Falling Sparks

Shop · kept by Varka Kest

Falling Sparks

The shop is named for a warning carved above its lintel: 'Mind the Falling Sparks.'

Stock

10 items · 108 gp

Tools

3 items · 1 gp to 20 gp

Smith's ToolsA practical roll of tongs, punches, small hammers20 gp
HammerA simple iron hammer with a wooden handle1 gp
SledgehammerA broad-headed sledge for breaking stone, driving stakes2 gp

Weapons

2 items · 2 gp to 15 gp

Light Hammer1d4 bludgeoning damage2 gp
Longsword1d8 slashing damage15 gp

Armour

2 items · 10 gp to 50 gp

Scale MailPrizedAC 1450 gp
Shield+2 AC10 gp

Other

2 items · 2 gp to 5 gp

Chain (10 feet)A short length of sturdy, dark iron chain, sold by the…5 gp
Iron PotA plain, sturdy pot with a wire bail handle2 gp

Ammunition

1 item · 1 gp

Arrows (20)A bundle of straight-shafted arrows with iron heads1 gp

About

The shop is named for a warning carved above its lintel: 'Mind the Falling Sparks.' Locals shortened the phrase to Falling Sparks, and Varka refuses to change it, convinced the name keeps worse accidents away. The front room smells of coal smoke, hot iron, and wet wool. Hammers ring in irregular bursts beneath the rafters, where finished tools hang beside half-mended armor. Varka Kest, a broad-shouldered human smith with close-cropped hair and a scarred left hand, tends the forge with economical movements and a dry, exacting manner. An apprentice sorts scrap near the bellows, and a heavy chain curtain separates the public counter from the dangerous heat of the forge. Varka will bargain over repairs, but not over the worth of a sound blade.

Stash

4 items to steal

The stash · GM only

The shop's cash and personal effects are kept in a shallow counter drawer and the sleeping nook, while the better valuables and order records are secured in a cramped back workroom. A chain curtain separates the customer floor from the forge; its clatter carries through the building.

Security check: DC 14Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) to lift the counter purse, or Dexterity with thieves' tools to open the locked drawer
If they fail: A failed attempt may clang a tool against the floor or disturb the chain curtain leading to the forge. Varka comes to investigate with a heavy hammer in hand, while the apprentice blocks the front door and calls for the town watch. If the party is caught, Varka demands the stolen goods back and expects compensation; continued resistance turns the confrontation into a fight.
The whole haul: About 41 gp

Till Purse8 gp
Kept: Under the counter, tied to an iron ring inside a shallow drawer.
A leather coin purse holding the day's small change, mostly silver and copper with a few gold pieces.
Value: 8 gp, 14 sp, 27 cp
Bronze Locket1 gp
Kept: In a small wooden box on the shelf above the smith's sleeping cot.
A worn bronze locket containing a faded miniature portrait of Varka's late partner. It has little resale value, but Varka would recognize it immediately.
Commissioned Buckles25 gp
Kept: Inside a locked drawer in the back workroom.
A pair of finely wrought silver belt buckles made as a commission. They are wrapped in oiled cloth and marked with the buyer's initials.
Order Ledger5 gp
Kept: On a high shelf in the back workroom, behind a stack of scrap-metal account books.
A ledger of orders, deposits, and unpaid debts. It could expose which local guards have overdue equipment or reveal that a wealthy customer paid for a blade in secret.
Value: 5 gp to the right buyer; more as leverage