Hortemeyer's Pre-Owned Goods

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Hortemeyer's Pre-Owned Goods is the only pawnshop in the town of Zul Logoth. Its entrance is a stone arch located southeast of the bank, near Marcketel Mushroom Exporters. This pawnshop buys and sells merchandise. It is run by a wizened old dwarf named Hortemeyer.

Main Room

[Hortemeyer's Pre-Owned Goods] RNUM: 9477
The metal shelves of this shop are crammed full of assorted knick knacks, weapons, armor, containers, and many types of unrecognizable items. The shelves run from floor to ceiling on all four walls except where they are forced to allow customers to enter. Several ladders lean against the shelves to facilitate retrieval of items from the upper levels. Larger items occupy places on the floor. In the midst of it all, an old dwarf totters around, using a cane for support as he straightens the displays. You also see a small stone vessel and the pawnbroker Hortemeyer.
Obvious exits: south, out

Details

>look at shelves
The metal shelves stretch from wall to wall all around the room, stopping just short of either side of the entryway.  The shelves are packed with items, but most of them are either junk or in such bad repair as to be useless.  Weapons are strewn on the shelves in one area, armor piled in another, a number of magic items in a third, containers, toys, clothing, and on, and on.  The shelves are so overloaded that supports in a different metal type have been added to strengthen them.  Yet the shelves still sag.

>look on shelves
On the metal shelves you see a sign, a bunch of toys, a group of containers, a pile of weapons, a number of magic items, a pile of armor and a pile of clothing.

>look at toys on shelves
Dolls lean against the wall while paper dragons rest on the shelves.  Brightly painted pull toys compete with stuffed animals for attention.  All seem to have something wrong with them.

>look at containers on shelves
Most of the containers have holes of some sort, and the tops are missing.

>look at weapons on shelves
Blunt weapons, edged weapons, throwing weapons, and more are piled haphazardly on the shelves in a corner.  Some are rusted, some are bent, and many have missing handles or broken blades.  There doesn't appear to be a good weapon in the bunch.

>look at items on shelves
Wands and staves predominate on the shelf full of magic items, but other types are certainly present.  Although most appear in good shape, they do not project any aura nor feeling of power.

>look at armor on shelves
Leather and metal armor overflows a shelf.  The armor pieces are missing straps and look to be in generally poor condition.

>look at clothing on shelves
All the articles of clothing are faded, or stained, or torn, or marred in some fashion.

>look at sign on shelves
One bright green metal sign hangs on each set of shelves.  The sign is lettered in big, black, block lettering.
There appears to be something written on it.

>read sign on shelves
In the Common language, it reads:
DON'T TOUCH!

>look at ladders
A few ladders lean against the shelves to allow access to the upper levels.  The ladders do not look in any better shape than the shelves themselves, though.  Certainly they are not safe enough to climb.  Still, dwarven assistants clamber up and down the ladders, straightening items and attending to Hortemeyer's wishes.

>look at assistants
The young dwarves hurry to complete the tasks assigned to them by Hortemeyer.  Barely bearded, they display exuberance and energy as they go about their tasks, despite the berating from the pawnbroker.  Each dwarf is dressed in a matching light blue cotton shirt, dark blue canvas pants and brown, lace-up boots.

>look at floor
The grey granite floor supports some of the larger items in Hortemeyer's inventory, including a mummified mammoth head, a tombstone, and an unrecognizable contraption.

>look at head
The glass eyes are small sapphires that stare blindly, but the rest of the mammoth head seems very lifelike, right down to the long, curved tusks.

>look at tombstone
The tombstone appears to have been fashioned for someone not yet deceased.  It is solid grey marble with small black flecks and rectangular with a rounded top.
There appears to be something written on it.

>read tombstone
In the Common language, it reads:
Here Lies

>look at contraption
The contraption has bells and whistles, pulleys and gears, funnels and spouts.  Metal parts predominate, but other materials are evident.  There is not a clue as to what it does.

>look at vessel
Standing about a foot high, the vessel has been chiseled out of uniform grey granite.

>look in vessel
The stone vessel is filled with a variety of garbage.  You see nothing useful or appetizing.

>look at Hortemeyer
An old dwarf, hunched over and wizened, hobbles slowly around the store while supporting himself with a stout wooden cane.  His long, white beard drags on the floor, and his white hair cascades down his back, yet there is life in the dwarf's blue eyes as he excitedly picks up something or other and expounds on how he came to own that particular piece.

Ambient Messaging

Hortemeyer moves over to the unrecognizable contraption.  He says, "I once knew how to make this thing go."  He prods at it a bit and then gives up.

A dwarven assistant scampers up one of the rickety ladders and places a set of rusty plate armor on one of the higher shelves.

Hortemeyer shuffles about the shop, waving his cane at the dwarven assistants and berating them for their slowness.

Hortemeyer spots a dwarven child reaching toward a toy on one of the lower shelves.  With an unusual display of swiftness for one so old, he whips his cane around and strikes a swift blow on the child's extended hand.  The child retracts the hand with a yelp, licking his bruise and whimpering pitifully.  "NO touching," Hortemeyer says, firmly.

Hortemeyer waves his cane at one of the assistants and bellows, "No!  No!  Not there!  Over there!"  The assistant hustles to comply.

Two of the assistants confer briefly, then giggle before resuming their work.

Sales Room

[Hortemeyer's Resales] RNUM: 9478
This backroom contains several tables, a bright metal sign, and boxes piled upon boxes. Several stacks have tumbled down or, were it not for the wall they encountered, would have tumbled down. Markings on the boxes indicate origins from places both familiar and unfamiliar. Several dwarven clerks paw through the boxes as if looking for certain ones. From time to time, a clerk will grab one of the boxes and rush out, often returning with the same box and a puzzled look. You also see a magic table with some stuff on it, a weapon table with some stuff on it, an armor table with some stuff on it and a miscellaneous table with some stuff on it.
Obvious exits: north

Details

>look at sign
A polished metal sign hangs on the wall above the four merchandise tables.
There appears to be something written on it.

>read sign
In the Common language, it reads:
WARNING: All items sold here are used merchandise and sold on an "as-is" basis with no guarantees or refunds.  Ya pays yer money, ya takes yer chances. -- Hortemeyer.

>look at wall
Rough-chiseled granite walls enclose the room.  Thick wooden beams shore up the walls and support the ceiling crosstimbers.

>look at box
A particularly large box vibrates every so often.  Small holes have been cut in the sides of the box, just below the words "Live Animals."

>look at other box
A slightly crushed box rests beneath a much larger box.  The smaller box appears to be leaking an oily fluid of some type, almost obscuring the word "FRAGILE."

>look at third box
Several long, thin boxes form a pyramid.  Though their origin or destination is unknown, a few of the boxes have the inscription "Junk" on them.

>look at fourth box
A stack of square brown boxes leans precariously in one corner.  Someone has scrawled "Ta'Illistim" in black letters on the boxes.

>look at clerks
Young dwarves hurry to complete the tasks assigned to them by the pawnbroker.  Barely bearded, they display exuberance and energy as they go about their tasks.  Each dwarf is dressed in a matching light blue cotton shirt, dark blue canvas pants and brown, lace-up boots.

>look at table (all four tables look the same)
Although the metal table is very nicked and scratched, it is still quite sturdy and serviceable.  Its top is smooth and flat, with the edges slightly raised, perfect for holding items and preventing them from rolling off onto the floor.  The legs spread outward slightly for extra stability.