DeTess
The sun rises on a new day in Vaungate, and the city slowly awakes to a new day. The bright sun promises another warm day, but the sweltering heat of summer has clearly passed, and fall is approaching. In another month the harvest festival will be held, and already the city is busy with the first preparations. However, there is a tension to people's interactions, not quite as many people as normal are on the streets, and those that are move quickly and with purpose. The outbreak of a disease in the poor district known as the Stormdrains has many people on edge, and though it only seems to kill a small fraction of those infected that's still too many for most.

Despite the spectre of disease looming over the city however, both business and construction continue unabated. Ships from the colonies make their way up the docks to be unloaded of their cargos of spices and other luxuries, massive construction projects are being worked on all throughout the city, and the city's many shipyards continue their work on ever grander hulls.

The campus of the Royal Artificery society is also bustling with activity, with students heading to lectures and all manner of artisans heading to the workshops or the archives to do research. The grand plaza at the center of the campus is filled with all manner of people heading to and fro, as well as a small crowd of artisans crowding around the monument at the plaza's center. The monument itself is a marvel of engineering and enchantment, with a massive clock showing the time, and a variety of dials showing both the movement of stars and planets, and the predicted weather for the next few days. Most of the artisans crowding around it aren't there to gawk at the monument hopwever, but to peruse the large noticeboard that encircles the base of the monument. On this board all open commissions are posted, in addition to important announcements and other matters of import.

 
 Spoiler: Announcements 


  By order of the Curator of Biology: 
Any students or Society members that show the following symptoms are to immediately report to the campus infirmary:
Coughing
Diarrhea
Headaches
Spells of dizziness or a feeling of tiredness 



  Reminder: 
There are special laboratories for the testing and experimenting with unstable substances. I am aware that those have rather long waiting lists, but working with these substances elsewhere puts yourself and your fellows at an unacceptable risk!
-Lokhad Forgeheart, Master of the Facilities 


 In addition to the official announcements, there are several advertisements posted for a variety of services and goods. 
 

 
 Spoiler: Commissions 


  Streidekker and Sons, Shipwrights, is looking for innovations! 
The Streidekker shipyards is looking for new innovations in the field of ship-design!
Both full ship designs and smaller inventions are desired. Both civilian and military applications are welcomed.
Designs need to be accompanied by a prototype or  convincing  proof of concept. For further details, visit our office in the Harbor district and ask for Manfred Streidekker. 



  Draining the Stormdrains 
As you are aware, there ahs been an outbreak of disease in the Stormdrain district. There is no doubt that this has been caused by the highly unsanitary conditions in this poor district, for this reason I, Marquis de Loufleur, am hereby commissioning the design of a new sewer system for the district! Designs are to be submitted no later than one month from the posting of this notice! 

 The date on the notice indicates that it has only been posted today. However, two smaller notes with the seals of the Curators of biology and engineering have already been appende to it. 

 
 Originally Posted by note from the curator of biology 
 There is no evidence as of yet that the disease has been caused by unsanitary conditions in the district. That having been said, a proper sewer system will undoubtedly improve conditions. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by note from the Curator of Engineering 
 I had already done most of the design-work for a sewer-system for this district a couple of years ago, However, given the current situation, there needs to be a way to further cleanse the water before we let it flow into the river. Also, given the district's chaotic nature actually putting the system in place without demolishing half the district first is going to be a major challenge, so anyone interested should focus their efforts there. My designs will be available for perusal at my workshop. 
 



  Treatments needed! 
So far, no effective treatment exists for the disease going through the stormdrain district. This needs to change! Our priests are doing what they can, but there are few of us, and many have fallen ill. Reputable alchemists can visit the Light's heart hospital in the Stormdrain District to present their concoctions to Sister Magnolia. 



  Goldrow bank needs security consultants 
As you are no doubt aware, a new building for the Goldrow bank has recently finished construction. All our vaults and defenses are now in place, but before we start using the building we want to issue a final challenge to test our security. We're offering a 1000gp bounty to anyone capable of getting into one of our vaults, retrieve the message stored within and then bring it to our primary location in the Silverflow district, within the next two weeks!
 Though our traps and defences aren't lethal under normal circumstances, and our guards will not use lethal force unless attacked, there is still a risk of harm coming to those taking up this challenge. Goldrow limited does not take responsibility for any harm that may befall you while trespassing on our property.  

 In addition to the above commissions, there's a wide variety of other requests related to the upcoming harvest festival. most of these relate to either the creation of novelty beverages, or help with creating the many outlandish decorations, such as gigantic floating lanterns and animated puppets resembling all  manner of fantastical beasts for the parade. 
 


OOC thread:  https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...1#post25781611 
WindStruck
Another morning...

Shandara's schedule usually had her resting in the midday, due to her.. nocturnal nature. The night was all hers, but there was still plenty of daylight she had to suffer through. Well, maybe the word 'suffer' was being too dramatic. Still, it would seem she would  never  be able to acclimate to daylight.

Nevertheless, morning meant her 'day' wasn't over yet. Shandara had been working on some jewelry, a craft she was pretty good at. A few autumn and harvest-themed trinkets could probably bring in some more coin for her and test her skill. Though honestly, she was finding the work somewhat boring. Deep down, as she had learned the craft from her father to supplement her family's income, it felt sort of like a job. Crafting jewelry to make money, not for its own sake. And so, rarely was she taken by an artistic mood. When she was feeling artsy, the results could be wondrous, but that wasn't today.. or the past few months, really. In any case, Shandara wanted to go out and stretch her legs, breathe some fresh air, sun be damned.

The hottest days had passed, and so she opted for something light yet modest. A blouse; a skirt; some sandals; a very light, hooded, silk cloak; and her parasol. An acquaintance had told her a new notice was on the noticeboard in the grand plaza. So off she went, meandering her way by peoples and patiently waiting her turn to take a look.

Hmm...

Ship design? Shandara honestly felt she was more of a dabbler in that field, than anything. And she really knew nothing of sailing or boating. She believes she hadn't been on a boat even once in her life.

A sewer system? She really wasn't confident in this field either. More worryingly, it seemed this disease was a significant threat. Maybe not to most people, but especially to her. She would never dare to go near the Stormdrains. She quite confidently felt that if she ever caught this disease, she was going to die horribly.

A bank security system?? Perhaps intriguing, but she had best not pretend to want to break into the bank. Chances are, even the traps or the guards could 'accidentally' kill her. Still, perhaps it was something that could be studied...

Shandara mulled it all over a bit but decided to get out of everyone's way. That's when she saw him. Again. That half-orc. Was he following her? Maybe this was all just a coincidence. The thing that stuck out to her was the half-orc seemed dressed more like a wanderer.. and quite honestly, half-orcs did not have a reputation for being the brightest. But you never know. She could only assume there were some skilled blacksmiths or even artisans among them.

For now, Shandara was rather paranoid but tried not to let him on. She made her way over to a place she frequented to think over the announcements some more. Julieanne's Brew, it was called. It was a nice and quiet place with indoor and outdoor seating. They sold all manners of tea, coffee, and some alcohols with rich flavors. Nothing too intoxicating in a single mug. Oh, and the pastries, baked goods, soups, and other delicatessens. The quality of the place inevitably made it popular, but today, like recent days, it didn't seem too crowded.

Shandara ordered some tea, soup, and a bit of bread to go with it, and, feeling a bit more adventurous, sat in the patio, shaded by both the building and furthermore by a large umbrella on the table. She casually glanced around a bit to see if this half-orc was still following her.
DeTess
Julieanne's brew was relatively quiet this time in the morning. The early-morning rush for coffee had passed and now there where only a couple of patrons. A pair of dwarfs where sitting indoors, holding a quiet discussion, and an elf was reading a book in the corner with a cup of tea and sweet pastry in front of him and two students or young-ish artisans where holding a discussion in one corner. Near where Shandara was sitting a small group of students was holding a hushed but animated discussion over a number of large paper sheets spread on the table.

"Okay, okay, okay, I get it, you think you're nimble enough to pull it off." One of the students, a slight human female in her early twenties with dark skin and shoulder-length curls spoke up a bit louder then the rest. "Then there's the vaults, It's not like we can just bust them open, we need some kind of fine tool for getting past the lock, slight but strong..." At the urging of her compatriots she started whispering again, and the rest of the conversation was inaudible, at least from where Shandara was currently sitting.

Another quick check of the establishment revealed no further patrons... Except for a half-orc dressed in rugged travelers clothes that had taken a seat at another table some distance from the Drow. He was holding up a pamflet of sorts with his left hand, obscuring her vision of his face, but he was probably not looking at it since he was currently scribbling something in a notebook.
WindStruck
The students, Shandara could only assume, were probably talking about breaking into that new bank vault. As the young woman raised her voice, she couldn't help but peer over briefly, noting all the papers they had rolled out in front of them. Somehow they got a hold of schematics? Hm.

But that's when Shandara noticed that half-orc again. Okay, now she was  sure  he was following her. And what the hell was he writing down?? Now would have been a great time to be thinking about all those postings, but  instead , she was now preoccupied with thinking how she was going to handle this person.

A confrontation? Risky. And would she even get any straight answers out of him? The setting probably didn't matter either. Doing so in a dark alley might spook him briefly or simply give her the chance to slip away. But being alone in a dark alley with him probably wasn't a good idea. Better, if anything, this was out in public. Out 'in broad daylight' so to speak.

Should she ignore him? Get authorities involved?? She didn't like the idea of drawing more attention to herself. And it was probably just going to be her word against his. Unless, of course, whatever he was jotting down clearly had to do with her. But it could all just be vague notes too.

Shandara realized that she hadn't really been eating or drinking for a while. She turned her attention back to her food, deciding on a course of action. Finally, after she was satisfied and had worked up the nerve, she slowly approached the half-orc, standing at his table across from him.

 "Who are you working for?"  she quietly asked.
Sønderjye
 "Sorry Miranda,"  Z said in hushed voices to the student across the small table. If he had known this was going to happen he wouldn't have suggested that they met at  Julieanne's Brew. He thought this might have been a date!   "I haven't managed to get restocked on your usual exam helper. In the meantime could I interest you in some Stay Awake tea? It'll let you work for another two two hours tonight of studying without being tired tomorrow?" , he continued trying to placate the girl though the tears forming in her eyes suggested that it wasn't working.

He looked around but thankfully noone was staring at them yet. He really didn't want to draw public attention to his spare time dealings. Plus he genuinely liked the girl and felt bad for he. He knew that she had been struggling lately, and that she really needed to pass the test tomorrow.  "Look, I'll call in some favours and see if I can get something for you by tonight, okay?"  He'd have to talk to Nigel or Green, and see if any of them could help him out later.

Miranda thanked him and left him to sit alone. He took a sip of his coffee and sat for a moment before getting up and making to leave. As he did an older student entered, walked over to him and asked: "You're Z?"

 "Yeah but look, whatever you want I'm out" , he said preemptively, hoping he could head off another awkward conversation before it began.

"Not here for that", the older student replied and held out a scrap of paper: "Got a message for you."

Z grapped the paper, hands starting to sweat after recognizing the message style as the one that Ronce used.  "Aren't we a bit too old for love letters?"  he asked feigning joviality. He excused himself and hurried towards his home, reading the message on the way. He wanted to tear the paper to pieces. He hated feeling like Ronce could just summon him like a godsforsaken lapdog whenever he wanted.

As he reached home he had calmed down a bit. Realistically, if Ronce ask him to do something there wasn't much he could do, at least not as long as he wanted to stay in Vaungate. He quickly packed the essentials and  hurried off to see Ronce at the man's office near the docks.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Feel free to jump to the scene with Ronce
 
DeTess
 Julieanne's brew 
The half-orc looks up as Shandara approaches him, and closes his notebook before she's close enough to read its contents. "Who do I work for?" He says, some confusion in his voice. "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else." He gets up, leaves some coins on his plate to pay for his beverage, and prepares to leave.


 Ronce's office 
Ronce's office has a rather magnificent view over the river, though the merchant himself is seated with his back to the window. He's small, fro a human, and his lack of physical stature is emphasized even further by the massive desk he's seated behind. Lying on the desk are a variety of ledgers and missives, and as Z is shown into the room he's just finishing attaching his seal to a contract.

"Ah, Zacharias, thank you for coming so quickly, especially in these  trying  times." He stresses the last bit, though there is no sign that times are particularly trying for him or his endeavors. He gestures to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat."

"Now, won't try to take up too much of your time, as time is money after all." Ronce continues. "No, I just called you here to tell you that if you need any support, any support at all from the Jupitas trading house in your pursuit of a treatment for this dreadful disease in the Stormdrains. Need ingredients for your experiments? I'll find them. Need some tools? Well, I suppose the campus has all that covered, but still, I'll help get you what you need if they are falling short. And of course, once you've got a working formula, we'll be only too happy to begin production and distribution immediately, as your  exclusive  partner in this endeavor!" He gives Z a wide smile that wouldn't look horribly out of place on an alligator or shark.
WindStruck
 Julieanne's Brew 

Shandara makes no other moves to block or otherwise do anything aggressive to the half-orc. She merely says in reply,  "Ah..  My apologies.  Perhaps you are right."  Though her tone doesn't really seem apologetic. Probably more sarcastic than anything.

Whatever. She'd let this creep go. Seemed neither of them wanted a scene. Shandara wanders back to her table and picks up her cup of tea, holding it a while and sipping (actually it was empty, so she was pretending), taking her sweet time while she waits for the half-orc to leave, watching him all the while.

Hm. Maybe another cup would be nice, though she was really feeling like sitting indoors this time.

Shandara does just that, taking her cup to a quiet corner inside the restaurant this time. She was facing the door to see if anyone came in, but she still actually had plenty of time to think and daydream now.
Prehysterical
In the midst of the crowd, one figure is forced to push his way forward... not because he feels entitled, but because it's the only way he can see the writing on the board with all these people around! Fortunately, the stoutness of his kind allows him to make his way through to the announcements and commissions. Even as he does so, however, Bolten apologizes for infringing on others' personal space.

Bolten Cogturner scratches thoughtfully at his short beard as he peruses the current goings-on in the city. Funds for his workshop are running relatively low and it would be good to pick up some coin. What would be the point of starting his own projects if he couldn't fund them?

The ship commissions are mildly interesting, but Bolten doesn't know really know anything about life at sea. Sure, he could make a ship that  worked , but would it properly serve the needs of the sailors on board? Besides, saltwater was infamous for its ability to damage metals...

There is absolutely no interest in pulling off a bank heist. Just the very idea gives Bolten anxiety. That left the sewers. Not exactly glamorous work, but it would help people and that style of engineering was more in Bolten's range of experience. Maybe he could bring some new perspective to the table. Just as much from curiosity as from ambition, Bolten makes his way to the engineering workshop.
DeTess
 Julieanne's brew 
the half-orc leaves quickly, and without making a fuss, and though Shandara no doubt keeps an eye out for him, she won't see him again, at least not today.

 The Escribano workshop 
It's moderately busy at the curator of engineering's workshop. In addition to the usual activity a small group of artisans has gathered around a large table set just inside the entrance. On the table is a large and detailed map of the Stormdrains district , as well as a number of sheets of paper on which quills, seemingly moving of their own volition, are busy making a copy of that map.

In addition to showing the streets and buildings of the district, the map also shows groundwater tables and the locations of the districts wells. A plan for a sewage system has also been drawn up, transporting the sewage and wastewater from the entire district to  a point in the river downstream of the city, where it'd be dumped into the water. The design sin't all that different from that present in other parts of the city, with a robust grid of underground pipes, and several waterpowered pumping stations located near the river to ensure the sewage keeps moving.

Bolten's practiced eye can easily make out the main issues, however. The Stormdrains district is far more densely populated than most other districts of the city, and the warren of buildings and narrow streets make it next to impossible to actually put the sewer system in the ground, at least without first having to demolish a lot  of the buildings. The current situation in the district also means that some kind of purification treatment of the water needs to happen before anyone is comfortable with dumping the waste into the river, but though such systems do exist to help keep the run-off from the leatherworker's workshops manageable, an entirely new design would be needed to deal with the waste of an entire city district.

As the Dwarven artisan studies the map, one of the quills finishes making its copy, and one of the other artisan's steps forward, rolls up the copied map and takes it with him. The quill immediately starts working on a new copy as soon as the finished copy one has been removed.
Armonia13
A small boy makes his way through the hustle and bustle of the main plaza, a sack of books slung over his shoulder as he makes his way to the billboard. Some people might question why a young kid is in the area, this isn't a place for play. The few who cared to distract themselves from their busy thoughts might even recognize the small emblem on his vest as the Trafalgar family crest. But Xavier never gave off a major presence, even when his intellect dwarfed those around him.

As he often does when he has no lessons planned for the day, Xavier inspects the billboard, seeing if anything peaks his interest. [I]Goldrow Banks needs security consultants  Seems like they need more brawn than brain to work that one  Treatments Needed!   Eh...seems more like Lawford's niche, better avoid it for now.  Streidekker and Sons, Shipwrights, is looking for innovations!   Now this is interesting! Agh! Needs a proof of concept. Maybe I can find someone willing to work with me on this. What was that really crafty girl's name? Dockford or something? I bet she could build something good. 

Xavier quickly writes down the relevant information from the shipwright request then heads off, trying to think of who would be willing and able to help him.
WindStruck
 Julieanne's Brew 

As Shandara sipped her tea and thought a while, undisturbed, some ideas began to formulate regarding the whole sewer system project.

Could there, perhaps, be a method of digging under some buildings without having to demolish them? Extra supports for the building as the foundation was weakened? Going  under  the foundations? Or perhaps, was the flaw with the Curator's designs themselves? Maybe they were an elegant and efficient system underground, but with little regard for what was up above?

It was hard to say, but Shandara's curiosity and ambitions may have been getting the better of her at this point. She finished her tea and set off to Maria Escribano's workshop to take a look at her designs.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'm keeping track of on hand gold. I'm guessing all in all, I may have paid 3-4 silver for the meal and tea?
 

 The Escribano workshop 

Shandara eventually arrives at the Curator's workshop. It was quite bustling with artisans and engineers, in her opinion. She doesn't want to impose on the people there. Seems either they were studying the map of the Stormdrain District, or waiting for a copy. Shandara was considering taking a copy for herself.

Among the crowd, she noticed a familiar face: a dwarf whom she had collaborated with before, named Bolten Cogturner. Standing a mere nine inches above his stocky frame, her twig-like, willowy form wasn't much taller. She looks him in the eyes briefly, acknowledging him with the barest of nods.

But she wasn't here to socialize. And perhaps, working with another person might not have crossed her mind yet. For the time being, Shandara gazes at the district map, studying its overall shape and layout, and then she looks at the plans Maria Escribano had, which were carefully pinned up on a board.

The one thing she was trying to determine: how did the maps compare to each other in shape and form?
Prehysterical
There are lots of moving parts to this problem and Bolten realizes that approaching sewer installment will probably be better handled one step at a time than all at once. Fortunately, some considerate soul ensorcelled pens to make copies of the map. Bolten waits patiently to get his own copy before taking his leave. On his way out, Bolten spots the unmistakable face of Shandara. Even with drow being such a rare sight in the city, she stands out with her frail frame. A part of Bolten always worries about what would happen if a stiff breeze knocked the dark elf off of her feet... They had worked together previously on a commission from a nobleman for a spectacularly decorated clock, where her experience with gems and fine golden links had come very much in handy. It also felt like Shandara was one of the few people Bolten felt comfortable sharing a workshop space with. They were both naturally quiet and could work without disturbing the other. Bolten gives her a clear nod and a small smile as he leaves.

Back within the sanctuary of his small home on the edge of campus, Bolten stares at the schematics. It seems like one of the biggest problems facing them is how to install the piping network without wrecking most of the district. "Just magick it away" is the obvious answer, and Bolten knows that spells exist that can soften rock to the consistency of mud, but decently powerful magic such as that is not readily available. They need something more... consistent. Digging right under the surface is a bad idea; the buildings would collapse without sufficient stone to support them. There has to be a way to make that hole like an incision, like a burrowing mammal...

...Like a drill. Bolten is reminded of the hand drills that he has seen, capable of drilling through wood, iron, or even stone. What if they made something like that, but  bigger ? He begins workshopping a design for a mobile giant drill. Nothing too fancy or to scale, just concept work. At first, he only puts wheels on the bottom in a traditional style, but modifies his design to make a more triangular wheel arrangement that rings the frame of the drill body. That should help push the drill along in tight spaces and make it less prone to shift. The drillbit would need to be powered by clockwork, of course, and that clockwork needs to be isolated in a encased frame to stop dirt and rock fragments from interfering with the gears. Bolten looks at the giant drillbit and remembers that it will have to be made of adamantine to properly pierce the rock. Some mental calculations reveal the cost of such a design and Bolten winces with a hiss before biting his lip and blowing out a sigh. A growl of frustration has him shake his hands in the air. Time to step away from the idea for a bit.

Bolten goes to his forge and works on the blade that has been his project for the past several days. The blade is tempered and shaped, but now it needs an edge. Sparks fly as Bolten presses the blade to the grindstone and spins the wheel, losing himself in his work. As he works, however, an idea slowly germinates in his mind. Struck by inspiration, Bolten sets aside the blade and takes up some rock fragments left over from the smelting process of his iron ore. Bolten uses the grindstone on the rock fragment, pulling it back to see where part of the rock has been worn away by the grindstone's abrasion. He hums to himself as the raw ore of the idea begins to take shape...

He runs back into the other room and begins sketching out new designs for drillbits. The conventional drillhead is not suited for this sort of work; what would be better is for a series of  smaller  drillbits to work in unison to grind and pierce rock in different parts of the tunnel. Along with arrays of more traditional drillbits on the face of the machine, Bolten also jots down drillbit designs that look more like a wheel or a grindstone with adamantine teeth or spikes attached. Same basic idea, but would bring down material costs significantly.

Of course, there is still the issue of how to steer this thing. A driver seems like a necessity, but there was no conventional way to drive such a thing. Perhaps some sort of arcane sensor on the front where magic could be used to see what's ahead? And that didn't solve the problem of maintaining direction and straight lines underground. His first instinct is to use a compass, but at the depth that he is thinking, iron deposits might pose a serious problem.

At a loss, Bolten puts his head in his hands as he leans on the table and takes a deep breath.   Focus. Don't think about what you can't do; think about what you  can  do. Make like a clock and tighten up, lad.   With renewed purpose, Bolten takes hold of some schematic paper and takes another look at the proposed size of the sewer pipes. Whatever he made, it had to make a hole of at least that diameter. Bolten puts ink to pen and begins drawing schematics with more exacting measurements for all of the parts that would be needed just to make the base drill body, clockwork "guts", armored casing, wheels, and drillbits. This is where the real work begins...
Sønderjye
 Ronce's office 

 
 Originally Posted by Ronce 
  "Ah, Zacharias, thank you for coming so quickly, especially in these   trying times."  
 

 "Of course, Mister Jupintas" , Z replied with a bow. He didn't miss the implied threat, how the greedy merchant could make times very trying for his family if he didn't do as he was told. He looked down to hide his anger and fear but under the pretense of getting to taking a chair, and when he found himself sitting he had managed to conseal his emotions behind the polite mask he always wore when around the Ronce.


 
 Originally Posted by Ronce 
 [...] "No, I just called you here to tell you that if you need any support, any support at all from the Jupitas trading house in your pursuit[...]  
 

The phrasing about the meeting here being about supporting Z almost makes him laugh. No, the meeting was about excerting control, reminding Z that Ronce could end him with a work and to order him to work on a treatment for the diseases, all while letting him claim that he hadn't said any of those things under a zone of truth.

 "Thank you sir" , he replied after he thought the elder man was done enjoying his own voice.  "I will focus my efforts immediately. I would in fact like to accept your generous support. I would also like to ask if you would be able to put me in contact with anyone who know more about the details of this disease and if you could recommend any collaborators in this indenture who could be trusted to maintain your exclusivity." 

He waits for the reply and when that part of the conversation is over he asks:  "I have an idea for a remedy that could be able to cure most of the infected though it is naturally untested and it might not work depending on the traits of the disease. As you know research can require investments and while price of course can be reduced with efficiency, I'm afraid the initial process of often costly." 
 
"However,"  he continues quickly:  "I have an idea that might allow you to mitigate those costs. Are you familiar with the material Targath? It is a particular kind of metal which touch grants wielders some protection against diseases and if it effecting against the Stormdrain disease as normal diseases I imagine an early investor could get quite a return over the next month. "

  
 Spoiler: Targath 
Targath is a material from the Eberron Campaign Setting, pg 127. It's +3gp for ammunition made of it and the relevant part of the description is "Even a small amount of targath wornor carried on the body grants a character a +2 resistancebonus on Fortitude saves against disease." So a bullet from a necklace or similar should make people slightly less likely to get sick.
 
DeTess
 Ronce's office 

 
 Originally Posted by Sønderjye 
  "Thank you sir" , he replied after he thought the elder man was done enjoying his own voice.  "I will focus my efforts immediately. I would in fact like to accept your generous support. I would also like to ask if you would be able to put me in contact with anyone who know more about the details of this disease and if you could recommend any collaborators in this indenture who could be trusted to maintain your exclusivity."  
 

"Hmmmm, yes. I have an associate that works at the Light's Heart hospital in the slums. She should be able to help. If you tell sister Brunhild Pebble that I've send you, she should be most forthcoming. I'll see about getting you some more help, but I do expect you to take the lead in this. that's what your studies at the Society Campus have been preparing you for after all, haven't they?"


 
 Originally Posted by Sønderjye 
 He waits for the reply and when that part of the conversation is over he asks:  "I have an idea for a remedy that could be able to cure most of the infected though it is naturally untested and it might not work depending on the traits of the disease. As you know research can require investments and while price of course can be reduced with efficiency, I'm afraid the initial process of often costly." 
 
"However,"  he continues quickly: [COLOR=#b22222]"I have an idea that might allow you to mitigate those costs. Are you familiar with the material Targath? It is a particular kind of metal which touch grants wielders some protection against diseases and if it effecting against the Stormdrain disease as normal diseases I imagine an early investor could get quite a return over the next month. " 
 

Ronce grimaces at the mention of cost, but then nods. "For the health of my fellow citizens, it is an investment I'll gladly make. As fort hat metal, well, I wish you'd mentioned it earlier. When the outbreak of this disease just began some good-for-nothing scoundrel bought up every stock of the metal they could get their hands on, no doubt intending to sell it at a vastly inflated price. I do have my own contacts to lean on, but it'll be several weeks yet before can expect a sufficiently large supply." He sighs. "Still, it's good to hear that you're willing to think with me on this. I wish all my associates had such a good attitude."

"Now, I believe you've got your work cut out for you, while I'll start looking for some trustworthy assistants for you. We'll talk again a week from now. I'm sure you'll already have made spectacular progress by then!" Ronce dismisses Z with a wave of his hand, then returns to studying one of the letters on his desk.
Sønderjye
 Ronce Office 

 
 Originally Posted by Ronce 
  "Hmmmm, yes. I have an associate that works at the Light's Heart hospital in the slums. She should be able to help. If you tell sister Brunhild Pebble that I've send you, she should be most forthcoming. I'll see about getting you some more help, but I do expect you to take the h eald in this. that's waht your studies at the Society Campus have been rpeparing you for after all, haven't they?"  
 

 "Thank you, sir. Of course, sir" , Z replies with a respectful bow.


 
 Originally Posted by Ronce 
  Ronce grimaces at the mention of cost, but then nods. "For the health of my fellow citizens, it is an investment I'll gladly make. As fort hat metal, well, I wish you'd mentioned it earlier. When the outbreak of this disease just began some good-for-nothing scoundrel bought up every stock of the metal they could get their hands on, no doubt intending to sell it at a vastly inflated price. I do have my own contacts to lean on, but it'll be several weeks yet before can expect a sufficiently large supply." He sighs. "Still, it's good to hear that you're willing to think with me on this. I wish all my associates had such a good attitude."  
 

So typical Ronce. To in one moment make golden promises of support and in the next moment scowl at the support you asked of him. Not that he would ever dare say that to his face.  "Very magnanomous of you sir, I am certain the citizens will appreciate your charity. I deeply apologize for my tardiness, sir, you are absolutely right, I should have made the suggestion earlier."  Of course, at that time he had no reason to tell Ronce anything and really, the fat geezer could just have asked.

 
 
 Originally Posted by Ronce 
 "Now, I believe you've got your work cut out for you, while I'll start looking for some trustworthy assistants for you. We'll talk again a week from now. I'm sure 
 

 
 
 Originally Posted by Ronce 
  you'll already have made spectacular progress by then!" RonCe dismisses Z with a wave of his hand, then returns to studying one of the letters on his desk. 
 

"I'll endeaver to not disappoint, sir. I'll leave the list of ingredients with your secretary," he says before he gets up and leaves. He writes a list once he's outside ands hands it off to the secretary before heading towards the Society. He'll keep the Light's Heart hospital as a backup in case this approach doesn't show anything.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
He puts down a list of ingredients for a total of 1000gp value? Having played a lot of high lvl DnD I have become throughly desensitized to gold piece value so if that's off in any direction feel free to pick another more realistic price. It's equivalent to 20 antiplagues which I honestly feel is lowballing it a little given we're looking at RnD on something much more complicated.
 
Armonia13
Xavier eventually makes his way back to his dorm, a sparse little room divided in two. His roommate's side cluttered with dirty clothes, random pages of homework and the odd cluster of material samples he would frequently examine. His own corner of the school was nearly attended, his desk covered in former blueprints, his equipment by the side. With a wave of his hand, he system'magically' places his books in a neat pile on his bed as he takes a seat. A single book hangs in the air as Xavier rubs his hands together.  "Now then.....let's gets some ideas flowing....."  The book falls into his hand, revealing the tiny points of light that make up his  Mage Hand  spell.  " '  The Great Guide to the World Volume 3; Engineering  ', let's see what you say about ships...."  Xavier exclaims as he begins to study
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Rolling for Knowledge Engineering/History to understand ship designs through the ages. I'll spend an extra  (1d4)[ 1 ]  rounds to use my Pathfinder Chronicle(Engineering)or(History) to add a +2 circumstance bonus.  (1d20+17)[ 27 ] 
 
Elbeyon
 Zeal’s Bedroom 

A chill fall breeze sways blue curtains and passes into a lit bedroom that has yet to relent to the night’s embrace. Illuminated by oil lantern, the warm light dances against the pale blue walls with the breeze in concert. The room decorations are soft pinks and blues, and not a single piece of furniture or permanent fixture lacks a drop of paint.

Zeal sits on a comfortable squarish pink chair. In front of her, an easel stands tall. In the room is a pink fluffy bed which never gets slept on but often serves as a muse. A nightstand flanks each side of the bed, one with a healthy looking philodendron that reaches the floor. An entire wall is blocked by desks filled with tools and alchemist vials. Paintings of the portrait, abstract, and surrealism variety cover the walls. A wardrobe is so stuffed full of a rainbow of clothes that it cannot close. Zeal paints, the view focusing on her art, a disembodied plague doctor’s outfit treating a mannequin’s cut bleeding arm while taking their temperature. Zeal paints until dawn.


 Grand plaza (Monument) 

She locks her front door in the morning and leaves for the Grand plaza. Her mind broods heavy on what plagues the city. The suffering she sees, even the empty streets, was on such a scale she never could have imagined such a thing outside of war. While Riam Fopransoog told her that a plague was certainly possible and even had happened in the past, experience taught her more than any teacher or book in the archives. The next mention of the dead may be a person she knows. She didn’t know many people in the Stormdrain, but she knew alchemist and biologist that are working on cures. And, not all of them are so young anymore.

 
 Spoiler: She wears something causal today 
 
 


Zeal walks through the crowd and reads the noticeboard. The announcements always have the juicy stuff. Those are frightening symptoms. And, a reminder on caution. That were not the announcements she expected but they were not a surprise. She reads the commissions.

Ship design sounds like something she would enjoy. She accepts the sewer caused the plague until she reads the attached notes. What type of game is the emperor playing!?  Mr. Curnow is the expert, and if anyone knows what caused the plague it is him. Thankfully Mr. Curnow left a note, or else she’d have to force herself to get involved with redesigning the sewer. She wants to actually help treat the disease. Light’s heart hospital. She doesn’t know the place, but a hospital shouldn’t be hard to find. Her yellow eyes widen at the security consultants commission.

She shouts in joy, “I get to rob a bank!?” She declares, “I’m going to rob a bank!” She has never robbed a bank before but she always wanted to since this very moment! “First, I’m going to deal with that nasty plague, then I’ll rob Goldrow! Mark my words: Zeal will rob Goldrow Bank!” She puffs her chest at any doubters or annoyed people. “The society will knock the socks right off Goldrow, and we’ll steal their socks too!” After her declaration, she leaves with a dramatic turn to return to her shop. She has a lot to do and people are depending on her.

 Arcane Arts &amp; Crafts 

A nicely painted, easy to read, sign hangs with the shop’s name above the door. The sign has the image of a beaker with a used paint brush in it. Zeal walks inside, sees Elrah, and says, “Good morning~” A sweetness rings in her voice.

Elrah Ettlundl was the first employee Zeal ever hired at her shop. She has a small talent for alchemy and a friendly personality, always eager to learn. She takes clear, easy to read notes in the store’s ledger and is good with the customers. Anything she lacks in skill she makes up for in passion. She has her own key to the store and often opens unprompted if Zeal is lost in a project. She has some trouble at home, but that hasn’t interfered with her work yet.

 
 Spoiler: Elrah Ettlundl 
 
 


The storefront’s shelves are lined with bottles of every shape and color. Pastes. Oils. Elixirs. The display shelves in the room house raw alchemy ingredients, plants, animal parts, minerals, etc. There are inexpensive material components for stocking spell component pouches as well as filled spell pouches. Mixed in with alchemy supplies are dyes and pastes someone could use to make their own paint. Supplies sit here or there for stylizing. Sections of the shelving are devoted to tools of the trade. A one stop shop for alchemy with a splash of random color thrown in. The storefront is well decorated, uniformed in style, and gives a well-resoucred quality impression.

Zeal, “Let the others into the workshop when they get here.” Zeal walks through the storefront and upstairs with purpose. She shouts downstairs so Elrah can hear her, “The society posted a commission for helping with the plague. I’m going to head down to Stormdrain and talk to the priests to see if there is anything I can do to help." There is a loud commotion like stuff is being tossed aside but that is not unusual. "I might be able to do something down there to help put an end to all this.” She stomps downstairs wearing something different. She t-poses and spins around.

 
 Spoiler: Properly Dressed 
 
 


“What do you think? Oh, and I might rob a bank.” Not really caring to explain, she will leave as fast as she came like a whirlwind of energy. She leaves for Light's heart hospital.
Sønderjye
 Artificer Society, Xavier's dorm 

Arriving at the Society he rushes up to the dorm area and standing awkwardly in front of Xavier's room he knocks a few times.  "Xavier, you in there?"  he asks. If there is no reaction he'll wait 20 sec and do it again.

 
 Spoiler: Alternative scene if Armonia don't feel like interacting now. 
 
  Light's Heart hospital 
 Walking through the dirty streets of the slum on the way to the hospital Z is reminded of old times. Not necessarily happier times, he and his old friend J barely managed to pickpocket enough money for all of them to stay afloat. He wonders what did end up happening with J. They used to hang out very often but since he started working on his entry project he hasn't been able to find time to reach out. Maybe he could try to find her once the hospital thing is done? Then again, he needed to see if he could get Clear Ear for Miranda and now he's at least partly expected to find a treatment for the disease in a week. Maybe the week after? 
 Once he arrives at the hospital he asks around for his new contact. 
 
Armonia13
 
 Originally Posted by Sønderjye 
  Artificer Society, Xavier's dorm 

Arriving at the Society he rushes up to the dorm area and standing awkwardly in front of Xavier's room he knocks a few times.  "Xavier, you in there?"  he asks. If there is no reaction he'll wait 20 sec and do it again. 
 

Xavier has just prepared his desk, a design in his head for a ship with greater efficiency than the ones he is sure are at the dock, his tools at the ready to print out a blueprint, when he hears a knock at the door. Looking up from his desk to the door, he waits to hear if another knock occurs. When it does, he sighs, putting down his pen and walking to the door. Opening it, he instantly recognizes the campus 'dealer' Z.  "What's up Z?"  Xavier lets the older boy in, moving back to sit on the simple bed.  "Please spare me the sales pitch if you can, I'm not into 'enhancers' or hallucinogenics." 
Sønderjye
 Artificer Society, Xavier's dorm 
 "Bah, I have enough faithful customers without going dorm to dorm,"  Z responds good good naturedly.  "No I was looking at doing something about the soon-to-be-plague in Stormdrain, and you're the one I know that knows most about diseases. Want to take a look at some sick people and help me save a few thousand lives?" 
Armonia13
 
 Originally Posted by Sønderjye 
  Artificer Society, Xavier's dorm 
 "Bah, I have enough faithful customers without going dorm to dorm,"  Z responds good good naturedly.  "No I was looking at doing something about the soon-to-be-plague in Stormdrain, and you're the one I know that knows most about diseases. Want to take a look at some sick people and help me save a few thousand lives?"  
 

Xavier bites his knuckle as he thinks on it for a moment.  "Eh.....you know what, why not? Collaboration are always more interesting that solo projects. Let me set up my pack and I'll gladly join you."  Xavier moves rather fluently, grabbing his backpack and filling it up with all of his reference materials. He keeps the one he feels will be most relevant '  The Great Guide to the World Volume 7; Nature   in his hands, ready to spark his memory just in case.  "Lead the way Z, this is your operation after all!" 
Sønderjye
 Artificer Society, Xavier's dorm 
 "Glad to hear it!"  Z says smiling:  "Let's head down to get some protection and then find some patients to poke." 

Assuming that the biology department have protective suits(and other equipment for disease research) that are available for students he'll lead them there.

Assuming there are patients in the same department he'll ask around to gain access to those. If there are no patients or they can't get access for another reason they'll head to the nearest hospital in which they expect they can find people with the Stormdrain disease.
WindStruck
 The Escribano Workshop 

So it seemed Shandara's initial hunch was wrong. Of course it was. That's what she gets for underestimating a Curator.

Comparing the two maps - one of the Stormdrain District, and the other, the proposed sewer designs - she could already see what a messy warren of tiny streets the place was. Maria Escribano's designs already seemed to follow the major streets, if you could even call them that, as much as possible. Yet connecting it all in an even remotely-efficient manner meant digging right under half the buildings.

Hm..  could magical connections be established between separate pipes, transferring sewage over a distance without physically crossing that distance?? The conjuration school of magic would seem the most appropriate here, but...  Hmm...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Just brainstorming here, so I guess this would be without the aid of a library and I may be able to try again. But I'd assume that even if I had access to 3rd level wizard spells, we are strapped for options.

knowledge (arcana):  (1d20+16)[ 23 ] 

That said, setting up something similar to teleportation circles and magic portals is probably much too hard. But, speaking of the  conjuration and summoning  field, imagine if you will, a "summon sewage" effect, confined to a certain range, or other constraints such as a cone or whatever counts as underground. That might be able to work, but then the next trick is getting it to repeatedly cast by itself...
 
DeTess
 The Light's heart hospital 
Zeal got some  odd  looks on her way to the Stormdrain district, but once there, she doesn't stand out as much, as more than a few people are on the streets wearing similar get-ups. The district itself is fairly quiet. Those that are on the streets are clearly in a hurry, and most seem to be out to get supplies for a prolonged indoors stay. The Light's heart hospital itself isn't too hard to find. It's one of largest and cleanest buildings in the district, and unlike most of the rest of the district it's a hive of activity. Doctors and couriers rush in and out, men and women are seen carrying dirty sheets and other clothes out for cleaning, and clean clothes in for use.

Just inside the hospital Zeal finds a woman wearing a white robe and a small pendant with he symbol of Sarenrae give instruction to several persons dressed similar to hers. "... to make sure they keep drinking water. It's a good sign if they run a fever, but if the fever lasts for more than day, or the coughing worsens and becomes very frequent, you should bring them here. Otherwise keep them in their homes. We've only got so many beds here, so we can only treat those in the worst condition." The two persons, presumably street doctors, nod. "Oh, and please take these." The woman hands the both of them a small symbol of Sarenrae. "These pendants have been blessed by our godess, and should provide you a measure of protection against this disease." The two street doctors take the offered pendants, thank her, then leave.

As soon as they've left, the woman turns to Zeal. "Good day. I am sister Magnolia. Normally I'd ask you how I can help you, but based on your clothing I'm really hoping you're here to help us and the people of this district."

 The Campus hospital 
The campus hospital is relatively quiet, more quiet than usual in fact. Generally there's some students or artisans that managed to get hurt in some way waiting for treatment, and nobles would often go there because of the department' of biology's unrivaled expertise in the treatment of diseases and ailments. A student of Biology is currently watching over the front desk, and he looks up from a heavy medical text as Z and Xavier walk in. "How can I help you?" the young half-elf asks them.
WindStruck
 The Escribano Workshop 

Hm, yes. Shandara thought about it and indeed, it certainly seemed possible. Glancing over the schematics overlaid with the district map, she imagined various nodes that could be used as shortcuts, concentrating sewage from multiple places all at once, and in doing so, cutting out the need for swaths and swaths of interconnecting pipes.

Yes, this could work! In theory...  But she would need more than an idea. This Society was quite adamant about their formal proofs and all that.

Just for referencing distances between major junctions and other areas of importance, Shandara waits patiently for her own copy of a map before carefully rolling it up and heading back to her home.


 Shandara's Home 

Once back in the relative safety and privacy of her own home, Shandara leans her parasol in the corner near the door, hangs up her cloak, and kicks off her sandals. She clears space on her worktable, unfurling the district map and placing tools and things on the edges to keep it pinned down. Then she goes to her mini-study to consult the many books she had collected pertaining to arcana. The faint light sneaking in through and around the heavy drapes was dim but pleasant to her eyes as she perused the manuscripts. Everything she reviewed indicated that her idea was possible. Now to formalize it...

After spending several hours, Shandara had ...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Knowledge arcana:  (1d20+18)[ 28 ] 

I'd say the better she does, the more useful features and constraints she knows she could add to it.

Qualities I'd be interested in (and I am probably not thinking of some things):
Maximum range of the spell
Maximum volume or weight that can be transferred
basic constraints like (no living things, nothing inside a container, not inside a living creature)
Fine-tuning what counts as "sewage"
Other constraints (ordered from what I think is easiest to hardest):
limiting range of the spell
restricting sewage summoning to only "below ground"
excluding some specific substances
setting up boundaries that may block the effect
targeting certain areas
(anything else?)
 
Sønderjye
 The Campus hospital 
 "Hey, I think I remember you from Anatomy II? You did that project on protein aggregation, right?"  Z says trying to establish a friendly connection before he makes his request:  "I don't think we ever got properly introduced though. I'm Z and this is Xavier."  He gestures to the tall boy behind him.  "I'd give you a handshake but that seems to becoming poor taste these days" 
 "  We're looking at trying to contribute to getting rid of the Stormdrain disease and hoped that you might have some patients here we could take a look at,"  Z says ammiably:  "I assumed they were being studied here?" 
DeTess
 The Campus hospital 

The students nods. "Yeah, we've got a couple here that caught it. None of them are doing too bad, but you'll still have to check with the doctor in charge before being allowed to see them. I reckon they could tell you most of what you want to know though." He checks a ledger. "Right, you'd need to check With Doctor Ellassa Fauxfontaine. Her office is on the second floor, then left, at the end of the hallway."

The office the student points Xavier and Z to is reasonably large, with a number of bookshelves stacked with medical texts, and a number of anatomical studies pinned to the walls. After several moments you hear hurried footsteps approaching down the half, and a middle-aged half-elf enters the room. She stops for a moment in surprise as she spots Xavier and Z, but then enters her office and takes a seat behind her desk. "Hmmm, I assume you're here because you wish to help with this outbreak we're dealing with?" She asks.
Sønderjye
 The Campus hospital 
 "Thanks buddy, good luck with the studies!"  Z leaves with a parting wave.

As the doctor entering the room Z presents himself and his comrade.

 "You assume correctly, Doctor,"  he replies to the question:  "We're hoping to learn more about the established knowledge as well as example a few patients for ourselves." 
DeTess
 The Campus hospital 

"Well then, let's see." The doctor retrieves several sheets of parchment, a pen and a bottle of ink and offers it to Z and Xavier. "I don't have a spare copy of the list of symptoms right now, so please take notes." She opens a thick folder on her desk and opens it. "No doubt you've seen the main symptoms already listed as part of our announcement to the students and artisans." She continues. "Coughing, Diarrhea, Headaches and Spells of dizziness or a feeling of tiredness are the main symptoms of the onset of the disease. In the mildest cases that's all it amounts to. In worse cases a fever appears, which can run quite hot. The fever generally breaks after a day, but if it doesn't it can kill the patient. We've noticed that patients in general show a lot of symptoms of dehydration, and the disease both causes the body to lose water at a quicker rate and to have trouble absorbing liquids in general."

"The coughing also gets worse in some patients. In a significant portion of those the disease ends up being fatal, as it attacks the lungs."

She sighs. "We haven't figured out why the disease progresses to the fatal stage in some, but not in others. The curator theorizes that we're actually dealing with two diseases, with one disease making the body susceptible to the other, but that's impossible to prove right now, and shouldn't really make much of a difference in how we approach treatment. Did you get all that?"

Once she's confirmed that Xavier and Z copied down her explanation, she continues. "We can allow you to see the patients we have here, and we'll provide you with some protections against disease, but if you do, you will have to return to the hospital two days from now and stay a day for observation. We have some alchemical labs where you could continue your work, but this part is non-negotiable. So far the disease has been mostly contained to the Stormdrains district, and we want to keep it that way."
Armonia13
 Campus Hospital 
 "That should be perfectly fine Dr. Fauxfontaine. I do have a couple questions before we take a look ourselves if you don't mind." 

Xavier fidgets a little, his fingers lightly tapping on his book. This venture has his heart pumping in a way he isn't used to, and he likes it.

 "Are there any obviously strange spots or rashes you may have noticed? Or unusual swellings? How have the patients been cognitively outside of the dizziness and fatigue? Has anyone done an autopsy yet? Would be alright if we also looked at the corpses of anyone who has unfortunately passed?" 

Xavier blushes, realizing he's asking a lot to a doctor who is no doubt very busy.

 "I'm sorry, that's a lot to think about at once. Especially since we'll be seeing most of it for ourselves. Thank you for your time and your service, it's really appreciated. " 
DeTess
 Campus Hospital 

It's no problem." Doctor Fauxfontaine responds. "We don't currently have any corpses here, I'm afraid you'll have the hospital in the Stormdrain District, or one of the ones closer to it for that. As for rashes..." She checks her notes. "Apparently some have been reported in the throat and chest area on some of the victims, but these are a minority. Cognitive function is okay on most of the patients, though if they enter the fever fase the fever itself is often bad enough that it knocks them delirious. Those that recovered don't mention any lingering issues beyond a general feeling of fatigue that lasts up to a couple of weeks, however."
Armonia13
 Campus Hospital 
 "Hmmm, ok. That's good to know. Thank you Dr. Fauxfontaine." 

Once we've have finished talking to Dr. Fauxfontaine, Xavier and Z get prepared to view the patients. The good doctor hands them a couple of pendants, the symbol of Sarenrae engraved on the stone. Xavier also casts Prestidigitation a few times to provide them with simple masks and gloves to wear while examining.

As the doctor leads the two students to the patients, Xavier lags slightly behind Z and begins reading his reference guide, preparing himself for the examination.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Studying to give myself a +2 circumstance bonus to Knowledge: Nature. It will take  (1d4)[ 1 ]  rounds, though if I need to do it right before the check, I'll edit to say I reference it then.
 
Prehysterical
The next four days go by in a feverish blur for Bolten in his workshop. Once he immerses himself in the design process for this excavating drill, the entire world falls away. He loses himself in accounting for all of the little parts and everything seems to just fall together neatly onto the paper like well-oiled gears. Halfway through the design process, Bolten is even inspired to install an internal gyroscope in the machine to help further stabilize it.

But he's not content to stop there. No, once Bolten looks sits back and sees that this idea  could  work, his body moves of his own accord to the workbench. It's not enough to see his mental image on paper; he wants to make this idea a physical reality. With tinker's goggles set over his eyes, Bolten sets about building a miniature prototype drill with the concerted smaller drillbits. Late into the night, Bolten finally sits back and admires his work. He holds up the contraption to test the wheels and small drill crank to ensure that they rotate properly... which they do with downright buttery smoothness. A radiant grin stretches his black beard. While not the prettiest thing that he has ever made, there is no doubt in Bolten's mind that this is some of his best work yet. After going so hard for four days, Bolten doesn't even have the energy to break out his special (and very small) stock of wine or ale to celebrate the occasion. He falls right into bed after cleaning up and sleeps like the dead.

Bolten awakes the next morning and places his model prototype into his backpack, being careful to point the drillbits up. As tempting as it is to scurry through the crowd with the device held firmly in his hands, like a babe sharing a drawing with a parent, Bolten doesn't want to put up with all the staring. It makes him uncomfortable. He walks back to the curator's engineering workshop and asks someone who looks official,  "Er, excuse me, where do we take our design submissions and prototypes?"  The question leaves his mouth hesitantly, making him feel like an idiot for even having to ask.
pi4t
Meredith wakes up slowly, aware that she's overslept. Again. The previous night was a late one, spent putting the finishing touches on her new wand of mage armour.   We may not be students any more, but I guess I'd better see about getting some more Sleep Shortener from Z. What is the time now, anyway?  

As if in response to her question, the clock tower outside begins to strike. One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...ei  ght...nine...ten...eleven...twelve. Noon. Great. Half the day wasted. Meredith gets dressed quickly, and rushes off to collect her rather meagre stipend for the week. Only 50 gold pieces are  not  going to be enough for even a single day's work, so she decides to check the noticeboard and see what people are offering to pay for. Her eyebrows rise at the bank's message, and she's seriously tempted. It sounds quite exciting. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a wand of invisibility and (she rolls her eyes) the whole point of going to the noticeboard was because she doesn't have the money to make any more items yet. Making a mental note to look out for any adventures where  magic missile  would be useful, she looks over the other notices.

Sewers...ew. Finding a way to dig them out might be interesting, but there are probably other people working on that. The shipyard offer sounds like a more interesting challenge, and one where she'll not be competing so directly with people with more money. Hmm. A new kind of ship. Yes, she could certainly try something like that.

Meredith hurries back in the direction of a library, muttering to herself as she goes.   "Let's see. We'll need some kind of watertight material. Lightweight. See through, if we can, that would be great. And something to make air. Isn't there a spell for that? Then all we need is something to allow it to move. No, obviously sails won't work. Still half asleep. Need coffee."   She turns aside from the library in the direction of her favourite cafe. All she really needs at this stage is pen and paper, and she has plenty of that. She finds a table in Julieanne's Brew, orders herself a late brunch, and starts working.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Do we get a 50gp stipend this week? If not, then the stipend she collected is the 50gp I had left over after buying equipment.
 
Sønderjye
 The Campus hospital 
 "Yes, thank you,"  Z said after frantically scribbling to make sure to get anything down:  "Do we have anything on vector of transmission, how the disease reacted to the usual alchemical treatments and magical healing, or on what the distribution is for the progress from first symptoms?" 

He feels happy seeing at Xavier's enthusiasm. It was a good call to bring the fellow human in on this.

They leave the examination mostly to Xavier with both themselves and their familiar trying to be helpful by pointing things out. They'll also cast detect magic to see if the disease is magical and well as pull out a vial of Psionic Ichor from their back, hold it close to the patient,  notice if it's bubbling, and put it away.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Z aids Xavier to give +2 on whatever check is needed to examine. Z's familiar also aids Xavier to give  another +2. Z uses guidance both on himself and Xavier to give them +1 to any skill or save made within the next minute.
Psionic Ichor is a DnD substance that can be found  here .  The interesting detail is that when it's in the presense of psionic auras it bubbles but with no heat.
 
Elbeyon
 The Light's heart hospital 

Zeal is not a stranger to odd looks, habitually ignoring them, and presses on through the city to her intended district. As much as she would like to entertain strangers on the street, she must stay focused and work hard to prevent a plight on the harvest festival. The doctors in the Stormdrain streets could very well spread through the city if the disease is not swiftly brought under heel, and the day the city steals her fashion is a sad day. She observes the few people in the streets rushing to return home. Disasters always hurt the most vulnerable. By the time she reaches the hospital her coin purse is five gold lighter, and a few people’s day a little brighter.

She watches the sister talk to the street doctors. Dehydration. Coughing. Fever as well. The largest hospital in the district being stressed is an ill-omen. She leans to the side to spy on what the sister is giving the doctors. She recognizes the holy sysmbol, may the gods be with the city, but the blessing is more interesting to her. She side steps to avoid bumping into the doctors as they turn around to leave and approaches the sister for a conversation.

She gives a shallow bow with a black feathered pin on her chest and a vial of angel radiance in her hand to provide some dramatic lighting. "Good day, sister Magnolia. I shall make haste with the introductions. I am from The Artificery Society. Call me Zeal. I am an alchemist and am here to help in anyway I can. Please, tell me what you know about this illness.” Zeal listens.

She has questions as well if they weren’t already answered. “Has the cause of the disease been found?” The hospital may have the most current, local-based information. “How does the disease spread? What have the clerics and priests divined? Are any races being affected differently?” Dwarfs are resistant to poisons and that could be valuable information. She has requests as well. “I would like to talk to some patients if that is permissible." She can find the info herself. "Do you have a room so that I might perform an autopsy?"

 
 Spoiler: Check 
 Diplomacy, Influence Attitude 
Take 10: 28 Diplomacy
You can change the initial attitudes of nonplayer characters with a successful check. The DC of this check depends on the creature’s starting attitude toward you, adjusted by its Charisma modifier.

Succeed– If you succeed, the character’s attitude toward you is improved by one step. For every 5 by which your check result exceeds the DC, the character’s attitude toward you increases by one additional step. A creature’s attitude cannot be shifted more than two steps up in this way, although the GM can override this rule in some situations.
 
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

In the few short hours Shandara spent laboring away, she had come up with quite rigorous proof that summoning specified types of objects and materials within a certain bounds was indeed possible. Power invested into the spell was broken up into several distinct categories: how complex the search criteria were, how thorough the search algorithm was, how many temporal units the search algorithm was allotted, how much substance there was to move, and how far it moved. She showed it was also possible to set up boundaries that redirected the search algorithm and that it was also possible to search one or more pre-specified, enclosed areas instead.

Satisfied with her work, Shandara left the scripts on her desk to dry and went to rest. First she bathed, and after feeling nice and fresh, she slipped into a comfortable robe and headed to her bed chambers, which was the darkest room in the house. She jotted a few things down in her journal pertaining to the day's events. Unlike the proofs she did which were in Common, her personal thoughts were in Elven. Finally she settled in and began to trans.

---

 Out and about 

After resting, Shandara had a light breakfast. Then she collected her things and prepared to head out. It was pretty much the same outfit as 'yesterday'. Or rather, earlier that day. It was afternoon now. She stopped by the Official Royal Campus Store (ORCS), where copies of books considered common and fundamental knowledge for all manner of fields were sold, as well as other essential tools. It even had a small study area and beverage/snack area as well. Though all the academia supplies were reasonably priced for students and official members of the society, the beverages were not.

And then, after purchasing some extra sheets of parchment, Shandara continued on her way to the archives, where she hoped she would find some example proof-of-concepts for her summoning idea.
DeTess
 The campus hospital 
"We're not entirely certain yet." Doctor Fauxfontaine responds to Z's question on transmission. "If it was airborne, It should have properly broken out of the Stromdrains district by now, but we only have sporadic cases. If it was something in the water, then we'd have been able to pintpoint one or more wells as the origin, and though we have been looking there isn't a clear source. Curative spells, especially those focussed on fighting diseases do show promise, but there are few enough in the city that can cast those, and they are only partially effective on those in whom the disease has progressed. In particular, if the disease hits the lungs in earnest spells aren't guaranteed to save the patient." The doctor gives her explanation as she leads Z and Xavier through the hospital to a series of rooms set far back.

"This is where the four worst-off patients are kept. We've also got a dozen more with only mild symptoms that we are keeping in isolation to mitigate the risk of spreading."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

The patients here ar kept in separate rooms. they are two humans, an elf and a half-orc. one human and the elf are suffering from a heavy fever and are pretty much unconscious. The half-orc and the other human are both breathing heavily and coughing a lot. They do seem conscious, but barely, and it's clear just about all their energy is currently going in staying alive. Detect magic is picking up some faint traces on all of them, but its not strong enough for the disease to be entirely magical. Add a spellcraft to whatever rolls you where already going to make (might I suggest heal and knowledge(nature)) to know more.
 

 Light's heart hospital 

A slight smile plays around sister Magnolia's lips at Zeal's introduction, but her face quickly returns to what seems to be its natural state of a slight frown. "We haven't gotten to finding the cause yet. Several of the society doctors have been looking into it, but so far they don't seem to have much of a clue though." She shrugs. "Your people do tend to know their stuff, so if we had a bad water supply or something as simple as that I think they'd have found it already. It seems to affect just about anyone that lives here. Slightly fewer dwarves, but they tend to be more hardy than the otehr races, so that's not much of a surprise."

"We haven't been able to divine much about this disease yet, but..." She thinks for a moment, then lowers her voice. "There's a small hint of magic to it. Not so much that the entire disease could be attributed to being magical, but enough to suggest some kind of interference with the natural process. Please keep this to yourself though, the last thing I need is people to start accusing each-other of having made this disease. We'd have a riot on our hands sooner rather than later, and that won't help anyone."

"You're free to look around, observe the patients and ask questions, but please avoid bothering the patients and the doctors. We've also set a room aside for the members of the society to check the bodies of the deceased, but we expect you to be respectful, and return the bodies to a presentable state for burial afterwards." She hands Zeal a pendant. "Please wear this while on hospital grounds, but return it when you're leaving. We've got enough to supply our doctors, but not much more than that." she then waves her inside.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

The hospital beyond consists of three large rooms that fill most of their respective floors (the hospital is three floors high) and are filled with neat and orderly rows of beds. About 75% of them are filled with patients in fairly bed state, with doctors and priests wearing robes similar to that of sister Magnolia hurrying between them. Most of thema re in similar states to the four patients in the campus hospital (check the OOC spoiler earlier in this post for more details), but not everyone is in quite that bad of a state.

The room for performing autopsy's is in the basement, next to the morgue. I'll provide you with more details if/when you decide to go there.
 
WindStruck
Shandara seems to be admitted to the archives without trouble, little fanfare, and nobody following her. At least for today.

After spending several hours researching designs, going out for some lunch (technically dinner before restaurants closed), she returns to the archives, ready to attempt to put everything she knows together into what should be a cohesive spell.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I will use investigative mind to help with this. Since you say it will take several days, I can cast the spell each day.

 (1d20+15)[ 33 ] 
 (1d20+15)[ 18 ] 
 


Shandara works through the night in the archives, and when morning arrives, she decides to stop for the day, and going back to that cafe she likes before heading home.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I imagine her schedule will be similar to this over the next few days so let me know if something happens?
 
Elbeyon
 Light's heart hospital 

Zeal smiles underneath her plague mask. Though, the fleeting happiness fades, and she speaks as seriously as the topic deserves, “The Society is devoting themselves to do everything they can to help the people. There has been a call to action in the campus to investigate and seek any avenue that may assist the district, no stone left unturned. The people’s health and happiness are most important to the city and the Society. The Curator of Biology, Ralph Curnow, is personally handling the matter of the disease.” She assures her and verbally recommits to helping, “We will all do what we can to aid you.”

Zeal turns her ear towards the Sister's whisper. She listens then nods at the dire information. “I will use the utmost discretion; consider the matter locked between two stone lips.” She motions her mouth being locked. “Wild speculation and rumor will only cause more suffering than what is already happening and hinder our progress to returning the district to normal. However, such information is very useful for us in moving forward.” She sincerely says, “I appreciate your help, Sister Magnolia. We must come together during these trying times and give each other hope.”

“I will keep my rabble-rousing to a minimum and avoid causing the staff trouble. Everyone already has their hands full without an energetic jumping bean in the hospital. After I finish a round through the wards, I will move myself to the basement.” There is a somber as the dead are discussed. “The dead entrust their bodies to us, and I will fulfill the small role I play in their lives with the greatest care.” Zeal takes the pendant and examines it. “Thank you, sister Magnolia. I will return the pendant before I leave for the day.” Zeal holds the pendant in both hands and prays, “The Dawn brings new light.” She puts the pedant around her neck and enters the next room.

Zeal stays mindful not to block any doctor’s path. She finds a patient she is capable of helping and assists them in getting water. A dry and cracked mouth is probably similar in pain to baked earth ‘skin’. She politely talks to the patient, taking notes in her journal, giving them some personal attention, and asks for their experiences and history. When done, Zeal sneaks a peony out of her clothes and leaves the flower with the lady. She repeats the process, with small toys and dolls for any sickly children, and tries to lighten the doctors’ load at the same time. After she visits each floor and better understands the patients, she finds a doctor to question as well and aids them to counteract her distraction. She feds that doctor’s patient a yellow Bodybalm drink.

She steps aside away from the commotion to examine her information. Any information on the outbreak could be surprisingly useful. She feels like a detective trying to solve a mystery in one of her favorite novels. Who knows, a single clue may solve the case. She questions her information for insights. Who fell ill first? Where did they live, pray, and work? Had any of them traveled or used the same stable recently? There are so many possible connections in their many varied and beautiful lives. If she doesn't have any insights that need immediately followed up on, she will retreat to the basement to continue thinking and to find the room the hospital has readied for autopsies.

 
 Spoiler: Checks 
Diplomacy, Influence Attitude w/ the people she interacts with
Take 10: 28 Diplomacy

Diplomacy, Gather Info while talking to the patients to get useful info
Take 10: 28 Diplomacy

 Bodybalm  used
 Detect Magic  used

Spellcraft, Identify the properties of a magic item using detect magic on pendant
Take 10: 26 Spellcraft

Spellcraft on Disease
Take 10: 26 Spellcraft

Kn. Nature on Disease
Take 10: 25 Kn. Nature
 
Armonia13
Xavier cautiously begins to examine the unconscious half-elf, gently gliding his gloved fingers over the body as he looks for any unusual spots or rashes, taking note of the skin's pallor and general bloat. He listen's to the Doc's response, then conjures up a tongue depressor, slowly opening up the elf's jaw so he can examine inside.  "Any connections between patients besides the disease and the prevalence in the Stormdrains? Since it's not obviously airborne, that leaves ingestion and contact. Has anyone checked to see if it's magical?" 

Xavier periodically checks his books as he moves on to looking over the unconscious human, doing the same things he did on the half-elf.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Gonna take 10 on all of my knowledge checks, hoping that's ok.
 (1d20+1)[ 19 ]  for Perception to see if I notice anything in the bodies
25+2 on KnoNature spending  (1d4)[ 4 ]  extra rounds for that +2 bonus
When someone confirms the magical aura to Xavier; 25+2+ (1d6)[ 4 ]  spending (1d4)[ 1 ]  extra rounds for reference and a point of inspiration on a KnoArcana check
24 on Spellcraft
 
DeTess
 The campus hospital 
The doctor nods at Xaviers questions, answering the last one first. "yes, we've picked up a faint magical aura on all victims. it's nowhere near strong enough to suggest that the disease is inherently magical, but it does suggest some kind of magical influence on tit. This is kept quiet though to avoid unrest. We don't know why this aura is present, but it'd be only all to easy for people to conclude there must be some kind of conspiracy behind the disease."

"As for a connection..." she continues. "All four visited the Stormdrains for some length of time before coming down with the disease, but that's the only commonality."

 
 Spoiler: OOC: Xavier's checks 

There are nor rashes or similar on the two suffering from a fever. The other two show some mild rashes in the chest and throat area.

knowledge nature: You get a pretty good idea of all the symptoms. The main symptoms seem to be diarhea, coughing, and in two of the cases here cases a fever. The other issues that you've heard mention, such as headaches and diziness seem to spring from dehydration being caused by the disease causing its sufferers to lose a lot of liquid. What seems to be a bit odd to you is that the disease seems to hit two separate parts of the body, being the digestive tract and the lungs. Many diseases tend to only primarily affect one part of the body, with all other symptoms being the result of something going wrong there.

Knowledge arcana: You have heard of magical diseases in the past, but these tend to be extremely effective and deadly, as they're generally designed to kill a lot of people very quickly. Think things like a plague that wrings the liquid out of its victims in a manner of hours, or renders them delirious as it whithers the victims brain. You have however heard of one incident in the closing days of the age of conquest where a disease was used by one of the empire's enemies that wasn't quite as deadly, and even somewhat similar to what you're seeing here, though still a lot deadlier. It was called Blacklung and attacked it's victims lungs, making them cough up blood and eventually killing a portion of its victims, though it 'only' killed about 1 in 5 (most other magical plagues are far more deadly, closing in on 80-90% mortality). You can vaguely remember there being a couple more peculiarities to it, but you'd need to dig into the archives for that.

Spellcraft: N/A (you'd need to see the aura yourself to try to analyze it).
 

 Light's heart hospital 
The morgue is a quiet and cold place. The outside warmth doesn't seem to penetrate here. A significant number of bodies are laid on tables along the wall, all clothed in simple clean linnen. As Zeal enters she's passed by a small group carrying one of these bodies out. The group is quiet, with several crying softly. The body they're carrying is most likely a relative.

At the far side of the morgue is another room, it's opening closed off by a curtain. Inside is a smaller room with two surgical tables, both occupied by bodies. Three doctors in similar clothing as what Zeal is wearing are inside. Two of them are working on the corpses, while the third is asking questions and making notes. Based on their voices, one of the doctors working at the tables si female, while the other two are clearly male. Their stature suggests they're human, elves are some variant of half-human.

"There's a lot of blood in her lungs. This is most certainly the cause of death." The man working on one of the corpses notes in a deep voice.

"She was suffering from heavy coughing, was she not?" The doctor making notes asks. His voice betrays a deep weariness.

The male doctor with the deep voice checks a paper attached tot he table he si working at, then nods. "Yes, sir. That's correct."

"And the coloration?" The leading doctor asks.

"Dark, like the lungs of someone that has smoked heavily, though the information we've been able to gather about her doesn't suggest a history of tobacco use." The deep-voiced doctor replies.

"Alright, thank you, I think..." The leading doctor's voice stops mid-sentence.

"Sir?" The other two doctors ask almost in unison. "Maybe you should..."

"I'll be fine for a day or two more, I know my limits." The leading doctor responds. "This confirms the pattern. I don't think we'll need to perform any more autopsies on those that died due to the coughing. Annerose, what..." He only now notices Zeal. "Yes? Can we help you with anything, or did you come to offer assistance?"
WindStruck
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

It was a couple days into Shandara's work. After spending a whole night referencing things and formulating a spell in the archives, she decided she would leave a bit early when the first rays of dawn filtered through the windows, as she was making very good progress, in her opinion.

She packed up her things and headed to Julieanne's Brew, only to find it quite crowded. Oh, right. This was the 'morning rush'...

She sighed inwardly and pulled the hood of her silk cloak down further, gazing mostly at the floor as the people in front of her waited their turn and others milled about like aimless chattel.

Finally, Shandara was able to buy some tea and a tasty omelette with mushrooms and other nice things, and she managed to claim one small table which, to her discomfort, was mostly in the middle of the establishment.

 I should have just went home,  she thought to herself, not particularly liking the feeling of being surrounded by so many people. There was something still a little awkward about it.. all these surface dwellers happily going about their business, completely oblivious to a horrible, wretched, alternate life they could have been living instead. It was a life Shandara had witnessed, a life she even was a part of. Yet here she was, sitting here, in what was practically a utopia, as if absolutely nothing was wrong.

Well, to be fair, it would probably be worse to be surrounded by other drow instead. At least she was pretty sure there wasn't poison in her drink. So anyway, Shandara was sitting at a table with a lost, faraway look. She brooded as her tea brewed, and thinking about the spell she had been working on was hardly enough distraction.
Prehysterical
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

About halfway through Bolten's intensely concentrated design efforts, he woke up as the sunlight shined upon his face in bed. It would have been so easy to just pretend that the light didn't exist, but Bolten deliberately left the light alone so that it would stir him out of bed in the morning. His habit of going until he ran out of energy sometimes had negative repercussions like throwing off a healthy sleep cycle. The meticulous work on the drill schematic, while highly fulfilling and going exceptionally well, was draining him quite a bit. It was a bit too much to ask that he get right on it this morning. Porridge did not quite stir any bursts of energy at the thought of breakfast. It wasn't often that he thought this, but... Bolten needed a break. A chance to stretch his legs, be around other people, and eat something different. And he knew just the place...

By the time that Bolten made it to the restaurant, it seemed absolutely packed. There was a strong temptation to turn around and go home, but a dwarf's growling stomach knows neither retreat nor mercy. With polite patience, Bolten waits in the line until he can finally get a real breakfast: a plate of sunny eggs, bacon, sausage, lightly cooked toast, and a cup of black tea. As the dwarf took his breakfast and looked around the restaurant, he was disheartened to see that there was not an empty table in sight. He was ready to sink into despair when his eyes fell upon a familiar face. Shandara the dark elf was sitting by herself at a table in the middle, looking particularly miserable in the midst of all the people and noise. Bolten could hardly blame her; he either went early to pick up his supplies or waited until the mid-morning to avoid dealing with crowds. There was another chair at her table, however, and Bolten was feeling a little bold today... if it could be called that.

He approached the table and coughed politely to get Shandara's attention.  "Er, pardon me, miss, but do you mind if I sit in the other chair here? There's not a seat to be had anywhere else in the restaurant." 
WindStruck
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

Shandara looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. Or, at least, she was pretty sure it was familiar. It was rather hard to tell with the din of everyone else chatting around them.

 "Oh. Um..." 

She looked around the establishment a bit, as if she needed to reverify the fact that there just wasn't any empty table. Well, perhaps one was opening up soon, but it was filled with dirty plates, cups, and some leftovers.

She turned back to look the dwarf in the face before hesitantly saying,  "...alright."  Her voice may have seemed reluctant, but she was already moving her plate and cup closer to her, making room for Bolten's food and drink. It was a pretty small table, after all.

If it was anyone else, like some random stranger, she likely would have politely declined. But she knew Bolten. Sort of. And it had been a while since they worked on that commission. Hm. Maybe it would be a good opportunity to catch up, see what the other was up to. Come to think of it, she recalled seeing him at the Engineering Curator's office a few days ago.

Shandara says nothing for a while, just sipping on her tea. She wasn't sure exactly what to say, but giving him a chance to settle in and start eating his food was probably a good idea. After a few awkward moments of silence she says,  "So.. anything of interest you are working on?" 
Prehysterical
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

For a moment, Bolten thought that Shandara was going to say "no". He didn't know what he could have done next if that had happened. Bolten breathed a sigh of relief when she finally gave permission.  "Oh, thank you! Er, don't mind me. I'll just sit here and be quiet and eat my breakfast,"  he tried to reassure her. The dwarf digs in happily, but with more manners than expected from his kind. Bolten used a knife and fork to cut up the food on his plate, even the toast.

He was in the middle of sipping his hot morning tea when Shandara asked her question. Bolten started a bit in surprise, preventing himself from accidentally sending a bit of hot tea down his windpipe. While wiping his mouth with a napkin, Bolten considered the question. It was an unfortunate fact of life at the Society that plagiarism sometimes happened and Bolten was rather proud of this idea he had thought up to help solve the pipe installation problem. Azure eyes looked across at crimson ones and Bolten was reminded of who was asking the question. At the very least, he had worked with Shandara and she had proven to be an honest partner. They had both given credit where it was due when delivering their final product to the noble. Their efforts to compliment each other had been cut off by the exasperated noble, who had thrown them their coin pouches and told them to leave in quite uncouth terms.

The dwarf finally answered,  "I have been trying to help with the sewers problem they're having in the Stormdrains district... at least, in a fashion that I  can  help."  While he sounded more confident than his usual conversations, his tone was regretful as he lamented his own limited experience.  "I don't know anything about diseases or biology or healing and while I have studied engineering theory, I'm afraid that I don't have much to offer in terms of sewer design to help with the contamination." 

Bolten shrugged before taking another bite of sausage. He chewed and swallowed before continuing,  "The one thing that I  have  been able to think of is a way to get around the problem of potentially demolishing the district to install the new sewer piping. I think I have a possible design for a drill that would allow us to excavate those tunnels in a more cost-efficient manner than simply throwing magic at the rock until it disappears. I know, very easy for me to say that as I'm not a wizard, but these pipes need to be installed relatively soon if things are to get better. We just don't have enough capable mages on hand that could perform the process fast enough for what the people down there need." 

Taking another sip of tea, Bolten wiped his mouth and apologized.  "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? What about you? I saw you in the engineering workshop the other day. What's your idea for how to handle this problem?"  Bolten gave Shandara an encouraging smile, interested in what she had to say.
WindStruck
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

While Bolten took a bite of sausage and chewed, Shandara quietly said,  "Mmm. I think I have the same sentiments..."  Of course, she was more into magical studies - if Bolten even knew that - and jewelry crafting. She was, at best, a beginner in the field of engineering. She dabbled a bit and learned some basics, but she just wasn't confident about designing a whole Sewer System.

She listened as Bolten went on about the whole problem, silently and subtly nodding along, and then when he asked what her idea was, a small smile crept across her lips.  "It seems we've both taken to helping the cause without actually  designing  a sewer system, itself. Where your drill could free up labor and magical resources, my idea would.. shall we say, put those resources to better use?" 
 "Imagine, if you will, a pump. A pump that can draw water from the ground without the water passing through the space between it and the surface. There need not even be a shaft." 

She paused to study Bolten's expression. Maybe the idea sounded confusing at first or could have been worded better, but it seemed he had a firm grasp of magical principles.

 "My idea, should it prove successful - and I know it will - would drastically reduce the amount of construction and demolishing needed to build a sewer system. Because if you don't need to dig a tunnel in the first place, you don't have to worry about disturbing what is above." 
Elbeyon
 Light's heart hospital 

The underground’s solitude typically has a certainly homely quality, but the dead have replaced any normalcy with a glum melancholy that saps at any joy. She hears the sobbing family, winces underneath her mask, and steps out of their way, too late to save their smiles. She clasps her hands and prays that they have better future days. Once the family is gone and can no longer see her, Zeal lifts one of the linens covering a body and glances at the inert flesh that was once a person, still as the ground beneath her. She gently sets the cloth back down. Against her better judgment, she counts the corpses as she walks across the morgue to the autopsy room.

She slips in through the curtain door and tries not to distract those that are working. The open body they are working on immediately makes her turn her head away and want to toss her stomach. A light breakfast was defiantly the better choice today. She can honestly say no one is pretty on the inside, even the kindest people. She slowly turns her head back as they talk. She vividly imagines blood in the longs and dry-heaves in her throat, swallowing down any noise. She snaps alert when the man questions her, and steels herself for those that are depending on her.

She straightforwardly says, “I have come to offer assistance from the The Artificery Society. I was told I could be helpful down here. Call me Zeal.” She small bows as she introduces herself. After the bow, she checks the curtain behind her to make sure they are alone. “From what I have learned, a buildup, “she doesn’t say of what, “leads to death. Symptoms: Diarrhea. Coughing. Fever. Dehydration Symptoms: Headaches. Dizziness.” She walks to the body and examines the lungs. She is silent, but underneath her mask her face scrunches in disgust. After she regains her composure, she speaks, “The disease affects two areas, the lungs and the digestive tract. I came down to learn what you have said.” She gestures to the body, “Would you show me what you found? I’ll need a closer look at the organs to concoct my alchemy.” If they the interaction is going well, she will casually ask, “Where did the hospital get these pedants? I would like to get one of my own.”

 
 Spoiler: Checks 
Diplomacy, Influence Attitude w/ the people she interacts with (lead doctor first) 26

Zeal is trained in all knowledges. I doubt most will be applicable. If she gets a chance to look at the organs, she will use another Detect Magic.
Kn. Arcana 25
Kn. Dungeoneering 21
Kn. Engineering 21
Kn. Geography 21
Kn. History 21
Kn. Local 21
Kn. Nobility 21
Kn. Planes 21
Kn. Religion 25
 
Sønderjye
 The campus hospital 
 "Definitely elements of magic,"  Z confirms the doctors statements as he opens his inner eye to pierce the veil and observe magic itself.  "Faint auras of necromantic and transmutation" .

He takes out a vial filled with green slime, holds it up to one of the patients, and as the slime seems utterly unmoved he puts it away again.  "Not psionic in nature so either divine or arcane." 

He then consults his notes.  "Not airborne, origining from near the sewer systems proper, initial symptoms coughing, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, tiredness, and fever with later stages patients becoming delirious and suffering from dehydration."  He is quite as he mulls through the thoughts.  "If it wasn't for the magical component and for the lung related issues I would almost guess it to be Enteric Fever." 

He then turns to the doctor:  "Have anyone attempted a dispel or remove curse on the patients either before or after a remove disease? It's at least plausible that the reason that remove disease cures patients if used early but fails to do so if it is used late is because it removes the mundane part of the disease but that at later stages the body is weakened enough for the magical component to take effect?" 
 
