RP:Designer of War

From HollowWiki

Part of the Thy Kingdom Come Arc


Summary: Hildegarde finally meets with Kreekitaka to discuss the matter of armour and some weapons. The crafty crab names his price at twenty-four thousand gold pieces, but Hildegarde has another price in mind which the crab happily accepts. Dragon and crab appear to be in business.

Ryder Sanctuary

Kreekitaka was in his store, but since we figured all that out ahead of time I probably ought to start this RP by saying what he was doing there since posts look best when they start with the character's name, amirite? And what he was doing there was layering together different types of fabric as a way of getting one sheet with multiple properties. Mikaia had been specific about her needs. As for the store itself, which is the most important part of any scene-setting post, it was there and existed! Even had a few customers looking about in it, with one or two uyeer watching the money-taking part or gliding around the showroom, helping out customers with sizing or color selection. But the fun part of all this text, the part you're all really here to see, or at least the part you really probably ought to know, is how the store was set up. A side door in Desparrow's house was decorated with glowing fabric and a sign saying "Kreekitaka's Exotics and Imports" opened into a fantastic and bizarre fabricscape. The walls were all decorated in a manner similar to how Artia's ball and his fashion show had been--darkened, with a soft glow that made them seem to disappear into emptiness. Ribbons of light and globes of shimmering bioluminescent fish helped to provide the light by which one sees, and these were collectively bright enough for one to be able to tell how he or she would look in the various outfits which were all over. There was a rack of accessories on the wall--handbags, jewelry, hats. Mannequins dotted the room in various poses, wearing different outfits, many of which were hanging in racks, either floor- or wall-mounted. There was more space devoted to womenswear than menswear simply because most of his clientele was female, but there was certainly enough there in terms of pants and nice shirts and whatnot for guys as well. He even did underwear. In one corner--probably the corner we're going to be discussing the most--there were four particular mannequins armed with signs that said "WARNING: DANGEROUS. DO NOT TOUCH" and clothed in suits of light armor, with four different colors and textures (though the last two were very similar). One was a grey-blue and seemed to have thicker, more distinct plates than the others. One was a yellow-green and had spikes on the shoulders, gauntlets and shins. The last two were a darker grey and seemed to be simple, unadorned light armor, though one of them was decorated a little with glowing blue highlights. One thing to note was that they all appeared to be leather of some sort, reinforced and hardened though it may be. These were not made of metal.


Hildegarde had been told by Pilar that Kreekitaka had a range of armours that she would need to examine, for the crab would most certainly not set foot in Vailkrin. Leaving the safety of Vailkrin didn’t bother her at all, she was willing to go the distance to solidify alliances and items that might secure her victory in Frostmaw. The only thing that did bother her was the daylight. In a city of perpetual night, the sudden daylight was difficult to adjust to but it was a great deal more pleasant than the perpetual darkness. The Silver traipsed through Cenril in her quest to find Kreekitaka, asking people and those passing by if she knew where she might find him. Many had pointed Hildegarde in the direction of the Ryder Sanctuary, a name that was familiar to Hildegarde – though she didn’t quite draw the connection between the name and familiarity right away – though not the one she was seeking and therefore not terribly important to her! It was Kreekitaka she wanted. Entering the home and subsequently the shop, the knight is impressed to see people milling around the fabric space. She is even more impressed by the uyeer: they look fearsome and formidable enough that one wouldn’t question why they had such a fancy for fabrics. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Kreekitaka?” she asked one of the uyeer.


Kreekitaka was summoned by his underling by a loud snap made by one of its tails cracking like a whip, then the clack of its forearms hitting each other. "He here soon," rumbled the uyeer in rough Common, and sure enough out came Kreekitaka in a moment, wearing a kilt made primarily from the same material as whatever was lining the walls, as glowed a faint blue though the surface itself was dark. This one must have taken a while, as instead of a single animal or pattern embroidered on it, this one seemed to have a pictographic representation of a story, almost like reading hieroglyphs of a myth, embroidered in black thread, interrupting the glow pattern. "Ah! Miss STAH!ewarDAH!." He clenched his facial crushers in recognition and bowed lightly--he was bigger than the last time she'd seen him, and a shade or two bluer than he had been. Apparently taking off that hyperarmor from the ball had triggered a growth phase. "Piyar saiDAH! you were coming. She has given you my yisTAH! of armors?"


