Mr. Fehrari's Magnificent Shades

A drear and gloomy day, dark foreboding clouds overhead and a drizzle of rain told of the storm to come.

In the town of Hyzengar the market square began to slow. The merchants were pulling in there fresh foods and putting away their fragile wares, not wishing to damage anything in the rain.

The more affluent shop owners stayed open of course. The benefit of owning a parcel of market square was the protection offered from the elements.

While smaller stalls and vendors had to close up for the day, larger shops with a roof and warmth could stay open for any and all customers to come in.

As the smaller stalls closed down, all the potential customers began to flee for larger shops, inns, and bars to avoid the incoming storm.

For young Peter Fehrari, this was his most profitable time. At age 15, he was the youngest merchant by far to own a stall in the market square and the only stall still open, even through the gathering rain. 

For Peter opened and stayed open today because he knew it was to rain, and all the wares he came to sell today we're infact waterproof.

"Mr.Fehrari's Marvelous Water Proof Shades!." He bellowed, "Mr.Fehrari's Magnificent Shades!"

A little more than a hundred of Peter's shades were stockpiled in his stall ready to sell.

Ever the salesman earning his keep to be able to afford his stall at such a young age, he grabbed a shade and stepped into the rain. A shorter boy than most, though not fully grown, he always relied on a show to draw a crowd.

With a shade in hand, open, and shielding him from the rain he walked around his stall.

Hailing down anyone that walked by he whimsically said, "Come and try Mr.Ferrari's Water Proof Shades!" while demonstrating how effectively it protected him from the rain.

With this effective strategy Peter garnered many clients from those still fleeing from the rain.

Peter handmade every shade, with the help of his assistant. It was a several day long process to make a batch but was very cheap to produce. Wood, leather, and time. The three ingredients it took to make the invention. A simple construction and the idea came to Peter from watching the rain bounce off an adventurers armor that was well oiled.

Straight and sturdy sticks of wood were gathered, their bark removed, followed by dying them black and coating the outside in oil. A small amount of cloth is then wrapped around the base of the stick to serve as a handle.

The frame was made of the shoots of the balaboo tree. The shoots were strong, flexible, and able to support many times their weight one woven together.

Hides were then tanned, stretched paper thin, dyed black, and pulled across the balaboo frame. Once properly fastened to the frame, the paper thin leather is then oiled with a semi permanent coating.

Finally attaching the frame to the handle, Peter's invention is complete. In total, the cost was less than 5 coppers and Peter sold each one for 50 coppers. 

Mr. Fehrari would make a killing today.