I have no Latin at all sodales but I would like Ioannes to translate to see what she has on offer. I agree, texts in Latin are not my aim but she may have other things than the written word on offer.
Ioannes would be glad to translate! He would love it actually. He could learn so much. 
[tab][/tab] Isandros is interested and most attentive, on what Aristocles has to say. He has some knowledge of what items of quality are (and that he can sell more of them in the Tribunal) but not the esoteric intricacies of the process. He has dealings with Verditius quite often. He would be delighted to do business with the young magus, especially on items like armours and weapons. Since the Empire of Nicea is at war, such commodities are in great demand, especially swords. Armors would be slightly more difficult to sell, as they are often custom made. He would certainly able to act as an intermediary: to sell any and all items of quality (up to three, especially weapons and armors, and could you please make those runes less conspicuous? Try putting them in places that cannot be easily seen), and take requests for custom made armors. He is certain he can find buyers for chains and breastplates that protect the wearer from harm, wounds and evil influences. Should he come by the covenant next Spring or Summer? Since Meru Mudi is so far and recaps that pass through so few, its quite a trek. He would also like to discuss any commission of his for his work. Lastly he cautions the young man that since Epirus is also at war at the moment, he might find eager nobles for his works there, but that might cause political problems back at the 'real' court of Nicea.
[Isandros will act as an intermediary for a commission. He looks favorably at this endeavor and will visit the covenant next year. He will purchase any items of quality up front and discuss any orders about armors]
[tab][/tab] Your group gathers and descends on the hastily erected lean-to of Ex-Miscelanea witch. Frida Koldings is a medium sized woman of northern descend, past her forties. Dressed in robes of black that have seen better days and been patched too many times, she looks more like a iron-haired widow than a witch. Yet her eyes have a hard glare and see too much it seems. She tends to gesture a lot, broad, expansive and precise movements with every statement. Her Latin is terrible but its the only language you have in common. Right from the bat it seems she does not like talking to Ioannes, somehow sensing the scholar is not Gifted. Quite a few times she speaks to him in Latin then for emphasis turns to Aristocles and Scyllax and repeats that more forcefully. Clearly she knows who she should be talking to.
[tab][/tab] Frida shows her wares. Two large piles of furs and hides rest inside the tent, too heavy for a single woman to have carried here all the way from the north. There is boar, wolf and elk in one pile while the other has trades from folk even more to the north, seal and whale fur. She even has a brilliantly white fur she claims comes from a bear way up the north, from the kingdom of ice. Though perfectly cured and preserved, none of them are magical. She has charms she sells, small stones and carvings, iron hoops and pendants made of walrus tooth and 'Orca' bone, strips of giant's hair and dwarven made wrist bungles. Most of them are mundane stuff somehow enchanted with unfamiliar magics, the feel of it quite pagan except for the dwarven bungles.
[The charms are one-use enchantments that bring luck, up fertility or act as attraction charms. The way they have been enchanted is a mystery, and they seem to lose their potency after a month of use. The bungles are made of pig-iron that has not a speck of rust, with depictions of small men working on a forge. She says they protect from fire, sparks and burns from the hearth and forge].
[tab][/tab] Interestingly enough she has a selection of salves that restore health and mend broken bones. She says she gets them from some witches way to the north, she trades with them. She swears they all work. Lastly she has a 'treasure' she is willing to trade, a long grey ivory rod that comes from a northern unicorn. This one is enchanted to 'part the waves and calm seas down', Frida says in broken Latin. She will trade this only for a legendary potion of youth (not a longevity potion, she scoffs at that) or an Eye of the Serpent (which she seems to think is a kind of gem with potent powers to see in the future or past).
Aristocles will ask the Redcap about the specific price he is willing to pay for a sword of quality, in cash or if taken in credit for mundane goods from the redcaps.
He has little interest in the wares of the witch now he has seen then, but will be polite and friendly during the encounter. He will suggest to Scylax they move on to the ceremony.
[tab][/tab] Aristocles and the redcap haggle over the price of enchantments. Isandros seems quite experienced in this aspect of trade, having dealt with Verditius magi and the handling of magical items. Using the rote formulae that the Primus has established, the price of an item of quality would be between 2 vis lowest and the amount of vis the magus could have extracted in a season (for Aristocles that would be 1, quit low), plus the cost of the materials of the item itself. For a mundane price, multiply that by 15 mythic pounds of silver. The Redcap adds a 5 to 10 per cent fee on top of that, provided the item is sound and has no advert effects. In this Tribunal one can sell three such items per year, in addition to a more powerful enchanted item. Thus a longsword that has its killing intent brought out would cost 30 pounds plus 20 shillings (1 pound), plus 1.55 to 3.1 for the redcaps (32 pounds and 10 shillings to 35 pounds and 2 shillings).
