[Elegant Weave] A Curious Customer [Sayana]

[Saelian Ash]

Winter 11, 514 Saelian looked up from her weaving, brows knitted momentarily at the unusual request. “Yes. This is fine,” she consented, with a nod of agreement. The other employee of the Elegant Weave nodded in return and murmured to someone standing outside the doorway of the weaving room, “Please mistress, step this way.” Saelian watched with curiosity as her fellow worker ushered in a dark golden-brown hued young woman. It wasn’t often customers asked to see the cloth as it materialized on her loom. But Saelian was skilled enough to be somewhat proud of her work, and she didn’t mind to display it to a potential customer. She thought perhaps the young woman wanted to see for herself the quality of the cloth currently in progress, or perhaps she was simply curious at to the process itself. Maybe she was a weaver herself and wished to compare her own product to that which she might be willing to buy. It mattered not to Saelian. Each exchange she engaged in, here in the walled city, was novel to the Symenestra, who had spent her entire life thus far in her own homeland and thus surrounded by her own kind. Meeting others, of other races, was always interesting to her, and she strove to take away a little something newly gained from each such encounter. Her fingers stilled, momentarily, and then froze completely, her pale lips parting in shocked surprise as her eyes widened. For a moment, she could only stare at the young woman with four too many arms. Saelian had heard tell of such creatures, but the moment of actually meeting one was clearly astonishing to her. In the next moment, though, she recovered her usual good manners, and smiled pleasantly to welcome the exceptionally comely, dark haired female, noting the roundness of the face and the compactness of the many limbs and trunk, as compared to her own. Certainly not as willowy as Saelian herself, the girl was still graceful enough in her movements. “Welcome, mistress,” she said in greeting, her words accented with the sibilant sounds of Symenos, her native tongue. She rose from the loom and made a little formal half bow. “I am Saelian. You wished to see my work?”

[Sayana]

