[Log] A sort of magic... do you want it?

[thequestgiver]

Characters: The Magic Peddler
Open? Yes~
Where: Everywhere~
When: All day the 15th of Rebirth's Decline.
What: The Magic Peddler is out selling his wares. What plot significant magical and cursed little doodad will your character acquire?

He's a slightly wizened old man; the large pack on his back has bent him over the years and his long grey beard looks to have not seen much of a comb in years. Yet he is clean, his brown tunic studded with light green tile that look like faded lily pads drifting in a muddied swamp, washed out from sun and wash. The charms hanging from the gold bands adorning his arms glitter, polished white and smooth as they clink together with every step.

There's something about him that draws the curiosity. The hopeful, the unguarded, the ambitious, those who have much to gain, those who have little to lose. He has something for them all, hidden treasures none have ever unearthed before. What is waiting for you, inside his pack?


[[OoC: All items from the Magic Peddler are two fold in nature, often cursed as well as blessed, and can often be lurking plot devices. If you have a specific sort of object you'd like your character to get, PM or stick it in your reply!]]

Comments

[tenuefarfalla]

Cho's first thought was magic. Strange old peddler in a fairytale kingdom with a circuitous way of speaking and a twinkle in his eye. Add to that the accumulation of a lifetime being carried around as easily as a backpack and she was sold on the idea. "Where are you going?"

[thequestgiver]

"Wherever the roads will take me," the man returned pleasantly. "Until I have found all the treasures of the lands and seen them to the hands of those who would do well with them."

[tenuefarfalla]

Sounded like it encompassed a hell of a lot more 'world' than just Schwanheim. Which was kind of perfect timing. Cho smiled. "You're a world traveler." And going by the size of his pack, he'd been at it a while. "Have you been beyond the Thorns?"

[thequestgiver]

The man chuckled. "To the Distant Lands? Aye, I have been, long ago when they were not so distant."

[tenuefarfalla]

"Literally distant or figuratively distant?" She looked around them and spotted a small tavern. Odd, she'd never noticed it before. "Could I buy you lunch and pick your brain? I have a lot of questions that no one seems to be able to answer."

[thequestgiver]

"Some of one, a bit of the other," the man replied pleasantly enough.

At her question, he looked up, almost as if debating something before he nodded. "I don't eat much, but a spot of ale would be a nice respite. A man does get rather thirsty, even after all these years."

[tenuefarfalla]

"Ale it is." As long as she got him in one spot for a little while. It was an effort not to hustle him through the door, and when they sat she ordered him a tankard of ale with instructions to just keep it coming. This was a fairly common way to get information from Demons and most Humans. Anything and everything had a price in units of alcohol. "So, beyond the thorns. There are other kingdoms, I assume. Schwanheim can't be as unique as the people here think it is."

[thequestgiver]

The man chuckled softly. "People have short memories. It wasn't so long ago that the Distant Lands were the only lands that those here knew." He took a small sip of the ale, expression serene for a moment as he savored the taste.

[tenuefarfalla]

"But not you," Cho guessed. "You have a very long memory, don't you?" She had her own drink and a plate of fruits and smoked meats and cheeses, but she wasn't all that interested in them. "How big is this world?" And, because she and Gretel had just discussed it. "Do you know what hemisphere we're in?"

[thequestgiver]

"Bigger than anyone can know." It was a slightly cryptic reply as he savored another small sip. "And I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're asking, dear lady. I am not a learned man."

[tenuefarfalla]

"Sorry." And now she took a sip. "When You travel to the North and to the South, which direction gets colder quicker?" Assuming he'd gone far enough. If anyone had the experience, it sounded like he did.

[thequestgiver]

"About the same, really. Though there's mountains in either direction if you go far enough."

[tenuefarfalla]

"So you really have no idea where on the planet we're located." She was disappointed, yes, but it wasn't his fault. "What can you tell me about the Prince?" The King was... well, he was an odd duck, and kind of ridiculous, but she could make her own observations on that front. The Prince was a bit more of a mystery. And she was especially curious about the way the title of Avatar of Order seemed to pass.

[thequestgiver]

"Which one?" came the almost mischievous response.

[tenuefarfalla]

"All of them," she countered almost immediately, with her own small smile. "Let's start with the one from Schwanheim, out sowing his royal oats, and move out from there."

[thequestgiver]

"That doesn't narrow it down any, dear lady," the man returned, tone kindly, though amused. "Though I suppose Charming is the only acknowledged one at the moment, isn't he?"

[tenuefarfalla]

"So I take it the King's... oat sowing days were also very fruitful? Are any of the illegitimate princes still in the kingdom?"

[thequestgiver]

"Oh, of course. More of them than I think even the King remembers. That's what Princes do, after all. You have to spread the royal blood around so that you have plenty unknown Princes and Princesses to emerge in times of trouble."

[tenuefarfalla]

"I guess he went for quantity over quality, then," Cho said, taking a sip of her own drink. "Because his own bastard children obviously aren't up to the task if they're pulling us into this world to be their Heroes."

[thequestgiver]

"The Thorns are quite a different caliber of thing than Princes are normally up against," the old man agreed before taking another small sip of his drink.

[tenuefarfalla]

"And yet they brought in Princes from other worlds. And Princesses. I mean, not literally. I wasn't a Princess in Rowan or on Earth. But they seem to think that's what they need, just not the ones they already have." And that was kind of weird. Cho could maybe understand bringing in people to fill a new role, but they were trying to make them into things that Schwanheim already had. "So are you going to tell me about Charming and these illegitimate backups, or is this going to be a twenty questions thing?"

[thequestgiver]

"There isn't much to tell, I'm afraid. A Prince is a Prince no matter what name he bares," the man explained. "Charming lives up to his, the others go about their lives yet untested."

[tenuefarfalla]

"Have the people ever brought in Heroes from other worlds before?" The Thorns, she had no basis for comparison. She couldn't even get a proper read on them. Whatever they were, she hadn't encountered the energy before. Cho didn't like being unprepared.

[thequestgiver]

The old man toyed with his beard thoughtfully. "That's hard to say. That the people of this Kingdom were even able to do it caught even me by surprise, but it wouldn't be unthinkable for others to have managed it."

[tenuefarfalla]

"You've never heard of it, though?" She was fast losing hope for the usefulness of this conversation. He didn't know where they were on the planet, didn't have any useful advice about when this all may or may not have happened again. "Do you know of anyone who might have? Or anyone who's traveled more of this word than you have? I... have to figure out what month it is." He probably wouldn't get it, but she was taking the job very seriously.