Something Misplaced

Much has happened in the personal life of Ammy to keep her out of the alchemy shop. Granted shop was kept nice and dusted by Almah, open and running by Myrlene, Mav, Rawsha and Lassie, but the shop felt incomplete without its mistress of magic and alchemy. Many would call a shop a thing that didn?t live, breathe or have emotions, but many never step into a shop that held magic close, housed it, breathed it, gave birth to wondrous miracles that left its doors for free or a price. It was often easy for something the mistress would have caught to leave the thresh holds by the still learning staff. Other days it would seem the shop had a mind of its own as if seeing a possible future that could come about should one small thing leave unnoticed. Events conspired between clutter building up from new shipments to distracted sorting and cleaning.

So it came to pass that among bags of bespelled towels and clothing to keep the wearers warm, a rather harmless looking coin pendant landed, displaced by unwary staff members. The bags were soon taken to the Dream Chasing Foundation and left for Thorn to go through the donations. At the bottom of the bag, having slid and shifted over folds of soft terry cloth and yarn the coin settled.

The coin was of simple formed brass, stamped upon both sides with two reliefs; an arcane symbol for Dragon on one side, the other side an arcane symbol for Mastery. Running around the face of the coin, following the circular contour of the coin were words hammered by a smith long forgotten in words lost to mortal tongue before the lands had cooled for humans to emerge and live. The coin was pierced in the uppermost part of the coin and hung upon a chain of mithril. At its center was a cut hole and slice of blue sapphire inlaid, dulled from years of neglect.

So simple looking, yet so arcane and powerful an item, lost among the clothing; its power muted by the fresh enchantments upon the garments. Should one find the coin and touch it with bare flesh the sound of a dragon?s roar will greet the mind, the clash of steel upon scale, the smell of ozone and brimstone to the nose and before the eyes the scenes of a battle between mythic creatures battling the chromatic dragons of old. The final scene was from the eyes of one of the dragons, a blue scaled snout that illuminated from a bolt of lightning it spat at a gold dragon. Within the beasts mind, the simple voice of a woman, small, unimposing but it commanded the great wyrm.

The chime and tinkle of the front door sounded at the Alchemist's Fire. Ammy stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She took in a deep breath and gave a deep sigh of familiarity with the shop. Too long she'd been gone from her baby due to carrying and caring for her other babies. She moved farther into the shop, fingers gliding over the various shelves of artifacts, potions, wands and more. Everything felt like home.

Taking off her coat she picked up a clipboard with several purchase order receipts, filing orders and inventory updates. She scanned over the pages with her golden eyes, flicking the papers up to curl over the metal clip. Things had appeared to be all smooth sailing and in order until she spied the pink sheet at the very back. She removed the page and went to fetch some ice tea before reading it. Most likely a report of something broken, an unfortunate event that happened too often when she wasn't here.

Ice tea procured and a cookie she leaned against the counter near the till, punched up the weekly tallies and made a mental note that her daughter, Myrlene, was keeping the books lean and proper. She supposed once Myrlene had gone off to start her own kingdom she'd have to find another book keeper. A slow sip and she turned her attention the slip of pink paper. She about choked on her tea.

The form had been filled out by Myrlene herself and described the incident.

~Inventory Discrepancy Event: Possible Theft or Accidental Disposal
Items Description: Brass Coin, Possible Draconic Enchanting Upon It.
Items Cost: 20,000 Silver Crowns
Items Effect: Unknown
Other Comments: Research number 375 was pinned to velvet cushion where missing coin was. Possible pendant, unsure, was part of a shipment in December and held for further categorization.

Action Item: All staff, notify Ammy Spiritor about missing artifact.
Signature: M.A.W.S.~

Ammy took the slip with her to the basement garage, patted her restored Shelby, and took a seat, tapping away on a keyboard to find what she had noted for Research 375. The results had her worried about that artifact being out loose in the world.

She went up stairs to her alchemy lab and was soon withdrawing a sliver of quartz, brass wire, essence of indigo, a bottled roar of dragon and the tingle of lightning that was bound up in a piece of silver foil. Sketching out a transmutation circle she placed the quartz, bottled roar and lightning affected foil in the circle. She fed a bit of will into the circle and the quartz soon took on a pale azure tint. Withdrawing the quartz, she carefully wrapped the stiff and brittle brass wire around the sliver and then measured out five drops of indigo onto wire and quartz.

She took in a nervous breath and fetched her coat. She placed the tracking crystal in her coat pocket and soon left the shop, door locked. If anyone had that coin she couldn't imagine the amount of fear it'd spread. She walked a block from the store and with magical anomalies reduced she pulled out the tracking crystal. It spun slowly on her outstretched palm then pointed down the street.

Thus Ammy followed the crystal through most of town until she arrived at the doors of the Dream Chasing Foundation. She closed her eyes with a muttered sigh. Either she'd be fortunate and find the coin here, or fate could be cruel and have it gone, off to some corner of the globe. She opened the door and entered, peeking about a moment for a living body to ask questions.

