Dwarf Hold

After recovering from that ordeal, Yulia et al decide to head to the blacksmith. Upon entering they find two Dwarves arguing. There is a large stack of iron ingots in the corner, stamped with a logo bearing a pickaxe lying on an anvil. The two dwarves are arguing loudly. One is a woman, the other is a man.

"Look... I was in the mine all day, I gave you everything I found. If you aren't happy with what I got, you can go do some mining for once!" the woman yells.

"I'm not disparaging your mining skills, I'm just telling you, we need something rarer if we want to really wow the next time we go to market." the man says.

"I'm trying my best, but you realize things are rare, because they're hard to get right?" the woman responds.

"Of course I know! Just... You know... Try... Looking harder?" he suggests lamely and the woman glares at him and he looks away and spots Yulia and the others, "Ah hey look customers! I uh better deal with that!" he says quickly and moves quickly away from the seething Dwarf woman, "hello! Welcome to my forge! I am Alvar! Master Dwarf Smith and despite what some people might say, I am the best Smith in the Deep!" he claims, "what would you like?"

"Well... What do you offer?" Yulia asks and he smiles.

"All manner of things. Need something made, we can make it for you! We got iron, steel, silver, gold, Deimark, Aegite, we're out of Nethicite, Solanium..." he hesitates, "that's it actually at the moment, but we can make you something out of any of those things!"

"Could you maybe explain to me about... um... what some of those are?" Yulia asks hesitantly.

"Ah, of course you're not from here, you wouldn't necessarily know the amazing power of the rare Magic Ores!" he says and opens his mouth to speak, before the Dwarf Woman rushes over and knocks him aside.

"Deimark and Aegite are the most common of the magic ores! Deimark is a smooth blue ore. It's often used because it holds magic very well, making it useful for enchanting, but it's not good for making armor as it's quite brittle. Aegite meanwhile is a pink colour and has a nice white sheen to it. It's especially nice to look at and is often used to make armor, because it's naturally quite hard and durable and it has some minor healing effects when touched to skin. Nethicite is an extremely rare material, the chance of finding enough to make a full weapon even a dagger is almost unheard of, but that doesn't matter because even incorporating a small amount of Nethicite into a weapon or armor will imbue it with special properties. Weapons imbued with Nethicite gain life draining powers and armor imbued with Nethicite make the wearer resistant to physical injury. Solanium is a little less rare than Nethicite and can be used to make weapons or armor. Armor will increase the physical capabilities of the wearer, weapons can be used as a focus for magic and will empower spells cast this way beyond the wielders normal abilities," she explains.

The Dwarf man looks annoyed, but then speaks, "Of course if you want something made with any of those things it's going to cost you a bit. I mean obviously it's gonna cost you no matter what, but especially if you want one of those," he explains, "we do sell materials as well as finished products if you just want to buy some iron or something," he adds.

Yulia thanks them for the information and tells them she might be back and then leaves and heads to the tavern. Upon entering she finds the place packed with Dwarves loudly drinking and singing or arguing. She moves to a relatively quiet corner as she wonders whether she should get a drink and overhears two Dwarves speaking.

"So... they found puppet?"

"Yeah. Seems like it. I haven't confirmed it, but they have a spellbook supposedly belonging to Liloth, what else could it be, but her infamous puppet spell?"

"I don't believe it..."

"Well you don't have to believe it, but that's what it seems like,"

"Well what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm gonna win that auction!"

"How, you don't have anything worth anything!"

"I have it on good information that the person holding the auction has an ill son, dying supposedly. I'm sure someone who could heal his son would win that auction easily,"

"And you're going to heal his son?"

"Well... I've heard there's a magic stone in the Dream Path that can heal any illness... If I can get that I can heal his son and get the spellbook,"

"You're saying you're going to brave the Dream Path, to get a stone that might not exist, so you can heal some guys son, so you can win an auction for a spellbook that might be the infamous puppet spell, which you wouldn't even be able to use cause you have no magic potential?"

"... Well when you put it like that it sounds stupid..." the two peter off into simple arguments about what they might do with magic if they had any potential.

Yulia stops listening then and looks around the tavern again, she realizes with all the people here, she's having trouble seeing who's at the bar, but they seem taller than a Dwarf. Inspired by a sudden curiousity she gets up and heads over to the bar and steps through a group of Dwarves to reach the bar counter and is greeted by Dahlia, "Heya, Yulia. Welcome to my tavern, can I get you anything? A drink? Items? Spells? You already know what the cost is," she says cheerfully as she cleans a glass.

(Health: 150%

Mana: 50%

Equipment: Ceramic Beaked Mask, Monastic Scapular , standard bra, Standard Panties, 3 poison gas grenades, 3 healing kits, 1 syringe of poison, 1 syringe of adrenaline, 1 syringe of poison antidote, 1 sewing kit, 1 vial of strong aerosolizing aphrodisiac, 8 days worth of rations, 3 two liter water jug, 1 half filled two liter water jug, 1 health potion, 1 mana potion, A boar mask, 3 vials of sticky white liquid, Ornate Rapier, 4 arrows, Quiver, God's Favour (Halo), 1 sack of cooking ingredients (Apples), Bone Spear, Demonic Spellbook, Ash's Quiver, 6 charm arrows, Old Oak Club, 1 pouch of alchemical ingredients, Smithing Ingredients (6 steel ingots), Incendiary grenade, 1 sack of cooking ingredients (Vegetables).

Spells known: Great Heal (Lvl 2, Mastered, Cost: 25%)

Great Cure (Lvl 2, Mastered, Cost: 15%)

Energize (Lvl 1, Mastered, Cost: 25%)

Icicle (Lvl 1, Mastered, cost: 15%)

Unlock (Lvl 1, Unmastered, Cost: 15%)

Repair (Lvl 1, Mastered, Cost: 5%-20% depending on factors)

Undermine (Lvl 1, Mastered, cost: 25%).

Fetish: Bondage Rank: 1, Masochism Rank: 1, Lesbian rank: 1

Status Effect: Permanent increase to physical attribute. Combat level raised to medium

Psychosexual Break: In order to deal with her trauma, Yulia has begun to subconsciously fetishize her experiences.

Deflowered: Virginity Lost, sexual experience changed to: Inexperienced, non-virgin.

Marked by The Abyss: Searching.

Companion: Cherchiel, Martin, Goma.

Cherchiel Equipment: Ultra Durable Spear, Ultra Durable Shield, Reinforced Bodysuit.

Goma Equipment: Runed Dagger, Hunting Horn, Thick Hide Outfit.

Goma Mana: 100%

Goma spells known: Heal (Mastered, 15%)

https://forum.chyoa.com/threads/the-tower-of-voices-voting-thread.3460/ )