Day Five of the Odinsleep (The Bracer Examined)

Day Five of the Odinsleep (Just after 1 am, six hours until sunrise) 

Arthur parts ways with Bragi and enters Völundr’s home.  He makes his way across the common room and finds an unoccupied seat where he can rest and examine the gift he has been given. 

Shadow walks with Morn, heading over to join Ra’ziir to lend what aid they may to the conundrum revolving around Raven’s damaged bracer.  The bard shares a story about the time he and Raven were shipwrecked while in the pursuit of a band of pirates.  “We had run aground on a reef and were forced to take shelter in a cave.  We traveled deep into the earth and emerged in a vast crater at the island’s center but many thousands of years in the past.  I vaguely recall they were considered to be an area of wild magic and that is how the dragon’s ghost came to live in my head.  I don’t know if that information would help you with your repair work but I could try to remember more about it if you think it would.”  Morn follows his words with a deep yawn and wipes the sleep from his eyes, well aware of the fatigue that is beginning to creep up on him. 

The pair pass Raven as he pauses in weaving the wire through the links in his armor after Korbin reveals what his dreams revealed of Loki’s plan, “Every enemy we kill is only making the beast Loki is building stronger then!” 

Grotto chuckles, “Surely we can supply him with some more raw materials!” 

Kysek, who is still reading his book, looks up and laughs derisively.  “He wants the bodies of the best.  If we kill ‘em, they damn sure aren’t the best.” 

Shadow adds, “Perhaps it is time we take the fight to Loki instead of staying on the defensive.” 

Korbin continues to hover in Ivaldi’s general area continues talking to the dwarf, “If you have time, Master Forger, to make some armor, preferably leather with steel studs, I would like to purchase it from you.  And if you can provide directions to an arcanist you could recommend, I’ll be out of your hair.”  Once Niklas hears the new aspect of Cunning inquire about purchasing armor of his own, he assumes that Korbin is refusing the spoils of battle and scoops up the green studded leather, “Thank you, My Avian Friend.  And with that, I bid all of you good night.”  The woodsman retires to the loft above the common room and tries on the armor.  Like the boots and cloak he has already claimed, the leather molds to his body, making it a perfect fit. 

Ivaldi snickers, “Bird, if’n we kin agree ta a price, you won’ be needin’ an arcanist fer your armor.” 

Ra’ziir frowns, disappointed in the answer he gets from Völundr’s wife.  He confers with Shadow and Morn and the three quickly exhaust all of their ideas and begin looking in Ivaldi’s direction.  Shadow shakes his head, “I have already made a fool of myself with Ivaldi this very night.  You do the talking and I will try not to say anything that will make him think I have gone full potato.” 

The bladesinger turns to the dwarf and, after introducing himself again and talking about how the elves of Faerûn have long battled against drow, comes to the crux of the problem with Raven’s damaged bracer. 

Ivaldi shakes his head, “Pah!  Ya wizards are all th’ same!  Ya think magic is the be-all, end-all answer to yer problems.  Just as often, it be how yer trinket is used that makes th’ difference.  I kin take a look at yer little toy there but I been answerin’ questions and showin’ yer friends how to weave the heartwire fer the last hour and some and me debt to ya was more’n paid when I affixed th’ elf’s sword with th’ new grip.  I will give ya one las’ answer fer free and then if’n ya wan’ ta bother me more, you’ll be payin’ fer me advice, ya hear?  I kin tell that ya know WHAT yer toy does but not HOW it does it.  Take yerself a look an’ see how the magic an th’ machine work ta’gether.  Mebbe then, ya kin see what truly be wrong with th’ thing.” 

Ra’ziir asks Raven for the bracer and the elf passes it over to him.  Ra’ziir, Shadow, and Morn all gather around the mechano-magical device, inspecting it closely as they try to determine how its disparate parts function as a coherent whole.  In the main, it is simply a leather band that encircles the forearm of the wearer.  There are three gems on the back – a Tiger’s Eye, an Amethyst, and an Onyx.  Each is housed in a silver setting atop a small spring, allowing the gems to be pushed in the same manner as a button and has a hinged cover that can be closed to prevent accidental activation.  The setting that surrounds the Onyx also has a small arrow indicator that can be spun counterclockwise to point at one, two, or three raised metal dots.  Each gem also has runes that have been engraved into their flat underside.  The Onyx itself is cracked but the rune, or what is left of is, is definitely from the school of enchantment and seems to be the focus of a binding spell of some sort.  The question then becomes “WHAT was bound within the gemstone?”