Early next morning we head down to the inn after a quick bath. On one hand to get something to eat. On the other hand to take care of the usual quest too. It is becoming a little ritual in between Elzbieta and me.
I might need to come up with something else if she keeps hogging the mana mill quest. It probably won't be a problem in the long run though. I have little doubt that she will be back out in the wilds doing more serious quests eventually.
She really isn't the kind of person who wants to stay cooped up all the time. It is a small miracle that she can sit still long enough to handle the current quest. I suspect that she really wouldn't bother with it if the circumstances were any different.
Never mind though. That is a problem for another day. Reinvigorated from the bath and strengthened by some sweet porridge we return to the shop. Together we open up. Then I get the mana mill for Elzbieta so she can work out front in the morning sun, while I have a look at the piled up work already waiting for me.
I let out a deep sigh as I step up to the counter, where the things that Tamara and her group dropped off the other day are still piled up. Well, there is no way around it. I'll just appraise one after the other. It certainly is a change from my usual routine.
It really is a very diverse pile this time around. The youngsters have been quite busy it seems. Where to get started? Oh, never mind. In the end I'll have to appraise everything anyway. I might as well just grab whatever lies on top first. Thus this is exactly what I do.
What I end up holding seems to be some kind of magic wand. An implement various spell casters use. The wood looks old but still decent enough, possibly because it is polished to a shine and treated in some way. The grip isn't wrapped in leather but fine wire instead. It isn't iron or copper, which would be most common, though. Those would probably have rusted away ages ago. This still looks good enough, even if it has blackened a little. Then realization dawns upon me. This is silver wire!
Oh! It seems Tamara and the others brought back some good things this time around. A material like that wouldn't have been used on just any wand. It might just explain the decent state of the wood too. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it is some special wood too.
I close my eyes for a moment to concentrate and take a deep breath before I focus my whole attention on the wand instead, to trigger my appraisal skill. The effect is immediate.
[Ancient wand of Web, Quality: Rare, A relic from a time long past, this wand of polished heartwood and silver wire still holds some charges of a useful spell. The spell in question is the Web spell in this case, which creates a tangle of sticky threads about five paces across at the indicated spot, when the user triggers the wand. Remaining charges: 5]
Oh my! Oh my, indeed! I quickly grab a wooden tag and note down the essentials. Wands are pretty rare items these days. Sure, I could, in theory create them. The creation of wands is a very specialized form of enchanting after all. I would need to learn to cast the spells in question myself first though. And nowadays hardly any enchanters at all bother to learn the kinds of spells adventurers would find useful in the field.
Maybe I should consider it anyway? There is money to be made providing rare gear after all. It would require a massive expenditure of time and possibly karma first though.
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Well, the group certainly found a real treasure this time around. If they don't keep this thing for themselves it certainly could earn them a small fortune. Especially if they have the patience to auction it off through the guild. Sure, it is only rare and not epic or anything like that, but as a wand it sure is rare enough to justify quite a price.
Humming along with Elzbieta's song I put it aside to grab the next item. I stop to stare at it puzzled for a moment. It looks almost like a belt buckle, except it really isn't one. I focus on it and trigger my skill to find out more.
[Ancient brass fibula, Quality: Common, A relic from long ago, giving silent testament to the everyday life of an age long past. Fashioned of brass this fibula could shine almost like gold when properly polished. It was used to hold garments like tunics in place.]
I blink in surprise. Well that is quite a contrast to the wand. I doubt many things could be more mundane than this. Well, I guess that means that Tamara and her gang will probably sell this one to the smiths for smelting down. They always have use for some good brass after all.
I put it in a wicker basket to which I tie a wooden tag I label mundane brass. At a glance there might be a few more items like this one in the pile. Together they might still earn the group a decent sum.
Anyway, next! I decide to check on all the other trinkets, more fibulae, some belt buckles and even a little simple jewelry, that appear to be brass next. Most of them do indeed go into the basket with the first fibula. I'm a little torn on this development. The agreement says that I'll charge a bronze Crown for each item I check, but with these they'll be hard pressed to earn that money back.
Sure the wand might earn them a few gold Crowns if they are patient, but I still feel a little bad about the rest so far.
That is, until I grab and appraise the next piece. This one looks like a brooch of sorts, not entirely unlike the earlier fibula. It becomes quickly obvious that this one is something special. For one it isn't made just of brass. No, the brass only frames a stone. At first I can't quite tell what kind of stone, but when I polish it with a wet cloth it starts to glitter in all rainbow colors.
An opal? A pretty sizable one too. That on its own would already make the brooch quite valuable. The information provided by my appraisal skill further adds to its worth though.
[Ancient brass and opal brooch of health, Quality: Rare, A relic from long ago, giving silent testament to the everyday life of an age long past as well as the artistic talent of the craftsmen of that time. Fashioned of brass framing a large opal shimmering in rainbow colors it's an enchanting piece by any measure. That isn't all though. The brooch holds a basic enchantment, improving the wearers constitution and thus their health in general, including their resistance to diseases and poisons.]
I can't help but whistle in appreciation. That might just be one of the most useful single enchantments. Someone is sure to pay a hefty sum for it, of that I have no doubt. Even better, it is rather pretty too. As a result the brooch gets a tag of its own, upon which I note all the important details. Then I place it on the counter next to the wand, before I resume work on the rest of the pile.
The rest of the pile is relatively mundane once again. Mostly sturdy iron gear in the same ancient style. Very much like the things they brought back the last time. I can't really afford to buy any this time around, as I still have the ones from last time, the ones I want to use to practice my enchanting some more, in the back. Thus I only tag everything properly.
In all likelihood these will be sold in bulk to the smithy too. That really isn't my problem though. I'm sure Tamara and the others are more than capable of taking care of their business. They'll sort it out, no doubt about that. I'm just glad I'm done with this.
I just take a moment to write a proper recipe for my services rendered, using a page from my notebook. I count the items I appraised again and then once more for good measure and even include some brief details about the results. That should do.
I put the sorted items behind the counter, they aren't for sale after all, and even deposit the wand and the brooch in the strong box for the time being, together with the recipe.
Once that is taken care of, I take a moment to properly stretch. Then I head out front to join Elzbieta for a little. I really feel like catching some sun in pleasant company right now. And maybe we can have an early lunch break afterwards. Yes, that sounds good too.