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The Bale of Stars

by MelWong

"They have pretty stones in buckets and bowls there. Shiny stones. I wish I had one."
- The simpleton Lokara, while scraping the cobbles outside the Bale of Stars.

"And the centerpiece of this choker is a fine pink sapphire the size of an Imperial obol. Had it cut for me at the Bale of Stars."
- Icefire Jasmine on her latest whim.

The Bale of Stars is Nexus's top gemcutting establishment, run by an outcaste Aspect of Earth, Copper Wind. In fact, the Bale of Stars is something unusual with regards to its level of specialization, as it only sells cut gems of various sorts. Well-heeled customers seeking to have their perfect ruby set will have to take their trade to another craftsman. Despite the inconvenience of having to contract a second tradesman, and the levels of expense involved, the Bale of Stars is popular within the well-heeled rich of Cinnabar and Bastion, as well as within the jewelry-makers of the Street of Queens themselves.

Currently nearing his first century, Copper Wind farms most of his work down to assistants and helpers, handling the accounts and inspecting raw gem shipments in between taking the truly special commissions for his own. In that, he excels as no one else can - he has designed and created over two hundred unique cuts designed to set off the unique crystalline natures of specific gemstones. Many famous jewels and heirlooms owe their existences to him, among them the infamous Fivefold Rose Garnet (stolen in a daring heist five years ago), the Sunset Window sapphire (currently worn about the fair neck of Bastion socialite Icefire Jasmine), and the Dragonet's Bride Price emerald (one of the queenly gifts sent to the Blessed Isle by the Yeskanero Merchanting Family on the occasion of the marriage of their youngest son to an unExalted daughter of Cynis Belar).

Many would-be gemcutters and jewelry crafters owe their skill to apprenticeships at Copper Wind's knee; he is known to be something of a hard master, but nobody can dispute that his perfectionism breeds exceptional competency. The only apprentice he has kept with him after "graduation" is a former slave, Silver Wren. He bought Wren as a child-slave from The Dejeune Brothers Contractors on the Coffleblock Market twenty years ago and trained her in the arts of gemcutting. On her manumission, he retained her on salary as an aide and head shopgirl, as he had felt that greeting customers was beneath one of his stature.

Due to the ease of theft in fine gemstones and the high risk of robbery, Copper Wind keeps guards from The Gilded Sisterhood on retainer. Wards against theft rest in the top left corners of each showcase, and the old Dragon-Blood has bribed a lesser earth-god to keep watch over the shop at night.

Rumours

• The cursed Stone of Ebon Blood was Copper Wind's first work. He refuses to admit to having cut the gem for fear of repercussions.
• Silver Wren has only been kept at the shop because her skill exceeds that of her master himself and he fears what she could do if she started her own business.

Secret

• Copper Wind owns a Gem of Living Earth kept under sorcerous guard in his personal chambers; he has crafted diamond baubles which he uses to spy upon the luminaries of Nexus. The information he gleans is forwarded to Brueghel, the Evening Master on the Council of Entities, who pays him handsomely for the dirt.

Comments

Damn, I can't believe it took me so long to realize this. Isn't slavery illegal in Nexus? (ref. "Manacle and Coin", I think, but I can't remember which bit) As I recall, slaves that are sold in Nexus by outside contractors are forced to sign 24-hour indentured servitude contracts, brought into the city, sold and removed within that time period. So, Silver Wren could be an indentured servant (with a longer contract, of course, although I can't remember how the Nexian laws work for those) and the Dejeune Brothers could still be slavers, but this doesn't work as written.
~ Shataina

I'm pretty sure it's 72 hours, but yeah, I remember reading the same thing. Don't have the books to double-check, though; that's what I get for borrowing so heavily when I first got interested in the game. -Everyl

According to Manacle and Coin slavery is "illegal" in Nexus because the council decreed "None shall labor against their will except by order of the Council." (pg 85). While this does't directly outlaw slavery, those who bring slaves into Nexus often end up dead. The Guild gets around this by making all the slaves it trades in Nexus (a lot) indentured servants on a three day contract. If you're not sold by then, you're free. According to Nexus law apprentices must serve their masters, but they can leave if they want. They still have a choice, so they're not "laboring against their will." -TzalFlameforge