The Presence of Presents.

[Skafloc]

“ Why yes good sir, I only use the highest quality gemstones and ores in my jewel craft. It makes for a slighty more robust price, but the results are well worth it. “ the forsaken man explained. He was obviously quite proud of his work. With good reason, the examples he had shown Skafloc were exquisite.

“ Your work is quite impressive Master Deathian. I am very glad your comrade Lupa recommended you. “ Skafloc had run into the tall troll woman earlier that day in the bazaar. She apparently had taken to visiting the city quite frequently and the reasons were apparent, as Lady Daala had also taken up seemingly semi-permanent residence. They were often seen together.

“ What I am looking for is a special amulet, one I understand has the special attribute of enhancing one’s agility and power. Miss Lupa had mentioned you are able to craft such.”

The undead man nodded with ghastly smile. “ Oh yess.. an easy piece to manufacture, but very useful to those such as yourself.” He chuckled, “ or those of my ‘other’ profession to be honest.”

He rummaged through his chests of wares and came up holding a green gemmed pendant, set into dull gold. “ Here it is, and for you, a very reasonable price. “ Thus the mandatory haggling commenced. Skafloc was a good purchaser, but eventually settled on a price that he would have probably still wrangled lower had it not been a friend of a friend he bartered with.

Funds exchanged, Skafloc put on the green amulet, and immediately felt the tell-tale tingling of magical influence. He was about to wish the man well, as he was already starting to pack up his display when a thought occurred to him.

“ Master Deathian. Do you work by chance on commission? Special orders? “ asked Skafloc.

The man looked up with his undead eyes at Skafloc. “ But of course! Any opportunities to expand my skills and experiment with new ideas is always welcome. What is it you had in mind?”

“ Well, I have this lady friend. One I only recently met, but would like to meet more often. I am thinking of a gift, one suitable for a raven haired beauty such as herself. One that speaks of refinement, but function as well. She is an adventurer, a conjurer to be precise. But more than that, she is an artist. This gift will need to be special.” Skafloc rubbed his chin. “ Can you do this? What would you recommend? “

Deathian the Jewel crafter pondered for a moment. “ Hmm. I have an idea, but it might be a trite forward. You say you only just met this woman? What I am thinking of is a ring. A special ring to enhance her intellect and fortitude. It will also add subtle aid to her conjuring. It is a pretty thing, but not overly extravagant, that it might be mistaken for a promise ring, or engagement ring. Such, in my experience, would be disastrous as a gift for one only just met. “

A ring. That would be perfect. Something pretty to adorn an ivory sculpted hand.

“ Yes, that would be perfect.” Said Skafloc, rubbing his hands together. “ What do you require of me for this?”

“ I have most of the materials on hand, but alas what I am lacking is the all important gemstones. I will require a pair of quality shadowgems. “ said Deathian.

Skafloc felt his heart leap. He had a pair of shadowgems in his safety deposit box! Booty from some Amani troll villages he had helped eradicate days earlier.

“Wait a moment sir, I might have just the thing.!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours later Skafloc was setting quill to parchment, writing his letter.

Dearest Evanthe;

A Pretty for a Pretty; ……….. Skafloc thought of the words he wished to say, then smiling as he wrote he put them to paper. Finishing, he blew the ink dry then sealed the letter to include in the package he had made for the ring.

Then summoning his clerk he sent the man off to deliver it..

[Evanthe]

Evanthe turned the ring over in her hand, examining the craftsmanship. Hundreds of little shadowgem fragments adorned the band, shimmering in the early evening light.

"Beautiful," she murmured, slipping it on her finger.

[Skafloc]

The package came without a note. Still, it was wrapped with obvious care and skill. It was long, about 4 and a half feet in length, and slender. It had some weight to it and Skafloc could tell through the padding that there was something solid inside.

He wasted no time once back in his quarters at the Nex'Cruor manor slitting the colorful parchment that served as the outer wrap. Peeling it off revealed a layer of soft wool padding protecting whatever was within. Pulling the wool away Skafloc gasped.

A length of highly polished dark wood, laquered to a gloss finish and carved with intricate swirling designs lay before him. It tapered at each end to a delicate knotched point. Skafloc recognized what it was immediately. A finely crafted precision longbow.

Rummaging through the wool for a few seconds Skafloc found the silvery haired bowstring. Like a child at Yule he wasted no time stringing the bow. He stood there among the forgotten fragments of wrapping parchment and wool testing the bow's weight and torsion. It felt perfect in his hands, comfortable in the grip and with considerable draw weight. It was much sturdier than his old faithful Sin'dorei hunting bow, meaning he would have a slower shooting rate. But the force behind each arrow launched from it would hit with considerably more impact.

After several minutes of shooting imaginary arrows Skafloc bent down to leaf through the packing material. No, there was no note within. Still, every instinct told him who had sent such a perfect present. One with an eye for art and fine craftsmanship.

" Soul Thief.. that is your name my bow. In honor of the one who sent you to me. I shall see to it that you never thirst.."