Hildegarde nodded graciously when told Kreekitaka would be there shortly, taking a few moments to glance around the shop and spot any items of interest. Her fingertips briefly touched what looked to be some expensive fabric. She had never been very materialistic, but even she could see the appeal of these fine fabrics and cloths. Then out came Kreekitaka, looking beautiful in blue and kitsch in his kilt. “Kreekitaka,” she greeted in reply, bowing in turn to offer him the same respect he had offered her. “Yes, Pilar has. But I was wondering if we could perhaps discuss something a little different from the items listed, if that would be acceptable?”


Kreekitaka got that feeling you get when you're driving along at night and suddenly the road curves quite a bit sharper than you expected it to. "Oh? Of course, HHHTHough I cannoTAH! guaranTAH!ee if iTAH! is wiHHHTHin my experTAH!ise--I may have TAH!oo use contracTAH! hepp if iTAH! requires magic or enchanTAH!ing." Given that Pilar had said this was going to be for the war effort, he wasn't certain if she would be comfortable with that--using outside help to enchant things--though Linn at least had seemed to be on her side back at the ball.


Hildegarde had no intention of catching Kreekitaka out, but she had an additional request for him and – perhaps – what was the true reason for her coming to him. “It will not require enchanting, have no fear,” she assured him with a little smile. “What a require is… well, it’s quite simple, but I need a man of talent to make it. For while it is simple, it must be unique. It must be worthy of what it is meant to be,” she explained, before finally getting to the point, “I want you to make me a battle standard. I have a personal device and the sigil of Frostmaw. I would like you to make a battle standard for me, so my foes know they will not keep Frostmaw from me.” The Silver paused to let such a request sink in; fingers flexing around the shaft of her halberd. “I am aware that the giants will not don the armour that you make them, not out of xenophobia but out of family pride. Many of them wear armour that has been handed down, although upgraded and repaired over time, they would not be seen in anything else. But I have friends and allies who are not giants. Those who need something protective, such as Pilar. I would like you to fashion her some armour that is lightweight but tough. Perhaps like the sharkskin? But perhaps with spiked shoulders or arms, so if someone attempts to grasp her, they will be wounded. What was that, puffer…? My apologies, Kreekitaka, I am no master at this business unlike you!”


Kreekitaka had to refrain from giggling, because the first thought that popped into his head was of his logo flying above her army, which he found intensely amusing because no way was he going to not be leading an army with his logo as the one for it. "Pufferfish," he said at the end, helping out. "I beyeev iTAH! is occasionayee eaTAH!en here an' nameDAH! 'fugu'. YeTAH! me go HHHTHrough your poinTAH!s in reverse orDAH!er." He reached behind the counter and picked up a block of wood, then walked over to the armors. "Firss, HHHTHe armor. Each is DAH!esigneDAH! for more HHHTHan simpyee proTAH!ection. For exampo." He took the block of wood and scraped it along the sharkskin armor, the blue one. With a shower of splinters and sawdust, the wood's surface was scoured and stripped away by what must have been tiny blades or something covering the blue armor. "Sharkskin. Very abrasive. Imagine someone's hanDAH! were HHHTHis wooDAH!." Eww. Not a pretty picture. The narrator has to brb for food, as his family has just called dinner, so Kree's going to pause for a second there and let her take in how effective that armor could be!


Hildegarde smiled gratefully as Kreekitaka filled in the gap for her, “Pufferfish, yes, thank you,” she said gratefully. But now the businessman is ready to address her points, though in the reverse order and she can’t really complain about that. The knight watched as the sharkskin stripped away the surface of the wood, revealing that it must have been very sharp to the touch. “Impressive, though it leaves me with more ideas!” she said with a smile. “Please, continue,” she gestured for him to continue, before taking on a thoughtful posture. Perhaps she would have a rich business suggestion for him.


