[b]Conrad Felden[/b]

The bazaar was amazing, and one of the few places here that Conrad [i]couldn't[/i] claim to be familiar with. It was full of everything new, popular, and shiny. The weapons would have naturally attracted him when he was younger, but now days they barely warranted a glance. What a glance that was though... Rapiers, longswords, broadswords, shortswords, falchions, scimitars... the styles were endless, as were the different qualities available. And those were just the swords. The Bazaar held such a variety of weapons that any regular warrior would toss all their current gear out the window to [i]rent[/i] one of these weapons for a day.

The armor held somewhat stronger pull however. As a rule, he stuck with leather, with the exceptions of his armguards. Most fighting that he had to perform was more than handled with his... abilities. Still, the idea of dressing up like an indestructable tank and rolling straight into the enemy was a very attractive image. Or it would be, if he didn't know better. As a child, this place would have been amazing, a place of dreams and adventure, even if one couldn't afford anything. Funny thing was, he could. In fact, if he focused on smaller items, he could afford quite a few things. As he wandered among the more unique stalls, he was hailed by Varkasan. The man who had helped him after the first bout of fighting. Definitely a dependable ally. Conrad approached him with a friendly, if somewhat insincere smile. Social niceties didn't come to him easily. As for the question, it was something he himself had yet to answer. But hearing it aloud definitely brought forth new thought on the matter. 

"I suppose we can't just focus on combat alone here, a tool can be just as useful." Conrad examined some of the items, picking up a small spike at the nod of the tradesman.

"A good climbing rope could easily save our lives where a magic sword couldn't. "It was a simple comparison, but an obvious one. "On the other hand, imagine what a shield [i]made[/i] for absorbing light magic could do with your abilities."

[b]Varkasan[/b]
"A wise opinion indeed. I suppose we cannot always rely on our horses for traversing Altea. Though you also make an excellent point with the shields. I suppose we should give equal attention to our weapons and other equipment." Varkasan replied.

He then turned around to a nearby weapon stall and glanced at what they had for sale there. "I've heard of those weapons before." He said, pointing to some elegantly shaped swords which appeared to have small holes on the blade

"They were designed for storing light energy using special crystals within. It stores a greater amount and is capable of releasing a far stronger intensity of Light than any other weapon. Perhaps they could supplement my abilities... I shall see their cost and consider how I may equally spend my money among these goods." He explained as he glanced back towards the survival gear.

[b]Conrad Felden[/b]
"I suppose the mundane gear will be handled by the Inquisition anyway." Conrad carefully lowered the spike to its position on the table, and looked to a nearby one, full of crystals for storing light. "With that in mind, I suppose we should each pick something that enhances our roles."

In other words, traditional armor or weapons wouldn't do it for him, since he focused on ranged as much as possible. And close combat didn't require much gear, as far as he was concerned. In the corner of the table of gems appeared to be a pile of smaller ones. "What is this..." Conrad glanced at the shopkeeper and reached out to carefully pick up a handful- but the entire mass came instead. He looked at it inquisitively, and looked it over a bit more carefully.

"It's a glove..." He pulled it on carefully, but it was more of a gauntlet than a glove. The crystals were imbedded in some kind of dwarven alloy, covering almost the entire piece of armor. The shopkeeper came around to the front of the stall, looking enthusiastic for a sale. "Ah yes, this was made to amplify a Paladins abilities." At Conrad's raised eyebrow, the man hurriedly explained in better depth, "What I mean is, it can store a huge amount of light, but only for a few moments. Imagine the crystals as a dam in a river... and the power they release like that dam.... being removed." There was a slight pause, "These aren't common, so each one is generally fitted to the user- if you give me a moment I can take your measurements and have it adjusted by..."

"Tommorow." The man looked at him, slightly confused. "I would like it by tomorrow, if possible... and I need two- a pair of them." Conrad looked at the man seriously. "I'll pay you extra, and the fit wasn't bad to begin with." It was a bit loose, which would be bad for combat- but that meant it was easier to adjust than something too small. Besides that, he had no idea when he would need the gloves anyway.

Conrad nodded thoughtfully, pulling the gauntlet off carefully and handing it back to the shopkeeper. The man replaced it on the table and pulled out a series of calipers, coming back and taking down Conrad's finger measurements. Conrad looked to Varkasan with a shrug. "I was never much of a shopper, I will go with my gut feeling on this one."

[b]Varkasan[/b]
While Conrad had been conversing with the shopkeeper, Varkasan was viewing the different swords and trying to decide which one he liked most. When Conrad had spoken to him, Varkasan had turned back to his fellow Paladin. "Sometimes our instincts work better than we give it credit for." He said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Shopkeeper. What can you tell me about that one?" Varkasan said as he pointed at a sword with a hilt adorned with sharp silver wings on the sides and a gemstone near the bottom, and a straight blade that curved into a leaf-shape at the tip. "Ah, that one is a fine choice, sir. It has plenty of small openings on both the blade and the hilt. The hilt is made for absorbing the energy you put into it, and transfers it to the blade's crystals which interact with the gem at the bottom of the handle. Pressing on it will cause the contained Light energy to be released in a powerful blast. Incredibly devastating if you time it right with an attack upon an opponent." The man explained.

"Then it appears I have made my decision." Varkasan said with a smile. He passed the required funds to the man and examined his new weapon carefully. The blade was razor-sharp, and the gemstone seemed to sink into the handle when he pressed against it. Though it took a great amount of force to press down on it so there was little fear of activating the crystals by accident.

Varkasan turned back to Conrad. "I'll retrieve a few pieces of survival equipment and see if I have any money left for other pieces of armor. What about you?" He asked.

[b]Conrad[/b]
"I'll likely do the same, I got my eye on a few of those lanterns." He nodded at Varkasan and turned, preparing to leave. "Good luck on the next few days." Conrad walked off through the Bazaar. They could all use some luck.