h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Nooooooo. *droid takes some crowns from its secret pocket and tryes to buy the potion with those and says "Sorry"*.

It's all right, little droid... Have you seen "Blackstone" around? I don't have the time to wait forever - and what kind of presidential campaigning is this?? *taps foot impatiently*

It's the kind of presidential campaign where, when a candidate's keyboard breaks, he's out of the loop for a week.

Alright, Alien, I'll just take the remaining 70 crowns. And you there ~indicates the droid~ I'll sell you the potion. 10 crowns for one week's worth.

I was aware that there were some problems (after Irving had mentioned it in the Zork-thread) - I was just wondering if you remember this thread at all when I saw you posting elsewhere... Welcome back!

*hands the missing 70 crowns*

Thank you so much, it's been a real pleasure!!
Oh, and if you see Irving - I might stop by in the Café again later...

Thanks!
Here are you *gives those 10 crowns*.
*watches that no one sees* *gives extra 10 crowns for saiving my "life"*
I hope we can make busines again

My pleasure, of course. Good doing buisness with you. Sorry I haven't been around, been studying Ninja Arts in Japan, and learning some secrets of stealth.

By the by, Highcommander Cube, I've been trying to load a message of yours in another thread on this page, and it doesn't seem to want to come up. What did you say?

*Materialises*

Hi... um.. oh...

interesting... 'shoppe'.. erm...

Do you think you sell anything an up and coming villainous fish would need? *cowers*

*Enters the shoppe, dressed similarly to Sherlock Holmes (the one from the stories, not the films. No silly hat!)*

Excuse me, I am in need of some fine weaponry. I need ten weapons, all common, but all different. A Knife, some Rope, a Wrench, a Revolver, a Lead Pipe, a Hatchet, one package of Cyanide, some poisoned darts -- and a blow gun to use them with, some Piano Wire, and a Broad Sword. If you please. I realise this isn't quite a weapons shoppe, but I did hear somewhere that you sold this sort of thing.

Could you, perhaps, be more... specific?

are you sure you only need 10, Lord?

Sorry, Lord Refelction, I didn't notice you. Let's see, common weapons? Well, I can see a knife, a rope, a wrench, a revolver, a lead pipe and a hatchet being common, even a lenght of piano wire, though it's not a common /weapon/. But, though Cyanide, South American blow darts, and Broad Swords are all commonly used as weapons, they aren't common in general, now are they?

Anyhow, if they were as common as you were saying, then you'd be somewhere else, not here. I'll see what I have in the back.

~Lord Blackstone exits, and returns a moment later carying a large canvas sack~

There you go, sir, our standard weapons grab bag. It contains all that you've mentioned. Common order, really. All of are fine quality, and the price for the whole thing is only ~whispers into Lord Reflection's ear~. I can't have everyone knowing what it costs, or of course everyone will want a grab bag, won't they?

*to the Curry Delivery boy*

Yes, my lad, only ten. You'll see, it will all work out.

Thank you, Lord Blackstone. That certainly is a price I would keep secret. *Takes the grab bag and leaves the shoppe*

*Re-enters the shoppe*

Er, I believe my delivery boy was correct, I do, in fact, need two more weapons. A ball and chain, and a single stick of dynamite. Thank you.

*sea re-enters the shoppe, having been here before. she looks around a bit, then walks up to the growing crowd of patrons*

[sea] blackstone, when you have a moment... i'd like to ask you about antique amulets...

Alright, Lord Reflection, would you like to set up a permanent account here? I will extend you the same offer, sea. That way we don't have to deal in cash.

Now, lets see, dynamite, I have some of that... here you go. One stick. Ball and chain? You mean like the knights of the Dark Ages used? There's a technical name for that, but it slipped my mind. I have one. That's a bit more expensive. How about that account then?

Now, sea, I have a wide variety of antique jewelry. What type of amulet, exactly, are you looking for? An ancestral peice? Do you have a family tree I can look at?

*sea pulls an old piece of parchment out of her pocket and hands it to blackstone*

[sea] it belonged to my great-great-great grandmother, Melissa. that's her there. *points* she's wearing the amulet in that picture. it was rumored to have great power over people. she called it her persuasion necklace. if she held it in her hand and asked someone a question while looking deep into their eyes, they couldn't help but to answer truthfully. i believe my great great great grandfather had some sort of ring that counteracted the amulet, but that... well, that heirloom wasn't lost. Melissa was burned at the stake as a witch, but she wasn't wearing the amulet at the time. she had hidden it somewhere... and her daughter Sarah knew where it was supposedly hidden, but when she went to find the amulet, it had disappeared. my family has always thought that Sarah betrayed her mother to get the amulet.
and as for the account, that would be lovely. and while i'm thinking about it, might you have any old diaries? Sarah supposedly had one that was discovered... but i've never been able to locate it. perhaps you would have more luck.

I need a family name. Was this heirloom passed down by blood or by marraige? Can I see the un-lost ring? ~Examines picture closely with a large magnifying glass~ That amulet looks familiar. Notice the way this old painting is faded all around, except where the amulet is and the immediately surrounding area? That's usually some indication of a strong force at work, to be able to effect paint that way. Aparently just the image of this necklace has a sort of power. ~looks closer~ There seems to be a rune inscribed on it, just visible. This artist pays good addition to detail ~checks name~ Yes, I knew the man who painted it. He was a warlock in his spare time. Your great-great-great grandmother Melissa had influencial friends among the black arts. Which side of the family is this? Your mothers? Did this painting come down to you in a direct female blood line? Sorry, I'm asking a lot of questions. It's because this amulet looks familiar...

[sea] yes, my mother's family. i come from a long line of dark magick. i believe i have the ring...

*sea reaches into her pocket, fishes around for a bit, then pulls out the old ring*

[sea] and the family name is Black. and please, ask as many questions as you like... i'm sure you can understand my desire to find the amulet.

*sea sneezes, due to the heavy blanket of incense smoke in the room*

[sea] geshun- er... um.. bless me.

~Examines ring, mummbles to self, retreats to his private library (for a long time, this accounts for his recent absence), re-enters with a large volume~

Family name, Black, yes, I recognize the device on this ring as the the family shield of a certain Black family -- which by the way is connected to the Blackstone family. We must be distant cousins. Anyway...

~He opens the book and flips through the pages, coming to a stop, and turning the page around~

Do you recognize this picture?

~It is an almost exact duplicate of the picture that sea brought into the shop with her~

I seem to have some information here. It's the stone in the centre of the pin, not the pin itself. That stone was originally found by the Wizard of Fengol Hill, who shaped it, and imbued it with the powers you have mentioned. He named it "Jane", but then, he never was very creative with names. When he was destroyed by Arthur's Knights it was found and it's power discovered. At this point it was renamed "The Eye of Desire". Eventually one of Fengol's daughters laid claim to it by marrying a great Lord and recieving it as a wedding presnet. Being a Wizard's daughter she looked very young (about 14, which was a common age to be married at then) but she was actually 122 at the time. She was, of course, schooled in the arcane, and caused him no end of suffering by bearing only daughters. She outlived him, and in her will stated that the stone, which she had set in a broach as you have seen it, be passed down in a direct female line. Since women change their last names, it would have made the stone hard to trace, except that I actually knew a large part of the history already.

I'm afraid I don't know where it is now, but I'm not above going on a sort of quest if you aren't.