At last her wages had come in. Ten days late, she might add. But nevertheless, it was a tidy sum of money. And to be quite honest, she was surprised that Ser Kevith appreciated her work so much, particularly after all his negative comments to keep her in line. Perhaps it really did keep the customers coming, and the clientele drinking as they enjoyed her performances. In any case, now was the time to invest more in her dancing to keep herself sharp, graceful, and stunning. Sayana left her apartment bundled up in her grey fur-trimmed coat with gloves to match. Six, in fact, but only two could be seen since the coat just had two sleeves and her other arms were hidden – uncomfortably crunched – inside the coat. A few unpleasant thoughts arose about a certain Eypharian, but she forced them from her mind. Today was not a day to dwell. Today was hers, and hers alone. And she planned to treat herself. She had been to the Elegant Weave once before. In fact, it was here that she had purchased her coat and gloves, as well as a custom set of sleeves for her six arms. It was quite a clever piece of clothing that kept her arms warm during these cold days, but didn’t constrict her movement since they were attached together by a shawl-like piece of cloth. Quite pleased with the results, Sayana was keen to return for more clothing and fabric. She ventured through the streets as they twisted this way and that. She kept an eye on the sun when possible so she wouldn’t get turned about and slowly neared the Bittern District and the salty smell of the Syliran Docks. There was snow upon the ground and she was grateful for her new boots, but it was still rather easy to traverse the city streets. With a smile, she turned down Winthrop Alley and after a few chimes Sayana caught sight of the friendly display of fabrics and clothing that marked An Elegant Weave. Ding-a-ling The Eypharian opened the door to the shop and stepped through. Her eyes wandered about the shop looking at all the brightly coloured fabrics. That’s what she was missing at home… perhaps she could remedy that too. Sayana noticed a shop keeper stocking one of the shelves of fabrics, and promptly approached the woman. “I’d like to see Navia. I met with her last time I was here and I’d like to make a purchase… or purchases.” Sayana stated quite bluntly. “I’m afraid Navia is not here right now, but I’d be happy to help you,” the store keeper replied. Sayana hesitated, seeming briefly unsure, but then carried on. “I’d like to buy a length of silk. Something light and flowy… and preferably red.” “Ah! You’re in luck. We have recently acquired a new member of the staff who specializes in weaving silk.” The store keeper answered. Sayana perked up suddenly quite curious. She thought the silk would have been imported but maybe the staff at An Elegant Weave were more talented than she had imagined. “Since, um, it’s rather expensive, would I be able to see the silk to check the quality?” Sayana asked, trying to phrase her question as politely as possible. “Let me go check,” the store keeper replied. “I don’t know if she has any finished products yet.” As the store keeper went into the back. Sayana stayed where she was, feeling a bit nervous but excited. She knew silk could be expensive and she didn’t want to blow all her hard earned Mizas on it but she also couldn’t wait to start adding a large billowy silk to her dancing, giving it a beautiful flowing grace. She had seen Benshira dance with these large veils and they seemed to effortlessly move the silk through the air creating a dramatic flair. As the Eypharian waited, she found herself getting rather warm and consequently removed her thick coat and gloves. Much better. She stretched out her arms and draped the coat over her low left. Her red set of sleeves was now very much apparent, along with her beaded top and skirt. However, if one looked carefully, her top and skirt were slowly looking worse for wear. At last the storekeeper returned. “Please mistress, step this way.” Sayana followed her into the weaving room and smiled at the sight of the large loom. In some ways it was like her mother’s shop, but larger and grander. A tall willowy woman rose from her seat at the loom. She was thin, wispy, delicate, and so different from Sayana’s own figure. “I am Saelian. You wished to see my work?” “Yes,” Sayana replied. “I hear you specialize in silks?” OOCKind of long since I was trying to set the scene for Sayana and fit it into what you had. I hope it was enough interaction at the end. Rough Shopping List : Most importantly: A large piece of silk (3 square yards) dyed red for her to use as a veil for her dancing. New set of dance clothes (current set is getting worn out): beaded red top, long red skirt. Other dance gear: Jingly coin hip scarf “Furnishings” for home: large lengths of beautifully dyed cloth to adorn the walls of her home, potentially a table cloth, possibly a rug of sorts to keep out the chill, perhaps an extra blanket for the cold nights ahead Total spending money: Approx 100 GM when my wages come in Receipt : One piece of red silk that is 3 square yards: 1 sm/square yard 3 square yards x1.5 (dyed red) x25 (silk) = 11.25 GM Several large pieces of fabric of different colours to decorate her apartment: 1 sm/square yard 100 square yards x1.5 (dyed various bright colours) x1.25 (cotton) = 18.75 GM Total: 30.00 GM Note: Under the clothing section it says "5sp/sq.yd." for Whole Cloth. And it also says in the text that this is a cost for 5 square yards. This is rather confusing so I looked at other prices of similar items and found that canvas (under "Outdoors, Wilderness, and Exploration") is 1sm/square yard. Thus I took this as the base price (since under clothing, canvas has no multipliers).

[Saelian Ash]

