Legend of Ransera

Timon was normally the man in charge of the storefront, and he certainly was the most charismatic person working there. But he was a growing lad and so Sivan was often the one who made a point of relieving him for an hour at midday to feed himself lest he grow hangry or stunted in his growth. The soft-spoken artificer-cum-alchemist sat behind the counter, sketching in his notebook. Sometimes it was dense notes and scrivened plans for some future creation. Sometimes it was merely a new shape of glasswork or the like. He found it helpful to write his thoughts down, either for later reminders or just to get the idea out of his mind to where it was easier to see whether it was a good idea that could be worked out or a bad idea that would just simmer in the back of his mind until inspiration struck with a solution.

The golden elf looked up, blinking owlishly, at the ring of the bell as the door opened. His smile was bolder than it had been when he first arrived in Kalzasi years ago and was forced to keep Master Jacun's shop with his broken Common, but he was still not a naturally social creature.

The temperature of the shop was pleasant, but when he saw the lovely desert creatures, he sent Khalcifer whizzing around them. Invisible unless they opened an arcane eye, the fire elemental would merely bring them a gentle gust of wind that would make them feel more at home.

"Welcome," he said quietly, as one of the women was already eying the displays of runeforged artefacts, alchemical concoctions, dormant golems, and the like. "My name is Sivan. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way. Otherwise, I will leave you to look."

Timon would berate him for not being a more active salesman, but such active salespeople made him uncomfortable so he just tried to welcome people, identify himself by name and as a source for information. Then the ball was in their court, so to speak. To their eyes, he might look like a sunborn elf. He was pale as an Umbrian due to the ongoing Eclipse, but his skin was normally a richer gold for all his work in the garden.

Sivan smiled mildly and nodded, trying to balance his attention between his notebook and keeping tabs on what seemed to garner their interest. He didn't stare, but he wanted to be mentally prepared for questions about specific things, especially if it came to one of Torin's works; he had plenty of knowledge about runecrafting, but he could get lost listening to Torin describe certain processes to his young apprentice Bastion.

At the cogent questions, he considered. He didn't want to over- or underestimate how much she knew about alchemy. Either way might offend.

"I was trained in both and both have their uses. More often if I am working out something new, I will rely upon the occult. Once I have that well enough in hand, I can modify the processes to more traditional means. The traditional versions keep longer, you see."

With a glance at the powder she held and a thread of his semblance, he remembered making it, knew it as intimately as Torin described his own magical works; there was a connection between creator and creation, they found.

"Yes, that will help some plants grow. I have used it in my own garden. It is most efficacious after seed germination and root growth. That is, I would wait to add it to the soil until after a rooting hormone has done its work. Similarly, when fed to animals, it works better during periods of growth, augmenting the natural rather than forcing matters. I have more... forceful concoctions, of course. We haven't had the luxury of being picky in this year of winter.

"If you have an idea what sort of plants you intend to use it on, I can tell you more." He noted the enchanted ink, as well, but didn't offer anything on that unless he was asked. Sivan stood by his work, of course, but it was a struggle to talk it up despite all that. Timon was the better salesman and he hadn't even hit his growth spurts yet.

"For most, the Darkness," he replied using her word for it, which was apt, "has ruined gardens. As magic was brought to bear upon the problem, that changed, but ornamental gardens have suffered the most. Resources have been allotted for crops before all else. Thankfully, mine was already protected from the cold and I merely had to make up for the lack of light." He indicated a gently, warmly glowing pendant in a section of the counter covered in glass.

"Master Kilvin was quick to buy up illumite when we realized it made the shadowspawn vulnerable, and thankfully other dragonshards proved equally useful in that regard as the illumite unlocked the production of artificial sunlight. Of course, mushrooms and fungi that thrive in low-light or lightless caves have also become a staple of the local diet." He paused, made a gently self-mocking case and moved onto her other question lest he infodump about his special interest for hours.

"My garden started out as a sanctuary for local nature spirits. I am also a summoner. They can get lost in urban areas and when lost, they can become fearful and lash out in ways most people don't notice but... make everything a little worse for those around them. So I have tried to give them an... oasis, I suppose. It was a hobby at first, too. I didn't know how long I would stay in Kalzasi. But then I found an orphaned squealmouse and a hive of bees in need of relocation and... well, I started taking in strays, you might say. Everything was local at first. Most things are local now, although there have been a few additions that aren't." He didn't even know how to describe the seed Destyn had brought from Ecith, nor the altar with its glowing gem that Talon Novalys had set up without Sivan's knowledge.

"Eventually, I had a friend ward it against certain things, but mostly the spirits themselves help me regulate it. Even those who don't stay there more permanently seem inclined to help while they do abide with us. And..." he laughed quietly, "at the beginning of the Darkness, an owl used to leave dying rodents for a snake who lives there. The squealmouse was horrified, but pleased not to become lunch. One of my neighbors is a friend who opened up his yard to me... and since the Darkness, others have as well. So my garden has grown by leaps and bounds despite the trouble we are in. Gods willing, spring will come again soon."