Kreekitaka nodded and continued with his demonstration, on to the pufferfish armor! This one he decided the wood wouldn't work for and reached out with a tentacle and pricked the tip of it against one of the spines. One could see his whole body tense up except for that one tendril as that particular one went limp, starting from the tip and working its way back toward the rest of him. He wrapped another tentacle around the base of it and squeezed, preventing the venom from working its way any farther in. "Onyee TAH!emporary," he confirmed to her, though his voice was now a little pained--imagine your finger going -completely- to sleep and then being pins and needles. It was not a fun experience. "Pufferfish yeaHHHTHer. ParayiTAH!ic, an' fasTAH! acTAH!ing, as you can see. Yess effecTAH!ive againsTAH! armor, however." He clanked his one of his clawed digits solidly against the spines, without damage--no penetration. Without giving her time to say "are you okay?" he moved on to the next one. He drew back his other claw, clamped it shut into a fist, and slammed the armor with it. The leather bulged underneath his claw, expanding in reaction to the hit, absorbing the shock of the blow almost entirely--the mannequin barely moved. "Hagfish. ReacTAH!ive. Absorbs impacTAH! aomosTAH! fyawyessyee." As he spoke, the mannequin released steam from vents in the armor, making a small cloud around it. The cloud dissipated quickly, but Kree gestured to it regardless. "GeneraTAH!s an obscuring misTAH! when sTAH!ruck." He decided to go ahead and pause here before jumping into the last armor, checking to make sure she was following.


Hildegarde watched each and every display, understanding that Kreekitaka was terribly passionate about his business and rather clever when it came to his craft. A valuable man to have on side, she thought. Noticing that he moved on immediately from the pufferfish to the hagfish, the knight withheld any questions until there was a decent pause in the conversation. “Those spines. Can they be perhaps weaponised, rather than used as an armour? Say like… lobbing a ball covered in those spines?” she inquired with interest.


Kreekitaka hadn't considered that. He nodded, however. "Yes. Perhaps even mayDAH! inTAH!oo arrowheaDAH!s or crossbow ammunition." Then another thought occurred to him, "Or! We cooDAH! add a yayer of hagfish insiDAH! a sphere of pufferfish, which is conTAH!aineDAH! wiHHHTH sparse buTAH! TAH!ighTAH! bonDAH!s. When HHHTHrown, HHHTHe hagfish sphere expands, HHHTHe bonDAH!s snap, an' HHHTHe spines go in ao DAH!irections." That idea was quite pleasing to Kree and he puffed himself up a little bit for thinking it. "May I go on TAH!oo HHHTHe yasTAH! armor, an' HHHTHen we can DAH!iscuss your... your..." The word "standard" would have come out as a garbled mess and Kree knew it, so instead, after a pause, he substituted "...fyag?"


Hildegarde smiled at his suggestions, evidently liking his thought process. “Yes, I like that,” she confirmed with a little grin. A paralytic might save some bloodshed on the field. Better to take the enemy out in a way that didn’t cost them their foolish lives. “But yes, please, do proceed.”


Kreekitaka nodded and reached up, then held the block of wood low, where the water from his tanks dripped out past his gills. After getting a couple of drops on it, he tossed the wood at the last armor, and there was a bright spark and popping sound, which continued in a manner similar to the sounds of two lightsabers being scraped against each other as the block fell to the ground. Kree picked it up and held it out for her to examine--the spots where the water had dripped were now singed and the wood smoked a little. The armor had jolted it with electricity repeatedly, leaving little jagged lightning-burns across the surface. "Eeoh. Sparks on conTAH!acTAH!, sTAH!uns peepo who TAH!ouch iTAH!, even HHHTHrough meyee weapons. NoTAH! a parayiTAH!ic, resisTAH!abo, buTAH! enough TAH!oo make fighTAH!ing iTAH! much more chayenging." He crossed his arms and stood back, clenching his facial crushers with a nod. "So regarDAH!yess of which or which combination, HHHTHose you armor in my gear may noTAH! have quiTAH! HHHTHe same proTAH!ection as a byacksmiHHHTH mighTAH! give, buTAH! HHHTHey are safe noneHHHTHeyess. I can cerTAH!ainyee make your fyag, aoso. I jus' neeDAH! DAH!imensions an' a DAH!esign."