"I'd also like to try to track the movements of the patients. Would it be possible to go through their coins looking for psychic imprints?" 
Armonia13
 Campus Hospital 
  Transmutation you say...  Hmmm....well for now, I'm sure you're already doing this, but I would suggest you have some Alchemists make you some Antiplague. It won't cure the disease outright, but it should help, at least a little. When you're all set Z, I'd like to get going if that is alright. Thank you for letting us see the patients, we'll definitely be back in two days for observation."  Xavier bows his head in respect to the doctor when he and Z take their leave.

As they are walking our of the campus hospital, Xavier turns to Z.  "I don't know about you Z, but I am feeling this plague was definitely man made. I'd like to head to the Archives to do a little research, I've got a small theory that I'd like to confirm." 
DeTess
 The light's heart hospital 
"Hmmm, about time we got some alchemists down here as well." the deep-voiced doctor responds. "I'm doctor Nom, also of the Society."

"Doctor Velin, of the Society. Good to see at least some people are coming out here to take a look at the source." The female doctor introduces herself.

"Doctor Curnow." The leading doctor introduces himself curtly. "And that's a decent enough summary of our findings. Something that might be worth considering when you're looking at treatments is that it isn't impossible for this to be two diseases. A disease that generally doesn't do more than inconvenience someone might become deadly if the body has already been weakened by another disease." The other two doctors nod at his explanation. "I can't prove it conclusively yet, but I think it's likely that that's what we're dealing with. The disease attacking the intestines weakens the body, and a normally fairly harmless pulmanory disease escalates into a deadly threat."

Doctor Nom steps aside to give Zeal a better look. The upper torso of the body on the slab has been opened with the rib-cage carefully pealed back to reveal the lungs, which are a dark brown and black-ish color, and even appear a bit shriveled. "Based on what we've seen so far, we need something to help clear the lungs. General fortifiers aren't enough, though they do help a little. If you can come up with something that helps with hydrating the body and keeping it hydrated that'd also be appreciated by the people here." He adds

 
 Spoiler: info 

From looking at the bodies you don't really learn that much more than what you'd already figured out upstairs and what you heard the doctors discuss. Detect magic doesn't show you anything on the corpses. Unlike those actively suffering from the disease, there is no aura of magic to the bodies. The same can't be said for the doctors though. Their clothing seems to have a variety of abjuration wards to them, and their tools are likewise lightly enchanted. This wasn't the case for most of the equipment the doctors in the hospital above had.

Knowledge nobility: In case you haven't figured that out yet, the name of Doctor Curnow definitely sounds very familiar to you (you can reread the lore-snippets I posted in the OOC chat if you need a refresher :P), and you feel like you might have heard of the other two around the campus as well.
 

 the Campus Hospital 
The doctor nods at Z's questions. "We've thrown every applicable spell we have at it. Direct attempts to disrupt or remove the magic aura we've noticed have generally done very little." She shrugs. "It might help a little, but it's not the silver bullet we need."

"I do agree about the similarities to Enteric fever, and we've been treating it mostly the same way with mixed success. However, it has spread too far to be caused by the usual vectors for that disease, though it also seems to be less deadly in most cases, which is something at least. It might be some new variant of the disease though."

She considers Z's last request for a moment. "I suppose there's no harm in it. I can show you their personal belongings once we're done here."

Xavier's suggestion however earns him a frown. "I realize we're in different branches, but those of us in the medical field are  well  aware of the opportunities alchemy afford, and you can rest assured that we've been using all of the remedies at our disposal."
Prehysterical
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

At first, Bolten's brow furrowed as he connected the dots on Shandara's hypothetical example. A magical teleportation system? That would save a great deal of physical material, but the magic involved would be no small feat. Difficult, but sound. What troubled him, however, were the words that followed. Self-doubt began to creep in. Was Shandara saying that her design would render his idea completely unnecessary? Bolten wanted to help the people in the Stormdrains district, but he also wanted to be part of the solution.

A bite of toast gave Bolten time to formulate a reply. He sounded a little... hurt?  "I think that your idea has merit, particularly for obtaining water from the wells, but I don't think that magic alone will be enough to do the job. From my understanding, portal magic is just as intensive as large-scale transmutation magic, particularly when large volumes are involved."  Bolten held his hands out placatingly and added,  "Er, um, uh, you're definitely onto something there, but perhaps a hybrid approach is the best way to approach the overall design process. That way, if something happens to one or the other, the entire system isn't ruined."  He looked down and stabbed at his food with the fork, not wanting to look Shandara in the eye. Bolten didn't like the thought that he may have just snubbed her unintentionally.
WindStruck
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

One of Shandara's eyebrows raised. Was he taking this personally for some reason? Maybe not, but Bolten seemed uneasy about her idea.

 "Well.. I never said anything about accomplishing the whole job with magic alone, did I? Or portals, for that matter..." 

She sipped her tea. How did he ever get the notion about portals? Yes of course that would consume ridiculous amounts of energy.

She shook her head again.  "On the contrary, conjuration magic has quite the potential to be economical. The trick is getting it to transfer matter that is nearby, rather than just anywhere in the cosmos that it pleases. Anyway, the whole point of such a pump was to transfer sewage across a difficult area where many buildings and infrastructures would be adversely affected. But.. of course, these pumps would need to flow and be drained by conventional means." 
Prehysterical
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

Yep, there was the snippiness that he had expected. Bolten cursed himself for a fool. Should have just kept his mouth shut...

That was one thing that Bolten never understood about magical theory. Wouldn't it be the simplest thing in the universe for magic to grab the closest instance of an object or being instead of being purely random? Sure, true names allowed for specific individuals, but why would something nondescript like water or stone be left purely to cosmic whims? He set aside his fork and looked up to Shandara in troubled confusion.  "I'm sorry, but I'm having difficulty understanding. If the pumps are entirely magical and there is no piping involved at all, how can there be flow or draining if the water is spontaneously teleported from one place to another? Are you just talking about when it gets dumped into the river or for the entire network."  Bolten was getting the feeling that they were talking past each other at this point.
Sønderjye
 The campus hospital 
 "I see,"  Z says noting the responds down.  "And I take it that Diagnose Disease didn't reveal other vital information as well?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Doc 
  "I suppose there's no harm in it. I can show you their personal belongings once we're done here."  
 

 "Thanks you, I appreciate that!" 

He turns to Xavier before they reach the belongings and says:  "Hey Xavier, I'm going to look through psychic imprints on the coins to see if I can glimpse something about their movements. It'll probably take a while though. Do you want to split up and I'll meed you later?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Z goes to the belongings and uses his gloves of object reading on the coins of the patients. He'll track 3 chains back on each coin, dropping them if he finds a target he has already seen on the assumption that it's from the same payment. It's 5 min per coin per chain and he'll spend 3 hours digging through coins from various patients looking for commonalities, resulting in something between 8-12 coins. If these are some of the early victims he hopes to be able to find that they had transactions with the same person.
 
WindStruck
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

Shandara's brows furl, and she even goes so far as knitting them.  "There - there  are  pipes.  Of course  there have to be pipes and tunnels..." 

She sighs and says,  "Sorry. It does seem you are misunderstanding what exactly these pumps would do, or what they are capable of. Maybe it would be best if I showed you what I meant, using the map and schematics the curator has provided. Or, perhaps..." 

She removes her teacup from its saucer and points at it.  "Imagine if this saucer was the maximum range the pump had. The table is the entire district. This edge,"  she says, indicating the very edge of the table to the right of her,  "is the river. Now as you can see, even if the pump was able to attract all the sewage within this area, it still needs to go someplace. There still needs to be infrastructure in place for the liquids and other foul substances to move as normal." 

She looks down at her plate and says,  "The entire point of my idea was to help get around difficult areas. There just.. was never going to be an entirely magical solution to solve everything." 
Prehysterical
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 

Shandara wasn't the only one wishing for a set of schematics as a visual aid... So the pump was intended to collect sewage from a certain radius area to transport it to a central pipeline? Surely she meant that the entire "table" would be covered by the pump system to displace the sewage into the river outside of town. From the sounds of it, this method won't be used for the entire network... right? It would have been so easy to just ask questions and alleviate all doubts, but Bolten was already embarrassed by seeming idiocy.

Faced with awkwardness, Bolten's usual flight reflex kicked in. He fervently nodded in response to Shandara's assertion.  "I understand better now,"  he assured her, though the speed of the statement made that seem doubtful. Gathering up his silverware and plate, Bolten stood up and grabbed his cup of tea.  "Anyway, I apologize if I ruined your breakfast. I'll be taking my leave now."  With a slight bow, Bolten set off to return the tableware to the kitchen as fast as politely possible. For all of his haste, one would have thought he was ducking out of the room from a pack of assassins instead of a colleague.
WindStruck
 Early Morning at Julieanne's Brew 
 "Oh, you're quite alright,"  Shandara said, though she looked rather confused by the sheer speed with which Bolten was collecting his things. Was it something she did?

She peered around the cafe a bit, wondering if there really was a pack of animals hunting the dwarf all of a sudden. Oh well. Bolten always was somewhat of an odd one from her experience. I mean really, he was the only dwarf she knew of that drank tea.

Her plate was almost empty, so she ate the last few bites and prepared to leave herself, albeit far more calmly.
Elbeyon
 Light's heart hospital 

Zeal says from under her mask, “I came as soon as I saw the noticeboard.” She nods to recognize doctor Nom and Velin. When the lead doctor introduces himself, she says in surprise, “Cura-,” before she can contain her excitement enough to say their preferred title, “Doctor Curnow.” She had heard so many great things about Doctor Curnow, a leader that cares for the people! And, now she gets to meet him in the flesh, his flesh! “Sister Magnolia told me that their had been a room set aside for members of the society, but she had not said that members had already arrived. I have been upstairs examining patients.”

She listens and takes out her journal writes everything Curnow said. She agrees with Doctor Curnow, “I did think the symptoms odd, that two body regions were affected. I had hoped that if I were to treat the disease weakening the intestines effectively enough that I could prevent, or at least lessen, the subsequent pulmonary disease from becoming deadly.”

She had seen enough of the body and looks at the much more palatable plague doctors. After this commission, she is going to have to do some serious relaxation to block out these graphic mental images. She could do without seeing engorged lungs ever again. “When I read your order, I though a thurible might be useful and brought my own.” She pulls it from her backpack and shows him. “It may only help a little with common herbs, but after what I have learned today, I think, I can use it to quickly deliver my concoction to a person’s lungs and vascular system.”

She thinks out loud and lists ingredients. “Moonseed and opalescent feldspar stabilize the lungs.” She does not say those ingredients are also useful in countering transmutation effects. “Powdered silver and iron recover the lung’s strength.” She leaves out how those items suppress necromancy effects. “Aspen bark and white orchids increase air absorption.” Those should also weaken the blood and liquid pooling in the lungs and help oral expulsion. “Lotus breaks the fever. The lungs require the most attention, and ginseng and lavender treat the disease in the intestines. Ginseng and lavender will also heal the lungs.” She takes more notes in her journal. “The difficulty isn’t the ingredients; rather, executing the exact ratios and process will prove hard.”

 Arcane Arts &amp; Crafts 

Zeal enters the backdoor and wears her third outfit today. She calls out, “Elrah~ I am back! I used clear ear while I was out, so I am a little irritable, not that I could ever be upset with such a cute employee.” She teases her. “Today was like oil and water. The hospital was exhausting, hopeful too with those tough little smiles, but I got to meet Curator Curnow! I eve got to talk to him!” She squeals in excitement. ”I am upstairs for the night. Close the shop tonight, would you?”

 
 Spoiler: Third outfit 
 
 

She crosses her bedroom to put her backpack near the window. She grabs her journal and walks back to her alchemy table. The drawers open and a box of shaved bark tinder gets set on top of the desk. Zeal unpacks all the ingredients she listed to Doctor Curnow and places them on her alchemy and artifice desks. Tinder is carefully, lightly packed underneath the crucible on the other side of the room. She repeats the packing process for the retort that stretches across the left side of her desk. A flint and steel spark and the tinder underneath the crucible comes to life. She kneels down, breaths, and slowly exhales on the growing fire. Some twigs are pulled from near her wardrobe, and she carefully inserts the twigs into the flames. It grows larger and stronger. She leaves that fire while she strikes her flint until the retort has a flame too.

She pulls white orchid flowers out of her supplies and cuts the stem and sepal away with a knife. Water pours into the retort. The orchids are examined for any blemishes, damaged flowers removed, before they are inserted into the retort. She grabs her mortar and pestle and silver carvings from her supplies. It's nice to have some of the work done; she was able to convince a silversmith to give her his shavings rather than doing the work of reforging the scraps. She takes a seat. She holds the pestle in her palm and grinds the silver away from her. Her shoulder laboring to the task.

The room fills with a contentious grinding sound as the long task of pulverizing the silver is underway. The retort fogs with steam as it begins to boil, steam escaping out the nozzle. Zeal notes that it is too hot and smothers part of it with a twig. Fog in the chamber lessens and the threat of the orchids burning stopps for now. Vapor cools at the top retort and the slow drip of orchid essence builds in a glass flask. Her chair scoots to the left, and she grabs her moonseed. She pulls a metal filter out from her collection and grabs a pan to put underneath. She drops the moonseeds onto the filter and shakes out any foreign objects. She pours water over the seeds and rinses them clean before putting the filter and pan to the side to dry.

She scraps the powered silver into a small bowl. She wets a towel and scrubs her mortar and pestle clean. She fills the mortar again, this time with opalescent feldspar. She stands to check on the crucible . The fire is burning strong enough for her to add small logs. She stokes it and builds a proper fire. The crucible on top would give a nasty burn at this point. She steps back to her desk. Iron shavings are added to the crucible; it's not hot enough yet but she can leave the iron there for later. She sings as she works, singing a catchy sea shanty. She grabs fresh, not dried, aspen bark from her supplies and dumps it into a bucket. A large thick wooden stick comes off the wall, and starts thudding against the bark in the bucket. The bark is smashed until it turns into a pulpy liquid.

The orchid essence finishes while she ground the silver and pulped the bark. She stokes the retort fire again but removes the retort. The precious, time consuming essence is put somewhere safe on the artifice desk. She cleans the retort with an alchemical cleaner to keep the distillation pure. She adds more water to the device, and this time loads lotus into the chamber. A new glass flask goes underneath the dripping nozzle. She stretches her arm out. The pestle goes in the right palm this time while she tries to give her dominate hand a rest. She crunches down the feldspar crystals with the pestle into smaller chunks. Crunch. Grind. Once the crystal is small enough, she begins the slow grind to turn it into powder. The retort builds to its peek and lotus essence drips into the flask. The clinking of metal can be heard behind zeal as the iron stirs and the alchemical treated wood melts the iron into a liquid. The smoke puffing out the top of the buildings chimney. The crystals turn to powder quicker than the silver, thankfully. She stands from her desk and stretches her arms and legs.

She gets closer to the crucible and warms her toes. Her eyes watching the colorful flames. A firepoker gets picked up. Some type of dry dust is grabbed from her desk, and she returns back to the iron. She very carefully funnels some dust into the iron while using the iron poke to stir the mix. The dust is added over the next twenty minutes before she backs away and closes the furance. The feldspar is emptied from the mortar. The lotus in the retort is progressing well and the essence is collecting nicely. The mortar is filled with large ginseng roots this time. Zeal grinds away at the root until the lotus essence is finished. The ginseng grinds quick but she takes a break to fill in more notes in her journal. She moves the new essence over to the artifice table next to the orchid essence.

What looks like a large tray is brought out from under her bed. She goes downstairs to grab a large mixing pot from the alchemist lab. She returns back upstairs. She adds the mashed aspen bark, the orchid essence, and filtered moonseed to the pot. She uses her mashing stick again to stir it. She mixes the feldspar and silver perfectly before adding it to the mix. The ginseng is added next. She stirs the pot. Once the iron cools enough, she checks to make sure that the iron mixture is brittle as expected before she dumps the warm chalky substance into the pot. She mixes everything together. Just one last ingredient to add, she adds fresh lavender petals. She mixes until everything is consistent then pours the mixture out onto a large tray with strings laid across it. Now, she just needs to wait for the paste to solidify into thurible fuel. She makes notes in her journal and studies her notes. Then, she begins to prepare for the next, better, batch.

 
 Spoiler: Checks 
Craft (Alchemy)
Total 37 = 10 (Take 10) + 6 (Ranks) +3 (Class Skill) + 5 (Ability) + 1 (Trait) + 2 (Masterwork Tools) + 5 (Magecraft) + 5 (Crafter’s Fortune)

 Clear Ear  Used
 Thurible 
 
DeTess
 The light's heart hospital 
"An... Doctor Velin?" Curnow turns to the female doctor after Zeal lists the ingredients for her proposed remedy.

"That.. sounds about right." She shakes her head. "I'm only a dabbler in alchemy, but it sounds like Zeal knows her trade. Though I'm worried about the cost... A remedy made from these ingredients wouldn't be accessible to the people of Stormdrain."

"If it proves effective, I'll ask the court to provide the money needed." Doctor Curnow responds. "This disease threatens the entire city, so the sooner we can stamp it out, the better. I'll make sure they understand that too." He then turns back to Zeal. "Your help in this matter is much appreciated, Zeal. Is there any other information the department of biology could provide you?"
Elbeyon
 Light's heart hospital  

Doctor Curnow is listening to her proposal! She smiles under her mask, fairly confident in her approach, and looks to Doctor Velin to hear how her idea is perceived. The response isn’t bad; Doctor Velin thinks the ingredients have merit. The cost being too high tugs down on the corners of her mouth. A remedy no one takes is hardly a remedy worth considering. The people of Stormdrain need an affordable treatment.

Her eyes widen when Doctor Curnow says he will ask the courts to provide for their citizens. She gives him a heartfelt, “Thank you!” She steps away from the corpse and deep bows to him. “I will do everything I can to help everyone. I’ll try to find ways to reduce the cost: cut waste, find effective cheaper alternatives, refine the extraction processes... I can write any details that you, or the society might need.” Doctor Curnow really cares for the people like she though. There is a saying not to meet your heroes, but sometimes heroes are truly heroes.

When Doctor Curnow asks if he can help, she almost trips over herself but reins in her enthusiasm. She is so glad he can’t see through her plague mask. “Access to the department’s findings will be indispensable to my research!” It was hardly a large request since the students could already access the department’s information if they waited in line.

 The Artificery Society campus 

Like many other early mornings, Zeal walks into campus to check the noticeboard for new announcements and commissions. She is overworking trying to cure the plague with the society, but acceptable excuses are far and away when staying up to date is concerned. The bank heist commission draws her eyes. Her yellow eyes shift to the side. She forces herself to look away from the board and stares at the ground. No. The plague is her only priority. She tells herself she can always rob a bank. See, the temptation is gone, she can safely look now. She walks up to the board and presses her hand on the bank commission. “Your heart will be mine one day.” She mutters, “There isn’t a guard that can separate us.” Zeal leaves the board with her eyes and heart hard with passion.

 
 Spoiler: Today's outfit 
 
 

She walks across campus to the archives. The best place to start every archives adventure is with an archivist! She waits in line at the support desk and steps up when it is her turn. “Hello, what books would you recommend for conjuration and creation?” She clarifies, “Water.” She listens. “I also need a book on transmuting water.” Pause. “And, I’m doing research on ocean life and need some reading material on aquatic lifeforms.” She clarifies, “Magical properties.” Zeal smiles at the archivist as she gets helped out. “Thank you.” She follows archivist through the archives until she is pointed in the correct row. She, “Thanks,” her archivist again and goes to find her books. She walks through the isles reading.

She grabs the following books:
A Song Below Water
Wer Qumadoi
The Cockatrice Book of Magical Creatures
Sealife Ocean Society
Growth pattern and taxonomy of saltwater mollusks
The Aspiring Adept
Varekan: A Grimoire on Cunning Conjuration

 
 Spoiler: Checks 
Zeal is researching/designing her "Sipping Sleeve"!
Spellcraft (take 10) 30
(She can get a +4 untyped bonus from her Magical Repository at home, but I don't know if the archives provide a better bonus.)
 
Sønderjye
Z sighs and puts the coins back. This was a waste of time. He discards this line of research and heads out of campus to join Nigil. If Nigil has any Clear Ear he'll buy it before returning to campus to give those to Miranda.

He'll then start some of the process of making his test designs for treatments, what little he can start with available resources.

The next day he'll swing by Ronce's secretary to pick up supplies and return home to continue working on his first experiments.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'm happy to do the scenes with Miranda and Nigel, and also to just let them happen in the background so we can get aroundto the timeskip.

Craft(Alchemy), taking 10. As Elbeyon's check but with a possible +2 for familiar aiding.
Familiar aid:  (1d20+4)[ 15 ] 
Edit: Success. Total roll:  39 

Designs for treatments:

Design 1: This treatment is designed around the poison Red Widower which is a potent poison which is made from an extract of the Purple Lotus, and which only works on a type of being defined upon creation. It works by tricking various parts of a host into thinking that other parts are an enemy thus causing the body to attack itself, usually with lethal consequences. Most commonly this is designed to work on humans. When this is the goal the extract is mixed with 10 ground vanilla lillies, stirred 10 times clockwise every hour for 10 hours, and left to ferment in a dwelling which is inhabited by humans from noon to noon. There is some debate about whether the af root from the boore tree should replace the lillie however numerolomancers agree that 10 is the number most strongly associated with humans.
Z will make the Red widower but try to prime ot to make the diseases attack each other so the host can fight off the weakened diseases. He'll do this by using 5, the number associated with diseases or illness, as his base number and by using ground  spotted mushroom instead of lillies to do the targeting.
 Design1a: He'll leave half his samples of this concoction for a day in a hospital room with disease filled patients and hope that this'll gather enough psychic impression to make the targeting successful.
Design1b: He'll also seek out bodies of people that died from this disease, leaving the other half to ferment in bottles inside those bodies, reasoning that a bodies that died to a disease might have stronger psychic resonance with the disease.

The two designs 1a and 1b are tested as ingesting it as well as using a small version of a thurible to allow a patient to inhale it. It is also tested using both.


Design 2a: This design is intended to make concoction that in general treats the symptoms. Finely cut midnight sage to strengthen the abdonimal system to alleviate diarrhea; while stirring counter-clockwise add a small amount of pulverized copper to clear the head to solve headache and dizziness, stir in a Z like pattern to counter the health dangers of ingesting copper; bubblehead leaves are usually used to clear airways and strengthen lungs but they are inhaled rather than ingested, so to capture the essence Z leads the smoke through glass pipes that allow him to capture and cool the essense that can then be added; ground desert stoneflower to better absorb and hold water. Fever is left untreated as it helps fight off the disease(s). Fish oil and lime juice added while stiring in a pattern of nested circles to create internal cohesion and allow the ingredients to bond.
Design 2b: As with Design 2a however incoorporating the spit of a raging spelleater in order to devour the magical component of the disease in order to strengthen the host and the treatment.
 
Elbeyon
 The Artificery Society campus 

Once the archive quills copy the pages she needs, she sets her eyes on stores around the campus. A Blue Bellied Salamander’s skin would be ideal for the enchantment, but- She pulls the picture out of her bag and shivers as she looks. Why did salamanders have to be so gross? The best ingredients could have been anything, but it was some slippery, slimy tongued creature. She sighs.

At least shopping for the ingredients will lessen the pain. She walks up to a magic store and peers through the display windows into the store. There was always so much rare and weird stuff at campus that she never knew what she would find. The door rings as she enters. A budget must be maintained. This is not some magic item for an adventurer with a pouch full of gold asking for the deluxe. There are limits, and she needs certain magical properties within those limits. Still, she checks out the stores potions and smells them to check their quality. She quietly hums to herself as she browses the store. She leaves with fish oil, sea salts, and a wine bottle recovered from a sunken ship.

The next store Zeal knows very well. Angelic Threads. Fashionable dresses, tunics, and robes are displayed on mannequins behind large front windows. The store sign has a single golden wing being sown into existence with a gold threaded needle, arranged almost like a short ink quill. Inside there are more stylishly dressed mannequins. Fabric and supplies line the sides of the stores for sell and for custom orders. Many enchanters are not seamstresses, as they have discovered. Somebody with a sense of fashion can save an enchanter from a lot of embarrassment and help a mage pull off those new magical threads. Zeal sometimes buys her clothes here, but today she is in need of a deep blue silk sleeve. She meanders around the store for a while, window shopping for a new outfit, before Rosi finds what Zeal needs.

Rosi Bulrizi is the fashion diva and gossip that owns and runs Angelic Threads. Many enchanters may not be seamstresses, but Rosi has a way with clothes that is just magical. She has a very flamboyant personality, which is probably why Zeal likes her so much, and always finds herself in the middle of drama, mostly of her own creation. The socialite has strings to pull to get herself out of trouble though.

 
 Spoiler: Rosi Bulrizi 
 
 

Zeal continues on her shopping spree...
Elbeyon
 The Artificery Society campus  

Zeal visits the next magic shop and the next while traveling all around the campus. Conversations are struck concerning nearly any topic, both mundane and exciting. She stops by Trutunzust’s alchemy workshop to say hello and check on his Apprentice Krovurd. She slips some salted candies to the kid and takes an interest in what he is doing around the shop. She leaves with everyone smiling. She decides to take a break for a late breakfast, She eats while people watching going about their mornings. The break gives her time to do price comparison between the shops and find the best deals for the Sipping Sleeve. After breakfast, she finishes her shopping by finding a Blue Bellied Salamander skin in the back of a shop. Done, she visits her mother’s workplace, and they catch up on each other’s lives. Yamlem shows some worry about Zeal catching the plague, but Zeal tries to alleviate some worry by saying the society has the best doctors. Her mother doesn't appear overly worried though since she soon kicks Zeal out of her lab; she has work to do and Zeal does too. Feeling good, Zeal walks back home.

Zeal's family members:

 
 Spoiler: Trutunzust Quath 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Krovurd Checning 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: Yamlem Qapnosno 
 
 

 Arcane Arts &amp; Crafts 

In her pink and blue bedroom, Zeal draws an elaborate one circle magic diagram on the floor using sea salt. Oil candles get positioned inside the circle, along the outer ring. Bowls and a bottle filled with a variety of stuff sit near the middle of the circle in preparation. The sea-snail shells point open towards the circle center. Zeal grabs the blue silk sleeve she purchased from Rosi and steps inside. She sits in the circle's middle and gets comfortable by crossing her legs. The blue silk is laid over the top of her lap. She clears her voice. A slow deep chance echoes in the room.

The candles in the circle flash to life, and the blazes tall for a second before dropping to a normal height. A strong fishy smell fills the room as smoke rolls over the wicks. Zeal traces magic runes into the air. The runs hang in the air before falling into the cloth. The main ingredient, Blue Bellied Salamander skin, has been torn and pulled and sits in a bowl near Zeal. Prepared, she reaches out, with a silk glove, to grab the slimy parts. A shiver goes up her back. She chants as she slowly drops the skin pieces between her fingers. Each strip that lands on the silk gets absorbed by the material. A thin salt water dew solidifies around her. Zeal keeps chanting.

The snail shells around her echo her voice. She takes a mermaid’s tear and rubs it over the material. Each pass over, the pearl shrinks in size. The sea water level raises in the circle and hugs around the ingredient bowls. Zeal grabs the sunken wine, pops the cork, and takes a swig. She chants. The bottle’s wine glitters as she pours it over the silk. The material soaks up the wine and glows with magic runes. Zeal chants for an hour while tracing runes in the air and sea water. The water level raises and presses against the magic circle as if blocked off by a glass wall. The candles burn underneath the water. After seven hours, the foot high water grows choppy and sloshes around. The sea rams against the invisible walls before rolling over towards the center.

With one last great push, a wave crashes into the wall and folds over towards the silk sleeve. The water slams into Zeal’s lap. The sleeve sucks at the wave, and the water streams through the air until all of it disappears. The wave swept away everything aside from the bowls and wine bottle. Runes glow on the sleeve before dimming, becoming invisible to the naked eye. The silk is obviously magical though as an animated sea shows on its surface, waves traveling from one end to the other in a slow, relaxing pattern. Zeal pulls off the sleeve on her arm and replaces it with the Sipping Sleeve. She holds out her arm and poses with the sleeve.

 
 Spoiler: Checks 
Sipping Sleeve!
Spellcraft 32 vs DC 16 (includes +5 to finish it in one day)
Craft (Sewing?) 28 for the animation
 
DeTess
 The Escribano workshop 
The human Bolten had addressed looks up from the desk he'd been working at. "Hmmm, designs for... oh, right the sewers." He looks around as if searching for someone, then sighs. "I suppose it falls to me then." He clears the desk of the designs he'd been working on, which seemed to have been for some kind sail-plan for a large-ship, and points at a chair at the other end for Bolten to take a seat.

"I'm Markus Fenherd, one of the senior engineers at the workshop. Before I take a look, let me quickly explain how thing'll work if we accept your design. First of all, you'll be paid a percentage of the total commission reward based on the size of the problem you solved. Depending on the exact nature of the design, we might also offer you a separate fee to be allowed to reproduce it, including for other commissions. We might even make that offer if we don't accept it for this commission. You can refuse that offer, but if you can't have the full design produced yourself in sufficient quantities then it will still fall to us to produce the necessary units for the sewer commission, and our people will learn from that. We won't use your design again in the future, but our people might iterate on whatever innovations you've made in designs of our own." He shrugs. "It's not that we want to plagiarize your design, but if we have to produce it, we need to understand it, and in our line of work its hard not to use what we understand. Is all that clear?"
Elbeyon
 Light's heart hospital 

As soon as Zeal is confident in her drug, she dresses in her plague outfit and leaves for the stormdrain district before business hours. She is too excited to stay and eat breakfast, so she leaves on an empty stomach. She might thank herself if she encounters more grossness. She hails a cab since she has a heavy box filled with drugs, Arglamcaeli. The concoction has to be called something, or who knows what people will start calling her baby. Having a name is more important than the name itself. Yet, the name has to be complex enough not to be confused for other drugs, and she used the ingredients   to form the name.

Zeal jumps out of the cab at the hospital's entrance and grabs her cargo. She trudges, laden, with haste to the hospital and greets “Sister Magnolia! I have finished my Arglamcaeli, and come as fast as I could travel. Please, take me to the third floor, so that we can begin treatment on the most severe cases. I will need thurible spread throughout the room at twenty feet apart.” Zeal works with the priests, sisters, and doctors to set up her treatment. They begin burning the Arglamcaeli. Zeal fills pages in her journal as she observes the patient’s recovery. After a couple of hours, she confirms ideas on how to refine the drug based on the results. She gives them everything she has made overnight to treat as many as possible, and tells Light’s heart hospital that more Arglamcaeli is being made in workshops.

During the treatments, she will pull sister Magnolia aside to show her the Sipping Sleeve. Dehydration has been a major complication for many, and she knows the dangers that poses for the sick. Zeal brings sister Magnolia to the patient she gave the peony. She warmly talks to the lady, explaining what the Sipping Sleeve is going to do for her, and gets permission to put the blue waved sleeve on her arm. Zeal speaks the command word to fill the sleeve with water, then speaks the second command word to have the water absorbed by the patient. Zeal asks how the lady is feeling, the effects may take some minutes, and thanks her for allowing Zeal to demonstrate the treatment to Magnolia. They leave the patient, and Zeal explains everything about using the Sipping Sleeve to sister Magnolia. This will allow others to quickly treat patients with dehydration. Zeal only has one sleeve today, but she trusts the stormdrain district will put it to good use treating as many as possible.
Prehysterical
Sitting down at the table, Bolten has trouble following along all the jargon at first. Once he gets a moment to digest things, however, Bolten nods in understanding.  "That's all fine. I really don't have a problem with anyone else making this. In fact, I would feel flattered!"  The dwarf chuckles in good humor before showing the drill designs to Markus.  "This is intended to help install the pipes underground without disturbing what's on the surface." 
DeTess
 The Escribano workshop 

"Ha, if only everyone was as understanding as you." Markus responds. "I wouldn't have had to memorize that entire bit. Now, let's take a look." He starts looking over Bolten's designs. Occasionally  he asks for clarifications on some aspects, and he redoes a couple of Boltens calculations on a fresh sheet of paper to ensure it checks out. He looks over the basic prototype as well. Eventually he turns back to Bolten.

"The theory all checks out, and I see no obvious flaws. The adamantine for the drill-head would be more difficult to come by right now, but luckily the design doesn't call for much. We'll need to build a full-scale design to confirm that it actually works as advertised, but I see no reason we shouldn't put in that bit of effort. Wait here a moment." He stands up from the table and dissappears deeper into the workshop.

After about 15 minutes he returns, with a dwarf, a human and an elf in two. All are wearing the insignia of the Escribano workshop. They take several more minutes to look over bolten's designs, discussing it quietly among themselves. Finally, the discussion stalls, and Markus turns to the human woman that had accompanied him. "Well, Carmen? This is your department."

"Alright." She turns to bolten. "Mr. Cogturner, your design certainly looks exceptionally well thought out. The Escribano workshop is willing to pay you 1500 GP for it, in addition to a share from the sewer commission payout, for the privilege of reproducing and iterating on this design, provided that the prototype we produce shows that your design is as sound in practice as it appears. Is this acceptable?"

 Arcane Arts &amp; Crafts 
When Zeal returns to her shop, she finds a message waiting for her. Elrah informs her that it was brought by a courier about half an hour before she herself returned to the shop. It is sealed with the seal of the empire, showing that whoever send it is an importnat court functionary. The message itself is short and to the point.


 Esteemed artisan of the Artificer's society,

Word has reached me that you have developed an effective treatment for the Stromdrain plague. Given the current situation in the district distributing this treatment should be your highest priority. To facilitate this, the imperial treasure will cover any and all costs for the components of this treatment, as well as cover your employee's wages . In addition, we'll pay you a 1000 gold per week until the disease has been fully contained. In return, all production of your shop will be turned towards producing more of this treatment, and all product will be turned over to the agents of the ministry of health. They'll stop by every day to pick up the produced treatment and see to further distribution.

Signed,
Octavius Ponvera, Chief advisor to the emperor on matter's pf the empire's health. 
WindStruck
 The Escribano Workshop 

A smallish and very thin figure shrouded in a colorful silk cloak had just entered the workshop as everyone was discussing designs and payments. From what could be seen, she had coal black skin, white hair, and red eyes. It was Shandara!  ...unless some other dark elf happened to frequent the campus.

It had been a couple days since she had last seen Bolten. Over those days she had been meticulously working on the basic design of her spell, just the one that searched everywhere around it, no bells and whistles. After painstakingly double-checking designs of some other conjuration magics, she was quite confident the spell would work, assuming all the designs in the archives were sound.

How fitting that both she and Bolten finished their prototypes at about the same time. The only problem was that while Shandara was quite confident that her designs should work in theory, she was unable to test them out herself. Also, for the purposes of testing, it would be wiser to summon a substance that was far more benign.. such as fresh water. However, the design she brought was designed for sewage: it would collect contaminated water, solid organic wastes, and dead/rotting matter up to a certain viscosity. The tweaking involved to get the spell to move matter considered sewage but not stuff like dirt and mud surrounding the sewer system was particularly worrisome.

But in any case, Shandara felt she could do no more until actual tests were run. As the others talked, she waited a safe distance away, with the copy of schematics rolled up in one hand and her designs safely in her pack.
Sønderjye
 Ronce Office 

After seeing how the two different types of treatments worked Z heads down to the docks to give a report. He tells the secratary that he has a potential treatment and that he imagines that Ronce would be interested in arranging a meeting quickly.
Prehysterical
 The Escribano workshop 

As Markus double-checks Bolten's design, he feels like a student again with a professor grading his work. He idly twiddles his thumbs as he awaits the verdict. The fifteen minutes are agonizing as Bolten sits there alone, wondering what the delay is, but a wave of relief washes over him as Markus comes back with others in tow. Carmen's compliment grows a warm smile of happiness on Bolten's face and he claps his hands together excitedly as she lists the terms of the offer. In the back of his mind, Bolten can hear his dead mother prompting him to negotiate for a better designer's fee, but the young dwarf brushes that thought aside. This was about being helpful, not making money. Besides, more money would be coming later down the pipes. At least, not literally, he hopes in this case....

Stroking the short length of his beard, Bolten proposes,  "I accept the offer, gladly, but would the workshop also be willing to hire me to assist in assembling the prototype? Absolutely no offense intended to any of the engineers, and I hope that this doesn't come off as arrogant, but I think that you will be hard-pressed to find any more competent clocksmiths here in Vaungate."  He says this with the reassurance of several decades of experience.  "Besides, I am pleased with the design, but nothing makes me happier than seeing my work actually come to life in a working array of gears and cogs. Why, I don't think there's anyone more motivated to see this through!"  After stating his case, Bolten happens to glance over and see Shandara waiting patiently aside. He awkwardly gives her a one-handed wave, still slightly embarrassed by his hasty exit the other day.
DeTess
 Ronce's office 
Z is quickly send up to Ronce's office. The old merchant is already waiting for him. Though he masks it well, he seems a bit anxious. "Ah, Zacharias. It's good of you to come. Some terrible rumors have reached me. Apparently several third-rate alchemists have been  giving away  treatments for the Stromdrains plague. Now obviously, anything they could afford to give away can't possibly be potent enough to work, but still, if the people start trusting those watered-down concoctions the investments I've made in developing a cure are in grave danger!"

 The Escribano workshop 
Carmen nods to Bolten. "We'd be happy to have you consult on the work. You know the design best, and if any issue come up you'll be best place to correct them." She replies. "We move quickly here, so please stop by the workshop at sunrise tomorrow, both to sign the contract and and assist us in realizing the design." She looks around then, and notices Shandara. "It seems you're not the only one with something to show us, mr. Cogturner." She motions for the dark elf to approach.

She then turn to the others. "Markus, I'm afraid I'll be stealing your desk for a bit. You can continue your design work at mine in the drafting room. Tannyl, Durok, you can return to your own projects, but stay in the area in case I need your expertise." Markus, as well as the elf and the dwarf that had accompanied him all quickly left, and Carmen took Markus' seat at the desk. She then turned towards Shandara again.

"Take a seat. I'm Carmen Meltuva, Chief of operations at the Escribano workshop. Who might you be, and what have you brought to show us?"
WindStruck
 The Escribano Workshop 

Shandara nods, shyly approaching the desk and unrolling the copy of the map/schematics from the other day on top of it. She doesn't sit due to her short stature and the need to reach and point at a few things. On the schematics, some red circles are drawn in a few key places with a red dot in their centers. The engineers will note they are in crowded places where many buildings are expected to be leveled.

 "My name is Shandara, and I believe I have come up with a way to build parts of the sewer system without needing to tear down so many buildings." 

She glances over at Bolten. Ever since she ran into him at the cafe and seemingly failed to explain her idea, she had been thinking of how to better do it. She points to the center of a red circle and says,  "Imagine this is a repository. Sewage is collected here, where it flows out of these pipes normally. However, as you can see, many of the intermediary pipes that feed into it are grayed out..." 

Indeed, it looked as though they were partially erased and shaded in with a light gray.  "All those pipes no longer need to exist. Instead, there are smaller repositories scattered about which need far less resources and demolishing to make."  These were apparently indicated by some blue dots scattered around the schematics, within the red circles. They coincided with how the plan was designed, though it was likely that entirely new plans would need to be drawn up to be most optimal, given the possibilities of this new tool that Shandara was trying to introduce.

 "Now, you must be wondering: how would sewage just magically move from one of these locations, to where it needs to go, without any of these pipes? Well, magic is, in fact, the idea. I call it an arcane pump." 

Finally, Shandara takes a seat and fishes some parchments from her pack. She gingerly offers them to Carmen and says,  "I have here not only theoretical proof that it can work using a reasonable amount of energy, but instructions for a prototype enchantment as well.." 

She adds,  "I, um, know this is not the artifice department, but I thought the help such a tool could provide to the sewer plans would be invaluable.." 
DeTess
 The Escribano workshop 
"Hmmm." Carmen frowns as she looks over Shandara's designs. "If these can do what you describe, then combined with mr. Cogturners digging machine we could put the entire sewer system in place in a matter of weeks rather than months, but..."

She stops a passing craftsman with the gesture of a hand. "Tell Tonks I need his expertise, now." The man hurries off, and a minute later a middle-aged gnome joins Carmen at the desk. She gives up her seat to him so he can get a proper looks at the designs. "This is Tonks Galbic. Most of our works use mundane physics, but there are some things you just can't do without magic. He handles most of that." She introduces the grey-haired gnome as he starts looking through Shandara's design.

After a couple of minutes he steps back and nods. "This is some good work." He remarks. "The distance parameters are a bit less rigidly defined than I'd have preferred, but this is made up for by a very through definition of what sewage actually is. And your proposed solution is nice and practical too, so we won't need a power source worth a king's ransom to get it running."

"How about maintenance? Those enchantments might need refreshing or adjusting, and we won't be able to do that if they're underground." Carmen objects.

"We should be able to place the tubes containing the enchantment underneath accessible roads, that shouldn't be an issue." The gnome retorts. "The enchantment is low power enough too that recharging it will only be an issue once every couple of decades."

"I thought you'd said that teleportation..." Carmen begins, but the gnome cuts in.

"It's not really teleportation. The spell doesn't waste any energy or complexity on keeping the waste exactly the same, it just takes a certain amount of waste from point A, and dumps the same amount of waste at point B. It doesn't care about it getting all scrambled up in the process. If you did that with any other kind of object you'd end up with a mess, but since it's transporting a mess in the first place..."

Carmen still looks unsure, so the gnome continues. "Listen, you hired me because I know this stuff, and I'm telling you, this enchantment is solid."

Carmen nods. "One last question then. Is this design a good solution for the Stormdrains district, or will it revolutionize sewers across the entire empire?"

The gnome thinks for a moment, then gives Shandara an apologetic shake of his head before answering Carmen's question. "Just for the Stromdrains, and potentially Canalside and Eastmarket, if we ever get called in to do sewer work there. Installing is quicker than the traditional method, but it'll also cost more, and long-term maintenance is a bit more of an issue. For the Stromdrains, it's the best option presented so far though."

Carmen nods, then turns back to Shandara. "My apologies. I'm afraid magic is one of the few things I have trouble wrapping my head around, but given my job, I need to be absolutely certain it'll do what we need it to. Mr. Galbic is an expert, and if he judges that it'll work, than that's good enough for the Escribano workshop."

She considers for a moment, then nods to herself. "We've got just about all the other pieces we need in place, barring some testing of some of the more innovative designs. Could you come by the workshop at noon, four days from now? The full proposal should be done by then, and I can tell you what share of the commission reward will be yours for the design, but unless someone presents a better option before then, it'll be substantial. I assume we can contract you to do the actual enchantments once the work begins?"
WindStruck
 The Escribano Workshop 

Shandara listens to the back and forth between Carmen and Tonks, a little worried at first of any possible flaws with her work, but the gnome had nothing but good things to say.

When she is addressed again she stammers,  "Uh, n-noon?? I, uhm.. I actually rest at that time, but.. I suppose.. I could try to make an exception for then?"  Technically any time was possible, but it really did feel like a massive inconvenience to Shandara.

She looks down sheepishly.  "Actually, I don't think I can oversee the enchantments in the district. I feel it would be far too dangerous for me to go there. I'm.. not really in good health, you see, and I fear this plague would be especially harmful to me.. I could still be available to consult, if any issues were to arise..." 

Shandara does perk up a bit more when she pivots to a slightly different topic and says,  "Oh! There are also two other variations of this spell that could be made. One involves setting up boundaries, which can direct the magic more in a desired direction or away from other areas. The second variation would involve searching one or more pre-defined areas. And I think that, with my and Mr. Cogturner's innovations, the schematics your department originally made could be revamped, made more efficient when they are taken into consideration." 
DeTess
 The Escribano workshop 
Carmen seems surprised at Shandara's problem with the noon meeting, but then understanding quickly dawns. "Ah, of course, I'd forgotten. Your species tends to be nocturnal, right? The plan is to formalize the proposal at noon, but I suppose you could drop by a couple of hours early to hash out the last remaining details."

Tonks nods at Shandara's hesitation. "I can understand not wanting to go to the district. I don't think that necessary to do the enchanting with your design as presented though. If we provide you the details for the positioning of the pipes that need to be enchanted, and the size of the area the enchantment needs to cover, as well as the pipes themselves, you could do the enchanting on the relative safety of the campus. We could then install them pre-enchanted. That's probably easier than having to place the enchantments on location anyway."
Sønderjye
 Ronce's office 

 
 Originally Posted by Ronce 
  "Ah, Zacharias. It's good of you to come.  
 

 "Of course sir,"  Z replies with a respectful bow.


 
 Originally Posted by Ronce 
  Some terrible rumors have reached me. Apparently several third-rate alchemists have been   giving away treatments for the Stromdrains plague. Now obviously, anything they could afford to give away can't possibly be potent enough to work, but still, if the people start trusting those watered-down concoctions the investments I've made in developing a cure are in grave danger!"  
 

 "Perhaps it will be possible to use the public awareness to give momentum to your own commodities?,"  Z tries to shift Ronce out of his state of complaining. It was often hard to read exactly what was happening when Ronce was like this. Sometimes the man just wanted to be heard but other times he was genuinely upset and had even once taken it out on Z. He pulled a vial with purple liquid out of his back and placed it on the table.  "This is an injested concoction that tricks the disease into killing itself. It successfully eliminated the disease in all test cases, though some of those already weakened by the disease took time to recover. I imagine that some people will be too weakened by the disease to survive even without it and I should note that the disease killing itself is stressful to the body. I'm sure you have other remedies available that can help those cases." 
Elbeyon
 Arcane Arts &amp; Crafts 

Zeal busts through the front door, despite that customers might be inside. "Elrah~ I have good news~" She walks closer. The letter catches her eye. She forgets what she was going to say and asks, "What do you have there?" She listens to Elrah explain and accepts the letter. "That looks like the seal of the empire." She raises her fingerless evening glove and twirls her fingers in an arcane ritual. Glowing gold magic traces behind the movements. She speaks gnome-based arcane to cast Detect Magic. She examines the seal closer and gasps in surprise, "That seal is authentic! The courier was really from the court!" Zeal walks behind the counter to Elrah. "This has to be about the plague." She uses a letter opener to cut the letter without breaking the seal. That seal is being kept as a memento. She opens the letter so she and Elrah can read the letter together.

 
 Spoiler: Today's outfit 
 
 

She says in excitement, "They know about the Arglamcaeli!" She squeals, "I have been commissioned by the empire to produce Arglamcaeli!" She gives Elrah a quick, strong hug then lets her go. "The ministry of health will pick up the treatment everyday!" She folds the letter and sits down in Elrah's chair. Elrah is free to sit on the counter. "I got my first ever commission from the Society, and it is from the Empire!" She smiles a small smile. "We have to celebrate! What would you say to: me grabbing dinner for you and everyone in the shop?" She announces, "The workshop will keep making Arglamcaeli until the plague is over."

The thought hits her. "The letter didn't say anything about the Sipping Sleeve." She double checks. She notes to herself, "I'll write a letter and talk to the ministry of health tomorrow."
WindStruck
 The Escribano Workshop 

Shandara nods.  "Yes, that is... correct,  for the most part.."  Not like drow really had a natural day and night cycle, but in any case night was so much better to them than day.  "I will be early, then, and I will also try to bring my other designs, should they prove to be more advantageous." 

Looking at Tonks she says,  "Would that not affect the enchantment's stability adversely? Hm. I was initially planning a semi-spherical summoning chamber that would be enchanted directly. Though.. I imagine you are more experienced implementing such things.." 

She looks around and adds,  "Yes, well.. I suppose we can work out the kinks at as later time. Do you all think it needs to be tested first?" 
Prehysterical
 The Escribano workshop 

Between Shandara's tweaks to her explanatory model and the dialogue between the workshop members, Bolten's eyes widen as he finally begins to understand. All this time, he had been imagining this trying to function in a horizontal space on the same plane, but it wasn't anything like that at all! With the use of this magic, it is more like suddenly having a vertical component to the drainage process without any actual change in elevation in physical space! It reminds Bolten of some of the sink drainage systems that he has seen on campus at the Society. He clutches at his head as the gears finally click into place and begin to wind. Quite ingenious, really!

As Shandara asks about possible tests, Bolten coughs politely.  "I'm not either of these two, but testing is  always  good. Doubly so when it comes to the matter of transportation and disposal of raw sewage. We need to make sure that the magic behaves properly just as much as I need to ensure that the drill steers and handles correctly. Even discounting the possibility of damage to the district and its denizens, any mistakes would raise quite a stink for the Society... in this case, literally!" 
DeTess
 Ronce's office 
"You, you created a 'cure' that won't even help those that need it most?!" Ronce burst out. "That's... that's..." A sudden realization seems to strike the merchant as he struggles to find words. "That's genius! That way, anyone suffering from the disease needs to acquire the cure from us immediately, even if its just a minor cough, because if they try to wait it out it could be too late for them! Zacharias, my boy, you have outdone yourself!" The old man stands up from his chair and enthusiastically shakes Z's hand. "Please, leave a full ingredient list and instructions for creating this miracle cure with my secretary downstairs. I'll have my people start up production immediately!"

   The Escribano workshop  

"Indeed, indeed." The gnome nods at Shandara's suggestion. "I've got a good eye for enchantments, so I don't doubt it'll work as expected, but testing is always a good idea. I'll do a test on your definition for sewage myself today. If you could drop by the workshop in a day or two with a small length of pipe enchanted with your design, we can do a comprehensive test too. Do please make sure the enchantment remains dormant until we've set things up though, wouldn't wan it to start spilling sewage all over the shop floor before we're ready, now would we?"
WindStruck
 The Escribano Workshop 
 "Just how big, or small, are we talking about?"  Shandara asked.

She was also worriedly considering in her mind whether enchantments should be done on the inside or the outside of the pipe. How would she be able to work on the inside, though? She'd have to cut it in half and put it back together somehow.


 "If you will be keeping a copy of my design, would you make a copy? Or, um. I suppose I could.." 
Sønderjye
 Ronce's Office 
 "That's certainly one possible direction to commercialize it,"  Z replies noncommitally:  "It could also be sold as part of a package that includes various life energy strengthening remedies to those in a critical condition. I expect that the concoction still will get rid of the disease in the most severest of cases, simply that the body might need help to recover, though of course this should be tested, in particular tested for unforeseen interactions, before being put in the market." 

He normally was very hessitant about asking Ronce directly for money but the merchant practically had coins in his eyes so this seemed like a good time.  "I will do that, sir. Now with that my part in this venture is over I'll turn my eyes towards other projects. In particular some projects might require some financing, will I yet again be able to rely on your generosity?" 
DeTess
 "The Escribano workshop" 
"Oh, about..." Wait, give me a moment. The gnome jumps off the chair and hurries off into the workshop. A moment later he returns with a length of copper pipe almost as tall as he is, and a diameter of about 20 cm. "The actual pipes will be larger, but this'll do just fine for testing purposes." He says, as he hands the pipe to Shandara.

At Shandara's offer for a copy, he shakes his head. "I've been blessed with near perfect memory, so I won't need a copy of your designs for the minor tests I want to run myself."

 Ronce's Office 
"Of course, of course." Ronce responds to Z's request for funding. "I'll have a fair share of the profit send your way as soon as our first batch starts selling, which should be in, oooh, a day or three or so. I assume that'll be fine? And if you have any ideas that might be of particular interest, you can always bring them straight to me and we'll work out a deal."
Sønderjye
 Ronce's Office 

  "I'll have a fair share of the profit send your way as soon as our first batch starts selling, which should be in, oooh, a day or three or so. I assume that'll be fine?  

 "Thank you sir,"  Z replies.


  And if you have any ideas that might be of particular interest, you can always bring them straight to me and we'll work out a deal.  

 
"Of course sir,"  Z said taking it as a dismissal.

He leaves the ingredients list and instructions with the secretary before he heads out to his next destination.

 Arcane Arts and Crafts 

Z stands in front of Zeals shop. His shoulders are tense and his hands are sweaty. If obvious now that Ronce will squeeze every last copper out of the treatment he could which will inevitably mean that many people would die due to not being able to afford it. But he had known this time and had prepared another treatment. This wouldn't be like last time. He knew it wouldn't because he had promised himself that he wouldn't let it. Even if he dreaded the consequences if Ronce should ever find out that he was going behind the merchants back. He just needed not to let that happen.

He steels his will, opens the door. Once he is inside he addresses the assistant:  "Excuse me. Is Symphony of Zeal here? We know each other from the Academy and I have something I need to discuss with her." 
WindStruck
 The Escribano workshop 

Shandara clumsily takes the length of copper pipe, seemingly struggling with it until she gets a firm, balanced grip on it with both hands. Then she raises an eyebrow toward the middle-aged gnome.  "Well.. near-perfect memory is not the same as an absolutely-perfect memory..." 

She just shrugged after that, but did not want to push the issue. If any of Tonks's tests failed, it had better not be because he misremembered something.

 "...okay. Well.. I will see you again in two days, I think." 
Elbeyon
 Arcane Arts and Crafts 

The shop’s outside walls showoff colorful murals of fantastical scenes and creatures with artful representations of magical and alchemical theory hidden within the larger pictures. The art is very bold and eye-catching. A sign with a beaker and paint dipped paintbrush inside hangs above the door. The front door is heavy stained glass and curved hardwood laced throughout the glass. A bell rings above Z as he enters the shop.

Elrah sits behind the front counter.

Zeal hears her full name and shouts out to the front, “Who’s that?” She walks out of a backroom and sees Zacharias. Her expression lights up as she recognizes him. “Z! It has been a while!” She walks across the shop and tries to hug him.

 
 Spoiler: Day Four Outfit 
 
 

She turns and says to Elrah, “Z is from the Society. We both got accepted about the same time.”

She does introductions, "Z, this is my friend Elrah. She runs Arcane Arts and Crafts when I am away, which means she is normally the one in charge." Zeal laughs a boisterous laugh.

Zeal offers from her sling bag a small dried spice cake, typical eaten by halflings, to Z. "How are you? Unless you are here to visit, what can I do for you? Do you need some supplies?"
Sønderjye
 Arcane Crafts and Arts 

Z's mouth expands into a wide grin as he sees Zeals's enthusiasm.  "Zeal! Looking fabolous as usual. The sash really compliments the yellow shades in your vegetation." 

He stiffens when Zeal goes in for a hug but the feeling of the hard bark behind the fabric makes him feel oddly protected and safe. A ludacris notion, this was everything but safe. Still, he leans into the hug relishing the feeling.


 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
  "Z, this is my friend Elrah. She runs Arcane Arts and Crafts when I am away, which means she is normally the one in charge."  
 

Z send the receptionist his most charming smile and does a respectful bow.  "A pleasure to make your acquintance, Miss Elrah. Did you two perchance meet through the family?" 

With gusto he takes a bite of the cake and surpresses a flinch as the blasted torture device attempts to burn his tastebuds from the inside.


 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
  "How are you? Unless you are here to visit, what can I do for you? Do you need some supplies?"  
 

 "Me? I'm great,"  he blatantly lies as the his face is reddening and tears starts gathering in his eyes. He coughs once.  "I think I'll pass on the second slice though." 
 "I actually came to ask a"  he's interupted by a cough:  "a favour. Some supplies could be useful. Do you have somewhere we could chat privately?"   There is a slight pause and then:   "And also, can I have a glass of water or milk?" 
 "Also this is Val,"  he says with a gesture to the majestetic butterfly resting in his hair. The butterfly recognizes the address with a slight incline of it's head.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Zeal is a plant construct right? If not, replace the vegetation comment with something appropriate for her construct type.
 
Elbeyon
 Arcane Crafts and Arts 

The compliment draws a smile. “Thanks! I recused the sash from a garish golden dress and knew what I had to do with it.” She sees Z stiffen but instead of stopping she decides to give him a bigger hug. She squeezes him between her arms. When Z leans into the hug, she rubs and pats him on the back. She pulls away. She hops back and shows off her outfit. “It turned out great if you ask me. I’ve been working on a little something to change-up the hair, but I do really like my natural colors.” She winks at him to obscure if gold is her natural color.

There is a pause to include Elrah in the conversation.

Zeal chuckles as Z struggles with the spicy dry cake ration. “Good! I’m glad Society life is treating you well. It really is something different." She says with pride, "I completed my first commission this week.” She smiles when he passes on a second serving. She asks, “Too dry? Too spicy? I eat my wandermeal a little slower.”

She examines him and curiously repeats, “A favor?” She motions around her. “What we have on the selves is what we have in stock.” Since the shop is only making arglamcaeli, she worries that the selves will run dry and they will need to close the store temporarily. “We can talk in the other room. I’ll get you some water.”

She smiles at the little butterfly, “Hello, Val. My, you are looking beautiful today.” She tries to pet its little buggy head. She asks it, “Would you like some honey?”

She says to Elrah, “We’ll be in the meeting room."

She will guide Z and Val from the storefront into an adjacent room. The room’s centerpiece is a long wooden table with multiple red tableclothes laying across its width. The table stands on a huge red rug with fringed ends. Stylized red cushioned wooden chairs surround the table. There are small polished stone top tables around the room holding potted plants or unlit lanterns. One small table also has two chairs across from each other for smaller, more personal meetings. Paintings cover the room. Bookcases line the outside wall and hold a row of books, a row of scrolls, a fancy box, and flasks on display. In the center bookcase sits a display case that holds a gnome painting.

Zeal warmly says, “Make yourselves comfortable.” She gestures towards the room. “I’ll get you some water.” She leaves through a different door and into the kitchen. She will be gone for a while before returning with a tray. "I thought you might want something a littler sweeter than that cake." She sets the tray on the table closest to Z. At tray's center is a fruit bowl and on the sides is a honey jar, a water pitcher, a saucer for the honey, an apple knife, and two glass cups. She will pour a glass and offer it to Z. If Val wants honey, she will also serve some honey to Val in the saucer on the table.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Zeal is mostly made of stone and some wood, but her person does have plants. Complimenting her vegetation is totally appropriate and would be like complimenting her hair.
 
Sønderjye
 Arcane Crafts and Arts 

 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
 [...] I’ve been working on a little something to change-up the hair, but I do really like my natural colors.”  
 

 "Sometimes I wonder if you wouldn't make more working with fashion than with alcehmy,"  Z responds with a wink.


 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
  “Too dry? Too spicy? I eat my wandermeal a little slower.”  
 

 "No, it's perfect. If I ever need to torture someone I'll send an order right away." 

 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
  "I completed my first commission this week.”  
 

 
"Oh congratulations!"  Z says:  "Did you already pop the champagne or is that scheduled for later?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
   “Hello, Val. My, you are looking beautiful today.”  
 

Val spreads it's rainbow coloured wings out wide, giving the crowd an opportunity to admire it's magnificence. It doesn't look approving at the attempt of petting but is willing to tolerate it. At the mention of honey it rolls out it's proboscis ready to accept the offering.

The duo follows after Zeal into the meeting room. While Zeal is away Z pulls out his psionic ichor from his backpack and uses it to test for psionics. Afterwards he opens his senses in order to detect magic, focusing particular attention on any auras of a divinative nature. Some would call it paranoia, others adequate caution.

After Zeal comes back with the tray Z thanks her and helps himself while Val flies down to accept the tributes.  "Delicious, thank you very much Zeal,"  Z comments in between bites. Once they are done with the formalities he begins explaining his issue.

 "Imagine a hypothetical situation in which I was tasked with making something that could save a lot of people but the only way that it would reach those people was if it was distributed in a way that would allow me to deny involvement under truth compulsion. Possibly by someone pretending that they invented that something themselves. In that imaginary situation, do you think that you would be willing to get involved?" 
Elbeyon
 Arcane Crafts and Arts 

 
 Originally Posted by Z 
  "Sometimes I wonder if you wouldn't make more working with fashion than with alcehmy,"  Z responds with a wink. 
 

She jokes, "Should I give it a go sometime? I can't say I care about making more money, but I do enjoy designing here or there. Perhaps, in the future I'll become a designer when I grow bored of artifice and alchemy." She smiles, "I already do something of both though."


 
 Originally Posted by Z 
  "No, it's perfect. If I ever need to torture someone I'll send an order right away."  
 

She laughs. "I'll keep that in mind. Sadly, we don't sell baked goods, truly heart-wrecking, but I can point you towards a good bakery if you are ever interested."


 
 Originally Posted by Z 
  "Oh congratulations!"  Z says:  "Did you already pop the champagne or is that scheduled for later?"  
 

"We did a little celebration at the shop for the occasion, despite the cause. Life does not stop amidst tragedy. And, the celebration hasn't stopped either. I'll definitely do a larger celebration once the plague is cured."


 
 Originally Posted by Z 
 Val spreads it's rainbow coloured wings out wide, giving the crowd an opportunity to admire it's magnificence. It doesn't look approving at the attempt of petting but is willing to tolerate it. At the mention of honey it rolls out it's proboscis ready to accept the offering.

The duo follows after Zeal into the meeting room. While Zeal is away Z pulls out his psionic ichor from his backpack and uses it to test for psionics. Afterwards he opens his senses in order to detect magic, focusing particular attention on any auras of a divinative nature. Some would call it paranoia, others adequate caution.

After Zeal comes back with the tray Z thanks her and helps himself while Val flies down to accept the tributes.  "Delicious, thank you very much Zeal,"  Z comments in between bites. Once they are done with the formalities he begins explaining his issue.

 "Imagine a hypothetical situation in which I was tasked with making something that could save a lot of people but the only way that it would reach those people was if it was distributed in a way that would allow me to deny involvement under truth compulsion. Possibly by someone pretending that they invented that something themselves. In that imaginary situation, do you think that you would be willing to get involved?"  
 

Z does not detect any psionics or magic in the room from Zeal.

She smiles at Z thanking her, "I am glad I found something that suits your tastes better." She asks, "Is Val happy with the honey?" Zeal takes a seat and pours her own water.

That's quite the hypothetical. What type of trouble is Z in? "Z, you are an interesting fellow. You didn't tell me you came here to play games." She chuckles nervously. She poses like she is thinking. "Hypothetically: Saving lives is important. There have been endless discussions on what should be done to save a person. If you are willing, let's expand and define this problem. What are the consequences of the first party being caught? Is this problem limited to the existing formula, or can the formula be changed? Hypothetically, could the first party enter into a legitimate deal with an observing third party but then develop a case of partial amnesia?"
WindStruck
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 

Shandara had gone back home with the pipe in tow, keeping the rolled up schematics in it with some success. After resting during that midday, she set to work figuring out how she was going to do this on a copper pipe, rather than on a flat circle.

Doing it on the inside was just too difficult, but fortunately the cylindrical shape of the pipe meant a cross-section of the pipe was a circle as well. The hard part was making the magic runes tiny enough to fit in the small diameter, combined with...  well, simply etching into copper does not make a magic rune. Despite her years of working with jewelry, this was a completely different application of metal working, and she needed to bring the pipe to a society workshop to use their tools - only she needed to come back tomorrow, as the facilities were in use.

To fill her time that day, Shandara bought the necessary magic ingredients she would need and worked on the other versions of her enchantment over the night. The next day, she came back to the workshop at her appointed time but felt pretty stuck. All she really had were her attentive eyes and dexterous fingers, good for working with smaller tools and jewelry, but everything was just too damn big. She didn't know what half the tools in this workshop even were. And she knew how to use even fewer of them. This was getting very frustrating for Shandara. How was she supposed to get the gel in the etchings if she could not make depressions in the copper in the first place??
Sønderjye
 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
  "We did a little celebration at the shop for the occasion, despite the cause. Life does not stop amidst tragedy. And, the celebration hasn't stopped either. I'll definitely do a larger celebration once the plague is cured."  
 

 "Feel encouraged to send me an invite once you get around to that" 

 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
  "I am glad I found something that suits your tastes better."  
 

 "That makes two of us,"  Z says grinning wide.


  "Is Val happy with the honey?" Zeal takes a seat and pours her own water.  

Z looks at the butterfly which pauses from drinking to give an approving nod before going back to drinking.  "Looks like it" 

 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
  Z, you are an interesting fellow. You didn't tell me you came here to play games.  
 

 "I endeavor not to live dull lives,"  Z replies drily:  "And I'm quite serious." 

 What are the consequences of the first party being caught? Is this problem limited to the existing formula, or can the formula be changed? Hypothetically, could the first party enter into a legitimate deal with an observing third party but then develop a case of partial amnesia?" 

 "Only so many specifics can be shared while  hypothetical stays hypothetical. Let's just say that the first party really doesn't want to be caught and that it doesn't matter what shape or variant of the product that is used but only whether distribution can be tracked back to the first party." 
 "Does that kind of stuff really work?"  He pauses contemplatively and then his smile widens.  "Feeling up for a legitimite deal?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
The magic/psionic scan is actually for whether any NPCs are spying on them.
 
Elbeyon
 Arcane Crafts and Arts 

 
 Originally Posted by Sønderjye 
  "Feel encouraged to send me an invite once you get around to that"  
 

"It's going to be a party. Lots of people are going to be invited." She jokes, "I'll see what I can do to get you an invite. You'll want to wear your best pieces."


 
 Originally Posted by Sønderjye 
  "I endeavor not to live dull lives,"  Z replies drily:  "And I'm quite serious." 
 "Only so many specifics can be shared while  hypothetical stays hypothetical. Let's just say that the first party really doesn't want to be caught and that it doesn't matter what shape or variant of the product that is used but only whether distribution can be tracked back to the first party." 
 "Does that kind of stuff really work?"  He pauses contemplatively and then his smile widens.  "Feeling up for a legitimite deal?"  
 

"Dull is usually synonymous with serious, but this is quite fun. We don't even need to use a game board." She drinks from her cup.

Zeal frowns when Z says he won't elaborate on why this is necessary. She leans back in her seat and thinks about what he is asking, seriously considering the hypothetical.

She assures him, "Yes, it has worked many times." She has seen it in happen in dramas. She smiles, "That's more like it! You know. Hypothetically in order to help the country, I would accept such a deal."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I can only say what Zeal has done, but I can confirm for Zeal!
 
Prehysterical
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 

Bolten leaves shortly after Shandara, silently proud about his design being accepted and yet... the whole thing has kind of an anticlimactic feel to it. The Society made a very fair offer for his design and even allowed him in on the work, but the pleasant transaction felt so dry and clinical. Bolten normally prefers that sort of quiet tone and air of agreement, but the workshop is the one place that he feels comfortable in. Alive, even! In his imagination, he had expected a real back-and-forth and sense of excitement. He shakes his head, scoffing at his own ridiculous doubts on the matter. Just as he does not operate at the same energy as others, the reverse is also true. Besides, tomorrow morning would come soon enough and they would be on their way to making his plans a reality. In the spirit of celebration, Bolten even treats himself to a bit of wine that night with a toast to future successes.

The dwarf normally hates rising before the sun, but he does not dare miss the deadline to sign the contract. At this point, not even a flight of dragons would be able to stop him from getting to the workshop! After the contract is signed, Bolten offers to start helping by creating enlarged schematics of the design to make it easier to manufacture the parts. After all, with such a large machine, so many parts of different sizes were required that it would be a headache to keep track of them all. By splitting up the schematic itself into distinct components that could be separately manufactured, that might make it easier on the metalworkers to shape the cogs. It would take time for them to gather the materials and he could make himself useful in the meantime.

It is such an involved process that the work takes up all day and well into the next when Shandara enters the metalworking workshop. Bolten gives her a shy wave and a smile before going back to his sketching. He tires to mind his own business, but the sound of mild metallic scraping and Shandara's grunts of frustration catch his attention. Setting aside his quill for a moment, Bolten turns on his tool and asks the young drow,  "Please don't take this the wrong way, but do you need help? Even just a second pair of hands?"  His question is hesitant, worried that he might offend her.
WindStruck
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 

Well. This was  not  what Shandara expected. She thought maybe she would just be able to pick out the perfect tool and effortlessly pound in the inscriptions she needed to. Instead, this must have felt like the hardest puzzle of her life. A significant reason for this was likely the intense physical elements involved with it.

She thought she finally had something figured out, with two sets of vice grips stretched out to their maximum capacity and barely holding the pipe to a table. Wielding a straight pick tool and a rubber mallet that still seemed too large for her small hands and frame, she came down on the butt end of the straight pick, but it refused to stay straight and instead veered off, making a nasty scratch in the finish of the copper pipe instead. The blasted pipe had also come loose. Again. Shandara sighed and tried to wrestle the damn thing back into place when a familiar voice caught her attention.

She turned to see Bolten Cogturner. Huh, she had never even noticed he came in. What was he doing here anyway? Oh, right.. the drill? His question struck a chord with Chandara, though. She actually did feel pretty embarrassed; any other drow would either not be caught dead struggling with manual labor like this, or they would actually know what the hell they were doing.

 "Oh. Bolten. I, uhm.. no, I..." 

The vice grip behind her fell completely off the table with a loud   KRAANGKLE  , which caused her to jump.

After sheepishly looking behind herself for a moment she turns back to Bolten with a defeated sigh and finishes,  "I.. don't even know if I'm in the right place..." 
Elbeyon
 Arcane Crafts and Arts 

A kettle hisses from the other room and Zeal excuses herself. She reenters carrying a tray with a tea kettle, cups and saucers, sugar cubes, and cookies. She sets the tray down next to Z. She pours tea, “sugar?” and serves everyone biscotti. “You can give me the formula rights.” She walks over to the shelves and pulls a scroll from a pile.

She takes a seat and lays out one of the Society's per-written legal documents for Z to familiarize himself. “With your research, I can make the,” she thinks of a name while mouthing out the syllables, “Noctebulexpon without difficulty.” She tells him, “I will make the concoction my own and change the formula should the need arise. I will do what needs done to help the people.

“About you forgetting, I understand you have personal matters you do not wish to discuss. Very well, I will not push you on the matter since your intentions are noble.”

“I can write the contract to accept your research. The amnesia elixir can be made today. After you are prepared, I can meet with you to accept any physical goods related to the formula you wish to give me. At that time, you can sign the contract, and you can forget we ever made this deal. If all goes well, you will have everything you wanted. I will find a way to give you the commission money, minus costs. Perhaps, I can anonymously donate it to your workshop.”
Sønderjye
 Arcane Crafts and Arts 

Z just stay sitting down. He felt that his mind should be on overdrive, examining all the ways that they currently could be spied on or all the ways that he could be caught later on. But his mind was just blank. It was actually happening. He was actually going to go behind Ronce. The thought was staggering and left him unbalanced.

 "3 cubes please,"  he replied.

He eyes the legal framework for a quick glance and then looks up to see the expectant gaze without having read it.  "Look Zeal... I'm going to forget everything about this contract after I drink the elixir. If you put extremely favourable terms for me in the contract I'll have no way of enforcing it without the knowledge that it exists and if you were out to screw me over this is more than enough. You need a contract to feel safe and that's fine. I'm taking a leap of faith here and will sign whatever contract"  He could only hope that he wasn't making a mistake.

 "Your terms does sound rather good. All of the your proposals are good to me." 
Prehysterical
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 

Poor lass... Bolten hops off of his stool and inspects the length of pipe that is the source of her frustration.  "Well, let's start with the obvious question... What are you trying to do, exactly? A forge might be better for your needs, maybe? I don't know; it all depends." 
WindStruck
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 
 "Well, I..."  Shandara begins, before giving up on words and pulling out a sheet of parchment with a circular design of arcane symbols carefully drawn on it.

 "I need to engrave this, into that,"  she says, first pointing at her sheet of parchment, then at the pipe,  "..so that I can put this into the depressions and form runes." 

She held up a small jar of what could only be described as some sort of phosphorescent ichor.
Prehysterical
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 

Looking between the drawing and the pipe, Bolten beams with a smile.  "Oh, is that all,"  he asks as if the problem could somehow be larger.  "It certainly helps if you have the right tools."  He looks over the pick Shandara had been using disapprovingly and hunts around the workshop before triumphantly holding aloft a similar tool with a slight bend at the base.  "Aha, a burin! I use these all the time when I want to make engraving patterns on my weapons and armor. It's how I put on the family crest. Mother always said that a true craftsman signs their work, good or bad." 

The dwarf blathers on almost casually while unhitching the pipe from the clamps.  "Now, for us to do this properly, we'll need to rotate the pipe  around  while carving the sigils into the metal. Unfortunately, I'm just not flexible and skillful enough to do such complex lines purely by hand. Any chance you could use some of your magic to levitate this pipe to make it easier to access and flip? It would certainly speed up the process." 
Elbeyon
 Arcane Crafts and Arts 

Zeal picks up the cubes with miniature tongs and places them in Z's drink. She gives herself three cubs as well.

"You will forget our tea and the pleasantries we have exchanged, but forgetting they happened does not mean they are immaterial. The present exists because of the past even if the past is forgotten." Zeal holds her tea cup handle with a three-fingered clawed hand. She curiously looks at the hand, zoning out, that only she can see before her hand returns to normal. She smells and slowly sips her tea as she focuses her thoughts.

"The Noctebulexpon will be put to good use. Your faith and the faith of the city is not misplaced." She smiles. "When you receive curious donations for no apparent reason, perhaps, your faith in the world will grow. You may not know why, but you will be rewarded for your good deeds, deeds not known even to yourself."

"Thanks for entertaining my proposal. There is a saying: Write for Understanding. A deal is best made in the heart and on the page." She sips her tea. Her eyes linger on her hand.
WindStruck
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 

Shandara shook her head and quite tersely said,  "No." 

She looked about and sighed softly, unable to keep her self-loathing due to her ineptness to herself.

 "Do you have any other suggestion?" 
Prehysterical
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 

Bolten looks visibly chastised by Shandara's sharp answer. He had made an assumption and accidentally hurt her feelings. Chewing his mustache, Bolten looks away and suggests,  "Well, what about, er, hanging the pipe from the ceiling? Same basic effect, though we'll need to find a decent spot in the rafters to hang the chain." 
WindStruck
  Society Campus Metalworking Workshop  

Shandara looked at Bolten rather skeptically.  "That seems like it would make things more difficult and dangerous,"  she said.

 "I think we need to keep it steady, no higher than eye level. Isn't there anything better to use than these clamps?"  she asked, waving a hand at the blocky vice grips she was trying to use.

 "Perhaps we could.. keep the pipe fastened between two work benches?" 
Sønderjye
 Arcane Crafts and Arts
  

 
 Originally Posted by Zeal 
 "You will forget our tea and the pleasantries we have exchanged, but forgetting they happened does not mean they are immaterial. The present exists because of the past even if the past is forgotten." 
 

  "Sure, and also you will be remembering them,"   Zeal replied. After a thoughtful moment he continues:   "You know, I am actually enjoying this. Maybe once I forget everything about it you'll invite me over for tea one of the days?"  
 
  "The Noctebulexpon will be put to good use. Your faith and the faith of the city is not misplaced." She smiles. "When you receive curious donations for no apparent reason, perhaps, your faith in the world will grow. You may not know why, but you will be rewarded for your good deeds, deeds not known even to yourself."  

 
Z snorts.   "More likely I'll assume that someone is trying to pull my leg. I'll have to leave myself a note that I should expect money arriving from an anonymous donor."  
 
  "Thanks for entertaining my proposal. There is a saying: Write for Understanding. A deal is best made in the heart and on the page." She sips her tea. Her eyes linger on her hand.   

 
  "Certainly."   Z takes a sip of tea.   "So which alterations would you like to be in the contract?"  
 
Prehysterical
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 

Now that Bolten thinks twice about it, the idea of Shandara trying to hold onto a metal chain with a pipe at the end while simultaneously rotating so that he can work... Yeah, bad idea. Looking around, Bolten's eyes fall on a solution.  "Oh, there's some rotating clamps right there! Those should work just fine. Seem to be fitted for pipes, even. Well, shall we get started?" 
WindStruck
 Society Campus Metalworking Workshop 

Shandara turns with some surprise, not recognizing what she is looking at, at first.

 "Oh, of course. Why didn't I recognize these..?"  she asked. Well, maybe she had never seen one in her life before.

The two get to work, a somewhat odd team. They need to reference the sheet often. Shandara's memory was pretty good, however, the labor involved with engraving the pipe was quite distracting, and in any case, it was best to be absolutely sure of what they were inscribing.
DeTess
Over the course of the next several days, the mood in the city slowly improves. The introduction of several effective treatments, as well as commitment from several wealthy patrons to fund a sewer system has restored people's faith in the ability of the city to contain the disease, and the amount of people dying from the disease has dropped off dramatically, with the pressure on the hospitals in and near the Stormdrains district slowly easing.

With the Spectre of plague receding, people once again start looking ahead to the upcoming harvest festival, which'll be held in less than three weeks. With a renewal of activity in the city also come new commissions, with many relatively minor requests related to the harvest festival put up on the boards in the Society campus, with request ranging from novelty beverages to clockwork effigies for the parade. In addition to a flood of harvest festival related commissions several other more irregular requests are posted as well.

 
 Spoiler: Announcements 


  Reminder: 
Though treatments are now available, the Stormdrain plague has not yet been tamed. If you show any of the disease's symptoms head in for treatment immediately. If you have business in the Stromdrains district it is recommended you take a dose of the Jupitas Restorative in advance if you can afford it, as tests have shown it could prevent you from catching the disease for several days after taking it. If you're heading there on official business related to dealing with the plague you can come and pick up a dose at the campus infirmary.

Be wary of fake 'cures'. The curatives currently confirmed to be effective are:
 the Jupitas Restorative : Only take this in advance of heading into the Stormdrains district or dealing with those infected, or when showing very mild symptoms. It is not to be taken by people suffering moderate or worse symptoms!
 Noctebulexpon : Take this when suffering from Diarrhea and general dehydration symptoms
 Arglamcaeli : Take this to alleviate coughing and reduce the disease's impact on the lungs.
 Blackroot extract : take this only in cases of extreme coughing and respiratory issues, when Arglamcaeli either fails to help, or is unavailable. It has proven to be extremely effective at dealing with the symptoms related tot the lungs but it has long-term, sometimes permanent, side effects, most notably a sensitivity to bright light. 


