Magnus was as professional as he could be during the process, standing as still and straight as he could manage while Sheo measured him out. Of course, her touching and jokes kept his face in a brightly flushed shade of pink, and he fidgeted a little bit every time he was prodded. He wasn't completely consumed by embarrassment, however, and managed to respond to some of Sheo's quips with ones of his own. "It's against my religion," and "Because getting stabbed<span style="font-style: italic">really</span>hurts," were two he was particularly proud of. When the measuring ended, he finally let himself relax, crossing his arms loosely and shifting weight to one leg.<br/><br/>He knew that there was a tanner in town, and had made some deliveries to the shop in the past. A few purchases had been made there as well, though they were prepared items rather than any amount of unshaped leather meant for working. His boots and his old vest served him well over the years, so he was confident in the quality of the place's products. "Okay, twenty pounds. Be back soon." He gave a small parting bow of his head, then turned and left the forge.<br/><br/>It did take a while to traverse Falone's streets, as the place was huge compared to Goldenburgh. Luckily for Magnus, he knew his way around this district of the city. A few alleys and raised walkways were used to shorten his journey to the store, turning a long and plodding hike into a more leisurely, if still lengthly stroll. The time spent at the shop was as minimal as it could be. Putting his mercantile experience to good use, he managed to chop off a few dozen ducats off the price of the leather, which he then immediately used to pay for a blue-dyed variation. Upon doing this, a staring match between him and the clerk occurred, throughout which he kept a very friendly and serene smile. After it became clear to the clerk that Magnus knew exactly what he was doing, they gave in, and supplied him with a fairly large haul of leather. It was strong and sturdy, and the blue dye made it quite stylish. It was worth the price, something Magnus jokingly told the clerk on his way out. The only response he got was a somewhat offensive hand gesture.<br/><br/>With the stock in hand, he returned to the forge Sheo had been working at. Time, of course, had passed. The walk to the tanner and back, the haggling, and the dyeing took varying amounts, altogether adding up to enough time for Sheo to have somehow finished most of the suit. His return to the shop was just full of surprises. Sheo's boisterous greeting and the sight of the nearly-complete suit caught him off guard, and while she rambled on, he set down the leather on the table and approached the rest of the armour. He looked over the various pieces, all the while holding a big, goofy smile. "This is perfect!" Magnus sounded quite happy with the near-finished product, to say the least. "I can't wait to try this on."<br/><br/>While deciphering her drunken ranting was a bit hard, he managed to get at least a couple things out of it. Since she'd worked hard to forge him a new suit, he felt in only appropriate to do something for her in return. A few pubs around Falone were quite high quality, so taking her there seemed a good option. A more formal restaurant was out of the question, however. With her current state of mind, he didn't think they'd even manage to get through the front door in one of those establishments.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>The wagon-contained lesson, while basic in actual performance, did divulge a wealth of useful information. Catalysts were a primary point of importance, and the creation of one was often a first step down the path of great ethereal power. Emphasizing the cane again, Verigan tossed it up and caught it near the middle, turning his hand over so the small metallic skull atop the cane was near Atisha.<br/><br/>"A proper metal and some soul gems are the most important part of the process. Wood can work well, of course, though it's slightly less conductive on its own. Ideally, you'll want a mix of a strong, magical wood topped off with some metal. There's a few things that could be used. Silver, cold iron, sunstone, obsidite. I have a few bars of silver, along with a log of faewood, if that's something you might want to use." Charging his cane with a small amount of power, the soul gems - a pair of tiny, round purple jewels set into the eye sockets of the skull - glowed. "But these are something rarer. I can make a few for you, but it's important to learn how to do that yourself as well."<br/><br/>He once again changed the position of his cane, sliding it down so he gripped it just below the skull. More power was charged into it, and his opposite hand likewise began to glow with a purple aura. "Soul gems are made from a condensation of ethereal soul power. Much like a mana gem, if that's something you're more familiar with. Get enough into one place, compress it, and you'll get yourself a wealth of jewels. But it's a process that takes either dreadful length or a lot of power. It needs focus."<br/><br/>To demonstrate, he moved his hand closer, and held his cane's skull above an open, upturned palm. More power radiated from both, the purple aura spreading up his arms. He silenced himself, staring intently at the growing orb of energy that formed between his hand and catalyst. He began to move them closer to one another, a process that evidently required some physical effort, until the ball condensed itself to the size of a small marble. The aura surrounding him faded, and he presented the finished product to Atisha. A small, perfectly circular purple crystal, already imbued with dark power. "Here. This should give any catalyst you use a good kick."<br/><br/>At the question of familiars, Verigan nodded. "Yes, that is a possibility. Dark miracles, naturally, work best when you're using a demon of some sort as a familiar. I'd be extremely careful if that's a path you want to take. An Imp or two may be fine, those little buggers are harmless, but anything more than that, you're putting yourself at risk."<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Tarkus made a low sound of offense. It wasn't his fault he was big, and the fact that so many people were making a big deal out of it was almost getting to him. Certainly annoying, but not quite to the point of angering. He was about to turn and start the task of trying to enter the room proper, but stopped when he noticed the inn's newcomers. One of them locked eyes with him, and he could immediately feel something was wrong. The stare was confident and predatory. Tarkus inspected the traveler as quickly as he could. A chain around the neck leading beneath a shirt, as well as what appeared to be a circular bulge hidden beneath the cloth, gave immediate red flags. Likewise, a holster on the belt holding a Teryn-made flintlock gun gave rise to further worries.<br/><br/>"Vasma," Tarkus gruffly whispered. "We were followed." He continued to stare down the person whose eyes were locked on him, a hand slowly moving towards the knife on his belt. The other man's hand was likewise moving towards the gun in the holster, a finger flicking open the strap holding the weapon in just as Tarkus' fingers wrapped around the hilt of his blade. The rest of the building's inhabitants didn't seem to notice, but between the two, there was a strong intensity as they stealthily prepared weapons.<br/><br/>One of the other people from the group walked right into Verena, owing to her lack of focus on where she was going and their height disparity. "Oh, I'm sorry-" They began to apologize, but upon noticing the circlet she was wearing, they instead asked a question. "Where did you get that?" The tone of voice made it very, very clear that they recognized the piece.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Kamon relaxed as the sensation of magical healing flowed through his limb, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. It was pleasant, despite the somewhat worrying sounds of popping as his bones and carapace grew back into place, he was soon fully healed. He waited patiently as the dressings were removed, and gently wiped some excess blood from the bandages off the surface of his outer arm.<br/><br/>A quick bend of the elbow, roll of the wrist, and wiggling of the fingers proved to him that he was fully healed. As he balled and unballed his previously immobile fist, he explained to Saliiar what it was they were doing. "You've heard of the disappearances, yes? Innocents, taken by a mysterious assailant, or having their lives stolen from them. Only a circle of brass is left behind. The Northman was a victim of them. Quite nearly one. He spoke rarely about it, but I could see in him a deep sorrow, a great loss. He sought to end these disappearances. I wish to act in his stead."<br/><br/>Kamon knew much of assassinations. Stealthy performance and a calling card were both very common amongst those who wished to create disarray, and to his great shame, they were things he performed for the sake of his old queen when he was younger. "No more innocents should have their blood shed in whatever name the perpetrators follow. They must be stopped."