Valdric blinked, awkwardly removing his hands from Seka's and folding them back in front of him, punctuating the motion with a clearing of the throat.  The man seemed completely incapable of relaxing properly, as if he didn't quite know how to hold himself in such casual company.  If his spine got any straighter than it already was it was liable to bend over backwards.<br/><br/>"To be perfectly honest, I am not certain.  Artifacts are objects of great rarity, usually possessing enchantments of a sort, or providing utilities beyond the ken of mortal civilizations.  They could be a complex machine, or perhaps something as innocuous as a writing quill.  Suffice it to say that I will<em>know</em>, should we come across such a thing in our travels," Valdric hesitantly explained.  It clearly wasn't the whole truth, but in a city like Vritoom it was hardly surprising that a man might play things close to the vest.<br/>