Grindle Family/TideyRP/Cursed Helm Sale

--- [Tidey]

Tidey arrives in Tota, looking around with interest, and sampling some local fare from a backstreet bakery.

She soon finds the area of town serving as a home to the Itorunt nobles.

Tidey: Please, excuse me, has anyone seen Sir Niketenas?

--- [Niketenas]

The old man looked at her suspiciously for a long moment from behind the gate of the palisade they had constructed. The peasantry had not been silent in their ill will towards the Itoruntines. Finally, he turned away.

"Otwin!" he called back to someone who could not be seen. There was an indecipherable amount of speaking, and then the old man moved aside for the familiar aged face of Otwin, Niketenas' captain to be seen through the spy-hole.

"Ah," he said. "It's ye. Reckoned ye got lost somewhere 'long the road when ye did no' show up. Just a mo', if'n ye don't mind, Miss." Taking the bar from the gate, he opened the doors a small bit with a mighty heave. He motioned for her to follow him, after ordering some of the soldiers on duty that they were to shut the door; though why they hadn't helped open it was a mystery.

"Come 'long, lass," he said, "Milord's with his recovering brother at the mo'; right good priest is Ser Ioannes."

Taking her on a roundabout journey through the encampment, he finally stopped at a small house. "'Tis the healers' house, Miss," Otwin said, unnecessarily explaining. He walked inside and took her to the small sitting room, where two similar looking men seemed to be in the midst of a conversation. One was laid upon a couch and covered in blankets and the like, the other was sitting upon a stool, with his back facing the doorway.

The man who was lying down looked up at the movement in the doorway. He smiled. "Otwin!" he said, "Very good to see you! And who might you be, young lady? A visitor for my brother here, perhaps?"

The other man, Niketenas, turned and nodded to his Captain. "Ah! Miss Tidey, if I remember correctly. Do come in; is this another try in our abortive quest to find a suitable piece of armour?"

--- [Tidey]

Tidey looks slightly worried, as she is led into the room with the brothers. She smiles nervously to Ioannes, and then speaks to Niketenas.

Tidey: Sir, I am sorry to have lost you in Itorunt. I was exploring the city, when I took a walk around the back of one of the taverns, into the edge of the woods. And then I heard some of them. Those... horrible things. I wasn't ready for them, and they hurt me badly.

Tidey lifts the edge of her shirt, to reveal a half-healed scar to the side of her naval. She picks at it slightly for a second, then continues her verbose monologue.

Tidey: Er, so I wasn't able to find you the next day - it took me a little while to recover, and by then, you'd all left. But I heard there was a need for help in slaying undead in Nimraw. So I was on my way there when... oh.

Tidey stops for a moment, as she notices a yawn coming from her audience, but is persuaded to continue - a little more concisely.

Tidey: Oh, sorry, well, er, in Jariedma, I found these undead on their way to Nimraw as well, and I was ready for them this time. And I stole this.

Tidey holds up a piece of head armour. Not battered and bruised like the old armour she had before, but strong, solid, and memorable.

Tidey: [mutters it quietly] The Cursed Helm. [now louder] I thought, if I added this to the original piece of armour, it would be worth quite a bit more? It's good quality this, needs no repairs at all, here...

Tidey holds it up to head height, next to Niketenas, and finally manages to keep quiet.

--- [Ioannes]

Ioannes sat up as she showed the Helm to Niketenas. "Stole that from the undead, did you?" He asked, immediately leery of the thing. Niketenas grinned at his brother.

"How now, brother," he said in a scolding tone, "It very well could be that the blighters themselves stole it from a living man. Do hold your suspicious nature in check, would you?"

Ioannes frowned. "Could I see that, if I may, Miss Tidey?" he asked. "If it has come from the Crone's realms, then I feel it would be wise to at the very least bless the thing."

--- [Tidey]

Tidey passes it to Ioannes, nodding.

Tidey: I think a blessing would be good, sir. After all, it... would be good. Do you like it, sirs?

--- [Niketenas]

It was, undoubtedly, a helm of good make and strength, he noted as he held it. Niketenas looked over it as well, looking for any imperfections or flaws which would defy Tidey's description of the helm. Niketenas finally nodded.

"I find it satisfactory. However, I would have only the helm for now. If you should happen upon a better suit of armour at a later date, I would most definitely like to know of it. What say you to..." He paused, "Ten gold pieces for the helm by itself? You may feel free to ask for more, as long as I find the price reasonable."

Ioannes sighed as he looked from the helm to his brother, before gesturing to a small bag by the door, hidden beneath a small table.

"Niketenas, if you would hand me the vial of water within my pack?" he asked. Niketenas stood, and after rifling through the small bag for a moment, pulled out a small glass container in question. Ioannes nodded. "Yes, that is it; thank you."

He took the vial and uncorking it, poured a few drops of water upon his hands, getting them moist. Laying his hands upon the helm, he murmured a prayer for a few moments, before saying out loud:

"... And through the intervention of her sister Eulysia, may the blessings Aulysia bestowed upon her warrior be not swept away, but strengthened. Basilisa, Queen of the Dead, we implore you with faith and fervour to look upon this and not curse or endanger the wearer, but to grant him protection from wounds and sickness; to grant, should he die, a swift passage to your realms where the noble and faithful shall not rise up again to do violence upon the living. With your blessings, Goddesses, may he strike down the wicked and bring more into faith."

He paused, and nodded. "Thus I have prayed, and in faith. Thus shall my prayers be answered."

He handed the helm to Niketenas, and looked up at Tidey. "Is there anything about this you can add, Miss? I would not want my brother to be misinformed as to any aspect about what he might wear into battle."

--- [Tidey]

Tidey looks disappointed as Niketenas suggests ten gold pieces.

Tidey: Sir, we had agreed on four gold pieces for the armour already; I believe this helm is worth ten times that of the armour. That would value it at forty gold pieces. I could not part with it for much less than that - having risked my life to ste... win it.

Tidey rubs her stomach wound dramatically, pausing for a moment, before continuing.

Tidey: Unless perhaps you could... er... you must have contacts in Itorunt who might provide me with shelter... if there's some way, maybe a letter from you that I could show that could find me a roof for the night... help a girl to live in a little comfort sometimes?

Tidey: Sir Ioannis, all I know about this is that it is the finest helm I have ever seen, it is valuable, and the undead were really mad at me when I won it from their leader, and chased me. It's such a fine piece, no wonder they were annoyed to see it taken. [grins] Oh, that, and they probably weren't happy that I killed their leader, either.

--- [Niketenas]

"Forty gold pieces for this helm? What can it do, make me immortal? I shall raise my price to twenty gold pieces," Niketenas said, raising his eyebrow at her naming of the price.

--- [Tidey]

Tidey: Make it twenty-four, sir, and it's yours. Plus the four for the armour. That would make a nice round twenty-eight for the lot.

--- [Niketenas]

Very well. Twenty four; I do believe we have a deal.