Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
Time for New Beginnings (Gabriel's Trial - Open to all)
OPEN TO ALL Tired of being in cooped up in his shop for the past few days, Amon decided to take a step out and get some relatively fresh air. Looking around the area, it finally dawned to him that there was a number of vacant shops, a perfect opportunity for any merchant wanting to set up shop in the district. Though, with a few exceptions, it has been relatively quiet recently.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’d be nice if some there was some new blood here,” Amon muttered to himself, absent-mindedly rubbing the back of his head with his left hand.
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Gabriel Sinnett on Apr 3, 2014 0:44:36 GMT
As he had done for the past several days, Gabriel strolled slowly down the streets of the of the merchant district casually snacking on an apple. It was time he settle in somewhere and put some of his skills to use. He simply couldn't spend any longer sulking about his family home alone. That behavior wasn't healthy, nor was it moving him any closer to his goals. So here he was once again, making the slow and laborious trek through the market.
Though he meant to wander and look throughout the district, his feet invariably took him the the same empty shop he found a few days ago. It was in good repair, though it looked to have been vacant for quite some time. Someone had obviously loved this place before it was abandoned. Throughout the visible portions of the shop little pieces of scroll work and ornamentation had been carved, no doubt the work of the building's previous owner in times slow custom. Though dust had settled it was not hard to imagine, in it's time, this shop had gleamed with life and everything in it was cleaned and polished to perfection. He could not help but stop and stare, despite the people who muttered curses and admonishments at him for blocking the lane.
It would be the perfect place to work. The store front was small but not cramped, and from the size of the building, the back workshop must be plenty spacious. Across the street was a doll maker, with toys for display. The children's laughter would do him some good, and their parents would put coin in his pocket when they came out to be faced by his clocks. Unfortunately, it probably isn't meant to be. The building was owned by the Merchanics, and obtaining the permission to use one of their premises was only slightly more difficult than separating a pirate from her ship. Already he had sent many letters, all unanswered, and no one could seem to help. So here he stands blocking the flow of pedestrians every day instead of moving on and finding an easier shop to acquire.
It finally dawned onto Amon that there was a slight disturbance in the area. From across the street, he saw a man of average stature and build. In fact, he probably wouldn't have noticed the man, except that he was standing in the middle of the lane, just staring at the empty shop in front of him. Amon usually would have ignored the sight, but the way the man was looking at the building, coupled with his previous statement, made him think otherwise.
"...Well...be careful what you wished for," muttered Amon. With a sigh, he walked across the street and addressed the man.
"Excuse me, could I help you?"
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Gabriel Sinnett on Apr 3, 2014 2:48:45 GMT
Startled out of his reverie by the young man addressing him, Gabriel takes a moment to look around before focusing back on the building in front of him, occasionally glancing at the silver haired man while he speaks.
"I am afraid I am a bit beyond help at this point, sir. I want to open a shop, somewhere to show off my trade and be among the people again. All of the store fronts I have seen though, and this is the only one I can think about. Unfortunately, the dratted leaders of Mingo's Merchanics seem all but impossible to contact about the building." Gabriel sighs unhappily before turning to focus on the man, giving an appraising gaze to his mechanical features
"How rude of me not to introduce myself," he says quickly, My name Gabriel, and I promise I am not always so rude. Might I inquire as to your name, sir?
"Oh boy..." thought Amon, "We got a noble. I mean, who else would speak like that?"
"Amon," he responded, trying to shake off any contempt he held for the man's social standing. "As for contacting our leader, sorry about that. Will seemed to have left for a trip or something, and he has yet to come back. I hope he's alright. In the meantime, I can help you out. What trade do you practice, may I ask?"
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Gabriel Sinnett on Apr 3, 2014 17:37:41 GMT
Gabriel stood dazed by this fortuitous happenstance, staring at the newly named Amon with a bemused expression. As Gabriel finished processing his unusual luck, he realized that the Merchanic was still waiting for an answer. Quickly Gabriel straightened his posture and locked eye contact with the silver haired guild member, hoping salvage this first impression.
"It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Amon," Gabriel gushed quickly, pulling out a pocket watch to show Amon, "I am a watch maker by trade, though I work on anything involving clockwork to be honest. I apprenticed under my uncle when it became apparent I wouldn't inherit the family business, as it were. It is particularly serendipitous to meet a guild member just as the need arises. Do you have premises nearby?"
Gabriel quickly closed his mouth, conscious of his tendency to be overly verbose and focused on Amon, hoping for once his luck would hold.
"...this...this is going to take some time to get used to..." Amon mused to himself. Though he was starting to use more words than usual, he was still rather straight to the point. Furthermore, Gabriel's verbose and eloquent way of speaking was completely different than what he usually heard on the streets; a stark contrast between himself and the aspiring watch maker. He pointed across the street to the toy shop. "I run a clockwork toy store...well...I started to, but a current project has been keeping me preoccupied for some time. As for your craft, I'm sure that you can run a successful shop. If nothing else, it'll bring people to the Merchant's District, looking to see what new shop opened up. I take it that this is the building you want?"
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Gabriel Sinnett on Apr 3, 2014 18:36:21 GMT
Looking to Amon's storefront Gabriel cannot help but to think of the future business opportunities for two clockwork artisans working in unison, nor of the benefits of having another mechanic to talk to.