  Contest announcement! 
My fellow students of alchemy and the culinary arts, as I'm sure you're all aware, every guild and restaurant in the city seems to want their own novelty drink for the harvest festival. Though there is much to be learned and earned on these commissions, I believe they'll be a bit more exciting with a little contest.  On the first day of the festival all your creations can be submitted to me for perusal. I'll arange for several suitable prizes for the best creations, and I have no doubt my official seal of approval will help with your own fame and the sale of your creations.

 -Signed, Cirast Overhill, Curator of Alchemy  
 

 
 Spoiler: Commissions 


  Streidekker and Sons, Shipwrights, is looking for innovations! 
The Streidekker shipyards is looking for new innovations in the field of ship-design!
Both full ship designs and smaller inventions are desired. Both civilian and military applications are welcomed.
Designs need to be accompanied by a prototype or  convincing  proof of concept. For further details, visit our office in the Harbor district and ask for Manfred Streidekker. 


  Goldrow bank needs security consultants 
As you are no doubt aware, a new building for the Goldrow bank has recently finished construction. All our vaults and defenses are now in place, but before we start using the building we want to issue a final challenge to test our security. We're offering a 1000gp bounty to anyone capable of getting into one of our vaults, retrieve the message stored within and then bring it to our primary location in the Silverflow district, within the next two weeks!
 Though our traps and defences aren't lethal under normal circumstances, and our guards will not use lethal force unless attacked, there is still a risk of harm coming to those taking up this challenge. Goldrow limited does not take responsibility for any harm that may befall you while trespassing on our property.  

 the above commissions have been posted a little over a week ago. The ship commission is likely to remain up for a bit longer, but the bank job has a clear deadline that is approaching. 

  Looking to commission a weapon 
I'm looking to commission a longsword designed to be particularly effective against the undead, and one specific undead in particular.

For more details, ask for Captain Eshanel at the Ranger's guild 


  Looking for consulting engineer for a sensitive project 
I am looking to acquire the services of a skilled engineer to help resolve a thorny issue. Discreteness required!

Leave your resume at the Gatewatch inn for mr. Greylance, together with your contact details. We'll contact you if we decide we need your services. 


  Glass maker's guild commission 
During the upcoming harvest festival we want to show off our craft to the entire city in a way that'll certainly catch people's attention. Innovative ideas are welcome!

Ask for master Mesdag at the guildhouse for more information. 


  Treatment for baron Esterwald 
As you are no doubt aware, my father's ability to walk has been deteriorating rapidly these past years. I will handsomely reward the one that can restore his ability to walk as he used to.

 -signed, Eduard Esterwald the younger  
 

 Zacharias 
By the end of the week a letter from Ronce arrives, accompanied by a sizeable coin-pouch. The letter once again congratulates Z on the ingenuity of his creation, and boasts about the heaps of coin that it has already brought in. The coin-pouch is filled with platinum pieces for a total value of 1000g, as well as several letters confirming the ownership of minor stakes in half a dozen small trade ventures, that together should pay out a tidy sum of about 100gp per week for the foreseeable future. Z recognizes quite a few of these trade ventures as being either owned by Ronce, or at least part of his sphere of influence.

 Zeal 
Shortly after you start distributing the cure Zacharias designed, another letter from Octavius Ponvera arrives, congratulating you on your speed in developing a cure to cover the weaker parts of your first design. The letter reiterates that the empire will fully reimburse all costs incurred for creating the two cures, and that they'll increase your weekly pay-out to 1500 gp per week for as long as the plague is going to last for providing the two cures. Though you've got time for your own projects, your shop's entire output is taken up by producing the cures, and will be for the coming weeks at least.

 Shandara 
The tests of your enchantment pass without significant incident, though you hear later that mr. Galbic's own test caused a significant mess at the workshop, and the Escribano workshop pays out a 2500 gp share from the total commission reward for the sewers. Furthermore, they offer you a contract that would earn you another 2000 gp for enchanting the various pipes they'll need. This would be about five days work, which they need to be done within the next month (you can refuse this if you want to).

 Bolten 
Your drill comes together nicely, and in a test at an abandoned quarry not too far from the city it performs wonderfully as well. The Escribano pays you the agreed upon 1500 gp for permission to replicate the design, as well as a 2000 gp share from the commission reward. After construction of the first full-scale model they don't really need your help for the subsequent creations, but they do ask for a way to easily contact you in case any issues occur during the actual digging for the sewers that they'd want you to look at.
Sønderjye
Z felt his stomach churn as he reads Ronce bragging about how much money he's making on the disease. He eyed the pouch and hides it away in a locket in his workshop, hoping that he could maybe use it for something good later. It didn't feel right to accept this money, especially when the commision he handed off yesterday had given him a nice cushion.

As he walks towards the archieves he looks at the current messages and the stomach churning is back at full force. At least other were able come up with something to challenge the slimy bastard. His face falls at the memory of the failed attempts he made at making a second treatment. He had really hoped he could manage to make a second one, give Ronce the worst and get the other to the market discretely. Oh well, I'll manage to spite him proper another time.

He His eyes gazes over the the rest of the messages and the commisions, and then he moves onwards towards the archieves. He had found a note that he himself wrote and somehow made himself forget. Amongst other things it mentioned that if a secret donation arrived he should just accept it and not look into it, and also noting a few neglected areas of research. The latter was probably intended to distract him for long enough that the mystery of the former would lose some of it's appeal. He wasn't sure that would work but he'd at least cleared his schedule for today and commited to go scavenge the archieve for existing research on the mind and mental magic with a particular focus on memory.
WindStruck
Shandara agrees to the contract to enchant the pipes they need fitted, assuming the magical ingredients, the tools, and at least one assistant that knows how to properly work the tools are provided. She'll drop by the appropriate workshop at designated times throughout the month to craft the enchantments as needed. Not even including the 2500 gp share, this job would prove to be extremely lucrative. She was quite willing.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Do I need to make more rolls?
 


When she checks the bulletin boards again, a few more things catch her eye:

The novelty drink contest actually seemed.. fun? It was definitely a change of pace. Perhaps she could try to recreate a rare drink from her homeland? Of course the problem was she wasn't exactly a connoisseur of beverages, alcoholic or not, so recreating some could prove difficult. But hey, if she was able to brew up her own private batch of knockout poison, maybe she could find the right ingredients as well?

Hmm, other commissions... didn't seem very fitting for her. She'd have as much expertise helping an old man walk again as blowing glass - which is none.

Hm. Maybe she could inquire about the weapon commission? If she could create a new enchantment and place it on official sewer pipes, surely she could figure out something with enchanting a weapon?

Shandara would think about it. She did some errands for the day and retired at her residence, thinking on a next plan of action.
Elbeyon
 Arcane Crafts and Arts 

 
 Originally Posted by Sønderjye 
 [/COLOR] "Sure, and also you will be remembering them,"   Zeal replied. After a thoughtful moment he continues:   "You know, I am actually enjoying this. Maybe once I forget everything about it you'll invite me over for tea one of the days?"  
 

 

She entertains herself with her own joke, “This is a very unforgettable conversation.”

“What is not to enjoy? It is an inspired plan,” her family would be proud, “full of daring, risk, and valor.” Her speech becomes dramatic there for a second. “Few will ever be able to say they have risked or dared to go as far as you. Once things have passed, you could write a play.”

She sips her tea and smiles. “Tea’s not bad, but how do you feel about fishing?”

 
 
 Originally Posted by Sønderjye 
  
Z snorts.   "More likely I'll assume that someone is trying to pull my leg. I'll have to leave myself a note that I should expect money arriving from an anonymous donor."  
 

 

“You know yourself best. I will entrust such matters to yourself. I will obstinate the source, but I can only go so far as put the money in your hand.”

 
 
 Originally Posted by Sønderjye 
  
  "Certainly."   Z takes a sip of tea.   "So which alterations would you like to be in the contract?"  
  
 

She stirs her cookie in the tea. “The contract would include the full extent through which we made the contract. You giving me the formula is a simple manner, rather the circumstances are so extraordinary that a new document must be written.”

 Z’s Mailbox 

An anonymous money order arrives worth twenty-five gold plus reimbursement for Z’s research costs. Zeal kept her word and kept zero gold for herself asides from enough to cover the two elixir cost. A well-known poem is attached in very uniform, block text.

 
 Spoiler: Attachment 
All day and night, save winter, every weather,
Above the inn, the smithy, and the shop,
The aspens at the cross-roads talk together
Of rain, until their last leaves fall from the top.

Out of the blacksmith’s cavern comes the ringing
Of hammer, shoe, and anvil; out of the inn
The clink, the hum, the roar, the random singing –
The sounds that for these fifty years have been.

The whisper of the aspens is not drowned,
And over lightless pane and footless road,
Empty as sky, with every other sound
Not ceasing, calls their ghosts from their abode,

A silent smithy, a silent inn, nor fails
In the bare moonlight or the thick-furred gloom,
In tempest or the night of nightingales,
To turn the cross-roads to a ghostly room.

And it would be the same were no house near.
Over all sorts of weather, men, and times,
Aspens must shake their leaves and men may hear
But need not listen, more than to my rhymes.

Whatever wind blows, while they and I have leaves
We cannot other than an aspen be
That ceaselessly, unreasonably grieves,
Or so men think who like a different tree.
 

 Goldrow Bank 

Zeal schemes for a day on how to break into the bank. She cases the location from across the street while trying to look inconspicuous. She sees what maps exist in records. She investigates who designed the security. She tries to learn from those that have failed.

 
 Spoiler: Day Ten Outfit 
 
 
Prehysterical
Over the past few days, Bolten had felt something of a paradigm shift in his conscience. During the height of his creativity and watching Shandara perform her work, Bolten felt some kind of previously shuttered mental window thrown open to the light of magic. During the moments when he wasn't working, Bolten occupied his time by inscribing clockwork and arcanomechanical designs into a thick tome. He was amazed to find that the design schematics themselves had power, the secrets to the energies of the celestial spheres hidden within spring coils and gyroscopic counterweights. More than anything, however, Bolten's feverish attention was devoted to an entirely new design. A clockwork creation, based on the small shelled digging mammals that he has only ever seen in books, but this one was no mere collection of gears and cogs. This one would be  alive , in the proper sense of the word. While the engineering of the body itself was sound enough, Bolten sputtered in frustration and stroked his short beard in troubled thought as he considered the magic necessary to bring this creation to an actual recognition of self. Even with his magical potential finally budding, the magic involved was far, far beyond his own. He needed time to think... Cast his net wide in search of an answer. Perhaps studying and learning Draconic would be a good place to start...

Luckily, the drill proved to be not so difficult. Bolten watches with a contented smile as the adamantine teeth of the drillbits tear into the side of the abandoned quarry, satisfied at a job well done. He tells them to look for him at his workshop and provides them with his address. It's not like he's ever anywhere else, really... The past few days were an exception.

Along with the types of magic needed for his new design, Bolten is also concerned by the various magical material components needed to ensure a machine capable of sustaining itself without intervention from its creator. Those were not cheap and even the cash inflow from the commission is not enough for what he has in mind. Back to the commission board for another well-paying job...

His chin rests on one hand as he considers the board. Overhill's drink submission wasn't even a consideration. The engineer's request gets mild interest from him, but the thought of doing "hush-hush" is very unappealing. The weapon commission was relatively easy, something he could do without much trouble. The baron's request for aid, however, draws the dwarf's eye. He thinks of how good it had felt to help the people in the Stormdrains and the chance to help another person improve their life. Bolten doesn't know the first thing about the body, as this disease had shown, but maybe there was a way around that problem... His feet carry him toward the Esterwald estate almost of their own accord. Couldn't hurt to at least learn more and see if his seed of an idea might bear fruit. Besides, nothing's stopping him from swinging down to the Ranger's Guild later.
DeTess
 The Esterwald Estate 
The Esterwald estate consists of a large 4-floor manor house surrounded by a sizable garden located some distance into the Imperial district, the large inner-city area where most Nobles keep their residence. The estate gardens are well kept and the house itself, while old in design, is clearly very well maintained. All this speaks well for the fortune of house Esterwald. The entrance to the estate's grounds are guarded by a pair of bored looking guardsmen, who allow Bolten access with just a cursory check for weaponry after he identifies himself as a member of the Society.

In the manor itself he's led to a small waiting room. Tea or coffee is served by a servant based on his preference, but he's mostly left alone for a good 20 minutes until he's called into the presence of Eduard Esterwald the younger. He awaits Bolten in a small office located on the ground floor, with a large set of windows behind him looking out on  a small pond in the garden. The office is richly decorated with tapestries and bookcases filled with leather-bound and decorated volumes, and Eduard is seated behind a beautifully decorated desk of dark wood.

The heir to house Esterwald himself is a human in his early twenties with short blonde hair and a brave, but maybe ill-advised attempt at growing a beard. Despite his seeming youth there's a clear note of authority to his voice as he welcomes Bolten and gestures for him to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "I thank you for taking an interest in my father's health, mister Cogturner. So tell me, what did you have in mind for alleviating the good baron's troubles?"
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Later that afternoon, after Shandara's rest, she turns up at the ranger's guild, quietly mentioning Captain Eshanel and their commission. In her pack, she has also brought a couple of more religious texts, hoping to glean more information and figure out what this undead thing is that the captain wants to kill.
Prehysterical
 The Esterwald Estate 

Bolten waits with his cup of tea, wondering how much of the waiting is genuine delay and how much is the noble tendency to make other people wait. Ah well, he has tea and it's a nice place.

Inside the office, Bolten gets right to the point as Eduard Jr. prompts him.  "Well, I'll say this right off: I have no experience in medicine or the inner workings of the body, so I do not have anything to slow down his physical decline. You said, however, that his ability to walk is extremely hampered. I have a rough idea for something to help with that.

I believe that I can make a sort of exoskeletal clockwork chassis for your father that will allow to at least maintain his mobility. It would be like the iron rods that they put in medical casts, but these would allow for articulation of motion as well as providing structural support for his weight. This would be something he could get into or remove whenever necessary, such as when he needs to use the... facilities or when it is time for bed. I can even install specific parts at places like the ankle and knee that will allow him to lock himself into a crouch or standing position, if necessary. I'll have to find some sort of energy to power the apparatus, but I will be either installing a set of levers that allow for manual control of the movements or create a control rod similar to what they use for golems. Just as a backup in case his own movements aren't enough to register with the machinery, you understand.

Maybe it's not exactly what you were hoping for, but his quality of life would at least be improved by allowing him free movement. I wish I could say that I sympathize with your circumstances... but I never knew my father and that would be a lie."  Bolten shrugs.  "If you are interested, I could present you with a prototype schematic. In order to do that, though, I would need the measurements for his feet, legs, waist, and hips. I wouldn't be able to come up with a budget for the project until then."  Having said his piece, Bolten sits and waits for the young noble's response.
Elbeyon
 The Artificery Society campus 

Zeal closes her shop for the day and walks to campus, her backpack overstuffed. There is a short search  through the more nature infused part of camp for a large tree. Happy with what she has found she sets her backpack on the ground. Zeal takes a grapple hook out of her bag and knots a rope through. She spins the metal anchor around at her hip before launching the hook at the tree. She twitches the rope to try create a loop on the hook. She repeats the throws, climbing the rope when she lands a grapple, and restarts when she messes up the throw.

Latter in the evening, she creates an obstacle course in the grass with house hold items. She runs around pots and lanterns, dodging invisible attacks, and practices her agility. She imagines what traps she may find lurking in the bank and how best to avoid them.

After she tires herself out, she walks around campus looking for tools she could improvise to help defeat what she has learned about the lock. She may not have time to custom order the tools, but she can do more than rely on her old tools.

She sneaks around the campus and pushes how far she can sneak into shops and places unnoticed. She scales random buildings with simliar architecture to the bank. She finds herself sitting in the middle of the greens before a framed freestanding door on the grass. She has her legs crossed and mediates on how to open a door without opening a door. At dusk, she raises and walks back home, but leaves the door for others. Maybe, the students will find their own answers with the door.

 Goldrow Bank 

Sneaking around guards would strain her abilities, so a direct assault despite being flashy would increase her failure odds. The sewer is likely the best approach for her skill set and would allow for a large variety in entry methods. Though, she is maxed out on her gross quota for the month and really does not want to crawl through some warm, dank bowel. Humanoids can be gross enough on the outside without seeing their insides. That leaves breaking in through the upper floors. She isn't the best climber, but she is confident with perpetration. Besides, all the greats go through the windows and upper floors. What is even the point of robbing a bank if not done with style? She reverses her cape as she approaches the bank and blends into the night.

 
 Spoiler: Night Outfit 
 
 


She opens a small match-sized box filled with violet paste. A finger slides over the paste and stains violet. She holds the box in hand and forces an eyelid open. She raises a finger to her eye and rubs the paste directly into her cornea. She bites her tongue and curses. Her golden eye shifts violet. She applies the paste to the other eye. Her eyes mud and the earthen flesh around her eyes burn. She approaches the building in a way to give her a shot towards the windows and avoiding being spotted. She wipes her shoes down. She corner peeks to spot any guards and waits for her chance. She pulls a crossbow out of her bag. A bolt with a nasty hooked head loads into the crossbow. A rope attaches at the bolt's base.
DeTess
 The Esterwald estate 
Eduard Esterwald takes several moments to consider after hearing out Bolten, before responding. "If you'd come by earlier today, I probably would have dismissed this idea as it deviated to far from the ideal resolution I envisioned." He lets that sink in for a second before continuing. "However, I've spoken to several alchemists and doctors now, and all have stressed that any magical or alchemical solution they could devise would have side effects and risks attached. Your solution, while not the ideal solution I initially envisioned, does sound a lot safer."

Eduard picks up a small bell from his table and shakes it, though no sound emerges from it. However, within moments a knock on the door is heard and a servant enters. "Modas, please acquire a copy of the measurements our tailor uses for designing my father's trousers and boots. Make certain it is ready for mister Cogturner to pick up before he leaves." He then opens a drawer and hands several sheets of paper to Bolten.

"This is our physician's description of my father's condition, as far as his mobility is concerned. Needless to say, this is somewhat confidential. Though my father's condition is no secret, I'd prefer it if the exact details aren't spread around too widely. Is there anything else you need to know?"

 
 Spoiler: On Baron Esterwald's condition 

It seems he's suffering from a wasting affliction affecting primarily the muscles in his legs. Various treatments including magic have successfully slowed it's progress over the years, but not halted it. The baron can still move his legs somewhat, but his muscles have mostly wasted away to the point that he can't exert any significant force. The bones are apparently also somewhat brittle and more easily damaged than they should be.
 

 The Ranger's guild 
The ranger's guild is an odd structure. It's a squat and utilitarian building, one designed with defence in mind over aesthetics, this in stark contrast to the buildings around it. The guild-hall is in the military district, and surrounded by richly decorated military academies and headquarters for the various military branches keeping the empire safe. Any doubt about whether it is the correct location is dispelled once one steps inside, however. The heavy double doors lead into a large hall decorated with faded and not-so faded banners pointing to campaigns of old, as well as displays of storied weapons and the skulls of great creatures slain by the members of the guild.

The hall is also fairly quiet, mostly devoid of people with the exception of a noblewoman seated on a bench on the far side and looking over some sort of report, and an elderly caretaker cleaning the various artifacts and relics on display. The caretaker's eyes narrow a bit as he notices Shandara, but he points her towards captain Eshanel's room.

The captain's room is near the end of a long hallway filled with doors. Most door are closed, but the few that open look out on small rooms with a bed, a desk and often some personal effects scattered about. Most look as if they don't currently have an occupant. The rooms close to captain Eshanel's room are slightly different,as they're either completely empty and clean, as if they've recently been emptied, or messy, showing clear signs of recent occupation.

Eshanel's room is slightly larger than most of the other room's Shandara has passed, though its furnishings are equally spartan, consisting of a bed, a desk and chair, a bookcase and a small table with four chairs surrounding it. The captain is sitting behind the desk, writing a letter. She appears to be in her thirties and is clearly very fit, with an athletic build. She's wearing a simple tunic, breeches and boots, with a fancy coat sporting the ranger's guilds emblem as well as some kind of personal crest lying on the bed nearby. She's got short brown hair and slightly pointy ears marking her as a half-elf.

As she turns to look at Shandara one more feature is revealed. The left side of her face has been ruined. The skin is wrinkled and scarred, and a far darker shade than the rest of her skin. Her left eye stands out in all this as being fine, though the harshness of the seem between the healthy skin around her eye and the scarred skin suggest some kind of recent magical healing. She frowns and gives Shandara a somewhat suspicious look, and the way this pulls at the skin on the damaged part of her face elicits a barely perceptible wince of pain. "Yes? Do you need something from me?" She asks.
Elbeyon
 Goldrow Bank 

Zeal crosses an unseen boundary. An internal monologue begins without a thought. At first, she lived a simple life full of wonder and excitement. A simple life were rules existed, laws kept her in check, and societies expectations weighed her down. Now, she has crossed a line, a start line, of sorts that she could never step back from. She was an outlaw, a cat bugler, stealing worthless paper that people decided had value. What did this paper mean to others, when the paper meant life or death for her? Her heart pounds like a dinner bell.

She crosses the way and closes the gap to the building wall. She snaps her eyes up and locks on the window. The crossbow, the tool of her trade, points up and towards the night. A bolt fires off through the darkness with a knotted rope trailing behind. If she hits her mark, she tries to climb. If she misses, her priority is not getting caught.

 
 Spoiler: Checks 
Perception to scout/search the building from afar (during case?)
Take 20? 36?

Grapple on Building; 30 ft. Range
 (1d20+5)[ 8 ]  vs AC 5?

Accelerated Wall Climb w/ Knotted Rope
 (1d20+4)[ 8 ]  vs DC 5?

Stealth (Needed?)
 (1d20+13)[ 28 ] 

Perception/Search on Window
 (1d20+16)[ 36 ] 
 
DeTess
 The Goldrow Bank 
It takes two tries to get the grapple to stick properly and by the time Zeal manages to make it to the top of the rope, the guard patrol ahs already reached her side of the bank. However, what she lacked in speed, she made up for in stealth, and the two guards pass below her without noticing anything amiss. The window she has reached is closed and fitted with a latch on the inside, but the latch itself is undone, meaning that she can easily make her way into the unlit office room beyond.

From studying the maps and from what she'd heard form others, she knows she'll now have to make her way to the ground floot. There is only a light guard presence on this floor and the floor below. She'll have to make her way all the way down to the ground floor, however, which is better guarded, an then through a long hallway, down a set of stairs and through another hallway to get to the vaults. These last two hallways will be filled with all kinds of traps and several locked doors.
Prehysterical
 The Esterwald Estate 

Bolten holds back a sigh of relief as Eduard warms up to the idea. He looks over the medical paperwork and clearly nods in acknowledgement of the noble's words.  "I'll not speak of this to anyone. You have my word. It's a good thing you showed me this. Seems like a mere cage set-up for the leggings will be insufficient; too much risk of him breaking his legs in case of a bad fall. I'll have to armor them up somewhat to provide some protection and cushioning. And now I know that an independent means of propulsion beyond his own movements will be vital to futureproofing his ability to use them." 

Handing back the papers to the man, Bolten replies,  "I don't think I need anything else at the moment, beyond those measurements, obviously. I just had a few more ideas for quality of life features for the apparatus, but I need to start putting these thoughts to paper and seeing how all the parts play together. It might take me a few days to have a proper schematic to show. Will that be acceptable?" 
WindStruck
 The Ranger's guild 

Shandara quietly walks her way through the ranger's guild, and even more silently without realizing it. Just how quiet the place was filled her with some sort of dread, as if she was a disturbance merely visiting the place. And judging by the looks she was given, it seemed so. When she got to what she thought was the captain's room, she rapped on the open door gingerly.

Shandara herself was dressed pretty similarly to the days before. Today in a relatively simple skirt and blouse, though they were dyed some pleasing colors. She still wore her silk cloak, however, the hood was still up. Sometimes when indoors and taking refuge from the sun, she would lower her hood, but in this case she was clinging to it almost like a safety blanket. Her closed parasol was in one hand, and her pack was worn normally along both her shoulders.

When the scarred woman crossly asked Shandara what she needed, she cleared her throat and quietly said,  "Uhm, you are Captain Eshanel, correct? I am with the Royal Artificery Society.. about the commission for the weapon you wanted enchanted..?"   She seemed somewhat unsure of herself; perhaps it was shyness or tenseness from the environment. Maybe it was just the way the captain looked at her too. It did seem that many elves (or half-elves even) did not look at her kindly. Or was it just Shandara's imagination?
Elbeyon
 The Goldrow Bank 

Zeal hops over the teller’s counter and crouches down to avoid the front guards. She crouch walks while searching behind the counter for some way to bypass the security in the next room. At the backdoor, she lowers her tinted glasses and raises a different pair off around her neck and to her eyes. The sheath in her wrist straightens enough to release lockpick tools into her hand. She inserts a pry bar into the lock, straightens the disks, and tensions the lock. A hook slides in through lock's disks, and she quickly picks the lock. She slips inside the security hallway.

She whistles in her head and tries not to set off any magic trips by looking haphazardly. That is a lot of tiles. She switches her glasses. She searches the floor/walls/ceiling for a bypass that would allow her to avoid the hallway. A secret door? A master switch? She didn’t find anything on the way down. The tiles themselves could be the answer.

There could be a way to cross them safely. She pulls out paper and paths her route. She doesn’t have to disable every trap. She only needs to make a safe route and disable the traps she can’t avoid. The magic traps are the hardest to avoid. If she discovers a pattern to the tiles, she could potentially find safer tiles faster, though she would still need to check each one individually. She takes time to search out the traps near her and from afar.

A sealed jar comes out of her backpack. She unstops the lid and pours sand at her feet. She presses her mind upon the psychoactive sand and shapes the sand to her will. If the tiles allow instead of jumping from tile to tile like the gymnast she isn’t, she will create a solid bridge from safe tile to safe tile and walk across and disable any traps in her way.
DeTess
 The Esterwald estate 
"Yes, that should be fine." Eduard responds. "Ideally, this device of yours would be ready in time for the harvest festival, so that my father can attend the festivities at the palace standing up straight, rather than confined to a chair carried by servants. Do you think you could manage that?"

 The Ranger's guild 
The half-elf shakes her head in response to Shandara's introduciton Not in denial, but as if attempting to clear her mind. "Right, of course. I just hadn't expected a..." A slight blush appears on the half of her face still capable of showing emotion that way. "I'm sorry. Please, grab a chair..." she gestures at the simple wooden chairs clustered around the small table in her room. "And I'll explain what I need the weapon to do."

Once Shandara is seated across from her position at her desk she begins her explanation. "I assume you've heard of the Deathless Kings? Every couple of decades we've got one of them waking up beyond the Southern border, looking to take back their empire of old. They'd be welcome to most of it too, as most of it is inhospitable desert, but since we own the few good bits now, they always end up sending their undead legions at us sooner rather than later."

"A year or so ago, another one of the bastards woke up and started raising its armies. Luckily, an enterprising 'adventure archeologist', or 'tomb robber' for those of us disinclined to use fancy words, stumbled across his tomb complex and managed to make it out again to warn the Empire. Defeating one of the bastards in pitched battle is always a costly affair, and the tombs are deep in the desert so sending a big enough army to raze it to the ground wasn't an option either, so instead I led a squad of Rangers to take the bugger out." She falls quiet and stares off in the distance beyond the dark elf for a moment before continuing.

"We'd underestimated just how many soldiers he'd raised, and he'd even started getting his more dangerous vassals up and moving. Nonetheless, we managed to push past his defenses and take our swords and spells to the undead beast himself. We even managed to down him, despite being swarmed by his minions." She falls silent again, a bit longer now as she searches for her next words.

"Problem is, they don't stay down. There's a specific ritual to kill one of these monsters, and we didn't have the time to complete it. We tried, but we just couldn't hold back the tide of undead. I lost half my unit, and all we did was temporarily inconvenience that beast." Anger creeps into her voice as she continues her story to the point that she was almost shouting that last bit.

"Sorry." She apologizes after taking a moment to calm down. "A lot of the wounds I suffered in there are still raw. I've been on many missions for the Ranger corps, and since obtaining my captaincy I've never lost. Dragon hunts? Some burn wounds maybe, but we felled the beasts. Marauding giant tribes? We cowed them into submission. Drow slavers taking our people? We got them back, with no one left behind. But this thing? I've been told we did was well as could be expected, but we're Rangers. Defeat is not an option."

"Which brings me to the weapon I need made. Having it be especially effective against undead would help when we make our way back into the beast's tomb, but it's main purpose is killing the Deathless King, and making it stick. I don't want to have to rely on complicated and time-consuming rituals, I want to be able to hack the beast to pieces and know that it will never rise again. Can you make me something like that?"

 
 Spoiler: common knowledge on the Deathless kings 

The Deathless kings are undead, remnants of some great prior civilization that called the lands to the south of the empire their home. They're fearsome combatants and are known to curse those that dare face them with a disease that whither the victim away. They also tend to raise great armies of other undead creatures which they lead in assaults on the Empire. They're very difficult to put down, and even harder to keep down, though over four subsequent incursions the empire has devised a way to ensure they don't return to plague them once more.

(there's more to be known, but that'll require some research, though you could roll knowledge religion and/or knowledge history to see fi you remember anything else of the top of your head).
 
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Ah, Shandara had definitely heard of these Deathless Kings. It was a prominent story she had seen mentioned several times as she perused libraries and archives, both as articles of important news and in more historical documentaries. She listened on the edge of her seat as the captain spun her tale. And when her other exploits were mentioned, including drow slavers, Shandara tried her best to maintain a neutral facial expression. It was definitely an awkward topic to bring up, however briefly.

 "Erm, I understand, Captain.. I am sorry for your loss."  Though both meanings of the phrase were accurate, Shandara did not say it with any hint of mirth.

Then came the important question: could she make it? Bringing her hands together and resting them on the desk, she answered as confidently as she could muster.  "Well, I believe it is possible. However, as I understand it, no small nor simple amount of magic is capable of ending one of the Deathless Kings for good. And it would take at least two extremely powerful mages to cast the ritual..  If I was able to enlist the aid of two such individuals, I should be able to store the magic into the long sword you wish to be created." 
Sønderjye
 Royal Artifcer Society - Crystal lab 2 

Z was sitting with the miniscule chissel hacking into a small blue crystal. He only worked with jewelry on occations and his workshop wasn't outfitted to do the detail oriented work he was attempting to do. He squinted for a moment he nooded in satisfaction and put the chissel down. Now that the foundational engravings had been made all that was left to do was to fill in the modules and the pathways with the proper material.

This modular style of enhancement was incredibly new. In fact the invention of it had constituted the entirety of his graduation project. It wasn't more efficient or faster than other styles of enchantments but it was so much easier to implement since the modular nature meant that you didn't need to say recalculate the entire bloody spell matrix every time you wanted to change even a tiny small part. Bad memories from enchantment 101.

He started out with the pathways that would be transporting the psionic energy since detail was the least important with that part. As he was intending for the crystal to do two distinct things he had had to make two distinct pathway networks. He was quite proud that he had been able to arrange it so that they didn't overlap, thus changing them into a single network, while placing modules such that some of the modules could be reused in both networks thus cutting costs.

He grapped a small pencil and dipped it in the mixture based on folugub tongue, for then to slowly and methodically filling the pathways with the mixture. Granted folugub the ideal component for pathway conductor as it wasn't as efficient as one would have liked. Ideally a mixture based on temporal filcher or gray glutton would have allowed for more daily uses, however the first was hard to find and the second was hard to kill once you found it, and given that this was intended as a prototype there wasn't much point in letting each network be used more than 3 times a day.

The modules in the memory capture network was fairly straightforward. Crystals was generally well suited for networks related to the mind and blue crystals in particular was well attuned to memory. The integration modules was of standard design: a psionic matrix for integrating the psionic energy inside the cryrstal structure with a connected matrix to draw energy continually from the astral plane, one to extract that energy to power the network, and one to integrate the memory into the crystal structure in a way that didn't mix it with the energy.

The memory recieval modules however wasn't as straightforward. The challenge was to extract the memory in perfect condition while allowing the design to have space for adding additional modules later. The connection matrix were simple as even the simplest of psionics was able to connect to the mind and it didn't have a penetration matrix attached so unless the recipient was willing it could never penetrate past the first mental layer. It did however have a locational matrix attached in order to aid the user in locating the memory they were intending to put in the crystal and a module that, if the user allowed it to work, would cause the user to enter a meditative state that ordered the mindscape so connections to relevant memories was easier to identify. The matrix intended to extract the memory is industry standard and it has not one but three support matrix in order to ensure that the memory was transported fully intact out of the complex layers of mind. It was probably overkill but according to his research it seemed that this was the part of the extraction process that most often caused failure.

The extraction network was where Z had had to be creative. It seemed relatively easy to insert memories wholesale, you just had to have the memory, make the connection in the mindspace, and complete the transfer. From his research it seemed that there were two major challenges. First, while the mind was continually expanding in capacity, it was also continually being filled with new memories, connections and personality traits. As such you could pop the mind like a balloon by overfilling it with memories, and while it was possible to create space by destroying memories you had to be really careful with not destroying a foundational memory. Secondly, the mind and soul was in constant communication and a too sudden change to the mind was easily interpreted by the soul as an attack. This would cause it to go into defensive mode, which wouldn't just destroy the inserted memories but the collatoral might also destroy important or even foundational memories.

To circumvent those issues Z had decided to instead hijack the natural processes the mind formed memories, namely through processing experience. As such, rather than doing a forcibly insert, the unique modules in the reconstruction network fed the memory in real time to the sensory process such that the user would experience the memory and thus allow the natural integration processes to do the bulk of the work. He added an adjacent matrix to lock the body while the memory was being experienced and connected it such that as soon as one exited the memory, either by it finishing or by voluntarily resisting it one regained that control.

Once he finished with that project he started the process of making a similar crystal. On this second crystal he adds a set of matrix to locate and process the psychic impression associated with the relevant memories, and to use that information to add additional information to the memory stored in the crystal. He also adds a matrix to cut the psychic connection between the enhanced memory and the donor after processing is completed to avoid any weird interactions related to psychic imprints.

After all of that is done he makes a questionaire for himself(including a few relevant things he can't remember) and attempts to extract and reconstruct the memory of his breakfast and lunch today for the first and second crystal respectively. He fills out the questionaire before extraction(during which he knows most of the answers), after extractions(during which he expects to know none or very few of the answers) and after reconstruction(during which he expects to know the same things as during first time he filled it in for the first memory crystal and hopes to know the answers to everything for the psychically enhanced memory crystal). What are his results?

Afterwards he goes huntin on the psionics department for something to make sure that his mind is still intact and undamaged. He doesn't have such a tool himself but he hopes that either the psionics department does or the enhancement department. He doesn't expect any damages, if he did he wouldn't have done it, but with this type of experiments it's better to play it safe.
Prehysterical
 The Esterwald Estate 

Bolten stops to do some mental calculations before nodding.  "Yes, I think I can manage that... barring any extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances. To be perfectly honest, though, I'd much rather take too long and make something that's safe than give your father a 'half-wound clock', as my mother used to say."  He means to show his concern for the baron's well-being, but realizes how that might come off to Eduard. Boltens holds up his hands in a placating wave and stutters,  "Er, what I mean is... I will do everything in my power to make sure that the apparatus will be ready by the festival."  Clamping his lips shut, Bolten mentally chastises himself.   Sometimes, it would be easier if I just didn't talk at all...  
DeTess
 The Ranger's guild 
"I can arrange a meeting with Duncan, he can help with the divine portion of the power required. My unit's Arcanist though..." the Ranger captain shakes her head. "She didn't make it.  I'll do some asking around, but as usual most Rangers are out and about on empire business, so I'm not certain I could find a suitable mage for you."

 The Esterwald estate 
"Thank you, mr. Cogturner." Eduard doesn't seem to be particularly bothered by Bolten's comment on taking his time to make certain it works. "If it proves impossible to deliver a safe solution before the harvest festival despite your best efforts, I'll understand, of course. Attending with the support of servants would still be marginally better than something going awry with your creation. Still, if you can manage in time, house Esterwald will be very grateful." He stands up from behind his desk and extends his hand for Bolten to shake. "If there's anything else you need from us, don't hesitate to ask."
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Shandara nods at the mention of the divine caster. Then she eventually asks,  "Whoever it is need not be a member of the guild, necessarily.. But what of the ritual itself? Is it written down anywhere? As you can imagine, it would take extra time to prepare for such an enchantment. It might take longer than it takes you to find a suitable mage..." 
DeTess
 The Ranger's guild 
"I should have some information on the ritual  somewhere here." captain Eshanel gets up and walks to the bookcase. She picks out a roughly bound book with all kinds of loose pages sticking out of it. She picks out several of these, and hands them to Shandara. "These are the notes Elizae made on the ritual in preparation for our assault. I assume you could find the full version somewhere in your Society's archives as well."

 
 Spoiler: Elizae's notes on the ritual 

The notes do describe it in full, but its clear that whoever wrote them mostly did so for personal use, and they weren't really intended to explain the ritual to anyone else.

The ritual consists of three steps. First two inward focused magic circles are cast. First a magic circle against evil is put in place, and then what looks like an altered version of a magic circle against good. The notes contain a diagram for how this last one is to be cast, with a note that it's only purpose is to keep all the positive energy that will be pumped into the circle from going elsewhere.

The second step consists of the cleric channeling the power of their deity into the interior of the circle. This step has very little explanation, but Elizae does note that  'while Duncan does his thing, I need to focus on maintaining the circles, and be ready to counter any attempts by the Deathless King's spirit to escape'. 

The final step involves sundering the protections the Deathless King has against positive energy, and the bindings that keep its soul locked to the mortal realm. This is like a standard Dispel effect, but a lot more precise, and with a lot more power behind it, requiring both caster's to cooperate on the casting to muster the required strength.

The final sentence of the note reads:  'If all goes well, the creature will suddenly find itself without any sort of protection in an area that might as well be the plane of positive energy for all the difference it'll make. This should completely destroy what passes for its soul in a matter of seconds.' 
 
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Shandara skims through the notes at first. She purses her lips, not like a kiss, but one of some disappointment and confusion.  "It seems to work different from what I thought. It basically just overwhelms them with positive energy.. and traps the soul so it cannot leave the circle to be sure of its destruction.."  She reads over the notes again, more carefully.

She makes a face again.  "Hm. I'll try to find the ritual in our archives as well. But I am thinking that I'd need to come up with a slightly different approach. I will still need the aid of Duncan later.. I will meet you again in some days. Is this the only place I can find you?" 
Sønderjye
 RAF - Psionics department 

After running the experiments Z is a little worried about the headache. He wasn't expcting that and getting a headache after messing with your own mind is definitely a red flag. Normally forgetting a memory shouldn't cause headaches and similarly noticing your senses similarly shouldn't. He had a few ideas as to why it might be. One scenario was that the connections to the original memory still existed however they just lead to a blank area in the mindspace and the lose connections was causing the headache. A more potentially dangerous scenario was that the abrupt removal of the memory was interpreted by the soul as an attack and the headache was a symptom of a mild defensive stance. For recovering the enhanced memory it could just that the senses were sharper than he was used to and it either could be fixed with being able to selectively ignore parts of the memory or with growing accustomed to the sharper senses. Regardless, Z didn't know before he look a proper look at his mind space.

"Yes I'll pay your fee," Z says trying to keep his annoyance from his face as he hands over the 80 gp. He then proceeds to scan his mind to see what exactly caused the headache and to see how it looks both with and without the memory. Additionally he uses a tool to see whether the module he used to sever the psychic connection between the donor and the memory works as intended.
DeTess
 RAF - Psionics department 
The reason for the fee become clearer as Z is brought to a room with a rather sophisticated rig. A comfortable looking chair is positioned in the middle of the room. The device is positioned in the middle of what seems like a large gyroscope, but rather than the chair moving, the large rig allows for a variety of arcane instruments to be moved around.

"Please, take a seat." A youngish elf wearing a white coat is standing at a bank of controls, next to the chair. "This'll take about half an hour all told." He tells Z. "You can do some light reading while I work, but try to avoid anything more stressful than that. And before you ask...." he raises a hand, forestalling a question "... this will not allow me to read your mind or anything like that. I'll just be checking whether there are any gaps where memories are supposed to be, as well as looking for any other anomalies in your cognitive processes."

***

Half an hour later the various spinning instruments come to a rest, and the elf steps up towards where Z is seated. "The good news is that there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with your cognitive processes. The head-ache you mentioned was probably just a stress-response from whatever experiment you where running, and isn't a sign of any sort of permanent damage." He takes a moment to let that sink in and consult some notes. However, you have lost a memory, probably about an event in the past month. Based on the size of the hole, it's either something that had a lot of emotional charge for you, or alternatively, it would be about a full day's worth of memories. Does this mean anything to you? Any unexplained holes in your memory that you know of?"
Prehysterical
 The Esterwald Estate 

Surprised by the friendly gesture from the noble, Bolten stands up (on account of his shorter height) and shakes Eduard's hand with a shy smile.  "I will keep my requests reasonable, serrah." 
Sønderjye
 RAF - Psionics department 

 
 Originally Posted by Unnamed NPC 
  "The good news is that there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with your cognitive processes. The head-ache you mentioned was probably just a stress-response from whatever experiment you where running, and isn't a sign of any sort of permanent damage."  
 

 "Would you mind elaborating?"  Z asks after hearing the diagnose.  "What kind of stress response and what provoked it? I was under the understanding that trying to remember a missing memory only resulted in not being able to remember it and not in headaches? And what about the enhanced memory viewing?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Unnamed NPC 
 " However, you have lost a memory, probably about an event in the past month. Based on the size of the hole, it's either something that had a lot of emotional charge for you, or alternatively, it would be about a full day's worth of memories. Does this mean anything to you? Any unexplained holes in your memory that you know of?"  
 

 "Nothing I was expecting to be of that caliber,"  Z says, concern apparent in his voice:  "Is there a way it can be restored?" 
DeTess
 The Esterwald estate 
After finishing his meeting with Eduard Esterwald the younger, Bolten is led back to the estate entrance by a servant. before leaving he's handed a sheet of paper containing all the measurements of the Baron's legs and feet that he might need for his project.

 The Psionics department 
"Ah, let me think for a moment about the best way to explain this..." The Elf stares of in the distance for a couple of seconds, before continuing. "There's an essential difference between naturally forgetting things and magically losing a memory. Naturally forgetting things affects not just one memory, but a lot of associated memories as well. Like, you might remember one or two things from when you where very young, but most of the rest of those memories have gone. Your mind considers this decay as just a natural part of the landscape of your memory. But magical or alchemical removal of a memory leaves a hole. You've got perfectly fine memories from before the event, and from after the event, but not from the event itself, and this bothers the mind. The harder you try to remember it, the more parts of your mind start panicking as it knows there should be something there, but it's gone. That naturally puts quite a bit of stress on your system, which results in the head-ache."

"I can't really speak for the head-ache caused by the other part of your memory." He shrugs. "It was probably due sensory overload combined with the stress you'd already put on your mind. I expect the head-ache to fade in a matter of hours."

"As for your missing memory, we might be able to restore that, though it depends on the method used to remove it. If someone with a lot of skill at removing memories got to take their time removing this one then it's probably gone forever, but if it was a quicker spell or an alchemical solution then I reckon we could bring most of it back. It'd have decayed a bit though, as if it's something that happened a year, rather than a couple of weeks ago." The elf walks to a small cabinet in the room, unlocks the door and takes a out a small bottle. "If the memory was erased with traditional means, then this should restore it. Just take it tonight just before you go to sleep. The potion will knock you out for a couple of hours while it attempts to repair the paths in your memory that have been cut loose, and if it works you should remember things again in the morning when you wake up."

After giving the potion to Z he turns back to his notes, before suddenly straightening, as if suddenly remembering something. "Ah, one thing though. As you don't seem to know what this memory could be, it'd be best if you made sure you aren't alone when you wake up. Have a friend or family member be nearby, just in case the memory you lost was something that had better been left forgotten."
Sønderjye
 The Psionics department 

Z nods along as the elf explains. That seemed definitely to be worth the 80 gp.

When given the potion he studies it for a bit.  "How does it work? I thought the memory was gone, how is it reconstructed?" 
DeTess
 The Psionics department 
"Right, if the memory is actually fully erased, then getting it back is very difficult." The elf explains. "By which I mean, if you're willing to spend a year or so on call as my test subject, I might be able to figure out a way to get a tiny bit of it back. It's what I'm writing my thesis on." He raises his hand in a placating gesture to forestall any objections. "However, most methods that cause amnesia don't go that far, because it either requires full cooperation, is very difficult to accomplish, takes a lot of time, requires some really expensive components, or some combination of these. Generally, an amnesia spell or potion just cuts off all connections that would allow you to access the memory, but the memory itself is left intact. Over time it'll whither away like any other memory you stop bringing up, but if you get to it within a month or two it's possible to restore the connections. That's what that potion does."
Prehysterical
 Bolten's Workshop 

After leaving the estate and receiving the baron's measurements, Bolten wastes no time in heading back to his workshop. There is some serious brainstorming to be done.

With paper and quill, the dwarf quickly sets to work. The measurements prove invaluable in keeping the design tight and constrained, providing a set of operational limits that Bolten must work within. He can't make this too bulky because this has to be a chassis that the baron is able to sit comfortably in and there can't be so many exterior parts that it shreds whatever seating the noble uses. The basic design for the leg braces become like a lighter suit of armor with plenty of crossing elements for support and to disperse force. The back area with the seating and the upper part of the calves are designed to be able to swing open like a door and allow the man to slide his legs into and out of the apparatus. The primary clockwork gears are placed on the sides of the hips, at the front and back of the knees, and in front of the ankle area. Along with the obvious forward and backward motion of the gears, a central gear will also be necessary to allow for flexing movements and twisting. A fair bit of resistance will have to be set for these particular gears, however; Bolten shudders at the thought of them twisting  too far ... The swinging gate entry design also might allow for the baron to open the back in case he needed to... use the facilities. Bolten does what he can to incorporate a similar swinging gate design on the front of the chassis. The baron will be wearing pants underneath these, anyway, so it won't be scandalous.

Now comes the issue of controls... Earlier, Bolten had mentioned a control rod like golems use, but he's not sure how cost-effective that really is. On the one hand, it's far easier to control a set of legs than an entire body. On the other hand, the demands for precision are higher and Bolten is not a fan of binding elemental spirits to any of his machinery. An external set of control switches or levers is an obvious alternative, but that does create problems with an asymmetrical design and the potential for accidental brushes against the controls. Perhaps having a lid to cover the controls when not being used will be sufficient? There may also be the potential for a circlet or crown that would allow mental command of the legs, just like normally, but Bolten worries that such magic may be beyond him. It might even be worth considering multiple methods of control just to be on the safe side in case one fails. The old man would not be easy to move in such a state if the device froze up after control measures failed for whatever reason.

As for the power source, Bolten wonders if winding the apparatus every day will be sufficient enough for the baron's needs. He is aware that the humanoid body does naturally produce its own electricity, so there is the potential to utilize that to minimize power usage while the legs are in standby. Perhaps some sort of arcane battery, either separate or present on the chassis itself? He'll need to see what the most efficient method of powering the movements will be. Time to do some research...

Before engaging in study, Bolten also tinkers with a few rough sketches of adding quality of life features like belt loops, a collapsible grasping hook that can be attached to a holster on one leg, sealed compartments for holding objects of varying sizes and importance, and even a foldable cup holder. At a certain point, Bolten forces himself to put the pen down. He only has so much real estate to work with and the essentials came first. He begins pouring over reading materials, trying to turn the hypothetical into plausible.
Elbeyon
 The Goldrow Bank 

Zeal hops over the teller’s counter and crouches down to avoid the front guards. She crouch walks while searching behind the counter for some way to bypass the security in the next room. At the backdoor, she lowers her tinted glasses and raises a different pair off around her neck and to her eyes. The sheath in her wrist straightens enough to release lockpick tools into her hand. She inserts a pry bar into the lock, straightens the disks, and tensions the lock. A hook slides in through lock's disks, and she quickly picks the lock. She slips inside the security hallway.

She whistles in her head and tries not to set off any magic trips by looking haphazardly. That is a lot of tiles. She switches her glasses. She searches the floor/walls/ceiling for a bypass that would allow her to avoid the hallway. A secret door? A master switch? She didn’t find anything on the way down. The tiles themselves could be the answer.

There could be a way to cross them safely. She pulls out paper and paths her route. She doesn’t have to disable every trap. She only needs to make a safe route and disable the traps she can’t avoid. The magic traps are the hardest to avoid. If she discovers a pattern to the tiles, she could potentially find safer tiles faster, though she would still need to check each one individually. She takes time to search out the traps near her and from afar.

A sealed jar comes out of her backpack. She unstops the lid and pours sand at her feet. She presses her mind upon the psychoactive sand and shapes the sand to her will. If the tiles allow instead of jumping from tile to tile like the gymnast she isn’t, she will create a solid bridge from safe tile to safe tile and walk across and disable any traps in her way.
DeTess
 The Ranger's guild 
"This'll be the most reliable place to find me. I've still got some healing to do and reports to finish on the mission against the creature. If I'm not here...." The ranger considers for a moment. "... there's half a  dozen places I could be. I'll ask the caretakers to point you in the right direction in that case. Which reminds me, I don't think I caught your name, miss Artificer of the Royal Artificery society."
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 
 "Oh, right..! It's Shandara. Just Shandara, if you would please."  Her last name, if she even technically had one still, was missing.

 "Farewell, captain,"  she said, as she stood up and took her leave.

--

Hm. There was a lot of stuff Shandara was wanting to do at once, she felt. Not overwhelming, but her time definitely needed to be managed more. Before she headed back to the campus area where her home and the archives were, she swung by the markets to try and find some ingredients for a drink she was thinking of.

 Market District - Raspugobble's Emporium 

Despite calling itself an emporium, the place was actually a little small, dingy, and cramped full of stuff. Who is to say how old all the stuff in the jars and bottles really were? But a trained eye could at least tell much of the stuff was hard to come by. Many things were not from the surface, and much of what was from the surface blended well with the rest for more potent, more stable, more strange alchemical concoctions.

A shrewd hobgoblin ran the place, who undoubtedly knew his stuff. He was probably a skilled alchemist too, but oddly enough not part of the society. Probably because he had many black market dealings on the side too, which he may have found far more lucrative and fitting for his lifestyle. And whenever Shandara had come in, he always looked at her with a creepy, toothy grin.

Still, there weren't many other places to find such ingredients. Shandara knows she had looked.. though given the size of Vaungate, it was a lot to look through. She had found this place, perhaps only by chance.
Sønderjye
 The Psionics department 
 "That does sound interesting,"  Z responds when the elf elaborates on his thesis project:  "No promises about being a test subject but I am starting to dapple into Mnemomancy myself so it is interesting. What are your ideas of how restoration could happen for a fully deleted memory?" 
 "That's actually quite an elegant solution,"  he rumenates for a long second before continueing:  "How does it locate the memory it wants to restore, how does it create the connections, and what would happen if it tried to restore a memory that was in fact gone?" 
DeTess
 The Psionics department 

"Ah, the methods I'm studying are mostly theoretical at the moment, but..." The elf thinks for a moment. "You might have noticed while trying to recall that memory that you'd lost that eventually you did start to remember things, but the thing you remembered was a composite of other, similar memories. Still, those memories did at least concern the same topic, so there is some part of the mind that still knows what the lost memory was about. I'm studying that mechanism and seeing if I can use it to get a more accurate restoration."

"Regarding the potion, it doesn't exactly target a specific missing memory. Rather, it restores all sundered memory connections, or as many as it has power for at least. If you had a lot of holes in your memory than you might need to take multiple doses, but that isn't the case for you. The connections themselves are restored by... I suppose you could say they're 'extrapolated outward until they hit the memory they were initially connected to', but that's a gross oversimplification of the architecture of the mind. I could lend you several texts in the topic if you're interested."
Sønderjye
 The Psionics department 
 "That does sound like a really interesting,"  Z replies. He is thoughtful for a moment before putting that thought behind:  "Where can I read about your research once you are ready to publish it?" 
 "Ah, I see,"  Z responds:  "I am definitely interested in those." 

Once their conversation is about to be over but before he leaves he says:  "This have been a very fruitful conversaiton. Allow me to compensate you for your time." He hands over a few coin: "Would you be open to be contacted in case I stumble across other challenges when working with mnemonics?" 

If he says yes Z will exchange names and contact information.
DeTess
 The Psionics department 
"I expect my research would be available in the archives, as well as here at the department. It'll be a while yet before I'm ready to publish anything, however." The elf responds.

he refuses the offer of money. "Don't worry about it, it is always nice tot alk to someone else interested in this field. I'm happy to discuss things again in the future if you wish, though I'd like to hear a bit more about your own research as well then. You can drop by the department or sent a message here..." he falls quiet, a look of consternation crossing his face. "Oh, I've done it again, haven't I? Sorry, I have a bad habit of forgetting to introduce myself. The people here at the department call me Reno, you can as well."
WindStruck
Shandara buys a mildly hallucinogenic mushroom from the seedy hobgoblin's shop, as well as some clumps of edible phosphorescent moss she recognizes from underground. Also at his store, she buys ingredients for the counter-poisons to Blackfinger's Salt, Dark Reaver Powder, and 'Oil of Restfulness', some common ingested poisons assassins would use to incapacitate or outright slay their marks. And also, a small vial of spider venom.

Out in the more mundane markets, she also picks up a couple of other nice mushrooms which would be great for fermenting, and some rich, aromatic spices. Not just any would do. Most would break down during the fermentation process, and so she had to carefully select one that would maintain most of its flavor.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
So... could I get a cost estimate for all this?
 


She returns home from her shopping trip with the sun already sinking below the horizon. Then she sets to work, in her kitchen, chopping up and grinding the mushrooms and moss into a paste. Ah, she would need a  sweetener too.. or something else for the yeast to feed on. It just so happened that she had a jar of giant ant royal jelly..  or at least, half a jar left.

It was a bit of an exotic sweetener she used in tea sometimes. Oh well, might as well use the rest of it so she didn't have to go out again. It would be a fitting addition to the mixture. Being a type of honey, the giant ant's royal jelly typically would not go bad. However, if diluted with some water, and kept warm, a spore life form like yeast should thrive in it without issues.

Shandara decided that she would add the spices later and the counter-poisons last. But the spider venom was probably best going in now. With the sweetened fungal/moss concoction on a very low heat, Shandara's stomach was rumbling for some dinner, and after that, she headed to the archives to see if she could find this ritual used to slay a Deathless King.

Also, there were a few other questions that Shandara was hoping to answer while in the archives: was positive energy alone enough to destroy a twisted soul of an undead? And if destroyed, was unbinding it from the mortal realm even necessary?

 
 Spoiler: rolls 
knowledge: religion  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] 
knowledge: arcana:  (1d20+18)[ 29 ] 
knowledge: planes:  (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 

with library bonus
 
Prehysterical
 Bolten's workshop 

Studies prove to be beneficial, but not all-encompassing. Powering the apparatus will be relatively easy. All he really needs is a small bit of Ghost's Crystal to serve as the "heart" of the clockwork machine. Cut properly, it could provide the force for moving the gears without a monstrous amount of energy.

  Hmmm... Maybe I can get Shandara to help me with that? She's a jeweler, after all. I could either pay her or owe her a favor...  

The control system proves to be more of an issue. Making a sealed control box for the chassis seems doable, but the means to make a control "crown" work elude him. Bolten briefly debates putting up a notice on the commission board before deciding that he doesn't want to deal with the turn-around time. Gathering his notes, Bolten makes his way down to the Artificery Department of the Society grounds. It would be too much to hope to meet with Curator Dustmark himself, but perhaps someone there might help put him on the right track.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'd ask if anyone wants to jump in with this particular bit, but it seems like everyone is busy doing their own thing.
 
DeTess
 The Artificery department 
The Artificery department is a large, blocky building connected to the archives by a raised walkway. like all department buildings it contains a multitude of lecture halls, study rooms and workshops. The insides are a warren of stairs, hallways and rooms, with a multitude of signs providing the minimum of information needed to get around. however, there is a reception desk next to the main entrance, with a bored looking gnome sitting behind it, reading a book.
Elbeyon
 The Goldrow Bank  

She double checks the tile from the left wall, that had the greatest pressure, to search out more information. Zeal works to temporarily stop the trigger mechanism and digs underneath the tile to disable the suspected trap. If/when she thinks she disabled that (false) trap, she will move up a row and double check the three adjacent second row tiles for traps. The riddle remains unsolved, but the answer may lie in the second row. She obsessively searches for the answer to the puzzle. There is a joy to be found in exploring the unknown, not sure if underneath the next rock is poisonous gas or a key.
WindStruck
After researching the night away, Shandara was fairly confident about making this sword. However, it was a bit more involved than anticipated. Shandara did have a plan, however. It involved inserting four enchanted gems into the sword's hilt:

The first gem removes the protections from positive energy. Basically a dispelling effect.

The second gem sunders the bond keeping the soul tied to the material plane. Another powerful dispelling effect.

The third gem makes a seal upon the creature's body, which traps all positive energy within. Yet another abjuration.

The fourth gem unleashes a torrent of positive energy into the target.

Each gem is activated with a command word. The wielder of the weapon can activate a gem and make a melee attack as part of a standard action. Shandara also notes that while the first three gems can effectively hold their charge, should the attack miss or be ineffective, the last gem has so much energy stored up that it needs to hit the target immediately after being activated, or much of the energy is lost and wasted. Also, while the soul is not necessarily trapped within the undead body during this process, it's still not going to be leaving the body until the body is destroyed. And with so much positive energy being infused at once, the soul is still going to be severely damaged by time it's all over. But regardless, even if the soul isn't completely destroyed, that's what the second gem is for.

She  also  notes that this sword, aside from the obvious physical harm it can do, could be devastating on a living target as well. When life is infused with too much positive energy, and the excess has nowhere to go, it tends to become... "existentially unstable".

With a formulated plan, Shandara decides to design the enchantments for each gem, taking her time in the archives to get this right.

 
 Spoiler: rolls and stuff 
I'm guessing it would take 1-2 days to design each enchantment. Probably also includes a type/shape of gem ideal for each enchantment as well.

In addition to using the archives to help her, she'll use investigative mind for each enchantment as well.

gem 1: Remove Positive Energy Protection
spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 31 ] 
spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 29 ] 

gem 2: Soul Unbinding
spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 33 ] 
spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 21 ] 

gem 3: Seal in Positive Energy
spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 29 ] 
spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 32 ] 

gem 4: Positive Energy Reservoir
spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 35 ] 
spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 28 ] 


Do let me know if Shandara needs some additional help designing these.  And yes, they're only designs, not the actual making of them. I guess we will need help infusing the gems with magic. Especially the 4th one. The way the 4th gem works is, the enchantment just stores positive energy and unleashes it upon command. So a divine caster needs to actually channel positive energy into it.
 
Elbeyon
 The Goldrow Bank 

Zeal's eyes grow with understanding as she arms the tile. Her arm pumps as the puzzle is solved. The more resistant tiles are safe, except the one she ruined, while the more sensitive tiles are likely traps to be avoided. Her discovery will sadly not get a song and dance. She steps back with her tools and grabs her sand jar. A crazy idea forms in her head. She thinks she can cross the maze of traps without disarming a single one and she could leave the room with more traps than when she first entered. Before she starts, she will lock the door behind her so no one knows she entered. She stands at the middle row, fine sand glittering down from her jar, and sand seeping beneath the stone. The sand forms into supports and hardens like iron to support Zeal. She will walk forward while creating her own floor.

 
 Spoiler: Checks 
 (1d20+16)[ 22 ] 
 
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

After some days, Shandara returns to the ranger's guild, traversing the same dreary hallway in search of Captain Eshanel. The arcane designs for the gems she planned to use were safely in her pack, and a single sheet of parchment was in her hands with some simple notes on her work. Basically, what she did was explained shortly in layman's terms, and the bottom half of the sheet was some reminders of other topics for Shandara to cover as well.

(assuming the captain is there, alone)

Shandara gently raps on the door again and asks,  "Captain Eshanel? I've come regarding the sword. Do you have some moments?" 
DeTess
 The Ranger's guild 
Captain Eshanel looks much like she did when Shandara first saw her, though she looks a bit healthier. The scarred part on her face doesn't look quite as bad, and where she'd exuded an aura of weariness before, she now seems more energetic. "Yes, I can make some time for you." She responds to Shandara's question. "Take a seat, and tell me what you've come up with."
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Shandara sits down and explains,  "The magic for the ritual can be broken up into several parts. What I have done is.. designed it in such a way, as to be stored in gems on the sword. There would be four gems in total. You activate each command word and then you must strike the Deathless King. In particular, the final gem is troublesome. Storing a large amount of positive energy and releasing it quickly is difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. When the fourth gem is activated, the sword would need to stay lodged in the Deathless King for a while, for the positive energy to flood into his body."  When pressed for more detail, Shandara can effectively convey to the captain that this duration is one-two rounds.

 "It's probably not so simple as you originally envisioned it, but it's certainly less than ten minutes in the heat of battle. Does all this sound acceptable?"  she asks.
DeTess
 The Ranger's guild 
Eshanel nods as Shandara finishes her explanation. "That should do. Keeping the sword in place would be difficult if the Deathless King is still at full strength, but I expected to have to beat the creature down again anyway, so that's acceptable. One thing though. Could you try to make sure that it's possible to quickly recharge these crystals in the field, just in case? I'll have several casters with me that could provide the energy needed, but it needs to be possible to do it quickly, in the heat of combat if necessary. I realize this might not be possible for that final gem, but I'd like to have that as an option on the others at the very least. "
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Shandara thinks on the question a bit and frowns.  "Hm. But there is just one Deathless King to fight anyway, right?"  She shakes her head with some disappointment.

 "You see, the gems I designed actually store each spell inside them. You'd need to cast each spell individually anyway, with the aid of a magic circle to properly direct the magic into each gem. I think overall, the process would take longer than the original ritual used...  But regardless, if the spell needs to be cast to charge the gems, that begs the question of why not just cast them directly on the Deathless King in the first place?" 

Shandara looks down in some thought.  "Or did you mean that any mage could just funnel their mana reserves into the weapon and recharge the spells that way?? That seems.. no, that would definitely be far more complicated and consume much of your casters' power, if not all of it inefficiently..." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I think that assessment is correct? It's like, instead of building a gadget yourself,
you dump a bunch of raw materials into a machine
that builds the gadget for you. So this machine needs to be very precise (more precise than the original spells), and it also needs to consume power making the gadget,  and the gadget itself needs power to run...
 


Shandara clears her throat and asks,  "Um, may I ask why you are requesting this? Does the Deathless King have some resistance to magic, or other ways of nullifying spells?" 
DeTess
 the Ranger's guild 

"The creature was capable of casting spells. I don't know if it can counter or disrupt spells, but I also don't know for certain that it can't. Some of its underlings also retain some spellcasting ability, even in death." The captain shrugs. "I'm not an Artificer though. If your design is the best I can hope for, it'll have to do. Then I'll just have to be very careful about when I use its power. Still, if you can think of some way to build in some redundancy, it'd give me some peace of mind."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Yeah, your assessment is correct, adding what she wants would make it far more complicated (not necessarily impossibly so, but it'd become very tricky), unless you come up witha  evry different method.
 
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Shandara offers,  "I think the most practical thing to do as a backup is scribe some scrolls the casters on your team can use. That should cover the first three effects. As for the last, even if you were to completely miss your opportunity and waste it.. it isn't strictly necessary. Your divine brethren could still infuse him with positive energy directly, and that should stick."  She shrugs.  "Or, I imagine hacking him to pieces and incinerating his body once his soul has been unbound should do the trick." 

Satisfied with her answer, Shandara asks,  "There is a different subject matter that I wanted to bring up. As I understand, some types of undead have certain resistances to damage. Now, are you absolutely certain the type of weapon you need is a long sword? And might other types of materials be advantageous aside from tempered steel?" 
DeTess
 The Ranger's Guild 
The captain shakes her head. "I've got a warhammer as back-up weapon for smashing skeletons, but nothing of the kind is needed for the Deathless King. They have enough flesh remaining that a weapon like a sword isn't at risk of hitting only air." "If you know of a particular weapon type that could work better I could take a look, but I'm most skilled with the long-sword. As for material..." She gets up, opens the chests tanding at the foot of her bed, and picks up the remains of a longsword. It's bright shine shows that it has been silvered, and Shandara's trained eye can pick up the remains of some enchantment on it.

"I used a silvered sword last time, but it didn't seem particularly bothered by that. My unit's scout fights with cold iron shortswords, but that didn't seem to matter much one way or another either. It hurt the creature, but no more than you'd expect a weapon wielded with skill to hurt it. I did look into other what other materials might be of use against undead, but most sources I could access talked about either silvering the weapon, or specific enchantments. Maybe you'll have more luck though."
Prehysterical
 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
  The Artificery department 
The Artificery department is a large, blocky building connected to the archives by a raised walkway. like all department buildings it contains a multitude of lecture halls, study rooms and workshops. The insides are a warren of stairs, hallways and rooms, with a multitude of signs providing the minimum of information needed to get around. however, there is a reception desk next to the main entrance, with a bored looking gnome sitting behind it, reading a book. 
 

Fortunately for the shy dwarf, Bolten remembers one name in particular from a posted notice weeks ago. He heads up to the third floor, looking for the office of Rufus Fallowhide. Perhaps Bolten's contraption would be sufficiently interesting for the researcher to give some advice...
DeTess
 The Artificery department 
It takes a bit of searching, but eventually Bolten finds himself in front of a small office on the third floor, the small name tag reading 'Rufus Fallowhide'. Upon knocking, a reedy voice calls him inside.

The office itself is cramped, filled with bookshelves wit only the thinnest of pathways in between. There's just about room for a medium creature to maneuver mantelshelves to the desk, but most of the rest of the room seems to be build with a decidedly smaller occupant in mind. Rufus himself is a middle-aged halfling, with thinning grey hair and a set of glasses perched precariously on his nose. A large tome is open on his desk, which he'd probably been studying. "Yes?" He stretches the one word out into a question when the dwarf has made his way to his desk.
Sønderjye
Called to it a day for formal research Z had a different kind of research that he wanted to do if he wanted to use this memory stuff as part of the drink competition. He needed actually exciting memories. As such he needed to find people with unique or at least strong memories that were suitable for public comsumption.

 As such he walked down to the adventurer's guild, hoping to find an adventurer that have seen majestic ancient monuments, experienced the beauty of nature, had a strong feeling of awe, or something to that extend. He have the ranger's guild as a backup if he can't find an adventurer's guild but he imagines that they are more local and thus would have less exotic experiences. 
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 
 "Alright,"  Shandara says.  "I am thinking of one particular alloy at the moment, of mithril and copper, which is exceptionally good at conducting magical energy and about as strong..."  She frowns a bit and adds,  "Of course, with the recent shortages, it would be harder to come by. This project is quite expensive. I would need funds up front and would expect further compensation upon delivery." 

After checking her paper again and doing some math in her head, she continues,  "I'd estimate the material for the sword alone would cost two thousand gold pieces or more. Finding a smith to craft it to the specifications may take another five hundred gold. As for all the gems, cutting them, preparing them, enchanting them, I believe that would cost around five thousand pieces. And lastly, if you'd like some backup scrolls for the mages in your group, those typically run at 525 gold pieces each for spells of this power. And furthermore, if you would want the weapon itself enchanted to always be effective against undead...  we are looking at a cost of about seventeen thousand gold." 

She looks at the captain with some concern.  "Is your guild prepared to pay such an amount?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
and I just thought of another idea too.  Her old sword looks  really  chewed up.  Maybe another enchantment to make the one we are making more durable?
 
DeTess
 The Ranger's guild 
Captain Eshanel doesn't even flinch as Shandara names the amount. "That's acceptable."

Perhaps noticing some confusion, she explains a bit more. "We at the Ranger's guild keep the empire safe from the worst boogeymen. In return we're very well funded. For a Deathless-King-slaying sword, even if it's a one-shot weapon, 17000 gold pieces is an acceptable price. I can arrange a contract and for half to be paid upfront in a day or so. How long do you think it'll take to finish the weapon?"
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

The mythril-copper alloy should be more sturdy than a silvered sword. You don't know the exact situation that wrecked it though, so its hard to judge from that alone.
 
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Shandara raises a finger and says, with a very slight smile,  "Well, the sword  could  be recharged. Um, technically it's the gems. But as I said, it's a lengthy process: longer than the original rituals. It's why I did not think it practical out on the field.." 

When asked about how long it would take to make the sword, Shandara says,  "Mm... I am no weapons expert, but I think crafting the sword would take at least two weeks. I should be able to have the magic part of that within the time frame." 

Looking over at the captain's old silvered long sword, Shandara asks,  "If I may, what happened to your other sword? Did it get into that condition just from normal use?" 
DeTess
 The Ranger's guild 
"Two weeks is fine. That should give me enough time to finish recruiting and prepare for our next expedition." The ranger captain responds.

When asked about the state of her old sword, captain Eshanel looks slightly embarrassed. "This happened when we where fighting our way out of the Deathless king's Tomb. I'd already lost my warhammer in the scramble when we got ambushed by some kind of huge animated stone scorpion. The longsword isn't a good weapon for fighting creatures like that, but it was all I had left at that point. I've no intention of using the new sword you're making that way though."
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 
 "Hopefully not.. It might be a good idea for me to look into ways to strengthen the weapon further.. Hopefully, we can make the sword last. Make it a little treasure of the guild, hmm?" 

Shandara looks down, tapping a finger on her other hand and adds.  "Actually, captain.. that does remind me. I don't think I can put direct enchantments on the blade until after it is finished. So, you should expect the sword to be finished in about three weeks, I think." 
 "Aside from the person Duncan you mentioned, would any of the other mages on your team be able to help with the enchantment or the scrolls? That should also reduce your costs." 
Prehysterical
 The Artificery Department 

Bolten makes his way carefully through the maze of books to the halfling's desk. He greets Rufus's question with a patient smile.  "I hear that you are looking into alternative methods for controlling automatons. As it just so happens, I am designing a pair of clockwork legs for a client and am looking for a method that will allow mental control of the apparatus. I was hoping that... well, we could collaborate. You get your test subject and I find a more user-friendly way to control the legs." 
Elbeyon
 The Goldrow Bank 

A click and whoosh end with two thuds like pickaxes into wet dirt. Sharp pain freezes Zeal from taking another step. The sand flowing towards the floor hardens into stone and stops mid-air. Her violet eyes widen at the two darts poking out of her leg. She can not speak. A numb sensation pushes into her leg and she rapidly files through all the horrible outcomes. She had expected poison might be used as a nonlethal way to capture testers, but the delivery method had caught her unexpectedly unaware. Her hand slips into her belt and retrieves a small vial. She pulls down on her mask and drinks an antitoxin. That will have to keep her going. She can only hope her body fights off the poison. The hardened sand breaks apart by her will and creates a short bridge from the safe tile to the end of the hallway. She crosses with haste. Her hand pulls out the two yellow sap-tipped darts.

She catches her breath and summons the sand bridge back into the jar. That could have gone much worse. The sand should have worked. The tiles must have been more sensitive than she realized. She stashes the darts in her backpack. She carefully looks forward at the stairs, averting her direct gaze to avoid magical traps. Only if she can get upstairs, she won’t be spotted from the door behind her. She careful walks towards the stairs while keeping an eye out for traps. Only a little farther, the human problem turns into a problem of mechanics and magic. Traps usually are much more patient.

 
 Spoiler: Checks 
Plus a little peek around with Detect Magic!
 
DeTess
 The Ranger's guild 
"If there's a way to strengthen it further without compromising the rest of the functions I won't say not to that." Captain Eshanel responds. "As for help with placing the enchantments, I have recruited a new arcanist for my unit,  but it'll be a little over a week still before she arrives here. I'll aks her to help you afterwards."

 The Artificery Department 
"Ah, that project..." Rufus frowns. "I'm afraid my initial testing wasn't that successful. The theory and execution where sound, but what I'd hoped would allow for very intuitive control right out of the box instead requires a long period and learning of adaptation to properly use."

"Am I right in understanding that this is a project for someone unable to walk on their own? Needing a couple of weeks of hard mental work to train themselves in using my invention might not be all that much of a hurdle then."
WindStruck
Shandara nods and eventually leaves. Not before giving her contact info. She could be sent messages via courier mail, or visited in person at home (usual time constraints). Also, if not there, she was usually at the archives or another library at night. Probably best to arrange meetings slightly in advance.

Now Shandara had a little bit of a predicament. Only getting  half  the funds at first.. and a couple days from now? She was really loathe to start buying up materials and begin diligently working on a project, spending her own money (and it was a  lot  by the way) before a contract was even drawn up.

It seemed she'd have a bit of time to herself to relax then. What she did end up doing was start writing up her own request to put on the notice boards.

A rough draft she came up with: 'Seeking a skilled weapons smith to craft a long sword of unusual material. The hilt also has unique specifications.'

 
 Spoiler: Prehysterical 
You messaged me before about offering help and getting Shandara to help with his own project. Any time you want to show up now is good.
 
Sønderjye
  Imperial Cartographer's guild  

Z walks in the front door at the guild's head quater in town. If there's a receptionist or secretary he presents himself as:  "Master Volenta from the Royal Artificer Society. I have come by a novel way of communicating stories and I was hoping that some of the explorers from your prestigious guild have experiences that would be interesting to an audience. Is there a process to make requests or is any explorers available for a chat today?" 
DeTess
 The Imperial Cartographer's guild 
 The entrance hall off the cartographer's guild is quite modest. It consists of a  small waiting area with several comfortable chairs arranged around a table made form a ship's rudder, a large reception desk with a middle-aged human male manning it and several doors leading deeper into the building. One wall is covered by a huge map of the known world, however. It is wonderfully detailed, but what is most striking about it are the blank spots. Most maps available for sale cover the unknown areas up, either cutting the map off, or filling those area's in with best guesses. This map makes no such compromises however, showing in exacting details what ahs been explored, and in empty whiteness where work is still to be done.

The receptionist seems a bit unsure about how to handle Z's request. He quickly glances around, seeing if there is anyone else that could take voer, but that's not the case. Instead, he asks Z to take a seat in a small waiting area while he quickly asks around. About 10 minutes alter he returns, a gigantic half-orc in two. The half-orc is well over 6 feet tall, and not that much less broad across the shoulders his muscle-bound arms are covered in all manners of tattoos in a myriad different styles, some of which Z might have seen, but most of which look quite exotic. The half-orcs hair is already greying, and the tip of one of his tusks seems to have broken off and some point, and has been replaced with a silver cap.

The receptionist points at Z and the half-orc walks over and carefully lowers himself in one of the chairs. "I am navigator Dol Burzak." He introduces himself. His voice is as deep as his massive frame suggests. "The guy at the reception told me that you're with the Artificery Society and are doing something with stories. I've sailed for the guild for nearly 30 years and have plenty to tell, but I would like to know a bit more about what exactly you're doing first."
Prehysterical
 The Artificery Department 

Bolten's expression brightens at Rufus's hopeful testimony.  "That's great to hear! Er, rather, hearing that it's even possible. Fortunately, I have found a way around that particular problem. I am installing a set of manual controls that the patient can use until they have enough practice to move the apparatus mentally. And yes, this is intended to help someone who is losing the ability to walk.

...So, how did you do it?" 
 Shandara's House, Later that Night 
After his conference with Rufus, Bolten decides to get right on tapping into one of his primary contacts. Mindful of the drow's nocturnal habits, Bolten waits until after dark before making his way to her home. He knocks politely but firmly on her door.  "Hello, Shandara? It's me, Bolten! I apologize if this is a bit forward, but I would appreciate you taking a look at something." 
Elbeyon
 The Goldrow Bank 

Zeal steps off the stairs to the basement. She remains extremely cautious about looking around the hallway and the mirrors. She pulls a mirror out of her own backpack and a small pouch alongside it. She pinches cold iron out of the pouch and sprinkles it on the mirror before rubbing the dust the surface. Reflecting the walls off the mirror, she tries to indirectly view the magical traps. The lichen on her arms is closely observe to allow her to back off if she feels like she might activate the trap. Otherwise, she gets closer without stepping on the trap tiles to see how she might disable the traps to the vault.
DeTess
 The artificery society 
"Right, right, one moment." Rufus gets out of his chair and disappears into the maze of his office. Bolten can hear him move around, accompanied by the noise of rustling paper and drawers being openend and closed. Eventually he returns, carrying a copper circlet inset with small gems, a small wooden box and a stack of paper. "So, this is basically  a scaled down version of the system they use at the psionics department for checking out whether someone has messed up their mind. Now, their system can actually visualize the waveform of someone's thought processes, while this circlet just listens for very specific patterns."

Rufus puts on the circlet and opens the box. Inside the box are half a dozen small rubies, or halves of rubies. The other halves of the gem stones are set in the circlet Rufus is now wearing. "Now watch this." The rubies on the circlet start lighting up one by one, first going clockwise around Rufus' head, then going the other way. As it happens, the corresponding rubies in the box light up as well. "I can activate these rubies as I want by just thinking in the correct way. It's a bit like flexing mental muscles."

