IC

[The_Wanderer]

Feargus

"I personally like the idea of a little spectacle - bringing the body into town. Honestly my first choice would be to stay in the field but if we did that, would the body parts decompose too much on the road?"

[thirdkingdom]

Feargus

"I personally like the idea of a little spectacle - bringing the body into town. Honestly my first choice would be to stay in the field but if we did that, would the body parts decompose too much on the road?"

Feargus is no expert, but it is unlikely the carcass will spoil in a day. The venom sacs, though . . . he's not sure about that.

[thirdkingdom]

The adventurers know there are people in Junction who specialize in butchering exotic beasts.

[shaidar]

Newton

"No problems, let's get this thing wrapped up and get someone in Junction to deal with it. If the poison spoils by the time we get to Junction, no loss really as I don't know how to deal with it here anyway."

[thirdkingdom]

Thirdmonth, Sixteenthday
Junction

The adventurers decide to return to Junction, bearing the snake-like creature, to have it butchered by a professional. They've got enough manpower that it's not an issue to bring it back. Sure enough, as they cross the bridge they begin attracting the attention of townsfolk, who gawp at the creature and the adventurers. "Must be a dragon!" one woman exclaims as they pass by, and her companion nods at the wisdom behind her words.

Being a frontier town, Junction does a brisk business in hides, and many of them are cured and tanned here before shipping them east, to the more civilized regions of the world where they are worked into garments and armor. There are two tanneries in town, at the southern edge, just south of the docks and the small, quiet shipyard. The one that Fleur recommends is owned by a man named Harvid. "He used to scout for a couple of the mercantile companies," she says, "until he lost a leg. Of the two master leatherworkers in town he's the most familiar with strange beasts."

Indeed, Harvid, a somber man of middling height with a carved wooden leg that stops at the knee, recognizes the beast almost at once. "'Tis a wood drake," he says, looking the beast over, "young, but still dangerous. You're lucky there was only the one, as they are quick as lightning and cunning to boot. They're distantly related to dragons, and their bite carries a mild toxin that sets the nerves alight with pain. Not life-threatening, but debilitating for a brief period. I'll buy the carcass from you for . . ." he opens the mouth and looks at the teeth, then examines the underbelly. "200 gold alcedes. Or I can butcher it up for you and you'll own the parts. It'll cost about thirty gold to do the butchering. Meat's not really worth anything, unfortunately, but the hide, claws, teeth, and heart can be used."

[VonAlric]

Gardo

"Newton, Telemachus, you guys can estimate better than I. Fair enough or should we strike a deal with this good man for, as one of my old bosses would say, "an exclusive deal?"

[shaidar]

Newton

"Hmmm, I think we should take you up on your offer of butchering it for us. I'm interested in turning the hide into armour, could you do this for me"

[thirdkingdom]

Newton

"Hmmm, I think we should take you up on your offer of butchering it for us. I'm interested in turning the hide into armour, could you do this for me"

Harvid

"Not me. I'm a tanner. I can skin and butcher a beast like this with my eyes close, and tan it so that it won't rot, but I can't make the armor. The only one I know in town who *might* be able to do it is Serenen the Stout. She's a master leatherworker, with a shop just down the road from here. If she can't do it you'll have to take the hide to Rhea's Ford. I can get this creature butchered by the end of the day today, if you want any of the other parts; it'll take about two months to tan a hide this size."

I used alligator hide as a starting point: https://alligatorhuntingequipment.com/tan.html

[shaidar]

Newton

"Thanks, I'll have to go and speak with master Serenen. How much will tanning cost? I was also wondering, would anyone be interested in the poison, and do you know who might be up to extracting it"

[thirdkingdom]

Newton

"Thanks, I'll have to go and speak with master Serenen. How much will tanning cost? I was also wondering, would anyone be interested in the poison, and do you know who might be up to extracting it"

Harvid

"Tanning this hide will cost another 65 gold. I don't, ah, know anything about poisons, I'm afraid."

[The_Wanderer]

Feargus nods his head, "Wood Drake hide would make interesting armor. Don't know how effective it would be but certainly would look unique."

He then walks over and asks Goshawk to check their supplies before turning in.

[shaidar]

Newton looks at the others

"Is everyone happy with this?"

Once we've finished at the tanners Newton wants to pay a visit to Serenen.