"Oh yes, very much so. This building has so much character, and I would suspect, quite a history. As I said earlier, I have tried contacting the guild about the shop, but until now I have met with limited success. I do not know if you can help me, but seeing as you already have a guild shop, perhaps you might know how I can acquire this store. I would be most grateful for any help you can give, Mr. Amon."
Mustering up his best hopeful look and almost managing to make a smile, Gabriel looked to the toy maker, silently hoping the silver haired man might know something that could help him.
Amon stood, staring at the door to the shop. For some reason, he was rather tempted to just punch a hole through the door, unlock it, then offer to fix the door and craft a set of keys for Gabriel. But, as luck would have it, Will had left him some keys to the various empty shops in the district, on the off chance that there would be new people wishing to join the guild.
"I don't know about the history, but I should have the keys to the building somewhere," replied Amon, almost reluctantly, "Let me go get it, as well as any paperwork that you may need to fill out, and you should be good to go. In the meantime, welcome to the guild."
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Gabriel Sinnett on Apr 3, 2014 19:25:49 GMT
Gabriel, for the second time that day, could only stare at Amon in disbelief. "That.. that would be splendid. I am in your debt," Gabriel said to Amon. Could it really be so easy?
Gabriel turned to look at the shop again, happy to almost have the property. It would mean he'd have to be amongst people again. Though perhaps the experience wouldn't be too deleterious. In fact Gabriel found his time with Amon to be quite amiable, despite the mechanic's brusqueness. Perhaps it would be just what Gabriel needed. If nothing else the work would prove to be a good distraction.
"There is no debt. We're in need of members anyways, and having someone new would be good for the guild and the district...though I may need your help with something in the future..."
He then turned and made his way back to shop to retrieve the keys and the paperwork for Gabriel to fill out.
"Seems a bit absent-minded for some reason, but not too bad. At least he's not arrogant...was beginning to think that the only person I'd be talking to was Mulven..." he muttered to himself.
"I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible! And when I leave, you will finally understand why storms are named after people!" - Taryn, Nerf This
Post by Mulven Renehan on Apr 3, 2014 20:42:47 GMT
As if the mere thought of him were a summons, none other than Mulven himself came whistling up the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets and not a care in the world. He was about to cross the street toward the Toy Shop to see how Amon's search for parts was going when he spotted the spiffy bloke in front of the empty digs.
"M'fraid nothing open in that building to browse sir, what are you looking for, perhaps I can point you in the right direction?" He grinned and offered his hand to the noble fellow. "I'm one of the natives to this district, know all the in's and out's so I can help you find whatever it is you've come out this way in search of."
Post by Gabriel Sinnett on Apr 3, 2014 20:52:17 GMT
As he watched Amon retreat to his place of business, Gabriel could not help but mull over Amon's words. Though Mingo's Merchanics is the obvious choice to hone his craft, it would appear the humble merchant's guild did not have the members needed to carry much weight politically. This proved to be especially unfavorable news to watchmaker. The whole point of coming out of seclusion was to gain some form of influence and perhaps get some of the answers he had been unable to answer while brooding in his family home. As he often did when deep in thought, Gabriel took his pocket watch out of his pocket and began to slowly wind it.
"It is truly unfortunate," Gabriel muttered to himself, I suppose I will have to look for contacts outside the guild as well. If only I were not so terrible at gaining people's affections.
As he wound his watch, Gabriel thought of all the little cogs and pins he still had to sort out in this pursuit of his. One of his main concerns was how to make contacts. It would be considerably harder to interact with people after spending so much time alone. Coming to his senses, he returned his watch to its place and resumed perusing the building while he awaited Amon's return. It would be such a beautiful shop when restored, and a place like this could be a lovely place to work. Lately he needed the distraction, and a little beauty in his world would not go amiss.
While waiting for Amon's return, Gabriel attracted the attention of another local. Turning to the new addition while putting on his best pleasant facade, Gabriel was faced with what he could only describe as a rakehell accosting him. "A pleasant day to you, sir. I'm afraid I'm not browsing for what is in the build, but for the building itself," Gabriel says taking the offered hand shake, "I have been looking for a premises, and I believe I have found the perfect one here.
"huh, well, way to make things easy on me then," the builder told the man. "Sir I believe what you're looking for is right here," he waved his arms with a florish toward the very same building the man was staring at when he arrived. Mulven beamed a smile. "Is there anything else I can do for ya? I'm a regular of Mingo's, fastest builder on the team tried and true! Name's Mulven."
Post by Gabriel Sinnett on Apr 4, 2014 1:54:40 GMT
Gabriel simply did not know what to think of the newly named Mulven. All the grand gestures, and flashy personality clashed quite jarringly with Gabriel's more modest sensibilities. Despite this Mulven being exactly the type of person he usually avoided, he would perhaps be useful.
"Good day, Mulven. My name is Gabriel Sinnett, and I could perhaps use a builder. If you are any good with woodwork and repairs, I suppose I could use some help restoring this shop. If you think you could handle the work."
With his piece said, Gabriel looked toward Amon's shop, willing the silver haired mechanic to save him from the gauche young man in black. While Gabriel might have a use for such a libertine later, until he knew how to work Mulven, Gabriel would feel more than a little uneasy around the man.