Completed War of the coppers {Radiant}

[Ronan Dugal]

Winter, 24th, Year 513 Great Bazaar, Syliras, mid morning The great bazaar had always been a place of interest to Ronan. Here, in the belly of Syliras, people shouted their wares and prices at each other, verbally sparring with their neighbors left, right and across the small paths between their stalls. It was a battlefield for trading and Ronan loved it. Always had and most likely always would. Whenever he needed to hear people trade or required some new inspirations for his own sales, he came here, where people freely gave their experience to anyone interested enough to listen. Ronan walked through a few stalls, brushing past them as he looked at their wares for a moment. Most stalls around here sold daily items, things that people required a lot and sold a lot but that fetched low prices that Ronan had no real interest in. He had a wagon full of those near his accommodations. Ronan spoke with a few stall owners a little bit about the weather here, the current economic trend there and general news and gossip there. As he spoke, the traders tried to sell him something of their wares but the young trader wasn't interested. He glanced over their goods and, once the conversation ended, moved on to other stalls. The deeper he moved into the bazaar the more interesting the items became. In one or two occasions, Ronan's fingers slid down to his purse, fingering it lightly as he tried to figure out the value of the item in front of him before drawing his hand back. He had only brought 50 gold mizas with him, a small sum but one he was willing to invest in today's little game. But not here. No, deeper inside the bazaar was were the real treasures were, where people didn't often venture unless they needed something from there. It seemed to Ronan that the enclosed space of the bazaar had a suffocating effect on some people and it made them stay away from the center of the bazaar. More and more, Ronan's eyes were drawn to little trinkets and other paraphernalia. They all seemed valuable but Ronan's trained eyes told him that, while none of them were completely without value, most of them weren't worth anything remotely close to what the stall owners were asking for them. He smiled, nodded, listened and learned a new sales pitch on his way into the bowels of the bazaar. But he didn't buy anything yet. Finally, at last, surrounded by stalls and wares and people shouting at him and the few others who ventured so deep within the bazaar, Ronan stopped, fully intent on purchasing something. While most people were here to buy that one particular item that was on their list, Ronan had nothing in mind. He was here simply to buy and train himself. Like his arms and legs and his eyes, Ronan's trade sense and mind needed the constant training just as much. He looked over the wares in the stall and looked at the owner as he pointed down at the wares, none in particular. "Good morning, good Ser. How much?" While his words were straight to the point, his finger pointing was so vague he could have asked the price for that one item in particular or for the entire display. From a distance, it would look just like any other sale. One man, long black hair, tied together in a low ponytail and dressed in a nondescript shirt and pants and a relatively decent money purse hanging from his belt, was talking to an owner of a stall about some items in his display. The clothes were all part of the preparations. If he had shown up in his trader outfit, the flamboyant red and gold and the immaculate finishes to it all, it would have given the traders the idea, wrongly, of course, that Ronan had more money they could get him from him. Ronan, however, was preparing for much more than simply buying something. War was coming, verbal fencing and aggressive negotiations combined, both parties intent on getting every single copper miza out of it they could and the young man couldn't help but smile at the prospect of it.

[Radiant]

The Great Bazaar, one of the most busiest part in the humongous Fortress City, it was undoubtedly a very significant trading hub in Syliras' economy, merchants, buyers, adventurers, knights, all gathered here for various purposes. Of course, though every single merchant here operated under the jurisdiction of the Knights, rivalry and competition still took place, especially between two of the most powerful merchant house of Syliras, the Valini and the Belmont.

All kinds of goods were sold here, from common utensils, food, ingredients, and pets. Mizas were exchanged every tick, shifting from one party to another, the Bazaar truly represented Syliras as the source where Xyna's divine coins, the Mizas, were minted. Among these merchants, there were always opportunists, people seeking to bolster their own wealth through tactful dealings, communication skills and connections were important, in the end, business was business.

Among these merchants, a man named Ronan Dugal was one of them, dressed in common clothing, not his usual regal trader outfit. His soft, yet sharp features gave the impression of a trustworthy man, but by no means gullible. This man was inquiring at one of the many stalls, asking for the price of a nondescript item. "Aye," The stall's owner, a bearded man with short dark hair and sharp eyes named 'Bylon' regarded Ronan, he picked up one of his wares, an intricate bone ring encased in a box-shaped glass, "One of my finest items". The man assumed Ronan was eyeing it as the ring was very eye-catching, ivory white with intricate foreign patterns, seemingly Myrian in nature, "Interested? Two hundred gold". Bylon's speech showed his experience regarding the fine art of haggling, clearly he was no pushover.

