Tome Appraisal for Xshasi Kilntreader
June 15, 2021
From the Client
When prompted “coffee or tea?” X’shasi’s usual response was “neither,” but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy the waft of warmth and scent that hit her as she opened the door to the teahouse. Her short hair had a habit of sitting askew on her head, and there were rings of dark color about her eyes, which combined to give her something of a harried appearance, but her movements were graceful and unhurried as she approached, palming the tomestone in one hand. Indeed, it had seemingly been cased backward–the azure stripe, the same color as the Miqo’te’s eyes, was on the far side from the stone’s ports, and she couldn’t help but wonder what it betokened.
She was more than a little curious about the proprietor, too. Of course, there were any number of reasons why an Allagan enthusiast might bear the name “Amon.” Perhaps he’d simply chosen it himself at some point, or perhaps he had inherited his interest in the ancient empire from parents who had given their child a name from the annals of history … but she had cause to recognize the name, and it had pricked up her ears quite literally. Still, whatever her suspicions, they didn’t show on her face. Instead, she offered up a polite smile and a murmured “hello.”
As she passed the tome over, though, she added on: “This style of tome usually contains poetry, doesn’t it?”
Tome Attributes: The markings are reversed! Oh, wait, maybe I'm just holding it upside down...
Gil Donation: 20,000
Tea Order: No Thanks!
“Greetings and welcome to Tea and Tomes,” Amon smiled cheerfully at his newest client. They hadn’t met before, and she’d declined any tea. But still, he wanted to ensure that she felt comfy and at home during the accessment.
“Why not have a sit at the table and help yourself to any snacks you’d like,” the Elezen motioned to the table with a wide gesture of one arm. Then he picked up the Tome and gave the markings a once-over, answering her question. “Aye, quite often. But a Tome of “Poetics” could also hold informative information about poets or poetry. They were all lumped in under the same umbrella topic even if ’twasn’t technically the same type of data.”
He flashed another smile, not sure how to read this client yet, and asked jokingly, “Mayhaps you hope for some sappy Allagan poetry to pass the time? Let us see what we can find on it, aye?”
Appraisal Outcome
The case for this Tome is somewhat strange, did you notice? But all in all, the Tome appears to boot up and read just fine. In fact, it’s been kept in fairly good condition and the data I’m picking up is also a solid copy of the information. While I don’t think this is a first edition of the Tome data, I feel this may not have been passed around wide-spread during its time. Which means it may have some value as somewhat more rare data.
As you suggested, this is, indeed, a volume of poetry. I don’t know if ’tis sappy or not, as the title is mostly straightforward when translated: Poems and Songs Written in the Western Dialect
‘Tisn’t very clear what is meant by “western dialect,” but perhaps a scholar of history or arts could tell you more.
Amon returned the Tome to the client, along with a smaller SDTome that contained a backup of the data. He also provided a list of parties who may be interested in placing value on the Tome, and circled a few names on the list.
“Here’s a few scholarly types who might be interested in your find. I can’t judge how much the Tome could bring, but I’d do some shopping around to see the spread of bids you might get for it. ‘Tis in good condition and isn’t widely distributed, so they may not already have found a copy like this. I wish you luck and do appreciate your donation as support to the shop!”