"Welcome!" A bearded man with a voice like sandpaper shouts from his shop counter. "What'll it be?"
"I'm looking to buy armor."
"Then you're in the right place, lad. Have a look around!"
The selection ranges from suits of plate donned by mannequins to clothes on ordinary hangers. The time has come for me to face the classic trade-off between protection and mobility.
One piece attracts my attention. A suit of leather pock-marked with metal rivets, seemingly in all the right places.
"You've got a good eye, lad." The shopkeeper, now beside me, surprises me from beneath. He's shorter than I thought! "That started out as a bit of an experiment. It's based on the armor used by cavaliers on the eastern continent, but made lighter so a footman can move well in it...
"It's cloth padding inside, hide on the outside, and dozens of small plates in between, each riveted to the outer layer." I don't think he's going to stop soon. "The plates are thinner to lower the weight, but that's still too heavy for a human, so some plates had to come off the back..."
...
"That comes to a total of 1 gold." I relinquish one of my gold coins to the shopkeeper. "We also repair and enchant equipment, so come back when you need to! Before you go, lad, what's that spear you've got with you?"
"It's a demon infantry spear. I'm told it's cursed."
"Aye, we've been meaning to study them, but no one's been able to pick one up without going mad. Would you be interested in trading it in?"