“The value of any object depends on whether one knows what to do with it or not. Look at this marvelous piece of artwork, this mesmerizing edifice of glass with its intricate and smooth inlaid patterns. If you did not know of it beforehand, would you have ever thought that something like this originated as nothing more than a pile of the worthless sand that could be found all around us?” - Nasrudin zem Nasril, founder and first patriarch of the house of Nasril.

“Normally we forbid any foreigners from these places, but I trust you all, and besides, it’s not like our so-called secret is a big one anyway,” said the Patriarch as he led Aideen, Kino, and the three siblings to place that seemed to be a workshop of sorts within the family’s complex but separate from the main buildings. “This here is our glass workshop, where our family’s hired artisans process the glass that we then sell abroad or use for ourselves.”

The far side of the simple workshop was dominated by a furnace that glowed red as it was filled with molten glass. Around a couple dozen workers and artisans – mostly dwarves – were inside the uncomfortably hot workshop, the air inside hot enough to make one instantly sweat despite the plentiful ventilation the place had.

Just shortly after they entered the building, the clothes of the three elven siblings were already wet with sweat. Aideen and Kino were more fortunate, as they were unliving and thus no longer needed to bother with such things as regulating their body’s temperature. Even so, the heat was not very comfortable for them either.

A couple of the dwarves were armed and shifted to accost them as they entered, but turned back to their posts as they recognized their house’s patriarch leading the group. The rest of the workers and artisans did not even glance their way, as they were thoroughly focused on their work, apparently to the exclusion of all else.

“As you can see, our so-called secret for creating fine glasswork is a most simple one,” said the patriarch with a wide grin on his face as he gestured towards where a glassworker formed a flowery pattern out of the molten glass that floated in the air before them and shaped it to fit perfectly around the outside of a glass vase the size of a man’s head. “We simply employ plenty of skilled glass mages for the process, rather than use mundane workers. Sure, mundane workers are cheaper, but they cannot match a skilled mage’s hand when it comes to fine detail and precision, especially for the finest of our crafts.”

As if to prove his point, the patriarch picked up a glass plate from one of the stands near their side of the workshop, where the finished products were placed after they cooled down and the glass had set properly. He then handed the thick glass plate – easily as thick as a human thumb and around the size of a human torso in circumference – to her with one hand.

Aideen received the plate with both hands and looked closely at it. At a glance, the plate looked like a simple one, decorated in a pattern that resembled snowflakes all over its surface. Upon closer inspection however, Aideen noticed that within the center of each snowflake was a tiny scene depicted in surprising detail, clearly the work of a very skilled artisan.

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On a hunch, she lifted the place and held it facing the glow of the furnace, and her gut feeling proved to be correct. When set against some light source behind it, the light caused the scenes inlaid within the glass plate to come alive. It was not that they actually moved, just that the backdrop of lighting gave the illusion of movement, which resulted in a truly breathtaking sight.

With clear admiration in her eyes, Aideen handed the plate over to Kino to look at, who then handed it over to the three siblings once she did her share of gawking at the finely made artwork embedded within the layers of glass. Aideen completely understood what the patriarch meant, as that sort of workmanship was practically impossible to perform by mundane means.

Carvings and patterns on the surface of glassware were still within the capabilities of mundane craftsmen, but such fine, detailed work inlaid and embedded within the glass was definitely the creation of a very skilled Glass mage, one who could move the material as easily as they would move parts of their body. Even amongst the artisans employed by the house there couldn’t be too many of those around.

“That is a masterpiece done by Mistress Balezouf, a veteran artisan who has honed her skill for centuries,” said the patriarch with a satisfied smile. “Her works are prized even by the Caliph, and apparently, His Holiness also appreciates them, if what my descendants told me was true the last time they went to the Holy Land with one such example as a tribute.”

“I did recall Grandpa having a really nice glass cup that he rarely used outside special occasions that he is particularly fond of, yeah. Now that you mention it, the style this plate has does remind me of it quite a bit,” noted Aideen with a nod. “It is indeed a masterful work of art, and setting it within such a simple medium only further elevated its aesthetics.”

“How much does such a masterpiece fetch if sold?” asked Kino with some wonderment.

“It depends, Milady. A Masterpiece like Mistress Balezouf’s would be something sovereigns fought over, so it is difficult to put a base price to it. For our more regular pieces though, even they would fetch at least several gold coins a piece when sold outside the Caliphate,” replied the patriarch. “It is a highly profitable business for all involved, honestly.”

“No surprise it is,” said Aideen. “When the base material is the sand all around the city. This is indeed truly a way to earn plenty from nothing.”