[tab][/tab] Of course that would be paid after the sale itself, or the redcap could forward part of the price as an official loan, completed after the sale. They are always accommodating in keeping an account for the magus and providing mundane items, provided the cost of transportation falls on the magus himself (considering where the covenant is, that might be a hefty price).
The above makes sense but I think Aristocles can extract 2 pawns of vim vis per season (Cr 1 + Vi 2 + aura 5 + Int 5 + Magic Theory 5+2 = 20/10 round up = 2. Using the above numbers then Magic item creation is much more profitable until He raises His Creao Vim lab total.
There Aristocles will try to bargain for sale of specific items to the Redcap. Preference would be things he can enchant in to armour.
Scylax is interested in Frida herself, not her wares, he will remain even if Aristocles leaves, he tries to chat her up through Ioannes. He identifies himself as a Pralician, and greets her formally. Just to make conversation he asks her for what she is asking for her wares aside from unicorn horn, and how well does she expect to trade things of such an exotic nature, do other Magi not find her claims a bit outlandish. How did she come to Thebes, was there no market elsewhere nearer her home? Where is home, by the way? Scylax tries to be as charming as he can, being translated to Latin and back by Ioannes 
. He does not hide the fact that he hails from a newly formed Covenant, and that Meru Mudi's needs are less exotic and more of a tangible, immediate nature (Art books and Lab Texts). There must be a story behind each of these items!
On Isandros: does the Redcap know if there be a market for Spell Mastery Lab Texts? If so, how much do they go for, who is the person to speak to?
[OOC you are correct, his lab total is much higher, so thats 2.]
[tab][/tab] The problem with armor as you know, Redcap explains, is that it must be fitted to the wearer for better protection. Hence most times such pieces are commissions. Weapons are more easily sold. However Isandros is open to any marketable opportunity. He counters with a calm assurance that he can probably find a buyer anywhere in the eastern Empire. What specific enchantments is Aristocles considering selling?
[tab][/tab] Frida talks through Ioannes in her way, frequently repeating louder things she said to Scylax directly in bad Latin. She hails from a land way to the north, near the border with the Novgorod Tribunal at the edge of the Baltic sea. There is a huge lagoon with swamps up there and the nearest city is Szczecin. The land is untamed and harsh, but its her home. She comes far to the south following a vision she had, and she is searching for certain items or information about them. Since she came all the way here, she might as well trade things. One has got to eat and drink. These things she trades near her home yes, there is a market for them, but she journeyed down the great river to reach here, so she took her wares with her... plus some extra things. You never know what you might find in a bargain. She is less interested in books (especially those written in squiggly Greek), she is not that fond of reading. She trades in information, items of equal value and vis; it seems this Tribunal, however settled and under the heavy hand of the Christian God it is, produces large amount of Creo vis, something not easily found in swamps.
[tab][/tab] Isandros ponders a bit on Scylax's question. Those are not in high demand it seems, few people write about such things, specific treaties about specific spells that is. He could try to find someone willing to write on omission but that would be expensive. On the other hand, why does the young magus not start a correspondence with one of the established Eastern covenants? They have huge libraries, untouched by the Latins, they may have what Scylax seeks....
Aristocles explains "I could enchant a small object to attach to the inside of a metal outer armour between the metal and the non-metallic padding underneath. The object would cast a spell to strengthen the metal armour and reduce it's weight. It would also strengthen the damage resistance of the padding layer. In all it would increase the damage resistance of wearing full suit of chain mail and its padding by an additional 2/3rds and reduce its weight by 1/3rd. That would cost 39 pawns of vis and take a full year to create. If the client is mundane I would create the enchantment to last 70 years to ensure the mundanes do not accumulate items as your own house of Mercere and the Quaesitors often fear. How does that sound?"
[tab][/tab] Isandros blows a low whistle ''That's close to... 600 pounds isn't it. A full herd of good horses, or a small castle. Tempting. Let me ask around but do not get your hopes up. It might require talking to the Purples though...'' he mentions the exiled imperial family. He then frowns '' I thought your specialty was armor itself, not trinkets like these. How much would an actual suit of armor with those traits cost?''.
"Redcap Isandros, as examples for actual armour I could create:
Any metal armour type with either increased protection or improved weight for 9 pawns of vis and taking one season.
I could improve the resistance to damage of any type of under-armour padding for the 6 pawns of vis and also taking one season.
If you want more than one enchantment in an item the price increases dramatically as you see with my example for 39 pawns. They take one season plus at least one season per enchantment. In the example I gave your the armour broach would take me a full year to create given it has three separate enchantments within it.
The use of the small armour shaped broach would not hinder the process and in fact is I believe an excellent solution to getting the best option for a client. With a little fore thought, the broach could be used across multiple sets of armour if and when your client has a new set of armour made for them. Would any of these options be of interest?" replies Aristocles.
