gain a huge profit from the armor selling in addition to the mannequin. His facial expression revealed nothing of this sly plan. They might be able to figure out on their own, in which case Gorbad would simply offer a money-sum for the mannequin, but not equal to 15% of the armor's profit. He smiled while he waited for a reply.

[Bedford White]

Jacqueline, Forge, Evening.

She followed Gorbad inside his house where they were shown the armour in question. It was all black and was eerily lit by the fireplace. It looked like it would swallow you whole if you put it on, like a beast from the folktales Jacqueline's older brothers always used to scare her with. Gorbad said it was made out of leather and something called chitin. Jacqueline remembered one of her family's mercenary guards loved to spend his entire paycheck on armour and weapons with a grim and intimidating appearance. He would have been all over this piece if he knew about it. She smiled at the thought of it.

Gorbad asked her if she could make him a mannequin to display the armour on. That was a good idea, but Jacqueline relised that he more or less asked her to make him the mannequin for free if the armour never got sold. She realised how it was possible for him to push up the prices of his work so much. He had obviously been in the trading business for a long time. He would be a tough nut to crack, and Jacqueline loved a challenge. She crossed her arms and leaned her back casually against the wall. With a smile she replied to his offer.

"Ya know what? I'll make ya tha mannequin fer free 'n when ya sell tha armour I get 30% of tha sellin' price. Othawise yer gonna have ta pay me separately fer tha mannequin, so if ya ain't sellin' tha armour I still get left with somethin'. She grinned. "Though I doubt yer gonna have a problem sellin' it. This place's filled with mercenaries 'n warriors."

[Ross Zombie]

Gorbad Yak-Bogadbu, inside his house (his forge), evening

Jack showed more cunning to negotiation than Gorbad had expected. If he managed to sell the armor and he chose the deal Jack had offered, he'd be paying 20% of the armors value for a mannequin. That could be as much as a hundred and twenty to a hundred and fifty septims. It was a much better deal to buy a mannequin for 50 or 60 gold instead, but only if he managed to sell the armor. But even with the 30% Jack wanted and the 10% Alguidar would get, he'd still walk out rich if he sold the armor. In addition, if he didn't manage to sell it, he'd walk out with a free mannequin. Either way, it was absolutely sure he'd walk out winning on the bargain. But damn, 30% was quite a lot. He wondered what Jack would've said if he'd offered 20% instead of 25% to begin with. They'd probably agreed on 25%. Of well, bargaining is bargaining. A new idea formed in his highly trained merchant’s brain...

"30% is a bit steep, don't you think? How about this; I pay you right now, up front, twenty five septims and you get 20% of the armors profit if I manage to sell it. Your end of the bargain is to make a mannequin and spread word of the armor around town. How's that sound?" With this offer, even if he didn't manage to sell the armor, he'd pay a somewhat low price for a mannequin. If, however, he did manage to sell the armor, he'd end up with about thirty to sixty septims more.

Edit: Typos.

[Rhi Edwards]

Jacqueline, Forge, Evening.

"Then I'd rather get 28% 'n take ma chances that yer gonna sell it. Makin' that mannequin's gonna keep me occupied fer at least a couple o days beside tha farmwork." She took a second to think, then got a glint in her eye. She added "If yer feelin' risky we can agree on 30% 'n I'll throw in some extra surprises with tha mannequin. Trust me, 's gonna be worth it."

[FoReVeR_Me_N]

Alguidar,Gorbad's House, Evening

The blacksmith was finally done with Jacqueline's order. Before they parted ways though, he made an odd offer. To help sell an armor he'd crafted.

Selling an armor set was way out of Alguidar's alley, he didn't have enough knowledge or interest in those matters. However, there was no downside to the offer, if he happened to refer a client, he'd get a share of the profit, so, why not?

Jacqueline seemed to be on the same page, accepting the offer immediately. Then, Gorbad brought them inside to take a look at the peculiar pieces of armor. It was dark, made of chitin, a material he knew was found mainly on giant underground insects. The armor looked good but without knowing how tough those insects really were, he was skeptical of its use. It seemed too fancy to be that good.

Gorbad and Jacqueline started to haggle about another deal, involving Jacqueline's work. "She doesn't need more work, there's a lot to do around the farm!" He thought, refraining from voicing that concern out loud. It was none of his business and he was lucky she was being so helpful as it is. Her doing the mannequin though, would increase Alguidar's chances of getting his 10% of the deal too, so he kept quiet, waiting for the haggling to come to a close as he looked around, his mind drifting for a few seconds at a time.

"I wonder if Roymund's eyes would still move if he turns to stone. Maybe he could blink once to say yes. Twice to say no."

[Maddy Paul]

Gorbad Yak-Bogadbu, his house, evening

"Extra surprise? Moving parts of the mannequin? What could she possibly add to a mannequin that would be worth anything?" Gorbad thought. It was, however, an offer he could accept. But accepting that offer wasn't what his business sense told him to do. Instead, it told him to screw in the mannequin completely and just stick to the original deal. However, a mannequin would come in handy. Still, the fact that Jack's newest offer still would give Gorbad a free mannequin if he didn't manage to sell the armor kept hammering on the back of his mind. In the end, he figured it was better to sell something and get a nice profit from it instead of putting too much risk on something and not sell it at all.

Gorbad took off his orcish gauntlet and held out his hand for a hand-shake, first to Jack and then to Alguidar.
"Surprise me." He said with a curious and warm smile. "I accept your terms Jack. How many days do you recon it'll take for the mannequin to be complete?" He wondered.