Tome Appraisal for Vallencia Lotus
September 27, 2022
From the Client
As Vallencia stepped into the room, she gave her surroundings a quick scan, taking in the details of the interior design. Yet the Lalafell didn't waste too much time as she made her way over to the couch. She sat down and slid her business card over the counter. "Good day, sir. Vallencia Lotus, my pleasure. I have heard I would meet an expert on tome appraisal here, I presume that would be you?"
She smiled at Amon, friendly yet stern - just like the dutiful secretary that she was -, and carefully placed the tome in front of them. "This is something I have found by chance on my travels. I just want to know what kind of curiosity I have stumbled upon. I am not looking for selling it.
"I do think this shall be enough for your efforts? Also," her eyes flickered to the menu as she put the money on the table. Vallencia found the sweet temptation on the menu and hesitated for a moment. It wasn't proper. But then again, she wasn't at work right now, so why shouldn't she indulge herself a bit? The smile that followed was a bit more sincere. "Also, I would like to have a Licorice Lore while you are working, if you do not mind, sir."
Tome Attributes:While the tome looks ordinary in its making, the gold on it shimmers like stardust.
Gil Donation: 200,000
Tea Order: Licorice Lore
She was all business, this one – well, perhaps except for the last minute order of tea. That was something Amon could respect, he mused, as he picked up the business card and gave it a glance over. This could be a good connection to make for the future.
“Indeed, if ‘tis a Tome appraisal you are looking for, you’ve come to the right place, my friend,” Amon made a grand display of fixing her tea for her. “Just relax and make yourself at home. If you need any additional items for you tea – sweetener, what have you – you can find them on the table for your use.”
The Elezen made a great effort to ensure this client could see his every move. He wanted her to be pleased with his work and to come away with good things to say. Hopefully, the Tome would contain content relevant to her interests to bolster the transaction.
She had paid well for a mere donation, after all.
Appraisal Outcome
This one took a bit of time and elbow grease to crack. While it looks like a very ordinary Tome – likely by design – it has been enhanced by strong anti-crack and anti-theft technologies that don’t like to play nice. It put my hacking software to the test, but after a few tweaks and a bit of problem solving, I was able to lay bare the data.
In a rough translation, this tome contains “The Comparison of Government Agencies, Enterprises and Institutions” – of course, meaning during the Allagan ages.
I’m uncertain as to the origin of how this data on the Empire was gathered and by whom – they were quite good at wiping that kind of information from the Tome so that should it be discovered, their identity would not be revealed.
While this could have been the work of independent Resistance groups that rallied against Xande, I feel this was kept by a citizen on the inside. Or why else go through so much trouble to scrub certain data and strengthen the securities?
Mayhaps ‘twas owned by an Allagan spy? One can only wonder.
Amon returned the Tome to his newest client, along with the SD backup of the data that was requested.
“’Tisn’t often that one brings a Tome for appraisal to not look to sell it,” he commented on her earlier statement. “Mayhaps you are a collector of sorts yourself? Ah, but ‘tis not my business to go asking questions, I fear.”
The Elezen chuckled warmly.
“Should you have found this appraisal to your liking, you know where to find my shop in the future. I appreciate you stopping by!”