[Pulpatoon]

Aldus joins Newton on his trip to Serenen, peppering him with suggestion of the design and tailoring of the leather armor. "...and if we add a little scalloping to the bottom of the panels and repeat it in the epaulets—you'll want epaulets, won't you?—and then we dart it along your waist from here to about here, it will provide a wide range of movement, flatter your silhouette, and subtly evoke the hide's saurian origin. Subtlety is the key. Just enough to make people think they were the first ones to notice it. Then they'll feel terribly clever when they come up with some dramatic nickname for you, like "Dragon-Scout," and "Drake-Runner" or what have you, and they'll be more likely to spread it around. And I'd suggest brass fittings to contrast with the color of the hide, although that does require a considerable effort in polishing, as verdigris wouldn't do at all. Do you think one of your hirelings would be competent at the task?"

[shaidar]

Newton tries not to smile as he shakes his head

"No epaulets, and no brass'

[Pulpatoon]

Aldus doesn't skip a beat: "No, of course not! Practicality shall be our guide and our watch-word! Ease of use in combat and exploration! You know, if we reverse the hide in alternating panels, we can create a mottled pattern like sun-dappled leaves that would still look very jaunty when in town. It's all in the proportions, you know."

[shaidar]

Newton

"Let's see what Serenen says, assuming she can do something with it"

[thirdkingdom]

Newton

"Let's see what Serenen says, assuming she can do something with it"

Serenen the Stout

Serenen's shop is just east of the river, near enough to the tanning district that it's a walk of but a minute. The proprietess is a short, stocky woman with callouses on her hands that would put a stevedore to shame. When informed of Newton's wants she looks the scout up and down, then walks around him with a professional's eye. Her shop is dim and crowded with what look like dressmaker's frames and leatherworking tools; leather of all variety hang from the walls, and the air is redolent with the stink of oil and leather. "Aye, I can do what you ask," she says, "It'll take about a month, once I get the leather, but if it's what you say it is I should be able to make a set of armor your children will cherish."

Cost of masterwork armor is 750 gp, of which half is materials, which you're providing. Therefore, the labor cost will be 375 gp, and you'll have about 100 gp worth of leather left over. The armor will have a +1 bonus to AC, and, since wood drakes are specifically good at hiding in woods, will gain a +1 bonus on attempts to hide in wooded areas when wearing the armor.

[Pulpatoon]

Aldus eagerly talks shop with Serenen, diving into the demands of the local market and the sourcing of materials, hoping to cultivate her as a business contact for the tailoring business her hopes to establish.

[thirdkingdom]

Aldus eagerly talks shop with Serenen, diving into the demands of the local market and the sourcing of materials, hoping to cultivate her as a business contact for the tailoring business her hopes to establish.

She's . . . difficult to read. She's professional enough not to blow Aldus off, but is clearly focusing on other things. It's likely to take some time before she opens up to Aldus.

Rolled a 6 on the reaction roll on my phone. Not great, not terrible.

[shaidar]

Newton

Serenen the Stout

Serenen's shop is just east of the river, near enough to the tanning district that it's a walk of but a minute. The proprietess is a short, stocky woman with callouses on her hands that would put a stevedore to shame. When informed of Newton's wants she looks the scout up and down, then walks around him with a professional's eye. Her shop is dim and crowded with what look like dressmaker's frames and leatherworking tools; leather of all variety hang from the walls, and the air is redolent with the stink of oil and leather. "Aye, I can do what you ask," she says, "It'll take about a month, once I get the leather, but if it's what you say it is I should be able to make a set of armor your children will cherish."

Cost of masterwork armor is 750 gp, of which half is materials, which you're providing. Therefore, the labor cost will be 375 gp, and you'll have about 100 gp worth of leather left over. The armor will have a +1 bonus to AC, and, since wood drakes are specifically good at hiding in woods, will gain a +1 bonus on attempts to hide in wooded areas when wearing the armor.

"Thank you master Serenen, I look forward to seeing the results of your work. I shall ask Master Harvid to deliver the hide to you once it is tanned, which he says will take two months. Perhaps he will let you examine it before he starts the tanning."

He will pay Serenen whatever deposit she requires up front, and tell her how to contact him via Madame Fleur. He will then return to Master Harvid, pay him the 100 gp for butchering and tanning (yes, there is a 5gp sweetner there) and ask him to deliver the tanned hide to Serenen. He'll also tell him how to contact him through Madame Fleur.

Cool, sounds great. If you let me know how much Serenen wants up front I'll update my gold. I shall have to think about what to do with the left over leather, would it be enough to make boots, or perhaps a shield, or both?

Once the butchering is done, can we get Madame Fleur to look for buyers for the other items?

I'm ready to move on, don't want to take up any more time