Hildegarde watched with quiet interest as the wood was dipped into the water, only to be flung at the last of item of armour and repelled by a jolt of energy. The knight didn’t flinch when the electricity crackled, but it was clear it wasn’t what she had expected to happen from the raise of her brow and expression. “An intriguing range,” she admitted. “But I wonder, how can one don such armour if it is so difficult to touch?” she questioned. “A foolish question, perhaps, but you must consider that not all will expect their armour to be quite so lethal!” The Silver gestured to the sharkskin armour, “I am intrigued by that, I will admit. But… I want something made that might combine all three, if such is possible?” The Silver would wait for his answer on that, before asking him, “Do you have some parchment? I can sketch the design for you.”


Kreekitaka has had to switch to mobile so please forgive any gratuitous laconicism! "Which HHHTHree?" Kree asked, gesturing to all four with a claw. "I cerTAH!ainyee can, HHHTHough you mus' be aware HHHTHaTAH! HHHTHis raises HHHTHe price on each raHHHTHer consiDAH!erabyee. An' I can weave in more options if you wish--yess visibiyiTAH!ee, or yess weighTAH! wiHHHTHouTAH! sacrificing safeTAH!ee." As he spoke, he went to the counter and got out a piece of parchment and pen for her.


Hildegarde waved her hand dismissively, “I am aware that your items are costly, but they are unique and worth it,” she had wealth though she did not like to brag. “But I do have something to barter with. We’ll speak of that in a moment though,” she said with a friendly smile in his direction. The Silver approached the counter, grasping the pen and pulling the sheet of parchment closer to her. While chatting away to him about the specifics of what she required, the knight began to sketch quite well upon the parchment. “Sharkskin, the hagfish and the pufferfish. I’d want the sharkskin and hagfish made into armour, of course,” scratch, scratch went the pen, “These people are facing giants, I need something that can withstand the pressure of their grasp and not crush their innards… and something that might cut at them when grabbed, to make them reluctant of grabbing my allies again. The pufferfish, though, I do not want for armour. Weaponise it, as we have discussed. Darts, a projectile… something someone can use in an emergency and hastily,” she instructed. With a little ‘hm’, the knight twisted the piece of parchment so that it faced Kreekitaka. Upon it was the emblem of Frostmaw, the snowflake and the snow gryphon. Then a distance below that was a more intricate drawing – but it had been done well, implying that perhaps the knight was quite the artist and not just in war – of what appeared to be the Xalious tree with a snow gryphon curled around it protectively; encased in a shield that was supported by a polar bear on one side and an arctic lion on the other. Atop the shield was a dragon, clutching a crown in its talons.


Kreekitaka thought about her requests. Weapons? Those he -might- have to contract for, at least if she wanted darts like for a crossbow. The thrown device that bursts, he could make himself. Probably was going to end up making quite a bit of those actually--that was a weapon that could come in handy even underwater, something nobody would expect. The sharkskinHildegardehagfish armor combo was one he was familiar with, as he'd crafted some for himself and was pleased to be able to provide that solution to Hildegarde's friends. And then the flag. That... was a very intricate symbol. One he was certain to be able to craft, no doubt, but that amount of detail he was pretty sure he could charge a pretty penny for. "Io neeDAH! sizing information for HHHTHe armor, an' Io see whaTAH! I can DAH!oo wiHHHTH HHHTHe pufferfish. I'm geTAH!ing more iDAH!eas for weapons as we speak." A handheld device that fired a burst of needles in a particular direction. Armor that fired off the needles when struck! Granted, that'd be a one-time use sort of thing but then he could make sheets of reloadable bursting spines. Then she'd have to buy ammo as well! Heeheehee. "An' I can cerTAH!ainyee make HHHTHis symboh for you. DAH!oo you have any coyors in minDAH! for iTAH!.?"


Hildegarde nodded as he spoke of sizing, “You already know two of the people I wish a suit made for. Miss Pilar and the Lady Laezila,” she told the crab. “I understand that Laezila is in your service or some such, but I wish a suit made for her. I will not see her come to harm,” she said firmly. She had a promise to keep, after all. “I will tell them to go to you for measuring, though I don’t doubt you’ll run into them at some point. If you do before I get a hold of them, be sure to tell them I have instructed you to make this on my behalf for them.” Then as he asked about the colouring of the symbols, the knight nodded and lifted the pen once again; drawing a swift little arrow to the snowflake on the symbol of Frostmaw and penning ‘black’, near the arrow to symbolise the snowflake ought to be black with a wide black strip running through it with the snow gryphon to be left in white superimposed atop the black strip. “The rest should be shaded a light blue. Like an icy kind of blue,” she said gently. “My own standard is much the same in terms of colouring.”