Ammy asked for a cup of water and gave a polite smile to the young man and the gossip he gave. Deep inside she gave her mind a large, heavy face palm. The coin was indeed here or had been here to cause something frightening enough for a woman to go into labor.

"Yes. I am sure your mother would love some flowers and thank you for the welcome, young man. I am Ammy Spiritor, owner of the Alchemist's Fire over on Alchemy Lane. I was curious if your foundation had happened to receive any, uhm, donations from my shoppe lately? In particular, maybe a small brass coin?" She asked with a false calm.

If the lad payed attention he'd notice the Lupe alchemist was all a-twitch and her tail flicked with nervous energy. Her attire was a simple cloak of white today, cotton, bespelled against water and dirt, her vest, blouse and pants bespeaking a profession of magic and teaching.

Ammy accepted the iced water and cookies with a smile to the youth. She looked up from watching him flip through the logs to see Thorn and the Alchemist had the look of relief wash over her face and muzzle.

"Hello Thorn. Todd was telling me a bit about the unexpected delivery of a baby here today." She said with a hint of sincere apology in her voice.

At the invitation to go into Thorn's office Ammy would leave Todd's presence, though before she did, the alchemist left several gold coins for him to deposit into the funds of the foundation for being helpful and a good host.

"Don't worry about a drink. Todd got me some iced water. Want a cookie? I have plenty to share." She gave a grin to Thorn.

Stepping into the office, Ammy withdrew the sliver of quartz from her pocket again and held it by the wire. It was spinning slowly on it's own indicating that the coin was still around this place or had been very recently. Her tracking charm wasn't the most accurate having been made on the fly. She put the quartz back in her pocket and took a deep breath to calm her racing nerves.

"Thorn...... It would seem while I was away on maternity leave, something left my shop without my approval. You haven't by any chance seen a small brass coin around here? Perhaps on a chain, kind of old, dull and a bit of sapphire inlaid in it?" She asked hopeful and perhaps hoping she'd been wrong and the coin had missed this place.

Ammy's golden eyes watched the sock wrapped pendant slide towards her on the table. She slowly unwrapped the sock and let the coin plunk onto the tables surface. Thorn would notice the alchemist didn't touch it yet, seemed to even shiver just looking at the blasted thing. Ammy pulled from her coat a pair of white felt gloves that shimmered with a buffer enchantment. Once gloved she lifted the coin to examine it more.

"It's sort of difficult to explain the coin Thorn, though if you have any knowledge whatsoever about artifacts called Dragon Orbs from a realm called Krynn, you just might have a step up on understanding this thing. The origins of the medallion do not place it as a Krynnian artifact. The crafting and work is a bit crude and simplistic for most artifacts from that realm. It seems to come from a realm that holds and exonerates the old and ancient ways of things.

This coin though is really a medallion, the mithril chain has gone missing but you can see the gouging of bronze around the eyelet. Before I became too heavy with children I had begun to research this artifact but as I got further along in my terms I couldn't afford any harms that may come from handling it. I do know it has something akin to a possessive will enchanted into it. That is what often causes a... well... if you've touched the coin you'd know what I speak of. The experience is hard to put into so many words other than stepping into the memories of someone else no longer living.

I was able to research the arcana and it acts as a channel for collecting and harnessing power that is tuned specifically to chromatic dragons of any blue shade. That fact coupled with the images the medallion gives when touched has me believing this is an artifact to either summon, tame or call blue dragons to do ones bidding. However.... with all artifacts of this caliber the penance for its use, and there is always a penance for this type of power, is lost to the scrip around the face. I am unable to even compare the language to any one of the living or dead races of the realms." She looked up to Thorn after her small explanation.

"Has anyone touched this besides me recently?"

Ammy thought about that for a long moment. "I honestly don't know what the effects would be on people touching this medallion. I'd hazard a guess that the new mother will be affected. Hopefully not the child either. More research is needed on this medallion but I would like to say that anyone whose had an affinity for dragons or constant dealing with them may feel a.... pull to this medallion. A wanting of it."

She slid the medallion into a magically warded envelope and sealed it. She pulled off her gloves.

"My best advice is to keep tabs on woman and child and see if they suffer any unusual dreams. Rash of nightmares or a desire for this artifact. An increased desire to be around dragons as well. I know this sounds a bit impersonal but any of that information would help a great deal in understanding this artifact." Ammy said quietly.

Ammy gave Thorn a nod of thanks in regards to watching over the mother and her newborn son. Though the request by her had Ammy puzzled.

"An experiment? You want this coin? Have you not heard what I said about it having a will of its own and people dealing with dragons?"

Of course Ammy had seen that challenge in Thorn's eyes. The kind that brooked no swaying once a decision was made. Ammy had to be honest with herself. She was quite curious about the abilities of the medallion and what it was and did. She slid the shielded envelope to Thorn.

"You do realize but wanting this, I am not held responsible for what could happen to you, though I will do what I can to reduce any harm to come to you."