Saelian nodded, trying to keep her amethyst eyes from staring again at the six limbs sheathed in red. So far, the potential customer had little call to move any of them, one of the lower arms holding a coat, the others serenely composed, one atop the other, three on each side, of course. At least it was all very symmetrical. Saelin wondered briefly if any of this desert dwelling race were ever born with an odd number of arms, or perhaps all the extras on one side of the body or the other. She’d love to find out, but the present circumstances clearly dictated that she stick to business and keep those nosy questions to herself, for now, anyway. The woman, in any case, was quite pretty, and Saelian, with the crafter’s eye for such things, thought the color of the six sleeves suited her. Her polite smile of greeting broadened a bit, and she replied, “I do weave the silk, yes. It is the special craft of my homeland. I am a student of this craft since I am ten summers on this earth.” Indeed, the Symenestra had first set small fingers to loom at a young age, learning the art of weaving the silken strands collected from the Ranekissra moth into a beautiful, light, gossamer material – the famed silk of Kalinor. The larvae of the moth produce the proteinaceous substance in order to spin their cocoons. The silk industry of the underground city began with the husbandry of such insects, and the collection of the cocoons, from which the strands of silk were spun into thread. The weaver’s task was to take the colorfully dyed threads and create the cloth from which garments could be crafted. Traders came from all over the known world to the cave city to trade for the cloth, and it fetched a high price. Here in the walled city of the knights, Saelian had been surprised to find that Mistress Druva had a supply of silk thread. It was a rather rare and very expensive commodity, and one which the owner of this shop was not about to hand over to just any weaver. But the young Symenestra had displayed her own clothing, the fabric of which she had woven herself, and then done a demonstration of her talent, to the owner’s satisfaction. Thus she had been entrusted to craft some of the coveted thread into cloth, to be sold as is to customers for their own uses, or to be turned into garments by some of Mistress Druva’s seamstresses. Sealian stepped to the side a little, and extended graceful, long fingers hand with a small flourish, to draw the young Eypharian’s attention to the cloth even then taking shape on the loom. It was a rather simple affair, though the artifice of creating smooth, uniform cloth was not quite so simple. Saelian was no expert yet, but she was skilled enough to create a quality product. “You want a dress perhaps?” she inquired, practiced eyes running up and down and up again, over the other woman’s form, gauging how much cloth would be called for, dependent upon the style. And those arms… Her eyes settling on those extra limbs for a moment, she then raised them to the customer’s face. “Do you think now of a style? And a color? Or one in red again?”

[Sayana]

“I do weave the silk, yes. It is the special craft of my homeland.” As the weaver stepped aside from the loom Sayana curiously moved forwards to the woven silk slowly forming upon the device. She paused and glanced at the Symenestra and was met by startling violet eyes. She held the gaze for perhaps a moment longer than necessary, suddenly just as curious about the woman as she was the cloth. The weaver didn’t seem to quite match the appearance of the multitude of humans running about Syliras, but Sayana was not able to put a finger to her race. Respectfully, the Eypharian turned back to the silk upon the loom, and with a high hand she delicately touched the finished fabric marvelling at its fine quality. “You do well, mistress weaver,” Sayana spoke with appreciation as she idly looked at the loom’s mechanics, curious to the style of weave but only having a limited knowledge upon the subject. First and foremost, the fabric was smooth and Sayana suspected that it would have a flowing lightness to it if it were taken off the loom. “You want a dress perhaps? Do you think now a style? And a color? Or one in red again?” The Symenestra’s questions turned Sayana’s focus back to the weaver. Saelian was it? “Red of course,” Sayana stated as if it was obvious. “But not a dress.” She paused thinking of how best to explain the piece of fabric she needed, and the purpose of such a thing. “I need a long piece of silk,” she began and gestured openly with her high arms. “Woven, flowing, and finished at the edges so it doesn’t come apart. But light, and nothing to weigh it down. That’s why I need silk. Cotton and even a fine linen cannot do that.” The Eypharian glanced at the loom with a critical eye. “Perhaps the width of the loom, and then two arm’s lengths,” she explained and opened her high arms once again, bending at the wrists to indicate the length. “Or just a little less,” she added now somewhat doubtful of her measurement. She stretched out all her arms straight in front of her, other than the one holding her coat. “I need it for dancing. It must go from one hand, any hand, around my back and to my other hand.” She explained as she first wiggled her rights and then her lefts in demonstration. “Because for my dance I need it to billow behind me as I move, and twist through the air around me as I spin about.”

