Hynes Family/Alois/Victory/RP17

Alois made his way slowly through the merchant Caravans surrounding the Tourney grounds as he made his way from the swordpit back to his pavillion, his eyes quickly inspecting the wares the merchants had set up on hastily erected stalls for display. Trinkets mostly; random junk collected from across the continent.

He paused suddenly, inspecting the contents of one stall where a handfull of daggers lay among an assorted collection of gaudy-coloured bolts of material and hand-made jewelry.

"You look interested," a voice boomed suddenly, jovial and friendly. "Just some trinkets I collected during my travels," he waved his hands at the daggers, "And some I got during the war."

The Merchant was fat, short and stocky with long whisps of grey hair and a close kept beard that did little to conceal the man's pocked and scarred face.

Alois looked at them closely, fingering their finely made hilts. There were six blades, their hilts decorated lavishly with gems and gold and silver, sheathed in finely made scabbards of leather wrapped oak. Picking one up, he unsheathed it quickly and examined the blade, dismayed to find the hilts were the best part of the weapon.

"I got that. . ." The merchant began, his voice trailing off as he furrowed his brow in contemplation, ". . .somewhere in the Far East, but the name escapes me."

Alois sheathed the knife and layed it back onto the stall, shaking his head slowly. "It is beautiful, but only for decoration. I need a weapon for war, and I am sorry to say you have none here."

He turned to leave, but as he stepped away the merchant called out suddenly, beckoning him to return. "No, these are niceties of the noble, pretties to be worn with silk and hosen, not steele and maille. However, if you are interested in a blade for the sole purpose of serving you in battle, not to look pretty with your doublet, then I have something you may be interested in."

Retreating to his caravan, the merchant returned with a wooden box clapsed with golden hinges. Laying the box onto the table and throwing them open, he smiled as he turned the box towards Alois. Inside were two daggers, both two and a half feet in length, encased in scabbards of battered wood with simple leather wrapped tight around the tang.

"These did not come easy," he said in a low tone as Alois reached into the box and pulled one out, "So they will cost you a significant amount."

Alois pulled the blade free of its sheathe and examined the dagger closely. The blade was double-edged, thick in the center and tapering down to a razor sharp edge. An intricately woven diamond-pattern ran down the length of the steel. At first, Alois thought it was simply engraved into the metal, but on closer examination he realized the pattern had been created during the forging of the blade. The weight was considerable, the weapon capable of dealing a solid cleaving blow, but the heft was offset slightly by the nearly perfect balance of its design.

"Came from Beluterra," the merchant observed, a satisfied smile on his face. "An artifact of the first men, the secret of it's design lost with the fall of some long forgotten kingdom of old. You can have a grip and crossguard mounted yourself, but I felt modification may detract from the value of the weapon, not to mention ruining the balance."

"How much?"

"Twenty Gold."

Alois hesitated. "Do you wish to retire?"

The merchant laughed, patting his round stomach, smiling. "I could get twice as much from a scholar on Belu, easily. I only offer them to you because I know you will put them to good use. These blades were made for war, not setting in some stuffy castle's armory, some Lord's collection of arms, gathering dust! Travesty!"

Alois nodded, placing the dagger back into the box beside it's twin, snapping the lid closed. "I will take both."

"Both, Ser?" The merchant nearly shouted. "What could one warrior need with two of these blades?"

"I wish to make a gift of one to a dear friend," Alois said with a smile, placing his small purse onto the table and slowly counting out forty gold pieces atop the box. "He has more than earned it." He looked up at the Merchant, who was gazing at the gold with the hunger of the lustful in his eyes. "Is that all?" he asked, "or will you charge me for the box?"

"The box," the merchant said with a slight bow, "Is complimentary."

(OOC: I was going to do a lot more on the Tourney, but I took a trip that week and internet acess was spotty at best)