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan couldn't help the smile on his face. Of course it was "one of his finest items". They probably all were. Granted, the ring did catch Ronan's eye the moment he looked a little more closely to the items on the display. He bent closer towards the ring as the trader lifted it from the table. Carefully, Ronan took the ring from the man's fingers and brought it to his eyes, inspecting the item. It was obviously white, although it was more of a broken, dirty white, rather than a sharp white. As he moved the ring around with his fingers he saw the designs on the ring. He couldn't quite place the decorations on the ring, which made it only worth more to the young man. But that didn't show on Ronan's face. Knowing what he was buying was part of getting a better deal. When the trader claimed a price for the ring, it almost dropped from Ronan's fingers. "Two hundred gold Mizas? Is it some kind of magical ring that will allow me to rule them all?" Ronan looked the trader in the eyes. Sometimes he couldn't resist messing with others, a habit that might prove one day to be destructive towards Ronan's business. "Sure, it's nice and round." Ronan observed the ring once more, letting it turn in his fingers. His voice had an edge of inexperience to it that wasn't faked but would probably be interpreted as such. Rings and other jewelry weren't Ronan's strong points. "The design on it looks strange, though. I'm not sure if it'll catch on. Hmm... Twenty gold, maybe?" Ronan looked at the trader as he gave him his counter offer in the most uninterested and inexperienced voice he could muster. The ring was obviously worth more than that but a deal wasn't a deal without some good arguing first. Ronan wondered if he hadn't chosen the wrong stall to start off with. While the items didn't look that expensive, he hadn't figured the start would be a two hundred miza deal. From there, the trader would most likely go down perhaps 50%, the lowest price being a hundred gold mizas while Ronan could offer not a copper more then fifty gold miza. As the mathematical computations ran through his mind, Ronan looked at the ring some more, not wanting to see the possible raging fumes coming out of his opponents ears. The twenty miza deal he had offered hadn't been really fair at all.

[Radiant]

Bylon expected Ronan's answer, only a fool, or the utterly rich, would accept an item's price at face value, especially in the Great Bazaar. The merchant kept his calm as Ronan offered the absurd price of fifty gold mizas, he gave the young man a light sigh, "Dear sir, I can't accept that kind of price," a trinket from foreign lands and with the stories behind it, it was indeed one of his most fine wares, "I heard the ring indeed has magical properties, it said to bring good luck to its wearer, that's what I heard". Whether Ronan chose to believe it or not, it was his choice, Bylon just told him what the previous seller did.

This particular customer was crafty indeed, but Bylon was not complaining, to train his skill as a merchant, he needed to face people like him once in a while, experience is the best teacher. The trader crossed his arms in front of his chest and pondered, deliberately taking his time to give Ronan a sense of victory, that his words were working, "Alright, since I'm a generous man, I'll lower it to one hundred and thirty mizas, no less, you can't find ring like these anywhere and tell you what, I'm willing for us to bring this item to an appraisal if you want further proof that it's genuinely made of bone and foreign". If the man really wanted to purchase, not window-shopping, this deal couldn't get any better.

[Ronan Dugal]

It seemed to Ronan that his opponent was not just a salesman but also a player of the game. His counter offer had drawn a sigh from the man's lips, something that told Ronan that the man believed the item to be worth more than twenty mizas. That or the man was a very good player. Ronan listened as the man continued to try and sell the ring. "I heard pigs can fly down in Taloba. Doesn't mean it's true, however." Ronan gave the trader a mischievous grin as he looked from the ring to the salesman. This time, however, it was Ronan's turn to let out the sigh and shook his head. Not because he felt the price was wrong or anything but because it might give the man the same impression as Ronan had gotten from him when he sighed. That Ronan believed it to be worth less than what was offered. He looked at the ring again, his face worried and considerate, as if he was trying to determine if it was really worth the new price of 130 mizas. "It is indeed generous of you. But I can not pay one hundred and thirty mizas for a single ring, not even a magical one decorated with foreign designs. And an appraisal won't be necessary as I'm sure I can trust you." After looking at the man for a moment, Ronan let his shoulders slump a bit and placed his hands on the counter of the man's stall. He gave a last longing look down at the ring he was holding before placing it back in front of the salesman. "Forty Mizas for the ring. And that's really the highest I can go. It's just a ring, a nice one, but still only a ring none the less." Ronan avoided the salesman's eyes as he spoke, looking down at his hands and sometimes at the ring. While he still had no idea of the real value of the ring or whether it was magical or not, it seemed, from his body language, that he did want to buy the item but didn't have the necessary funds. Looking back up at the salesman, Ronan felt for his money purse and pulled it up. He held it in his hand and angled it away from the salesman as he started counting the coins he had. Not that he didn't know how much he had, but it always looked good towards the other party. "I can get..." Ronan put one finger in his purse and pushed a few coins aside to look at the bottom ones. "Forty two gold mizas and 23 copper mizas. And that'll mean a smaller meal tonight." Ronan looked at the salesman as hurt as possible. All in all, he was quite satisfied with the small exchange. From the start it hadn't been about acquiring the item any way so whether he was successful or not didn't bother Ronan. He felt quite good, considering he had more or less lost the negotiation. His mistake had only been right at the start, not observing the items close enough before going into battle. If he had picked the comb or the bracelet he would have known the price for it, more or less, but with the ring he still had no idea.

