The curios shop was located in a drafty old building hidden in the shadows of the a local brewery. The air always smelled like spoiled grain and cheap graff but that didn't seem off putting to the clientele. People would come from the countryside in search of relics and remedies to solve their problems regardless of the cost in gold or otherwise. The shopkeeper wouldn't hesitate to sell a desperate man a cure for his sick child, even if the potion was just water with a bit of garlic and crushed fools gold to give it color.
Photo by Nghia Do Thanh on Unsplash
"Come right in, Martin! Have a seat and put your feet up!" the shady shopkeeper beckoned the cloaked man into his dimly lit back room.
"I have some nice items for you today, Temmin. I raided a crypt belonging to a group of nobles that skimped me after the last job I pulled for them," Martin chuckled. "Little did they know, their ancestors would be paying their bills in full."
The two men shared a laugh and then got down to business. The brigand emptied a burlap sack on the cluttered desk and a handful of rings and jewels tumbled out along with a smooth carved stone. The stone had hypnotizing swirls etched into the surface and was difficult to look away from.
"What do we have here?" the unscrupulous shopkeeper asked as he picked up the strange stone.
"Not sure, but it feels warm to the touch and could probably be sold as a handwarmer to a clueless woodsman," Martin said dismissively. "I'm more interested in how much you'll give me for the jewelry and precious stones."