"Now, this is just a demonstration model, but you can use it for training as well, as you can swap out the gems easily. In practical applications you'd use paired gems enchanted to do more than just light up. Maybe small chips of ghost crystal to function as actuators or the like." He hands Bolten several sheets of paper. "This is my design for the circlet. You're free to use it and improve on it, but I do want access to your final design in return. You learn from me, I learn from you, and the sum total of both our knowledge has increased."
WindStruck
 Shandara's House 

Shandara's home was a quaint place. Perhaps a bit big considering just one person lived there, but when you factored in all the other stuff she had there, it made sense. It was a two-story brick building, seeming a bit aged but still taken care of. Nobody could ever really see inside, ever, given the heavy drapes that were upon every window. But sometimes, despite that, a window was cracked open in the warmer months.

The house didn't have a porch, though it did have a small stone landing in front of the door with a few steps leading up to it. The front yard of the home was also walled off with the same kind of brick, stylized with intermittent "pillars" and high enough to completely obscure her small frame as it rose above her and a few lanterns for the benefit of people passing by in front, if anything. It was like a miniature courtyard, though both entrance to her home and the gate were a bit off to the same side. A small tree grew near the only logical corner one could fit.

In this courtyard, it was technically Shandara's garden. Though it wasn't particularly well taken care of, at first glance. It seemed to be just full of weeds. Though they seemed pretty healthy and not too overgrown. There was a bird bath in the center of the garden and a small bench near the opposite wall, under the tree.

After Bolten knocked and practically yelled through the door, he may have seen a slight flutter of the curtains before hearing the clicking of some locks, and Shandara slowly, gingerly pulled open the door.

 "Um, hello, Bolten.."  she said awkwardly.  "You said you wanted me to look at something?" 
Sønderjye
 The Imperial Cartographer's guild
 
 "Thank you for gifting me with your time Navigator,"  Z starts:  "I'm working on a bigger project that involve inventing a way to let people experience the memories of others as if they were there. Long term you could imagine letting for instance apprentice navigators experiencing being in the middle of a storm or attack without the risks or you could imagine increasing the understanding between neighbouring countries by allowng people to experience what is it like to live in the other culture without having to risk the journey. In the short term I am looking to see if I can isolate specific parts of memories as a way of showing a prototype and for that I wish to be able to use memories that involved strong positive emotions or sights of ancient structures or incredible nature that cityfolks normally don't experience." 

He gives the orc a moment to digest and ask questions before continueing.  "In practical terms what this means for you is that I'd like to borrow some strong memories, you'll get them fully back, and to let others experience those memories. You'll of course be compensated. Do you have any experiences that you think would be suitable for the good folk of Vaungate?" 
Prehysterical
 The Artificery Society 
Rufus's demonstration draws a quiet clapping of hands and an 'ooh' of delight from Bolten. He accepts the stack of papers thankfully and nods his head in eager compliance.  "Of course, fair is fair... It will likely be a few days, though hopefully not more than four at the absolute most. I will bring these back along with a copy of the design."  The dwarf flashes a jubilant smile at the researcher.  "Thank you very much for your help!" 
 Shandara's House 
Perhaps uncharitably, Bolten was surprised by the amount of effort put into the exterior of Shandara's home. Perhaps she enjoyed spending time outside during the night... Bolten had always been told by anyone he knew that drow usually preferred a stone roof over their heads to the open sky and that wooden roofs were a barely adequate substitute. When Shandara hesitantly answered the door, Bolten nodded his head.  "Yes. May I come in?"  While not necessarily paranoid, Bolten didn't like the idea of discussing a sensitive project out in the open.
 
 Spoiler: OOC for WindStruck 
I'm playing this slow for now since you seem interested in describing Shandara's home, but let me know if I need to speed things up by editing this to get to the point.
 
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara considered Bolten for a brief moment before finally nodding awkwardly and saying,  "Ah, yes.. Of course..."  The situation did indeed feel a bit awkward for the drow. They were quite paranoid creatures after all, and the thought of a dwarf walking up to your home and asking to come in..  oh well. Different times in different places. And the less she thought of how things used to be the better.

Still.. perhaps Shandara felt her home was lacking for a guest anyway. Her workshop and little library were cluttered, the kitchen and lavatories needed a cleaning, and the 'sitting room' or so they called it.. the one room where one might typically keep a guest for a time seemed a bit barren. There was an old sofa and two mismatched chairs that faced a small coffee table one would have to stoop over a bit too far than one would like to set a drink on, or to retrieve it.

Shandara opened the door all the way for Bolten and let him inside, more or less guiding him to this one room with some furniture that didn't really sit together well. After closing the front door behind her, she eventually asks,  "Would you like some tea?" 
DeTess
 The Imperial Cartographer's guild 
The huge navigator takes a bit of time to think over Z's explanation. "Finding a way to make a people walk a mile in another's shoes... Heh, that's actually not a bad idea at all." He responds, the barest hint of a smile crossing his face. This is then quickly replaced by a frown though. "However, I don't like the idea of someone tinkering with my memories, especially since the kind of memories you seem to want would be quite precious to me. What kind of guarantees can you give me that my own memories will remain as they should be?"
Sønderjye
 The Imperial Cartographer's guild
 
 "I'm glad that you think so,"  Z says with a warm smile. It was nice to get praised for your ideas even if his long term ideas were so much grander.

As the frown appears on the orcs face he's afraid of an outright rejection but that the man is at least willing to ask questions means that he isn't fully closed off to the idea

 "I understand your concerns, I too would be worried if someone were to move my memories. However I can guarantee you that your memories will be returned to you in prestine condition. In fact since we are using memory enhancing magic I am willing to put down a deposit that you will be able to recall them in even better detail once they are returned to you. Or is there another guarantee you would prefer?" 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's House 

Fortunately for Shandara, Bolten did not think twice about the state of her home. His own home was sparse in comforts and the dwarf was no interior decorator himself. Bolten gave Shandara a grateful smile at the offer.  "Tea sounds wonderful, thank you!" 

While Shandara prepares the tea, Bolten pulls out his rough schematics and begins setting them on the coffee table. When Shandara comes back, Bolten launches into his explanation.  "So, Shandara, I could use your help with something. I am currently designing a set of clockwork mechanical legs for a client; they will act both as a protective cage for their real legs and provide their own movement. While the actual parts are easy enough, however, my concerns are about a power supply and the client's ability to control the apparatus. I believe that Ghost's Crystal are the answers to both of these problems.

I would need a piece of Ghost Crystal to be carved into a cog shape to provide central power for the overall machinery. Mental control of the machine would be achieved via a circlet embedded with Ghost Crystal shards that correspond with twin pieces strategically inserted throughout the machine. That's where you come in. As a jeweler yourself, you're far more qualified to handle that particular task than I am. I would very much appreciate if you could help me with this. Of course, I understand that you have your own projects going on, so I would be willing to pay you or... is there anything you need help on?" 
DeTess
 The Imperial Cartographer's guild 
"There are two things I'd like to know." Navigator Burzak replies. "First of all, have you tested this method for borrowing memories on yourself? If not, you can come back once you have and we'll talk further. Secondly, how much ontrol do I have in deciding which memories you get to see? Do I decide, or could you pick anything that looked interesting to you if I decided to work with you?
Sønderjye
 The Imperial Cartographer's guild 
 "Good questions,"  Z replies. Flattery was after all a well proven technique.  "I have tested the technique on myself and had myself checked with a through psychic evaluation afterwards with no ill effects. For the second we'll decide on which memories to use together. You have undoubtably memories which you would like private and I fully intend on respecting that." 
WindStruck
 Shandara's House 

Shandara brings out a porcelain tea pot and some small mugs. The pot was hot with little wisps of steam escaping the spout. But it probably wasn't ready yet. She sits down and listens to Bolten's explanation patiently.

 "Oh. Was that the job related to the Esterwalds?"  Shandara asks curiously. She found herself a bit surprised that Bolten took up the task, but it seemed he had already came up with an unexpected solution. Of course, using his clockwork gizmos.. still, Shandara was mildly impressed.

She looks down a bit and to the side and says,  "You're right that I may be busy. I've got gems for another project that I need to cut and enchant, and I need to find a capable weapon smith.." 

Then she looks back up at Bolten curiously.  "Not to be presumptuous, simply because you are a dwarf, but are you able to forge weapons? Or do you know someone that does? I need a sword made of a somewhat unusual material. I think I could find some time to cut ghost crystals for you if you were able to help me with that." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's House 

Bolten's practiced nose tells him that the tea needs more time to steep, but it is well on its way to being good. When Shandara asks about the Esterwalds, Bolten looks back and forth like a child avoiding blame.  "Er, I can neither confirm nor deny that. There was a request to keep this matter discreet,"  he explains.

His expression looks glum at first when Shandara confirms her own projects, but the frown flips upside down as Bolten gives a beaming grin so bright that Shandara's drow eyes might have difficulty.  "Oh, not presumptuous at all! In fact, I have my own forge at the workshop. I make magic weapons from time to time. What sort of unusual material are thinking of? I'm guessing that it's something more exotic than mithral or adamantine."  Bolten asks with question with wide curious eyes, clearly eager to hear about Shandara's own project.
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara shrugged at Bolten's evasive response. As far as she was concerned, that pretty much confirmed her suspicion, but not like there was anything wrong with it. She was just curious, after all. Still she wouldn't pry.

When asked about the blade she needed, she nods and explains,  "Well, the materials are no more exotic than mithril, however I need more of a mithril-copper alloy, which I understand is quite difficult to work with. You see, I'll be enchanting gems placed on the hilt of the blade, and I need to be sure the energy released is properly channeled out of the blade. It's quite problematic for one gem which will hold a massive amount of positive energy. I need to ensure the positive energy flows from the gem, through the blade of the sword, and into what the sword strikes. So I'm also thinking I need more of a 'vein' of copper touching that gem and running through the core of the sword? If that's even possible..." 

Shandara looks at Bolten appraisingly.  "Do you think you could manage something like that?" 

Since it had been a while, she lifted the teapot and poured each a cup. The flavor was distinctly minty. Peppermint?
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

The mention of a mithril-copper alloy immediately gets Bolten's attention and sets the cogs in his head spinning with possibilities. As he listens, however, his brow furrows in thought. Bolten sips at the tea, his second sip more restrained when the minty flavor of the tea is apparent. He hums in thought before giving his answer.  "I  could , sure enough, but I feel like there has to be a better way to transfer this positive energy. Perhaps a series of focusing runes might be more efficient at directing this energy than copper wire, but even then, there might be other alternatives that can channel the positive energy more effectively." 

Bolten sets down his cup and begins listing off options on his fingers.  "For example, Elysian bronze might be a more expensive but effective substitute. Yes, it is typically used more against magical beasts than undead, which is what I am guessing the positive energy is for, but perhaps an alloy from the higher planes might have an easier time accommodating positive energy. We dwarves also have special methods for forging steel to direct thermal energy away toward or away from us. I haven't heard of anyone trying to adjust those techniques for positive energy, but it can't be too different in principle, right? I've also heard that the roots of the wyrwood tree are sometimes used to make spears or quarterstaffs capable of stealing and storing life force. Perhaps the wood of the weapon itself could be used to hold some of the positive energy? It sounds like you're more interested in metal weapons, but it may be an option, even if my own experience with wyroot is admittedly limited." 

The dwarf stops to take a long sip of tea before continuing.  "...You know, I keep making suggestions off the cuff, but that's perhaps the wrong way to go about it. If it's not too much trouble, and this isn't top secret or anything, maybe you could tell me  exactly  what the target is and what all the gems are for? It's entirely possible that we can enchant the metal of the blade itself to make up for shortcomings in the gems' magical reserves. Then I'll know exactly what you need instead of me dancing around on assumptions." 
DeTess
 The Imperial Cartographer's guild 
The Navigators till seems a bit doubtful. However, after taking several more moments to think it over he assents. "There's not much harm in giving it a try. I can give you a memory of the beauty of sailing the seas to beign with. I have quite a few of those, so if it goes wrong, I won't have lost too much."
Elbeyon
 The Goldrow Bank 

Zeal will toss a marble several feet into the mirror hallway. She sees if she can pass the mirrors above or below without walking between them.
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara frowns somewhat at Bolten's suggestions. Perhaps, subconsciously, she didn't like her ideas being challenged so brashly. But honestly, she really didn't like the sound of any of these alternatives either. She sighed.

 "Bolten.. I would prefer to keep this matter as simple as possible and within the realm of possibility. More extraneous enchantments on the blade will only complicate things further, and would no doubt be more expensive, if not for the shortage of mithril. As for the weapon itself, a long sword was requested, and so a long sword shall be delivered. First and foremost, it must be a formidable weapon. Something made of wood or weak bronze will not do. And while there may be another alternative, such as some kind of metal from another plane, I'm afraid such a thing may be too hard to come by or work with, if it even exists..." 

She sips her tea quietly, letting Bolten baste in his own curiosity and suspense. Finally she answers,  "My client is a captain in the Ranger's Guild. They need a weapon to slay one of the Deathless Kings for good. No doubt, this weapon must also excel at fighting legions of undead. And preferably,  it would be difficult to damage." 

She adds,  "What the gems do are not really a concern of yours. They would each contain magic stored in them, each a spell related to defeating the Deathless King. But what exactly they do has no impact on forging the sword, save for the alloy it is made of." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Not fully cognizant that Shandara is trying to keep her project practical, Bolten's bright demeanor deflates as she explains why none of those ideas are feasible. Bolten feels frustrated at himself rather than Shandara. There had to be an answer, but his mind was a complete blank in that respect.

He sits and waits out Shandara's tea sip in anticipation. When she finally answers, Bolten gives a low whistle of amazement.  "Oh, is that all? Heh... Glad it's them and not me...,"  Bolten chuckles nervously.

When Shandara shuts down his inquiries about the gems, however, Bolten's face finally morphs into a scowl. The curious warmth is gone from his eyes and he adopts an air of cold professionalism. He sets down his teacup down on the table, the rest of its contents forgotten, and he leans forward with his elbows sitting on his knees.  "I see... Well then, I will get right to the point. If I forge this sword for you, will you help me with carving the Ghost Crystal shards?" 
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara notes Bolten's change in attitude. Perhaps good for him, being more assertive.. finally, he reminded her of other dwarves she has met. Still.. maybe that wasn't a good thing. She can't help but feel she has unduly offended him. Perhaps one of the few friends she has in this city..

She quickly nods and says,  "You may consider it done. Send me the specifications and I will get started right away. As for me, I have no real designs. A long sword is still a long sword. It doesn't have to be all that fancy, but I do need to ensure the gems will fit on the hilt and that they touch the mithril-copper alloy.. and ideally, it should comfortably fit a half-elf's hands..." 

She shrugs and looks down awkwardly.  "Um. I'm sorry if I upset you. Perhaps I was a bit..  condescending. I could tell you what the other gems do if you really wanted to know, but it's rather involved with details about the arcane and the ritual used to destroy a Deathless King. And as I said, they don't have an impact on the design. It's the gem holding a massive amount of positive energy which is my real concern here, which I already told you about, and which has been the primary concern for my design choices..." 

Now she looked down at her own tea, and Bolten's. Seemed he didn't really like the tea she offered either. She sighed and said,  "I'm sorry if you didn't like the tea either. What is your preference?" 
Elbeyon
 The Goldrow Bank 

Zeal uses her hand mirror and probes the wall mirror with her thieves tools to see if she can remove the mirror from the wall.
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten relaxes a little as Shandara readily agrees to the proposal. Well... that was easier than he had imagined. He gives a little nod of understanding; the information about the bearer's race already causing slight shifts in his mental calculations for the grip on the blade.  "It might take me a few days to get the schematics to you. Need to figure out the sizes and all that. In return, I will need you to give me an idea of how large these gems will be so I can make the sockets the right size to accommodate them nice and tight in the hilt." 

Shandara's apology causes the ice to thaw away. Bolten starts looking more like his usual nervous but friendly self as he responds,  "Oh, I don't mind such details! It's not every day that you learn about a ritual that can be used to kill an immortal sand monarch! In fact, I'm especially curious now that I've started taking up magic myself."  He holds aloft his sketchbook with all the pride of a parent displaying their child's artwork.  "I'll be the first to admit that some of it may go over my head, true, but it still sounds really fascinating. Maybe, novice that I am, I could still pick up a few things amongst all the magical terms."  Bolten gives a self-deprecating laugh as he acknowledges his inexperience.  "Still, your magic with the sewer pipes shows that you know much more than I do about such things. Maybe I could understand better with your help."  Perhaps the drow might find herself surprised by the look of genuine admiration and respectful attention from the dwarf... A far cry from her childhood.

It's Shandara's perceived rejection of her tea, however, that causes Bolten to fall all over himself in apology.  "Oh, there's nothing wrong with the tea at all, Shandara!"  To prove his point, Bolten picks the teacup back up and drains the rest of the liquid.  "You don't need to make another pot on my account, miss. I confess that black teas are my favorite, but there's nothing wrong with mint."  He hefts up the teacup up in emphasis, even having his pinky extended in proper (read: undwarfish) etiquette.
 
 Spoiler: OOC for WindStruck 
Shandara doesn't actually have to explain all of that. This might be a good place to fade to black as they go about their assignments.
 
Sønderjye
 The Imperial Cartographer's guild 
 "Thank you for being willing to give it a try,"  Z replies friendly.  "I don't have the full equipment set with me so perhaps we can schedule a meeting later? Say 5 days from now, same place? I did bring a Mnemonic Crystal so if you are interested in a test we can extract a memory and you can experience it in real time? Fair warning though, I don't have a limiter with me so you'll experience the enhanced memory full force. There's no risk involved but the intense sensations can be unpleasant and might give you a headache."  
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara nods and says,  "Yes, well, that is another thing I need to work on too. I would need to acquire and cut the gems first, and then I can show them to you. But that's mainly concerning the hilt, so this should not affect the forging of the blade itself, correct?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Shandara can spend some extra time visiting with Bolten and go into details about the Deathless Kings she had already known and discovered. Also, detailing the original rituals, how they were condensed, and how each gem corresponds to a part in those rituals.

All information other players can read in the IC and OOC threads.
 


After some time chatting, and much tea drank, Shandara says,  "Well then. Do you happen to have specifications for the ghost gems you need now? Or perhaps tomorrow?" 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
 "Well, no, not exactly, but I typically prefer to forge the weapon as one piece. Make it more resilient that way,"  Bolten explains.  "Nobody wants to blade snapping off at the hilt." 

After the initial awkwardness is out of the way, it turns out to be a pleasant and enlightening evening. Standing up, Bolten brushes off his pants and answers,  "I don't have the specifications right now. Expect them either tomorrow or in the next few days. I have to make sure that all the parts fit together properly before I can determine the size for sure, especially since I need precise measurements to correspond with the waist and knees. I'll try to get them to you as soon as I can."  The dwarf offers a hand to shake with a gentle smile.  "Glad that we have the chance to work together again. Oh, and thank you very much for the tea! I will have to return the favor some time." 
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara says,  "Well, it seems we both have some preliminary work, then. I have gems to cut, so that you know how they should properly fit on the sword. And you have to complete your designs. I'll.. I suppose I'll be on the look out for ghost crystal at the same time.." 

She stands and very gingerly shakes Bolten's hands before escorting him outside her home.

---

Well. Shandara wasn't sure about what she could do right now. Given that it was late into the evening, most shops would be closed. She really doubted that she could find anything of significant quality at this hour, unfortunately. She really needed to run to the bank too, however that would also be closed.

This would probably be her last day of relative relaxation, then, before a lot of work needed to be done at once.

The next day, early in the morning, Shandara pays a visit to the Goldrow Bank to withdraw some funds.
Elbeyon
 The Goldrow Bank 

The mirror's second function getting disabled is a better result than Zeal expected. There are a lot mirrors in the way though. Without knowing what would happen if a mirror activates, she can not risk setting off the teleporting function. The mirror could put her anyway, and she has to assume the worse case scenario. Now that she has disabled one, she knows what she needs to do. Zeal around to the other size of the hallway to disable the next mirror.
DeTess
 The Imperial Cartographer's guild 
"In that case I think I'll pass." The half-orc replies. "Five days from now is fine. However, as soon as the festival is done I'll be setting sail,m so our business will have to conclude before then. Though if everything works as well as you describe I can put in a good word with my fellows, which should make convincing others at the guild easier."
WindStruck
Shandara has a lot of work cut out for her. For nearly the next month, she works at seemingly a feverish pace, but seeing as she more or less requires 4 less hours of sleep than most people, her schedule is still actually manageable.

She first acquires suitable gems and cuts them, bringing them over to Bolten's workshop so he can properly record their exact measurements. Then after that, she cuts the ghost crystals themselves into the little cogs Bolten needs, as well as the other parts for the control aparatus. When that is done, she brings the crystsls over and checks on how the sword was coming along. Given that Bolten was also working on the sword at the same time as his other invention, progress was slower than she would like, but she still had other work to do.

Shandara still needed to etch some tiny runes in her gems, enchant them, as well as make the backup scrolls. She also visited the archives to review the basic formulae for magically enhancing a weapon and specifically making it more effective versus undead. She also sees if there is a way to make the blade stronger, should it need to be used against a statue or something again.

All this is taking place while she has to make her visits to the Escribano Workshop occasionally and checking on brewing up her side project. Shandara was pretty relieved as everything was wrapping up. Funnily enough, just after the last of the sewer pipes were enchanted, her brew was pretty decisively finished.

After pouring her brew into two ornate glass bottles, blown with dark glass and with creepy effigies of spiders, of all things, she takes her little project over to the curator of alchemy so that he can sample, as far as he may be concerned, the underdark's finest. Without risk of murder or enslavement, in any case. Then again, who knows what he's really sampled? Like before, it was probably foolish to underestimate a curator..
Prehysterical
The next few weeks go by in a feverish haze for Bolten. Reserving a workshop on the Society campus, putting up hiring notices for smiths and tinkerers, gathering the materials for both the legs and the sword... The current shortage of mithril is especially problematic. Bolten normally hates taking on assistants for his projects, not being a fan of negotiations or the clash of egos that sometimes come with coworkers, but it is amazing how cooperative people can be when you pay them a fair wage for their work. If anything, it is the projects themselves that prove more difficult than handling other people, contrary to Bolten's expectations.

Getting the mithril and copper to alloy together is much more difficult than Bolten had expected. He does eventually get the metal into a workable state after what feels like recasting it several times; the mixture needs severe coaxing to meld properly. Fortunately, the measurements provided by Shandara allow him to plan for the expected gem holes in the hilt. At the end of it, Bolten should feel satisfied with his work, but he's honestly more happy to be done than anything. He adds one final detail to the end product: his family sigil, subtly inscribed on one edge of the blade. It is a relatively complex mark with a dwarf's head composed of cogwork: goggles, scalp, beard, and all. Mother had always impressed upon him the importance of putting his "signature" on his commissioned products. It was not only for advertising purposes, but also a sign that the craftsdwarf was also confident enough in their work to stake their reputation on it. Bolten tries not to think about what would happen should the blade prove unsatisfactory against its target...

After delivering the final forged blade to Shandara, Bolten can fully focus on the clockwork leg apparatus. His initial schematic seems promising, but he keeps running into tiny little problems that  just  stop the design from working. Aware that the festival deadline is rapidly approaching, Bolten takes an uncharacteristic gamble and orders his team to begin production while he finishes the design. While he had meant what he said to Eduard, Bolten knows that the young man desperately wants his father to be able to walk at the festival. Fortunately, Bolten works out the final details quickly enough that he and the other clocksmiths can accommodate the changes. It is an exhausting process, but Bolten finally gets to look upon his work with proper pride. He can only hope that Eduard doesn't have unrealistic expectations...

Bolten sends a letter to the estate asking for a carriage or wagon to pick him and the apparatus up. At first, Bolten had wanted to walk the legs to the estate in style, but it turns out that directing another pair of legs in addition to your own can get really complicated when dealing with two different sets of obstacles at the same time. Deciding against making a fool out of himself, Bolten boxes the legs for transport.   No sense in accidentally damaging the product during the final...  leg  of the trip.   That one gets a small chuckle out of him. Bolten takes a moment to admire the little Ghost Crystal cogs that Shandara had cut. As difficult as the sword had been, it was a very worthwhile trade to get his power source all figured out. He waits for his ride with forced patience, excited to see his invention walk so that an old man could run.
DeTess
 The Curator of Alchemy's abode 
Cirast Overhill's house is right on the edge of the society Campus. It is more like a small mansion, though most of the first and second floors are taken up by the curator's alchemical lab. The house is surrounded by a small garden, and though a significant portion of it is used to grow a variety of plants with alchemical properties, a small section is given over to a more decorative garden. In the middle of this section a large table  is set. A variety of glasses and bottles decorate the table, and the curator himself is sitting behind it, savoring a glass, as several members of the society stand in front of him, clearly awaiting judgement.

"Hmmm, hmmmm."  He hums appreciatively. "You've clearly had this one in the barrel for quite a while., which adds a deep flavour to the body, yet it's not quite so heavy as to be dreary. However..." He takes another sip, and looks a bit disappointed. "You used common sugar-water to activate the yeast, did you not?"

"Y-yeah, but how could you..." The man who's brew is being judged stammers his response. He is a bearded human in his mid-forties wearing the insignia of the Society as well as a badge from the brewer's guild is standing.

"I'ts noticeable in the aftertaste." the curator responds. "Such a shame, too. It's otherwise an excellent vintage, and if you'd given a bit more love to the yeast that is the cornerstone of the process it might have been the best I'd tasted today. Still a solid effort though." Ater dismissing the man he notices Shandara approaching.

"Ah, and another contestant arrives, just in time!" he greets her jovially. "Or rather, about two days early, but if you all had arrived the first day of the festival as asked, I doubt even I would have survived the amount of alcohol being presented to me. Well then, what have you brought?"

 The Esterwald estate 
A carriage arrived about an hour after Bolten send his message, and quickly carries him and his invention to the Esterwald estate. After arriving he's guided by one of the servants to a small gazebo standing in the garden amidst the flowers and next to a small pond. Both the younger and the older Esterwalds are waiting there for Bolten. Eduard the younger looks much like he did when Bolten first met him.

Seated next to him in a heavy chair is an older man who is no doubt the old baron. The old man looks... not frail exactly, but diminished, like an old soldier who has been robbed of much of his physical strength by age, though from the alert look in his eyes it is clear the baron's mind is still as sharp as ever. The Baron's grey hair and beard are neatly trimmed and he's wearing a richly emblazoned coat. His legs are covered by a blanket.

"Father, this is mister Cogturner, the Dwarven artisan I spoke to you about." Eduard the younger introduces Bolten as he approaches.

"I bid you welcome, master Dwarf." The baron says to Bolten in only lightly accented Dwarvish. Switching back to the common tongue, he continues. "My son has told me quite a bit about your project, and I do admit to some curiosity about it myself."
WindStruck
 Cirast Overhill's Abode 

Shandara nods and steps forward, still cloaked and dressed as modestly as ever. She wore a simple dress, which was not very colorful. Light gray with plaid white and black stripes were its only patterns, but the outfit was accented nicely enough with some bright saffron ribbons, her colorful silk cloak, white linen gloves, and supple deerskin boots not much higher than her ankles. Still more functional than fashionable.

 "Yes, Curator, I hoped it was alright. I've been quite busy with other projects, you see, and..." 

She shook her head, as rambling and excuses probably wasn't welcome.  "Um, I recreated a drink, where I am from. It is called  'Haszak'ssuu'hha' , or translated, Illithid's Breath. It has mildly hallucinogenic properties when drunk.. within reason, and.. other additives..." 

Given the curator's reputation with being able to tell whatever was in a concoction just from the taste, Shandara decided to say no more and let him discover them for himself. She presents one of the corked bottles to him.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Here's hoping the lore roll and any creativity involved weigh more importantly than mediocre cooking rolls.  😛
 
Prehysterical
 The Esterwald estate 

It seems that the baron was in better condition than Bolten had expected... Still, the man isn't getting any younger. Bolten perks up when the senior Esterwald greets him in his native tongue.  "Ah! Honor to your ancestors, your lordship,"  he responds back in Dwarvish before settling back into the Common tongue.  "Well, I am happy to say that my ideas are no longer merely hypothetical or theoretical, but  practical !" 

With some help from the servants carrying the box, Bolten stands up the legs for the baron's inspection. He explains,  "This apparatus is designed to be entered from the back, as you can see with the metal swinging gate back here which covers... well, your hindquarters. These crystal cogs provide the power supply for the whole unit."  As much as Bolten would love to gush about the technical details, he learned long ago that most people don't necessarily need or want to know all the mechanics.  "There are two control methods: one mechanical and one magical. This box here, with the flip top? That is the manual mechanical controls. If the magic that allows for mental control is disrupted, for whatever reason, you can use the levers within to perform basic movements to allow you to keep going. I imagine you will vastly prefer this, however." 

Bolten holds aloft the control circlet and presents it to the baron as if he were receiving a new title.  "Wearing this circlet should allow you to control these legs as if they were your own flesh and blood! It should offer more natural movement and a wider range of motion. Of course, I recommend securing yourself in the harness  before  donning the circlet... else you might end up trying to get into the harness only for it to walk away from you."  Nervousness wars with joy in his stomach, sending butterflies flitting in the crossfire. This is it! The moment where everything comes together in wonderfully meshed harmony!
DeTess
 Cirast Overhill's Abode 
"Ah, now that's something you don't see everyday, at least not on the surface." The curator takes the bottle from Shandara with an anticipatory grin, uncorks it and fills two small glasses. He hands one of the glasses back to Shandara. "I've been told that, for cultural reasons, the first measure poured from a bottle like this should always shared with the one that offered it." He says with a smile and a wink, before immediately downing his glass.

He shudders with delight for a moment, then firmly plants his hands on the table to stabilize himself. "It leaves a faint tingling sensation in my mouth, as it should, and of course it has quite the kick." He nods, a dreamy smile crossing his face as his eyes move away from Shandara for a moment, tracking something only he can see. "The additional properties you mentioned are definitely noticeable, but not overdone. You didn't skimp on the ingredients either, and remembered to take care of your yeast with something nice too. However, a bit more care could have been take in your blend of ingredients. A little less King's Beard, a little more Bluecap. Also, might I suggest adding a couple of young Grencap mushrooms to the initial mix? They mask the taste of the Gutroot extract which, while a traditional component due to the way it helps counteract a variety of poisons, doesn't really improve the overall taste." He counts down the various points on his fingers as he lists them, then provides his verdict. "Overall it's a pretty decent creation, especially for a hobbyist."

His proclamation causes a couple of the other bystanders to snigger or shake their heads in a dismissive way. The curator responds to that immediately, however. "Before you think I'm damning this bottle with faint praise, you should know that it's probably among the 10 best bottles of this type you could get in the city, especially if we exclude the three I have in my private reserve. The empire doesn't trade with the Drow, and the bottles that do make its way to the surface tend to be of decidedly inferior quality. What she has created might not be on quite the same level as the bottles grace the tables of the Underdark's matriarchs, but it's still far ahead of the swill you can find around here." At that, he turns back to Shandara. "You should consider taking what you've created here to a bar called the 'Xlotl's Nest'. Its proprietor and clientele will appreciate what you've created here, and will pay you a more than fair price. Just tell them I approve of what you've created."

 The Esterwald estate 
"Time to put this to the test then." The baron gestures to two servants who carefully lift him up and then guide his legs into Bolten's contraption. though the pants the baron wears seem to have been designed to conceal the state of his legs, it's still clear they're far, far thinner than they should be. Once he's fully strapped in the servants carefully let go of him, standing ready to grab him if it looks like he'll fall. Supported by the clockwork legs, the Baron remains quite upright, however.

He first uses the manual controls to carefully walk back and forth a short distance. "It's decidedly odd to have these legs move for me, but it's not an unpleasant feeling. You designed these well, master Bolten. I was worried your apparatus would put too much strain on my legs, but it feels like your contraption takes nearly all of my weight on itself."

The old baron then places the circlet on his head. "Now, let's see..." The legs suddenly make a lurching step forward, and the Baron would probably have fallen if the servants at his side hadn't moved in to support him. The bron frowns, then waves his servants away again as he finds his balance. The next attempted step goes much like the first, however, as does the one after that, and the one after that.

Several times it looks like Eduard the younger is going to interfere, yet each time his father waves him back. After 10 minutes or so of lurching around the garden the Baron's balance does seem to have improved somewhat, but his movement is still far from natural. When he arrives to stand back in front of his son and Bolten, he's clearly winded. Yet a determined grin plays around his lips and, and a twinkle of mirth is visible in his eyes. "It seems that I have, in fact, forgotten how to walk." He states, matter-of-factly.

"I'm sure all that can be improved with another iteration on the design." Eduard the younger intercedes with an angry glance at Bolten.

The baron waves away his son's response though. "The fault does not lie with the creation, but with me.  Mentally ontrolling this contraption isn't quite as intuitive as I'd hoped, but I'm starting to understand it now, and with more practice it'll work just fine. And oddly enough, using my mind to control these legs makes it feel a lot more like I am moving rather that that I'm being moved by the contraption. That's more than worth the effort required to learn how to use it properly." He then turns to Bolten. "It's a wonderful thing you've created here, master Cogturner. Please, name your price."
Sønderjye
Z thanks the orc for his time and notes down the time and place for when they are scheduled to meet up. He has given himself 5 days to invent something that has never been done before and that some think insanity to even try. He was probably off there. 4 days would have been enough.

He heads towards the archieve intending on figuring out how to  trade his soul for knowledge about impressions  to spend an exciting evening with his nose in the books learning about how different senses interact with memories and what a lense would need to be able to only include specific glimpses.

The day after he starts crafting the storage and copier. It consists of 6 attached crystals in a chain. The configuration allows for individual crystals to be detached and attached. 3 of the crystals are designed to store the memory with 2 memories being stored in each crystal. 1 crystal serves as power generator. 1 crystal establishes connections and directs the flow of memories, and can both send/receive from crystals and to people as well as make memories flow into nothing thus destroying them. 1 crystal is in charge of governing which sensations are copied and includes the senses of feelings, proprioception, sight, hearing, taste, touch, and thoughts.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Kno(arcane) for research: 27
Spellcraft for item creation: 28
 
WindStruck
 Cirast Overhill's Abode 

Shandara gingerly takes the other glass from the halfling and takes a small sip. She really didn't plan to drink much, anyhow, as too much alcohol was yet another thing her frail system had trouble handling. But she gawks when Cirast just downs the whole glass in one go. You.. aren't supposed to drink it that fast.

When he gives his final score, she nods and says,  "Thank you for the advice.."  then looks back at the snickering of the others with some disdain. She straightens herself out and turns back to Cirast.  "Yes, a hobbyist is probably quite accurate. Study of magic is more of my expertise, and I've never brewed any.. recreational drinks before. If I may suggest, take your time with the next glass. Where I am from, we take small sips." 

As he doles out further advice, she adds,  "Thank you. Though I do not intend to lead a career as a brewer. I will consider it, though.." 

Shandara leaves the first bottle and her glass on the table and makes her way out, though as she's passing by the others she says smugly,  "Not bad for a first try, is it?" 
Prehysterical
 The Esterwald estate 

The baron's compliments give Bolten a beaming grin as the man tests out the manual controls for the contraption. His good mood is put on a knife's edge, however, as the baron struggles to use the circlet. Bolten knew that it would take some time to get adjusted to the shift in balance, but he is worried that the impulse controls just don't work somehow. As the baron sits down with a genuine grin, Bolten slowly blows out a sigh of relief.

Eduard's venomous glare is mortifying, but his father seems far more understanding. Bolten offers up a silent prayer of thanks to Torag that his work has pleased the noble so, practically glowing in the man's praise. He fishes out a few parchments from his backpack and double-checks his calculations one more time to ensure that his pricing is correct and reasonable.

 "Well, I have already received the 3325 gold advance from your son, so materials are covered. With time, labor, and design on top of that... the remaining total will be an even five thousand gold pieces. Of course, you do also have a lifetime guarantee for the clockwork for the machine. Just send me a message if it starts to act up and I will be over as soon as I can!"  He extends a hand to shake with the old baron.  "I dearly hope to see you 'strut your stuff' at the festival, sir,"  Bolten wishes with a chuckle,  "and may this bring you much happiness!" 

 

 The Artificery Department 

The next day, Bolten stops by Rufus Fallowhide's office with schematics in hand. He places them gently on the halfling's desk.  "Here you are, sir, as promised! You will be pleased to know that the patient was greatly intrigued and optimistic about your control magics. He is looking forward to perfecting his movements and treating those legs like an extension of his own body. It just has a... steep learning curve." 
DeTess
 The Esterwald Estate 
"An eminently reasonable price." The baron agrees. He carefully sits down in his seat again, then picks up a sheet of paper. He quickly writes down several things on it, then signs it and puts a wax seal with the crest of house Esterwald on it. "You can take this to the Goldrow bank. They'll issue you the requested amount." He hands the paper over to Bolten. "And once again, my thanks for this wonderful creation. If any issues or questions do come up, I'll make certain to send for you immediately, though I don't expect that to be necessary."

 The Artificery department 
"That's good to hear. I was worried this invention was a solution without a problem, but using my design to help those physically impaired is indeed quite intriguing." Rufus responds, then quickly scans through Bolten's designs. "Yes, yes... hmmmm... Ah, before I get absorbed in studying these, is there anything else you need from me?"

 Cirast Overhill's Abode 
Most of the bystanders ignore Shandara as she leaves, but a relatively young half-elf hurries to catch up to her. He's wearing a simple vest, breeches and boots, though they all appear to be of excellent quality. "I apologize for the behavior of my compatriots, madam." He extends his hand to her. "I am Silas Vern, a junior brewer with the Northgate Brewery concern. If I understood correctly, you're with the Artificiery society. May I ask what your area of expertise is?"
WindStruck
 Cirast Overhill's Abode 

Shandara turns to the young half-elf quizzically at first before taking his hand briefly. She says,  "Well, Artifice most briefly sums up my expertise. Magical theory, crafting enchantments.. I also am fairly good at making jewelry, if I do say so myself. That was my father's trade, after all."  She doesn't stop walking, but only slows down a little.

After that little exposition, she looks at him appraisingly with an eyebrow raised and asks,  "What is it that you want, Silas Vern? The recipe for this drink? That would be quite an odd request, I think.." 
Prehysterical
 The Artificery Department 

Bolten shakes his heads and shrugs his shoulders.  "Not for the moment. If I do, however, I will be stopping by again. Thank you again for your help." 
DeTess
 Cirast Overhill's Abode 
Silas seems to wilt a bit under Shandara's gaze, but quickly recovers. "I am a bit curious about that drink, actually. I've watched the curator knock back drink after drink all afternoon, but yours seems to have hit him hardest of all. That's not the main reason I approached you though. Maybe you've heard, but we're currently expanding and renovating our brewery. This includes replacing a number of older distillation and fermentation vats and the like. Now, the old guard wants to just replace everything with new stuff that's exactly the same, but I and some of my colleagues think that's a waste. We're in the heart of the empire, and new miracles and innovations are developed every week at the campus of the Artificery Society, so why wouldn't we want to make use of that?"

"Of course, that doesn't exactly convince the senior brewers. They want to see ideas and proof before committing to doing things in a new way." the half-elf shrugs. "I've talked to a couple artificers and engineers, but though they are all no doubt very skilled at their job, they don't really understand what goes into brewing a palatable drink. Some of their ideas might work very well for a water purification plant or the like, but not for us. You seem to have some experience with brewing though, even if it's only as a hobby, so I thought, maybe you've got some ideas for modernizing an aging brewing operation as well."
WindStruck
 Cirast Overhill's Abode 

Shandara's gaze softens as she listens more to Silas's request. Maybe it could be intriguing?

 "Hm.. if I had to guess, there hasn't been any major innovations or improvements to the whole process for.. centuries? Perhaps even longer..." 

She stops walking now, turning fully to Silas.  "I'm not really a brewer though. Like I said, that was .. the first time I'd ever tried brewing an alcoholic beverage. Everything else before that has been tea, or.. well, I've done some alchemy, and I can make a decent stew, I suppose..." 

She asks,  "Did you actually have an idea in mind? I'll have you know, my services are not free, nor cheap.." 
DeTess
 Cirast Overhill's Abode 
Silas shakes his head. "I don't know enough about what is possible to really have any concrete ideas, though I do suppose there are two areas that I know could use the most improvement. A lot of our spirits need to spend somewhere in the region of months to years in casks to age. It's a fairly low-effort part of the process, but it does mean we cant easily adjust to demand. If there was some way to speed up the aging process, that'd be really helpful. A more major issue with our process lies in the various distillates we make. That requires really precise control of the temperature as we heat up the liquor, but that's nearly impossible to manage. Some part of the vat and the liquor within will always run a bit hotter or colder than needed, which affects the taste and the amount of alcohol present. If we make a 100 casks, maybe 5 or 6 will be of the best quality, and we can throw out another 15 casks as they're just straight up undrinkable. Those that remain are somewhere between barely drinkable and 'pretty good'. It's worth it because those 5 casks that do work out are really, really good, but it'd be nice if we could get it right more often."

"But as I said, I don't really know what is and isn't possible. I could maybe show you around the brewery so you can get a better idea of our work? Though that'll have to be after the harvest festival. Things are really busy right now, and the only reason I'm not at the brewery myself is because we needed someone to keep an eye on the curator's contest, just in case someone came up with something interesting." The half-elf looks over his shoulder, back in the direction of the curator's home. "Which reminds me, I really should go back there soon."
WindStruck
 Cirast Overhill's Abode 

Shandara mulls over what Silas says. She replies,  "Mm. I'd think the problem is the sheer size of the vat. Little to no insulation on the edges, I assume, and giant container has very little surface area... I'd think a more innovative approach to the engineering is simplest. Suppose you had a system of churning tubes with a great many smaller heat sources..?" 

She shakes her head, as she was just having trouble actually imagining it. Especially difficult since she hardly knew anything about the profession.  "Manipulating time, on the other hand.. magic is definitely the best way to go about that. I think it may be possible to enchant a certain chamber for all within to move on faster.. Perhaps not a good thing for living beings to be in that.. Though I assume the yeast would be fine." 
 "But like I said, magic isn't cheap. I'm not sure if it would even be worth it. Erm. What brewery did you work at, again?" 
DeTess
 Cirast Overhill's Abode 

"Ah, I'm with the Northgate Brewery concern." Silas says with a hint of pride. "I won't say that money is no concern, as it is with everything that we do, but if your designs earn us more that in the long run, it won't be hard to convince the management. I also assume that a study or a design won't cost more than a couple hundred maybe one or two thousand gold pieces? We can then decide whether it's worth the price to actually make them reality."

 
 Spoiler: OOC: the Northgate Brewery concern 

The Northgate Brewery concern is one of the larger producers in the city, though they don't ship much to the wider empire. They focus mostly on distilled liquors and spirits, though they produce some wines as well. They cater to all layers of society, from the cheap spirits sold in dockside dives to thousand-gp-per-bottle whiskeys for the nobility.
 
DeTess
The morning of the first day of the harvest festival began with good news from the Stormdrains district, it had now been a full four days without any new infections, and the remaining cases in the hospitals slowly recovered and returned home. This lent an extra edge of relieved happiness to the festival, as the spectre of plague had turned away from the city.

On the first of the four days of the festival, the entire city turned in one large open-air market. Farmers from all around come to the city to sell their best wares, from cheeses to fruits to prime cuts of meat. Tradesmen and women from all voer the city are likewise allowed to publicly sell their wares, which range from tools to jewelry and from potions to weapons. The city's inhabitants, rich and poor make their way through the market to wonder at the marvels on display and buy what they can afford.

Meanwhile, in warehouses and out of the way plaza's throughout the city the parades that would tour the city in the evening to welcome the spirit of the Harvest are being prepared. Clockwork animals are being wound up, large balloons are slowly filled with lighter-than-air gasses and the final decorations are placed on huge carriages. The most beautiful of these would come through the upper districts for the noble's amusement, while the parades coming through the poorest neighborhoods  would be stacked wit gifts of food and small pouches of money as gift from the empire to those in need.
WindStruck
With the buzz of activity all throughout the city, Shandara dresses down a bit, in her sandals, skirts, light blouses, and silk cloak. All the walking around, masses of warm bodies, and revelry would certainly be tiring to the frail drow and make things hotter, for sure. Still, she seemed to swing between warm, pleasantly comfortable, and chilly erratically throughout all the days.

Shandara had never really gotten to experience these harvest festivals before. When she first arrived to Vaungate, she must have just missed them. And later, when she was working under Heltzer Silverband, the miserly dwarf never made mention of the harvest festival and kept her working pretty much all through it. Of course, she heard the activity and caught glimpses of it, but didn't really know what was going on.

Now she found herself wandering the markets, perusing this and that. Much of it was.. pretty mundane, but she wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to learn something new. Maybe even experience something new, if it wasn't too wild. And yet, she still felt shy, reserved, and.. well, almost like she shouldn't be here. These were not celebrations she was used to, by far. Back home, well.. if there was ever a celebration as grand as this, surely an unlucky someone was about to be sacrificed.

So as much as Shandara did try to go out, tentatively leaving her shell, so to speak, she still felt a lot like a wall flower - unwilling or unable to fully engage with anyone...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'm open to random people/events coming Shandara's way.

And/or meeting with the other players!  Both at the same time might be good too!
 
Prehysterical
After finalizing the deal with the Esterwalds and cleaning up the workshops, Bolten took a few days to recover before the festival arrived. Normally, he was in the camp of those who were happy to let the event go by and instead seclude themselves with a nice cup of tea. This time around, though, Bolten felt like he needed to be there. Perhaps there was the subconscious desire to see the old Baron walking around in his contraption and to hear the awed comments of onlookers. Maybe it was Bolten finally growing lonely and wanting to make a more intimate connection with people in the city. There was even the small chance that the unthinkable had happened: he needed to take a step away from clockwork and smell the roses... which he did, literally.

Although the crowds were unpleasant for the self-conscious dwarf to deal with, the sheer variety in sights and smells from the food, flowers, and drinks captivated his senses. Perhaps he would have some wares ready for the festival next year... Bolten remembered that there would be clockwork contraptions and toys showcased during the event. It would be nice to see what creative designs others had come up with.

In a moment of either intervening fate or sheer serendipity, a gap opened enough in the crowd for Bolten to see the hesitant figure of Shandara. If you had asked the dwarf a year ago if he would be happy to see a dark elf, he probably would have been skeptical. It seemed this young lady broke the mold in more ways than one... Bolten smiled and waved at Shandara to get her attention. His attire was far different than normal, consisting of a dark blue tunic with brown overalls and a pair of leather shoes. The typical tinker cap was left at home and replaced with a candle-topped mining helmet. Leather gloves completed the ensemble.

Walking over, Bolten greeted Shandara.  "Well, hello there,  dawri ! I certainly didn't expect to see you in all this mess! Is this your first harvest festival? I've seen a few, but never wanted to take part myself. Oh, did the gems fit properly into the sword?"  He knew it was probably a faux pas to discuss business during the celebration, but he wanted to be sure that Shandara was happy with his work.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I am also a fan of random shenanigans happening. Bolten needs a few curveballs thrown his way!
 
WindStruck
Shandara had just sampled a piece of cheese and was contemplating if she wanted to buy a small block of it. She notices Bolten waving and shyly waves back.  "Hello, Bolten. I'm afraid it is my first festival.. and yes, the gems fit perfectly, of course."  She managed to refrain from looking too bewildered at the dwarf from the question. She had brought the cut gems in for Bolten to look at first hand.. and she checked the work again when she came to pick up the sword many days ago. She figured he'd already have known they would fit. Maybe it was just some sort of banal small talk?

But what actually confused Shandara, complete with a raised eyebrow was one world.  "Um.. 'Dawri'??"  She thought she knew what the word meant, as she actually was pretty proficient with the Dwarven language. But still.
Prehysterical
In truth, the sword had given Bolten so much trouble that he had had unpleasant fantasies about the slots being  just  too loose and a gem slipping out during a critical juncture... like during Shandara's meeting with her client. Who in the world would have ever thought that designing a drilling machine from scratch would be easier than simply forging a blade?

Regardless, Bolten nods and smiles happily.  "Glad to hear it. I hope that your client was pleased with the result."  When she questioned his word choice, however, Bolten flinches a little under Shandara's gaze.  "Oh... I'm sorry, a little too familiar? I understand. If you want to keep things professional, I will respect that." 
 
 Spoiler: Dawri 
"A friend almost as good as a dwarf."

Due to their clannish and isolationist nature, dwarves believe that no one can look for someone's interest like another dwarf. People of other races who prove to be competent or steadfast friends of dwarves are rewarded this title as a sign of trust. Many regard it as a back-handed compliment, but it is typically a term of endearment and never used sarcastically.
 


Spotting the cheese that Shandara is sampling, Bolten tries to change the subject.  "So, what kind of cheese is that, then? Debating whether or not to take something home today." 
WindStruck
 "Oh, she was very pleased,"  Shandara replied. Truthfully, Shandara had her own fears about the blade not working as intended. Who knew if these Deathless kings would be even more prepared than before and nullify all the magic, or if the captain got taken out, or if gods forbid, even the magic Shandara placed upon it was faulty? A lot could go wrong, perhaps some of that even being her fault, and she could only hope she'd hear good news about this latest Deathless King being put to rest.

Flushing a bit, though it was imperceptible due to her dark skin tone, she stammers,  "Well, I um, I haven't exactly heard that word often, but I can only assume it is something.. good?"  Shandara really shouldn't have said anything, but she  almost  thought she was being called by the wrong name..

Glad to have the subject being changed to something as dull as cheese, she says,  "It's, uh.."  she looks over at the dairy farmer blankly, trying to jog her memory,  "Griswald Cheese." 
 
 Spoiler: Griswald Cheese 
Many cheeses are named by who made them or where they were made. In this case there's a region called Griswald, which is known for its forests that appear ashen grey from a distance.

The cheese itself is mundane. Soft; slight aroma; and mild with a pleasing aftertaste.
 
DeTess
As Shandara and Bolten where discussing the merchant's wares, a sudden loud explosion cracks through the air from the direction of a nearby alleyway, followed by the metallic sounds of springs suddenly snapping free. Several large gears come rolling into the crowd, and the sound of cursing can be heard from the direction the explosion came from.
WindStruck
Shandara jumps, or rather twitches a bit at the loud explosion, but after realizing what is going on, she looks down at Bolten.  "Sounds like someone's had a mechanical mishap..." 

Turning back to the stall she asks,  "How much for the cheese?" 

She quickly buys some cheese, roughly about the size of two fists, and after stowing it in her bag, she picks up a gear that was slowly spinning to a stop. Shandara felt mildly optimistic, curious, and.. oddly enough, helpful. Though she still erred on the side of caution. She slowly approached the alley to see what exactly was the cause of the incident.
DeTess
The alleyway is fairly short, and opens up into a small square surrounded by houses. In the square itself half a dozen large mechanical animals have been set up, and it appears a small group of engineers had been working on assembling and preparing the beasts. Most look to be in fine state, but one of them, a majestic lion, has a gaping hole in it's back from which all kinds of gears and springs are sticking. Right now the crew that had been working on them are all gathered around two of their number, a gnome and a Goliath. On of the engineers is busy binding a wound on the Goliath's arm.

"You told me to give it a good twist, so that's what I did." The Goliath rumbles, apparently in response to a question by the gnome. "If it wasn't build to withstand that, why did you tell me to do so?"

"One of my twists you big Oaf, one of  my  twists!" The gnome responds, his voice rising even higher than normal in anger. "Of course it isn't build to withstand the amount of muscle you've got, just about nothing is!"
WindStruck
Shandara had been gingerly approaching through the alleyway, after being certain nothing else was going to explode. Though the conversation, or rather the gnome's berating of the goliath did give her pause. She felt rather shy and didn't want to interrupt. And some other thoughts crossed her mind as well.

Goliaths were.. prized, to say the least. She remembered her mother complained about wanting to own one, among other rare and unique races, of course. They were a very strong people, but not as dim-witted as ogres, by far. As rare and difficult as this race was to find, they were even harder to break. Or at least, that seemed to be the consensus where she was from. She had no personal or indirect experience in the matter.

But in any case, Shandara's thoughts were wandering where they should not go again. She really did have to be on her best behavior, at all times, didn't she? It made her feel more self-conscious, and.. she really just shouldn't be standing there silently the whole time, should she? Soon enough, she worked up the nerve to speak. She figured attention might be on her sooner or later anyway.

 "..excuse me. I believe this belongs to you,"  she says, raising up the large cog a few more inches.
Prehysterical
Before Bolten even sees what happens, his ears tell a horrifying story. He knows the sound of tortured clockwork finally giving up the ghost. The sound twists his own face in sympathetic pain, knowing that someone else is having a very bad day right now. While Shandara pays for her cheese, Bolten runs after one of the rolling cogs like a parent trying to corral a precocious child. When Shandara picks up her own cog, they make for the alleyway.

The delight that would normally come from seeing the clockwork animals on display is dashed by the sorry sight of the lion's back. It also seems like the big fellow (goodness, what even is he?) was cut by the flying shrapnel. Bolten winces from the verbal lashing that the gnome is giving out, not even a recipient of the engineer's ire.

Looking to see if Shandara is likewise uncomfortable, Bolten sees that she looks as uncomfortable as he feels, but Bolten sees... something else. Her eyes seem to linger on the strange man with an almost analytical gaze, her attention on him longer than strictly necessary.

What on earth would that be all abou- Oh.  Oh.  Bolten looks away in slight embarrassment as he reads the situation wrong. Shandara's taste in men is not any of his business, but he certainly had not expected her to be a fan of particularly tall and muscular men. Something to keep in mind for the future...

When Shandara breaks from her reverie, the two of them approach the gnome and present the displaced cogs. Bolten pipes up after Shandara,  "Aye, seems like you've got a right mess here. Would you be wanting some help?"  The dwarf gives the gnome a hopeful smile, like a farmer's son asking to go to town.
DeTess
"Yes, yes, I suppose that belongs to us, though it won't do us any good now." The gnome responds to Shandara's question. "As for help, unless you two know... wait..." He focuses on Bolten now. "Haven't I seen you around the Artificery Society campus?" he asks.

Before Bolten gets the chance to respond they're interrupted by a string of angry sounding words in a language neither he nor Shandara is familiar with. The Goliath had gotten up and returned to the Lion, and has now retrieved a fist-sized piece of crystal from the hole in the Lion's back. A very noticeable crack is running down the middle of it.

"Ah, damn." The gnome mutters, his earlier agitation apparently having cooled quite a bit, then turns back to Shandara and Bolten. "Sorry, where are my manners. I'm Banbas Coalburner, that's my business partner Vaigr Hyrsson." He nods towards the Goliath, who has taken the crystal to a tool box and is now looking it over using a magnifying glass, showing a care that belies his large stature. "We specialize in creating lifelike clockwork creatures. I do the clockwork, and Vaigr provides them with a semblance of life. And it seems like in addition to losing the clockwork, we might have actually lost the spark of life for this creation." The mood in the little square has turned a lot quieter now, almost mournful, as Banbas' and Vaigr's staff are now all looking at the Goliath, quietly awaiting some kind of verdict.

"Well..." The gnome sighs. "If either of you is good with clockwork, you're welcome to help me with assessing the damage, but if we just lost its soul, I'm afraid there won't be much we can do to get it moving again."
WindStruck
 "Its soul...?"  Shandara asks. She looks over curiously at the crystal.  "You mean to say these creations are not only controlled by the crystals, but they actually contain a soul?" 

Either way, she seemed to be assessing the whole situation.
 
 Spoiler: rolls 
knowledge (engineering):  (1d20+8)[ 13 ] 
craft (jewelry):  (1d20+13)[ 15 ] 
knowledge (arcana):  (1d20+17)[ 21 ] 
knowledge (planes):  (1d20+8)[ 24 ] 
knowledge (religion):  (1d20+8)[ 26 ] 

Last two might be informative on "souls" if an actual soul or spirit of some kind could be in them?

And also, good job coming up with something both of our character can actually do.  😛
 


After a pause, she remembers to introduce herself back.  "I am Shandara. And this is Bolten Cogturner. We are both of The Society."  She nods to Bolten, but then looks at him with a bit more concern. She actually wasn't sure if it was polite to introduce someone else around here. She especially wasn't sure for Dwarven culture. Well, all she could really do now was hope he went along with it amiably.
Prehysterical
Before Bolten can think to answer the gnome's question, he pulls his mining helmet down on his head as the larger man swears at some misfortune. When things settle down, Bolten extends his hand to shake in greeting.  "I am a fan of your work, if you don't mind my saying so."  If Bolten takes any offense to being introduced, he certainly doesn't show it. He does hope that the gem isn't actually being powered by a soul, however. For that reason alone, he would never get into golem-crafting.

Displaying uncommon confidence, Bolten fishes out his any-tool and reshapes it into a wrench and marches over to the disemboweled lion.  "Well, in the meantime, let's just see what can be done, shall we?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Bolten will cast Crafter's Fortune to gain a +5 bonus on the roll. His Traveler's Any-Tool morphs into a masterwork set of tools to help with the clockwork.
Craft (Clockwork):  (1d20+24)[ 33 ] 

Would Craft Construct offer any bonuses to fix the lion on the spot? Bolten has the dwarf wizard favored class bonus toward that feat.
 
DeTess
"You'd have to ask Vaigr." Banbas responds to Shandara's question. "I do the clockwork, he provides the more mystical component. I'm afraid that in many ways I'm almost as clueless to the inner workings of his contributions as he tends to be to mine."

 
 Spoiler: Shandara's knowledge 

Shandara has seen a crystal like this once before. There's a collection in the Society archives of mystical objects found with the various cultures the empire has conquered. One of these items is a crystal much like what Vaigr is looking over now, though the one Vaigr holds is only about half the size of the one in the Archive collection. The crystal is known as a 'beast-hold' according to the information on it in the archives. Apparently it and other crystals like it where used by the shamans of a number of primitive clans out in the eastern reaches of the empire. The shamans supposedly used these as foci to call on powerful ancestor spirits. However, they took the exact mechanics of these summoning with them to their graves, and no one in the society has succeeded at 'waking up'  the various crystals that had been recovered.

The members of these clans themselves tended towards humans, with giant, goliath and orcish blood mixed in to some extend, though some of the clans that lived higher up in the mountains consisted of (mostly) pure-blooded goliaths.
 


The damage to the clockwork lion was extensive, but Bolten's practiced eye could easily determine what exactly had gone wrong. The creature seemed to have been powered using a slowly unwinding spring, the remains of which where present at the bottom of the gaping hole in the lion's back. It seems the spring had woudn up too tightly, causing it to snap. It must have been enchanted to hold more energy than was put in, or it wouldn't have caused quite as much damage as it unwound explosively. The smell and scorchmarks near the top of the hole suggested that the spring hit a tank of oil on its way out, generating enough of a spark to cause a minor explosion.

Most of the gearwork that was broken was rather large and rough, meant to transfer energy from the spring to the rest of the creation, but something that was probably the cradle of the crystal Vaigr retrieved was also  clipped by the explosion. An intricate connection of thin steel cables run from that cradle to the front half of the creature, and the remains of a similar network go towards the rear half, though all those lines have been cut. Repairing the lion isn't impossible, though it'd probably take several days, which is likely too long if these where meant for the festival parades coming up in the evening. If the crystal could be repaired, and a new power source inserted, it'd probably only take two hours of work to get the front half of the Lion working again, but far more work would have to be done to restore the rear half to the way it was.

"Bolten Cogturner, now where have I heard that name before..."Banbas had joined Cogturner at the remains of the lion. "You're the one that designed that new drilling machine, aren't you?"
WindStruck
Shandara nods to Banbas and gingerly approaches Vaigr, though still giving the large humanoid plenty of space.

She doesn't interrupt the Goliath as he inspects the crystal.

All she knew was one thing: Stones and gems just couldn't be made whole again by mundane means. Sure, you could use things like mortars, epoxies, and try to glue them back into a cohesive piece. But the actual bonds that made the stone would never be one again.

Thankfully, application of magic could change this and make a stone whole. But Shandara also knew that a magic artifact sufficiently damaged lost its magic. It unwinds and comes apart at the seams, evaporating into the ether with all the other ambient magical energies. Perhaps she could offer to cast a cantrip in order to repair the stone. But if the magic was gone, there would be little point.

She waits intently, pretty much like all the other assistants waiting for a verdict, though understandably she was not so emotionally attached as everyone else.
DeTess
Vaigr continues his careful observations of the crystal, then suddenly lunges for a nearby toolbox scattering it's contents as he pulls out a small padded bag. He reaches in and pull out a thumbnail sized pearl, which sheds a mild light. He holds it next to the crystal and mutters several words in a guttural language. The light in the pearl winks out , and the crystal in his hand starts to glow a bit, with it alternatingly becoming slightly brighter and slightly dimmer, in a way that reminds Shandara of a heartbeat. The light slowly becomes fainter with each successive 'beat', however.

Vaigr curses, then reaches for the small bag and retrieves a second pearl, feeding it's power into the crystal as well. The crystal lights up a bit more, but the light then continues to fade. The Goliath let's out another guttural curse, then jumps to his feet. "Assama!" He addresses one of his assistants, a female half-orc. "Start drawing the circle for the ritual of hibernation, as I taught you." The half-orc rushes to obey him, while the rest all turn away. Shandara can hear several muttered curses ans sighs coming from them. Whatever this command signifies, it wasn't good news.

The goliath then turns to Shandara. "I heard you say that you are with the Artificery Society. Please, if you've got any knowledge of enchantment and magic, you've got to help me." There's a pleading tone to his voice. "The explosion cracked the crystal, and now the power inside is leaking out, and I'm not sure how I can repair this. If it empties in its entirety, the spirit inside dies."
WindStruck
Shandara asks,  "If I were to use magic to try to mend the crystal, would that help?" 

This was a course of action she was already thinking of making. However, it was only a matter of timing, and knowing if this was something that was wanted, or helpful.

If he agrees, Shandara casts,  Mending  on the crystal, restoring  (1d4)[ 2 ]  hp to it.
Prehysterical
The good news is that the lion is salvageable. The other news would no doubt upset the gnomish inventor. Bolten's musings are interrupted by Banbas's question.  "Hm? Oh, er, yes, that's me!"  He turns to give his opinion to Banbas.

 "Well, if you can get the power source running again, the front half of the lion could be fixed in time for the parade tonight. I am afraid that the situation posterior to the point of damage is a rough job, though..."  Bolten stops and strokes his beard thoughtfully.  "Forgive me if this sounds, well, inane, but... perhaps you would be better served by not repairing the rear portion at all! Perhaps, instead, the rear portion of the lion could be replaced by some form of cart or... what is the word... 'rickshaw'? The front half of the lion could walk like normal and pull the cart behind it! Depending on the weight tolerances, perhaps children could even ride in it!" 

What initially started as a sort of half-measure to salvage the machine gets Bolten excited with the possibilities. He holds up his fists to his chest in child-like glee as his eyes light up.  "You wouldn't even have to mention anything about a malfunction! Just pass it off as an experimental test model that you were attempting all along!" 
DeTess
"You could try, but..." Vaigr shakes his head. "I tried, and almost immediately lost the spell."

The initial casting of mending goes off without a hitch, but as soon as the spell starts working on the crystal it threatens to unravel. It takes all of Shandara's expertise and will-power to stop the spell from dissipating, but eventually she manages to complete the casting. The crack is filled up with crystal, though the color isn't quite the same. The crystal is still slowly draining energy, but it goes a lot slower now than it did before.

Vaigr frowns, then gets out his magnifying glass again. He spends a few moments looking over the crack, then a slight smile crosses his face, disappearing just as quickly. "Luka, Baston run to the workshop and get the remaining Pearls. And hurry!" He orders a pair of assistants on their way, before turning back to Shandara.

"Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do that myself." He points at the now-filled in crack in the crystal. "What you've done is akin to growing a scab on a wound. He'll still need more energy to fully recover, but he'll live."

Mean while, at the Lion, Banbas thinks Bolten's idea over. "Hmmm... having children ride it is probably not to good an idea, but replacing the hindquarters with some form of wheels could work. It'll have to look good though, not just for the parade, but to convince its soul as well. They tend to be a bit picky, or so Vaigr tells me, anyway." Banbas walks over to a nearby box of tools and gets out a sheet of parchment and a piece of charcoal and starts making a number of rough sketches. After a couple of minutes he shows one to Bolten.

"I'd like a second opinion on this one before I show it to Vaigr." The sketch shows the creature with the front half of the Lions till in place. It's rear half isn't exactly like a cart though, instead showing a single large wheel that's be in-line with the center of mass. "I reckon I could make it look like a fusion of the old and the really new, going for a single wheel instead of the two you'd see on a cart. Balance would normally be an issue, but that's the nice thing with these spirit-friends of Vaigr, they can adapt for a lot of that on the fly."
WindStruck
 Hm. Spirits in a crystal. Losing energy and dying...  scabs on a wound.  Interesting... 

Technically, even normal living beings died because of that, if you considered their blood to be their energy, or at least, a conduit of their energy, among other things.

Shandara struggled a bit for a response. 'You are welcome'?  Too generic and not really true. Eventually, with a nod, she says,  "I was glad to offer assistance. So, will the spirit inside eventually be able to repair the crystal, itself, then? And.. does he have a name?" 
DeTess
"Ah, of course. There wasn't really time to introduce him earlier." Vaigr chuckles.  softly. "This is Muud. If things had been different, he would eventually have grown to be one of the guardian spirits of my clan. Of course, that's not what ended up happening, as this empire conquered my people instead." There's no anger as Vaigr states this, merely a hint of wistfulness as he looks back on a world long past, and which he'd likely never seen himself. "The knowledge to grow these crystals and call forth the spirits has been lost. I do what I can for them though, with Banbas' help."

Vaigr hands his magnifying glass to Shandara. While it looked perfectly natural in his hands, it appears almost comically oversized in Shandara's. "If you look closely, you can see how the new crystal you added slowly changes color at the edges and becomes seamless with the rest of the crystal. in time, it'll be like the crack was never there."
WindStruck
Shandara peers through the oversized magnifying glass and eventually nods. Though she does need to try to maneuver someplace not in direct sunlight to see it.  "Ah, yes. That is fascinating..." 
 "I have to say, I don't think I have ever personally met one of your kind, Vaigr. I would be interested to know a bit more about your people, though I suppose some things have been lost to time.. As for the crystal you possess with Muud inside, I believe I have seen something similar in the Society archives, but those crystals were larger." 
Prehysterical
Bolten looks Banbas's design over with a thoughtful hum before answering,  "It could work, but I feel like the crystal could use a little extra help in balancing the lion's weight in the back. Perhaps you could put some kind of tail apparatus above the wheel for balance? Install some sort of simple gyroscope? Or perhaps a set of spurs or guide rods that keep the back end from tipping too far in a particular direction?" 
DeTess
"Yes, I've visited the Artificery Society Archives once because I heard  some of the larger crystals had been recovered. They are all dead, however." Vaigr notes with a sad tone to his voice. "As for my people, I would enjoy talking about them, and maybe learning something about yours as well. I don't think I've seen another lef quite like you before. However..." He looks around at the various clockwork beasts arrayed in the square. "I'm afraid there's a lot of work that still needs to be done here. If you're still curious later you can find at our workshop along the Bronze avenue after the festival, or you could drop by the Xlotl's nest during the evening during the festival."

Banbas nods at Bolten's suggestions. "Hmmm, I do suppose it'd tip a bit too easy otherwise. I have a sizeable gyroscope lying around in the workshop I could use for this. Thanks, you and your friend have been a great help!"
WindStruck
Something in Shandara's mind 'pinged' as she heard a mention of that name again: the Xlotl's nest.

 "The Xlotl's Nest? That is a.. tavern of some sort, correct? I was under the impression the spirits and their mechanical bodies would be parading through the streets. What would you be doing there?"  she asks.

 
 Spoiler 
I've no idea what a Xlotl is OOC, by the way...     Does Shandara know?

knowledge (something):  (1d20)[ 18 ] 
+17 for arcana
+10 for dungeoneering
+8 for everything else
 


She puts a hand to her chin.  "I may consider visiting there...  Well.  In any case, I shall leave you to the repairs now." 

Leaving the goliath and approaching her friend again, she asks Bolten,  "Will you be staying to help with the repairs?"   She supposed.. she didn't care much either way. She had literally only met Bolten for thirty seconds before the lion's rear end exploded, but she was honestly looking forward to the prospect of tagging along with him for a bit. At least, until things became awkward again.
DeTess
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Something in Shandara's mind 'pinged' as she heard a mention of that name again: the Xlotl's nest.

 "The Xlotl's Nest? That is a.. tavern of some sort, correct? I was under the impression the spirits and their mechanical bodies would be parading through the streets. What would you be doing there?"  she asks.

 
 Spoiler 
I've no idea what a Xlotl is OOC, by the way...     Does Shandara know?

knowledge (something): [roll0]
+17 for arcana
+10 for dungeoneering
+8 for everything else
 


She puts a hand to her chin.  "I may consider visiting there...  Well.  In any case, I shall leave you to the repairs now." 

Leaving the goliath and approaching her friend again, she asks Bolten,  "Will you be staying to help with the repairs?"   She supposed.. she didn't care much either way. She had literally only met Bolten for thirty seconds before the lion's rear end exploded, but she was honestly looking forward to the prospect of tagging along with him for a bit. At least, until things became awkward again. 
 

"Ah, I wouldn't be there tonight, but for the rest of the festival I likely will be." Vaigr answers Shandara's question, then bids her farewell as he returns to his work.

 
 Spoiler: On Xlotl's 

knowledge(Nature): Xlotl's were a rather large but herbivorous type of amphibian creature that lived in the delta of a large river in the empire's western reaches (they kinda look like  Axolotls , but about four meters long). Because their hides are really soft and supple, but also very water-resistant when treated in the right way they've pretty much been hunted to extinction.

Knowledge (local): now that you think of it, you think you've heard that name before among students and other artificers. It's apparently some kind of bar and restaurant with a pretty good reputation, but you don't know that much more about it. You've noticed that its mainly, or even almost exclusively, known among the rarer species living in the capital. You don't think you've ever heard a human or half-elf talk about it, for example.
 
DeTess
 The Herdsmans market 
The Herdsman's market is one of Vaungate's largest squares. Long ago, it was a large flat area outside of the city where farmers and ranchers would buy and sell cattle, though the city has long since overtaken the square, and it is now fully encapsulated in the city. A wide avenue still connects it to the city's southern gate, but it has been a long time since any serous cattle trading has taken place on the square. The space has been kept open, however, as it has seen use as both a large open air market, as well as a square for military parades and similar events.

Today, the square is host to a large variety of stalls and tents. A large market is in place, but there are also games, and at least three theater troupes have set up shop in different sections of the square. A large crowd is moving through the square, browsing wares, playing games and watching plays, but one of the largest groups is clustered around an open-air café known as the 'Bull's head'. On the cafe's large terrace a stage has been set up with a large table covered in all kinds of bottles. Behind the table two men and a woman are seated. Cirast Overhill, the curator of Alchemy is seated in the middle, Flanked one one side by an older dwarf bearing the symbol of the Stonebrew clan, and on the other side by an older woman in the uniform of one of the master brewers of the Northgate Brewery.

The crowd that has gathered in and around the café is a varied group of people. Some are prospective brewers and owners of drinking establishments curious to see the results of the contests. Others are just random passersby's that are curious what the ruckus is about. There are also a variety of bookies making the rounds, taking bets on the odds of which drink is going to be crowned the winner, or on which of the judges will be the first to collapse from the massive amount of alcohol presented to them. The mood overall is festive and happy, and the Bull's head's employees are rushing through the crowd to ensure everyone has their beverage of choice.
Sønderjye
 The Herdsmans market

 Z sauntered around, browsing the samples and descriptions of the various drinks and listening in on conversations of the attendants. While he wasn't expecting to outright win the contest, he was hoping that his novelty 'Glimpses' drinks would be able to draw attention, and hopefully could get incorporated in some fancy brewing company. They weren't bland, at least to his unrefined tongue, but he wouldn't be winning on taste alone. What he might win on was the chosen impressions.

Among the options he had picked out 3 impressions that he though would best showcase the spread of options available. 'Sirens' had the impression of a brief moment in the alluring song of the sirens, 'Spires of Assantrah' had the feeling of awe at seeing the golden spires of Assantrah for the first time, and and 'hunger' was the sight of a sea drake a mere 10 feet away turning it's hungry gaze towards you lightning dancing in it's maw.

He distracted himself from the nervous knot in his stomach by trying to pick out any conversations about his drinks and by reading the descriptions of the existing drinks looking for anything magical or interesting.
DeTess
 The Herdsmans market 
Many of the drinks being tested are fairly mundane, at least in that they don't have a magical or alchemical component to them. There's a variety with interesting alchemical properties from basic 'mind expanding' properties to types that promise to temporarily change the way you see the world in interesting ways (such as swapping left and right and up and down, or changing your perception of colors altogether). There doesn't seem to be anything as outright magical as what Z is bringing himself, but as he watches one drink that has been announced as the 'dragon's fury' is tested, and though the judges aren't particularly impressed by it's taste (too spicy, too much cinnamon), the subsequent display of firebreathing they then treat the crowd to does impress, with the flames and smoke forming all kinds of interesting shapes, from dragons to ships to far-off mountain vistas.
Sønderjye
 The Herdsmans market 

Z start focusing his attention on the mind expanding and perception changing ones. Does the descriptions reveal anything more concrete? He tries to think of ways that those effect could have been performed.

He is impressed with the fire breathing potion. Not so much the fact that it was able to produce the fire, potions existed for those kinds of things, but more so because whoever had done it must have been able to do it reasonably cheaply.
Prehysterical
 The Herdsmans market 

Bolten looks up at Shandara's question.  "Hm? Oh no, I think they have things under control. Best of luck to the both of you!" 

He joins Shandara in her walk toward the square. The games seem like great fun for someone who never participated in them, but they are clearly cheaply made. His interest lies more in the crowd around the café, especially during one of the outbursts where some chemical concoction creates a firestorm of alchemical dragons. While Bolten will most certainly avoid  that  particular brew, he is feeling adventurous enough to peruse some of the... less potent creations.

The dwarf points to the crowd and suggests to Shandara,  "C'mon, maybe we'll find something fun there! I'm up for trying something new for once!"  Making his way up, Bolten eventually stops in front of Z and considers the three drinks carefully. Their vague names make him hesitant, but one in particular catches his interest.  "What is this 'Spires' one here? How would you describe the taste,"  he asks the young human.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I don't think Shandara told Bolten about her own stuff, but I can edit it if she did.
 
WindStruck
 The Herdsmans Market 

The sights and sound are much for Shandara to take in. More than once some glimpses of theater shenanigans, be it with puppets or actors, or a cheap little carnival game catches her eye. It was all novelty to her, such harmless little entertainments almost non-existent in her old society, but she still manages to see it for what it is: entertainment for children or the simpleminded. Or at least, this is what she tells herself..

She doesn't have much time to give anything a fair look, however, as Bolten doesn't seem interested in any of it either. The drow shyly follows along, not really knowing where she is being lead. Eventually she notices that it seems to have a lot to do with alcohol and various other drinks, and puts two and two together when she sees one familiar halfling at the head of one of the most important-looking tables.

Bolten stops short of that, however, and begins to inquire about a drink. She turns her attention to that curiously, though she really hadn't planned on drinking anything here herself..
Sønderjye
Z grins ear to ear in his best salesman smile when the unusual duo approaches him.  "What does it taste like? Well, it tastes like wonder and awe naturally. The 3 golden spires of Assantrah are said to be so massive that they reach the heavens, and gazing at them one can feel nothing but awe." 
WindStruck
 The Herdsmans Market 

Even one as intelligent as Shandara was having trouble understanding this.  "Um. Pardon??"  she asked, quite bewildered.

 "He asked what it tasted like. Not.."  she interjected before stopping short.

 "Wait...  Z ? Did you make these?" 
Sønderjye
 
 Originally Posted by Shandara 
  "He asked what it tasted like. Not.."  
 

 
"But it is what it tastes like, you should try it, it really can't be described in any other way" 

 
 Originally Posted by Shandara 
  "Wait...  Z ? Did you make these?"  
 

 "Oh Shandara, I didn't recognize you. Did you do something to your hair?"  Z suddenly realizes who he is talking to.  "And yep! That's why the base taste is so bland. I'm an alchemist first and medicine isn't supposed to taste good." 
WindStruck
 The Herdsmans Market 

Shandara shyly shakes her head at the inquiry about her hair.  No significant change as far as she was aware.

She was still rather confused how a drink could 'taste' like an emotion. But then again, that probably meant some mind-altering properties..  and knowing other things Z was involved in, it made Shandara even more wary.

 "Uh..  No thank you. I did not come here to drink anything..."   And that as much was true. Shandara avoided alcoholic drinks or anything strange, really, and she was just following Bolten around at the moment.
Prehysterical
Well, if Shandara knows the person who makes these drinks, maybe that makes it safe... It is comforting to know that the taste won't be anything like spitting dragons, Bolten is feeling a bit more daring than usual.

Picking up the sample, Bolten takes a conservative sip just in case. Hmmm, not bad... Nothing to write home about, more resembling some carbonated water that he has tried more than anything-

Bolten's eyes go wide as saucers as it feels like he is inside his own head and the interior surface of his skull is the blue sky. He looks up at the phantom Golden Spires, suddenly feeling very small and in an alien place. There is a look of stupefied awe on his face as he looks up at nothing, then the illusion is gone and Bolten leans on the table instinctively for support as he flies back into his own body. He sucks in breath to fight off the feeling of vertigo.