Again, he had to moderate his monologue and answer her third round of questions.

"That particular powder will help mostly with sheer growth. It sells more to the affluent who are trying to save their ornamental gardens, which... while it isn't the top priority, 'tis still important. When spring does come, we might have lost a great many sorts of plants if some aren't maintained. But if... well, if you plan to remain in Kalzasi for a few days, I could formulate a bespoke growth agent for you. And I could advise you on soil and watering and other necessities..." He glanced over his shoulder much like a child whose parent might be overhearing, but young Timon was still at his lunch.

"The cost wouldn't change. I am a terrible businessperson, but I don't feel right... solutions to benefit life during this long winter I'm... I'm selling them at cost. Our business manager won't let me give them away for free, so it is our compromise. But I think I can get you what you need without him adding fees for special formulation." The bashful smile on what looked to be a Sunborn elf might seem strange to his Vastian guests, but then, this was another side of the world.

When Khalcifer realized Athalia could see him, he quickly morphed himself into having eyes and a mouth, pseudopods becoming arms and hands and fingers. He had clearly learned to mimic humanoid creatures from his long association with Sivan. He grinned brightly and waved to her.

Khalcifer seemed taken aback at first by the proffered aether. He glanced toward Sivan and then made a little movement that might have been a shrug before gobbling up the magical treat. He grew bigger and brighter, which was more a matter of will than the power she had offered. But he did shine so that even Hilana would see him if she chose to look in their direction. He took on a more humanoid shape, albeit smaller even than a gnome, and bowed to Athalia in an attempt at the fashion of the Kalzasern court. He was a little flirt. He also did a quick swim around her, warming up the air, intuiting that it was a sort of a contract, albeit implied more than explicit.

"Ahh..." Sivan nodded appropriately, polite enough not to cut her off at any point. "Yes, I still consider Elementalism, but now I can achieve so much through my contracts with spirits that it seems the wiser course to save my soul for other runes should the opportunity arise. There is a point at which more becomes more dangerous and it seems a less worthwhile risk for me personally."

Rubbing his chin as she explained how the Eclipse was affecting her land, he said, "I spoke to a celestial spirit recently who proclaimed that there was a new god of stars. Perhaps they will help bring the firmament into alignment so the tides don't cause a chaos we cannot weather." Then, "My brews have a long shelf life anymore. I can keep whatever you order for you, or you can leave your friend's name in case you send them to pick it up." He wanted to say he could have it sent to Solunarium, but he didn't want to speak for Torin's red-headed lover playing courier. In any case, the man was often away on business for stretches of time that nobody could predict.

"I would love soil samples! As well as small cuttings or seedlings that won't mind an artificial environment. I have been considering a special ward over my rooftop for more exotic species, to keep them even more separate from the local flora. Some don't mix well no matter how I sweet talk their spirits." He smiled again. "But any other donations will be given over to those who need it more than I do. It is gauche to speak of money, perhaps, but I have more than I need. Master Kilvin overpaid me for my services as a freelancer, and then made me a partner. My tastes aren't expensive."

Khalcifer continued to flirt with Athalia, though if she wanted to continue perusing what was on the shelves, he would happily buzz about her, producing desert-like heat for her. He might have shimmied a bit with Hilana's eyes upon him as well. He was a bit of a showoff. Sivan smiled after him, then nodded more seriously to Hilana. That a Vastian was treating a Hytori well was more than he should hope for; he didn't need to let on that he was Dratori. He knew they weren't welcome on the Atraxian sands either.

"The elemental spirits and the other natural spirits are more prevalent in the Everwilds, and I began communing with all sorts. The wild spirits taught me most of what I know about botany... Although, their teachings are... hm... conceptual. I followed up by reading."

As for stars and moons and tides, he could only nod thoughtfully. There were mathematicians who might be able to predict such things, but the best he could do was pay heed to whatever the spirits told him. His mathematics focused on much smaller things than heavenly bodies. But he smiled slightly and nodded, accepting that she and her sister might be back again and with some frequency, especially for international clientele.

His nodding picked up pace when she brought plants back into the conversation.

"Different wards for different controls. Air humidity, pollination, pests... but those I reserve for plants who are quite particular. I have an Ecithian orchid that has to be kept entirely warded. Small spirits tasked with maintaining the perfect little bubble of environment for it." He smiled fondly. "She is a fickle one. Ah, but her blooms are beautiful." He paused. "Ah... just a moment..."

It was probably unwise for him to disappear with so much left on the shelves, but there were magical precautions taken to prevent theft. After all, the normal face behind the counter was an apprentice. He was only gone for a couple of minutes, the time it took for him to cross the small courtyard from shop to Torin's home and back.

He held out a nondescript bottle on a bit of velvet, which turned out to be a little bag. He deposited the bottle in the bag before offering it to her.

"Some mead from my bees."