[Radiant]

Ronan's sigh didn't have any visible effect on Bylon, he merely kept his business-like gaze, visible emotions were harmful in a trade and if he wanted to be generous, Bylon could do so by donating to the Orphanage. As of the moment, he was a merchant, not an altruist. The merchant simply chuckled at Ronan's humor attempt, "Perhaps, I bet whoever lives there sell enormous amount of bacon," countering humor with humor was a sound strategy indeed.

"Hmmm..." The man rubbed his moustache as he contemplated Ronan's words, he did appreciate that he trusted him though, usually, a cynical customer would demand an expert's opinion regarding his wares, it was insulting, but he found it necessary, "I thank you, but I still cannot accept forty mizas for it, much too valuable, I did tell you that it's one of my finest wares, haven't got one of these in years," the merchant gestured to his other wares, it was true, most of his items were Syliran in nature, the ring was one of a kind, "If it's not valueable, I'd not keep it inside a glass case, I'm sure you are aware".

The merchant slowly shook his head, closing his eyes as he did, a disappointed sigh escaped his lips, he politely took back the ring and put it inside the glass case, he could potentially lose a customer, but the price Ronan offered just wasn't worth it, Bylon rather kept the ring for himself than giving it away for a measly forty mizas. When the man pulled out his purse and counted all he had inside, Bylon was already looking at his wares, searching for a cheaper item that might be fitting for Ronan. He picked up a necklace, made out of silver, pretty common but a jewellery nonetheless, "I can give this away for five gold mizas, what do you say?"

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan was a little sad that he had to let the ring go. But he had set the rules for his own game and had only allowed himself fifty mizas to start off with. And a hundred and thirty miza ring was a little too far off for Ronan to haggle down to the contents of his purse. Ronan nodded gravely, like he understood that the salesman wasn't able to sell for the money Ronan could offer. Such a shame. Ronan let his eyes glance over the other items available as he listened. "Hmm... Of course. You can never be too careful." Ronan at least tried to sound interested in the boring glass case. The sigh ended their first fight and Ronan felt like he had lost, even though there had never really been a chance for a competition around the ring. For a moment, both men were looking down at the jewelry displayed in the cases until the salesman pulled out a pretty silver necklace. While worth much less than the ring they had just traded over, Ronan immediately saw that the necklace was well within his own monetary reach and smiled. "It's nice." Once more, Ronan went with the one word that sounded positive but actually meant nothing at all. Nice was a word that described nothing positive or negative and was often used by the young trader to mask how he felt for an item. Ronan reached forward and accepted the necklace to study it closer, like he knew what he was looking at.The necklace was of local quality and, while pretty, not very valuable. A perfect start for Ronan's day. Maybe he should have started off with that one. "I'll give you 4 gold mizas for it. It's nothing special, really, even though it looks nice." Ronan looked at the salesman. He had made the mistake of giving a number earlier of the money he possessed and now the opponent knew how much Ronan could actually afford to pay. While the disadvantage wasn't insurmountable, Ronan was quite sure he wouldn't be able to get any discount for the necklace, or a very small one at best. But then again, the end result wasn't what mattered to the young trader. Even if he ended up paying a ridiculously high sum of money for a simple necklace, it would teach him something new. And that was what it was all about. While he had started off on the wrong foot this morning, it seemed that things were falling in place just nicely. And if they didn't, he could always start over at another stall. The grand bazaar offered plenty of opportunities for adventurous traders like Ronan.

[Radiant]

The man looked disappointed and it was common, customers would do so if they didn't get the price they wanted, Bylon didn't expect every deal to go smoothly, he made a living through bartering and if he swayed to his customer's whims all the time, he would go bankrupt. The customer didn't look too interested in the silver necklace, that too, was expected, it was a common jewellery after all; after examining an exotic foreign ring, the necklace seemed mundane in comparison.

