Shops & Businesses: Weiss & Co., Locksmiths
by AllanP(The Nest N24)
On a side street off The Street of Dreams in The Nest, near the Quill and Counter Tavern, stands the workshop and residence of Erik and Theo Weiss, expert locksmiths. They are assisted in their enterprise by Erik’s wife, Wilhelmona. The brothers have quite a reputation for being able to construct all manner of locks and security devices as well as the skills to open or by-pass such mechanisms. As a result, they find themselves engaged by many wealthy citizens to install means of securing valuables, whilst also undertaking commissions to open heavily-locked (and probably trapped) chests and other items.
Naturally, their building naturally has very secure doors and windows, and any customer or other visitor will find themselves waiting as the variopus locks are opened and closed to allow entrance (and exit).Inside the workshop there are all manner of elaborate devices on shelves and work benches with numerous delicate and complex instruments scattered about that the brothers use to investigate the inner workings of the devices.
Wilhelmona manges the business and keeps a rein on Erik’s tendency to show off. (To demonstrate his prowess at extricating himself from manacles and shackles, he once arranged for himself to be chained and padlocked, stuffed in a sack and then thrown into Mirror Bay – he survived.) It has been known for adventurers of all nationalities to arrive at the workshop seeking assistance in liberating a recently acquired treasure from its secure case – a service the brothers provide at a not unreasonable fee.
There have been rumours that the brothers occasionally sell the secret to by-passing the locks they have installed for a customer, but this has never been proven. Although, if a customer’s locks have been opened, Weiss & Co. are more than willing to develop some new mechanism for the victim.