 "... Wow . How did... How did you do that,"  Bolten asks Z in a mixture of excitement, confusion, and terror.
Sønderjye
Although thought impossible, Boltons reaction manages to make Z's even wider.  "Lot of hard work and copious amounts of elbow grease."

"Could I tempt you with the the other variants? It is few who have heard the Siren's song and have lived to tell the tale, perhaps you might be interested in joining that small group? I should warn you that the Sea Drake can be frightening." 
WindStruck
Shandara seems more than a little concerned for Bolten's well-being when the dwarf's eyes dilate and he is forced to lean on a table for support.

 "Bolten! Are you alright?"  she asks before glaring daggers at Z.

Well, Z seemed to be even more amused. Was that a sign that the drinks were harmless? She wasn't sure...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
knowledge arcana:  (1d20+17)[ 37 ] 

Thinking they fall under magical creatures.
 

 "I have heard of sirens, but it is said that their songs do not capture the attention so much because they are beautiful, but simply due to their magical mind-affecting properties.." 
Prehysterical
With a cough, Bolten waves off Shandara's concern with a rueful grin.  "I'm fine, just was... unprepared, that's all." 

When he recovers his composure, Bolten considers the other drinks carefully.  "...I think I am going to give the sea drake one a wide berth. The siren one, however... Eh, I'll give it a shot."  With a shrug, Bolten picks up the siren concoction and drinks it. It takes a moment for the effect to kick in, but the results are again immediate. His features visibly relax and the tension in his shoulders eases as his ears are serenaded by the siren song.  "Oh dear... Z, I think you have some  very  dangerous drinks on your hands. I can see these being quite habit-forming." 
Sønderjye
When daggers starts to be pointed his way. Z holds up his hands in a gesture of innocence.  "He's fine, he's fine, awe can just be a little overwhelming is all."  He doesn't make it further in his defence before Bolton recovers.


 
 Originally Posted by Shandara 
  "I have heard of sirens, but it is said that their songs do not capture the attention so much because they are beautiful, but simply due to their magical mind-affecting properties.."  
 

 "I don't know. Maybe? I've only heard siren song second hand so I couldn't tell if there's a part of the experience I'm missing out on. It does sound otherworldly though"
 

 
 Originally Posted by Bolton 
  "I'm fine, just was... unprepared, that's all."  
 

 "I'm taking pointers if you have any suggestions as to how to prepare better. People don't really take me serious when I say that it tastes like wonder and awe but maybe the surprise is part of the experience? How would you rate the experience on a scale from 1 to 10 and would that have been higher if you had been better prepared?" 

 
 Originally Posted by Bolton 
  "Oh dear... Z, I think you have some  very  dangerous drinks on your hands. I can see these being quite habit-forming."  
 

 "Eh. Anything that's enjoyable can be habit forming and I kind of had to go for shock value at this contest if I wanted to draw attention. What's really remarkable about these is that what you just experienced are real experiences by real people. Imagine feeling how a curator's hands move as they build a construct or following where they eyes focus. Or a rookie team experiencing how an experienced team takes down a rampaging owlbear before trying themselves. Or even building bridges between cultures by letting people in one culture experience lives from each others perspective." 
WindStruck
 "Real experiences from real people..?"  Shandara asks, somewhat intrigued.

 "You mean to tell us that you extracted certain experiences from someone's memories, and then you found a way for other people to experience those memories by imbibing a liquid?" 

Shandara just stood there, rather dumbfounded by the whole idea. Damn. Damn, that was an ingenious idea. She wished she had thought of it.

 "I am not so sure most will learn what you want them to learn. They might process an experience differently, or they might not even understand what they are seeing..." 
Prehysterical
 "Well, it's just that...,"  Bolten trails off as he tries to articulate his shock.  "I'm sure you're aware of how people market their drinks. They call something 'happiness in a cup' or 'liquid sunshine'. People expect a flowery metaphor, not something quite so literal... It's like telling someone that it tastes like 'purple'. As for a rating... I must admit that it being a surprise does probably heighten the experience. Quite exhilarating! I just wish I could actually see the Spires themselves... If they are as wonderful as this suggests, it would make the drink even better!" 

When Z reveals the sensations' origins, Bolten's curiosity is made a bit queasy by the knowledge.  "Erm... You didn't...  steal  someone's memories, did you? I mean, er, the person still has these memories and they weren't taken away, yes?" 
DeTess
"And the next brew is by one 'Zacharias Volenta'!" The deep voice of the dwarven judge easily carries over the noise of the crowd. "Zacharias, if you could come forward and  briefly  present your creation, we can get to the tasting."
Sønderjye
  "You mean to tell us that you extracted certain experiences from someone's memories, and then you found a way for other people to experience those memories by imbibing a liquid?"  

 "Yep,"  Z says basking in the praise.


 
 Originally Posted by Shandara 
  "I am not so sure most will learn what you want them to learn. They might process an experience differently, or they might not even understand what they are seeing..."  
 

 
"I don't know. Maybe? This is brand new so there's a lot of things I don't know for sure." 

 
 Originally Posted by Bolton 
  "  Erm... You didn't...  steal someone's memories, did you? I mean, er, the person still has these memories and they weren't taken away, yes?"   
 

 "No, I kidnapped homeless people and forcibly extracted all of their lived experienced,"  Z looks serious for a brief moment before the facade cracks and his grin is back:  "Kidding! I'm kidding! I promise what you experienced was ethically sourced, noone lost any memories permanently and those involved was compensated for their trouble" 

He adresses both of them simultaneously:  "Actually, I remember you both being talented crafters. There's some hickups in some of the follow up products that I could use some help with, sounds interesting? It's.." 

He is stopped by the announcement.


 
 Originally Posted by Deep Dwarf 
  "Zacharias, if you could come forward and   briefly present your creation, we can get to the tasting."  
 

 "Sorry, gotta bounce. Think about it and let's talk after?,"  he says before quickly grapping his samples and hurrying up on the stage.

 "Honoured brewers, connoisseurs, and guests"  Z speaks in a loud confidence voice as he swaggers into the center, clearly in his element.  "Have you ever traveled the dangerous journey to the exotic city of Assantrah? Sailed through the narrow jaws of Shibratan with your hands wrapped over your ears to avoid the alluring song of the sirens? Brought arms and cannons to bear to avoid being devoured alive by the dragons of the sea?" 

He was spinning a tale he knew. Most people hadn't been to  Assantrah but it wasn't because it was a dangerous journey. Rather, it was far away and thus wasn't usually a profitable trip. That didn't matter though. he wasn't giving an actual recounting, he was telling a story and the audience wanted to be entertained.

  "Well, now you can get a glimpse of what that adventure could have been like, all from the comfort of our beautiful city of vaungate. Through a complex mechanism we have infused liquids with Impressions, allowing the drinker to glimpse parts of events as if they had been there themselves."   He then pulls out the 3 drinks one after another and places them on the table:   "The alluring song of the Sirens, the sight of a sea drake turning its hungry gaze towards you, and finally the reward for the long journey - the awe and wonder of seeing the Spires of Assantrah. A full adventure in liquid form."   
 
 "This is of course only an example of what Impressions can do. Brave adventurers can recount their heroic tales in far more vivid detail. We can experience the wonders of the world first hand. We can bring the world closer by experiencing important aspect of strange and exotic cultures."
 
And with that grandious statement he falls silent, pulls out enough samples that all of the judges can try them out and awaits judgement.
DeTess
The female judge wearing the emblem of the Northgate brewery chuckles at Z's grandiose explanation. "Well, if you're half as good at brewing as you are at weaving tales..." She comments, before the judges reach for the first of the three drinks provided to them. It looks for a moment like Cirast is going to comment on the taste before the full effect hits them, leaving him and his fellow judges speechless.

As the first effect subsides the judges exchange a glance, and then they down the second and then the third variation. The crowd watching has grown a lot quieter as well. With most of the previous drinks the judges had a lot of quick comments and general banter to share, so for them to fall silent like this indicates that they've been given something remarkable.

After finishing the third drink the judges take a minute to mull it over in silence. Finally, the female judge speaks up. "When you introduced your brew, I assumed you where a bit of a braggart. You wouldn't have been the first to make grandiose claims about your brews with the brew itself being nothing special. However..."

"Not a word of it was a lie." The dwarven judge picks up from his human companion, a hint of emotion in his voice. "What you've created here is... well, it is not just a drink but an  experience , however short it may last."

"A shame about the bland taste though." The curator of alchemy adds, but he does so with a friendly smile. "Zacharias, what you've created her is something truly unique. It's hard for someone with my refined tastes to be surprised, yet you've managed to do so. I don't know how large your supply is, but while it lasts, I heartily recommend for everyone to get a taste. And once this festival is done, I'd like to speak with you further, as one alchemist to another, on what you've created here."
WindStruck
Shandara was still intrigued as Z explained. Jokes aside, it seemed he was onto something good. Only, she was still rather afraid to test the concoctions herself.

It sounded like he was about to ask for some kind of assistance, before his name was called, and he stood before everyone barking praise of his creations.

...and the judges were astounded.

A part of Shandara told her she should try and get in on this. But yet another part of her doubted everything. How practical, how profitable would this even be? And.. her expertise was rather lacking as well. And would delving into matters of the mind and alchemy be able to hold her interest? She wasn't even sure if she could adequately improve the  taste  of these drinks without muddling their properties..

All questions for the future, all insecurities deep-seated in her mind. She didn't know what she would do, but maybe some time to think on it would be for the best, as well as being on the lookout for other opportunities.
Sønderjye
 "Your praise humble me,"  Z replies with a bow to the judges.

 "I would appreciate that Curator Overhill,"  he responds to the curator's invitation.  "Should I find you at the Academy?" 

In a loud voice he tells the crowd where he will be for the remaining competition if they want to taste. In a quite voice he tells the judges that he'll save them a serving for them if they have the time. He then departs the scene and returns to where he left Shandara and Bolton.

"So.. I think that went quite well," Z says proudly as he takes out some samples again expecting that they would soon get company.
Prehysterical
As Z steps forward, Bolten feels severe doubt. He doesn't know the first thing about alchemy! How in the world does Z expect him to help? Bolten deals with cogs, not chemicals!

When Z returns, Bolten nods softly.  "Yes... I think you'll be busy for quite a while, sir. Congratulations on your work. I am simultaneously excited and terrified to see what comes next." 
WindStruck
Lost in thought for a time, Shandara eventually says.  "Hm. Were you saying you needed help with -"  before being nearly pushed out of the way by a large, burly man.

But throngs of more people were surely coming, swarming to see what the judges were offering such high praise to.

Shandara decides to back off and let the whole spectacle run its course.
DeTess
As Dusk fell, the markets slowly cleared ast the farmers and artisans broke down their stalls after having sold off most of their goods. The stalls with games and stages for theater troupes likewise closed up, though they'd be back the next day and the days after that as the festival continued.

Meanwhile, the parades that had slowly assembled int eh out-of-the-way places of the city take to the streets. Massive balloons depicting the spirits of the harvest or exotic animals float over the crowds, the balloons lit up from the inside with lanterns or magical lights. Decorated carts and carriages are pulled through the streets by draft animals, dancers and actors twirling amid the displays, and clockwork constructs of all kinds are on display as well, showing exotic animals and mythical creatures to the crowds. In the poorer districts these parades are accompanied by carts containing gifts of food and household items.

As the darkness deepens the revels only intensify, with groups of festival-goers going from inn to inn, the streets lit up brightly by lanterns, and the sounds of song and laughter spreading through all the streets. Even the occasional bit of fireworks lights u the sky above the city. Though these are mere forerunners tot eh spectacle that will arrive on the last night of the festival.
Prehysterical
As much cheer and joy of the season as there is in the air, Bolten behaves more like a student at a research conference. He makes an effort to see every clockwork contraption on display, hunting for inspiration for his own projects.
WindStruck
All the stuff for sale was what interested Shandara the most, but as it began to grow dark, everyone was packing up their things. The silly little games, the theaters, they were also things that may have drawn her attention and been somewhat entertaining, but they, too, were going.

The parades and dancers also were not things Shandara would normally be interested in. But seeing as this was the first proper harvest festival she had witnessed, it was a lot of new sights and sounds, a lot of new things to take in. The clockwork creatures, similar to the ones she had seen earlier, were also a bit intriguing, but not much information could be gleaned just from watching them walk by from a distance. Overall, the parades were a spectacle that kept her full attention today, but maybe not tomorrow or next year.

As the sun fully set, Shandara's eyes grew more comfortable in the darkness, but glaring lights, be it the normal street lighting or decorative lanterns, were everywhere. When the first fireworks appear in the night sky, Shandara is caught off guard and nearly blinded by them. Overall, the festival during both day and night isn't really drow-friendly. But then again, why would it be?

Still, Shandara made do mostly by looking towards the ground most of the time, or squinting a bit at first as she looked up and around to avoid particularly bright lights burning into her eyes. She wasn't much for revelry. She wasn't even sure if she knew how to do a proper dance, and she just wasn't in the mood for going wild and flailing about gaily.

But at least Bolten was still there. His calmer, more studious demeanor was like a comfort to her. A bedrock of stability.  "Well, this has been an.. interesting experience,"  Shandara says.  "Would you like to go somewhere to eat? Or, no... any place we go will probably be too crowded..."  Then again, maybe most of the establishments would be doing something for the festival as well? Which would of course be drawing more people. It was a tough choice for Shandara. Experience a bit more, at the cost of maybe being in a really uncomfortable spot?
Prehysterical
Blinking as if emerging from a trance, Bolten considers Shandara's question.  "Hrmmm... Sure, why not? It's a special occasion and I rarely do so. Sure, we could just go home and eat, but I do that every other night! Besides, I think I've learned everything that I can here."  Turning his head to actually look at her, Bolten asks Shandara,  "So, what are you in the mood for? Roast? Something sweet? Spicy? I hear there's a place in the city that sells specially flavored ice. Of course, if you're wanting a bit closer to home, we could try to find a place with Underdark style cuisine." 
WindStruck
Shandara looks down and quietly says,  "I'm not sure. I think I am more concerned with it just being some place that isn't too loud or crowded..." 
Prehysterical
 "Er, well uh... The Ankheg Keg? The Bullywug Jug? Krenshar Kebabs? Legs and Eggs? Brewer's and Stewer's? The Interplanar Host of Planecakes? The Dragon's Den? Treetop Stop? Love at First Bite?"  At this point, Bolten is throwing out any name he can think of to see what sticks.
WindStruck
Bolten rattled off a bunch of names of places, but Shandara hadn't even heard of half of them. She remembered going out of her way to try The Interplanar Host of Planecakes once, just to see if there was anything unique about the place. It seemed a number of people with blood of beings from different planes frequented there, and the cuisine was a bit odd.

 "The Mushroom Garden?"  Shandara suggests. She had been there a few times. It was one of those places that had more of the underdark food Bolten had mentioned before, but the problem was it was.. fairly expensive. The place had very dim light normally. So at the very least, there probably wouldn't be bright lanterns everywhere to blind the occupants.
Prehysterical
So what if it was a little pricey? It was a special occasion and Bolten doesn't mind a little darkness.

Bolten nods.  "Sure! I hear that they've got great pasta there! Might try the carbonara." 
WindStruck
It seemed the drow and dwarf pair had finally decided on a place to eat. On the way, they spot Z, who also recognizes them in turn. Remembering what they were about to discuss prior to the stampede, Shandara says,  "Hey, Z. We were heading to The Mushroom Garden. If you want, you can come, too.." 

After a beat she says,  "We are paying for ourselves, though." 
 The Mushroom Garden 

The restaurant appears to be a small one-story building, no bigger than a tiny house or an extra-large shed. Much of the architecture is plain and utilitarian, though the front is embossed with a few decorations and depictions of arches, as well as having its name, "The Mushroom Garden" engraved prominently above the door. Some large, potted plants flank the entrance as well.

Just inside is the reception area, which contains a desk and a couple of host or hostesses, and some rarely-used extra seating. Today there is a chalk board crammed with more specials than usual, all written in varied colorful chalk.

However, the actual restaurant is underground. A broad set of steps, such that five to six people can comfortably walk side-by-side, begins to descend from the back of the reception area. Fountains trickle along both walls, interspersed with small rocks and sudden drops, creating small waterfalls and dozens of eddies, all making pleasant ambient noise.

Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, the restaurant unfolds into a much larger dining area. A somber environment and more privacy are emphasized here, and the lighting is oppressively dim for those not accustomed to darkness or without low-light vision. The colors are muted and decorations are sparse. The whole place seems like a maze at first, with all the dividers and numerous walls in the way, and the end result is that one seated party will rarely, if ever, be in direct view of another.

This restaurant has a bit of a reputation. Expensive. Lots of Underdark cuisine. Phenomenal food. The master of the kitchen is a loud, angry Duergar, called Horston Brassieve, who takes his craft more seriously than surgeons in a hospital. Whenever he is forced to make visits out of the kitchen, he can maintain a polite, if not coarse demeanor. Any of his underlings who mess up, however, are not spared such a courtesy. Those near the kitchen can feel the walls shake as he curses when riled up. The actual owner of The Mushroom Garden is more enigmatic, but is said to be a deep gnome.

Today, for the festival, the only real difference inside the restaurant are the occasional magic colored lights on the ceiling. They aren't very bright either. The menu is the same, but the hostess also hands out a small paper to accompany it, listing all the specials on the chalkboard at the front. She also offers a small candle lamp, should the party contain anyone who may have trouble seeing in the darkness.
WindStruck
 The Mushroom Garden 

Z was actually incredibly busy all of a sudden, what with his newfound success, and had other people he needed to speak with first. So Shandara and Bolten continued on with their plans, just the two of them.

A hostess whisked them away down below, into the restaurant proper. It wasn't much more busy than it normally would be at this time. After all, the restaurant was pretty niche, and the common folk of Vaungate most likely preferred other more lively places. Especially ones they could actually afford going to.

Since Bolten and Shandara could see well in the dark, they weren't given a lamp. The menu was a bit intimidating. There were soups and salads. Lots of pastas. Seafood, shellfish, flat breads, and mushrooms. Every conceivable way to cook a mushroom, in more varieties that the average person could imagine. The average cost of an entree ranged from about 4sp all the way to 8sp. And some were even higher than that.

The paper with the specials, was as follows:

 
      Appetizers   
 
  Zesty Cockatrice Wings 
 
  Kraken Calamari 
 
  Spicy Fire Toad Fritters 
 
    Main Course   
 
  All You Can Eat Shrimp 
 
  Tethyamar Truffles 
 
  24 oz Beef Ribeye 
 
  Artichoke &amp; Grizzly Hearts 
 
    Dessert   
 
  Ambrosia Mousse 
 
  Elf Fingers 
 
  
 
Shandara looked at both menus and wasn't sure what to get.   "Hm. Always so hard to choose here..." 

It would help if she understood the menu, but she only definitively know what about half of it was.
Prehysterical
Bolten feels strangely comfortable in the subterranean restaurant... Even though his family's shop had been above ground, his dwarven instincts adapt very quickly to the surroundings. Honestly, if the ceiling was just a bit higher, this place would be home, sweet home for a minotaur...

He is not prepared for the sheer variety of dishes on offer. Most places only have a one or two-page menu, but this place is worthy of a small book! Looking over the special menu, Bolten actually clucks his tongue. "Tsk tsk tsk, a place of Underdark specialty and they have beef instead of rothe steak? Seems like the kitchen is missing a trick!" His jovial tone makes it clear that he's just having fun, actually a great deal more fun than usually seen.

Likewise suffering from choice paralysis, Bolten drums his fingers on the table in thought. Brightening up (figuratively speaking), Bolten suggests,  "Well, why don't we get all three of the appetizers and try them? We just split it between us!" 
WindStruck
Shandara clears her throat and points out,  "Hrm, well, rothe is on their regular menu..."   It was probably hard to find with all the things the restaurant had to offer, but it was there.  "Seems with all their specials and their large menu size, maybe they've over extended themselves for the festival? Hmm..." 

She raised an eyebrow at Bolton's suggestion but on second thought she supposed it wasn't a bad idea.  "Maybe. Perhaps a bit too exotic for my tastes.. and expensive.."  While Shandara literally did have thousands upon thousands of gold pieces saved at the bank, on top of quite a generous stipend to boot, her poorer roots and thriftiness often compelled her to be frugal even when it wasn't necessary.

Shandara looked over at her dwarf friend again, almost as if sizing him up, wondering if he could eat all three appetizers up by himself and then some. Finally she shrugged and said,  "Ah fine, why not? You only live once, right? And I think we've both worked up an appetite."  Well, at least Shandara was feeling hungry after all that sightseeing all day.
Prehysterical
Bolten smiles as they come to an agreement. He looks over his shoulder and says,  "Now, we just need to find-" 
  "Have you decided upon a meal, sir?"  

There is a brief moment of spluttering panic as Bolten flails in his seat while turning upward toward the strange, wispy voice. Above the pair, the strange, hunched form of what can only be an aranea hangs from the ceiling. Their arachnid body is covered in a server's suit, which must have cost quite a bit for the unconventional custom fittings and extra sleeves. Black, seemingly empty eyes sigh wearily as they submit a practiced apology.   "I am sorry if my appearance has caused you distress. I am Spinel, your host."  

Once Bolten has had a chance to recover, he sits up straight and looks a little embarrassed. His own tone is apologetic as he assures the server,  "Oh, it's no trouble at all! I just... wasn't expecting anyone on the ceiling, that's all."  That was  technically  true. The unexpected noise had startled him, but Bolten still finds himself somewhat unnerved by the strange creature's presence.

Coughing as if to banish the awkwardness, Bolten offers his menus up to Spinel.  "We have decided to try all three of the daily special appetizers. Is there any way that we can get some sort of dressing to go with them?" 
  "Of course, sir,"   Spinel assures him as they claim the menus.   "We have cream-based dressings to soothe our spicier offerings. Would you be interested in a beverage this evening?"  

Bolten has a moment of comical concentration and deliberation before asking,  "I don't suppose you have any Bugman Brew, do you?"  Spinel makes an odd chittering noise. To Bolten's untrained ears, it is unclear whether the aranea is chiding him or laughing.   "If we did not serve Bugman here, we would never get another dwarf through the front door! I shall bring you a stone tankard."   Turning to Shandara, Spinel asks,   "And for you, m'lady? We have a wide offering of wines available here, including the more sophisticated drow vintages. Might I recommend the  K'jakr charnaggen ? It is smooth but deep and rich. I am told that a little goes a long way... Perfect for sipping wine."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC: Translation note 
K'jakr charnaggen means "still depths" in Drow. It is a brand of wine that utilizes the clearest, cleanest waters that are only available miles below the earth's surface. Those who enjoy the wine equate it to gently floating on top of a motionless body of water. Those unable to handle it compare it to drowning without any hope of surfacing, being sucked into infinite darkness.
 
WindStruck
Shandara looks up with some curiosity to see the.. waiter hanging from the ceiling. Well, given the way the tables were set up with all the dividers, that honestly seemed to be the most efficient way of doing things.

She listens to the exchange between Bolten and Spinel and when addressed, pauses a bit and says,  "Hm. I think I'll have to pass on that. Don't want to risk ruining the evening. I'll just have a bowl of your ripplebark-barrelstalk pasta, and a pot of hot tea, please." 
  "Which type of tea would you prefer?"  

This place had so many choices of everything...

After a sigh and a slight shake of her head and awkward gestures, Shandara responds,  "Just, um.. the standard Bazi Tea will be fine. Thank you."  She had to admit she was seriously going through a lot of 'decision fatigue'. When their waiter leaves, Shandara sighs once again with some relief, and keeps an occasional eye on the ceiling more often than before.
Prehysterical
After the initial scare, Bolten gets over Spinel's appearance surprisingly quickly. When Shandara sags in her seat with weariness, Bolten asks her curiously,  "Now, ripplebark I know, although my people call it  arantym . I love the nutty flavor. But what does barrelstalk taste like? I've only ever heard of Underfolk using it as a drinking vessel. And what kind of sauce does it come with?" 
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "Oh, it's a little bland, but can be crunchy.."   (going to say sort of like water chestnut)

 "Barrelstalk does grow in the wild and it can be farmed. While the mushroom itself is well-known for retaining water, its flesh is still quite edible. Though I guess it isn't always very palatable.." 

Then she shrugs.  "It can come with many sauces, really. But I've had this bowl here before. The sauce they serve it with is savory and just a little sweet. What was it called..?   Ika'yiret?   I think the name is more gnomish origin. But it's really similar to something else I have had before when I was younger, called,  Fay'laph'urn Qu'tran ..." 

Just then, Spinel came back, with a stone mug for Bolten and a piping-hot teapot for Shandara, and also a small tea cup.

Spinel clicks,   "Your appetizers will be out shortly."  

Looking at Bolten with their black eyes and a tilt of the head, Spinel asks,   "And would you be having anything else to go with them? A soup or a salad perhaps? Our soup of the day is most excellent: creamy cave crab chowder with stal faux."  
Prehysterical
 "Huh... You know, Shandara, if you ever get bored of jewelry, you could open a kitchen for drow specialties,"  Bolten jokes fondly. Honestly, this was the most that Shandara had ever talked about her life before the surface. The workshops were not an environment of small talk and Shandara seemed reluctant to share at the time...

Bolten accepts the stone mug from Spinel with thanks. Before he can take a sip, Spinel's question stops the mug before his lips.  "Hmmm... I may regret this later, but cave crab chowder sounds too good to pass up. Could you please serve it in a stone bowl, Spinel? I'm feeling more dwarfish than usual today."  Spinel bowed with their four front legs.   "Of course, sir."   Spinel scuttles off to convey this new order to the kitchen.

Taking a sip of the golden frothy liquid contained in the stone mug, Bolten stops with an almost euphoric look on his face as the smoothest of dwarven ales dances over his palate. Once he regains his senses, Bolten explains,  "You know me, Shandara- well, know me well  enough , at least, to know that I am not a big beer drinker. Bugman Brew, however, is enough to change anyone's mind about ale. I always heard growing up that dwarven soldiers often substituted it over a regular meal!"  Setting the mug down with gentle contentment, Bolten looks to Shandara and asks,  "Well? How do you think today went? The highlight of my afternoon, ironically, was when we stopped to help that gnome and his tall friend with their lion." 
DeTess
As Bolten and Shandara discuss matters and wait for their appetizers, a reddish-bearded dwarf appears at the entrance to the little alcove they're seated in. He's dressed in an expensive-looking and fashionable suit, though the stiff way in which he holds himself and the scars on his youngish face suggest he's a warrior of sorts, rather than a merchant or noble. He gives Bolten a quick once-over, and spares a longer look for Shandara, before disappearing as quickly and quietly as he appeared. Shortly afterwards the Dwarf and Drow hear the sounds of chairs being moved and the murmur of voices in the alcove adjacent to them as a large group arrives, though after several seconds the sound drops to near inaudible levels, the suddenness with which the sound drops suggesting some kind of spell was cast.
WindStruck
Shandara makes a slight face and a soft, noncommittal grunt at Bolten's joke suggestion. It obviously was a joke considering Bolten's demeanor, though she seemed to have briefly been seriously considering the idea. Honestly? She wasn't that great of a cook. And it would probably be stressful doing it for a living. It was one thing to make things for herself, but serving others? She just couldn't ever see that happening. And it would probably be a nightmare just finding and preserving all the things she'd need for.. "drow specialties". And who in the hell would even bother coming to such a place??

Well, here they were in the Mushroom Garden, after all, but it was pretty clear that they were a broad Underdark cuisine, also with surface foods. Somehow they managed it, likely partly in thanks to the exorbitant prices some were willing to pay, but she figured she could never successfully run such a business herself.

As Bolten muses about feeling 'more dwarfish than usual', Shandara can't help but lightly chuckle. It was rather rare to see her smile, let alone laugh at anything.  "If I get you to come in here more often, maybe I'll train you to guzzle ale like water and swear like a proper dwarf."  Her light laugh lingered a bit, the joke coming so close to skirting her mother's old profession, but it was so subtle, the undertones were even lost upon her for the time.

Shandara stretched a bit, finally becoming a bit more comfortable and at ease as she began to pour herself some tea. As Bolten set down his mug and asked her about the day, she was about to answer when the red-bearded dwarf had stopped near their little booth and looked at them. Shandara glanced back, briefly.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Oh right, this is pathfinder.  We just have the perception skill.

 (1d20+6)[ 7 ] 
 


Welp, he was clearly a lost fellow. Given the maze-like layout of this place, that was understandable. And it wasn't very uncommon for people to give Shandara a second look or a long glance either. Since the dwarf left soon enough, she thought little of it at first.

 "Well, um. Today was alright. Very interesting. I would certainly call the clockwork menagerie worthy of a highlight. I never imagined that they would contain crystals with the spirits of animals that moved them.." 

She adds,  "I don't know if this harvest festival and I are very compatible, but I suppose as long as I am living here, it would not hurt to know more about the local culture..." 

Then the sounds of activity in an adjacent alcove caught her attention. Paranoia was starting to set in on Shandara as a large group just so happened to begin sitting next to them, shortly after that dwarf had come by. Still, their hushed talking was all but indecipherable to her, and it got even quieter, suddenly.

Shandara uncomfortably glanced in their direction, effectively just staring futilely at the divider for a moment before she looks at Bolten, unsure what to even say. Perhaps it would be best if she just said nothing. Everyone was just here to enjoy a nice meal, right? She stared at her tea cup.
Prehysterical
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Perception just on the off-chance:  (1d20+1)[ 16 ] 
 

Bolten smiles as Shandara begins to lighten up. He hopes to see this side of her more often, where she's more comfortable and forth-going than her usual reclusive self. The appearance of another dwarf is not that surprising, but Bolten wonders why the clansman seems to be at least mildly interested in their presence. Even he notices how the dwarf takes longer to evaluate Shandara. Bolten feels a flush of embarrassment. Not for being caught in the company of a drow, but that one of his kin displays clear suspicion of his coworker.

Ignoring the jostling of the group next door, Bolten asks Shandara for further insight about something that bothered him earlier. His expression is troubled as he asks,  "So, there really was a soul of some kind trapped in that clockwork lion? Did they mention how they put it in?" 
WindStruck
Shandara looks back up toward Bolten, not very unhappy to be distracted by any thoughts she may have had. She says,  "Erm. I would not say the use of the word 'trapped' is accurate... Given the way the animals don't rampage around angrily whenever able, and the reverence the others displayed, as well as the grim prospect of such spirits 'dying' .. I think there is more here at work than meets the eye. But I do not know the exact details. I know that shamans from their old ways used to perform some manner of ritual to call upon spirits. That in itself sounds fairly voluntary..." 

Shandara's paranoia was still really flaring. It was pretty silly to think that anything would happen here, but you never know... After putting a small dollop of honey into her tea and stirring, she does a few simple arcane gestures and taps her tea cup with one of her fingers.

 
 Spoiler: Spellcraft DC 15 
Detect Poison
 


Seeming satisfied with whatever she just did, she took the first sips. Suddenly, the looming presence of Spinel up above caught her off guard. A soup bowl quickly clacked down onto the table before Bolten (Silverware and napkin was already present).

  "Here you are, sir. We have fresh soup ready at a moment's notice. The appetizers will still be a few minutes. Please let me know if you need anything else."  

And with that, after giving Bolten a mere second to say something before scurrying off, Spinel went off to try to greet the larger party nearby.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I think they may have trouble speaking with Spinel...  Maybe they'd just need a different waiter?
 
Prehysterical
The idea sounds strange, but at least Shandara's analysis comforts Bolten somewhat... Bolten's conflicted expression gives way to surprise as he realizes how Shandara is expecting her drink. Perhaps that was drow drinking etiquette? He has heard that the dark elves are fond of the use of poison in beverages...

He jumps a little when Spinel surprises him with the bowl of chowder, but Bolten is starting to get used to the aranea's appearances.  "Ah, thank you, Spinel."  As Spinel scuttles away, Bolten looks down and sees the otherwise innocuous bowl of chowder has a few arachnid legs draped in it like crab legs. His complexion turns a little green as he picks one of the legs up to inspect it.  "Oh... so that's what stal faux is,"  Bolten says quietly. His other hand grabs hold of the spoon and navigates the chowder carefully past his groomed beard to his mouth. Bolten hums approvingly, enjoying the combination of cream, salt, and just a hint of zest. He sets the spoon down and asks Shandara uncertainly,  "So, uh, what's the best way to go about these? Do I just crack them with my fingers or do I just suck out the meat and juices?" 

Dwarves aren't exactly familiar with spider shelling etiquette.
WindStruck
Shandara simply nods at Bolten's obvious statement. She watches Bolten peering at his bowl, holding back a bemused expression. She supposed Bolten must have lived his entire life above ground...

She shrugs at his question, with just a hint of mirth.  "Whichever you prefer. It's easy to get the meat out from the beginning, but you might want a shell cracker if you want everything near the tips." 

The legs themselves can be handled similarly to lobster legs. Instead of little spines that might cut you if you are not careful, there are many more shorter, coarse hairs. The legs could probably be pulled apart with a bit of force: easily doable for your average person.

The stal faux meat itself is tasty with a somewhat unique flavor.. though it is a little bit chewy.

Shandara sips her tea again and asks,  "So, do you plan to attend to the other days of the festival? I heard they do something differently each day..." 
Prehysterical
Bolten goes to simply snap the leg at the joint, but stops and has second thoughts. Setting down the leg for a moment, Bolten reaches for his belt and pulls what looks like a spiky iron bar. After a few twists and pulls, the dwarf triumphantly holds aloft a pair of shell crackers seemingly made for the task.  "Haha! Never leave home without an any-tool, I always say!"  With characteristic precision, Bolten cracks open the chitin and dangles the stringy meat into his mouth. He hums in surprised approval.  "Tastes a lot better than it looks... It's like a more substantial crab. Glad no hair is involved, though... well, minus what's on my face,"  he concedes in a moment of self-deprecation.

After taking a bit to chew the meat, Bolten responds,  "I hear the Guilds are having a contest the day after tomorrow. It's a surprise crafting challenge where people have less than a day to make some contraption or concoction from scraps to solve a problem. How exciting!"  Bolten bounces up and down in his seat eagerly.  "What about you, Shandara? Had enough festival to satisfy you, or are you to give one of the challenges a whirl?" 
WindStruck
Shandara drums her fingers together briefly in some thought.  "Hm. The challenge could be intriguing. Perhaps even.. fun? I wonder what the rules and criteria actually are, though.."  She considered the idea some more. It's not like she had any other plans. It could be a way to pass some time, since most other people were also enjoying the festival, and perhaps there would be prizes, or some other boon to winning? Oh but the shame of failure.. Well, she rather doubted she would mess up  that  badly. Still, she was uncertain about it all.  "Did you see firsthand what a competition from last year was like? I may be interested..." 

-----

Shortly after Bolten's next response:

There seems to be a commotion in the restaurant. It's not the seating right next to them. It's more distant, and the direction seems to be coming from the back.

One perception roll needed for all these:
 
 Spoiler: perception 20 
 Cockatrice! Now! 

...

 What is this?? It looks like ye boiled it! 

...
 

 
 Spoiler: perception 15 
  It's raw!!  
 

 
 Spoiler: perception 20 
 First ye burn them, now ye send out raw food?!

Get out! Just get the f&amp;*$ out!! 
 


Whatever is going on, it sounds like a deeper male voice yelling, very angry about something and cursing up a storm.

A minute later Spinel arrives with a basket of steaming-hot, breaded, calamari. The pieces are not in rings, but rather, long straight shoots about 1/3 inch in diameter and nearly eight inches long each. Given how huge a kraken must be, there may be some kind of slicing mechanism that gets the giant squid flesh into these shapes. The calamari was fried in exceedingly hot oil. Just the scent of them is mouthwatering.

Also, there's the firetoad fritters. These morsels also seem to have had seasonings rubbed in before being fried, and yet even more sauce was drizzled on after the fact. The fritters do indeed seem very spicy, as the aroma from these is sharp and prolonged exposure causes the eyes to water. And as expected, once a bite is taken, they are the spiciest thing you have  ever  eaten. One might joke the things were still alive and burning you. There's a very tasty flavor behind it all as well, but it's hard to enjoy when your mouth feels like it's on fire.

Apologetically, Spinel says,   "Unfortunately, there was a slight delay with your cockatrice wings. I'm so terribly sorry. We'll get them out to you as soon as we can."  

Shandara merely nods patiently and understandingly. At least they had plenty to work with already.
Prehysterical
Bolten beams at the idea of Shandara participating and getting out of her shell like he is.  "I confess that I did not watch last year, but maybe we could find out who the judges are. They might be able to give us at least a rough idea of what the challenge might be, even if they can't tell us exactly everything. Don't want to give us an unfair advantage, after all." 

His musing is interrupted as he faintly hears someone yelling about raw food in the distance. It sounds like the kitchen is not having a good time... Bolten's lips draw tight in second-hand anxiety. Fortunately, Spinel soon appears with two of the three appetizers. Both of them smell steaming hot, though even the fragrance of the toad fritters is seemingly beyond reasonable for something supposedly edible. When Spinel wrings their hands about the cockatrice wings, Bolten actually manages to feel sympathy for the strange spider-creature.  "Spinel... Is everything okay?"  The dwarf's voice is soft as he asks the question, keeping low to avoid attracting attention.

Spinel hesitates before answering back,   "...I am fine. We are just having some trouble in the kitchen, that's all."  

Bolten tries to give a reassuring smile.  "Please tell the kitchen to take as long as they need. We don't have any other plans this evening, so we are in no hurry. We're happy to wait until it's good and ready." 

The aranea bows.   "We are all thankful for your patience, master dwarf."   There is audible relief in Spinel's voice. Spinel turns quickly and speeds off to check on another table while Bolten blows on a firetoad fritter before taking a bite.

 
 Spoiler: Fortitude Save 
 (1d20+5)[ 9 ] 
 


Unfortunately, it's just a bit more spice than Bolten can handle even with forewarning. Tears immediately begin welling in his eyes and his hands wave uselessly to redirect air to his mouth, dropping the rest of the fritter onto his plate. His hands reach for the stone mug, as if it was a fire extinguisher, and the soothing dwarven ale helps to take the painful sting away. After several loud gulps, Bolten slams the pewter vessel down onto the table and sags back in his chair with a ragged gasping sigh. Even with Bugman Brew to save his burned taste buds, the dwarf can only manage two squeaky words.

  "Too hot..."  
WindStruck
Shandara raised an eyebrow at Bolten's reaction, a mild look of concern overshadowed by a less-mild look of amusement. She was sure the fritters were spicy as advertised, but  that  spicy? She was really beginning to think that Bolten was just incredibly soft for a dwarf.

She was still curious what it tasted like, but she was no fool and reached out with a single finger, dipping it slightly in the fritter sauce and then tasting it in her mouth.

After a few seconds of sucking her finger she says,  "Oh come now, it's not.." 

A look of worry washes over her face.  "Oh dear..." 

It only seemed fairly spicy at first, but it kept getting worse! Even the little bit of sauce that Shandara had dabbed in her mouth was quickly starting to feel far too hot for her liking.. and her tolerance.

 "Gah.." 

She reaches for her teacup and drinks it far more quickly than normal, emptying it in seconds. It didn't seem to help much. She sat there with a grimace on her face and poured herself some more tea, trying to fight back her own tears that were forming.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I think if Bolten wants to attempt another bite, he can have +2 to the roll next time. That probably only determines if he can stomach it though.  Definitely has nothing to do if he will enjoy it.  😛
 
Prehysterical
Bolten tries to warn Shandara about the sauce, but his spluttering is in vain. The drow's smug look quickly takes on panic as her tea proves unmatched against such elemental heat. His tongue still burning from the flavor, Bolten takes another spoonful of chowder into his mouth. It does help, but only somewhat. Bolten pushes the bowl across the table.  "Here, try some of this. Dairy is supposed to help after you eat spicy food." 

Regardless of Shandara's answer, Bolten seeks to distract his mouth by taking one of the long strings of kalamari and crunching it between his teeth. They were still a little hot, but nothing compared to firetoad inferno. It's a bit stringy, but surprising hearty. Swallowing the morsel, Bolten looks down at the plate of firetoad fritters with resentment.  "I'd rather eat the silver than finish that... and I mean that very literally." 
WindStruck
Shandara appreciates the gesture of Bolten offering some of his chowder, but she'll get over this little bit of sauce she tasted.   "No thank you.."   she manages to whisper.

Very gradually, the heat in her mouth subsided...

She just nods in agreement to Bolten's last statement. But it wasn't like she'd ever want to eat silver either. She mixed a little honey into her fresh cup of tea, and there was some silence for a while.

 "I suppose we should just tell Spinel that we don't want it anymore..." 

She tries some of the calamari and finds that it was quite delightful. The sauce provided to go with it was perfect.
Prehysterical
During the silence, Bolten enjoys more of the krakenmari by dipping the strings into his chowder like a sort of sauce. He is about to respond to Shandara's question when his ears pick up a strange skittering. Whatever is making the noise, it is certainly not their aranea server...

Following the strange sound, Bolten looks up to see a strange... creature? Contraption? Whatever it is, Bolten has no doubt that it is some kind of surveillance device trying to spy on the party next door. Rather than being concerned with what sorts of politicking and espionage might be involved, Bolten just wants to examine the device. Reaching up by standing in his chair, Bolten grabs the beetle spy and pulls it down to examine it. After sitting down, Bolten muses to himself as if forgetting that Shandara is sitting there watching.  "Hrm, doing a little eavesdropping, are we? Let's see what makes you tick..." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Just let me know what sort of roll I need to make. I'm assuming that it's clockwork, but maybe it's something else.
 
DeTess
The beetle is just that, a large black beetle with a glossy black carapace and a distinctive horn on it's head. The beetle struggles a bit, but it's not too difficult for Bolten to keep hold of it.

Bolted to its back is a smallish tin box, that Bolten can easily pry open with the help of the help of the tip of a knife or other piece of cutlery. Held within is a very thin silver needle, contained into a kind of gyroscope that seems to be built to always keep the point of the needle pointing down. The needle glows very slightly, indicating it has been enchanted in some way.

 
 Spoiler: Bolten's observations 

The gyroscope contraption is decent work, especially given how small everything is, as it's clear the box was made to be easily carried by the large beetle. The style of crafting is not particularly familiar to Bolten, but the delicacy of the work, as well as the small flourishes on the various parts suggest a craftsman or woman concerned with aesthetics, even on the parts that no one is likely to see much.

The enchantment is of a kind Bolten has seen before. It's called a 'twinning' enchantment, and designed to make two objects believe that they're actually the same object, and any changes made to one object (such as movement) affects both. It's a fairly new innovation, and ways to sue it are still being developed. The uses Bolten would have heard off would all be related to basic signalling, such as twinning the clappers on two bells, such that if one bell is rung, so is the other one. The enchantment on this appears very intricate however, suggesting either additional functions, or some kind of advancement or refinement on the design, allowing for example for greater accuracy in the mimicking of movement.
 

 
 Spoiler: Shandara's observations 

The bug is known in the Empire as an Underdark Rhino beetle.It is found,a s the name suggests, in the Underdark, and rarely makes its way to the surface. It is sometimes used by Drow for acts of sabotage, as it can carry for more weight than a similar sized spider, and its will is easily overpowered by even weaker mages.

The enchantment is of a kind Shandara has seen before. It's called a 'twinning' enchantment, and designed to make two objects believe that they're actually the same object, and any changes made to one object (such as movement) affects both. It's a fairly new innovation, and ways to use it are still being developed. The uses Shandara would have heard off would all be related to basic signalling, such as twinning the clappers on two bells, such that if one bell is rung, so is the other one. The enchantment on this appears very intricate however. Shandara can make out a secondary enchantment on the rig holding the Needle that anchors the enchantment, meaning that the needle's twin will only react to movement of the needle within the gyroscope, and it won't move around if the gyroscope as a whole moves around. The enchantment has also been reinforced to be incredibly precise, so the needle's twin will pick up even the smallest vibrations.
 
WindStruck
Shandara peers at the beetle, which she had not noticed before until Bolten.  "That's.. what you all would call, an Underdark rhino beetle.. commonly used for acts of sabotage.."  An eyebrow of hers rises with concern. What was it doing here??

 "May I see that for a moment?"  she asks.

After studying it for a bit she says,  "This is incredibly precise. The needle.. and I mean the needle it is paired with, will only move if the gyroscope itself moves. I wonder.. is it precise enough to pick up the vibrations of voices?" 

She peers around again, probably in vain, wondering who this belonged to and why it was here.  She was feeling rather uncomfortable.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
perception:  (1d20+6)[ 12 ] 
 


As she studies the needle longer, her eyes narrow and she says,  "Yes, I'm almost certain of it." 

Well, now what?  They knew they were being spied on..   whoever this beetle belonged to knew they knew...
Prehysterical
Bolten is a little surprised at first how the beetle still shows some basic survival instinct despite its repurposing. As a peace offering, Bolten offers the bowl of cave crab chowder to the insect. Petting the shell like the back of a cat, Bolten asks,  "Can you make pets out of them? I'm not usually an animal person, but maybe this bug would like a home instead of such a dangerous job." 

After handing over the device, Bolten informs Shandara,  "Whoever made this, they take pride in their work. There's a lot of love in there for what might be a listening device." 

He nods at Shandara's observation, for once completely on the same page as her. While she is rightfully worried about the owner of the device, Bolten is single-mindedly focused on the contraption itself. The mechanical design was competent and artful, even if not revolutionary, but there was some powerful magic put into making up for relatively elegant but imprecise machinery.

Perhaps unwisely, Bolten taps the top of the contraption to bounce the needle. The dwarf presents a mad sight as he begins speaking at the needle while petting a beetle.  "Hello? I hope that the artisan on the other end and not some other agent. I must say that this is a well-made device, but I feel like the interior gyroscoping could use a little refinement. Perhaps we should collaborate some time? I could give some pointers and I would  love  some tips on how you manage to shape some of the mechanisms so thinly!" 
WindStruck
Shandara practically sinks into her seat in embarrassment. Imagine the affront of being spied on, but then one casually starts talking to the eavesdroppers about the design of their device! Through the very same device!

 "Bolten.. if they wanted to share their device and collaborate with you, don't you think they would have been more upfront about it it?" 

It was quite a pessimistic view but maybe right. Of course, drow were naturally paranoid, pessimistic creatures, and usually not kind. Their very lives depended on it. While Shandara had managed to loosen up greatly, the act of espionage was making her very uncomfortable. Even using such a beetle from the Underdark.. too close to home.

 "M- maybe we should just go..."  Shandara says, shifting in her seat and almost ready to stand up.
DeTess
Just as Shandara is about to get up, a Familiar voice greats her from above.  "And here are your cockatrice wings. I apologize once again for the delay."  Spinel carefully places the plate on the table.  "Is there anything else I could help you with?"  The Aranae notices the mostly untouched plate of firetoad fritters.  "If you wish, I could ask the kitchen for a dip that takes the edge off of the spicyness. Oh and..."  they nod at the beetle in Bolten's hands.  "I will have to ask you not to let any pets run around free to avoid bothering other guests. I do hop that is not an issue?" 
WindStruck
Shandara is too worried about spies and whatnot to care or think about the food.

 "Uh.. that's not ours,"  she says.  "We don't know whose it is..." 

Suddenly she thinks of an idea.

 "I don't think it might have traveled far. Maybe you could return it to its owner?" 
DeTess
 "Ah, in that case I could take it to the reception desk at the entrance."  The Aranae suggests.  "Its owner will be able to pick it up over there." 
Prehysterical
Bolten shrugs in response to Shandara's question.  "Well, one could argue that they did. I mean, you know me. I'm not the most aware of my surroundings. If  I  noticed this little device, it's not the best spying attempt in the world, now is it?" 

Spinel arrives with the last of the appetizers and Bolten sniffs approvingly.  "If you could bring some dipping sauce, I would appreciate it. As for this little fellow... it is not a pet. I don't know who or why, but someone was trying to eavesdrop on the party next door. I suggest holding it and seeing if anyone at all bothers to come claim it."  Bolten hands over the listening device along with the beetle as a sign of good faith.  "I'm certain that the restaurant's owner would not take kindly to espionage being performed in the establishment." 
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs at Bolten's explanation. If it were  her , she'd simply try to get the person's attention again, rather than do something convoluted that could be seen as suspicious. She'd expect just about any other person to do the same as well...

Deciding to just play along and let the situation go, she nods along with Bolten and says,  "Hm. Perhaps a little experiment they brought along that got lost? Either way, I guess it's a good idea to hold it there." 

She pondered for a moment if she should suggest something else. Maybe getting in contact with the people who "lost" their beetle to figure out who they were? But that wouldn't work. She assumed the restaurant wouldn't think it responsible to tell them, and even if they did, the other party wouldn't get their beetle back. Or maybe it would escape on its own? Hmm.

Finally getting back to the subject of food, she says,  "Oh. Um. It does seem the fritters are much too spicy than we anticipated...  I hope the dipping sauce you suggest does the trick." 
DeTess
 "Ah...."  Spinel sighs at the mention of espionage, and shoots a glance at the larger party seated just behind the divider that Bolten had found the beetle on.  "I do apologize for this. Minor diplomatic functions and meetings are held here from time to time, though we're generally informed in advance so we can take appropriate measures."  The Aranea takes the bug and skitters off back towards the kitchen after promising to bring another kind of dipping sauce

Spinel returns within a minute or two carrying a small bowl of the promised dip. It's a thick white sauce with visible hints of herbs. It's got a refreshing and slightly citrusy taste, and when paired with the firetoad fritters it turns the spicyness down to a mild tingle on teh tongue.

 "As both an apology for the incident with the bug, and a thank you for dealing with it quickly and discreetly, your meal and drinks tonight will be on the house."  Spinel announces on his return.  "Ehm, within reason of course. As I'm sure you've seen there are some items on the wine list we'll not be able to include." 
WindStruck
When Spinel scurries off, Shandara leans in and whispers,   "Bolten. You think the beetle was spying on the  other  party? Are you sure?"  

Admittedly she hadn't seen it at all until Bolten plucked it out of.. somewhere. But it almost seemed like the larger party were the ones trying to spy on them... No? Maybe it was just unnecessary paranoia. But it was all but certain that someone was spying on someone.

When Spinel returns, she's surprised to hear they'll get their bill paid for free.  "Oh my, that is.. very generous,"  Shandara says.  "Are you sure? It really wasn't any trouble..." 

Something else weird, she thought. Their bill was going to come up to three gold pieces at least, maybe four. Maybe a little extra to the server for the good service. That was a lot of money for a restaurant to be giving away.. as the saying goes, 'too good to be true'. Oh damn. Were they going to be blamed for trying to spy on the other party?
Prehysterical
Shandara's paranoia only receives another shrug from Bolten.  "It is an assumption, but the people next to us seem to be taking great pains to not be heard. It makes more sense than spying on the pair of us. Why would anyone do that?" 

Once Spinel makes off with the spy beetle and returns with the dipping sauce, Bolten gives Spinel a look of wild surprise.  "Oh well, thank ye! As Shandara said, t'was no trouble at all! Please rest assured that you will still be receiving a tip from me. Speaking of drinks, though, any chance that I can get a refill on the Bugman Brew?"  Bolten hefts the stone tankard meaningfully while giving the firetoad fritters another go with the creamy sauce.
WindStruck
Spinel says,   "It's the nature of the business, I'm afraid. Better to make sure you please the customer, rather than skimping on service and offending. Nevertheless, gratuity despite this incident is most appreciated and generous."  

It seems Spinel smiles, though it's honestly hard to tell.   "Ah, of course. More Bugman Brew in just one moment."    They scurry off again.

When their waiter leaves, Shandara leans in again to continue their conversation discreetly,   "Look, you remember how that one dwarf just stopped in front of our table and stared a bit, right? And then this large group that used some magic to muffle their voices just  happened  to sit near us?"  
  "And where did you find that thing? It was nearer to us than them, wasn't it? You'd think if the beetle was spying on them, it would be under their table to get inside the radius of their spell."  

Shandara just shook her head. Oh well. Now she just felt more determined to not let this incident bother her more than anything else. She tried dipping a piece of the calamari in the soothing sauce just to try it out.

But before making an attempt at the fritters again, she tries a cockatrice wing. Much like a chicken wing, but somewhat larger, the meat comes off the bone easily, and the skin is tender and succulent, smothered in a savory sauce. Like lemon, pepper, garlic, and something else tangy that glues it all together. Extremely delicious. But unless one was an expert on the subject, one would have a hard time distinguishing if this was actually cockatrice or just chicken.
Prehysterical
Bolten holds up his hands in confusion.  "Well, they had to sit  somewhere . The clansman was probably just scoping us out, seeing if we looked suspicious."  He opts not to mention how Shandara suffered closer scrutiny than he did.  "As for the beetle, it was just on the wall behind me. If it was spying on  us , why would it be on our side of the wall where we could see it? I could actually feel it crawling between my feet and heard it going up the wall behind me. I don't know anything about these people, but I imagine that they wouldn't be so sloppy in their approach if we were their intended target."  There is that slight twinge of fear in the back of his mind if Shandara's words prove true, but the appearance of the situation doesn't seem to line up that way.

Spinel returns shortly with the ale and the rest of dinner proves to be a pleasant distraction. The dipping sauce proves invaluable in saving the fritters for their delicate palates and the cockatrice wings prove to be a zesty complement. The pair make light conversation so as not to let the food get cold. All in all, it proves highly satisfying and neither is tempted to load up on yet more food.

After Bolten drains the last of the Bugman Brew with a mixture of delight and imminent regret, he reaches for his pouch and pulls out four gold pieces to place on the table for Spinel's tip. An extravagant payment, perhaps, but the meal would have cost at least that much and Spinel proved to be an excellent server. Bolten didn't know the next time that he would visit this establishment, but he knows to ask for the aranea upon his return.

On their way out, Bolten lets out a jovial chuckle.  "Well, that meal was a bit more exciting than what I had envisioned, but what is life without a little spice, eh?"  Bolten grins from ear to ear as he looks to Shandara, nothing at all like his usual withdrawn, sullen self.
WindStruck
So a beetle was crawling between his feet? Hm. That made Shandara wonder where the beetle came from in the first place. If it didn't come from the direction of the other party then.. where??

Shandara enjoys the rest of her food. All the appetizers and the bowl of mushrooms prove to be quite a filling meal for the small drow. She was also planning to leave a tip for the Aranea, but Bolten beat her to it.  "Here. Let me split that with you,"  she offers, holding out two gold pieces to Bolten.

As they both were walking out of the restaurant, Bolten seemed happier than a pigeon with a potato crisp. Shandara just shrugged at his comment, really not sure what to say, but there was a slight and soft smile on her face. Hey, maybe they survived dinner after all!
DeTess
A couple of minutes after leaving the restaurant, Bolten and Shandara suddenly hear a deep voice speak up behind them. “You know, I always believed Drow to have some kind of supernatural sixth sense for when someone’s following them. Seems that’s not quite true though.”

A dwarf is standing behind them. He is wearing an exquisitely tailed suit and a neatly braided reddish-brown beard. He appears to be reasonably young as far as Dwarves go, maybe in his late forties or early fifties, though the scars on his face suggest that he’s had an interesting life so far. A slight smile plays around his bearded lips, though it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Ah, but where are my manners. I am Dukkear, of clan Ironmonger.” He sketches a small bow. “I believe you two got rid of an eavesdropper listening in on the conversation of my compatriots, did you not?”

 
 Spoiler: clan Ironmonger lore 

clan Ironmonger are a large dwarven clan living in the Barrier mountains, a long mountain range about two weeks travel to the north of the empire. The mountains are named such because they're an obstacle that most travellers from the northern reaches of the empire have to cross to reach the capital. This mountain range also contains a number of large entrances into the Underdark, and several major Drow cities are located beneath this mountain range.

These entrances to the underdark are all barred by gates, and it is clan Ironmonger that guards those gates. In more peaceful times trade passes through these gates, but in times of conflict the dwarves of clan ironmonger ensure Drow raiding parties and even the occasional army can't pass into the surface world.

Shandara and Bolten can both roll either a knowledge history or knowledge(local) for a bit more information, and I'd like Shandara to roll a knowledge local anyway because the name 'Dukkear' sounds a bit familiar to her.
 
WindStruck
Shandara's heart skipped a beat when she heard the voice, and she stiffened up a bit as she realized they were being followed. Turning around, she believes the one who was speaking to them was the dwarf from before: the one that stopped in front of their table briefly.

 
 Spoiler: another roll 
sense motive:  (1d20+4)[ 21 ] 
 


He seemed amiable enough so far, though she wasn't sure if that smile was sincere. And given his clan's particular history with guarding against the Underdark - especially drow - she could not help but wonder.. did this dwarf intend to perform his clan duties here and now?

Shandara throws Bolten a nervous, sideways glance. He was the one that found the damned beetle. And she was briefly wondering if things might have been better had neither of them noticed it at all.

She looks back at the red-bearded dwarf and clears her throat.  "I believe that is correct." 

This was all hinging on a number of assumptions. But it seemed that it was quite likely this was true.
Prehysterical
The voice causes Bolten to startle just a little before turning to see its source. Upon seeing another dwarf, Bolten relaxes a little. "Honor to your ancestors, Ironmonger," Bolten greets him politely. Mother had always spoken of the distant mountain dwarves in hushed tones, but this fellow doesn't seem at all like a sneaky sort.

 "My name is Bolten. I come from the Cogturner family. And yes, we did. Somebody had hooked a magically enchanted needle in a metal cage and put it on the back of a beetle. Why they went to all that trouble and not make a clockwork beetle instead of training a live one, I couldn't begin to tell you,"  he chuckles in good humor.
DeTess
The dwarf raises an eyebrow at Bolten's explanation. "It seems you know a thing or two about contraptions like that." He looks from Bolten to Shandara and back again. "You two are with the Artificery society then?" He asks.
WindStruck
Shandara quickly nods.  "Yes. We are. You may call me Shandara. I specialize in arcana and artificery. Bolten's specialization is engineering and clockwork." 

There was something she didn't think she liked about the dwarf.. she sensed he could be incredibly dangerous. Perhaps he could have just murdered them both in cold blood if he wanted to. Yet thankfully, he didn't seem to be in the mood for that right now.

Still, she took a step back. She didn't feel so frightened that she would try and hide behind Bolten or anything like that but.. you never know...

 "I know of your clan, Dukkear. It is well-known throughout the Underdark. But you, in particular.. I think I have heard.. something. It's on the tip of my tongue..." 

Shandara narrowed her eyes a bit, scrutinizing the dwarf that was speaking to them again. Perhaps if he was not wearing a fine suit, and actually in armor and wielding a weapon, perhaps a signature weapon, that might bring something to mind? But wait, his clan was actually known for training assassins. Maybe that wasn't the case at all. Maybe the whole point was that you'd never really see him in a dark suit and brandishing a weapon until it was too late. In other words, whatever was special about him might have nothing to do with appearance.
Prehysterical
Bolten nods in agreement when Shandara lists their qualifications.  "Indeed. We don't get out too much, but the festival seemed like the perfect time to try out some new places to eat." 

While Shandara ponders the dwarf's identity, Bolten asks with uncertainty,  "Er, just asking out of curiosity, because I'm obviously not in the security business... Why have a private meeting in a public restaurant? Isn't it fairly easy for someone to stumble in uninvited or even unintentionally?" 
DeTess
"Ah don't worry yourself too much about that." The dwarf responds to Shandara's probing. "The stories are all exaggerated quite a bit." He smiles as if remembering something, and this time the sentiment does reach his eyes.

He nods at Bolten's question. "Though it does make spying easier, meeting in a public place does have its advantages when neither party really trusts the other. Enough about that though." The dwarf waves away any further questions Bolten might have had about the meeting. "I went after you two both to thank you, and to make sure the people that had sent that bug didn't do anything stupid. However, I hadn't counted on you two being with the artificery society. That's quite fortunate really, it means I might be able to save myself the trouble of having to go through the usual commissioning process. Would you be interested in meeting with me two days after the festival to discuss a little project I've had in mind?"
Prehysterical
Ah, so it was a neutral meeting ground between two rivals or competitors... Bolten nods as he understands the other dwarf's point.

 "Oh, well, thank you for being considerate. I had wondered if the owner would come to chastise us... But yes, I am interested in such a meeting, though I do not speak for Shandara here. Where and at what time, fellow  dawi ?" 
WindStruck
Oh.  That Dukkear.  Shandara must have misremembered his name slightly. It all started to make some sense now, and she blushed a bit. For all the cunning and ruthlessness drow people typically had, the stories they made up about this person were quite contrary and embarrassing. They were simply crazy, and she was skeptical that he even existed. For instance, there was no way anyone could throw a bomb and kill fifty soldiers with it  before  it exploded...

And now, Shandara was actually wondering if this dwarf was who he even said he was. Was it just a name he chose to try to sound more intimidating?

Either way, he had a request, so she needed to consider that. She was trying to rack her brain and remember if she had any projects or commitments going on. She thought she was available. So the next thing to do was probe what this commission was.

 "I.. believe I am available.."  Shandara begins cautiously.  "But I am curious about what your project entails..." 
DeTess
"To be honest, I'm not entirely certain myself yet." Dukkear answered Shandara's question. "Its rare for me to get the opportunity to visit the capital, but I've heard a lot about the wonders the Artificery Society has come up with. I'd appreciate the opportunity to talk with a pair of artificers like yourself to see what is possible. Your colleague seemed to have some ideas for improving the bug that was sent to spy on us, so I'd certainly be interested in something like that, for example."

"As for the when and where..." The dwarf makes a show of taking a moment to think it over. "How about dusk, two days after the festival ends, meeting at the mushroom garden again?"
WindStruck
Shandara smiles a little and says,  "There is much that is possible. Some of the sights you may have witnessed during the parades are evident of that. And if you'd like, there is a third person we know of, well-versed in alchemy, that we may be able to bring in as well. I think that would cover all our bases." 

Then she nods.  "The time and place seem fine to me. I did enjoy my time there." 
Prehysterical
While Bolten isn't super thrilled about getting into the spy game, he is reluctant to refuse an invitation to showcase his skills.  "Perfectly all right by me,"  Bolten agrees with a slight bow.  "Perhaps with a tankard or two of Bugman Brew for good cheer." 
DeTess
"You're welcome to bring your acquaintance along to the meeting." Dukkear responds to Shandara's question. "Well then, I do believe I need to be getting back to my clansmen. Till we meet again!" Dukkear starts to turn away, then suddenly stops, as if just now remembering something. "Oh, before I forget. You two might want to avoid the bad parts of town and just generally make sure to be around friends for the next couple of days. The three grunts those spies sent to pick you two up ran away when they spotted me, but they might still be back. They'll soon have bigger worries, but until then, I suggest you keep an eye out."
WindStruck
Shandara suddenly appears more alarmed.  "W- what??" 

She looks around some in vain, and at Bolten, as if maybe he might have known something but just didn't tell her, then back at Dukkear.  "What did they look like?" 

She was utterly clueless on this matter. And perhaps, just having a vague idea of what to look out for might save her.
Prehysterical
The carefree feelings of the evening are dashed like waves against the shore as Dukkear reveals that others had followed them unnoticed. Bolten begins to realize that his moment of frivolity could have had real consequences for not only himself, but Shandara as well. His smile of excitement melts as he comes back to his usual quiet, nervous self. That expression alone should be answer enough for Shandara's unspoken question.
DeTess
"There where three of them. Tall and willowy, probably some kind of elf, but like quite a few of the revelers here they where wearing masks." Dukkear gestures around at the mass of people surrounding them and indeed, more than a few where wearing masks or some other kind of costume. "Their clothing was a bit heavier than is sensible for this weather though. They where either trying to hide some armor, or cover up all of their skin. I suspect they might be Drow though, based on their hair color. I wouldn't worry too much though. Whoever put them there was probably contemplating mischief at the restaurant, so going after you would have been opportunistic. In another day or two they'll be far too busy to waste time trying to get their hands on you."
WindStruck
 "What makes you say they'd be too busy?"  Shandara asks, perplexed. She supposed this dwarf knew far more about espionage and Underdark politics than even she did. Shandara's parents were merely commoners with no influence. She was never really involved with House businesses...

She looks at Bolten again with worry and quietly says,  "If they were other drow.. I'm not safe..  I'll never be safe..." 
Prehysterical
Dukkear seems extremely confident in his assessment... Bolten can only hope that the dwarf's confidence is well-founded.

He gives Shandara a look of empathy. The dwarf remembers that feeling of isolation, of helplessness, of your entire life dancing on a knife's edge. His look of uncertainty hardens into dwarven stoicism as he raises a fist in defiance.  "You're not alone up here,"  Bolten tells her in the firmest tone of voice she's ever heard leave his mouth.  "Dwarves look out for their friends." 
DeTess
Dukkear seems a bit taken aback by Shandara's outburst. "I don't know your exact history, but I'd say this city is probably one of the safer places for an Underdark refugee to go. The nearest entrance to the Underdark is more than a weeks travel away, and the empire does not take kindly to Drow kidnapping its citizens, even if those citizens happen to be Drow themselves. And as I'm certain you'll have noticed, there aren't that many of your kind in the city, so any new arrivals will get noticed if you know where to ask." He seems to consider for a moment then adds one more thing. "While I'm conducting business in the city the coming days, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for a trustworthy private security company. You seem like you could do with the peace of mind of having a bodyguard on retainer. I'll have a name or two for you when next we meet."
WindStruck
Shandara gazes back at Bolten with.. well.. she didn't know. Something about Bolten's words were comforting and helped to put her at ease. She wasn't used to having a friend, or anyone to stick up for her. She probably didn't even deserve it. The flood of emotions she felt was enough to make her want to cry, but she tried very hard to keep her composure.

Thankfully Dukkear was ample enough distraction. She turns to him, rubbing her face and sniffing slightly.  "Oh. Kidnapping. I hadn't thought of that.. I would have thought they just might want me dead. But I forget we- erm, they.. they do like sacrifices on their altars..." 

She really didn't want to be thinking about this subject anymore, and so when a security company was brought up, she nodded quickly and said,  "Ah, that is a fine suggestion. Though.. I suppose it still seems strange to me. You would think bodyguards are for nobles, people like the emperor, wealthy merchant dynasties, not.. people like me..." 

She sighed wistfully, looking around. He was probably right. If she genuinely felt she was in danger, she should do something about it. She had a lot of money just sitting in the bank, too. Bodyguard contracts were probably expensive, though...   but hey. At least it was cheaper than dying?
Prehysterical
Shandara's words send a chill down Bolten's spine. He always suspected that there was a reason that Shandara was alone and didn't talk about her past, but this sounds very serious. His friend seems to be on the verge of breaking down right there on the street. Bolten is also thinking about the possibility of security, but there is a more pressing matter right now.

 "We can worry about that tomorrow,"  Bolten says as he tries to comfort her.  "In the meantime, how about I walk you home? Then we can meet up for breakfast in the morning and make sure that the other is all right." 
WindStruck
Shandara nods to Bolten.  "That.. that seems like a good idea..." 

Though she supposed Bolten's breakfast was probably more like her dinner.
DeTess
The morning of the second day of the festival broke over a quiet city, it's population slowly recovering from the previous night's excesses. The weather remains pleasantly warm, though the air feels thicker now, and on the far horizon a more threatening band of clouds has appeared, though it'll be a while yet before those'll reach the city. In squares and plazas all over the city a varied collection of entertainers busy themselves setting up their stages and tents, while posters are being rapidly put up everywhere announcing dozens of shows, from theater classics to displays of exotic animals.
WindStruck
Shandara walked back home quietly with Bolten. They even tried taking some alternate routes and pausing a few times to make sure no one was following them. Though the troubling thing was, they still wouldn't know for sure if they were being followed.

Once home, Shandara practically barricades herself in, but with the large window looking out into her small garden, that made it ultimately unfeasible. She had sold some extra weapons before. Maybe.. maybe it was actually time to consider some crossbows? A light one would do, if she planned to rely on knockout poison.  She didn't really know how to properly operate those little hand crossbows anyway.

Shandara shuffled about her home, restless and unsure of what to do. But it wasn't like she rested at this time. She was usually off in a library studying something, or perhaps reviewing some notes, working on a little project..  she didn't have much of anything to do as well, except making a bit of jewelry for the hell of it. She didn't feel like that, either. She paced around a bit and eventually decided to do a little cleaning, but still paranoid of someone that might want to stealthily break in.

The night was starting to get very quiet after midnight. The hooting of an owl caught her attention. She had heard an owl before, many times. Apparently, it frequented the tree growing on her property. But why was it here of all places? Was it a spy or a familiar sent by someone else? She peeked out the curtains of her second-floor bedroom, peering around for it. At about the time that she found it, it swiveled its head to look right at her. Shandara gasped slightly and withdrew.

Shandara tried to get a little rest in vain. In the morning, she wearily answered the meaty rapping on her door. It was Bolten, who for all she knew slept like a baby and was full of energy for today. But for Shandara, her day wasn't that great and it was winding down.

 "Good morning.."  she says a bit awkwardly and wincing at the sun that was beginning to rise over the other buildings.

 "So.. where to?" 
Prehysterical
The pair reach Shandara's home without incident, but Bolten is very conscious of being alone on his own walk home. He makes certain that the stout lock on his front door is secure before changing into nightclothes. What an eventful day... What had started as a simple enjoyment of the Festival's wares had spun into accidental involvement in some conspiracy. Doubt begins to creep at his mind as Bolten reflects on the potential risk to his own well-being and everything he has worked for, but it is Shandara's distress that truly gnaws at him. At some point, they need to have a discussion about Shandara's past. There had been an unspoken agreement not to speak of it, but Bolten wants to help. The dwarven ale helps Bolten eventually get to sleep.

Bolten's promise to Shandara has him up earlier than normal. The dwarf arrives at Shandara's door in his more usual attire of a artificer's overalls, shirt and trousers. His short beard has been carefully combed and Bolten is more his usual self than he was yesterday.  "Er, how about you pick? I'm happy to go along with whatever." 
WindStruck
 "Oh, I don't know.."  Shandara said.  "I was thinking Julianne's, but it's always busy at this time. Do you think being around too many people is dangerous? I get that it's not a good idea to be alone, but in a big crowd...." 

She trailed off and shook her head.  "Maybe.. we could walk around the campus and try out someplace new?"  She shrugged.
Prehysterical
 "Shoulder-to-shoulder busy is obviously not great, but we want a healthy number of people around,"  Bolten muses.  "I'm up for trying something new again, but I confess that I am in a waffle kind of mood..." 
WindStruck
 "Hm. So waffles it is, then. I'm sure we'll find.. something..." 

She closes and locks the door behind her, and they leave her yard. The gate is also closed behind them.

And so then the odd pair set out in search of waffles.
DeTess
Bolten and Shandara slowly make their way through the city. There are more than a few stalls and shops selling waffles, but most of them are incredibly busy at this time of the day with a long queue of customers waiting outside. Eventually they find a place that's not quite as busy, thought the place still smells and looks great.

located against the city's outer walls. nearby, a range is being set up for what looks to be some kind of archery contest, and several nearby market stalls sell archery and hunting-related paraphernalia.
WindStruck
 "Ah, what luck,"  Shandara says. Maybe wandering here over to this particular place with waffles was some sort of subconscious trick her mind was thinking of, as she recalled this contest that was happening. Or, perhaps, considering the other places they had walked by with really long queues, it was just dumb luck.

 "I had meant to ask someone about, erm, catching or taming an owl. You see, there's been one outside my house for a while, apparently. I usually hear it hooting at night. I'm somewhat worried maybe someone is using it as a spy. But if not..."  She trails off in thought, and likely not wanting to divulge what those thoughts were.

Then she'll approach one of the stalls that seems to have something to do with birds, and ask if they had anything to deal with her little "owl problem". Or if they knew of anyone they could recommend.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I assume that with the really high diplomacy roll, that means I'd be getting some useful information from asking around, eventually?
 
DeTess
The first stall Shandara approaches has a number of large birds of prey on display, and is run by a tall elf with dark brown hair and a weather-beaten complexion. Despite the birds surrounding him he does not have an immediate solution to Shandara's problem, as the birds that he sells are ones he ahs raised by hand since birth to help hunters, and though he reckons the largest of his birds could probably catch the owl, he doubts the owl would live through the experience. He points the Drow to a different stall a bit further down the street though.

The stall the elf pointed out to her has a large number of flutes carved from wood on display. Each flute is carved with different animal motifs, showing Wolves, Hawks, Elks and myriad other creatures. Shandara's practiced eye can easily make out that most of these have been enchanted in some way. Behind the display an old human male is sitting in a chair, slowly witling away at another flute. He has got short grey hair and a trimmed grey beard, and his eyes are a milky white with clouded irises, making it clear that he's quite blind.
WindStruck
 "Hello,"  Shandara says.  "Would I be correct to assume that these flutes might attract or charm a particular animal?" 

She looks a little uncomfortably at the blind man, but if he indeed is really blind, takes some solace in that she'll likely only be judged by her voice. After initial contact, she inquires further.

 "How does it all work? And do you have anything for owls?" 
DeTess
"That's quite correct, young lady." He reaches out with one hand and brushes it along the top row of flutes. "I am Roald of Kemrin, and I've created these for people looking to encounter beasts or birds."

"Allow me to give you a demonstration." Roald says in response to Shandara's question about the way the flute's work. He puts down the flute he was working in and gingerly reaches into his large collection of flutes. The first one he picks up is decorated with a coiling snake motive. Roald quickly puts it back after using his fingers to identify it. The next flute he picks seems to be meant to for wolves, and this one too he puts back after identifying it. The third flute he picks up shows the head of a fierce bear. Roald seems to consider this one for a moment before putting it back down as well. Finally, he settles on a flute decorated with images of cats.

He puts the flute he selected to his lips and starts playing. The flute sounds very nice, and it is clear that Roald is quite skilled at playing. Within a couple of minutes a pair of cats, one black, the other ginger, come sauntering over to his stall. One climbs up in his lap, while the other gives one of the man's legs a playful headbutt. At that, he stops playing, puts the flute away and starts petting the cats.

"Nearby animals of the right type will come to you once you start playing." He explains. "Don't worry if you're not used to playing a flute, the magic in them will guide you if you let it, though results are better if you know how to play. The effect will fade shortly after you stop playing, but if you're kind to the animals you called they'll often be happy to stick around. However, the magic of the flute will only work if the one playing it is calm, and they or those around them should not mean harm to the animals called." He stops petting the cats, and a moment later the two animals scamper away again. "That last bit is very important. If you play one of these flutes with the intent to do harm... well, in the best case the magic just won't work. Worst case, every animal of the relevant kind within earshot will turn up, and they won't be happy."

"Now, you said you where looking for a flute for owls... I've got a couple of those here, I think. Is it a particular kind of owl you're looking for, or will any do?"
WindStruck
 "Well, you see.. there is actually one that frequents a tree near my house. I'd like to examine it more. And perhaps..  I think it could make for a fine magical familiar,"  Shandara says.

She tries to describe the owl and it appears to be a barred owl.
DeTess
"Hmmm, yes, I think I have a flute for that one." Roald's hands roam over his collection of flutes, evaluating a number of flutes before finally picking one decorated with carvings of owls. "This one should do the trick." he presents it to Shandara for inspection. The flute is a very fine creation, relatively large, the dark wood smooth to the touch, and with a number of owls carved into it, all of which seem to be of the same species as the owl Shandara had seen before.

"Now, I'm just left with one question." The old man addresses Shandara again after giving her a moment to look over his creation. "What is this flute worth to you?"
WindStruck
 "Hmm, I.. I couldn't say..."  Shandara says.

 "Likely just a one-time use.. and I admit, it's not like I have a.. natural propensity for owls..  But regardless, I don't think money is an issue for me. I'll be willing to compensate you well for your handiwork. Hmm. Would you allow me to hold it for a few moments?" 

After casting some spells and examining the flute, Shandara believes it is indeed all high quality and legitimately magical. It should do as intended. Now the only question was.. was it worth it? What was the "it"? Taming an owl and making it a familiar?  Buying a really expensive flute to maybe only use it a couple times? And how much was it worth to her?

One part of her was telling her it was a waste of money.  But on the other hand..  supposing a wizard did have a familiar.. wouldn't the two of you want to be on good terms??

 "I know these must be valuable, but as for me..."  She shakes her head.  "I don't know. I feel lost in indecision and doubt. What do you normally ask for them?" 
DeTess
Roald shakes his head at Shandara's question. "I don't have a standard price for these. It depends on the customer. A rich merchant interested in buying a curiosity might pay with a hefty pouch of gold pieces. A poor man looking for a companion might pay with a story and a promise." He shrugs. "Only you know what this flute is really worth to you."
WindStruck
Shandara pauses to think for a moment.  "Well, Roald.. I assume you'll be in Vaungate at least until the end of the festival, yes?" 

After a bit more hesitation she says,  "I will pay you two hundred gold pieces. And perhaps, if I can befriend this owl, I will come back so you can meet him or her, and return the flute to you." 
 "I.. also practice magic and artificery, so perhaps there is another service I could offer you instead?" 

Shandara stops, feeling she's offered something fair and reasonable, but also worried she's just overcomplicating matters.
DeTess
"That's an acceptable price, and don't worry about returning the flute." Roald responds. "I would certainly like to meet your new companion if that works out though. I will stay for another week after the festival ends, as there is a regular trade caravan that I'll join afterwards to start making my way home."
WindStruck
 "Very well. ... Well, um.. enjoy your stay in Vaungate,"  Shandara says rather awkwardly.