The price of four mizas didn't really give Bylon much profit, it was a cheap item, sure, but couldn't the customer spare one more gold? Of course, customers would lower the prices as far as possible. The man kept his neutral gaze at Ronan, rubbing his moustache with his right hand, "Hmmm, four gold and five silver, then it's a deal," The merchant figured taking the 'middle' path was for the best, Ronan would be happy, Bylon would be happy, win-win.

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan couldn't help a small smile as the price was set at four and a half gold mizas. Right in the middle. While he could and would have haggled for every last copper, Ronan felt like this trader had seen enough of him for now. While the game could easily continue on for longer, Ronan could sense his opponent wasn't in the mood anymore. "Four gold and five silver mizas it is. Deal." Ronan extended a hand to grasp that of the trader and shake it firmly. Afterwards he would collect the necklace and fold it neatly before putting it away in one his purse. "Perhaps we'll see each other again." Ronan turned from the trader's booth and marked the location in the map in his mind. Being a cartographer on the side had helped Ronan to develop a keen sense of direction and space, allowing him to roughly map out where he was from how he had wandered. Ronan replaced the purse on his belt and walked away from the booth, looking for his next target. The stalls he looked at seemed dull and uninteresting as the exotic ring lingered in the back of his mind. He wondered if perhaps he should run back to his lodgings and get the rest of the money needed to buy the ring. Ronan shook his head to try and clear his mind from the image of the ring. No, the rules were simple and he would stick to them. Fifty gold mizas only and he would manage with those. Perhaps he could work his way up to the money needed for the ring and buy it at the end of the day. Ronan looked forward to that moment. While he still didn't feel it worth his time, Ronan stopped at another stall, well out of sight from his first stop in order to make sure that the owner of the stall hadn't overheard Ronan's previous bartering. He bartered over one of the items for a few chimes before stopping the deal and walking away from the stall. He sighed to himself as his hand moved to his purse, making sure the 44 gold and 5 silver mizas and the silver necklace were safe at his belt. With everything still safely in place, Ronan hooked one finger under his belt and strolled through the stalls. From the stall he turned right and walked deeper into the bazaar. He passed woodcrafters and leather workers but ignored most of their wares, occasionally stopping to pick one up but putting it back after having looked at it for but a moment. He continued to wander until finally he stopped in front of a tiny stall covered in shawls of different colors and designs with an old lady sitting behind them working on yet another one. Ronan picked up one of the shawls and let it slip through his fingers, feeling the fabric. "How much for the shawl, good lady?"

[Radiant]

"Deal," Bylon gave Ronan a business-like smile, retrieving his payment then gave his customer the silver necklace, after that he shook his hand, accepting the gesture, as Ronan said their farewells, "Indeed, let's do business again sometime," The man was a good customer, not a blatantly foolish spender, but not stingy to a fault as well. As Ronan walked away, Bylon rubbed his moustache in contemplation, that man would make a good merchant or... he might be one already, whatever the case, Bylon would do business with him again. Another customer approached his booth, breaking him of his thoughts, the trader then took his mind off Ronan for the moment, tending to the new customer.

The Great Bazaar was still busy, all kinds of individuals traversed through the busy marketplace, humans, Akalaks, Kelvics, Konti, and others, truly Syliras was one of the most racially diverse in all of Mizahar. With his commoner clothes, Ronan looked inconspicuous enough, being one of the most common race in Syliras, a human.

"Fishes from the Suvan, recently caught! Grab them now!"

"You won't believe how sharp this sword is, it's said to even pierce through steel armor!"

"Fresh fruits and vegetables from the fields! The more you buy, the cheaper they get!"

An orchestra of voices filled the Bazaar, merchants exhibiting their wares, from food, weapons, herbs, and all manner of items. The merchant prince - in disguise - didn't approach the loud proprietors, he made his way to a quiet stall instead, owned by an old woman who looked wise as her years, the human elder was wearing a simple robe of good quality, but not overly ornate, and her graying hair was tied into a bun.

She was in the middle of tailoring an unfinished blue shawl when the merchant prince approached her, she gently put it down when Ronan examined one of her wares, "Ohoho, young man, that would be... one gold and five silver mizas," The shawl Ronan picked up was made of fine wool with elegant embroidery across its surface. If the man paid attention, a particular shawl looked different than the others, it was pure white with gold trimmings, located behind the others, out of a customer's reach but within the old woman's, giving the image that the shawl must be an expensive item.