Kreekitaka nodded. Two suits of dual-layer armor. That's a big order. And he was going to be sure and make the standard with premium material, and work his best on the stitching--it was going to be fantastic, and worth quite a bit, though the armors were still going to be the main source of payment for this job. "Marveyous. Io geTAH! in conTAH!acTAH! wiHHHTH HHHTHem, an' Io senDAH! you your fyag when iTAH! is compyeeTAH!. You can pay me for iTAH! when I arrive for HHHTHe baTAH!oh." Which he totally planned on doing. Giantfights!


Hildegarde grinned as Kreekitaka spoke of arriving for the battle, “Are you to be my standard bearer?” She said it in jest, for she knew if the crabman was there he would undoubtedly wish to dive into the battle. “I wish to speak of payment, soon, however. That way I can organise the funds and perhaps another form of payment, that you may like.”


Kreekitaka laughed, a sound which comprised of his paddles clattering up and down his back and his closed claw thumping his chest. "I shooDAH! hope noTAH!--no offense, buTAH! if I am HHHTHere TAH!oo fighTAH!, I fighTAH!. An' cerTAH!ainyee, I mus' aDAH!miTAH! some curiosiTAH!ee as TAH!oo whaTAH! your aoTAH!ernaTAH!ive DAH!eeoh mighTAH! be." Something potentially worth more than a sweet heck-of-a-lot-of-gold-pieces? Hmmm!


Hildegarde laughed heartily as he did, knowing well that he was a warrior after her own heart. “A ferocious sight you will make, m’lord,” she told him quite honestly. “But tell me, what do these suits cost? How much gold would you have me pay?”


Kreekitaka considered that. Desparrow's suit had cost a neat 5k, and that being the first armor he'd crafted for a human, he had given it a promotional price. With two armor types woven into one, that doubled the cost of the thing, and since he was more comfortable with the human form and could craft better things, he wasn't charging the promotional price anymore... "TAH!wehv HHHTHousan' per suiTAH!," he said, after a short moment to do the math in his head.


Hildegarde nodded at the sum, but she didn’t appear to be fazed by the amount. It appeared as though the dragon didn’t think much of that sum of gold! But as a ruler, she had learned to be a shrewd businesswoman when necessary and Kreekitaka had something she wanted. Something that couldn’t be outright bought. “Twenty thousand gold pieces,” she said, her eye flicking up from the parchment to his eyestalks to make intense eye contact, speaking before he might interject, “and a shop in Frostmaw that is tax-free for the first year. A spot on Frostmaw’s promenade,” if Kreekitaka was the businesscrab he said he was, he would surely know that this was a desirable spot and he was certainly getting a good deal here!


Kreekitaka froze. That... was a good offer, actually. A really good offer. He could make up the 4k on any dress he sold here. "HHHTHrow in assisTAH!ance wiHHHTH sTAH!affing iTAH! an' you have a DAH!eoh," he said with a nod, shaking his wrist to see if the paralytic had worn off and if he could feel his tentacle again just yet. Not quite. "Io neeDAH! reyiabo peepo TAH!oo run iTAH! since I HHHTHink mosTAH! of my kinDAH! won'TAH! appreciaTAH! being so far from HHHTHe sea."


Hildegarde smiled as he accepted the offer on the stipulation of finding assistance, “Make your recommendations, should you have any, and I will do my best to incorporate them,” meaning if he had any assistants he would want there, she would do her best to make it so. “However, I must be running off as I have other matters to attend to. Thank you, Kreekitaka, for your time and business. I should hope that we might become good friends, along with business partners, over time.”


Kreekitaka nodded and extended his free claw to her, opening it and offering his tentacles for a shake. "I beyeev we shaoh, assuming we are equohs in HHHTHe fighTAH! TAH!oo come~." Because nothing quite says fast friends like getting similar kill-counts in a war against giants. They'll be like Legolas and Gimli.


Hildegarde grinned at his words, hand reaching out to grasp those tentacles for a shake. “You can count on it,” she assured him, before disengaging from the shake. “I’ll see you soon,” she bade him farewell, turning on her heel and leaving the shop and home to return to Vailkrin.