The Golden Calf

Log Info

• Title: The Golden Calf
• Emitter: Gadget
• Characters: Gadget, Paenitia
• Place: A02: Lower Trades District
• Time: Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 1:06 PM
• Summary: The scene opens up Gadget, scrounging for broken things, again. Paenitia arrives on her massive hippogriff peacock thing! Not a thing that was scrounged for, but an impressive thing in his own regard. Paenitia tosses out an offer of help to the downtrodden and asks where to find said downtrodden. Gadget accepts the offer by inviting Paenitia to pay for an extremely expensive meal for both herself and her familiar Mr. Jinglewidget. The two toddle off to the Golden Calf steakhouse, renowned across all of Ea.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* A02: Lower Trades District *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

The Lower Trades District is the home of the working man of Alexandria. The Lower Trades is divided, unofficially, into two parts: that controlled by the gobbers, and that controlled by the khazad. The two areas stand in contrast, one with a strong, almost formal architecture and a predilection for blacksmiths, the other a mixture of propped-up rubble and gunpowder. The latter's started to grow however, and take form with the aid of the more structured Arvek Nar. Still, the two stand as uneasy neighbors, though the oruch more easily work both sides, often in the spirit of a friendly, if competitive, warriors' competition that's unique to Alexandria, itself.

Here, the "khazad section" boasts a number of blacksmiths, glass smiths, artifice shops, and basic taverns, as well as any number of trades shops and eateries. The sweet tinge of oil, iron, and spiced BBQ is everywhere. Shrines to Reos, or marks of the same, are found over most doorways, in homage to the khazad Mountain Father and World Smith.

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing, in Order  =-=-=-=-=-=-=
Gadget       3'6"     38 Lb      Gnome             Female    Beautiful and unnatural.
Paenitia     3'0"     34 Lb      Halfling          Female    A Lucht knight, dark skinned in bold feathery finery.
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Sir Not Appearing  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Smythly      2'6"     30 Lb      Goblin            Male      Stone faced Goblin. With a big hammer.
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The sky is blue and cloudless, the sunlight is bright, and a cool wind blows from the northwest.

Gadget tends to get a lot of looks no matter where she goes, but her limbs tend to garner more attention from metalworkers and artificers. The lower trades finds a lot of attention on her from a lot of people for varying reasons, not the least of which is she's a beautiful gnome asking around for broken glassware, jugs, jars, and any materials too far-gone to be useful to smiths. The refuse gets dumped into her baby buggy. It's designed for a child a human-sized being might put in it, so the wheels are not on long legs, and the wheels that are there are much larger than one might anticipate. The proportions to the gnome are not unlike a shopping trolly's.

And passing through with some pomp and circumstance is an unusual sight. An ivory, horse sized peacock. A hippogryph to be exact, half bird, half horse, with peacock and gypsy andalusian making up the respective halves. He's huge, and fluffy, with a fifteen foot trail of feathers, enough to be his own horse and cart. His white feathers are interrupted by a splash of crimson on his neck, which matches his crown and the eye-spots on the tail.

Riding atop is a Lucht Knight, looking even smaller than usual for a halfling in comparison to her large steed. She's in red armour, with a wide brimmed hat, a cape made from peacock feathers, with a metal mask that completely hides her face. Oddly, it has a man's features, a wide grin and mustache.

The pair struts along, with the Red Knight looking around and down to either side, brewers and blacksmiths getting more attention than the other trades. She halts the hippogryph before he steps on a baby-buggy, and calls out, "Hola!"

Gadget watches the unusual procession, and when she's greeted, she just raises an eyebrow, her moonstone eyes shining blue in the mid-day sun. Her blonde curls are presently pulled back in a shower of ringlets over the back of her neck and down to her shoulderblades. An albino capuchin wearing a waistcoat and short trousers joins the gnome in staring at the unusual sight. Not that hippogriffs are unusual, but this wasn't just that. This was as much a costume as it was regalia. The feathery cloak almost made it seem like the halfling was coming from inside the beast she was riding.

"Hello," Gadget says, calmly. Generally, she's more chipper, but her expression and tone betray an expectation of being asked for something.