(going to assume Shandara dropped by the bank to get some money out either before or after this, but let's not make this more tedious)

So it was settled then. She'd try to befriend this owl and see how things went. Perhaps there was some more shopping to do as well. A crossbow, magical ingredients, or at the very least some fresh meat, though that would have to be later in the evening.

She looked over at Bolten, wondering if he ever fancied some sort of animal as a companion.
Prehysterical
After some searching, they finally find a waffle stand that won't turn their breakfast into lunch by waiting. Bolten is content to tag along behind Shandara, munching on his waffle as he curiously observes her fascination with the huntsmen's contests. He never would have pegged for that, but maybe she was branching out in the spirit of the festival?

Shandara's explanation proves that it is more than passing fancy, but that only raises more questions. She had been terrified by the prospect of being spied upon by the beetle, but less so by a mysterious nightbird at her window? Maybe... the beetle just reminded her of home too much. She doesn't seemed inclined to share her thoughts, so Bolten decides to be patient and act as a fly on the wall.

Her intention becomes clear after her conversation with the elf and the old man. Good for her, wanting another friend! Roald's terms leave Bolten mystified, but the man seems flexible in his graces. Bolten smiles as they leave Roald's company. Eventually, he notices Shandara's uncharacteristically intent stare and looks at her questioningly.  "If you leave that question on your tongue any longer, Shandara, it might leave an aftertaste,"  he jokes.
WindStruck
Shandara gazes at Bolten briefly before blinking and looking away.  "Oh, it's nothing. I suppose I was just wondering.. you know, since we are here. Did you happen to have any interest in a type of animal?" 
Prehysterical
Bolten shakes his head slightly.  "Oh, not really. Hard enough to take care of meself, some days. The idea of another living being depending on me for survival is... quite terrifying, actually. How do mothers do it,"  he asks rhetorically.  "If anything, I would be more interested in something like that clockwork lion that we saw yesterday, but... I don't want to create just another machine that mindlessly does what it's told. Something with its own life, its own personality. Something that will be around even when I'm gone." 

During his musing, Bolten catches sight of a strange little mammal in a cage. It seems to covered in armor, almost like a tortoise, but there is clear hinging in the shell. He stops and looks closer at it, humming to himself as he strokes his beard. Bolten pulls out his book and begins making rough sketches and notes, rolling an idea over in his brain like a potter with clay.
WindStruck
Shandara pauses to wait for Bolten to finish sketching the strange mammal.

 "I should head back and rest. Do you have any plans for later in the evening?" 
Prehysterical
Finally shutting his book with a satisfied pinch of his fingers, Bolten replies,  "No, not really. Did you have something in mind?" 
WindStruck
Shandara shakes her head.  "I didn't think I had anything in mind. Though.. perhaps we could try asking someone about that contest that was supposed to be tomorrow. And I don't particularly feel like doing much tonight, except perhaps paying a visit to that Xlotl's Nest..." 
Prehysterical
 "Well, I suppose that we could at least check what the rules are, if nothing else."  Bolten shrugs, not very hopeful but with no good excuse not to go.  "And, well, this is none of my business, but would you want some company going to this place of yours? That clansdwarf did recommend not going on our own for a while." 
WindStruck
Shandara nods and says,  "Certainly. I wasn't planning on going by myself. So you are more than welcome to come along."  There's another hint of a smile.
DeTess
Finding someone to tell them more about the competition isn't all the difficult. There are plenty of posters on the campus of the artificery society about the event, and they all mention an artificer with the department of engineering named Glenn Brus as the person to contact if anyone has questions. Finding him wasn't particularly difficult either. The posters gave the location of his office, and that's where Shandara and Bolten find him. Glenn is a tall and willowy human with ginger hair and a short beard. His office is fairly small, leaving just enough room for a large desk, a chair and two bookcases.

"What can I help you with?" Glenna asks as he notices the dwarf and the drow through the open door of his office.
WindStruck
Shandara nods a bit to the man and says,  "Hello. My friend and I were interested in participating in the competition that will be held tomorrow. We just had some questions about it." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
On the posters, were any obvious things already printed? Such as.. details we may be interested in?  How to sign up?  Where/when it will be held?  etc

I hope so, or they aren't very effective posters.  😛
 

 "We, erm, were intrigued, really. I have not seen such a competition before, and I don't believe my companion here has been to one recently.."  She glances sideways at Bolten again. He seemed an odd one, much like her. Probably hadn't seen too much of the festivals prior.

 "We were wondering, perhaps you could give us an example of how it went last year?" 
DeTess
 
 Spoiler: Regarding the posters 

The posters indicate that the competition will be held at the grand central plaza of the campus. The competition starts at 10 in the morning, and sign-ups happen in the run-up tot eh start, with the poster mentioning that participants should ideally turn up to sign up no later than 9. The posters don't really give any indication of what this year's theme will be.
 


"Ah the competition. Yes, I can give you a general overview." Glenn leans back in his chair. "The premise is really quite simple. You'll be given a goal, and from 10 in the morning till 6 in the evening to make something that achieves that goal. Afterwards your creation will be judged based on a couple of criteria, which differ based on the goal of the competition. You can work alone, or in teams of up to five people." He pauses a moment to let all that sink in, then continues. "To give you a more concrete example, last year the goal was to distill brandy. We provided the contestants With a couple bottles of extremely cheap wine, bulk crates of 'mystery spices and herbs' I'd bought at an auction a couple months before and what remained of the Bottler and Sons distillery after their main distillation vat blew up." Glenn smiles. "Not exactly ideal ingredients, I'm sure you can agree. The point of the competition isn't to create something perfect, but to make something that works despite the awfulness of the ingredients we provide."

"I think that's more or less it?" The red-haired man takes a moment to think. "Oh, before I forget. You can bring your own tools, but they need to be completely mundane. No enchanted tools allowed, I'm afraid."
WindStruck
Shandara nodded along to the explanation. It seemed like a simple concept on the outset, although she really doubted that when it came down to their task, trying to do something with a bunch of inappropriate tools or materials would be anything but simple.  Her main concern was the time.. in which the event was going to start pretty much right when she would be at home resting...

She supposed she could try to rest earlier, but it probably wouldn't be as enjoyable or effective.

Shandara looked over at Bolten and asked,  "Well what do you think? Are you still up for the task?" 
Prehysterical
Bolten is caught between nodding and shaking his head to confirm Shandara's assumption. Every year before this, he had been a passive participant, an audience member.

Glenn's description of the event does worry the dwarf a little. If one year's contest was distilling alcohol, this year could be anything! His own field of expertise was admittedly rather limited. On any other day, that self-doubt would have made him step down. Today, though, Shandara looks at him expectantly and the thought of being seen as timid turns his stomach more than the prospect of failure.

Bolten nods.  "Call me a braggart, but this would not be the first time that I have had to improvise. I'll still give it a shot. It would be nice if I had a partner helping me out."  He smiles encouragingly at her.
WindStruck
Shandara sighs. Looks like she's going to be lacking sleep (or transing time) over the next day.  "Alright, alright,"  she says.

 "So since teams of up to five are allowed, it might be a good idea to.."   Then she remembered exactly how anti-social she was.  "Uh, well. Perhaps some others to broaden our expertise would be helpful? We could probably make do, though." 

Turning back to Glenn she asks,  "Are we allowed to leave the area or bring in other tools we don't have? I assume any tool or object we use is fair game, as long as it is not a physical part of the final product?" 

This was, of course, assuming the goal was to  make  something, but she still wasn't sure how broad their goal would be.
DeTess
Glenn nods. "You're allowed to leave after things start to get some more equipment or look up something in the archives, but we do ask contestants to formally check out and check in again when they do. All actual crafting needs to happen on the plaza though, so no taking home some materials to work on in your personal workshop. Also, if you're thinking about looking for some extra members for your team, you can always turn up a couple hours early. There'll be a lot of on-the-spot team-building if previous years are anything to go by."
WindStruck
Shandara silently nods along to that explanation. It seemed she was satisfied with what she had heard.
Prehysterical
Glenn's explanation causes Bolten to brighten up. At the very least, they would not be required to work solely with whatever they arrived with.  "I think that might be a wise choice,"  he agrees.  "There's one fellow who I hope will show up, but he seems to have become a celebrity overnight... In any case, thank you for the advice. It has been very helpful." 
DeTess
After thanking Glenn for his time, Bolten and Shandara left and parted ways, but not before agreeing to meet that evening at the 'Xlotl's Nest'.

***

By the time Bolten and Shandara meet up at the Xlotl's Nest, dusk has already arrived, and that evening's festivities are in full swing. The elf and the dwarf can hear music drifting out through the door of the Nest, though the door itself is closed and the bar has no outside terrace. The door itself is also somewhat odd, consisting of three nested doors, the largest of which is easily 10 foot tall, while the smallest is barely 4 foot. The doors are made from solid wood with bands of iron keeping the three different doors in place. The two larger portions of the door are closed, but the smallest is slightly open. On the top portion of the largest door a wooden plaque shows a large lizard-like creature, it's skin a dusky blue-grey and with strange frills extending from the back of it's head.
WindStruck
Shandara peers at the overall structure of the doors and then up at the plaque.

 "Well, I think that is supposed to be a Xlotl,"  she remarks.

 "..and I guess for whatever reason, they made the same door in three sizes. Must be a diverse and welcoming lot,"  she says dryly.

Despite such feigned confidence, she was actually starting to feel a bit nervous now. Just who or what was in there? Seemed like it could be anything from half-giants to goblins. Gingerly, she approaches the set of doors and sees if the middle door might open.
DeTess
The mid-sized door easily swung open at Shandara's touch, allowing access to the Xlotl's Nest. A large open room stretched out before her, with a large bar occupying the opposite wall. The room itself is filled with tables of many different sizes and heights, and a section of the room is split in two horizontally by a second floor, leaving two sections with a ceiling that would be uncomfortably low for the average human, but is just fine for a dwarf, gnome or halfling.

Or for that matter, the small party of goblins occupying a second-floor table there. The other unusual things is the extreme diversity of people occupying the bar. Though there are a few dwarfs, humans, half-elves and the like, most of the beings occupying the Nest are far more unusual. A party of Goliaths are sitting at the bar itself, on large stools clearly made for their large frames. A small party consisting of a variety of planetouched (a tiefling, an Aasimar and three that clearly have some elemental ancestry) are having a toast at a table near the entrance, while a group of human-sized creature's with fins and gills clad in the garb of sailors seem to be celebrating a party of in another corner. Even the representatives of the races commonly seen in the city tend to have slightly exotic features or unusual tattoos, suggesting they might be members of tribes from the far-flung corners of the empire, or even beyond.

In this mixed company, Shandara, whose appearance would normally attract at least some curiosity, barely gets a second glance. If anything, Bolten attracts more curiosity.
WindStruck
Shandara takes all the sights in, the layout of the place, artwork and decorations, and the other people too, though without staring too much of course.

Then she spares a curious glance at Bolten.  "For once, you may be the odd one out. What do you think?"  she asks.

Shandara takes some special interest in the party of Goliaths. She was expecting the one named Vaigr might be here? Aside from some curiosity due to the name being brought up multiple times, one of the main reasons she came here was perhaps to speak with him again.
Prehysterical
The establishment does prove to be a fascinating mix of different races that Bolten is not used to seeing, but now he gets a taste of what being a zoo animal feels like. With his modest and clean-cut appearance, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Bolten tries to smile pleasantly, but is clearly nervous at being the center of attention for the moment.

Shandara's question finally gives him something to latch onto.  "Errr, I think you're right. Maybe we should find a table so we're not so... conspicuous?" 
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs and says,  "I suppose so. I hope they have some good food and drink here, at least..." 

She quietly moves over to a table. Being only 4' 9" tall, she would probably fit in that one area that was split into an upper and lower area. But either way, a regular-sized table would also work for her.
DeTess
The Xlotl nest is already fairly full, but there's still a couple tables free. Each table has a pair of menus, one listing the drinks available, and the other the food available. Both lists are as diverse as the bar's clientele. Shandara would recognize a couple dishes and drinks with their origins in the underdark, but many other items on the menus sound as exotic to her as they do to Bolten.

While looking for a table, Shandara had the time to look over the group of Goliaths, but it seems Vaigr isn't among them. Still, the evening is still young, so he might turn up later.
WindStruck
Though the menu is smaller than that of the Mushroom Garden, Shandara is even less able to make a decision. Lots of exotic things that she had never heard of to try.. Sticking with something safe and familiar was probably a better idea, seeing as this was also the first time she had been here.

 "Hm. I don't think Vaigr is here yet. And I'm not sure what to get..." 

She tries to carefully read over the menu...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Well, I am tired at the moment, and I'm kinda burnt out from making stuff up from the last restaurant scene, and I don't feel like researching and fleshing out a menu, 95% of which Shandara probably would not buy.

So perhaps we can just be vague about this and say we eventually just order some food.  lol
 
Prehysterical
The menu show this place to be more of a bar than a full restaurant. Most of the items on display are more for nibbling and enjoying with a drink than constituting a filling meal. It feels a waste not to try something new at a place like this, so Bolten decides to try the "xorn cake" and emerald wine.

 "So, why did you want to meet Vaigr here? I'm guessing that it's nothing  too  personal or else you wouldn't have let me come along." 
WindStruck
 "Oh, this isn't where I picked. This is just where he said he would be,"  Shandara says.

She shrugs and adds,  "I thought you were really curious about the nature of those crystals that controlled the clockwork menagerie. If we can meet him here, we can probably ask all about that, and anything else, like what his people used to be like and such.." 
 "Well anyway, the festival didn't seem to interest me too much, and this seemed more interesting than staying home..." 

Eventually Shandara settles on tuber crisps and some sort of fish wrap.
DeTess
Shortly after Bolten and Shadnara's orders had been taken taken by one of the bar's staff, a Tiefling who had introduced herself as Misty, a large shadow falls over their table. "Shandara, Bolten, it's nice to see you again." Vaigr's deep voice comes from somewhere wall above Shandara's head. "May I join you?" he asks.
WindStruck
Shandara turns around, a little startled at first, but that relaxes into awkwardness.

 "Oh! Certainly.."  she says. But she looks down at her table and then around.

 "Um. I think perhaps we should find a larger table." 
DeTess
"Oh, it's no issue. One moment." Vaigr walks over to an odd low empty table a short distance away, and picks up one of the chairs that go with it. The chair itself is low but very wide, seemingly meant for a creature that's short, but very broad, like a frog or similar. He places it next to the table Shandara and Bolten are sitting at, and sit's down on it, crossing his leg in a meditative pose. The low chair means his head is now at about the same height as Shandara's.

"So, what do you think of the Xlotl's Nest?" He asks. "It's a place quite unlike any other in this city."
WindStruck
 "Mm.. indeed. It seems to attract all manner of exotic people,"  Shandara remarks.

 "Anyway, it's hard to say. We only just arrived, and this is our first time, after all..." 
Prehysterical
That was true... Bolten would like some more insight into how those soul crystals worked. Perhaps their new goliath friend could put it into plain Common for them. He nods as he recalls their conversation from yesterday.

The dwarf's head whips around as well when Vaigr makes his presence known, but his shoulders relax when he recognizes the goliath's stony features. Bolten responds honestly to Vaigr's question.  "It's a bit different than what I am used to, but the folk here seem friendly enough. It's nice to see establishments that are willing to accommodate clientele of different sizes." 
DeTess
"There's a place or two that caters to halflings and gnomes, but this is the only establishment that caters to Goliaths, as far as I know anyway." Vaigr responds. After taking a moment to catch Misty's attention to order some food and drink, he turns back to Bolten and Shadnara. "Did you happen to see Banbas' creations come by yesterday?" He asks. "Despite the incident it was probably the best parade we'd put on so far."
WindStruck
Shandara shakes her head.  "Oh, I'm not sure. There were a few times I saw clockwork animals, but I don't think I saw you or Banbas. It's possible they weren't even yours." 

She shrugs.  "Too bad, I suppose. But I'm sure you did quite well." 
Prehysterical
Bolten shrugs slightly in embarrassment.  "Honestly, there was so much going on that it was difficult to pick out any one thing. Please don't take offense, but I didn't notice your machines in all the hubbub." 
DeTess
"Ah, it's no problem." Vaigr shakes his head. "It's a big town, and there where probably a dozen different parades, so it's not odd if you didn't see ours." A moment of silence falls before the goliath speaks up again. "Ah, I'm sorry if I was mistaken, but I thought you might have come here because you wanted to ask some more about those clockwork creatures."
WindStruck
Shandara's expression brightens up a bit.  "Ah, yes. The events of the festival tonight did not interest us much..  I thought that perhaps it would be a good idea to try to find you, instead." 
 "I was curious about you and your people.. and yes, of course, we were both curious about the clockwork creatures as well..." 

She is gesturing a bit awkwardly as she struggles to be somewhat outgoing.  "Um. In any case, I guess the idea of talking to you more and trying the Xlotl's Nest was appealing." 
DeTess
"Well, there's a lot I could tell you, primarily about my people, but also about the creatures me and Banbas have made. Do keep in mind that I don't know much about the clockwork itself though." Vaigr shrugs. "That's my business partner's area of expertise. Is there anything in particular you would like to know?"
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "I think Bolten and I were wondering about the state of the spirits inside of the crystals. I assume since they don't rampage around in their clockwork bodies, that they are content with the arrangement? But something tells me it still isn't ideal. Are they trapped in the crystals somehow, or was there something the spirits did before moving around in clockwork?" 
DeTess
"They're not entirely content but..." Vaigr shakes his head. "I should probably start at the beginning, with what those crystals are. Fair warnign though, this is not going to be a happy story."

"The Himsnar tribes used to be closely tied to their environments, and the animals living within them. Most members of the tribe would bond with an animal throughout their live, sometimes more than one. The shamans would formalise these bonds using small crystals, usually quartz or similar crystals that they found in the highlands and mountains. When either partner in the bond would die, the crystals would grow and start changing color. I'm not sure why. The souls of the Goliath or animal involved would pass on, but before doing so they'd leave a little bit of themselves in the crystal. Eventually all those little bits added up and created an actually sentient soul, which the Shaman's venerated as a guardian spirit and advisor for the clan."

Vaigr pauses a moment to let that sink in and take a sip of his newly arrived drink. "When the empire invaded the domains of the Himsnar tribes, most of these guardian spirits where called on to fight beside us, the Shaman's using their magic to waken the crystals and give form to the guardian spirits. The empire kept advancing though, and the Shaman's became ever more desperate. In the final battles too much was asked of the Guardian spirits, and as their forms died, so did their souls, leaving the crystals empty. Only the smaller crystals, belonging to spirits that had only recently woken up and who couldn't fight yet, or who woke up during the battles themselves survived."

The Goliath takes another sip of his drink, and is quiet for almost a minute, seemingly in the process of gathering his thoughts. "The Himsnar tribes then ended up following the same path as most other 'primitive' tribes inducted in the empire. Our lands got colonised, and the members of the tribe slowly left for supposedly easier lives in the cities, with the occasionally round of disease further thinning our numbers. I was born in the last tribe, with barely thirty of us left at that time. I was raised to be a shaman, to venerate the ancestor spirits of the tribe and the spirits of the land, but the tribe had been reduced too far already by that point. Shortly after I came of age, a plague went through my tribe, killing off all of the elders. And that was pretty much it for us." Vaigr falls silent again, a sad look crossing his face.

"I do wonder what our culture had been like in it's prime, but I knew we where a dying people. Maybe I would have remained to try and pass our way of living on to one more generation if the plague hadn't come, but I don't think so. When I left for Vaungate, I took the remaining spirits with me, as I was the only one capable of communicating with them. I eventually met Banbas and we partnered up to create clockwork bodies for the spirits, as I lack the strength and knowledge to give them form, and without that they're perpetually locked inside those crystals." A slightly embarrassed look crosses the Goliath's face. "I do apologise for foisting my life story on you, but it is important that you understand that these crystals are the last remnants of a dead culture, and they're irreplaceable."

"Now, the spirits themselves are intelligent creatures, similar to you or me, but they tend to also take after a particular animal in their outlooks, like mountain cats or goats or similar. They have a unique wisdom to them, which makes them valuable companions. However, as I cannot manifest them in any way, they're bound to their crystals. They can somewhat perceive the world around them without help, but it's very limited. This is why I partnered with Banbas to create bodies for them, so they could explore and live, rather than just sitting there, locked in with their own thoughts. The spirits welcome our efforts. They themselves are unsure about what they want to do. They also understand that the world has changed, and that they no longer have a tribe to watch over. They'll eventually find some new purpose once they're free to choose their own path." The goliath falls silent again. A couple of different emotions war on his face, most some flavor of sadness. He masters his emotions pretty quickly though. It's clear that this isn't the first time he's told this story, and it likely does get easier.

Finally, a smile breaks through on his face. "I'm sorry to be telling you such a sad story during such a festive time, but it's hard to explain the nature of those crystals without going over the story of my people."
WindStruck
Shandara listens intently to Vaigr's story, not touching her food or drink, except perhaps for when he took long pauses.

 "That is an intriguing tale. And tragic,"  she says thoughtfully, though she did not appear very impacted herself.

 "To think the spirits manifested almost autonomously.. a consciousness and will of their own.. how fascinating." 
 "And I assume perhaps a way to make them a bit happier is to be able to help give them a form? Surely that can't be easy though.. creating a physical body from nothing. That would take some sort of .. magic..." 

Shandara trailed off and went silent for a while. The idea of being able to research this and help somehow tickled her mind in a flight of fancy. She was curious if this was even possible. But working with spirits, and shaman.. that was an entirely different brand of magic, wasn't it?
DeTess
Vaigr nods at Shandara's questions. "The shamans of old could summon forms for them through magic alone. I know how that ritual is done, but I can't perform it on my own, and it requires a tie to the spirits and the land that very few people have. The way the constructs work is that I use a weaker version of the ritual to temporarily expand the spirit's senses and give them the ability to lightly touch their surroundings, which allows them to control the constructs and look around while doing so. It's not perfect, but it's the best we've managed so far."
WindStruck
Shandara softly smiles,  "That's very interesting indeed. I imagine while most other clockwork menageries we've seen are merely mindless automatons, your little group has something unique: an intelligence that none of the others can match." 
 "Though I suppose maybe some elementals could be summoned, or.. something else."  Devils came to her mind, and possibly little halfling children inside controlling them. That would be weird.
DeTess
"That's certainly true." Vaigr responds. "I know of one designer of similar constructs that tried to use elementals in a similar way, and it did work, but it didn't look as natural as Banbas' creations do. Probably because the spirits in the crystals have the instincts for moving like an animal would, while an elemental force wouldn't."
WindStruck
 "Well I'm sorry we missed that. I think it would have been entertaining to watch.." 
 "Do they only roam about like that during the harvest festival?"  Shandara asks.
DeTess
"We let them roam outside the city sometimes too." Vaigr adds. "But controlling the clockwork creatures is draining for the spirits, and the creatures themselves aren't too sturdy yet either. After a couple of hours they generally need at least some repairs, especially when they're out and about in the wilder areas outside the city. Banbas is constantly working to improve them, and I'm working with the spirits to refine their control of the clockwork and make it easier for them to control their mechanical bodies, but it's a long road yet before they're anywhere near self-sufficient."
Prehysterical
As Vaigr lays out the tragic origins of his people and the crystal creatures, Bolten has the exact opposite reaction of Shandara. His xorn cake and emerald wine are soon forgotten as he becomes increasingly uncomfortable about the crystalline texture of his treats. The dwarf's features grow forlorn and sympathetic as Vaigr details the downfall of his people and the loss of their ancestor spirits. Bolten remains quiet for a good while Shandara questions the goliath, stroking his bearded chin as his expression becomes very serious. All traces of uncertainty vanish when he pipes into the conversation.

 "I will help you in this. It is an awful thing, to be trapped in a body that doesn't work the way you want it to...

We might need to approach this problem from another angle. With most clockwork contraptions, the biggest obstacle is finding a way to power the apparatus. Rather than finding supplemental power sources for the skeletature, we might need to adjust how efficiently the inside mechanisms move. If we can make it easier for the spirits to exert the forces necessary to move the body as they wish, that would go a long way to making their clockwork bodies feel more natural. As for the damage, perhaps a self-repairing enchantment or an alloy blend that is harder and sturdier than any brass or steel.

Vair, could you supply me with the address for your workshop? I will try to coordinate with Banbas and see what I can do." 
WindStruck
 "That is very generous of you, Bolton,"  Shandara says.

 "Though I still can't help but think. There must be some way to.."  she shakes her head.  "Well I suppose Vaigr here is the leading expert on how it was originally done, and if he doesn't know..." 
 "There is still much about magic we don't know. Especially regarding spirits, souls, and the divine." 
DeTess
"You can find the workshop on the Bronze avenue, number 40." Vaigr responds to Bolten. "I certainly welcome the help, and I expect Banbas will think the same. He seemed to have heard of some of your previous work and was quite happy to have talked to you earlier."

"If you wish to study the rituals involved, I could send you some notes." The Goliath responds to Shandara's musings. "I'm not a scholar of magic, so you might be able to figure out things I've missed."
WindStruck
Shandara nods.  "It sounds like a worthwhile idea." 
 "I suppose you're also usually around that workshop?" 
Prehysterical
Bolten adds,  "Just to be clear, every spirit needs a distinct physical form to properly function, yes? By which I mean, er, a specific animal." 
DeTess
"Yes, you can generally find me at the workshop as well." Vaigr confirms. "Regarding their form, some variation is possible, but not much. For example, we've created several different bodies resembling large cats for Muud, but if we tried to put him in a stag or a boar-like creature, it just wouldn't work. He'd have a  lot of trouble making it move as it should, even if we made the controls identical to that of of the cats. We've actually tested this a while back, as Banbas thought there was something odd going on with the ways the spirits moved the clockwork contraptions. They move very natural, beyond what the controls Banbas built should have allowed them to do, at least as long as they're in an appropriate creature. We don't really know why that is yet though."
WindStruck
 "Seems to me that's because that's the type of animal the spirit is affiliated with..  Which makes sense. But the curious thing is the exact mechanics of it.. Hm.." 

Shandara takes a bite of her food as she mulls over the situation.  "I think it's something intriguing to look into. I don't think I could be as helpful as Bolten, but if you'd like, perhaps I could study the crystals and their spirits within as well?" 
Prehysterical
 "Hmmm... An interesting conundrum,"  Bolten mulls.  "Does Banbas still the original schematics for those bodies? It might be worthwhile to see what common factors influence which forms the spirits find most effective. I agree with Shandara in that much of it comes from the spirit's identity, but for identical controls to have differing results... This bears investigating." 
DeTess
"I'd definitely welcome the help."Vaigr states. "If you could give me an idea of when you're planning on stopping by the workshop, I'll make sure we've got out notes on the crystals and older designs ready and I'm sure Banbas will be happy to arrange a demonstration."
WindStruck
Shandara thinks a bit and says,  "I think some days after the festival should work. Several days, perhaps four or five?  Or longer if you need time. There is no rush, of course..." 
Prehysterical
Reminded of their job from the mysterious dwarf, Bolten suggests,  "Why not make it easy and just say a week from tomorrow? We have a new project that we will be working on and our employer likely wouldn't appreciate us trying to juggle multiple jobs at once." 
WindStruck
Shandara exchanges a glance with Bolten and eventually nods.

 "..right.  I doubt it's something that will consume every hour of the day though. And a short visit wouldn't hurt.  What times would be the best to come by?" 
DeTess
"It's always okay to stop by the workshop during daylight hours. Sometimes we work on till well in the night, but that's not always guaranteed." Maybe catching some emotion on Shandara's face at the mention of 'daylight hours', Vaigr quickly continues. "If you want to stop by earlier or later than that we can work something out, but we'd definitely need some advance warning."
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs and says,  "Daylight hours are fine.  I'm just usually resting around noon. But that still leaves the morning or afternoon available." 
DeTess
The rest of the evening passed with conversation on lighter topics, before Shandara, Bolten and Vaigr eventually split up, Bolten and Vaigr heading home to rest. Shandara, however, had slightly different plans for that evening.
WindStruck
Before leaving the Xlotl's nest, Shandara asked if they had any spare scraps of raw meat in their kitchen. She wasn't looking for anything rare or exotic. She was just looking for something fresh.
DeTess
Shandara was given a small bag of meat scraps. They smelled fresh enough, but the strips had an unusual white-ish color, suggesting they most certainly where not standard pork or beef strips.
WindStruck
Shandara thanks the staff and pays for the meat. It was already well into the evening, the night sky above her, as she made her way back into her home. Her day had only started a handful of hours ago. She and that owl would be up long throughout the night.

She went upstairs and first opened the curtains in her bedroom to get a clearer look outside. She also cracks the window open a little, though it's not nearly enough for the owl to get through. But it wasn't around yet, it seemed. Shandara busied herself, thinking about that competition that was supposed to be tomorrow, and she reviewed some books regarding arcana and familiars.

She didn't believe a familiar would have any magical auras normally, but one might if its master had cast a spell on it. She eventually went to her kitchen, cutting the strips of meat into small pieces and she tried cooking a bit herself to taste it.
DeTess
The meat itself tasted a bit odd. The texture was similar to chicken, maybe a bit tougher, but it tasted more like a white fish. Not bad, but definitely somewhat unusual.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

If Shandara's ever tasted snake, she'd recognize it as being snake now.
 
WindStruck
Shandara doesn't know what the meat is. She's pretty sure it's not chicken, but it could probably be some other thing she hasn't heard of. Perhaps some type of reptile? Well, she hoped it would be good for the owl...

She heads up to her room again. After lighting a small candle lamp, she sits in an old chair, reads through a book, and waits. Its not very long until a light rustling catches her attention, followed by some hooting. She was pretty sure it was here. She casts  Detect Magic  and gets up, slowly making her way towards the window, and peers out.

(assuming there's no traces of magic at all)

With that out of the way, now fairly confident that the creature is not already someone's familiar, but rather that it just chose to either frequent this place or roost here, Shandara slowly and quietly makes her way back to her chair and grasps the flute. She remembered that she had to be calm... and have no ill will or thoughts regarding the owl.

But of course, if you try not to think about elephants, it is pretty hard to stop thinking about elephants. A few perverse and unwanted thoughts about exactly what should not happen to that owl crossed her mind, so she instead tried to clear her mind and tried thinking of a different image. Perhaps something like her wandering through the city with it perched on her shoulder. It felt a little silly and all-too-glamorous, but at least it was more in line with her truer intentions.

Finally, with one last calming breath and a plate with meat scraps on standby, she brought the flute to her mouth and.. tentatively, she began seeing she could play something...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
charisma (no perform ranks):   (1d20+3)[ 10 ] 

Not trying to override the flute or anything, but kind of seeing how well she'd be at playing one of these flutes for the first time.
 
DeTess
It takes a little while for the magic of the flute to take hold, but eventually it guides Shandara in a soft melody, slow and low, evoking the image of nightly winds meandering through the trees. It isn't entirely clear to Shandara how long she'd been playing, as at least for a little while the magic induces a kind of trance, but eventually she realized that an owl is now sitting in her window, quietly observing her.

The owl's feature are difficult to make out as the candle Shandara had lit is now burning rather low, but it's large eyes and the striped pattern to it's feather are clearly identifiable. The owl itself is just calmly sitting there, it's head cocked slightly, as if to better listen to the music emanating from the flute.
WindStruck
After Shandara snaps out of her trance and notices the owl, she's not sure what to do. Part of her mind is on auto-pilot as she is playing.. seemingly both herself  and  the owl enraptured by the magic of the flute. But she still did have some cognitive awareness.

She wondered what exactly she would do next..  for the time being, she continued to play, observing the owl as it kept observing her. It was like a standstill, but maybe a good one.

Eventually, she tries reaching for the small plate of meat and somehow still trying to play the flute using only one hand, but the song inevitably falters. Trying to remain calm .. no, utterly serene and confident, and perhaps even benevolent, she slowly approaches the owl with the meat and holds the small plate some mere inches from its body. It could easily lean down and peck at it. She hoped it would recognize the meat as some good food?

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
This meat isn't cooked.  Shandara cooked a bit for herself to try, but I think she believes that since an owl catches live prey, that it doesn't mind raw meat. In fact, it may actually prefer it.

Who knows?  Maybe this owl even managed to catch a snake.
 
DeTess
The owl carefully approaches the offered meat, turning it's head this way and that to observe it. Then its head suddenly darts forward as the owl takes the meat and quickly gobbles it down. Once it has finished the food, there seems to be a small change to the owl's demeanour. It's no longer sitting in the window quite as serenely as when Shandara was playing the flute. It appears more nervous now, keeping a close eye on the Drow. However, the bird is not yet leaving, even though nothing is keeping it there anymore.
WindStruck
Now it was apparent that the magic of the flute had worn off.. and yet the owl had not fled. Well that was good, she supposed? Still, it seemed as though it could literally fly off at the drop of a hat.

Shandara was at quite a loss for what to do next. She stood there, trying to be as still as possible. A small and nervous smile rose up at the corners of her lips, though they did not part; her lips were held tightly together.

She supposed if the owl was wary of her presence, then she should not attempt to get closer. She slowly backs away, towards her chair.
DeTess
The owl Kept observing Shandara as she slowly backed away, but took no other actions. After a couple minutes had passed though, it turned away and spread its wings, seemingly preparing to leave.
WindStruck
Shandara decides to let the owl leave.  If she was going to have a trustworthy familiar, she had better let it fly off if it wanted to for now. Anyway, there was still some preparation to do for tonight. When the owl left, she closed the window and the curtains again.

She decided to try to prepare for the competition and rest early. She gathered up her jeweler tools and a few very basic alchemical things: a couple beakers, a flask, and a small burner, but she couldn't really take the whole lab. Then she had bathed and groomed herself, and tried to go into a trance earlier, around just before dawn..

It did not feel very restful, but she was up, had some new spells prepared, and a light meal before heading out to meet Bolten at the square.
DeTess
Even though both Shandara and Bolten arrived quite early, the central plaza of the Royal Artificery Society was already a hive of activity. At least two dozen people where crowding around a stall marked with a sign reading 'team sign-ups', while dozens more where busy setting up all kind of equipment. Several food-stalls where being set up, and several dwarves where busy preparing what looked like a row of miniature forges set up along one end of the plaza. A stand for spectators was also being set up at the other end of the plaza

The center of the square was dominated by a massive and clearly illusory black box, the bottom of which had been roped off to prevent entry, with several bored looking guards standing watch to prevent people from getting too close. Spread out across the plaza small groups of people had gathered. Many seemed to be students, but there where also some older artificers, enchanters and alchemists present. Some groups and individuals where holding up crude signs, reading things like 'team alchemist looking for metalworker', 'skilled enchanter looking for group' or 'architect looking for team to manage'.
WindStruck
Shandara meets Bolten at the appointed place with plenty of time to spare. She arrives feeling a bit tired, though not too much so, or even irritable yet.

 "Hm. Lots of people here. But not many would help.."  she says.  "What do you think about the alchemist with the sign? Perhaps she would cover our bases. Unless there's something else I missed. A bowyer, a carpenter, a locksmith? There's no telling what we will have to do..." 
Prehysterical
Contrary to Shandara's weariness, Bolten is enthused about today. Sure, there was always the possibility that the challenge had nothing to do with his skill set... but he just wants to find out what the challenge is at this point. It's like opening a present! Of course, he double and triple-checked to make sure that he didn't have any of his own magical items on his person before heading out this morning. Bolten was so accustomed to their presence that he feels almost naked.

Looking over the people, Bolten replies,  "Er, well, we can't account for every possibility, but an alchemist would be pretty handy. It seems like they can always whip up something that's at least  mildly  useful, even if it's not immediately relevant."  The dwarf makes his way over toward the alchemist.
WindStruck
Shandara quietly follows behind Bolten, her willowy form trailing him almost like a shadow, peering from underneath her silk cloak, though when she finally gets to the alchemist, it seems she is the first to muster up some words before things become awkward.

 "Hello. I am Shandara, enchanter and jeweler. And this is Bolten Cogturner, clockwork engineer and black smith,"  she says gesturing at the dwarf.

 "I, um, suppose you might be a good addition to our team?" 
DeTess
The alchemist is a human in their early or mid-twenties, with shoulder length brown hair tied back by a red leather strip. They look very androgynous, maybe as a result of having a small amount of elvish blood. "I'm Ash, nice to meet you." They respond. "And yeah, it does sound like you two could use the help of an alchemist. Have you two participated before?"
WindStruck
Shandara doesn't say anything at all. She merely shakes her head...
Prehysterical
 "Nice to meet you as well, Ash,"  Bolten responds cordially.  "And no, we have not. Would you like to join our group? We may be first-timers, but we thought that it might be very useful to have an alchemist on our team." 
DeTess
"Heh, and here I thought you two where a couple of veterans. Well, I'm always happy to show some new people the ropes." Ash replies.

"Ash, you've only taken part once before yourself." A youngish looking dwarf comments as he passes by, a playful grin on his face.

"That still makes me a veteran, Michael!" Ash accompanies the retort with a rude gesture towards the dwarf, though the smile on their face makes it clear that it's all in good fun.

"Don't listen to him, he's just jealous he got roped into assisting with the set up and can't participate this year." Ash turns back to Bolten and Shandara. "Anyway, enchanter, black smith and alchemist covers most approaches I think. Unless they want us to make a boat or something, then we'd need someone that knows wood."
WindStruck
 "I suppose you're a veteran in comparison to us,"  Shandara offers as compromise.

To Ash's last comment, she adds,  "Right. I supposed a carpenter of some sort would be good. Someone  very familiar  with wood. Then I think that may have all the bases covered.  Liquids, extracts, and chemicals. Stone, metals... and wood?" 

She shrugs. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to keep recruiting, though?  The thought of getting yet another person was making her feel a bit shy.
Prehysterical
Considering that all of the people setting up the anvils are dwarves, Bolten begins to wonder if he dodged an arrow...

Something about Shandara's suggestion seems vaguely elemental, but Bolten banishes the niggling feeling.  "Aye, I feel like one more person would be the perfect size for the group. Any more cooks and it might spoil the soup, as they say."  He looks around, perhaps looking for someone riding on a donkey for some odd reason...
DeTess
"Hmmm, wood, wood..." Ash has a pensive look on her face. "I don't really know any one that knows much about wood. Oh, there's my friend Beauregard of course, if he's even around. He's an alchemist, but he sometimes makes bows for fun, which is woodwork, I guess?" She shrugs. "Otherwise I suppose we could go take a look around to see if we can find a woodworker."

It was slowly getting busier, and quite a few of the signs that had been up before had gone down now, though others had sprung up in their place. There wasn't much that clearly pointed to a woodworker though. The architect's signs was still up, and they would probably know a thing about wood, and there was also a sign some distance away held by a burly human advertising their expertise as a shipwright. Apart from that most people still looking to form a team seemed to be alchemists, enchanters and various metalworkers.
WindStruck
Shandara points out,  "Well, Ash, you may or may not have been joking when you mentioned building a boat.. and that man should be able to do it. I say, we see if we get along with him, and then that's the team." 

She also shoots Bolten a glance, just to make sure he's on board with the idea.

(Heh, on board. 😛)
Prehysterical
Bolten readily nods his head as Shandara's questioning look.  "Seems like a sensible idea."  Hopefully, it would make the contest smooth sailing and keep their chances afloat.
DeTess
The shipwright appeared to be in his early thirties. He had a brown bushy beard and broad shoulders an heavily muscled arms and callused hands, showing that he was used to heavy manual work. He had a tattoo on his upper left arm, two bands encircling his biceps with three anchors set between the lines. He raises an eyebrow by way of greeting as Bolten, Shandara and Ash approach him, but remains silent.
WindStruck
Shandara looks at the burly man curiously, though she supposed if he was not going to be the first to speak, they would have to be.

 "Uh, greetings. Your sign is for the competition about to take place, yes?"  It would be kind of weird if the man was merely looking for work as a shipwright and just happened to be standing here with a sign.

 "We believe your expertise would be very helpful - and make this team well-rounded."  She left out the fact that the man also had significant muscle, which could definitely come in handy, too.

She continued peering at the man, definitely expecting some kind of response now.
DeTess
The shipwright takes another moment to look over the three contestants before introducing himself. "I am Ulrik. I know woodwork and construction like the back of my hand, and dabble in metalwork as well, though I expect you guessed as much. What skills do the three of you bring to the table?"
WindStruck
The drow nods.  "My name is Shandara. I am a jeweler, I specialize in enchantment, and I have also dabbled in alchemy and brewery,"  she says.
Prehysterical
Bolten gives a respectful bow of greeting.  "Bolten Cogturner, clockmaker and blacksmith, at your service... With three ships to your name, sir, I have to imagine that your woodwork is immaculate." 
DeTess
"And I am of course Ash Heathfield, alchemist extraordinaire and veteran of this competition." Ash introduces themselves with a flamboyant bow.

"Hmmm, I've heard of you, Bolten." Ulrik addresses the dwarf. "You're supposed to be a bit of a wizard where clockwork is concerned. And you, elf..." He turns to Shandara. "I think I heard some people from the Escribano workshop drop your name. Yes, this will do."

Ash seems to deflate a bit when it becomes clear Ulrik doesn't know them, but they quickly recover. "Well then, all we need is a team name, and we can get signed up."
WindStruck
Shandara looks disproportionately worried over something as superficial as a team name. Bringing a hand - or perhaps more like a fist - up to her face, she says,  "Oh, a team name. I.. I.. hadn't considered that at all..." 

She looks between the other three pensively, though no idea pops up in her mind immediately. Of course, being herself, she felt she needed more information.  "What conventions do they typically follow here?" 
Prehysterical
 "Quite literally,"  Bolten agrees with a laugh.

The dark elf was in good company. It never occurred to Bolten that their team would need a  name . What would suit best? "Masters of the Elements"? Well, who was which element? Earth could be either Bolten or Shandara. "The Fantastical Four"? No, too silly. "The Fearsome Foursome"? Oh dear... "New Kids on the Block"? Too self-deprecating.

 "Well, er, what about something like... Team Tinkerer? Team Sprocket? Oh, how about Team 'In the Rough'?" 
DeTess
"I'm pretty certain there'll already be a team tinkerer." Ash mused. "I like team Sprocket though, has a nice ring to it. There aren't any real conventions to naming your team though. Some teams might name themselves after the organization they're all from or similar, but that's not the case here, or after locations or other things they all have in common. Oh, and names that are too grandiose are frowned upon, and tends to attract sabotage. Like, if someone decides to name themselves 'team unbeatable' or 'the best team' everyone else sees it as a challenge to prove them wrong, you know?"
WindStruck
 "Does the name actually need the word 'team' in it?"  Shandara asks.

She shrugs and says,  "I don't know if we have much in common at all. It's more like Team Hodgepodge, if you ask me." 
Prehysterical
 "Well, uh... no."  Bolten's enthusiasm falters.  "But sometimes it just fits." 

He blanches when Shandara suggests a more self-deriding name and turns to regard Ulrik.  "What do you think, Ulrik?" 
DeTess
Ulrik shakes his head. "I'm mostly here for the challenge. Don't have too much of an opinion on team names or whatever, as long as it's not too silly."
WindStruck
Shandara looks at the others sheepishly and then finally clears her throat.  "Well then, shall we just go with that, or would you rather think of some different names?"  Since Ulrik did not seem interested in this subject at all, her gaze was directed more at Ash and Bolten.

Good grief. With the way things were going, she wondered if forming a proper team and naming it was going to be more difficult than the actual challenge itself.
Prehysterical
Bolten shrugs.  "Team Sprocket it is, then. Well, now that that's settled, should we be getting into position for the challenge?" 
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs and says,  "Yes, fine. I think all we need to do is sign up now." 
DeTess
A little while later team Sprocket was all signed up. The remaining artificers looking for companions had all clumped together, and the plaza had gotten a lot busier. The stands where getting pretty crowded with on-lookers, and the clock was ticking ever closer to the starting time.

"Can I have your attention please?" A loud voice calls out across the plaza. A tall man with ginger hair, likely Glenn, though it's hard to tell at this distance has taken a position on a podium in front of the massive illusory black box. The way his voice carries despite the distance suggests that there is likely some magic involved. "It's still a couple minutes to the official start of the competition, but it seems all competitors have arrived by now, so I won't begrudge you an extra minute or two to work. All of you should have been informed of the rules during sign-ups, but if anyone is left with questions, you can come find me later."

"Now, today's competition was inspired by the recent troubles in the Stormdrains district. Your goal will be as follows: design an apparatus using the materials provided by us to filter raw sewage back into drinkable water!" Glenn pauses a moment as the crowd reacts with a mix of cheers, good-natured curses and groans. "Before someone asks, we've got some alchemical powders to test the water with, so no need for taste-testing." Some laughter follows Glenn's assurance, and the lets it die out before continuing. "And now, for the second part of the reveal." He raises his right hand and snaps his finger, the sound amplified by the same magic that amplifies his voice.

The big illusory box disappears revealing a rickety wooden construction behind him. It roughly resembles a ship that has been dashed on the rocks, its belly rent and torn. The ships aft-castle, masts and sails can still be identified, but the construction appears rickety enough that it was likely build up here in the plaza, rather than being a real ship that was moved here, something that would have been pretty much impossible for an object that size.

"I present to you, the wreck of the Marian, courtesy of the Streidekker and Sons shipyard! As you might know, this old ship sank in the harbor two months ago, and the Society had been able to buy it and get it moved here especially for this competition! Inside the hold you'll find a significant portion of its cargo, including a load of now waterlogged herbs and a variety of base metals that might have some useful properties for enchanting. I've also been informed that some of the sea-life still clinging to the hull might have be of interest to the alchemists among you. You're also welcome to use parts of the hull for your creations, but please disassemble it from the top down, as we don't want it to collapse!"

"Now then, that's it from me for now. Artificers, to your stations! You've got 8 hours to make your filtering apparatus. Best of luck to you all." Having said his piece, Glenn hops down from the podium, and the competition begins in earnest.
WindStruck
Shandara stares at this spectacle, not exactly awed.. but perhaps bewildered.  "They.. want us to purify raw sewage.. from the wreck of a ship?"  she groans.

 "I suppose we are lucky we were not actually on that ship and wrecked it on a deserted island..." 

She stood there as the crowds of people began moving towards the ship. Oh, wait. They needed to get in there!  Ah!  For some reason, Shandara was having some flashbacks to the Drow market places deep underground. The packed crowds, the fierce competition there sometimes was...   It rather made her uncomfortable.

 "Oh no. Are we..  they'll get all the good things before us.."   She says, moving toward the hull of the boat and making timid attempts to peek inside. She felt like the runt of the litter, left out and unable to vie for the mother's milk. And literally speaking, she rather was the runt of her family.
Prehysterical
At first, the competition seems a surefire win for the team. Shandara had done exactly the same thing weeks ago. This would be like combing a babe's chin whiskers! Once the shattered hulk of the ship was revealed, however, Bolten's sails flagged a little. Well... at the very least, they had a shipwright on their team, so they weren't totally in the dark.

While Shandara was meekly looking on as the other contestants began scouring the hull, Bolten shook himself into action. He liked to hang back, as well, but someone had to take the initiative and, well... that left him.

 "Ulrik, I trust you'll know which parts of the ship are best worth salvaging. I'll try to find some decent metal inside the hull. Ash, you mind looking for some of that sea life he was talking about?" 
DeTess
When Bolten made his comment, he realized Ash had disappeared. He could just make them out ahead as they ducked inside the ship.

Bolten had little making his way around the wreckage himself, his stout dwarven frame easily allowing him to push through the press. Finding useful materials, on the other hand, was quite a different matter. Metal was used all throughout the ship, but all of it was badly tarnished and rusted. Not beyond usefulness, but it certainly didn't help. Eventually though, Bolten stumbled onto the upper deck, and found what remained of a large ship's compass. The compass itself was mostly rust-free, though repurposing the metals involved would be tricky. Still, it resembled a couple bounds of bronze, brass and iron of far better quality than anything else Bolten had seen on the ship.

Shandara had a bit of trouble getting around. Her light frame resulted in her often getting bumped aside by other people moving around. no one seemed to do so intentionally, but everyone was so focused on finding things that they paid less attention to everyone else moving around. Still, her search did turn up a couple things off interest. One create contained a couple lead pipes. Lead wasn't inherently useful for enchanting, but it could function as an isolation material of sorts, keeping energy from leaking away too quickly. She also found a very small pouch containing a kind of glittering dust. Identifying it in the dimly lit spaces of the ship was difficult, but it could be some kind of gem dust or Mythril dust, which would be very useful. During her search she also ran into Ulrik, who pointed her to a hidey hole in the cabin of the ship's captain, which contained a pouch of badly tarnished coins. The gold, silver and copper coins it contained could be turned into inlays to base an enchantment on though, provided she could clean away the tarnishing.
WindStruck
Thankfully the crowds were thinning, somewhat. And also, perhaps just as thankfully, the things she found were pretty small but still potentially quite useful or valuable.  She could easily carry these things with her and keep searching a bit longer...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I think I'll try another round of the same thing.

Reflex:  (1d20+3)[ 16 ] 

Arcana:  (1d20+17)[ 20 ] 

perception:  (1d20+6)[ 9 ] 

Oh, I forgot.  She'll have that dazzled penalty if either her or the thing she's looking at is in bright light.  Though I guess since we were talking about going inside the hull of a ship that didn't immediately come to mind.

Think we always need to keep that situation in mind..
 


Once Shandara had found a few more things she thought would be useful, she returns to her group at their table to see what all they had come up with so far. Either they could start working on something then, or figure out what else they might need after.
DeTess
Shandara's continued search is a bit less fruitful. She does find a chest with waterlogged fabrics that also contain several pieces of jewelry.  If the gem-stones are real and the metal is actually gold, she could disassemble them into materials useful for enchanting and holding magical charges, but the pieces look rather cheap. Most of the stones are probably just colored glass held in cheaper metal covered by gold foil, but if one or two are real that would still be useful.

She also finds the remains of a thin silver grate in the bow portion of the ship. A hole is punched clean tot eh middle of the grate, and the grate itself is heavily encrusted with salt. It was just lying on the wooden floorboards, clearly discarded by someone else. However, Shandara can tell that this piece has once been enchanted, to the damage will have wrecked most of said enchantment.

Bolten's search lead him to a room in the ships aft. Entrance is blocked by a heavy door, but it's clear that others had already gotten to it and broken it partially open, leaving enough of a hole at the bottom for the dwarf to crawl through. Inside is a small armor, probably once sued by the ship's contingent of guards. It has already been ransacked, but a pair of steel breastplates still remain, as do several shortswords and spears. The metal has been tarnished somewhat, but not nearly as bad as that of most of the other metal Bolten has found. The armor and weapons where likely well oiled when the ship went under, which protected them at least somewhat.

It takes Shandara a little while to find Ulrik and Ash after she's left the ship behind, but eventually she finds them at a large table at the edge of the square, set under an awning providing at least a little relief from the bright sun beating down on her. Ash is busy poring over a small crate that seems to be filled with alchemical ingredients, though most appear to be quite waterlogged. Ulrik is working over a coupe large wooden beams, scraping off all manner of sea-life and and dumping the in a bucket near Ash. He also seems to have secured a large piece of sail-cloth, which lies neatly folded next to the table.

"Well, I hope you found something useful, because I doubt I could even brew tea with this crap." Ash greets the elf once she joins them at the table. "I mean, it's not quite that bad, but whatever I can still brew up with this moldy mess will not pack much of a punch."
WindStruck
 "I found some things which may be useful for enchanting. And this grate.. quite promising... And there may yet be a way to salvage those ingredients, "  Shandara says to Ash.

 "Well I suppose we'll only have a limited quantity of sewage to purify. So perhaps aiming for one-time use may suffice. Hmm. I should really head back for a bit, I think,"  she says.

 "The spell I have cast to detect magic will only last a short while longer. I will make a quick check for anything else I can scan..." 

So, after dropping off those items, she will head back to the boat and broadly scan for magical auras. Considering the grate still had some lingering enchantment on it, perhaps something else would be useful? Or maybe someone else had already thought of this. Well, it was worth a try.

The basic procedure is pretty simple and shouldn't require much acute perception on her part. First, broadly scan an area. If there's no magic auras, move on. It may be wise to take multiple angles, in case some dense materials were to block the auras. Also there was some good news.. at least the other participants shouldn't be having magical items on their person?
Prehysterical
The smells of the ship leave Bolten loathe to get closer to the boards, but he gets over himself and crawls into the armory. His momentary lapse in dignity is rewarded by the salvaged arms and armor inside. As amusing as it would be to combat the sewage with spearpoints, perhaps the metal can be repurposed into some sort of container or cage. Realizing that a significant amount of time has already passed, Bolten starts to gather the items before realizing that the door still presented an obstacle. A few swings of his hammer make short work of the remaining door and Bolten walks out of the ship burdened with treasure like some privateer.

It takes some time, but Bolten eventually finds Ulrik and Ash at their table. Bolten tries his best to set down his findings without too much of a clatter.  "Well, I've found a compass, so maybe we can do something with the lodestone inside of it. It shouldn't be too much of a problem to repurpose the steel from these armaments into whatever we need." 
DeTess
Shandara's search was unfortunately mostly fruitless. There where some incredibly vague magic aura's, clearly residues of old enchantments that where now gone, or traces of enchanted components that had already been removed. She did see clearer aura's of spells cast on the ship's structure mean to keep it all intact, though these where all very recent and very temporary, likely cast as a precaution before the competition's start to prevent a collapse of the structure. She did end up finding a portion of a silver grate very similar to the part she'd already found, several rooms over from where she found the first one.

Meanwhile, back at the worktable occupied by the rest of team Sprocket, Ulrik cast a critical glance over the parts Bolten had brought back. "Hmm, these are pretty decent, yes. We can work with that."

"Says the guy who only brought back a big piece of cloth." Ash interjected, though their tone indicated it wasn't meant as much of a criticism.

"There'll be plenty off wood left if we decide we need some later, but there's a lot of things we could use this cloth for, and I didn't want anyone else to get their hands on it first" The shipwright responded. "Our Elvish companion should be back in a bit. Once she's here, we should discuss what we're actually going to make."
WindStruck
Shandara does return shortly, with only another piece of silvery grate to show for the minutes gone.

 "I guess that's it. These grates used to draw salt out of the water. Perhaps, I could rework the enchantment into something else..." 
 "I've got a bit of gold, silver, and copper to work with, but we'd need to get the tarnish off... a gem of amethyst, aquamarine, and rubies.. some lead pipes, and whatever this dust is..." 
 "I might be able to think of some kind of enchantment to make. Just need some moments to think..." 

Shandara takes out a magnifying lens to try to examine the dust more closely.

Looking around at the wood and steel Bolten and Ulrik procured, she then turns to Ash and their waterlogged herbs and stuff.  "Can we do anything with those?" 
DeTess
Looking closer, the dust seemed to be very similar to diamond dust, a premium ingredient for inscribing long-lasting enchantments. Unfortunately, the way it reflects light is just a bit off. Most likely, it is a tiny amount of diamond dust with something else mixed in, maybe glass or quartz. Not useless, but nowhere near as potent as the pure thing.

Ash shrugged in response to Shandara's question. "Maybe? This box is the kind a travelling alchemist would carry around, full of very versatile ingredients. Thirisflower, ground bezoar, blackroot, whitestem, dried Avela mushrooms, dehydrated adder blood, the works. If I'd gotten this box in a pristine state I could cook up basically anything you could dream of. However, it has spent time at the bottom of the harbor, and that hasn't done much good for any of these reagents. I think most of them should still work once I'm done filtering out the mold, but they'll have lost potency, and any brew I try to create will involve a lot of guesswork to try and compensate for that. Plus, some of these molds look exotic and might have properties of their own which will be tough to account for." The half-elf shakes their head. "I should be able to create some simple brews with some trial and error, but don't expect alchemy to carry us to victory on its own."
Prehysterical
Bolten considers their treasure haul thoughtfully while rubbing his chin, his beard hairs clumping up between his fingers.

 "Well, removing the tarnish shouldn't be  too  hard. Ash, do you have baking soda, salt, and vinegar? We could give the silver and copper a bath that should remove the tarnish. Takes about half an hour, but it's pretty reliable. Luckily, gold doesn't tarnish, so that's easy enough." 

To Shandara, Bolten asks,  "Would it make the enchanting easier if I could smelt the grate into a finer mesh? I'm still new to the whole magic thing, but perhaps increasing the surface area might make the enchantment more effective." 
WindStruck
 "Hm. I imagine that we could use much of the metal and wood as a container of sorts. A structure that overall is and contains the purifying functions.."  Shandara says.  "I have some paper with me, if any of you would like to draw up some schematics." 

Looking over at Bolten as he asks his question, she shakes her head.  "If you destroy the object, you most certainly destroy the enchantment. Melting down the items would certainly do that. However, what we have here is more a question of: can I subtly change the enchantments present, or would it be better to go along with your idea and create completely new ones." 
DeTess
"Vinegar I've got." Ash responds to Bolten's question by lifting up a small bottle. "Still sealed too, so shouldn't be any worse from it's time in the harbor. Salt I should be able to get from those grates Shandara brought back. As for the baking soda..." They show a clay bowl with a white layer with yellowish spots. "Fairly certain this is what remains of it. I can make something work, but it'll take a bit."

"I've got some ideas as well." Ulrik ventures. "The enchanted grate would be great for filtering out the small stuff, but if it's raw sewage there'll likely be bigger chunks as well." The shipwright points at the sail. "This cloth has been treated to be watertight, which makes it great if we need any tubing. If we can undo the treatment of a portion of the sail though, I can fashion it into a filter. It'll take out anything that hasn't been properly dissolved in the water."

"Well, if you can tell me in what way it has been treated I can probably figure out a way to dissolve it without dissolving the cloth." Ash shrugs noncommittally.

"So, we've got the enchanted grates for filtering out anything that has been dissolved and a cloth filter for the rough work. Me and Bolten should be able to rig up the piping and tubing needed to channel the sewage through the filters. Anything else we might need?" Ulrik sums up the design so far.
WindStruck
Shandara offers,  "There was a chest I got these bits of jewelry from. They were resting in some cloth. Perhaps we could use that, or any other cloth we may find as preliminary filters? It may be best to save all the sail cloth for tubing, if at all possible." 
 "Some other ideas, before we truly begin: would a distilling process involving evaporation and condensation be desirable? Setting it up and finding proper heat-resistant materials may be difficult, but fuel is no problem. Overall, I believe it is by far the simplest way to go about it." 
 "Actually, do you think it would be reasonable to ask the judges some questions as well? For example, how much total volume we are expected to deal with, the overall consistency of the sewage, or how much water we are expected to produce? It could go a long way in improving our design..." 
Prehysterical
Ulrik's suggestion for the sail seems like a game-changer. In response to Shandara's suggestions, Bolten responds in kind,  "As long as we have the fuel, distillation in such a manner is a pretty good idea. We would just need something to catch the vapor and accumulate the purified water. Extremely space and resource-intensive for an actual sewer system, but we could make it work on a small scale like this. Ulrik might be able to help with calculating the hydrodynamics involved." 

As behind as they are, Bolten is forced to agree that getting more information is probably a good idea.  "Aye, it's at least worth a try. Do you want to go ask together, or should one go and the rest of us get started?" 
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs and says,  "I suppose either tact works. I may as well go if you would like that extra cloth, regardless." 

And if they were going with that distilling process, a way to cool off water vapor to make it dispense faster would be a big plus.  Maybe, just maybe, she could reconfigure the grates to draw heat energy from water vapor. Now that would be ingenious, wouldn't it?
DeTess
The crate of cloth is still where Shandara remembered it to be, though it's clear that someone else had also found it in the mean-time as it's decidedly less full. The cloth that remains appears to be a kind of linen or cotton, and it smells somewhat moldy, likely due to it's time in the water. There's still about 5 meter square of cloth left.

After securing the cloth, Shandara and Bolten set out to find the judges. Unfortunately, that proves to be easier said than done. There is no Booth or stand clearly indicated to before the judges, nor are any obviously 'judgy' people roaming around the square. In heir search, the two of them eventually run into Glenn, who is standing next to an illusory black box, much like the one that had covered the ship, though far smaller, forming a cube two meters high and wide. Glenn is currently talking to a gnome that both Shandara and Bolten recognize as Tonks Galbic, the enchantment expert of the Escribano workshop.

"... quite ingenious really, not that I expect any different from Escribano, of course." Bolten and Shandara arrive just I time to catch the tail end of Glenn's conversation with Tonks.

"There is no need for flattery." Tonks responds. "Plus, the core of the contraption is an enchantment that was designed by a freelancer, so..." His voice trails off as she spots Bolten and Shandara approaching. "Ah, speak of the devil. Bolten, Shandara, fancy seeing you two here!"
WindStruck
 "Ah, hello Mr. Galbic,"  Shandara says, smiling slightly and shyly.

 "I didn't mean to bother you two. We were just hoping to ask a few questions in order to.. refine the specifications on our project." 

Though thinking about what she just overheard, it seemed there could be an issue.  "... Um. Were you just talking about something I made? Is it in there? ..and is that going to be a problem?"  she asked, pointing at the black box.
DeTess
"I... don't think it's a problem?" Glenn shoots a questioning glance at the gnome in response to Shandara's question about what she'd overhead.

Tonks shakes his head. "As far as I'm concerned, not really. This is a competition about ingenuity, and any advantage Shandara gets is due to her own ingenuity in the past. I'll mention it to the other judges just in case, but I doubt it'll have much of an impact on her team's score."

"As for your other questions, I assume they're about the way sewage will be provided?" Glenn addresses the elf and the dwarf. "Once the people from the Escribano workshop are done setting up their sewage dispenser I'll make a short announcement, and you can stop by their contraption to get all the technical details you need."
WindStruck
Shandara nods. There was some slight relief, though perhaps simply being disqualified may have been a reprieve in itself so she could go back to her home and rest. Weariness was definitely creeping onto her mind...

 "Ah, well. It wasn't about how it would be provided. Though I do hope you have all the proper precautions in place, seeing as the enchantment is above ground..."  She remembered hearing about some mishap in the Escribano workshop, and wanting to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment, lightly hinted at it.

 "We had some technical questions, if you are able to provide answers now: How much volume of sewage are we expected to handle? And what is the quota of pure water to be produced?" 

She figured that, perhaps the judges wouldn't or couldn't answer her other question about the consistency of the sewage. But if this was indeed the enchantment she devised, she may have a rough idea. She remembered that up to a certain point, the sewage could not be too firm/solid, so as to prevent attracting material like the soil in the ground, and reduce the incidence of blockages. It was also supposed to contain certain minimal percentages of water and organic matter: dead, waste product, or otherwise.

But whatever the enchantment pulled into it, it only had so much range. Perhaps far more range above ground, though there wasn't likely to be much of anything for it to find up here. It certainly was not going to pull anything out of a living creature.
Prehysterical
Bolten is surprised to see Tonks here, but he really should have known better given the nature of the challenge. He shares Shandara's concerns about prior exposure to the subject matter, which are thankfully disarmed by the gnome. Tonks informs them that more information will be forthcoming later, but Shandara seems keen on getting a jumpstart. Bolten hangs back and lets Shandara handle things, what with her being the expert on the topic.
DeTess
"You don't really have a quota." Tonks answers Shandara's question before Glenn can object to sharing the information right now. "We'll be scoring you in part on the speed of your process, as well as the effectivity, of course, but there isn't a minimum flow that we expect you to handle."
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs.   "Alright then. I suppose.. I can only say we'll do our best. Thank you." 

Well, that was a bit unfruitful, but it didn't hurt to ask, right??

Unless the judges had something else to ask of Shandara, she returns to Ulrik and Ash, with a roll of linen in tow.

 "I didn't glean too much on the specifications I sought out. We'll just have to design whatever seems reasonable. However, they did say that we would also be judged on speed and efficacy." 
Prehysterical
So, it wasn't just about the end product, but scoring of the actual machine itself... Bolten approves of the mentality behind the competition, even if that made things harder.

When they return and Shandara explains the situation, Bolten asks,  "If time and efficiency are major factors, are we going to have enough time for distilling and condensation to be reasonable? Even if we had the design in our heads right now, I'm not sure how much of the water would be separated from the boiling process..." 
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "Hm. Possibly. It's a fairly reliable process, but it is slow.. and common. I am sure other teams will try it." 

Setting her linen on the table she says,  "It makes me think utilizing these silver grates, and getting them to pick out contaminants, rather than salt, would be much faster. But they will quickly become overwhelmed if there is too much." 

Looking at Bolten and Ulrik, Shandara says with a nod,  "I trust you two could come up with a sturdy design structure and preliminary filtration system, yes?" 

Then to Ash, she says,  "And I think with the reagents you have, you could, perhaps, further separate out heavier substances and and unwanted compounds." 
 "That would leave me, to remove anything else that got by." 
DeTess
Ulrik nods. "Yeah, I think Bolten and I should be able to come up with something. Will you need anything special as part of the design to be able to implement those grates?"

Ash shrugs at Shandara's suggestion. "I could come up with something, yeah. Making things clump together might be the only things this stuff is good for. I don't promise miracles, buuut I should be able to knock something together."
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "It would be best if the water could flow slowly over it, to maximize the surface area it touches. Perhaps.. if we could fit the grates into a shallow basin that they fit snugly in, with only a very slight incline?" 

While the team as a whole is further refining the overall design of their apparatus, Shandara has to get to work trying to think up of a way to override the enchantment on the grates. Either way was a gamble, but she decides with the shorter amount of time she may spend simply erasing parts of the previous enchantment, she should have more time to search for something else she may need.

 
 Spoiler: rolls 
This is for designing the enchantments. It will essentially be her result for crafting them.

Spellcraft:  (1d20+16)[ 32 ] 

or   (1d20+16)[ 26 ] 

Then using Magecraft or Crafter's Fortune, I'll add a +5 bonus to the craft (jewelry) for patching up the grates.   (1d20+18)[ 30 ] 

And finally, I'll use the other of the two spells for trying to separate out the useless glass from the powder.

 (1d20)[ 17 ]   +18 if it's jewelry, +14 if alchemy.  There may be a physical or chemical process to do this..
 


It soon becomes apparent to Shandara, that she was lacking in materials. She would have to go back and find something, anything that might be used to help power her enchantments.. but that was assuming the ship hadn't been completely picked clean. Maybe they could barter things with the other teams?
Prehysterical
More out of a desire to help than second-guess Ash, Bolten suggests,  "Could we put oil or some sort of hydrophobic material on the liner? Something that the water wouldn't stick to but might be an additional layer of catching contaminants?" 

From Shandara, Bolten requests clarification.  "Are you referring to just the grate material or the entire apparatus?"  The dwarf considers if such an approach would be sound design.
 
 Spoiler 
See OOC thread
 


While Bolten mulls over that chestnut, he asks the question,  "Is there anything that we  need ? Perhaps if we ask nicely, one of the other teams might be willing to trade some material from us." 
DeTess
"That could be a way to do it." Ash mulls over Bolten's suggestion. "I can think of a couple ways to do that if I had access to my own ingredient store. With this stuff, I'll need to do some experimentation, see what sticks, you know?"

Meanwhile Shandara was making good progress mapping out what she'd need to do to get the grates functioning again. Provided she could get some more materials to actually finish the enchantment, she was feeling very confident about her approach. It'd take some time, of course, but she'd have plenty left over to try and improve things or help out the others.
WindStruck
Shandara simply nods.  "Yes. The slower and closer water flows through these grates, the more effective they would be." 

She thinks a bit on the predicament of trying to strain the sewage using only cloth.  "Might I suggest using that metal you found as a seive? Assuming you could poke numerous tiny holes in it and apply pressure, or perhaps using centripetal force, and an agitation element of some kind, I think that would be the first step.. and then cloth can come after." 
Prehysterical
 "Hmmm... Centripetal force would probably be easier, if we can rig the apparatus to spin. With these wood parts, we might be able to do that. I could also try shaping the metal into a cone or a drum... Making the small holes might prove difficult with the materials that we have on hand. I would need something thin enough to keep the holes small, but strong enough that it won't snap in the metal. I have a few of my lockpicking tools on me, but I don't know if they would do the job... They're also somewhat delicate and expensive, mind you.

For an agitation element, maybe we could build a rocking swing under the grate? The grate would be separate up top and it might be the easiest method we can set up in the time we have... unless you have a better suggestion,"  Bolten prompts with polite attention.
WindStruck
 "The grate? No, I meant agitation for your initial seive. And in any case, finding tools really shouldn't be an issue, since we are allowed to bring our own." 

Shandara looks at Bolten.  "Do you, uh, have other tools elsewhere, perhaps? I assure you my jeweler tools are no more sturdier than lock picks..." 
Prehysterical
 "Oh, right... I, er, forgot that we could get our own things after the contest started. Let me, uh, check out real quick and I will take a carriage back to my workshop." 

Thankfully, Bolten is able to hail some transportation after checking out with the officials. Fifteen minutes, 3 silver paid, and one check-in later, Bolten returns armed with a fresh set of tools. During the short carriage ride, where he had a moment to think to himself, an idea percolated through his brain like the sewage would through their machine... Blech, no, that would be a horrible comparison!

At any rate, when Bolten returns, he relays his ideas to Ulrik about the agitating assembly. He suggests a series of sloped shelves made up of the perforated metal plates, which would rock slightly out-of-sync with the others to properly agitate the waste and catch the more unsavory bits while the water itself passed through. The entire system could be operated by pulley as the shelves slide back on forth on their own individual racks below the disinfecting grate assembly.
DeTess
"Hmmm." Ulrik takes a moment to think over Bolten's suggestion. "Can you sketch out the way you want these plates to move? I should be able to figure out a rope and pully system to easily operate it all. I also know where to find some rope in the ship. Far thicker than what we'd need here, but I could probably break it down into something useful for the machine."
WindStruck
Shandara has a lot of work cut out for her, so she is busy working to repair the silvered grates for the entire time Bolten left to get some tools. And she'd be working on that one little project alone for longer.

Still, she manages to provide a few suggestions to their overall design, if it helps.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I've made some IC suggestions in speech. But how about a roll to aid another?

Aid with knowledge, engineering:  (1d20+8)[ 28 ] 

might as well use the last of investigative mind while I'm at it.   (1d20+8)[ 12 ] 
 
Prehysterical
Luckily, Bolten happens to have some spare parchment and ink on him. He draws out his idea with his usual attention to detail, going so far as to include measurements, before handing it over to Ulrik.  "Let me know if you have any questions. I had better get to work on reshaping the metal for our needs. I imagine poking the holes cleanly is going to be very time-consuming." 

Going to work on one of the portable anvils set up by his fellow dwarves, Bolten begins the process turning the scrap metal into shaped metal sheets.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll use Craft (armor) since that probably fits the most.

 (1d20+15)[ 17 ] 
 
DeTess
Ulrik looked over the schematic, then nodded. "I should be able to make this work." He then headed over to the ship to gather some more materials, accompanying Shandara as she went to search for some gems.

Shandara's spell worked quite well with determining that there where some gemstones still hidden around the ship, but all that remained where hidden away quite deviously, in hidden crawlspaces, behind panel or under seemingly solid floorboards. Eventually, she did manage to find a couple of small rubies and emeralds, as well as a bit more silver from the jewelry the stones where set in. The material she'd found would definitely be enough to complete her enchantment.

Bolten meanwhile got to work on processing the metal. progress was slow, however, the sub-standard material giving him a lot of trouble. After an hour had passed, eh had managed to hammer together some passable sheets of iron to further process into a working contraption.

Ulrik had meanwhile gotten to work on turning some half-rotten ropes into something useful, and with translating Boltens design into something workable. His progress was  a little better than Boltens, and by the time Bolten was done with the sheets of metal he had assembled enough rope and a number of rudimentary pullies for the system.
WindStruck
Shandara was quite content with her results, to say the least. It was funny how these sailors liked to squirrel away valuables on a ship like this..  It may not be too much unlike Drow, who, when lacking wards and devious traps, may resort to hiding things as a last-ditch effort for security.

With the gems she found, she had plenty of materials to work with now. Perhaps she may be even be able to take a few gems home as souvenirs! Well, at least that might motivate her to create some nice jewelry again. Returning triumphantly with her plunder, she continues setting to work, her plan almost fully mapped out in her mind already.

After some hours, the silvered grates were repaired, and certain parts of their enchantments were overwritten. Now instead of attracting salt, it would attract microbes...  bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic lifeforms which were too small for the naked eye to see. An additional gem or two were affixed to the grates to grant them additional power.

As far as Shandara was concerned, her part was finished.. but the others still needed to come through as well.  She looks to Bolten, and Ulrik, and Ash, checking in on them.  "How are you progressing? I have finished my part, so I may be able to help. Though.."  she sighed.  "I would appreciate some rest.." 

Shandara tried, but couldn't get much rest with her disrupted schedule. In fact, she should have been resting, by trance, sleep, or otherwise, at the time the competition had begun. She was feeling quite weary now.. perhaps what she needed was a "pick-me-up" to get her through the rest of this.

 
 Spoiler: roll for funsies 
fortitude:  (1d20-4)[ 9 ] 

Not like I am expecting hugely detrimental effects on a failure, or even a catastrophic failure, but I'd like to see if Shandara can soldier on, or perhaps she should get a nap or some coffee...

I guess my target is 10?
 
Prehysterical
With a grumble of resentment, Bolten sets aside the last of the metal plates.  "Shoddy  umgak  ore base... Only fit for garbage, indeed."  Looking up, Bolten sees Shandara's baggy eyes and feels a bit of concern.  "You're looking a bit worn thin there,  dawri . Why don't you take a breather? I need to coordinate with Ulrik, anyway." 

So doing, Bolten takes the stack of metal plates over to the shipwright.  "Well, if you're all set, I suppose we had better get the apparatus set up and make sure that everything fits snug. If needed, I can make some tweaks to the filter plates so that they slide better on the racks." 
WindStruck
Shandara nods slowly. Definitely feeling tired now, the more she thought about it, but nothing terribly debilitating as of yet...

 "Um. Right.. Let me just see how you all are doing. Then I think I will get something to eat. And some tea, or perhaps even some coffee..." 

In particular, Shandara was feeling more worried about how Ash was doing. Hopefully they could bring something together.  If not, Shandara did dabble a bit in alchemy herself. Maybe if there was a problem, she could help?
DeTess
While Ulrik and Bolten began their assembly process, Shandara went over to Ash to take a look at their work. She was sitting next to a small kettle that was merely bubbling away, a pungent, slightly sweet smell spreading through the air. She was holding up a glass tube, with a small piece of cloth fitted over the top, and a tube containing water and what appeared to be dirt. The water was slowly passing through the filter and appeared to be fairly clean.

Assembling the machine meanwhile was not going so great. The idea was clearly sound, but the poor quality of the materials meant that a lot of adjustments had to be made to make sure everything fit snugly and could move smoothly. Luckily, there was still quite a bit of time left to make the necessary adjustments.

While Bolten and Ulrik got to work, Shandara realized she was still staring at the tube in Ash's hand. It had nearly fully filled up now, and the elf had a lot of trouble accounting for the time that had passed since she went looking for Ash. Her head felt a bit clouded, and her limbs felt heavy, though not in a particularly unpleasant way. Across from her, Ash was also still looking at the tube, a dreamy smile on their face.
WindStruck
Shandara shakes her head a bit, and reaches out to Ash to grasp her shoulder and give it a light shake.

 "There's something wrong with those fumes.  Perhaps intoxicating or..  some other side-effect?" 

And now she really felt weird, on top of being tired.  She coughs lightly, perhaps just an impulse at this point, though it doesn't change much.

 "I think you had better keep your distance from that cauldron.  Or some ventilation,"  she adds.

How they were going to get ventilation when they were already out in the open was...  never mind.

 "I'll.. be back.."  she says, going to check out and get some food at a cafe or someplace she can find.
DeTess
As the day wore on, several food stalls had opened up around the square, giving Shandara plenty of choice for food without having to go too far.

Adjusting all the parts so that they'd fit nicely together proved to be a lot easier than initially preparing the parts had been. Maybe it was because Bolten was getting more used to working with the sub-par metal, or maybe the low quality of the material was what made it easier to shape it into the exact shapes required. Either way, the apparatus was mostly coming together by the time Shandara got back.
Prehysterical
Bolten starts to relax when the metal shapes more easily to his will. Ironically, the wooden frame seems to help by mapping a path for how the panels needed to bend.

Looking up as Shandara returns, Bolten greets her.  "Hope you're feeling better. So, what do you think? Should we hook up the grate and give this a little test run?" 
WindStruck
Shandara nods and says,  "Yes, let's try running water through it or the like at least. We'll see if there was anything we overlooked on the first run through." 
DeTess
After fitting in Shandara's grates and adding the cloth filters treated with Ash's creation, the machine was finally ready for testing.

Ash and Bolten slowly upended a large kettle with water and dirt into the machine while Ulrik was rotating a crank to move the agitating assembly. Several seconds later, clean water came out the other side of the machine. There where a couple small leaks along the way, but overall it seemed like everything was working as it should.

"I can probably plug those..." Ulrik was cut off as Glenn's voice rang across the plaza.

"Contestants, there is now only half an hour left to finish your creations. Best of luck to you all!"
WindStruck
Shandara nods.   "I'm sure our apparatus wins no awards for looking the most pretty, but I do think it would be best to seal up the leaks as best we can.. at least, in any way that doesn't compromise the purity of the water. Is there anything I can do to help?" 