[Saelian Ash]

Saelian listened carefully to the customer, trying to pick out the terms and syntax to understand what it was she wanted. A piece of cloth, then? And not a garment. That didn’t seem so unusual a request, for a good number of beings crafted their own clothes, or so Saelian presumed. But it became apparent that wasn’t what Sayana intended to do with the cloth she wanted to order. The Symenestra was a bit distracted by the movement of the many limbs, and she tried anew to focus on what the Eypharian was explaining, taking careful note of the measurements that were being displayed visibly. And then… it all made sense. “Ah, you are the one who dances!” she exclaimed with a smile of pleased understanding. “Yes, yes! I see, exact!” Mentally, the weaver pictured the cloth just as the dancer had described the motions, and in her mind’s eye it did indeed billow and float, beautifully. Saelian nodded enthusiastically. “This would be full of….graceful? Is that the word?” She moved slightly, closer to the loom and motioned again, at the width of the machine. “This is it. How long the cloth can be, this way.” Drawing her hands apart, she showed that the width of a piece of cloth woven on this loom was constrained to be no wider than the horizontal beam, minus a few fingers width on each side. “It can be longer, this way. As much as you like.” She moved her hands to indicate that as the piece took shape, it could be any length, really. That which was woven was gathered in a roll on a lower beam. “But there are bigger looms, mistress,” Saelian explained, nodding at one of the other machines in the large room. “You can choose.” Recalling what the other employee had said a few bells previously, she added, sliding onto the stool, “You want to watch? As I weave?”

[Sayana]

“Ah, you are the one who dances!” “Yes, yes, I dance!” Sayana confirmed and she gave a quick spin on the spot with her arms outstretched mimicking the rough shape of an imaginary piece of cloth spinning with her. “This would be full of….graceful? Is that the word?” The Eypharian nodded in reply. It seemed as though common was not the lady’s first language. Sayana looked her over once more. So incredibly pale, yet her fingernails were black as night creating a striking contrast. She wondered whether the weaver was from Syliras or had traveled from somewhere else. She was pretty sure that the language spoken most here was indeed Common. As Saelian explained the size restrictions of the cloth by gesturing to the loom, Sayana nodded in agreement. If she had learned nothing else from her mother she had learned the benefit of having a larger loom. It meant that you didn’t need to sew as many small pieces together but consequently it was more expensive to get large lengths of fabric. “But there are bigger looms, mistress. You can choose.” Sayana glanced up at some of the other looms but then turned her focus once more at the loom in front of Saelian. Specifically she examined the width of the loom. She measured out the horizontal distance with two of her arms roughly rotated her arms to see how large it would look vertically. With a nod she replied, “Yes, this one is good. Those others are too big for what I need.” “You want to watch? As I weave?” Sayana forced a calm expression on her face and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Frankly, watching someone weave sounded as boring as watching someone sweep the floor. But perhaps this Saelian girl might be good for some conversation or at least Sayana could ask about some of the other items she’d like to purchase. “Sure,” the Eypharian replied as she feigned interest. Her primary reason for wanting to see the cloth was to check the quality, not to watch it being made. “And you may call me Sayana.” She pulled up a chair from an empty loom and took a seat next to the Saelian. “So are you from Syliras?” She asked trying to be friendly. “Your accent… I don’t recognize it. And do you also sew clothing? Or beadwork? I’ll be needing these replaced soon, or at least mended.” She gestured to her red beaded top that emphasized her chest and looking closely it was clear that some of the beadwork was coming undone or becoming tattered. Her skirt too was quite thin in places and the hem at the bottom was slightly frayed. OOCI’m picturing the small loom (Saelian’s loom) as about 1 yard wide and the larger looms as 2-3 yards wide.

[Aoren]

Sayana

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Planning	+1 EXP
Persuasion	+1 EXP
Negotiation	+2 EXP
Investigation	+2 EXP
Dancing	+1 EXP
Acrobatics	+1 EXP

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Negotiation: Assessing The Quality of Silk
•	Saelian: Symenestra Silk Weaver
•	Saelian: Works At Elegant Weave

• | -30 GM for purchases

Notes :

If you have comments, questions or concerns please approach me at your earliest convenience. Don't forget to edit/delete your request in the request thread!