Adventures in Artifacts

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefea Very slender and athletic. Studied archeology at Edoras University. Has always been restless and given to wandering about at night, a habit that her family attributes to a strain of Elven blood, though her family has been living in the Westmark for as far as anyone can remember. Journeyed once to the place where legends place Lothlorien. She made a dig in a strange mound and found, with broken pottery, a strange verdigrised brooch with the pin knocked off the back. She has cleaned it up and found traces of old green enamel, making her conjecture that it was once a leaf. She wears it on a gold chain around her neck and claims it helps her see in the dark. Wears only back leather clothes. Wants to join the party both to get material for her doctoral degree and to perhaps discover the old links of Moria with Hollin.

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefea: At t he end of her day at the Civic Hall where she works as a recording clerk, she returns to her apartment. It is a fourth story walkup with the shared use of some plumbing, but she doesn't mind. One more flight up the steps and she can escape onto the roof, eating her bread and cheese. She likes the view, and the rent is cheap as fat city folk don't like all those stars. She broods on the proposed expedition. Could there still be Truesilver artifacts in Moria with their original forges? How could they shape such a hard metal? She means to find out.

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefea She wanders down midnight streets, peering into shadows and window shopping. She is riveted by a strange looking pendant in a pawnbroker's window.

On her lunch break the next day, she returned to the pawnbroker's, first asking about musical instruments and weapons. Casually, she glanced at the window case.
"What is that silly-looking pendant there? It seems crude and kind of dirty."

The clerk smirked at her - she had been flirting mildly - and said, "Oh, that's just an old piece of costume jewelery that we got in an estate that the lucky heir was selling off, probably to waste it on a carouse. Master doesn't know quite what to make of it,. It's heavy enough to be gold, but too hard to be silver. The maker's mark-" here he reached into the display to pluck the pendant out and flip it over for her to see the tiny rune on the back - is not known to anybody here or anybody Master had look at it, so we are selling it as an antique."
She smiled at him sweetly. "Can't you do any better than two gold pieces? I have an outfit I want to wear to a party that might go with."
He smiled slyly and went into the back. After a murmured conversation, and elderly man, possibly of Dwarven extraction, came to the front of the shop. He picked u the pendant, frowned at it, scowled at Lily, then said, "I'll let it go for ten silver. It has laid here too long and there's no profit in gathering dust."
She obviously reluctantly pulled out a rather lean pocket purse, counted out the coin, and took her purchase out.

[Attalus]

An elderly dwarf named Micah Foehammer shuffles into a rather down-at-heels tavern , oders an ale and sits in a corner to enjoy it. He wondered about the note he had from Lilyblackasking to meet him, but he always enjoyed chatting with her. Such a pretty girl, too skinny, but time would take care of that.

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefae She sidled into the tavern, spotted Micah at the corner table he favored, and slid onto the bench next to him. She pulled out the paper-wrapped object from the pawn shop and put it in front of him. "I don't know what this is, but I'll just bet you do." She smiled winningly.

[Attalus]

Micah The old dwarf squinted at the piece, looking at it from all angles, even sniffing it. He carried it over to the brightest lamp in the taproom. Finally, he laid it down on the table which held the huge lamp, pulled a peculiar tool out of one of his many pockets and began gently poking at the vulgar paint in the middle of the design. Finally, he found a crevice that his tool would go into, smiled triumphantly, and with a dextrous flick the whole thing came off; paint, some blackish stuff beneath it and all, revealing a shining, untarnished silvery surface beneath it. The device was of a rayed star.

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefae She held the silvery thing up to the light. "Mithril! I had never seen anything made of it before so close up. And so fair!" She frowned down at the disc of dark material that Micah had so skilfully removed. "And what is this.? I recognize the enamel easily enough. Old work of Aglarond, I guess. But why hide such a lovely thing? And what is this dark stuff the paint was laid onto? For paint will not hold to mithril, I have heard?"

[Attalus]

Micah He poked the dark-looking lump. "I dunno. Mastic, maybe? I do know no paint ever ground has ever stuck to mithril. I have heard tales of painted stones worked into a matrix of filigree, but other than that, I have never heard tell of anything like this. Was it perhaps made to conceal the design?"

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefae She looked closely at the dark underside of the crude polychrome flower painting, then at the magnificent Rayed Star. She then flipped the lovely thing over and noted, below the crudely soldered loop for suspension, a protrusion from the mithril surface. "What was this, do you suppose?".

[Attalus]

Micah *crooks an eyebrow* Maybe that family talk about Elvish blood was just that, lass. Can't you see it was part of a loop? This was a brooch,meant to hold a cloak in place. Now, what would that mean to you, a rayed star shoulder cloak brooch?

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefae She felt her jaw droop, despite her efforts at self-control. "A shoulder brooch like a rayed star? Like the one on King Elessar's shoulder in the mural at the Palace? You mean, this could have belonged to one of the Dunedain?"

[Attalus]

Micah "One of the Dunedain? Of a certain. Which one? No saying. But if he (or she) went to those lengths to hide her state, you can be sure he was fearful. Of theft? Assassination? Who knows? But I am thinking you should be on the track of the one that pawned that brooch."

[Attalus]

Micah. "Anyway, be on your way. I have chatting to do with these good lads."

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefae" I guess I had better. Thank you, Micah, and have one on me." She grudgingly removes a coin from her rathr shabby purse and lays it on the table in front of him.

The next day, on her lunch break, she returns to the pawnbrokers and sees the same ferretty looking clerk behind the counter.
Good day to you. I was just looking in the window and saw you at work, and thought we might resume our chat."

[Attalus]

Gilbert Heep*brightens visibly* So nice to see you again. Mistress Gefae is it not? What can I do for you?"

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefae" I am so glad to see you again." *flutters eyelashes" I love my new jewel so much that I would like to thank the man who pawned it. Do you still have his address or other means to contact him?"

[Attalus]

Gilbert Heep *He swells a little in self importance* "Well, usually I would have to ask the Master's permission for something like that, but he is out of town, and how would he know, anyway?" *He pulls down a huge ledger and parts the pages for a while* "Yes, here it is, almost exactly three yeas ago. Name of Eothain Richter." *He scribbles the address on a scrap of paper* Now can there be anything else we can do? Perhaps go to the theater tonight?"

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefae *she simpers* Thank you so much for the offer, sir, but I am going out of town tomorrow, and I have to pack. Another time, maybe?"

[Attalus]

Gilbert Heep *looks wistfully at her lithe form as it exits the shop* "Women! They'll say anything to get what they want but then, it's fare-thee-well!" *looks furtive and thinks, "I hope Master doesn't find out!"*

[Nerwen]

Lilyblack Gefae After work that day, she goes to the address Gilbert gave her. A real dump, making her own modest digs look like a garden subdivision. She begins making inquiries.