"Good day my friend!" The Red Knight leans over, smiling. Well, her mask is alway smiling for her, but her voice is cheerful, high-pitched in the way the right-sized folks are. "I am Sister Paenitia Snapdragon del Haranna, Knight of the Pillar and Paladin of Tarien. I am on a quest to find the most downtrodden in Alexandria, most in need of Charity. Or those almost as low. Do you know someone in need of aid?"

Her mount snorts in a rather horse-like way, then turns his head to stare at Gadget's limbs. Their form reflecting off his large, red eyes. This attention is noticed, and discouraged. "Ramirez, do not look so. She is not an enemy to challenge."

Gadget looks at the monkey, who looks back at her. She looks up at the woman and says, "I mean...I could tell you a sob story how I lost my eyes to cruel mages and my limbs to snake venom, how I try to make a living selling broken pots and glass bottles, or how I can barely afford care for Mr. Jinglewidget, but does that make me the MOST downtrodden? What are the criteria?"

"Ha ha! That is Tarien's little joke. He leaves it to me to find out." Paenitia laughs loudly, still leaning over in her saddle. She says, "Ramirez! I dismount!"

The peacock-andalusian extends a wing and she twists out of her seat, slides along it to land in front of Gadget. Up close, some rust patina is visible on her mask and armour. "Your story is very sad. It is not the saddest, but you, the friend monkey need food. I shall get you some. What around do you desire?"

Gadget looks to her monkey, then back at the masked figure. "How much do you know about monkey care?" she asks.

"The monkeys, I do not know. The peacocks, the horses and the gnolls, I know." Paenitia says, patting the flank of Ramirez. Her feet are bare, dark skinned, she has many dark curls on her shins, held back by red bows. She bounces up and down a little, "They eat like the birds, or like the horses?"

"Ah," Gadget says. "Well, Monkeys burn a lot of energy over the course of a day. They need a large amount of fruits and nuts in the wild, but when they're domesticated, they thrive more easily on expensive things, sadly, that I have not the money for. Steaks and lobster and such. My proud Mr. Jinglewidget is so compassionate, though, that he won't eat unless there's enough for both of us. Look at the poor darling," Gadget continues, pinching a tuft of fur on her monkey's arm. "He's nothing but skin and bones. Oh, woe is me! If only I could sell more of my broken bottles and pottery, maybe I could save this noble ape from starvation!" Mr. Jinglewidget, for his part, swooned at all the right parts, doing his best 'starving monkey' impression.

"You shall both eat and drink your fill my friend!" Paenitia says cheerfully, looking around, her shoulder-length, actually mid-back length curls bouncing. "Where is the best seller of steak and lobsters? At the canal?"

'Ruaaah!' Ramirez makes an unsettlingly loud, bass squawk. Horse sized peacocks can do such things.

"No Ramirez, we do not go there to fight the swans. You do not have to prove yourself each day." She pats her mount affectionately, quite happy in tone. She says conspiratorily, "His blood, so hot. Always he sees challenge. It take the strong woman to hold him back, but I am such, ha-ha! Please, show the way."

Where might one purchase such expensive fare. The Fernwood pub? Perhaps. The TarRaRace, or Ma Rosie's in Goblintown. Surely there would be some place in the noble quarters. Lobsters might also be available at the docks, right off the boats, the ones not worth upselling. Steak would not be included. Yet surely Alexandria, the Phoenix City, must have a world renowned steak house famous across all of Ea.

Gadget perks up a bit. "Oh, thank you," she says. "The Golden Calf isn't too far from here. Come, I'll lead the way." As she turns and begins walking, she says, "Now, they don't like animals in the establishment, but a lot of places will waive that for well-behaved animals wearing clothes, especially those who, like Mr. Jinglewidget, can write. Literacy is a big deal, you know."

"Ramirez waits outside, this he knows." Paenitia says, looking up and down the street before she attempts to turn her giant peacock around. His tail does tend to sweep the cobbles, and occasionally catch animals and unwary children. "Ramirez writes, but it is chickenscratch."

Her ever-smiling mask hides any expression she might make. Hard to say if she said that with a straight face.