Then giving their creation a sideways glance, she says.  "Hm... you think we ought to.. taste that water?" 
Prehysterical
Seeing the dirt being filtered from the water was encouraging, but sewage was an altogether different animal than dirt. Bolten's bushy eyebrows went up at the half hour warning and he looked to Ulrik.  "If you could, please..." 

He shrugged at Shandara's concerns.  "Not pretty, aye, but hard to make anything functional out of a wrecked ship, let alone aesthetically pleasing... As long as it does what it is supposed to, I'm happy."  Bolten left the matter of patching the holes to Ash and Ulrik, clearly much more experienced than he was at stopping leaks.

The dwarf grew visibly uneasy at the idea of tasting the water for himself. He certainly hoped that they wouldn't have to sample the final product... Bolten reminded himself that dirty water was still infinitely preferable to sewage and used a cup to sample the machine's output.
DeTess
Ulrik set to work using the remaining pieces of sail-cloth to tightly bind the portions of the machine that had been leaking, hopefully creating a watertight seal.

Bolten's taste-test meanwhile was quite uneventful. The water tasted like nothing, as it should. There was a very slight oily feel to the liquid, but nothing in the taste betrayed any sort of issues or problems with the filtering process.
WindStruck
Since it seemed Bolten more or less approved of the water, Shandara takes a very small taste, and notices the same problem. Or at least, maybe it was a potential problem.

 "Hm. Something in this water... seems like a residue of some kind. Any idea what it is? It can't have been from the water or dirt we originally put in.. could it?"  she asks, looking at Bolten and Ash.

 "Perhaps, all we need to do is flush more water through. Or would you recommend against that?"  Again, this question is pointed directly at Ash. Perhaps there was only a limited effectiveness to the thing she created over the cloth? It didn't exactly feel like there was time to study the liquid much (though maybe they could try.. still, that would probably leave little to no time to fix whatever this was).

Then again, thinking about what Shandara said, she tries tasting some of the original water - the water they used for the test before they even put dirt in it.
DeTess
"Let me check." Ash takes a small taste of the water as well. "Hmmm, this might be a tiny residue of the coating I put on the cloth filters. If that's the case, it is better to not run anymore water through, I think. Give the solution some time to really attach to the cloth before the major test." The alchemist considers the water a moment more. " If that is what it is, there's not really much reason to worry. The coating isn't poisonous or anything. If you where to drink it directly it might act as a laxative though."

Shandara's taste-test of the water before filtering it revealed an absence of the oily feeling, suggesting that it was indeed something coming from their machine.
WindStruck
Shandara nods.   "Ah, right, right. We should probably try to dry out the cloth then.  Maybe re-apply the coating? But I would definitely think giving it time to settle is a good idea.  Hrm.  Perhaps if we can also somehow arrange to get tested later..." 
Prehysterical
Hearing Ash's explanation gives Bolten some relief... thought not quite as much as it could have potentially, given Ash's description of the cloth filters' coating.

 "Drying out the filters seems good, aye, but we better not put any more coating on there. The judges might not thank us for making them run to the nearest lavatory."  As Shandara brings up the possibility of an extension, Bolten's expression grows stern and he crosses his arms.  "We could ask for an extra half hour, or a day, or a week... but the point of this contest is to do what we can within the time limit. Whether we win or not, I am satisfied with what we have been able to do with these scraps of a sunken vessel. Let the axe fall where it may!" 
WindStruck
 "Perhaps.. you may have misunderstood my intention, Bolten. I think, all I may be saying is, let us not volunteer to go first?"  A small smile forms on Shandara's lips.

 "Also, during the opening announcements, Glenn did say they would be performing some alchemical tests, rather than drinking the water themselves. So no need to worry about people's bowels loosening." 
 "It seems like it may be safe enough, so my only concern is that it may alter the results of a test." 
DeTess
Half an hour later Glenn's magically amplified voice once again rang out across the plaza. "And that's time! Everyone, put down your tools and cease all spellcasting. Those of you that made an easily portable solution, please bring your contraptions over to the center of the plaza. For everyone else we've got carts and a couple mage skilled at levitation magic to help you move your creations."

It took about 20 minutes for all creations to be moved over to the center, where two men in the uniform of the Escribano workshop where looking over a large contraption. It consisted of a large cylinder inscribed with an enchantment very similar to the one Shandara had designed for the workshop. This cylinder then fed into a large bundle of hoses, which the engineers where attaching to whatever intake ports the contestant's creations where fitted with. Each contraption was also given a large metal casket at its outlet to catch the results of the process

There was a wide variety of different designs on display. Some seemed to be working through distillation, while others probably used some kind of filter system. There where also some contraptions that looked more unusual still, containing vats covered in scrawled enchantments. One particular team had brought what seemed to just be a wooden tub, though one filled with a milky yellow alchemical solution.

"In a few moments, we'll begin pumping up sewage from the sewers below the campus and into your contraptions." Glenn announced. "We'll then let it run for five minutes. The pumping apparatus, courtesy of the Escribano workshop should ensure your creations won't get overloaded, but if something does look like it'll go wrong, give a shout and we'll shut off the flow into your creation. You won't be directly penalized for this, but it might end up costing you some points for the volume your machine processed as we'll only count what's there, not what could have been there. You'll be judged on the quality and volume of the filtered fluid, as well as the originality of your design. The judges will be walking around, observing everything in motion, and they might be asking you all some questions to help judge the originality aspect. Please answer those questions honestly, as the judges can ask to see the insides of your creation if they think you're just spinning them a tale. Well then, may the best creation win!"

One of the engineers pulled a lever on the contraption, and with a gurgling noise it jumped to life. though this was accompanied by a bad smell, it wasn't nowhere near as bad as one would expect when dealing with raw sewage. Maybe this was a property of everyone's creations, or maybe the device dispensing the sewage was designed to also deal with the smelly byproducts.

Ulrik was once again manning the crank on team Sprockets creation, and at first it looked like everything was working extremely well. The water coming out looked almost perfectly clear, and it was flowing fairly rapidly too. After a minute or three this started to change though, with the water coming you of the machine slowly taking on a more yellowy-brownish hue.
WindStruck
 "Something's failing.  I feel perhaps its just too much.  We should stop this while we at least have.. or had, some pure water..." 

Shandara says, with a sigh.
Prehysterical
Bolten's optimistic enthusiasm visibly dies as he sees the water start to change color. He starts biting his lower lip as his mind races through what could have gone wrong.  "O-Oh... Oh dear... What could have gone wrong? Did the holes get clogged on the metal plates?"  That would account for the lack of chunks in the strained water.

While Ulrik continues pumping the machine, Bolten finds a way to get up higher to look down into the machine while it's working... all while pinching his nose shut, of course.
DeTess
The grates can just barely be made out, though they've been mostly covered in a thick brown layer of gunk, which is till growing. Even now, the water still looks a bit clearer after passing through the filter than before it, but its clear the efficiency of the grates is being reduced by the amount of stuff they already need to keep from slipping back into the water.

However, even at reduced effectivity, it seems team Sprockets machine is still doing better than the competitors right next to them. The contraption directly to the left seems to use some form of distillation process which, while effective, is very slow. On the other hand is a machine merely using mechanical filters, and its output, while clear of chunks is deep brown
WindStruck
 "Is there not some way we can clean it out? But I suppose such a level of interference would be against the rules, at this point."  Shandara shakes her head.  "We should have added some way to throw out all the unwanted gunk..." 
Prehysterical
Shaking his head sadly, Bolten answers,  "I just didn't have time to think of a way to clear the grates. I barely had enough time to point them into the correct shapes as it is. We could scrape them, aye, but it feels like cheating."  Truth be told, Bolten severely underestimated the volume of sewage that would be running through the system. A few changes in design spring to mind that would have made things better, but it was a day late and a copper short.
WindStruck
 "Well.. I propose we ask a judge if we can clean it out.  Otherwise, let's just stop it before things get worse. It will at least show the process worked...  for a while." 
DeTess
"You called for a judge?" A middle-aged half-elf speaks up from just Behind Shandara. She looks about middle aged and wears a long white coat of a kind often worn by Society campus doctors, with a a set of half-round glasses sitting on her nose and a stern expression on her face.
WindStruck
Shandara whirls around, a bit surprised.  "Uh, y-yes..!  That was fast... " 

She points at the top of their machine.  "We have a very basic sieve system up top, but seems it's getting clogged due to the sheer.. unexpected volume we are working with. Is it okay to scrape out the sludge with something, or do we have to leave it be?" 
DeTess
"No, I'm sorry." The woman shakes her head. "It's something you should have accounted for in your design. Do you want me to ask the engineers to cut off the flow to your machine?" She raises a hand to get the attention of one of the Escribano engineers.
WindStruck
 "It's my preference, but.. we as a whole should decide." 

Shandara looks over at Bolten, Ash, and Ulrik expectantly.
Prehysterical
After a moment of hard thought, Bolten replies reluctantly,  "Well... there's nothing  dangerous  about keeping it going and it would be a bad look for us to shut the machine down. I think we should keep it running, but I will defer to the group's decision should they feel differently." 
DeTess
Ash took a look over at the tub receiving team sprocket machine's output. "Eh, if we caught it while it was still pristine, stopping might have been worth it. I say, let it run its course, and hope quantity can overcome a little hit in quality." They responded.

Ulrik meanwhile was still manning the crank powering the machine's internals. "I don't have a good enough view on things from here, so I'll leave it up to the rest of you. I don't really see any reason to stop unless everything is literally falling apart though."

"It seems you've made your decision then." The judge responded, and gave the engineer a wave, indicating that everything was okay. "I am doctor Fauxfontaine, by the way. Could you give me a quick overview of your machine's process?"
WindStruck
 "Well, I wouldn't really call it a  small  hit to quality..."  Shandara protests. But she just decides to give up on the argument.

Returning her attention to the judge, Shandara nods and says,  "Certainly, miss.. uh, doctor? Fauxfontaine."  Pointing toward the top where she had spoke about before, she says,  "Up at the top is a fairly basic mechanical sieve. It has small holes and an agitation apparatus which Ulrik is operating by turning the crank. The idea is to keep most of the waste out, and effectively extract the tainted water. Below that it passes through some filtration systems using cloth. These have been alchemically treated to cause sediments and other finer materials to fall away." 

Below the area seemed to be a deep reservoir, where inlet and outlet were only at the top. Then she points to the wider portion after, where the silvered grates rested in. It went down at a shallow angle, where water poured out the bottom.  "Finally, water passes over some enchanted silver grates. Originally, they were found on the ship and used for extracting salt from sea water. Since then, they were repaired and repurposed to extract harmful microbes such as bacteria - they should currently be stuck to the grates." 
Prehysterical
Shandara's words provoke a disapproving look from Bolten.  Basic?  It was a sieve that agitated at the same time! Sure, Bolten hadn't designed it perfectly, but he crosses his arms as he feels put down.
DeTess
"Thank you for the explanation." Doctor Fauxfontaine quickly jots down some notes', than takes a peak in the receiving vat at the end of the machine. "Hmmm, judging by the color of the water and the output of your machine, your filtering process must have gotten pretty close to pure water in the beginning." She jots down another note, then wanders over to examine the creation of the next team over.

By the time the sewage flow stopped, the water in the vat connected to team sprocket's machine had taken on a decidedly yellowish tinge. However, the vat was also nearly full. Once the testing phase had run tis course, all vats where tagged with the names of the teams and hauled of for weighing and testing. The judges made use of a variety of alchemical powders to test for contaminants and then sequestered themselves for further discussion. After about half an hour Glenn took to the stage once more. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. The judges have informed me that they're ready to read their verdict. For those that are new to this competition, let me quickly explain how the award process works. We award four prizes for first, second and third place, as well as an honorable mention for the team that managed to impress the judges most while not qualifying for the top three spots. In addition to these four beautiful trophies..." Glenn gestures at a table holding four small metal statues that seem to have been cobbled together from scrap metal with colors roughly matching a gold, silver and bronze hue, as well as a black one that'll likely be awarded to the honorable mention. "The three winning teams will get a cash prize of respectively 150, 100 and 50 gold coins. For the honorable mention we only have bragging rights, I'm afraid. If you're not among the winning teams you can still approach the judges afterwards to hear their comments on your design, but remember to be civil."

"Now then, let me introduce the judges." Tonks Galbic and doctor Fauxfontaine join Glenn on the podium. They're accompanied by two human men, one tall and willowy, clad in a white coat and wearing a set of spectacles on a young-ish face, the other an older and heavy set man wearing a fashionable suit. "With me are doctor Fauxfontaine from our own hospital, doctor Emeran of the Goldspring Alchemist's guild, mr. Galbic of the Escribano engineering workshop and mr. Streidekker of the very same shipyards."

"Thank you, Glenn." Doctor Emeran steps forward and addresses the crowd of onlookers and artificers. "We've made you wait long enough, so let's get right to it, with the Honorable mention going to team Alchemy!" Under polite applause a number of students join the judges on the podium to receive their award. "Team Alchemy's slime-based filtration process was way more effective than it had any right to be, and I'm still baffled by how you stopped any off your solution from leaking out into the receiving vat."

"They probably just threw everything they had in a pot and got lucky... again." Ashe mutters softly, though it's hard to tell whether that's reproach in their voice, or awe.

"Well then, the third place..." doctor Fauxfontaine is speaking now as team Alchemy leave the podium. "Goes to the Naturalist!" A woman wearing a green-colored robe joins the judges on the podium. "Though her filtering process using enchanted wood shavings and packed sand was very slow, it did provide the purest water we'd seen this competition. A welcome reminder for this harvest festival that there's still a thing or two we can learn from the way nature filters water."

"Now, we're down to the first and second place." Tonks voice echoes across the plaza as the sole member of team naturalist leaves with her trophy and reward. "Before I announce who got which place, I'd like to say that the designs by team 'better living' and team Sprocket both impressed our entire judging cadre. Both designs could have been ready for actual use with only minor modifications. Team 'better living's rapid distillation process was really well executed, using some ingenious enchantments to speed up this normally slow process. Unfortunately, they failed to account for quite a few contaminants having a boiling point close to that of water and therefore remaining in their output. Teams Sprockets design combined a number of approaches from engineering, alchemical and magical disciplines to create the quickest process of our four winners, but unfortunately they where let down by the lack of a way to keep their enchanted filters clean and working at full capacity."

"Now, as I said, we've had a long discussion about which of these teams deserved the top prize, and in all honesty it could have gone either way. However, we've only got a single first-place trophy, and we'll be awarding it to..." Tonks let the moment stretch for just a bit longer. "team Sprocket!"
WindStruck
Shandara looks over at Ashe quizically as she mutters.    "Were you with them before?"   she whispers. Though given how rude it would be to talk during all this, the conversation would have to be picked up later.

Then the results start coming in. The slime approach which Ashe seemed to envy was something Shandara was curious about. If possible, she'd like to look into that team's work and see what it was all about.

After the naturalist, which, Shandara admittedly was not intrigued enough to desire any followup investigations, she was taken by surprise to hear Team Sprocket being mentioned.

 Wait. We are the top two?? 

It seemed inconceivable to her at first. While there were obviously some teams she was aware of who fared worse, the oversight of their design and yellow tinge to their water made her think that, surely they wouldn't make the cut. Now Tonks announced that..... they had actually won! Albeit, by a slim margin. But still.

Shandara's jaw just about dropped for a moment, and she stood there with her team frozen like a deer, simply flabbergasted. After a little prodding, she realizes that she needs to walk over and stand with the judges for a bit. With all the excitement, she blushes furiously, though her dark skin makes it very hard to even notice, and she can't quite decide: should her colorful silk cloak still be up or should she pull it down??

In the end, inaction leaves it up, but at least her eyes and face are slightly shielded from daylight. She looks at the other members of her team: Bolten, Ulrik, Ashe.  And the judges and the crowd. A timid smile forms on her face, quite happy they won, but uncomfortable being among the center of attention.
Prehysterical
Bolten is in a sullen mood as the judges gather and announce the prizes and winners. He is totally focused on the failures of his design methods and how it was his part of the machine that let them down. Even in his slump, however, Bolten can mildly appreciate the genius put on display by Team Alchemy and Team Naturalist.

When Bolten hears that they actually made the top two, his eyebrows go flying into the sky. Wait, they were one of the  best  designs?! Then Team Sprocket is announced the first place winner and Bolten's jaw joins Shandara's on the floor. Once he recovers from his shock, however, Bolten bunches his fists and holds them up with childlike glee, laughing in spite of himself. They did it! They won, and on their very first time in the competition! Bolten happily shakes the hands of Ash and Ulrik and ends up giving Shandara a warm hug in all the excitement.

His enthusiasm dampens slightly as they become the center of attention when they accept their prize from the judges, but it only downgrades Bolten's smile from beaming to merely awkward.
DeTess
The first and second place prizes are handed over to team sprocket and team 'better living' under loud applause. After the ceremony Tonks takes a moment to congratulate the team in private, as does mister Streidekker, who seems to be an acquaintance of Ulrik. Afterwards, the event starts to slowly wind down, and preparations are being made to start breaking down all the temporary facilities that have been set up for the contest. Ashe meanwhile is eyeing the hefty coin-pouch containing the money awarded to the team. "So, what do you say we find a fancy restaurant for a little party to celebrate our win? We can certainly afford a good meal now." they suggest.
WindStruck
 "I suppose that's not a bad idea,"  Shandara says, her stomach on the verge of growling.  She had had something to eat a little while ago, but it was mostly a snack and some coffee to help keep her awake.

 "What else was supposed to be happening this day?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
welp I lost the list of events for the festival by day.  Again.
 
Prehysterical
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Found it in the OOC thread.

Night 3: the commoners ball: a large ball is held in the herdsman's market, free for any and all to attend.
Day 4:Day four is more for general festivities. there's a market, though smaller than on the first day. However, on this day the emperor and higher nobles also hold an open court for all to attend and bring forward requests for judgement or aid.
Night 4: closing festivities and the large fireworks show. The show itself is legendary, the product of a year's work of alchemists and artisans from all over the empire.
 

 "I could also go for some dinner,"  Bolten agreed.  "The commoner's ball is being held at the herdsmen's market tonight, if I recall. Not sure if you would enjoy that, Shandara, but it is an option." 
WindStruck
 "Ah. The commoner's ball..."  Shandara said, mulling it over.

 "You may be right..  It's not like I have anyone to dance with..." 

Then again, there was the whole issue of cultural disparity. Surely there would be a whole different style of dances and customs here, no? And more importantly, would she enjoy herself? Well, the answer may be no.
DeTess
"Well then, i vote we use our prize money for a sumptuous dinner at the ruby Crown, the best restaurant in town." Ashe suggests enthusiastically. "If we go easy on the wine, our winnings should just about cover that."

"And did you remember to reserve a table two months in advance?" Ulrik asks, one bushy eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Ah... no." Ashe seems to deflate. "Well, there goes that dream..."

"Most restaurants will be very busy during the festival." Ulrik adds. "I know a very good place in the harbor though, provided you all like fish. The owner is my brother-in-law, so we should be able to get a table even if the place is already full."
WindStruck
Shandara raises an eyebrow at Ashe's suggestion. Four people, blowing 150 gold pieces on  one meal ? That seemed incredibly exorbitant.

 "I, uh.. I don't think I want to spend all that money in one sitting. Throwing away money for the sake of throwing away money is quite foolish." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'm curious what Shandara may know about this Ruby Crown place. Seems quite famous!

knowledge local:  (1d20+8)[ 20 ] 
 

 "I am sure we could find someplace nice, though there would be a wait..." 

Turning to Ulrik with a nod she adds,  "And I don't mind fish. So long as it's cooked and there's a bit more to eat than just fish."  A small smile escapes her lips.
Prehysterical
Bolten was likewise hesitant to throw away that much money for a single meal.  "Normally, I'm not too keen on fish, but if the owner is kin to you, then I would be willing to give it a shot. Eating from the same table as family is usually a good sign." 
DeTess
"Ah, don't worry. Even committed carnivores change their tune quickly once they taste Melvar's cooking." Ulrik reassured Bolten.

"Eh, fish is fine too, I suppose." Ash still seemed down after getting their dreams of a luxurious meal shot down.

It was about half an hour's walk down to the harbor and the restaurant owned by Ulrik's brother-in-law. It ended up being a large building made from weathered wood with a sign proclaiming it to be the 'Bluefin's Rest'. Delicious smells of cooking seafood where wafting through the door. Inside, the places was already almost packed full. The clientele seemed to consist of a mix of merchants, ship's officers and well-off craftsmen and -women. The walls where covered in murals depicting fantastic vistas of the seas and ships.

"A young lad stops the party just as they get inside. "Do you have a reservatio.. Oh, it's uncle Ulrik!" The boy's eyes light up as he sees the woodworker. "I'll ask the staff to fit in a table for you and your friends!"

"Thank you, David." Ulrik smiles at the lad, who can't be older than a year or twelve. "Things must be really busy if your father has you helping out."

Several minutes later Ulrik, Ashe, Bolten and Shandara are seated at a table in the back of the large common room. They've been presented with a menu listing just about every kind of fish they can think of, prepared in all kinds of ways, from grilled to stewed, and of course there's a list of side dishes like baked potatoes, varies kinds of bread and vegetables as well.
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs at Ash and says, trying to be reassuring,  "Well.. I still don't think I like the idea, but there's nothing stopping you from making a reservation for a later date? Unless you happen to spend all your money before then..." 

The walk was pleasant enough, and soon enough they arrived at the restaurant which was.. about as Shandara may have expected.

 "To tell you the truth, I don't know much about all these different kinds of fish.. they all seem to taste mostly the same to me? What do you think is good?"  she asks. The question was probably directed more toward Ulrik, but anyone could answer it.
Prehysterical
Bolten tried to reason with Ash.  "Even if we went there tonight, they'd probably turn us away at the door. I'm sure the nobility have been scoping that place out for months just for tonight. Better luck next time, eh?" 

The Bluefin's Rest looked like a typical seadog hangout, as far as Bolten was concerned, but the fact that it was so busy helped sell him on the quality of the food. As his eyes glanced over the clientele, Bolten realized that this was a place that catered to middling standing... That suited him just fine. Not too high society, but also not a buccaneer's nest.

Baked potato was for sure on Bolten's mind. The cheddar biscuits didn't sound too bad, either, with perhaps some carrots and broccoli as a side dish. His first instinct was to gravitate toward the chowder and lobster, but he reminded himself of the dinner they had had scarce nights ago. He listened and waited alongside Shandara for Ulrik's recommendation.
DeTess
Ulrik considered for a moment. "This time of year the salmon is always good. If you're considering shellfish, I'd go for the crayfish. The rest isn't bad by any stretch, but the crayfish is about as fresh as it can be. Really, everything they serve here is great, but given how busy it is I'd recommend getting something grilled or baked over a soup or chowder. " The craftsman considers for a moment more.  "Oh, and Bolten, if you're more of a meat person, you should ask for the 'sea cow'. It's not on the menu and I don't know whether they've got any right now, but if they have it it's great. It's somewhat like steak, but not quite, as it comes from a sea creature. I'd recommend that for you as well, Ash, if you're looking for something unique. This is the only place you can get that within a thousand miles or more, even the fanciest places in the city don't have this."
WindStruck
 "I guess salmon sounds alright,"  Isaera says, eying the menu. Yes there did seem to be a nice salmon entree that came with some sides.

 "Hm. Or perhaps some crayfish. Is that the one that comes in buckets?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
 (1d2)[ 1 ]   salmon it is
 

 "Anyway, I'm glad we could get a spot here. Thank you, Ulrik..." 

The competition had brought some eclectic strangers together, and conversation around their creation and design certainly kept things going. But now there seemed to be.. void.

 "Um..  do you have other family into ship building or whatnot? I get the feeling that, with your brother-in-law owning this restaurant, perhaps there are more family members with trades related to the sea." 
DeTess
"I actually hail from a family of sailors and ship's officers." Ulrik replies. "My brother is an officer in the imperial navy, and my sister started out running a small fishing boat. She doesn't go out on the seas herself anymore, but she owns three fishing boats now. Most of what they serve here is brought in by her boats. My parents own a large trading ship and spend their time travelling the world and brining exotic goods back here." Ulrik's fingers comb to his beard for a moment, then he continues. "If you're wondering why I went into shipbuilding instead of becoming a sailor like the rest of my family... Well, I got unlucky and for some reason suffer from the worst sea sickness you've ever seen." The big man shrugs, then grins. "When listening to stories from my parents or my brother I do miss being able to go out and travel the oceans, but honestly, I can think of very little that beats the pride of launching a ship that you were responsible for putting together."
WindStruck
 "It's a shame you have such sea sickness,"  Shandara says.  "Hopefully, a remedy for that could be possible.. in any case, I suppose you have something else to be proud of from today, mm? Some may downplay your role in the project, but without the structural support and overall design.. well, we'd have a mishmash of useful components, but nothing to keep them all together, and a mess." 
Prehysterical
From what Bolten has heard, salmon is the most meat-like out of all fish. He decides to skip on the sea cow, wanting to see one of the creatures for himself before being served one on his table.

After thanking Ulrik, Bolten listens with surprising attention to the man's description of his family history. One can almost see the cogs turning behind his eyes as he... well, not so much ignores Ulrik as sees an opportunity spring up before him.

When presented with a moment in the conversation, Bolten butts in.  "So, Ulrik, if your family travels the waters so much, have they ever seen a..."  Bolten stops for a moment, looking side to side as if paranoid that someone is listening in.

 "...A  bronze dragon ,"  he finishes in a low voice that's barely heard above the chatter of the restaurant. The dwarf's eyes regard the man with fierce intensity, not threatening but unnerving, perhaps.
DeTess
"That's actually part of my day job as well." Ulrik replied to Shandara's praise. "Modern ships tend to have a lot of new features, what with the Artificery Society and the shipping guilds continually innovating, and part of my job is making sure it all actually fits together."

"They have never mentioned stories of a bronze dragon, sorry." Ulrik replied to Bolten's question. "Though my parents have mentioned visiting a far away country that is being ruled by a dragon emperor, though an unusual one. They actually witnessed one of its offspring flying by during their stay, and they described it as looking more like a silver snake, and it was flying without actually having wings."
WindStruck
Shandara let out a quiet and reserved chuckle.  "Well then, I do think we all picked the perfect man for the job." 

Then Shandara looked at Bolten curiously. The sudden enthusiasm for bronze dragons was unbecoming of him, and odd in her opinion. But then again, it's not like she knew Bolten all that well in the first place.

 "Why are you so interested in dragons all of a sudden, Bolten?" 
Prehysterical
Bolten visibly deflates as Ulrik unknowingly bursts his bubble. He looks down at the table and runs a fingertip to trace a whorl pattern in the wood.

 "Oh, er, well..."  Bolten's words came out as an almost begrudging murmur or grumble.  "Not so much dragons in general as specific ones... I've had this...  project  that I have been brainstorming for a while now. A new clockwork design. In order to provide enough power, though, I need something stronger than standard electricity. I need something with an elemental connection, something that will help give the design  life . Dragon's breath is very powerful in its applications and there are few very kinds that can breathe lightning. Blues can be very dangerous- well,  all  dragons are dangerous- but I figured that a bronze would be my best bet." 
WindStruck
Shandara ponders the explanation briefly, then says,   "Mmm. Well I can't say I have met or even knowingly seen any dragons myself. Though I hear their personalities are diverse and may as well be fickle. Seems you would be looking to bargain with and be at the mercy of an entity far more powerful than any person..." 
DeTess
"Hmmm, when next my parents pull into port, I can ask them about their dragon encounters. I can't promise anything, but maybe they've seen or heard something that could be of use to you, Bolten." Ulrik responds. "I am curious about something though. Why did you pick clockwork as you are area of expertise? It's clearly something you're very passionate about."
Prehysterical
Bolten reminds Shandara,  "Yes, dragons can be dangerous, but so can Imperial nobles be when someone crosses them. Dragons, like anyone else, have their price." 

To Ulrik, Bolten answers,  "My mother owned a clock shop on the outskirts of one of the holds. I probably heard the tick-tock of the clock in my crib. Mother didn't like me playing with the other dwarf children, so I had plenty of time to practice making pieces and putting them together. She was only interested in making clocks, but I was constantly experimenting with different ways to design mechanisms for different tasks."  The information came slowly, almost reluctantly, as if Bolten rarely spoke to anyone about his past.
DeTess
"You where raised with clockwork from birth then. Hmmm, in some ways we're not so different then, I think." Ulrik remarks, just as a  waitress stops by the table to get everyone's orders.

Urlik settles on the Salmon for his main dish, while Ash orders the sea cow. "And what can I get the two of you?" the young woman adresses Shandara and Bolten.
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "I'll have the Salmon dinner as well, with the mashed potatoes and spinach, please."  When it came to drinks, there appeared to be many imported beers and wines available that she was unfamiliar with, but she decided to try a glass of some elven kind or another, and have some tea with it, or if that was unavailable, water.

After the waitress had left, Shandara said,  "It's not all that uncommon to take up the profession of one's parents. My father, for instance, used to be in the jewelry trade, himself.." 
Prehysterical
 "Salmon for me as well, please,"  Bolten asks.  "I'd like that served with a baked potato, carrots, broccoli, and I'll try some of those cheddar biscuits."  Deciding to play it safe, Bolten also orders a dwarven ale.

His eyebrows rose as Shandara revealed more about her family. She  never  wanted to talk about that, at least in the time that Bolten had known her.

 "Really? I'm sure he was really good at it! Competition is fierce between the various merchants and craftsmen where you're from, isn't it?" 
WindStruck
Shandara looked at Bolten a little hesitantly and said,  "Uh. Yes, you could say that.. Dare I say, it's even cutthroat. Sometimes quite literally..." 

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, bringing her hands holding each other to her face, and looked away.
DeTess
Ash opened their mouth to ask Shandara something in response to the Elf's mention of her past, but after a moment the alchemist reconsidered. "So, how did you end up with the society? Did you start as a student here, or get recruited or something for your skills?" They asked instead.

"Technically, I don't think I count as a member of the artificery society." Ulrik admitted. "I studied here, but I lacked the creativity compared to many others to truly come up with radical new inventions. I'm good at turning a heap of ideas someone else came up with into something that actually all fits together, but I'm first and foremost a builder, not a dreamer."
WindStruck
 "Did you mean me? I came to Vaungate nearly two years ago. I found some work in the back of some stingy old dwarf's shop, crafting and repairing jewelry for him. Never really went out much, and it's about all I did for some months, until Giles Glitterbanger happened to stumble upon me. He was already with the society and thought I had some talent, and so.."  she shrugged,  "Here I am." 

Looking at Ulrik, she comments,  "About that. If you weren't with the society..  Hm.  I suppose just about any competent artisan was welcome to join that competition?" 

Though it was probably too late to quibble or have second thoughts about everything now. They had already completed their project, and won!
Prehysterical
Bolten looks aside, feeling a little guilty. He had only meant to spark conversation about Shandara's family, not reopen old wounds.

Fortunately, Ulrik's admission gives him something else to talk about.  "There's nothing wrong with being mechanically competent. I have often seen people who have wonderful ideas but lack either the skill or the will to turn their designs into reality. The Society has great need of men like Ulrik here." 

Turning to Ash, Bolten asks,  "What about you? Was your introduction to alchemy pretty  formulaic , or was it more...  reactionary ?"  The dwarf snickers at the bad puns. In any other space, Bolten would have been self-conscious, but he felt comfortable in this moment.
DeTess
"Yeah, the competition's open for everyone with a bit of skill." Ashe replies to Shandara's question before Ulrik can.

The alchemist replies to Bolten's puns with a grin. "I'd say reactionary. I started out with architecture on my parent's insistence, but you could say I don't really mix well with that craft. Alchemy suits me very well though, and as long as my brews work no one will tell me that I used the wrong style of arches or that there should have been more natural lighting in the north-facing bed-room or other such nonsense." Ash shrugs. "I always like tinkering with stuff and just trying things out, but if you do that with buildings, they tend to fall down. Just throwing stuff in a pot to see if it works, worst case scenario it turns into useless gunk and you need to scrub the pot out. Best-case scenario, you get something entirely new no one could have predicted."
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs.  "That's true enough. With the proper safety precautions, even a small explosion or noxious fumes can be contained..  but yes, I do agree. If I am going to be entering any of your 'buildings' up here, I wouldn't want them liable to fall on my head." 
 "I suppose that, perhaps one could try to be creative with architecture. But that architect would need to be an expert in engineering and physical materials to know the limits of what they are doing. And extensive experimentation would be welcome, I imagine." 
 "Well, Ash, it does appear you are well-suited and happy in your field, so I guess this is all for the best." 
Prehysterical
 "I would say that people are at their most creative when under constraints,"  Bolten ventures with a shrug.  "It's only when people have to find ways around a problem that true innovation happens. When I was designing that drill for the sewers project, my first thought was for it to have just a single giant drill bit made of adamantine. Given the shortages of adamantine at the time, that would have simply costed too much to be viable. I had to get creative to do the same job while minimizing the amount of adamantine in the design." 
DeTess
"It's good you keep that kind of thing in mind." Ulrik replied to Bolton. "A good design doesn't just solve an issue, but does it in a way that won't cost a king's ransom."

"Or consume the entire yearly crop of a very rare herb." Ashe added with a smile. "A fellow student once came up with a concoction that he claimed would serve as a cure-all, protecting against every disease and poison and keeping that protection intact for years. it was all theoretical stuff of course. He was probably right, but it was physically impossible to get all the ingredients he needed for even a single dose, let alone the millions he envisioned. That makes me curious though. Suppose we ignore with stuff like budgets and material availability and stuff like that. If you could create any one thing free from real-world constraints, what would it be?" The half-elf addressed the rest of the table with her question.
WindStruck
Shandara blinks incredulously at Ash's story.  "How could that student's idea be so impractical that he couldn't even produce  one  dose?"  She shook her head at how outlandish and farcical it must have been.

Though she seems to take Ash's next question more seriously, if not, cautiously.  "Hm. I don't know, Ash. When you say free from real-world constraints, that both could make the answer very vague, and also truly ridiculous. For example.. the power to do whatever you want, whenever you want, with just a thought, indefinitely? I imagine it may have something or another to do with harnessing the power of djinni, dragons, gods, and any other horrors too unspeakable to mention. But if we're totally free of real-world constraints, one might not even need to go through those avenues as justification?" 

After an awkward pause she adds,  "Or maybe I am misunderstanding something?" 
DeTess
"No, I mean like..." Ash takes a moment to think it through. "Let's say you had the full backing of the entire empire to make whatever you want. Whatever you need, you can get, but you're still constrained by what's actually possible to make and your own creativity, you know?"
WindStruck
 "Ah.."  Shandara expresses some comprehension, though quickly becomes lost in thought.

It was hard to say what she even wanted. Or if she should even say. Murky thoughts from her past and tentative self-reflection seemed to be coming up dry. What  did  she want?

Rubbing a temple, she begins,  "I.. I don't.." 

Then with a sigh she says,  "I suppose it's not one thing, but.. I've always liked the idea of having a shop, where I could experiment with and create some wonders people could buy and share. And a grand library, cataloguing it all..  and a school..  though, I admit there is still plenty more to learn, and there is already the Society for that..." 

One of her fingers was absentmindedly drawing out some irregular, amorphous shape on the table they sat at.
Prehysterical
Bolten admits awkwardly,  "Well... I'd be doing just what I was talking about earlier... except it would be a lot easier. The amount of clockwork parts this is going to take is going to be enormous... There's also some other magic involved that I'm not sure how to incorporate yet, so having mages to help me out would be grand... Like I said, this is something that I have been wanting to do for a while now. I have been saving the commissions from my projects, slowly building up enough money to make that dream a reality." 

He smiles at Shandara's confession.  "I think a library and shop would be a wonderful idea. Maybe with a little tea cafe in some dim lighting,"  Bolten suggests.
DeTess
"I'd probably combine every trick and design I've seen so far into a ship truly unrivalled in speed and endurance." Ulrik muses in response to Ash's question. "I've seen a couple designs for propelling ships without propulsion even, though those where generally not practical enough for use on a large ship, but I'd love to see a design like that put into practice."

"Those are all nice ideas." Ash nods. "Personally, I'd want to develop a potion that allows people to change how they look so that it's exactly how they want to be, permanently." The alchemist shrugs. "It might seem like a small thing compared to your dreams, but I think a lot of people would be a lot happier that way."
DeTess
The rest of the evening passed with pleasant conversation and good food. Ulrik's praise of his brother-in-law's restaurant had not been misplaced, and though the food was simpler than what was served in places like the Mushroom Garden, it was nonetheless very tasty.

All good things must eventually come to an end though, and eventually the food was done, the drinks had been drunk and the conversation slowly made way for silence. After sorting out he little matter of payment for the meal, which came out to an affordable 11 silver pieces per person, the time had come for the members of the victorious team Sprocket to go their own way. For now, at least.
Prehysterical
Patting his now burgeoning stomach, Bolten gives his compliments.  "Well, Ulrik, you've convinced me. That salmon was delicious... The butter and garlic was a nice touch. Those cheddar biscuits are dangerous."  He chuckles wryly before standing with a grunt.  "Well, it was very nice to meet you both. Many thanks for your contribution to the competition today. I'd like to think that none of us could have done it alone."  Bolten looks to Shandara and gives a slight bow.  "I don't know about you, but after a meal like that, I am ready for bed. Some serious excitement we had today! See you tomorrow, some time?" 
WindStruck
Shandara bids the others farewell. Perhaps they would meet again, or at least recognize each other in the future, though she did somewhat doubt she would randomly cross pass with Ulrik. Maybe next year, at the same competition!

She looks at Bolten,  "Well, even though my schedule was interrupted, I think I will make it through the night. You remember I don't sleep during the night, right?"  In any case, she had other plans that didn't involve sleeping.

---

She buys a nice small fish or a raw fillet from someone on her way home. She'd endeavor again to befriend this owl. She would attempt a slightly different tactic...

After preparing the meat and making sure there weren't any bones in it, Shandara kept it chilled, and only warmed it up once it was about time to try again.

This time, after playing the enchanted flute to try to attract the owl, she gently pets its head and then gets it to perch on a gloved hand while the music still held its effect. Soon the magic would have worn off. However, the position of it standing on her hand was the same, before and after...

While Shandara made no sudden movements or much of a sound at all, it may have understandably been a surprising position for the owl to find itself in. But still, in her other hand, was a small plate of warm fish. If it wanted to sample some of that meat, it would have to do it without an enchantment clouding its memories or judgement.
DeTess
As the effect of the flute wears off the owl becomes a bit more agitated, its talons digging deeper into Shandara's gloved hand. Then it spots the food. The bird seems conflicted for a moment, then it darts forward quickly to grab and gobble up one of the pieces of fish. The owl then tenses for a moment, seemingly preparing to quickly fly away. When nothing happens though, the bird calms down again, and carefully starts eating the rest of the offered meal.
WindStruck
When the owl is mostly done, Isaera smiles a little and says quietly,  "&lt;Elven&gt; I'm glad you like it. But I can't spoil you every night and deprive you of a hunt. We shall be good friends I think." 

Though the bird probably understood absolutely nothing of what she said.
DeTess
The bird cocked it's head at the sound of Shandara's voice, but it gave no indication that it understood the elf's words. Still, it was content to remain perched on Shandara's hand for a while longer before eventually leaving again. Shandara would find the owl perched within sight of her window the next morning, though the bird would be fast asleep at that time.
DeTess
The last day of the festival started quieter than the days before, the previous three days of the festival having worn down even the most fervent of partygoers. The inhabitants of Vaungate knew that it wasn't quite done yet though, with the largest fireworks show in the known world set to take place that evening. Until then, there where markets across town, and the imperial palace had opened its gates to petitioners from all walks of life.

The imperial palace was a truly grand building, every wall and even most ceilings richly decorated with paintings, sculptures and tapestries depicting a variety of topics from past victories to fantastic scenes. Clear sines indicated where petitioners should go to have their petitions heard, as well as where curious onlookers should go to observe proceedings. Security was tight, the stern figures of the imperial guard clad in silver armour trimmed with azure Cloth holding watch all along the hallways. Supporting them where members of various knightly orders as well as members of the rangers guild. Shandara would notice that both petitioners and prospective onlookers seemed to be stopped seemingly at random by this collection of guards, and though most where allowed to pass on soon enough, others where taken out of the main hallway and would only return after some time, presumably having been questioned in depth or searched or something like that.

"Halt, citizen." A knight wearing plate armor and with heraldry showing a wolf of sorts motioned for Shandara to stop. "What is your purpose here?" Suspicious eyes look down on Shandara from behind the helmet's face-plate.

"It's okay, Albert." A familiar voice speaks up from behind Shandara. "She is a respected member of the Artificery society. I highly doubt she has any plans to cause trouble here." Captain Eshanel of the Ranger's guild stands behind Shandara. She looks quite a bit better than the previous time Shandara saw the half-elf. Though quite a bit of scarring remains on her face, it has faded, as if belonging to a years-old wound.

"Ah, if you say so, Ranger-Captain." The knight looks Shandara over once more, than indicates that she's free to move on.
WindStruck
After being well-rested from the previous (and admittedly exciting) day, Shandara prepares to visit the Imperial Palace for the first time in her life. She already did have a very nice dress tailored to herself, perhaps for just such an occasion, and the jewelry to boot.

It was an elegant and beautiful affair of green chiffon, silk, and lace, which covered much of her small and skinny form, yet did leave her shoulders, her arms, and her back partially exposed.

 Did a quick search and this seemed pretty cool. 

To compliment the outfit, she wore some velvet green slippers with thin leather soles on the bottom, and which were bejeweled on the top. She also adorned herself with some of the best pieces of jewelry she had set aside, and none of it very spidery, including some anklets, bracelets, necklaces, an arm band, and a thin jeweled circlet which rested across her forehead. Her hair was braided somewhat like a crown in the front, until it the two braids met at the back of her head and let the rest fall down past her shoulders.

Overall, with the dress, jewelry, and her parasol, she might have looked like some noble trying to catch a carriage ride in the wrong part of town. But with her destination being the Imperial Palace, it made sense.

All the art in the palace was definitely something to pay attention to as well. In a way, it was sort of like taking a trip to a modern museum. It's not like Shandara went out much anyway, and she would likely not be back for a long time, so she wanted to get the most out of it. While she did not intensely study every piece of art like an archeologist, she did take her time to take in all the surroundings, strolling at a very leisurely pace and frequently stopping for a moment at each sight that interested her before moving on.

That is, up until she was actually stopped by someone else. Her purpose? Well, that was probably obvious, wasn't it? Shandara could have articulated the reasons for being here herself. And the simplest answer would be best: to observe the court. However, just as she was opening her mouth to speak, the Ranger-Captain Eshanel vouched for her.

Shandara turned around to nod at her, and smiled softly.  "Thank you, Captain. And I wish you luck when you embark upon your mission." 
DeTess
"Thank you." The ranger captain replied. "My squad and I will be leaving tomorrow, and hopefully good news about our expedition will be reaching the capital in about four months." With a final nod the half-elf turned around and started moving through the crowd again, here eyes scanning around for trouble.

Ahead of Shandara the stream of curious onlookers and petitioners started to split up, based on signs giving directions to various halls where the high nobility where holding court. Most of the onlookers, and a decent amount of the petitioners where moving straight ahead however, to the throne room where the emperor himself was holding court.
WindStruck
At this point, Shandara felt herself looking at the various artworks and luxurious tapestries a bit less, but she followed the signs that pointed to the way observers should follow. She simply had no business making a petition of any kind.
DeTess
Following the signs indicating where Observers should go, Shandara soon found herself in a long hallway, with a number of doors leading off to her right. Three lines had been set up in the hallway, and a well-dressed servant was guiding people where they should go. The man gave Shandara an appraising look, then pointed her down the middle line. Unlike the rightmost one, where plenty of people where waiting for space to clear in the room ahead, this line allowed her to pass right along without waiting, and enter the throne room through one of the doors in the hallway.

The palace's throne room was a massive room. On the far side on a dias raised several meters above the floor a large throne was set, surrounded by smaller chairs. The center of the room was occupied by waiting petitioners, while on both sides of the room three areas had been roped off for onlookers. The largest of these areas on both sides where filled with men an women in fairly rough clothes, common laborers, farmers and the like. Shandara however found herself into a smaller area which had been furnished with simple chairs. Based on the far fancier clothing worn by the people around here this was where rich merchants, highly skilled and well-of craftsmen and the like where allowed to watch the proceedings, The area to the left of her and closest to the dias holding the throne was occupied by grander seating and what appeared to be members of the nobility.

The focus of nearly everyone in the room was the dias holding the throne, of course. Seated on the throne was an old half-elf, Raimel Tarian, the emperor himself. The emperor's long hair was a pure white, and he had a neatly trimmed matching beard. He was wearing what appeared to be a highly embellished military uniform displaying all manner of honours and ribbons, and on his head was a surprisingly simple crown, a simple band of reddish metal. Surrounding him where a number of advisors, and seated on the smaller chairs on the Dias where members of his household and the highest members of the empire's nobility. Most noteworthy among them was a female half-elf, maybe 30 years of age with short cropped red hair. She was wearing by far the simplest outfit among those on the dias, a simple uniform not unlike what captain Eshanel had been wearing, yet her position, standing right next to the throne, as well as her general bearing suggested she was one of the most influential people present.

"...and so we humbly ask you to send help to our village, that we might be rid of the monster stalking our herds and our people." A small group of peasants was presenting their petition to the emperor at the moment.

"Have you not requested count Tyrlon for aid? Your village lies within his domain." One of the emperor's advisors questioned the peasants. "This should first and foremost be on him to resolve."

"Ah, we have done that." The leader of the group of petitioners replied. "And of course we mean all respect to the count and his soldiers, but so far they have not been proven up to the task of finding the monster, let alone slaying it."

It seemed like the advisor was going to say more, but a slight gesture by the emperor stopped him. It was the woman standing next to the throne that spoke, however. "A squad of rangers will visit your village before the winter solstice arrives. They will deal with the monster." She spoke as if she was stating a simple fact, rather than making a promise.

The peasants expressed their gratitude and bowed profusely, and they where quickly guided away by a group of stewards so that the next petitioner could state their case.
WindStruck
So this was the great throne room of the emperor, the seat of power itself. In all honesty, Maerimydra was almost nothing compared to Vaungate, and Vaungate was merely the capitol of one sprawling, united empire. The palace itself made any great house or temple Shandara had ever seen underground pale in comparison, and the very throne room was massive and rivaled any of the greatest halls from her former home as well. But then again, one could argue that above ground, there was certainly more room for building..

While many drow would likely covet or spurn all aspects of this civilization given the chance, Shandara's analytical mind could not ignore how prosperous and peaceful (if not, orderly?) this all was. It was a bit daunting to think that she was sitting here in the same room as the emperor himself, but in all honesty, being in the same place as a High Priestess of Lloth would have probably been more intimidating. This was at least, as much as she could intuit based off what she knew, but she did know one thing: she was lucky to be here.

---

The whole process and gathering was fascinating to Shandara. She had never seen the emperor before, nor any of his advisors, nor the nobles. At least, not as far as she could recall. And the young woman in the plain uniform...  Shandara racked her brain trying to think of who that was. Surely that must be the Emperor's granddaughter, Isalar Tarian? By appearance and mannerisms alone, Shandara would have never guessed this, but by the fact that she stood so close to Raimel Tarian himself, there was no mistaking it.

It seemed that, if anything, the granddaughter was getting practice doing the emperor's job, for the day when he would inevitably have to step down, fall ill, or worse. But in any case, Shandara had come to merely observe the proceedings, so she remained quiet and watched as new petitioners came and went. She was interested to see how various problems would be handled - or dismissed.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
yeah, just observing, but you don't have to write enough content for two whole seasons of Judge Judy.  😛

So feel free to summarize, timeskip, or whatever.
 
DeTess
Over the next three hours a host more petitioners appeared before the emperor. Some requests where simple, asking the emperor for his support for a journey of exploration or to help a community fallen on hardship. Others where more complicated requests to the emperor, asking him to render judgement on cases local authorities had been stumped by.

Matter relating to defense of the empire and protection of its people where handled by the red-haired woman, often with minimal input from the emperor or his advisors. other matters where seemingly discussed in detail on the Dias, but the emperor never presented the judgement himself, leaving that up to his cadre of advisors. In fact, but the time dusk was starting to fall on the crowd of petitioners started to slowly diminish, Shandara realized she'd never once heard the voice of the elderly emperor during the proceedings.
WindStruck
Shandara had stifled a yawn. Or rather, tried to and failed, and this wasn't the first time. Perhaps it was time to go. And yet.. it was so strange how she had never heard the emperor speak. Not once.

Still, she felt she would not get the answer to that curiosity simply by observing more of the petitions. Nor would it be appropriate to just interrupt the whole process. It may have been hard to get the timing right, or perhaps there simply was no such thing, but when it felt like a good moment, Shandara slowly stood and exited the way that she came, following the practices of others who had vacated before her (be it bowing, never turning your back, or something else).

Once out of the throne room and in the hallway where three entrances were before, Shandara took her time to look around. Perhaps there was someone else that might know what was going on? Maybe a noble or some other from the very high end leaving? Then again, it probably wasn't a good idea to ask such a person...

For a few minutes, Shandara lingers nearby, occupying her time by looking at some tapestries.
DeTess
As Shandara loitered around the hallway, observing the artwork, a pair of noblewomen entered the hallway from the door leading to the noble section. As they passed by her, Shandara's sensitive hearing allowed her to pick up part of their observation.

"...appeared sharp and alert, it seems those rumors where just overblown." One of the Noblewomen said to the her companion.

"I haven't heard him say a word though, so those discussions could have been just for show." The other noblewoman replied.

"Ah, I caught some of those conversations, actually." The first noblewoman to speak taps one of her earrings. "He's terribly hoarse, might have had an infection of the throat. In fact, I heard..." The pair had passed by Shandara and they, and their conversation, where fading in the distance.
WindStruck
Well, now seemed to be as good a time as any to leave. Perhaps listening in on whatever conversation these two women were having would be fruitful. And it was far more desirable than bothering someone and soliciting information from them.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Guess I'll just get going.  Maybe another perception roll to see if Shandara hears anything else.

 (1d20+6)[ 19 ] 

And at this time, it might be best to wait for Prehysterical.
 
Prehysterical
After turning in early due to the sumptuous seafood meal, Bolten had difficulty falling to sleep. There was a niggling feeling that he had missed something, but he resolved himself to find out in the morning.

He woke up fairly early (especially for him) and made his way to the Society's main library. Perhaps there he would find his answers to the riddle of the dragon.
DeTess
It takes Bolten quite a bit of time to dig up the right resource. 'Florian's Almanac of dragons' makes no mention of the odd dragons Ulrik described, nor does 'the monster hunter's handbook' or 'color coded for your convenience, a guide to dragons'. However, after a bit more digging, Bolten finally finds a reference in a travelogue called 'journeys beyond the eastern frontier'.

This book describes the authors travels far beyond the eastern frontier of the empire and her encounters with all manners of exotic cultures and creatures. Though many of the stories seem exaggerated, she also describes encounters with strange dragon-like creatures that match the description Ulrik had given. One of these types of dragons, which supposedly favor living in mountain ranges and whom the author describes as 'wise sages, eager to share their wisdom with those that treat them with proper reverence' have a breath much like that of the bronze dragons that once made their lairs within the empire's borders.
Prehysterical
So, there was some precedent for the story, but not much to go on as far as actionable information... Perhaps a diplomat or ambassador would be able to help him? The Empire did engage in diplomacy with other nations, after all, and perhaps someone outside of his usual circle would be of help.

Bolten begins hunting for an office or embassy where easterners might be found.
DeTess
Bolten's search through the embassy district proves somewhat fruitless. There was one particular building that stood out to him, its building style particularly unusual and the guards at the gate looking somewhat like the humans described in the travellogue, a bit shorter than most humans in the empire with oddly slanted eyes. These guards informed him that the embassy was closed due to the ongoing festivities, and that he would best return several days after the festival ended, as priority would first be given to their countrymen once the embassy reopened.

As the dwarf was about to leave though, a peculiar humanoid left the embassy, flanked by another pair of guards. The humanoid had dragonlike features, his skin covered in gold scales and his head shaped much like the dragons Bolten had read about, suggesting that he certainly was on the right way.

***
That evening the fireworks show was held to close off the festival. Though the view from Shandara's room wasn't perfect, she could still see quite a bit. Flare's went up into the sky and exploded in streaks of golden sparks suggesting wheat, while red and green explosions in the sky brought to mind images of many of the other fruits and festivals brought in during the harvest. Some of the fireworks that came afterward painted images of all kinds of animals in the sky, and the whole thing was closed off with a dragon created entirely from the sparks of exploding fireworks making a pass over the city.

The owl spend most of the show huddled on it's perch, but when offered a safer space inside Shandara's home, the bird gladly took the offer. Once the noise and violence had finally settled down the majestic bird took wing again, most likely heading off to look for a meal. The net morning though, Shandara would find a dead mouse on her window sill, presumably an offer of thanks form her feathered visitor.

***
The Drow's next day, or at least afternoon and evening, where spend in research. Tracking down a suitable ritual to bond with the owl as a familiar wasn't too difficult. There where a lot of variations available, but given the bond she'd already started building, a simple ritual based on druidic rites to confirm that bond would probably be the best option. The ritual suggested executing it on a night with a full moon, which would be in a week's time.

Her other topic of research wasn't quite going as well. There was plenty of research on souls themselves, but rarely on the impressions left by souls on other objects. The majority of the research she did find was split between two topics. The first was the undead, and recorded instances off corpses raised as unintelligent undead nonetheless showing some rudimentary signs of recognition of loved ones. As the original soul was not at all a factor in the creation of such undead there was quite a bit of speculation regarding the causes of these incidents, with conclusions ranging from 'confirmation bias, no recognition is actually happening' to 'the original soul left traces of strong emotions in the body, which the animating energy incorporated in itself, resulting in something more than a mindless puppet'.

The other topic that discussed the impressions left by souls where studies on weapons, specifically weapons that had been passed down from warrior to warrior for several generations. Such weapons where often noted to develop magical abilities without any sort of enchanting actually happening. Often the abilities the weapons developed would also match to some degree the purpose to which the weapon had been turned. General consensus seems to be that over time the warriors wielding these weapons would leave tiny pieces of themselves on the weapons, which would  eventually accumulate into a rudimentary kind of enchantment.

***
two days after the festival ends, Shandara and Bolten find themselves once again in the mushroom garden. They've been led to a smallish alcove in the back of the common room, where Dukkear is waiting for them. He is once again immaculately dressed, though the suit is different from the one he was wearing when they met the dwarf before. "Ah, Bolten, Shandara, it's good to see you again." Dukkear greats the two artificers with a friendly smile, though it does not reach his cold an calculating eyes. "Do you want to talk business first, or have dinner first?"
WindStruck
Shandara is dressed rather normally, as she was before..  though if the weather was cooling down more, she may be wearing some soft leather boots or shoes and a thicker midnight blue cloak instead of her silk one.

She ponders a moment at the Ironmonger's question and suggests,  "Well. We still don't know what exactly your proposition is, and I'd hate to spoil a good meal over.. disappointment. If it doesn't work out. But that said... if you have other places to be, perhaps discussing business first would be courteous to your time." 

She looked over at Bolten briefly as she began to sit down. But then, she deliberately and awkwardly looks around, such as under the table and around the seats.  "Oh. I um.. I hope no one else would intend to be spying on you, or us..." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
With the amount of sheer attention Shandara is placing on this, would probably count as search with even multiple attempts.  But here's just one perception roll for now.

 (1d20+6)[ 21 ] 
 
Prehysterical
For this meeting, Bolten has put on the dwarfiest attire that he can manage from his wardrobe. Mother always said that it was important to present himself well in the company of other dwarves. A fine leather vest rests atop a white buttoned shirt and above a pair of charcoal grey trousers. His beard holds small amounts of gold and jewels, a mixture of rubies, sapphires, and especially emeralds.

Bolten is admittedly a little apprehensive about this meeting himself, but tries to put on a good face. Dukkear wouldn't try to drop a mineshaft on another dwarf, would he...?

 "Mother always said that it was bad manners to talk business over dinner. Besides, Shandara's right. I would feel better if you told us what the job was first. That would save you some silver if we decide that we are not interested. I would not take advantage of the hospitality of a clansman, after all." 
DeTess
On her way to alcove occupied by Dukkear, Shandara had noted a couple of other dwarfs seated at the tables closest to Dukkear's table, all of whom looked like they'd lived hard lives. Though there was nothing directly tying them to Dukkear, they did give her the impression of bodyguards. It seemed Dukkear had taken some measures of his own to ensure no one would listen in.

"I'm not to worried about that." Dukkear replied in resposne to Shandara's question. "The people that had been listening in on my people during the festival have now all left the city. And don't worry about the dinner, either." Dukkear continued. "I asked you to come here, and even if we can't reach an agreement the least I can do is pay for the food. But if that is your preference, we can talk business first."

Dukkear took a moment to consider, then started explaining. "There's two things I'd be interested in. The first of these was an improvement on the bug send to spy on us. You suggested you had some ideas for that, did you not, Bolten? Ideally it'd be a design that is also fairly easy to replicate, so that our own craftsmen could create copies so that my people and I wouldn't have to worry about losing one once in a while."

"The second thing I would like a solution to is the issue of mobility. I used to rely on spells and elixers that gave me the ability to climb walls and ceilings with ease to get around the Underdark and go about my business. However, both solutions have proven to be less than reliable as of late. I suppose relying on means to magically gain the abilities of spiders was bound to prove a problem when fighting the followers of the Spider Queen." Dukkear shrugs, as if suggesting that Lolth herself was intervening to hinder him was not a big deal. "Ideally I'd have some kind of mechanical or reliable magical way to easily climb around, without otherwise limiting my abilities to move. Having the ability to anchor myself on rock surfaces while keeping my hands free would also be very welcome. Any other inventions or suggestions for gear that would easily allow me to traverse the underdark in a way most of its denizens would find hard to follow would also be much appreciated."

"So, what do you think? Any suggestions or ideas?"
WindStruck
Shandara raised an eyebrow at the first part of the job. She clearly remembered the odd debacle, Bolten casually talking directly into the spying bug. But was he really that loud?

 "I might not have any input on the mechanical aspects for the spying bug, but if it was invisible, or at the least, the box was, that would probably be an improvement. Then again, the ability to see invisibility would be common when expecting spies.. so perhaps a camouflage would be best." 
 "For your other problem, I think I recall hearing of some magic that would allow one to enter stone. However, it was much like hiding and you couldn't move. Perhaps something similar to that, but of a far lesser degree?" 
Prehysterical
The more that Bolten listens to Dukkear's growing list of problems, the more visibly excited he became. There was so much possibility here! Why, he could even repurpose the mental control circlet from the mechanical leg project for this purpose!

Thankfully, Shandara spoke up first and that gave Bolten a chance to calm himself somewhat. When she finished, Bolten added,  "Shandara does have a point about the camoflauge... My primary concern, however, was about the use of live beetles as a carrier for the device. If you're going to the trouble of constructing an elaborate device like that recorder, you might as well integrate it into a clockwork beetle chassis. It wouldn't need to eat, sleep, or drink and it would not be a prey item for the animals living underground. If the beetles are commonly used for such listening devices, it would stand to reason that magic sensors would be used to pick up their living essence. A clockwork construct would bypass such countermeasures. The best part is that the listening device could be implanted directly within the construct itself instead of having to be mounted atop a living thing, which would reduce its profile and perhaps make it a bit less conspicuous. Work might need to be done to quiet the noise of the clockwork mechanisms and camouflage the entire assembly, but it can't be  that  difficult. As for being easy to reproduce..."  Bolten shrugged.  "I make no promises. What  I  consider to be reasonable does not always align with other clocksmiths." 
 "As for the sneaking and climbing around... I will defer to Shandara's judgment about how to avoid being detected in the Underdark. The climbing problem is easily solved, however. I can make you a cloak of arachnida. It will give you the innate ability to climb like a spider without the aid of consumables. Furthermore, it would make it so that webbing cannot stick to you, magical or otherwise. Finally, it will make you more resistant to spider's venom if you are unlucky enough to be bit.

Now, I say all this because that would be the most straightforward solution. It would also be the most cost-effective."  Bolten clapped his gloved hands together and pressed the palms against each other, bringing them together to point directly at Dukkear.

 "But.

You say that you need a solution that still allows for the use of your hands. I think I have a few ways that we can do that..."  At this point, Bolten could no longer keep the excited grin off of his face.  "For starters, I recently completed a project for a set of clockwork legs that can be controlled either mechanically or with a circlet of mental control. I might be able to repurpose that design into a sort of climbing gear. Not the most stealthy way to go about things or the most flexible, but less development time for that idea.

What  I'm  thinking, however, is a special spider backpack. It would be a clockwork apparatus strapped to your back that has four extendable legs that could grasp onto the stone for you. That would leave both your arms  and  your legs free. You could even dangle from the ceiling or a wall if you so liked! Now, I would need to draw up some plans for it, but I might be able to repurpose my mental control circlet to operate with such a device. I would need to fiddle with the enchantment so that your mind would be able to accommodate eight limbs, like a real spider, but I enjoy the idea of it if nothing else."  Just the mere thought of it had Bolten almost jumping in place and clenching his fists as he beamed from ear to ear.  "Oh, this is so  exciting !" 
WindStruck
Well, Bolten seemed easily excitable. Shandara might have slightly smiled, were it not for the other dangerous dwarf with them. She adds,  "Unfortunately, I am rather inept when it comes to navigating or spotting would-be attackers in the Underdark. I have never been a ranger, a scout, a guard, or the like..."  She shakes her head.

 "About that cloak.. is not the fact that it has to do with spiders problematic? I.. really don't understand the extent of your problem, Dukkear. Could you explain what exactly has been going wrong with your old solutions? Is the magic being dispelled, or are the priestesses somehow interfering?" 
DeTess
"I do not know for certain myself why the magic failed." Dukkear replied. "What would happen is that the effect would just stop at generally the worst possible moment, as if the duration had just run out. I've ruled out a problem with the potions and wands, and at least two of these occurrences happened while I wasn't anywhere close to a spellcaster capable of dispelling the magic... as far as I know, anyway. My clan's clerics have also ruled out a curse or similar effect, and the issue does not extend to any of the other magical tricks I keep up my sleeve. I have to agree with Shandara though, a cloak that derives its magic from the same kind of spell that has been causing issues so far does not sound like a solution. Your proposed backpack is quite another thing though...."

Dukkear sifts through a small pack leaning against his chair. and fishes out a sheet of paper and stick of charcoal. "Could you make me a rough sketch of what you're imagining? As for your suggestion, Shandara, I have made use of the spell for entering stone in the past to hide, but the limits made it quite impossible to use it as a way to move around. Do you have an idea for modifying it into a climbing tool?"
WindStruck
It really did sound like Lloth was intervening somehow. Spiders was most certainly Her domain... if allowed to affect the world directly from afar, perhaps simply relinquishing the power of spiders, so close to her followers and within her territory was well within Her limits? Though to be fair, it was perhaps the first time she had heard of any kind of divine power like this, aside from clerics channeling power themselves. It was frightening to think. She shivered a little at the thought.

When asked about the type of solution she had in mind, she shrugs and says,  "I am thinking of an enchanted set of gloves and boots..." 

Above the table, she slightly raises and outstretches a delicate hand palm up and says,  "When your fingers and toes are relaxed, they would meld a few inches into the stone. When they are tensed,"  she curls up her fingers,  "They're locked in place and cannot be pulled out of the stone unless it is damaged." 
 "It could take some getting used to, but I imagine it would be pretty simple to operate. Just quite intensive on your concentration. Could easily fall if you weren't paying attention, or not be able to meld into the stone if something alarms you.. Hm. Well that would concern me. It might not be the most reliable, though from what I have heard.. if anyone would be able to flawlessly use such a device, it would be you." 

Looking between dwarf and dwarf, Shandara asks,  "Well what do you think? Perhaps there might be an alternative option to how that works?" 
Prehysterical
Bolten happily takes the offered paper and charcoal stick and begins drawing out the image in his head. Of course, being Bolten, the "rough sketch" is drawn with near-schematic level quality. He has to remind himself not to include gridlines or anything too in-depth, sticking instead to rough estimates. As he continues, however, Bolten stops and looks up thoughtfully.

 "Hmmm... Perhaps I am making this more complicated than it really needs to be. We  can  make the circlet so that you can control the legs personally, but perhaps it might be better to delegate that task to a machine. Rather than an equipment apparatus, perhaps it would be easier if I simply made it as an independent construct. We could use either a circlet or a control rod to control where the clockwork spider takes you. Instead of having to control all those limbs, you just have to worry about your own and you just tell the machine where you want to go. The best part would be that it could serve other functions when it's not carrying you around, like if you needed to haul something or use it as a distraction." 

With that thought in mind, Bolten flips the paper over and tweaks the design. Instead of a mere backpack with a housing mechanism for the cogs and legs, the image of a ruby-eyed clockwork spider begins to appear.  "We would design a special harness for you that would hitch to the spider's back, locking you on securely. Of course, it could also be disengaged in case of emergency."  Beside the spider, Bolten draws a simple-looking hitch harness design that would slot neatly into a hole on the machine's top.

As Shandara suggests her own solution, Bolten looks uncomfortable as a flaw presents itself.  "Shandara... If the boots are meant to meld into stone when the feet are relaxed, wouldn't that mean that even the floor would suck around the boots? I feel like Dukkear would be fighting every step like he was walking in mud. Or would that property be only upon activation of a command word or some such?" 

Bolten rubs his bearded chin as he thinks about alternatives.  "Perhaps a set of piton straps with a modified  stone to mud  spell? Maybe only the tips would be so enchanted and it would let the pitons sink in without compromising the rest of the rock underneath of his feet. Of course, we would have to make sure to enchant so that it would anchor sufficiently and not... have him fall off because it only sank in a few inches,"  he trails off.
WindStruck
Shandara looks at Bolten's sketch with interest. He was certainly going into a lot of detail. So much so that they would have likely ordered their dinner and it would be arriving any moment by time he was finished.  "Hrm. I have a feeling you should stay away from the spider themes. Just because of the.. aforementioned problems. Even if it is just a thematic resemblance in your machine design. Perhaps an ant, or a mantis, or a lizard? Or perhaps an octopus?"  she suggests.

When Bolten mentions the problem with simply  walking  she does look briefly crestfallen and says,  "Ah. Yes, of course...  I honestly don't know how that would feel, but maybe like sinking into mud would feel accurate. I suppose we would need a command word too,"  she sighs.

 "The minor melding idea seems a little problematic. I'd be willing to experiment, though maybe a different method is better. Something that just.. magically sticks to the surface of stone? I don't think it would be as strong though. Or, perhaps, it may be safer to rely more upon engineering..." 
DeTess
"Regarding controlling the climbing legs, I would prefer to have the option to manually control them." Dukkear was looking over Bolten's sketch with great interest. "It's not that I don't trust your ability to create something that can control them without my direct input, but I'd still like to be able to control them manually occasionally. Would it be possible to have both functions?"

"As for your stone melding idea..." The dwarf turns his attention to Shandara. "While the boots seem a bit impractical, just having the gloves to complement Bolten's design or even just an ordinary set of climbing spurs would make climbing a lot easier already. And if it was possible to expand their use to maybe allow me to dig small permanent holes through solid rock, that'd be even better. Even just being able to drill a small hole with my fingers to use to stash messages could prove very useful."
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "I suppose it might work best only with the gloves. I was just trying to accommodate your request to keep your hands free..." 
 "If you don't mind my asking, what sort of activities do you plan to be doing with such climbing gear? I assume it's mostly stealth, a little sniping, plus anything else conceivable should things go wrong?" 
DeTess
"That mostly covers it, yes." Dukkear replies to Shandara's question. "In my experience working in the underdark, a good set of climbing gear will get you into or out of any place you could care to name. Guards tend to watch the ground, and only the most savvy ever bother looking up. And sticking close to the walls or cave ceilings means you stand out a whole lot less than if you'd try to use magic to fly in."
WindStruck
Turning to Bolten, Shandara says,  "I think your sketch looks very promising. Perhaps, rather than independently working on my own item, I can use my expertise in enchantment to magically enhance your creation? I think that would be the best all around." 
Prehysterical
 "I mean, honestly, the exact aesthetics of the design don't exactly matter... but we can do something other than a spider, just in case. We can figure that out later. I'm just worried about the basic mechanics of the design."  When Dukkear makes his request, Bolten blows his lips as he considers it.  "Creating manual and mental controls alongside making the construct capable of independent action... The magic involved to allow all three of those to cooperate gets  very  complex. I'm not saying it's  impossible , but, well... You did say that being somewhat replaceable and easy to replicate was also a concern. Something like that is getting expensive fast, not it isn't already, mind you. Almost one-of-a-kind." 

Thankfully, Shandara's offer of help (and her compliment of his design) alleviates some of Bolten's worry.  "Shandara is a better wizard than I am, so her magics might be enough to make something like that work. I can handle the cogwork and forging while she gets the enchantments done properly."  Boltens nods slowly before smiling at Shandara.  "Yes, this could work. I'll need to do some testing with the ends of the legs to see which mechanical designs would be best suited for the task. The less magic involved in its basic functions, the better off we will be, it seems." 

Turning to back to Dukkear, Bolten tells him,  "I'm afraid that I can't give you a quote for the project until I sit down and do proper schematics for the sorts of materials and magic we'll need. The same is going to be true for the beetle spy drone, of course. We will probably need an upfront payment to help cover the cost of acquiring raw ore, gems, and consumables. That isn't going to be a problem for your employers, is it? " 
DeTess
"It depends on the exact amounts of money involved, but I doubt it will be a problem." Dukkear confirms. "Do you have any ideas for when you'll be more or less done? I'll be leaving the city soon on business, but I definitely want to be there for your design's trial run."
Prehysterical
Bolten looks a bit rueful to communicate bad news.  "Unfortunately, a project this complex is likely to take two or three weeks, possibly even longer if there any complications. I wouldn't want to hand you something that would blow up in your hands like an orcish dung-bomb, after all."  His gaze falls down to the sketch, already doing calculations in his head-

Wait.  Wait.  His eyes widen slowly as an idea occurs to him.  "A SCORPION!"  The dwarf looks between Shandara and Dukkear with possibly the loudest outburst Shandara has ever heard from her colleague.  "Scorpions and spiders are natural enemies! Not only that, but there practical applications to it, too!"  Tearing some of his own scrap paper, Bolten hurriedly scribbles out a modified version of the original design, though this time the eyes are green.  "It would possess grasping claws in the front to manipulate or carry objects and the tail could be used as either a crane to lift objects  or  fired as a grappling hook!"  Two tail stinger designs are born from the charcoal markings, one like a pulley hook from down at the docks and the other with retractable clutching claws from the main spike.

Feeling better with a more concrete idea in his head, Bolten looks down at the main sketches and hands the paper over to Dukkear.  "Here, you'd better take this or you will be standing here while I brainstorm all night... and I'm sure that the both of you would like to sit down and eat something."  He looks a bit sheepish as he recognizes his own overabundance of excitement.  "So, are we eating here at the Garden? Or did you have some other place in mind?" 
DeTess
"I'd been planning on having dinner here, yes." Dukkear confirms. "Before we get to that though, I do believe I'd promised Shandara some information." Dukkear retrieves a folded piece of paper from a pocket and hands it to the dark Elf. "I've found four different trustworthy groups that might be of use in resolving your security issue. The Mythril Wardens can ensure you've got a bodyguard around the clock. They've got a sterling reputation, and are entrusted with the security of quite a few high profile people within the city and beyond. They might be outside your price-range though. The midnight guard are a bit cheaper, but they only do protection in or close to Vaungate, so if you leave on an expedition they generally won't accompany you, but sometimes exceptions are made. Their members tend to be adventurers and rangers that have aged out of spending years on the road, but they're still skilled enough for security work and have more experience than most in this business. The last two options are Grayson Security and Valadiel Embassy services. Both companies provide security to merchants and dignitaries visiting the city. They won't take a full-time contract, but part of their work is knowing everything that's going on in the city. You could probably get a contract with either organization to send some protection your way whenever suspicious groups of Drow enter the city. Though Drow tend to be secretive, these two organizations really know the city and have lots of informers, and it's very difficult to get up to something without them knowing about it. In fact, Grayson helped me with my business here these past few weeks, so I can personally vouch for them, but Valadiel should be their equal. I've written all relevant details down for you, so you can study it in detail yourself."
WindStruck
Shandara is a bit silent during the exchange between Dukkear and Bolten. Her eyes are on the drawing of his, and if anyone cares, does at one point take up the schematics and obviously casts a spell. But eventually she sets the paper down and says,  "I think this would take three weeks, bare minimum. And that's assuming we wouldn't have to make any adjustments to the design, which.. well, in this type of field, nothing ever seems to go perfectly, so we are most likely looking at a month or longer." 
 "As for the price..  well, with such complex arms and grabbers like this, I am guessing at least three times however much those clockwork legs were, Bolten." 

She takes the paper from Dukkear and browses it at he spoke.  "My thanks. I'll be sure to look into these." 
DeTess
"Well, it would have been unreasonable to expect a result in a matter of days." There's just a hint of disappointment on Dukkear's face, but it disappears as quickly as it appears. The dwarf then gets another small piece of paper out of his pack and quickly scribbles down a name and adress. "My associate Junya Orlof of the Orlof merchant house will aid you by providing any materials you need. Once you've got a prototype ready she can also get into contact with me. I'll try to get back to Vaungate quickly so I can check your work myself, but if I'm really tied down by my responsibilities Junya should be able to judge the design in my stead, as well as handle payment."

***

It took a day or two for life to fully return to the city after the festival ended, with a large portion of the populace needing some time to recover from the hangover inherent to four days of parties and feasting. Eventually the city returns to normal again, and preparations are slowly beginning for the winter to come. The days are noticeable shortening, and there's a slight chill in the air during the morning, though it'll be quite a while yet before it gets properly cold.

With the harvest festival over, the notice board on the society campus is noticeably emptier, as a lot of minor requests related to the festival have been cleared away. In a month or so a new wave of minor requests is likely to arrive as the midwinter festival approaches, but for now the requests and commissions up on the board are mostly of an altogether more practical nature.


 
 Spoiler: Announcements 


  The Stormdrains Situation 
The plague in the Stormdrains district has been brought under control. Nevertheless, we advice all students to keep an eye on their health if they have cause to visit this part of town. Until we've had a month or two without new cases the disease might still flare up. If you show the symptoms of the plague, report to the campus hospital immediately. For those needing a reminder, the symptoms are: Coughing, Diarrhea, Headaches and Spells of dizziness or a feeling of tiredness. 
 

 
 Spoiler: Commissions 


  Streidekker and Sons, Shipwrights, is looking for innovations! 
The Streidekker shipyards is looking for new innovations in the field of ship-design!
Both full ship designs and smaller inventions are desired. Both civilian and military applications are welcomed.
Designs need to be accompanied by a prototype or  convincing  proof of concept. For further details, visit our office in the Harbor district and ask for Manfred Streidekker. 


  Looking for consulting engineer for a sensitive project 
I am looking to acquire the services of a skilled engineer to help resolve a thorny issue. Discreteness required!

Leave your resume at the Gatewatch inn for mr. Greylance, together with your contact details. We'll contact you if we decide we need your services. 


  archeo-arcane researcher sought 
During a recent dig outside the city, we've encountered an odd-looking but clearly magical obelisk with strange runic writing on it. Work has stalled untill we know exactly what we're dealing with. We're looking for someone with knowledge in the fields of history and the arcane arts who can identify this object and help us determine what to do with it. Those interested can apply at the Escribano workshop. 


  looking for heating solution 
Melas architectural firm is looking for innovative new heating solutions, to be implemented in the upcoming renovation of the north wing of the imperial palace. Those with ideas can come to the Melas offices and ask for Atiel Melas. 


  Permanent pest-control solution 
The Eastwharf Granary is looking for a solution to permanently deal with all manners of pests, most notably rats and mice. This solution needs to be poison-free and should be able to ward our buildings from these pests for years to come. Our standard rat-repelling enchantments have started to fail, and we need a replacement in short order. 
 
MrAbdiel
The lazy morning sun spilled out over the walkways, the loose morning traffic with it; and Aiden moved slowly along with them.  It might have seemed that this was for the benefit of old Ambrose, the geriatric old grey warhorse that plodded alongside him on a lead line.  But the truth is that Aiden’s habitual pace was a slow amble; slow enough to make eye contact with and smile to as many folks as possible.  Slow enough to enjoy the mild breeze, and the scarce, scrubby clouds.  Slow enough to make obvious his radiating contentment.

One might be forgiven to suspect his pace was due to directionlessness; but those steps led slowly but unerringly to the commission boards, where he and the handful of other early birds perused the present options.  Much as he enjoyed just being here, his stay was contingent on occasionally proving his worth.

Many of the jobs required so much technical skill that his practical skills were a secondary consultation matter; not really his jobs to take.  But the last on offer, the Eastwharf Granary and their rodent problem - well, that had interesting prospects.  He took down the details, and made a note to visit the premises later today.  Now, though… well.  Now he had a moment of time between that errand, and the next.

He took his fiddle case from Ambrose’s burden, and sat on a ledge near enough to the boards that he could watch the comings and goings of the people, and they could hear his fiddle; and he began to play a languid, uplifting tune; the kind that summons images of hearty, rose cheeked farmers working in song-bound harmony.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Interested in making a better mousetrap.  It’ll require a trip to the granary first.  But for now, Aiden will gleefully provide a soundtrack to the morning traffic on the campus for no reason other than the internal reward.
 