[tab][/tab] Isandros is more confident that he can 'pass along' protection armor at 150 pounds more easily than the broach at this time. He agrees to acting as an intermediary for one set of armor with protection enchantments and/or one under armor padding (for 150 and 90 pounds each, minus 5% fee). He is especially interested on how the padding might sell, cause to his mind its easier to fit. He of course reminds Aristocles that he can only sell one such magical item, unless he could do one of them as an item of quality. Reduced weight is of lesser importance... these are Byzantine knights we are talking about, trained from early childhood to arms...
[OOC one set of magical armor or an under armor padding for next year. He will be passing autumn-winter to collect. Expect a method of payment the year after next]
Agreed,
(Scylax is still "conversing" with Frida, the prices for her goods had yet to be named, to see if he might buy some of her wares; he will invite her, if and when she finishes her quest, to stay at Meru Mudi for a Season at some point, although he admits the accommodations are spartan, and there's still much work to do to finish the interiors. She could write Scylax to alert him of such a happy occasion).
While conversing with Isandros, Scylax will ask if there's another Pralician in the Theban Tribunal (he assumes he is the only one), will query who is the senior Ex Miscellanea of the Tribunal present at Delos, does he know? He will gossip a bit, try to find what the Redcap can mention about the apparently vanished coastal Covenant that Annastaj had mentioned, as well as hopefully introducing him to the Erebos contingent.
[tab][/tab] Isandros seems happy with the business concluded and takes out a ledger from his carry-bag, makes some marks on it including date and time. He promises to visit late next year, or if cannot come in person send a representative with a sigil of his. Isandros is less 'chummy' to Scylax but still cordial, he confirms that he is the only Pralician in the Tribunal, now. The most senior Ex-Miscellanea member of the tribunal would be magus Dorotea of Erebus, whose former apprentice is presented tonight. Isandros frowns when the vanished covenant is mentioned, trying to remember. He confesses he knows very little about the 'western ends of the Tribunal', busying himself with the east and the south as it is. Perhaps Scylax should ask those redcaps that roam continental Greece instead? He will gladly introduce your party to the Erebus delegation at tonight.
[tab][/tab] Frida sells her wares for quite a price. The furs are around 10-20 shillings, the more exotic ones twice that. The charms are from 10 pennies to 50 shillings, depending on the size and their rarity rather than the artistry. The magical charms she trades for 1 Creo vis each or an equivalent once use item of fire magics; hearth warming magics, protection from cold, or even attack spells in one use items, she is fine with them. The bungles are valued at 10 pawns, and the potions are sold at 5 each! At the invitation she shakes her head, her quest will be long she thinks and she when it ends she will take the road home immediately. She scoffs at writing, you have the sense that she lives a more or less barbaric secluded life...
Redcap Isandros I should make clear that the Item of Quality would be more effective than the enchantment in terms of improved protection, two and a half times as effective in fact. Would you be willing to pay a 75 pound fee, minus your 5% commission of course, for either armour or padding to this standard as I want a relationship that is as honest and sustainable as possible? I would commit that price for as long as you wished
[To Aristocles: Wait what? I thought we settled this. 1 'normally enchanted armour' at 9 pawns, 150 pounds. Items of quality (can sell in addition to one magical item, three in this Tribunal) 2 pawns, 32-33 pounds. where did that 75 pounds come from? I am confused ><
What are the other people doing?]
Aristocles is trying to get a better price for Items of Quality now at the expense of what he could charge later in his career. The 75 pounds is the nominal figure he is trying for as it equates to 5 pawns of vis. This is coming from his innate sense of honesty and his attempt at fairness. The IoQ delivers +5 soak but the more expensive enchantment delivers +2 soak. So he is aiming for +5 soak for 5 vis vs +2 soak for 9 vis. If he is refused in this he will at least have tried to be as fair as possible with the Redcap whom he hopes form a long term business relationship with.
[Here is the thing: You have both agreed to a piece of enchanted armor that protects. This could actually mean anything by the way, the merchant is giving you free range. On top of that he would gladly sell any (up to three) Items of quality. Stat-wise, an IoU can go up to +7 (limited by your Philosophiae verditius score). As players we can easily quantify this due to rules, while in game it is difficult. If Aristocles wants to be fair, he can mention this functional discrepancy or make an enchanted piece of armor that has a different protection, or cheat. What I am asking is where did you come up with that 75 pound/5 vis score. Last time we checked, the price was 2 pawns wasn't it?
What are the other people doing?]
I came up with 75 pounds/5 vis as a suggestion as it is lower than the enchantment cost but more than the "going rate" for items of Quality my his current art scores. He may say no, in which case I will just make enchantments. At least Aristocles conscience would be clear.