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "Excellent. If she can supply materials for the project, that would be most helpful. As for your testing it.. well, I would not think there is an urgency to getting you here as soon as possible. However, I would think you would be more eager to try it out than ourselves."  A faint smile crosses her lips.

 "Uhm.. I have just one concern..."   Shandara pauses a while, but she figures she needs to say it now.  "Your line of work is quite dangerous and.. while the stories I've heard are quite unbelievable, I can't help but wonder..  what if we go through all the trouble of making this, and then you have been killed in action? Is.. there a contingency for that? Perhaps someone else in the Ironmonger Clan who may make use of it in your stead?" 
DeTess
 royal artificer society campus - central plaza 
Though a lot of the people hurrying across the campus' central plaza appeared to be moving with a clear purpose in mind, once Aiden started his performance, the pressing concerns weighing down the artificers seemed to disappear and many of them took at least a couple minutes out of their busy days to listen to the artist's performance. Though few people seemed to have the time to stay long, there was still a small crowd nearby all throughout the morning while the bard played. And though he likely had not left his fiddle case open as a means of receiving donations, once Aiden was done playing he still found it to have acquired a couple handfuls of copper and silver coins, tokens of his audience's appreciation.

 the Eastwharf Granary 
Later that day, Aiden found himself in the harbor district, in front of the open gate leading into the grounds occupied by the Eastwharf Granary. The granary was arranged around a small square currently being used for staging goods that where being moved into or out of the large warehouse situated at the opposite site of the square from the gate. To Aiden's right was a small two-story house, likely occupied by the granary's overseer. Ton the left side of the square was the granary's namesake wharf, as well as four large grain silo's and a timber crane, which was currently in operation moving loads of grain from a river barge to the silo's.

The granary was a hive of activity, with workers moving goods from the river barge into the warehouse, and from the warehouse to a number of waiting carts. No one seemed to be paying much attention to Aiden, but there was a sign set up near the gate informing members of the artificery society to report to the house and ask for 'Overseer Evans'.

 The Mushroom Garden 
"I'm touched by your concern for my well being, but rest assured that I have no intention of dying anytime soon." Dukkear replies to Shandara with another of his friendly seeming smiles that has no reflection in his eyes. "However, in the extremely unlikely case that something does happen to me, I have several compatriots and apprentices that would be likewise interested in your creation, so there is no risk of your work being left unused."
WindStruck
 The Mushroom Garden 
 "Of course. Not many people have any intentions of dying.. but unfortunately, death does tend to come indiscriminately."  She returns a similar smile, polite with a hint of sadness to it, but no joy.

 "Well then. What do you two say to getting on with this dinner properly?" 
Prehysterical
 The Mushroom Garden 

Bolten's enthusiasm flags a little as Shandara brings up the potential death that always follows after secret operatives like a shadow, but Dukkear's confidence is infectious. He claps his hands lightly and rubs his palms together.  "Sounds good to me! Let's stay away from the spicy food this time, eh?" 
MrAbdiel
Aiden walks alone, now; no sense in wearing poor Ambrose's knees so much more out with a second outing today.  His perpetually delighted demeanor keeps him a little distant from most folk at most times, but here he is especially out of place; wandering the docks with his button up, rough spun shirt, and broad brimmed hat, and a dozen small ephemeral details that mark him as a an of the inlands, and not one of the sea.  He looks with amused puzzlement at the silo rising up from the docks before him.  It seemed strange to him that there should be a granary here at all, rather than near the growing of grain.  Yet a grand empire had grain to ship in bulk, and naturally it ought to be somewhere safe from the touch of rot, or scavengers.  He'd read they used wards to keep out the pests before - presumably, they used more successful wards to keep out the moisture even now.  But why were the wards failing?  And how much of this dock space was in the granary's orbit, that needed such protection?  These were the vacancies in his vision that needed filling before he could conceive of the solution, and go then to the reward of toiling to make it real.

With a profusion of nods, hat-tips and how-do-you-do's slowing his stride, he makes his way to the appointed house, and raps his knuckles on it with needless musicality -  tap-tap-tatap-tap; tap-tap.    "Ho there, dweller; an agent of the artificery society knocks, for Overseer Evans.  Will you open?" 
DeTess
 the Eastwharf Granary 
"That'd be me." The door in front of Aiden opens to reveal an old human man. The man is bald, with a bushy white beard. Despite his age he still stands straight, and it's clear from his build that he once was a truly strong individual, though age seems to have robbed him of most of his strength. His voice is still strong and deep though. "You're here to help with the rat problem?" He asks, and without waiting for an answer he steps outside and starts heading towards the warehouse and silos, motioning for the bard to follow him.

"We've been relying on magical wards to keep the pests out for the past decade." The overseer explains as he moves towards the storage depot. He uses a cane to occasionally steady himself, but doesn't seem to have to rely on it overmuch. "Before that, we used cats, poison and traps, though the local rats eventually managed to get past all of those. a nasty bunch they are, and it seems now they've even figured out a way past the magical wards. The enchanters that placed them assured me that they're still fully functional, but my workers have found traces of the pests in the warehouse, and its likely only a matter of time before they figure out how to get into the silos." Overseer Evans stops in front of the large open doors leading into the warehouse. Inside rows upon rows of crates and barrels are stacked up, holding all manner of foodstuffs.

"You're free to look around and get your bearings on the place. However, a word of warning. These rats are fiendishly intelligent and tough bastards besides. Back when they first became a problem, we used cats, but then they started ambushing our feline hunters and killing them off one by one. So we set out poison, which worked for a bit but started to find it's way into the goods and even the meals enjoyed by my workers. So we set out traps, which worked for a couple weeks. And then didn't do anything anymore. The magic has kept them at bay for a long while now, but it seems they've finally figured out a way past those as well. So whatever you come up with, it'll have to stand up against some of the most cunning beings within the harbor, if not the entire city."
MrAbdiel
He smiles with friendly puzzlement, and the anticipation of the challenge.  These rats were incredible!  The smartest rats in the world, and he'd have the honor of designing a countermeasure for them.  That is.. if they were just rats, after all.

 "Much appreciated, friend. I'll have a wander around.  If you don't mind, I might even camp out overnight - or have a sub-contracter do so, just to get some information on your vermin here.  No fee for that, of course, and I'll have them check in with you before hand so they're not snooping about giving your night watchmen conniptions.  But what you're describing, well... It's not the behaviour of natural vermin.  And if there's some animus beyond just a rat-pack operating here - say, a wererat, or a filth-druid, or something weirder still - then you could be paying artificers and exterminators from now till the stars fall and never get to the root of it.  I'll see what I can do you get a better view of the problem, then come back to you with an idea.  A fine day to you, Overseer Evans - we'll get to the bottom of this!"   He makes this pledge holding his hat by its crown, gesturing sincerely with it before placing it back on his head, and going about his patrol of the area.  He counts his paces as he walks the perimeter, sketches a scrubby little map of the complex on a scrap of paper, takes note of the tallest building (the silo, presumably) and its height, and keeps his eyes open for any obvious examples of these miracle vermin bold enough to operate in daylight.
DeTess
 the Mushroom Garden 
Dinner at the subterranean styled restaurant was once again quite good, and this time it was not interrupted by any espionage related antics. Night had fallen by the time the dinner and business meeting had concluded, but the moon had only just risen, and there was still plenty of time for the nocturnally inclined to get a lot of work done.
WindStruck
It was another meeting, and an extended dinner at that, with the legendary Dukkear Ironmonger, and Shandara had found herself not mysteriously dead yet. But then again, if the dwarf really did want something useful out of her, and even went so far as to provide a list of four security agencies, that level of paranoia was utterly foolish.

In any case, Bolten seemed so excited about this project that Shandara figured that she would walk with him and "oversee" the designs. She wasn't completely inept when it came to engineering (though perhaps less knowledgeable with clockworks) and perhaps she could provide some input. But more importantly, would magic need to be involved with either, she could immediately offer some solutions which were likely impossible or impractical for pure engineering.

 "So what do you think we should call our little creations? You seem to also like coming up with names,"  she said, remembering Team Sprocket.  "The Clockwork Spybug and the Scorpion Wallmaster?" 
DeTess
 the Eastwharf Granary 
Aiden's investigation of the granary bears some fruit, and by the end of his investigation he has an accurate diagram of the granary. Of the rats, however, the bard saw no sign. One particularly helpful worker pointed out some traces in the warehouse, some droppings in one corner, tell-tale damage to the corner of a crate and similar features, but she admitted that she hadn't actually seen any of the rodents herself yet, just their tracks.
Prehysterical
Dinner at the Mushroom Garden was becoming a bad habit for Bolten. Of all the things that the quiet dwarf had expected out of his life, sharing a table with an Ironmonger operative did not number among them. There were many things that Dukkear could not disclose during their talk. If only a quarter of the stories that he did share were true, then this was a dwarf who demanded respect from his enemies.

Eventually, the dinner party was ended and Shandara followed Bolten home. It was nice to see that she was also interested in getting started as soon as possible. Bolten considered Shandara's question with more seriousness than perhaps it deserved.  "Hmm... I will need to workshop a name for the spy drone... but not 'Wallmaster' for the backpack. I'm thinking maybe something like 'clockwork skulker' or 'clockwork cave crawler'. 'Spybug' is good enough for now, but I may think of something else later on." 
  Later, at Bolten's House...  
Bolten should have been a lot more nervous. This was the first time that another person had stepped foot into his home. It had been a sanctuary for him, a quiet island in the roaring ocean that was the capital city. If anyone was welcome there, though, it was Shandara.

The house was a standard two-story affair, plain but solid. There was no real attempt at decoration or gardening, only a flat stone path to the front door. Thankfully, Bolten had had the foresight to design the door to a slightly higher height to accommodate people like humans and elves. The lower floor was split in two by a staircase running up to the second level. On one side, a stone and metal forge room sat cold and still. On the other side, a riotous collection of cogs, gears, and springs were cluttered in boxes atop desks and on shelves. Both workshops were spotless, true to Bolten's meticulous nature.

Their entry upstairs revealed a cozy yet spartan living space. While everything was well cared for and functional, little effort was made to bring color or shapes to the walls and furniture. Bolten directed Shandara to a small sitting room, which luckily had two chairs for its one occupant, while he put some tea on in a kettle. Maybe hibiscus would be a nice change of pace.

After gathering up some tools from the workshop, Bolten walked back upstairs with arms full of papers, measuring sticks, and charcoal pens. He set the whole heap down on the small coffee table in the sitting room and sat himself down in the other chair. The dwarf opened his mouth to speak, but clamped it shut and scurried back to his bedroom before returning with his schematic spellbook. He refreshed himself with his personal mantra of creation before closing the book and setting it aside.  "All right, shall we get started?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I am going to assume that it will be two different rolls for the two different projects. Bolten will cast  Crafter's Fortune  before each roll. I'm also assuming that these are classifed as constructs and not as wondrous items. Not sure if Shandara would Aid Another on this roll or if she would need to roll Spellcraft or Knowledge (Arcana) or whatever. I'll leave that up to Windstruck.

Spybug Craft (Clockwork):  (1d20+26)[ 46 ] 
Scorpion Craft (Clockwork):  (1d20+26)[ 32 ] 

Worth noting that because of Bolten's Favored Class Bonus, he would make an extra 400 gp worth of progress every single day he worked on these, so I'm sure that will affect the project timeline. I also took Arcane Builder (Construct), so that will cut back on the time by a further 25%.
 
MrAbdiel
On day one of his search for a rat-catching accomplice, Aiden follows his typical routine.  In the morning, he (with Ambrose in tow) goes to the intersection of paths where the assembled artisans busy in and out, looking for their commissions from the various boards and conferring with each other.  This day, he brings his guitar; strumming and humming out soul-warming folk tunes from the rural fringes of the Empire.  Once more, he accrues a non-trivial smattering of coinage; and as he packs away his guitar into its case, he regards the gains with curiosity.  He's grateful for the generosity of his colleagues, but something about being given money for something he doesn't even regard as  work  strikes a note of discord in him.  He pours the coins from his upturned hat into an empty pouch, and keeps them sequestered from his "real" money, until he can find a better purpose for them.  After that, he does a little walking around the city to distribute his notices to the scattered job boards.  He covers a good amount of ground, but his wandering takes him mostly through the sophisticated districts closer to the Society campus; and these, alas, are not teeming with rangers.  As the sun begins to dip towards the horizon, he drops Ambrose off at his stable and sets about an evening of work.  He has written nothing down, yet; much of his creativity comes from spontaneity, and the habit of rendering his designs into schematics or even projected instructions is not yet ingrained.  He  knows , unless the rats turn out to be something other than rats indeed, he will need the flutes.  And flutes he could make, indeed!

He buys three lengths of darkwood, sniffing the timber to make sure it's not  Knave's Oak  - a lesser wood with a strong visual resemblance to darkwood and similar lightness, but none of the native oils that make it impervious to rot and thus suitable for the task.  He discards a few samples that have marks of borer beetles - no problem for larger projects where the cavities can be filled, but a nightmare for a woodwind instrument where accessing the interior hollow was impossible.  Then it's a simple enough matter - the campus workshop features a fine lathe made to spin by a hardworking donkey, walking a neat circle in a hardness that rotates a shaft that spins a gear.  A number of modular tools can be interlocked with these gears with a simple clutch system.  It's a simple technical marvel, and one that Aiden appreciates, since the pedal powered lathes with which he is most familiar cannot be operated without pedalling, necessarily shaking the pedaller a little and, without an apprentice, compromising the perfect steadiness of the chisel.  But the donkey - Aiden decides is  Sonya  after no one he can find knows its true name - is as fine an apprentice as he could ask for, and his whole person is free to be given to the precision of turning the a squared length of darkwood into a cylindrical one.  Traditionally, flutes are made but cutting a squared length into two half-width blanks and milling a matching channel in each - then gluing the blanks together so the milled depressions become the cylindrical hollow, and milling the reconstituted length into its final shape.  Aiden never did this.  The glue line was a weakness in the instrument, and - in his opinion - it compromised the sound of the flute in some minor degree that only sufficiently discerning ears would notice.  He opts for the harder road - turning the length on the lathe with his beloved and polished chisel set, then carefully constructing a jig to stabilize the upright flute and slowly, slowly, drilling it out with a gear powered drillpress hooked to Sonya-power.  This is a patience driven process.  Drilling on the upright means a hasty effort could easily off-centre the force and split the wood.  Failing to stop ever inch or so to clean out the accruing dust in the hollow risked a similar outcome.  Aiden's solution was to drill down a little, remove the flute from its jig and drill the a carefully spaced fingerhole, and then simply to blow the dust and curled shavings out of the partly-formed instrument.  This process, repeated a patient sixteen times, leaves him with a very fine instrument indeed.  As the night draws late, he has an excellent, saleable product in his hand - its cavities and dimensions perfect to task.  But this flute isn't destined for sale.  Darkwood has been chosen because of its wonderful lightness, which will permit it to turn more swiftly to face the wind in its final device; and if it is to serve its purpose in that mounting, it must be  more than saleable .  He spends the next two hours with his finest set of carving tools, working a design into the exterior of the flute - six small panels depicting songbirds taking flight, weaving between the fingerholes of the instrument.  The birds and the frames of the panels are picked out with gold leaf, contrasted pleasingly against the darkness of the wood.  The gold, and the particular arrangement of the birds, are cosmetically fine; but their sequence, their angles, and the order in which they were carved contain the subtle foundation for the enchantment to come later.  That, however, would have to wait.  Sonya was exhausted, and Aiden, the last man standing in the workshop late that night, closes it up, sweeps up the shavings and dust from his labor, and turns in for the night.

Day two is much like day one; a morning spent on the guitar garnering coins by accident, travelling into a noon of distributing his advertisements for his ranger ally - today, further than yesterday.  It's on this occassion that he wanders through the Stormdrains district, taking thoughtful note of both the number of condemned buildings, and the generally poor quality of life for those who live here.   The plague did this , he thought;  the plague and all the things plague brings, like desperation and sorrow.   He carries this thought in the back of his mind that night, even as he crafts a second flute like the first.

By the morning, the thought has manifested its final conclusion, and he bounces out of bed with extra enthusiasm to the chagrin of the others in the dorm, each of whom is considerably  less  of a morning person.  This time, he takes his fiddle, sets up the open case deliberately to receive the generous contributions of the passers by in the campus, and adds to that display a small A-frame sign that took eight minutes to whip up in the workshop before he arrived.  In the somewhat uneven brushstrokes of a man for whom writing, let alone calligraphy, is a rarely expressed artform, it reads:

 "All donations to go towards the Stormdrains District Recovery Project." 

It's not cheerful folk music this time, or a drover's rest jaunt.  The suite is  El'taradanthe nor Diadanthe , or  Daylight before Sunlight ; the score to an elven opera based on the apocryphal but beloved epic of the same name, about the grand majestic play of the elven gods culminating in the manufacture of the sun.  He seems an inappropriate figure to play such a sophisticated, and classically beautiful tune - very much in the  violin  domain of the  fiddle/violin  dichotomy of music.  His hair is scruffy, if not messy; his clothes are simply patterned, if not unremarkably plain.  But Elysium seems to endorse the effort - today's performance, and every performance hence, comes with a sublime accompaniment that seems to echo  out  of the notes he plays; as if the sound of his violin, as it takes flight to the ear, unfolds in the intervening air into a quartet in which the scruffy carpenter is but one part, and the unseen strings of some complicit Azatas fill out the supernal sound.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Takin' 10s! 
Making three flutes as per the OOC thread over three days.  Plus, while I'm at it, I realized I took  Songbird  so I can have divine music accompany my performance checks for a +3, and my fiddle is masterwork for another +2.  With that, I can reliably take 10 for a 30 - an "Extraordinary Performance".  Aiden will keep whatever he makes from these to buy capital to donate to projects in the Stormdrains.
 
DeTess
Whether it's the truly extraordinary performance, the indication of the good purpose to which the money will be put, or a combination of both, the amount of coin Aiden brings in increases significantly. Where once it was merely is coppers and some silver, now the majority of the coinage is silver and gold. After his performance he is also approached by a woman named Carmen, who introduces herself as a senior engineer with the Escribano workshop, and one of the people currently involved with the sewer project in the Stormdrains district. Though the placing of the sewers was all being sponsored by the nobility, she tells Aiden that she has come in contact with a number of local projects in the plague-hit district and that, if he was interested, she could introduce him to some people who would be able to put a significant donation to excellent use.

On the morning of the fourth day Since Aiden accepted the rat-catching commission, after finishing his usual musical routine, he is approached by a youngish girl, maybe sixteen years old. She wears simple woolen clothing and a leather tunic, and her short hair is a dirty blonde that appears in dire need of a wash. "Hey mister, are you Aiden Sor... Sor..." She scrunches up her face as she tried to read out a word from a small scrap of paper in her hand, then gives up and holds it up for Aiden to read. It is the last line of one of the notices Aiden had posted around town, telling anyone interested who he was and how to find him. "The guy that posted all these notices around town?"
MrAbdiel
Aiden is delighted to meet Carmen.  Not for any particular reason - he just enjoys meeting people.  But he gives her hand an enthusiastic shake between both of his, and expresses delight at the opportunity to learn about these causes.  He's unsure what donation counts as  significant  - it is hard for him to conceive that playing a fiddle might have a real transactable value at all, let alone one that might put rooves over heads or water in a reservoir.  But he's absolutely happy to meet Carmen's contacts at any time that doesn't conflict with his primary duties as an artisan. He talks her ear off for a while about the pest-control contract he's presently working on before she has time to escape the benevolent but overbearing torrent of his friendliness.  Though it's only a day more before he finds his next victim.

 "Aiden Sorveaux, that's right."   He thrusts out a hand, and offers his guileless smile.   "And you look like a young lady who's ready to earn a little coin.  What's your name, miss?  And while we're at it, what's your game, and how long've you been playing it?" 
DeTess
The girl looks warily at Aiden's offered hand, then gives it a very quick shake.  "I'm Misha, novice of the Circle of the Mouse. or is that in the Circle... or with?" Misha takes a moment to think it over, then shakes her head. "Ah, sod it, not that it matters much. I heard you need the help of someone that knows the local critters because there's a bunch of em that's behaving oddly? That's what I could make from your notice anyway. Word of advice, if you need someone that knows the local critters and do it quietly, try to use slightly less fancy words? You won't find any nobs with the skills for that."
WindStruck
 Bolten's Home 

It was the first time Shandara had visited Bolten's home, and while she might not have realized it at first, he was probably experiencing the same levels of discomfort that she had, when he had come to her own dwelling.

While she does look around a bit, she's very much of the mindset "look but don't touch", and she's brought to a little sitting room upstairs where they discuss the project over some tea in the late evening.

It's a while that she waits silently as Bolten painstakingly scrawls his schematics onto paper with various straight edges, a compass, and other measuring devices. Once actual design problems arise, she offers a number of suggestions, such as tiny silence spells she can add, or perhaps even an alternative way to power the cavecrawler. Maybe that the ooze submission from a couple days ago got her thinking that they could be useful for something...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'll defer most of the actual conversation to be imagined, as we do talk a lot about design OOCly.
 

 "I don't think we need adamantine for the bug at all,"  she says, another suggestion put forward.  "Not even for your recording disk. It is quite an intriguing idea, by the way. But I don't see why its material must be comprised of something so hard that requires adamantine. There are a number of materials that are much softer that can be etched upon with steel." 
MrAbdiel
He laughs good naturedly at Misha’s advice.   “You know what?  I think you might be right.  So I’m going to be even more grateful you took the time anyway!  Now, about these critters…” 

Aiden takes Misha on a stroll with Ambrose in tow, explaining the rat situation, colourfully gesticulating as he does.  The troublesome rats.  The failing wards.  Particularly, the extraordinary problem solving skills that bleed over into startling malice, trying to poison the workers and assassinating cats.  He gets around to his idea, too.

 “I figure, it might be better than poison or a killing trap, anyway.  Owl’s got to eat as much as rats do.  That’s just the tapestry of nature, I suppose.  Of course, I don’t need to tell you that.”   He smiled again, and tipped his hat in additional recognition of her fledgling druid.  “And I’m open to suggestions if you have them.  But honestly, when they gave me the details, my first thought was that this wasn’t a rat problem - there’s more to this, and only the rats know what it is.  That’s where you come in.  What do you think?” 
DeTess
"Hmmm, the harbor eh?" Misha nods to herself. "Lots of foreign rats come in from the ships there, maybe one of those is to blame. Wards at the Eastwharf Granary are pretty good though, supposed to scare off any rodents that come in the vicinity and send them scurrying as if all of hell's cats are on its tail." She shudders, as if reliving a bad memory. "Wards are pretty indiscriminate too, don't care if you're actually a rat or mouse, or merely changed to look like one." She takes another moment to think it over. " Sure, I can take a sniff around, see what's going on there exactly. It's going to cost you though, I need to eat as well, you know? Three... no, five gold pieces and I'll get it done."
MrAbdiel
He laughs at her on the fly wheeling and dealing.  He's definitely laughing  at  her; but it's larger, and more good natured than that.  He's laughing at the funny nature of mortals, for whom the difference between three and five gold is both so small it's might be backed over and redacted midsentence with the expectation the listener wouldn't mind the upsell; and also so much that it's worth the effort and breath to make that clunky adjustment.  He laughs at her, but not derisively; and as always, his fundamentally good nature shines through making it hard to interpret the humor as derisive.

 "Tell you what - I'll give you two gold a night for three nights in a row.  That's six gold for light work, with no obligation for you to put your neck out.  If there happens to be a bigger nasty after all - something that could actually do you harm - you book on out of there and we'll work out a bigger solution, okay?  Six gold for three nights, reporting back to me each morning on account of the fact that it's easier than writing a report.  And if the information you bring me leads to the long-term solution of this problem, I'll throw in a bonus."   He gestures at the leather tunic.   "I'll make you some leather armor that'll make the other young druids jealous.  Or a fine staff, or wooden weapon if you prefer it.  Your choice.  But we solve the problem first.  Are you with me?" 
DeTess
"It's a deal!" Misha agrees without a second thought to what she no doubt sees as a pretty generous offer. "Well, then, I'd better get started." She starts to scurry off, then seemingly suddenly remembers something. "Oh, right, since we're working on this together now and all, a bit of advice on your trap. It should work fine and all if it's a couple of special rats, but if you're dealing with a full nest, then you should know there are far, far fewer owls and other hunting birds in the city than rats. Might still deter them and get them to try somewhere easier, maybe, but it's something to keep in mind."
MrAbdiel
“Hey, that’s good advice!”  He offers in thanks and waves as she takes off.  This is something he considered, certainly.  If the trap can convince a family or two of owls to move into the area, they can deactivate the owl-flute and let nature do the lifting.  But Misha was right - maybe he ought to consider additional predators.  Hawks, in the daytime?  Worth considering, for sure.  First things first, though; and the first thing was finding out what made rats and mice into such adaptable foes.

He fed Ambrose a carrot, and smiled up at the sky.

 It’s been a good day already. 
DeTess
Aiden found Misha waiting for him after he finished playing music the next morning. She looked much like she had the previous morning, though a bit more tired. "Do you play here every morning, mister?" She asked. "That'd make you a lot easier to find so I can tell you what I've figured out. Speaking of which..." She interrupts herself to let out a yawn, then continues on. "I've taken a look around the granary last night, and they definitely have a bit of a rat problem. Some bigger ones, some smaller ones, but I only saw 5 or 6 six of them. Rats looked mostly normal, but some of them had a bit of magic on them. Probably something that protects them from the granary's wards. The rats where acting normal apart from that though. I tried to talk to one of the magicked ones, but he wanted nothing to do with me. That does tell me that there isn't some crazy person in the sewers casting spells on the rats though, he would have been a bit friendlier if a 'two-legs' was helping him out." She takes a moment to think things over. "I think that's it... Oh, wait. The magic was on the smaller rats. I think the bigger ones just got brave enough to push through the wards on their own. Anyway, I'll try and tail the smaller rats back to their nest tomorrow, see if I can learn how they're getting magicked."
Prehysterical
 Bolten's Home 

Bolten is glad to have Shandara around during this planning phase. Her suggestion for specially tuned silence spells would make the spy drone much more effective without compromising its listening skills.

 "Well, I will offer Dukkear the quotes for both the steel and adamantine versions of the feet. Yes, the adamantine claws add another hundred gold, but for all we know, it might be worth it for them not to have to put up with the headache of replacing the tips. I suppose you're right about the recording disk... My only concern is that I don't want the disk to be  too  easy to scratch or else errant movements will scar the disc and garble the recording. I suppooose I could do some research into alloys that might fit the job well enough.

As for the ooze idea... It makes me really nervous to have a flesh-eating ooze situated right next to the operator. If the ooze should escape containment, especially because of damage, that could be  really  bad. I'm not dismissing it out-of-hand, mind, but I'd like to consider all possibilities before committing to that. Would you be amenable to meeting up in the archives tomorrow and doing some research together? Maybe there is another energy source that we are forgetting about. This spy drone will be comparatively easy, so we can work on that while trying to get the scorpion tail power source figured out." 
WindStruck
 Bolten's Home 

Shandara shrugs and says,  "I suppose that's fair enough. If they feel adamantine is worth the cost, they could order it. But still, a little wear and tear over prolonged use could be remedied with a simple cantrip. And considering the shortage, I figured it may be best to avoid contributing to it..." 

She also points out,  "A softer recording material would also mean it's easier to destroy should you feel the need to do so in case it is tampered with. I think, perhaps you just need an adequate supporting system to absorb shock. And perhaps, a way to move the needle away from the disk in such an instance to avoid unwanted damage." 

She thinks more on the idea of powering the whole construct, but honestly it isn't really her forte and perhaps using an ooze wasn't the best of ideas. But she wasn't against researching something else.

 "Certainly, I could meet you tomorrow. Morning, afternoon, or both. But the middle o the day is my own time to rest." 
MrAbdiel
 
 Spoiler: Misha Context 

 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
 Aiden found Misha waiting for him after he finished playing music the next morning. She looked much like she had the previous morning, though a bit more tired. "Do you play here every morning, mister?" She asked. "That'd make you a lot easier to find so I can tell you what I've figured out. Speaking of which..." She interrupts herself to let out a yawn, then continues on. "I've taken a look around the granary last night, and they definitely have a bit of a rat problem. Some bigger ones, some smaller ones, but I only saw 5 or 6 six of them. Rats looked mostly normal, but some of them had a bit of magic on them. Probably something that protects them from the granary's wards. The rats where acting normal apart from that though. I tried to talk to one of the magicked ones, but he wanted nothing to do with me. That does tell me that there isn't some crazy person in the sewers casting spells on the rats though, he would have been a bit friendlier if a 'two-legs' was helping him out." She takes a moment to think things over. "I think that's it... Oh, wait. The magic was on the smaller rats. I think the bigger ones just got brave enough to push through the wards on their own. Anyway, I'll try and tail the smaller rats back to their nest tomorrow, see if I can learn how they're getting magicked." 
 
 

 "Curious..."  The woodsman scratches his chin, his everpresent smile diminishing to a mildly pleased look - possibly the closest thing he has to a thoughtful frown.   "If the other wards are fear-based, then perhaps their pack mentality and seeing some of their number advance is just... enough to overcome it.  Good to know.  But that doesn't explain how they could develop the coordination and raw intellect to selectively poison the staff's food.  Any rats acting on their own instincts would steal any food they had access to - they wouldn't set traps of their own using human-food as bait.  If you say there's no humanoid agent commanding them, I believe you.  But that means they're manifesting intelligence.. some how.  I wonder if they're..."   He trails off for a moment, eyes going distant and panning his countenance to face toward the distant Eastwharf Granary.   "...Being exposed to something accidentally.  Magical run-off from an irresponsible mage's operations, or something similar.  Either here in the city, or else at the other end of of a voyage from such conditions - coming over on a ship, like you suggested last time.  You're doing great work, Misha!"   He encourages, giving her an enthusiastic handshake and two gold pieces.   "I look forward to seeing what you discover next." 

With that, he releases the scrappy young druidess to her rest.  Aiden himself gathers up the donations for the Stormdrains, checks the boards for commissions once more, and then returns to his work - for the moment, the fabrication of that leather armor, while the size of Misha's grip is fresh in his mind for the gloves.

 
 Spoiler: Activities! 
Waiting for Misha's next report.  Feels like a great investment of six gold so far!  And dropping another day into making that armor because... it's nice to be nice to people.  With this second day's investment, the armor is quasi-complete; it waits on the masterwork component's completion.
 
DeTess
The next day, Misha once again approached Aiden after he finished with his music. She looked a bit cleaner than she had the previous days, like she'd taken a dive in one of the cleaner parts of the river. "I haven't been able to get to their nest yet, but I did discover something else!" The young druid launches into her report as soon as she has attracted Aiden's attention. "Some of the magicked rats had a strange tattoo in their ear, the number seventeen one one and twenty-three on the other, as well as a strange symbol. I should be able to draw it for you if you have something for me to draw with. Also, bigger rats tend to bully the smaller ones, even those that are part of the same nest, but I noticed that the big ones treated these two with a kind of respect. I couldn't get them to explain why that was though. They just say those two rats where 'strong', as if that explained everything."
MrAbdiel
 "What a discovery!"   He calls out, lowering his voice with a chuckle after that draws more attention than he intended.  He produces the slate and chalk he uses to sketch crude designs while brainstorming, brushes it clean, and encourages her to draw.  " It's starting to sound like these rats have been experimented on, and then were either released or escaped.   Wow , am I glad I called on you, Misha.  Show me that symbol, and I'll look into it right away."   Cheerfully, he pays the girl.  Once he's seen the symbol, the next trip that day is  straight  to the library to research it, if he doesn't know it right away!
DeTess
It takes a little time, but after perusing several books on the subject Aiden is able to confirm that the symbol is not alchemical in nature. Of course that doesn't really help him get much further in his quest. The best place to ask would probably be the Archive's central desk. The archivists on duty there might know the symbol, or would at least be able to point him in the right direction. It's rather busy right now though, so the question would be whether any of them is willing or able to make some time for his request over the others they're getting inundated with.
MrAbdiel
Nothing.

Aiden leans with one palm on a desk and hovers over an open book - an index of alchemical symbols he is trying to match to the one Misha drew.  But there's nothing that matches up, and his first instinct is revealed to be a bust.  He lets out a good natured sigh, closes the book, and returns it to the shelf from which he took it; and then scratches the mop of brown hair as he considers his options.

He looks funny, in the archives - like a farmer who lost his way, struggling a little to make sense of the grandeur of the concentrated  peopled -ness of a city.  Hat held loosely to his stomach in one hand, he makes his way to the archivists on duty.

He waits ten minutes to be noticed.

Thirty.

A full hour.

Young, eager artificers are more pushy, more needy, more capable of commanding the attention of the archivists.  A few of the staff change shifts, and Aiden watches a few of the folks he had counted on noticing his polite patience head off, frazzled, to rest.

The carpenter's lips part slightly in hesitation then close again; a soft, glottal cough leaving his chest - the ghost of a verbal complaint that died in his throat.  This is an impossible scenario for Aiden - a situation that  requires  a certain amount of rudeness, or atleast assertiveness at the expense of others.  But the others need help too, and their projects, he reasons, must be just as pressing as his.  Moreso, since they look so stressed.

An hour and twenty.

Finally, a window of opportunity opens - an archivist deflecting the trio of interrogators as she finishes her shift, packing her things and preparing to leave too.  Here it is - a chance to be pointed in the right direction at the absolute minumum of discomfort to his fellow man.  He steps up to the archivist's desk and, looking almost physically pained to detain her, makes his pitch.

 "Ma'am, I hate to delay you - I'll really only take a moment.  I don't need much help, I'm just trying to find out about this symbol, here -" , he presents the slate,  "- and if you can just, just point me to the right section, I can do the research myself.  It's just all so overwhelming, is all.  I'm real sorry." 
 
 Spoiler: Good ol' country diplomacy! 
Bardic Performance (Strings) Permits me to use my performance bonus for Diplomacy, so... I'm gonna go ahead and roll it, even though I should take ten.

  Diplomacy  - (1d20+15)[ 22 ] !
 
DeTess
"I'm sorry, I really should be...""The archivist sighs. "Alright, alright, but you're the last one." She addresses that last comment to the several other artificers that had been trying to swoop in with a final question like Aiden just had. "Now, let's see here..." She takes a look at Aiden's sketch. "That's a research group monogram, I think... yes that must be professor Hoplum's research group on the origins of intelligence, with the department of Biology. If you go that way..." She points down one of the archive's long rows of shelves. "... the fourth row from the bottom on the fifth set of shelves on your left should be marked with the same symbol. You'll find the papers, reports and books produced by the professor and his colleagues there."
Prehysterical
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
  Bolten's Home 

Shandara shrugs and says,  "I suppose that's fair enough. If they feel adamantine is worth the cost, they could order it. But still, a little wear and tear over prolonged use could be remedied with a simple cantrip. And considering the shortage, I figured it may be best to avoid contributing to it..." 

She also points out,  "A softer recording material would also mean it's easier to destroy should you feel the need to do so in case it is tampered with. I think, perhaps you just need an adequate supporting system to absorb shock. And perhaps, a way to move the needle away from the disk in such an instance to avoid unwanted damage." 

She thinks more on the idea of powering the whole construct, but honestly it isn't really her forte and perhaps using an ooze wasn't the best of ideas. But she wasn't against researching something else.

 "Certainly, I could meet you tomorrow. Morning, afternoon, or both. But the middle o the day is my own time to rest."  
 

Bolten nods in response to her critique.  "I suppose cantrips are pretty economical... I do like the idea of a shock absorber. Would solve a lot of problems. I'll see what I can do on that front." 

By this time, they've nearly gone through the pot of hibiscus tea. Bolten sips the last of it from his cup.  "Let's do it in the afternoon, then. I know myself well enough to know that I'll be lying in bed thinking about these problems tonight, so I will not be up bright and early tomorrow."  He gives Shandara a warm smile.  "Thank you so much for your help. I, quite literally, could not do this without you." 
DeTess
As usual, the archives are quite busy when Shandara and Bolten arrive, with students, artificers and archivists moving along the massive shelves in search of materials, or sitting at desks, studying their finds quietly.

Shandara's research into the silence spell provides her with a number of possible approaches, though none are perfect. Quite a bit of study has been done in modifying this simple spell, including variations that only remove sound below or above a certain volume, or sound with a certain pitch. It would not be impossible to use these variations to quite precisely target most of the expected noises the spybug or scorpion would make, but there would be no guarantee that the spell wouldn't hit any other noises with similar volume or pitch. Shandara also finds details on ways to more tightly define the exact limits of the silence spell in an object, which could prove useful for eliminating the noises made by the clockwork, but as this approach requires enclosing the area to be silenced within a set of runes, it wouldn't damp the noise of the construct's feet on whatever surface it would be moving on.

Bolten's research in using the background magical field in the underdark proves to be a bust. Though making use of the background magical field to slowly recharge magical creations is a well-known approach, no underdark specific studies have been made. The method would also be way too slow to keep the scorpion powered during operation.

Using and converting thermal energy is a far more promising approach, and Bolten comes across several studies that detail ways to quickly gather energy from a sufficiently hot source and store it in a way that could be converted into motive energy. Two methods seem particularly promising. The first method involves crystalizing the thermal energy involved into a temporary crystal of fire-aspected magical energy which could then be converted into other energy. The study Bolten reads about this does remark on the crystal formed this way being somewhat unstable in the long term, with energy starting too leak back out in the form of heat after a couple of hours. The second method involves a more mechanical approach,  using the heat to either spin up a flywheel or tighten a spring  which can then be used to power a mechanical device. This method will serve better for long-term storage than the crystalizing method, but will also be significantly bulkier for the same amount of energy.

Bolten's study also reveals plenty of mentions of hot springs and other natural sources of thermal energy located in the underdark, which could be sued to charge his heat battery idea, though a sufficiently hot fire could also serve for that purpose.
MrAbdiel
 
 Originally Posted by Helpful Archivist 
 "That's a research group monogram, I think... yes that must be profess Hoplum's research group on the origins of intelligence, with the department of Biology. If you go that way..." She points down one of the archive's long rows of shelves. "... the fourth row from the bottom on the fifth set of shelves on your left should be marked with the same symbol. You'll find the papers, reports and books produced by the professor and his colleagues there." 
 

The carpenter’s eyes go wide with excitement.  He had been right indeed!  Magical tampering with the rats had - well.  Best not to assume, just yet.  “Heavens bless you, ma’am!  I’m Aiden Sorveaux and if there’s anything I can ever do to…”

But he’s trailing off by then, already jog-walking to the appropriate indicated section to begin ingesting the research records of professor Hoplum!  It would do well to know what was happening on the books, before making guesses about what happened off them.
DeTess
Aiden finds the research of professor Hoplum exactly where the archivist indicated they would be. All of the shelf shelf is given over to a collection of books, treatises, papers and reports, all of which have the symbol Aiden had been looking for on the cover, as well as the names of the researchers involved in writing that particular document.

The material inside the books is very advanced. These where clearly not intended to ease a layman into the material, but instead for study by the researchers' peers. Still, Aiden is able to make sense of most of it, though truly studying the row of research material would likely take several weeks. It's clear that professor Hoplum and his compatriots where looking into the mechanisms and causes of intelligence. The research discusses dissections of the brains of corpses donated to the Society, as well as studies done on living volunteers using magic. Several of the more recent papers also describes experiments performed on pigs and rats to see if earlier research could be applied to enhance the intelligence of these animals. The papers suggest that the experiments are somewhat promising, but that it's too early yet to consider applying the experiments in question to human volunteers.
MrAbdiel
 Well well,  Aiden considers wryly as he closes the research primer he was leafing through,  this has become a very different problem indeed to the one we started out with.   Obviously these experiments were working - perhaps well enough to equip their subjects to escape conventional containment!  Suddenly the rats had an possible value beyond just profitable pests.  The research was impressive, if a little beyond him; and he owed it to this Professor Hoplum to see what he had to say.  Perhaps the solution to this problem was simpler (if less lucrative) than it first appeared - a possibility that would please Overseer Evans, at least!  Returning the texts to the shelf, Aiden departs the archives to seek the professor himself!
DeTess
It wasn't too difficult to find professor Hoplum. The research Aiden had been reading through had all made mention of the location of the research group on the campus, where they'd been given several labs and offices on the ground floor of the east wing of the building of the department of biology, and once Aiden had arrived there it was a simple matter of finding the door marked with the professor's name.

Aiden was called in after a simple knock to find a small office filled with books and arcane tools. Behind a heavy wooden desk a human man in his fifties was sitting. The man had apparently been going over several sheets of paper, but his light blue eyes here now trained on Aiden as the bard entered the office.

"Yes, what can I help you with?" the professor asked.
MrAbdiel
“Well, Professor Hoplum, I was hoping we could help each other.”  The carpenter invites himself in, hat held in both hands before his body; but his smile is back to being winningly, simply, friendly.  “I’ve skimmed your research.  A bit cerebral for a man of hammers and nails like myself, but I believe I caught the drift.  And further, I believe I’ve located a couple of things you lost.  Number seventeen and twenty three specifically.  I wondered if you were interested in getting them back.  Seems like we could work a few things out right now and avoid a whole mess of trouble.”

 
 Spoiler: Actions! 
Another charm roll to grease the wheels as necessary:  (1d20+23)[ 37 ] , using the day’s Inexplicable Luck.

Aiden is taking it as a foregone conclusion that the professor will admit to having lost or released the rats.  He’s going to tell him everything from taking the contract, hiring Misha, and concluding the provenance of the troublesome rodents.  He’ll further try to impress upon him that the Granary - not to mention any other establishment in the city which is suffering in silence from increased pest penetration - may have a legitimate complaint to bring against him that is best nipped in the bud with a concentrated effort to recover the rats and a forthright effort of reparations.
 
DeTess
The professor seems confused at first but then seems to cotton on to what Aiden is saying. "You think some of our test subjects have escaped?" He asks. "I think you must be quite mistaken. We take very good care about preventing them from getting out, especially the rats, because they could cause quite a bit of trouble in our fair city's ecosystem."

"But I can see that you're unconvinced. Come with me." The professor gets up from behind his desk and motions for Aiden to accompany him. "Numbers 17 and 23 where part of a series of experiments from last year, and have since then been put down." He explains while leading Aiden through the hallway to a different room. "I'll introduce you to Merce, one of my students and the caretaker of our test subjects. She should be able to put any worries you have to rest."

Professor Hoplum enters a well-lit room, one side of which has been given over to several rows of cages. Each cage contains a single rat with in their ears a tattooed number, starting at 30 and ending at 49, as well as the symbol of the research group. A half-elvish woman with shoulder-length brown hair is currently attending to one of the rats. "Ah, professor, I'm pleased to report that Ti... I mean, number 41 is doing a lot better again. The parasite infection seems to have mostly cleared up." She addresses the professor without looking up from her work on one of the rats, who she seems to be carefully feeding a potion of sorts using a syringe.

"Ah, that's good to hear, thanks to your ministrations no doubt, Merce." The professor replies. "However, I came here to as you to help a visitor of mine. He seems to have reason to believe some of last years batch managed to escape." The professors declaration seems to give Merce a start, but she quickly composes herself and continues her work with the rat.

"W-well, I'm certain that must be impossible..." She mumbles in response.

"Don't worry Merce, I trust your work completely, but you're in a better position to explain it to him than I am." The professor reassure his student. He then turns to Aiden. "Give her a minute to finish her work, then she can explain the way we work with our test-subjects to you. That should convince you that it is impossible for numbers 17 and 23 to have escaped." The professor then takes his leave.

After a minute or two Merce is finished feeding the potion to the rat, and she carefully locks its cage again. She then turns around to face Aiden, worry shining in her striking green eyes. "Say, haven't I seen you before, playing music on the plaza?" She asks, a note of surprise in her voice.
MrAbdiel
“Yes, ma’am.  I’ve taken to playing there in the mornings, raising a little coin for the revitalisation of the Stormdrains.  Aiden Sorveaux, pleasure to meet you.”  He projects a hand to Merce for a shake, smiling warmly the whole while.  “And I can tell you’re a professional who cares about your work, and the creatures upon whom that work is formed.  Why, I bet you know this batch of critters, and the last, by name, as well as number.”
WindStruck
While Bolten and Shandara did find themselves searching through books in different parts of the library, they did reconvene from time to time, and at the end of their session.

 "I believe I've found ample prior examples to go off of. I could get started immediately, though I don't think I can finish without the bug being mostly complete. I.. need to sample how it sounds,  you see..." 
 "Oh! Before I forget, your thermal crystal idea looks promising. And I believe I have a way to enhance it to make it charge even faster, perhaps even in ambient environments." 
DeTess
"Ah, well, the names are more something I..." Merce stops herself mid sentence. "I mean, they don't really have names. 'A good researchers makes certain to avoid getting an emotional connection to their test subjects, to prevent their emotions from affecting their observations.'" She states that last part as if she was quoting a book or person. "A-anyway, you where here because you thought some of our test subjects had escaped, yes?"

The researcher walks to a small bookshelf on the far side of the room and takes a ledge from it. "That is quite impossible. I personally check if all of them are accounted for twice a day, and any rats taken out of their cages for research are both checked out and checked in again to make sure none get lost. And when all possible research has been done on a group , we make sure to put them d... to put them to sleep. If you wish, you can check the ledgers yourself. 17 and 23 where accounted for all the way to their... to the end." She tells Aiden all that while ostensibly studying the ledger she'd pulled from the bookshelf, making it impossible for him to read her expressions.
MrAbdiel
 “Well, that’s a good to hear.  You see, in clearing the rats from my barn I came across two rats what seemed to be trying to make a next out of sticks.  I hit ‘em with a shovel and that did the job, but after I looked and it seemed they weren’t making a nest so much as trying to spell something out in sticks in the ground.  Mighta been a full sentence, not that I’d know being without letters; strangest thing.  But I know numbers, and I saw the numbers written in the little bodies, and the symbol, and thought I’d killed something valuable.  But if they’re not yours, I can finally go sweep those stick words out of my barn.  Gives me the willies.” 

This, obviously, is a lie.  A wild lie, with just enough tantalising possibility to draw the assistant out of her own lie into an exposed moment of honesty.

 
 Spoiler 
Take 10 on Bluff for 25!
 
DeTess
A flurry of emotions cross Merce's face. Pain, sorrow, anger, all of them quite telling as to the actual fate of at last some of the last batch of rats. The anger and sorrow war for a moment, and are then replaced by a look of suspicion, mixed with hope. "That.. didn't really happen, did it?" She asked, quietly.
MrAbdiel
His expression changes from affable friendliness to warm, patient reliability - maybe the closest thing he has to anger.

 “Ma’am, it did not.  But I ought to tell you how lucky you are that I picked up this commission and no one else did.  Nine out of ten artificers would be… binding the ghosts of cats to hunt them, or building mechanical spiders, or hypnotising them into drowning themselves.  It just so happens I’m the one out of ten who figured I’d chase the clues for a while.  Those critters are out there, causing a mess of trouble; and it’s only a matter of time before they meet a rough end.  There’s no getting around it - you didn’t have the heart to end their lives, and you let them go, and hoped for the best.  You betrayed the trust of Professor Hoplum and you’re going to have to confront that and rebuild that trust.  No more lies, now; but if you’re honest, I can be your best friend in this and we can do our best together to minimise the harm done to the critters, and the shame and disgrace coming down on Hoplum.”   He leans against the wall nearby, gives her a couple of breaths to process this calamitous reality and to recognise him as her friend in it, and then suggests:  “For real, now.  Tell me what happened with these rats.  Then we’ll work out a plan together.” 
DeTess
Merce lets out a sigh. "Yes, it is as you said." She admits quietly. "After taking care of the rats during all our testing I couldn't bring myself to put them down. Instead of the poison I was supposed to give them I give them a potion to put them in a deep sleep, then smuggled them out and set them free. But I didn't think it would cause any trouble. Sure, they where a bit smarter than your average rat, but also a lot more emphatic, getting along far better with others of their species than normal rats."

She lets out another sigh and wipes away a tear or two. "But I suppose that is just me trying to justify myself. If there's something I can do to help you catch them without hurting them too much..."
Prehysterical
Sitting behind a stack of books that nearly obscures his head, Bolten breathes a sigh of relief.

 "Well, that's good to hear. I can swing by our contact and obtain the down payment for the materials for the spy drone. It will be tight, but I think I can get some work done on the bug before I need to sleep." 

His brow creases in worry at Shandara's preference for the crystal over the mechanical energy storage.  "The crystal seems unstable, though... Charging it ambiently is great and all, but do you have any ideas to prevent heat venting?" 
MrAbdiel
The good natured smile returns to its standard form, and he  hmms  as he nods in appreciative receipt of her confession.

 "Well, the first thing to do will be to bring Professor Hoplum into the light about all this.  I can let you go tell him alone, if you want; but I figure knowing the rats have carried on and performed in the outside world effectively generates more data he might appreciate enough to... soften it all.  Not enough for a conclusion, but maybe enough that's worth a footnote in his research.  He seems like a nice enough gentleman; I'm sure he'll forgive you, especially if you volunteer to help clean this breach of protocol quietly, before it becomes attached to him.  Maybe you can adopt the rats after the research.  Let them live out their full run in habitat you can tend.  I'll even help you build it, if that sounds good.  But you ought to be honest to the man, first; then the three of us can put our heads together."   He gestures to the door with his hat.   "Do you want to go on ahead, or do you want me there as a third party in the room?" 
DeTess
"No, I.. I will tell him myself." Merce nods, a glimmer of resolve in her voice. "I'll explain everything to him, and then bring him here so we can discuss the matter further." As the half elf reaches the door, she turns back to Aiden. "On the Bookshelf over there you can find my personal observation logs, including of the behavior of the previous groups. Those might be of some use to you." She then leaves the room.

The logs Merce pointed out to Aiden are written in a neat hand, making notes of issues like diseases and behaviors  of the rats. Most noteworthy is an increase in social behavior noted by Merce, with rats often preferring to stay as close to their neighbors as their cages allow, and an increase in vocalizations over normal rats. Merce also seems to have done several small experiments to see what the rat's behavior was like when allowed to directly interact with each other in a larger enclosure, once again noting a significant increase in social behavior over normal rats, with no incidents of aggression or otherwise clearly negative interactions.

Aiden is given about 10 minutes to study the logs before the door to the room is opened and professor Hoplum and Merce enter the room. Merce seems to be studying her feet, avoiding eye contact with both the professor and Aiden. The professor meanwhile seems a bit sad, or maybe disappointed, but certainly not angry. "It seems I owe you an apology, young man." Professor Hoplum begins. "Naturally, we'll be doing what we can to recover the test subjects, but I was given to understand you'd already gotten a head-start on us, so I think we'll be best off by bundling our resources. Can you tell us what you've found so far?"
MrAbdiel
Aiden recounts the troubles of the Eastwharf Granary; his idea about the flutes and owls, but precautionary hiring of Misha and the road that led him to their door.  He mentions specifically the arcane wards, fear based, and how he has hypothesised that experiment rats have been leading, or fortifying, the other rats through the wards.

“It’s the darndest thing.  In a way I’m disappointed; I was hoping to discover why the rats in this town are so clever, but the ones responsible for pack-hunting wharf cats and trying to poison the dock staff have to have been operating long before your experiments here were beginning.  If you have ideas about that, I’d be pleased to hear them.  But for now, I think we ought to proceed with the hope that extracting the experiment rats from the community will disenable these ward breaches.  I’ll be working myself out of a paycheck, but it seems right to do by everyone involved.”

“What we need to know for certain is exactly how many chemically altered rats might be out there.  I have to assume some have met their fates or travelled to further places.  There’s atleast those two still active.  And it would help to know what alterations have been done to the released batches - I’m sure it’s in the research notes, though.  Once we know those two things, I think I can make an elegant solution.”
DeTess
"I think they'd try to stick together." Merce suggested. "At least all twenty rats from the second group. If you know where the nest of the ones you found is, you should find the others there. The rats from the first group would also likely have stuck together, at least the five that where actually altered, but they might have gone elsewhere."

"As for the alterations..." professor Hoplum butted in. "The treated rats in the first group, that would be 2, 4, 7, 9 and 10, had been fed a series of specially designed potions meant to stimulate their mental development in the weeks after birth. They where shown to be able to do things like solve mazes up to twice as fast as a normal rat, and clearly had far better memory than the control group did. They where also somewhat smaller because of this treatment. The second group was given a refinement of the treatment of the first, and half of them had in addition been exposed to specific psionic waves that we theorised might stimulate the development of magical or psionic abilities. We noted no unusual abilities during testing, beyond an increase in intelligence similar to that of the first group, which was about equal for both treatments."

"Professor Dalia actually postulated that the psionically treated rats where capable of some limited telepathy with others of their kind." Merce suggested. "But we weren't able to conclusively prove this. Though come to think of it, both of the rats that your associate had found where in that group."
MrAbdiel
The carpenter scratches his beard a little more, adopting a look of affable puzzlement for a moment.   "And all these procedures began a little over a year ago, and no earlier?  Hmm."   He expels a disappointed breath from his nose, but in the same moment exorcises himself of displeasure, and smiles at the pair.   "Ah, well.  Other mysteries for other times.  So there could be as many as twenty five, or as few as the two under witness - 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, and then 11 through 30?"   He takes little notes, on his chalk and slate of all things; but he's already committed the numbers to memory.   "All of them will have your mark?  Alright.  And the potions you fed them are listed in the journals, in the archives, I gather.  Alright, I'll see what I can do.  If you don't mind, I'll take a couple of cages, on my way out.  For bringing them back here, I mean."
 
Armed with the knowledge and equipment he needs, the next phase involves the extension of Misha's contract - something he'll have to negotiate with her the morning after.  He bids the professor and his assistant farewell, takes any rat-carrying gear he's loaned and heads home to sleep after a very cerebral day of investigations.
DeTess
Unlike the previous days, Misha does not immediately approach Aiden after he is done playing music that morning. A quick look around reveal that she has propped herself up against a nearby building, and she appears fast asleep. When Aiden approaches she wakes up, though it's clear that she's still pretty tired.

"Wha.. oh, hey mister." She slowly gets up, yawns and stretches. "Sorry..., long night... what was... Oh, right,  I was trying to track down the rat's nest for you. Sorry, still haven't found it." She shakes her head. "These rats are really slippery, and try as I might I couldn't track them back to their home. I'm fairly certain it's somewhere close to the river though, with an entrance that can be reached by swimming, but I haven't figured out more than that... Oh, but I did see another tattooed rat, number twenty-seven this time around."
Prehysterical
 Society Archives 

After some back-and-forth ideas between Shandara and Bolten, the dwarf resigns himself to returning to the library the next day.  "Give me a bit more time to see if I can figure something out for the thermal crystal casing. I'll stop by Dukkear's contact after I leave here to get the down payment, then I will do some work on the spy drone tonight. The faster I get the cogwork on that done, the sooner you can experiment with the enchantments. I can drop by your place tomorrow evening and give you an update, if you like." 
  Later, at the Orlof Merchant House  

Bolten follows the address written down by Dukkear to find their contact. Even though Dukkear was another clansdwarf, Bolten hopes that Junya proves to be more... civilian in her dealings and mannerisms.
DeTess
The Orlof merchant house is a stately building located near the eastern gate. The sign above the door shows a bolt of cloth and a stack of differently colored metal bars, providing a hint towards the house's specialty. The door immediately opens on Bolten's knock, though there is no doorman in sight. Immediately inside is a small waiting room filled with comfortable chairs upholstered in expensive looking fabrics and a receptionist's desk manned by a dwarf. After making his introductions Bolten is asked to wait for a bit, and the receptionist calls for a messenger to take a note upstairs.

About twenty minutes later the messenger returns and hands a not back to the receptionist, who then informs Bolten that Junya Orlof has made time for him, and gives the dwarf directions to her office.

Junya Orlof's office is a large and lavishly decorated room. The large windows set behind the desk look out on a garden. The walls are decorated with all kinds of tapestries, as well as a an oil painting showing a beautifully painted cavescape. Junya Orlof herself appears to be a human. At first glance she appears to be fairly young, in her early twenties maybe, though there is a timeless air to her more commonly seen with elves, suggesting she's older than she appears. She has long, shimmering black hair, and eyes so dark in color they appear to almost be black as well, though the light brings out a brown note in them. She appears quite beautiful, though in a slightly otherworldly way

"Mister Cogturner, please, take a seat. I assume this is about your contract with our mutual friend in the Ironmonger clan?" She asks the dwarf while gesturing towards one of the two comfortable chairs set before her desk.
Prehysterical
Well... There were merchants and then there were merchants that made merchants look like paupers. That is how Bolten feels as he is forced to wait for his appointment. Bolten wrenches his eyes from the unexpected beauty of Junya Orlof and refocuses himself by sitting in the indicated chair.

 "Indeed, it is! It sounded like Dukkear wanted us to start on the project as soon as possible. If you can supply me with some goods tonight, I can get some work done before I head to bed. I do have the designs and figures here if you need to see them." 
DeTess
"I would like to see those designs of yours, if I may?" Junya favors Bolten with a smile. She takes several moments to study Bolten's designs carefully, starting with that for the spybug. "I won't claim to have more than a passing knowledge of clockwork, but this does all seem to be in order as far as I can tell. It's smart of you to consider the current scarcity of adamantine in your design, but I happen to have quite a bit of it still in stock, so it shouldn't be an issue to spring for the slightly more durable design."

She then takes a moment to go over the design of the scorpion as well, though she's done far quicker than with the design for the spybug. "This goes well over my head in its complexity, though based on your notes you still have some issues to work out, including regarding the material for the cable in that grappling hook launcher?" The merchant considers for a moment. "Well, I suppose it is for Dukkear... I'll send you a sample of something  special  along with the materials for the bug. I can't guarantee it'll be exactly what you need, but I can guarantee it is something no one else could get their hands on. If it suits your design I can have enough of the rope produced in a week or two for your needs."
Prehysterical
Bolten's eyebrows raise in intrigue.  "'Special', eh? Well then, I shall eagerly await to see what the surprise is!"  He extends a hand to shake with Junya.  "Sounds like we are in business, then. I shall be in touch when the spy drone is ready for testing." 
WindStruck
 Society Archives 

Shandara purses her lips together.  "Hm. Fair point. While I think I could implement various modes of acquiring energy or shutting off the process completely, you still do have the problem of safely storing that energy..  for that, I'm afraid I have no ideas at the present..." 
 "Ah. Perhaps we can take a look at the designs of our clockwork menagerie friends. I seem to recall that simply winding a spring was able to power their forms, but I don't know for how long. Again, I am no expert when it comes to clockwork. But perhaps, the effort and energy spent winding up is not quite worth what you get by powering a climbing machine?" 

She nods as Bolten decides to take a few days to figure it out himself.

 "Very well.  I will have some other business to attend to." 

With any luck, she would be meeting up with some representatives of one of those security companies early in the next morning.
MrAbdiel
 
 Spoiler: Misha Context 

 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
 Unlike the previous days, Misha does not immediately approach Aiden after he is done playing music that morning. A quick look around reveal that she has propped herself up against a nearby building, and she appears fast asleep. When Aiden approaches she wakes up, though it's clear that she's still pretty tired.

"Wha.. oh, hey mister." She slowly gets up, yawns and stretches. "Sorry..., long night... what was... Oh, right,  I was trying to track down the rat's nest for you. Sorry, still haven't found it." She shakes her head. "These rats are really slippery, and try as I might I couldn't track them back to their home. I'm fairly certain it's somewhere close to the river though, with an entrance that can be reached by swimming, but I haven't figured out more than that... Oh, but I did see another tattooed rat, number twenty-seven this time around." 
 
 

 "Well, you're doing a great job.  And that's good news, that you spotted another one.   I've been doing some research on my end, too; and I've concluded this is a very different job than the one I thought it was.  If you're willing, I'd like to keep you on for another few days.  We need to catch one of those marked rats, with the magical aura.  We're going to try to help them, and the folks at the Granary.  I reckon with your talent and mine, we can do it, too.  I'll keep paying you.  And once we catch one of those rats, I'll get to work on that bonus for you we talked about before.  But here's what you need to know..." 

He sits down with Misha, and tells her about the research.  If she'll let him, he'll buy her something to eat, too; somewhat naturally falling into paternal behavioural pattern over the young druidess.  He tells her about the batches of experiment rats; about the intellect increases and cooperativity, and the suspected telepathic ability; about Merce's soft-hearted decision to release them; and finally about his own conclusion that these super-rats have been sufficiently canny to lead the regular rats to overcome the fear based wards - and if they can remove the super rats, the conventional wards might just do the trick.  He gives her the cage.   "I figure if you can get into a position where you can isolate one for a moment, and use a  Call Animal  enchantment - all druids can do that, if I understand correctly - you should be able to bring it into your temporary thrall, and load it up without it calling its rat pack on you.  I'm not sure if it'll have resistance to that ability - you might need to try more than once, even if just to confirm it doesn't work.  But once we have one, I can tailor an instrument to call the modified rats only, and we can draw them out one at a time from their nest, give them back to Merce, and she and the Professor can give them a comfortable, safe life where they won't be causing mischief.  Don't put yourself in harms way, still; but I think you can pull this off." 
 
 Spoiler 
A great deal hinges on getting that rat so the Rat-Flute can become reality!  If Misha has real trouble catching one of those rats over a few days, Aiden will make a flute of Call Animal (Rat) to aid her; and then make the more specific flute once they have their little furry Judas Rat.
 
DeTess
 the Orlof merchant house 
"It's always a pleasure doing business with dedicated artificers like yourself, mister Cogturner." Junya shakes the dwarf's hand. "I'm looking for ward to seeing your designs realised."

 Julieanne's Brew - a small cafe on the Artificery Society Campus 
"Yeah, that explains a lot." Misha remarks thoughtfully after listening to Aiden's explanation, in between bites from the pastry she'd gotten from Aiden. "I'll..." She lets out another yawn. "I'll have to pass this on to my teacher as well. She'll want to share an opinion or two on these new rats I think... if that's okay with you anyway. I mean, I have to tell her eventually, but if you want to capture all the rats first, I can probably keep silent a bit longer."
MrAbdiel
 "If she's responsible for your skills, then I'd be happy to keep her in the loop.  Happy to be introduced to her tomorrow, if that's possible,"   He concurs readily.   "No reason we can't start trying to catch these rats and get a new perspective at the same time." 
DeTess
"Alright, I'll ask her to come meet you then. Be warned though, she can be a bit cranky." Misha gets up from her seat and picks up the rat cage. "I should really go get some rest, and then I'll see about catching those rats." She quickly heads off, leaving Aiden to the pastry he'd gotten for himself. Or rather, the empty plate that remained after the pastry itself mysteriously vanished.
WindStruck
 At the offices of the Midnight Guard 

The next morning, with a zesty chill in the air, Shandara made her way over to the offices of the Midnight Guard. As much as the extra security the Mithril Wardens supposedly provided, she was in no financial shape to rely on them for long. And clearly, that price range seemed like it was for wealthy, high-profile figures. Perhaps, someday that would be her. But..  not as of now.

She approaches the building riding a steed, a seemingly ordinary horse, though it was in fact a magically summoned one. She ties it to a post and approaches the building.

With the scrap of references still in tow, an unopened parasol, and a thicker midnight blue cloak swaddled around her form, she raps on the door pensively, wondering if she should just come in, or wait.

 
 Spoiler: ooc note 
Don't forget Shandara is pretty much always leaving her house after casting the Alarm spell on it.  It now lasts longer, coming from a level 2 wizard.   ...though I guess she probably cast that in the afternoon when she went to the archives with Bolten.

Also!  I decided she also used the Mount spell to causally ride around on a magical horse.
 
DeTess
The offices of the midnight guard are just outside the military district, and appears to be a smaller mirror of the Ranger's guild-hall, squat and utilitarian, build for defence rather than aesthetics. In response to Shandara's knocking the door is opened by a grizzled looking man in his early forties. His hair and beard are cut very short, and he has several small scars on his face, and his left hand seems to miss two fingers. Despite these clear signs of wear and tear the man still seems to move with the ease and grace of someone far younger. He motions for Shandara to enter.

Beyond the doorway is a small room, with padded wooden benches set around its periphery and a high wooden desk set at the far end, with doorways leading deeper into the building to the left and right. The walls are sparsely decorated with a variety shields, all of which have clearly seen use in combat.

The man that had opened the door has now moved behind the desk, on which several sheets of paper and notebooks are scattered. After taking a moment to look over one of these papers he addresses Shandara. "What can the Midnight guard help you with? I don't believe you've made an appointment, but if you're not looking to speak to someone specific that shouldn't be an issue."
WindStruck
 Midnight Guard 

Shandara shakes her head.  "No. No one specific..."  she quietly says.

She clears her throat a bit.  "I am Shandara. A member of the Royal Artificery Society. And.. I'm interested in a contract. N-not to work for you, of course, no. For protection." 
 "You see, uh.. there are not many drow around here. And apparently, there are others that have skulked all the way over from the mountains. To say the least, they would not approve of my living here.. an affront to their spider queen." 
 "And of course, there may be some citizens, or more likely, visitors from the outskirts of the empire that have been.. victimized by my distant kin, and who may not take kindly to my presence. It has been an exceedingly rare occurrence, especially with my membership in the Society, and well.. the fact that I do not go out very much. But I would still prefer that people give me less trouble than I give them." 

She smiles lightly at her own attempt at humor.
DeTess
"If you're looking for some peace of mind, you've come to the right people. The name is Jacob, by the way. I'm currently between contracts so I help out at the front desk." The man introduces himself. "Now, I've got a couple questions to determine how best we can help you. First of all, do you have any enemies in the city that would wish you harm? Or, since you're an artificer, could your work make you a target? Also, given your origins, would there be anyone in the Underdark willing to go as far as to send assassins to kill you or kidnappers to take you away?" While talking, Jacob grabs  piece of paper, a father and an ink-well and starts scribbling down some notes on a fresh sheet of paper.

"I realise these might not be the kind of thing you want to think about, but we need to know the kind of risks you run. Protecting you from an opportunistic ruffian, Drow or otherwise, or some idiot that doesn't like your skin-color requires a different kind of skill-set than what would be needed to keep you safe from a team of trained assassins or kidnappers."
WindStruck
 Midnight Guard 

Shandara opens her mouth to speak again, but then shuts it, both allowing Jacob to continue explaining his position, and giving her more time to think.

 "Enemies in the city? Well, uhm, not.. really. I can think of one particular surface elf, though he is also a member of the Society, and he's rather more annoying than dangerous. If anything he would try to frame me for something, but I doubt that is within your company's expertise..." 
 "Regarding my work making me a target? Well, uh.." 

Thinking about it more, the very dwarf that referred her here would probably wind up making her a target, given the kind of work she was doing, and for whom.

 "Normally, I wouldn't think so, but... I've recently come in contact with a certain person who.. well I don't know if I should say who, or what exactly the job is. But he does, in fact, operate in the Underdark, so..  I suppose , if this was not kept secret, that would add to the risk." 
 "Otherwise, maybe.. maybe my brother? I don't know..."  Shandara shrugged at first, but was now shaking her head in doubt.  "I feel he would kill me if given the chance, but at this point, I rather doubt he could afford assassins, and I don't know if he has simply moved on, or even if he is still alive..." 
 "But any other drow that sees me here would make a note of it. I'm all but certain I've already been seen by some during the festival. Maybe they'd leave me alone unless they had an opportunity, but I think, perhaps if I were to ever grow in more prominence, others may go out of their way to send assassins just because.. well, many of them can be quite zealous." 

Shandara sighs and says,  "I understand what you're saying. But I cannot afford the rates of the Mithril Wardens. But, I figure that if such is the case, then I am likely not in need of such.. extensive services.." 
DeTess
"Ah, trust me, unless you put a massive stock in aesthetics, you don't need the Mythril Wardens." Jacob shakes his head. "They're good, but they aren't any better than we are, just prettier."

"Now, as for your situation, if I'm understanding it correctly you're not at too much risk right now, but you expect this to increase as your own fame increases, with most of that risk coming from attacks by Drow. In that case I think just a night-guard will be sufficient for now, and we can get in contact with a firm called Grayson about keeping an eye on how much actual unwanted attention you're getting. They should give us plenty of warning if or when it becomes necessary to step up your security. Does that sound acceptable?"
WindStruck
 Midnight Guard 

Shandara nods and says,  "Yes. As a matter of fact, I was going to ask you about partnering with another security company. I hear Grayson employs spies or the like, and has a good idea of the comings and goings into the city." 
 "Do you really think only a night guard is needed? I understand night is more comfortable for us, but we  can  be active during the day. I would almost certainly be sleeping throughout the midday, and I would think I would need just as much security, if not more, while unaware of my surroundings." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden smiles at Misha as she departs, reaches for his pastry and feels his nails clink off his plate... And then, incredibly, assumes he has simply forgotten he's eaten it.  He pats his stomach, gages how hungry he feels, then signals cheerfully to the staff for one more.

 I'm hungrier than I thought,  he considers; amused at his mortal foibles.
DeTess
 At the offices of the Midnight Guard 
"It is your decision, of course." Jacob responds to Shandara's question. "Based on your description it did not sound like anyone is desperate enough to try breaking into your home and kidnapping or assassinating you in broad daylight, so that was why I only recommended a night guard. If you want someone to watch over you around the clock though, we can definitely arrange that."

"Now, from your earlier description I got the impression that there isn't any acute danger, is that correct? normally it'd take a day or two to determine who would be best suited to guard you, and we'd let you make the final choice between the candidates. If you feel there is a serious risk to your life right now I can speed things up a bit, and you can stay at our compound until I've found some suitable bodyguards."
WindStruck
 Midnight Guard 

Shandara ponders the situation a long moment, slender fingers interlocked as she stares through them to the floor.  "You may have a point, being more versed in this field than I. Security around the campus is not.. bad, I think. A suspicious person is more likely to be noticed, especially breaking in. Hm. Perhaps I just need to make my home harder to break into..." 
 "Very well, then. As you have correctly assessed, I do not think there is an acute danger at the moment. So we shall take this process normally and meet later..  in several days then?" 

Of course, Shandara can review some paperwork and sign some contracts while she is here, but she does not have a terribly large sum of money on hand to pay them immediately.  Perhaps, an arrangement can be made with her bank to automatically transfer money from her account to theirs.
DeTess
 At the offices of the Midnight Guard 
Jacob goes over some of the remaining formalities with Shandara, including the payment expected, which is as Dukkear indicated in his notes, and the different ways payment can be arranged, including the possibility for using Vaungate's banking system to arrange payments automatically.

"Very well, if you could drop by around this time three days from now, I will make sure we have some suitable candidates ready by then." Jacob says once the two of them have gone over the formalities.

 The royal artificer campus' central plaza 
The next morning, once Aiden is done playing music he is once again approached by Misha who is carrying one of the rat cages which, based on the outraged squeaking coming from within contains at least one whiskered denizen. Accompanying Misha is an old woman who is leaning heavily on a gnarled wooden staff. She is wearing a long woolen dress and a wide-brimmed hat shades her wizened face. In many ways, she has the appearance of the archetypal witch.

The looks Aiden up and down, a disapproving frown on her face. "He looks more like a dandy than an artificer, Misha. Are you certain he is doing any actual work in this 'partnership' of yours? Then again, I suppose he does look like the kind of airhead that thinks letting animals sued for testing is a good idea." She gives Aiden another glower.

"Aiden isn't the one that let them go, he's the one that's trying to catch them again, auntie 'Toma." Misha replies to her companion, then addresses Aiden. "I just barely managed to catch one of them, but these tattooed rats definitely are more resistant to spells than normal rats."

"One of your colleagues set loose a group of rats that are far smarter than the normal kind. In fact, the only thing that is stopping this little prisoner here from giving you a piece of his mind is the fact that rat-throats aren't made for speaking human languages." The old woman addresses Aiden. "So let's hear your brilliant plan for containing this situation before these little guys decide to found their own empire under the streets."
MrAbdiel
“A pleasure to meet you, Auntie ‘Toma!” He begins, smiling contently; utterly impenetrable to her glowers and griping.  He extends a hand for her to shake but, even if she doesn’t shake it, he refuses to take no offence.  “Misha’s a very skilful and promising student.  You should be very proud.  As for my plan, well.  I have two.  The backup plan is to use a spell regularly to lure the altered rats one at a time over a long period into our care.  Since there’s only at most twenty five of them, and we’ve no reason to believe they can pass their incredible traits on, we’ll either get them all eventually, or they’ll get wise and stay away entirely from the area.  Which is a good enough win for the moment.”

“But my ideal plan… is just convincing them to give themselves up.”  He leans down toward the covered cage thoughtfully, but decides not to uncover it as he takes it carefully into his custody.  “I think a life of comfort and safety is deserved for these little creatures.  They only have… what, another year or so to live, anyway.”
WindStruck
Shandara leaves the offices of the Midnight Guard, and she does a bit of other shopping around before she heads home to rest.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'll pick up that light crossbow that I was talking about before, and some bolts, and I should get the things Shandara needs for the familiar ritual.
 


Shandara wasn't expecting to hear from Bolten on the same day, in the evening. Instead she was preparing the ritual for the owl.

Some special paint would be used to create a magic circle on her floor (and covering this up would probably be some other issue for later). Candles were also used in the ritual, along with a drug to temporarily put it to sleep, and a certain "stone of avian intellect" which apparently would grant the bird a heightened cognitive ability and sense of self-awareness...

Most importantly, Shandara needed a name. That was something money could not quite buy.
DeTess
 The royal artificer campus' central plaza 
Referring to the old woman as 'auntie 'Toma' earned Aiden a quick rap to his skull with her cane. "You may refer to me as master Mitoma of the circle of the mouse, young one." The older druid stated, in the kind of tone you'd use to scold an unruly child. She used a rather masculine title, though it was not uncommon to hear these things in older organizations that where once only run by men.

Once Aiden had explained his second plan, Mitoma retorted with a single question. "Tell me, would you be willing to live in a golden cage, your every physical need taken care of, but without the freedom to learn, explore and express yourself, on your own terms?"
MrAbdiel
 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
  The royal artificer campus' central plaza 
Referring to the old woman as 'auntie 'Toma' earned Aiden a quick rap to his skull with her cane. "You may refer to me as master Mitoma of the circle of the mouse, young one." The older druid stated, in the kind of tone you'd use to scold an unruly child. She used a rather masculine title, though it was not uncommon to hear these things in older organizations that where once only run by men.

Once Aiden had explained his second plan, Mitoma retorted with a single question. "Tell me, would you be willing to live in a golden cage, your every physical need taken care of, but without the freedom to learn, explore and express yourself, on your own terms?" 
 

Aiden doesn’t even flinch.  Not as a display of masculine resilience; more that he seems entirely unequipped to receive the physical challenge.  The cane strikes his head with an audible  bonk  and his express glazes into neutral passiveness for a second; then he blinks a few times and just sort of skips over the need to react to that directly.

 “Are we both talking about rats, here?  My experience with the critters is that they live their lives in shivering desperation to survive in filth and darkness; plagued by predators, living off the refuse of creatures two or three steps up the food chain.  Perhaps wild, adventurous living seems like a universally desirable ideal to you; but not everyone can solve their problems by turning into a wolf or a cloud of bees.  I made the assumption they’d prefer to be looked after rather than hunted; I don’t think that was out of line.  But if we can figure out a more appealing retirement package that keeps them out of the grain silos and the bellies of snakes, I’m willing to listen.” 

This collection of words sounds dangerously like standing up for himself; but he gives them with the cheerful expression of a man chatting amiably with friends; which somewhat reduces their power.
DeTess
"Hah, so you're not quite as self-centered as you look." master Mitoma gives Aiden an apprising look, and some of the disapproval seems to have drained from her face. "It's good that you're trying to look at this from the perspective of those you wish to capture. Remember though, these are not ordinary rats, and their perspective might be more like yours or mine. But then again, maybe not." The old druid thinks for a moment, then nods to herself. "I'll brew up a potion for you that allows you to understand the vocalizations of these rats. I have no doubt that being able to hold a conversation with this one will be of help in your endeavors. Misha will bring it to you tomorrow."
MrAbdiel
He smiles at that, delighted. He'd been just thinking how he was going to acquire such a potion, or scroll - to have it offered so freely had a providential air to it.   "I'd appreciate that very much; and be in your debt.  If it goes well, I'll let the critters know they have you and your Circle to thank for the peaceful conclusion of matters.  That is, if it turns out that's meaningful information to them." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Woo hoo!  Everything's coming up Millhouse.  Looking forward to talking to this rat!
 
DeTess
During the rest of the day, Aiden found himself being keenly watched by his whiskered prisoner, the way the rat tilted its head as Aiden spoke suggesting it might have at least some understanding of what the bard was saying. The creature accepted the food it was offered meekly, and seemed, if not content, at least resigned to its fate.

The next morning, Misha approached Aiden once again after he'd finished his playing session in the plaza. She carried with her a small stoppered vial containing a dark green liquid and another one of the cages, which contained another tattooed rat. "I caught another one!" She said proudly as she handed over her catch to Aiden. "And I've brought auntie 'Toma's brew. She said to drink it down in one go, and that it should last for about an hour."
MrAbdiel
 "Wonderful news on both counts.  Now, it's time to see if we can't reason with our furred friends.  You can stick around, if you want - chime in when you think it's right.  I think we all want the least bad outcome for everyone involved here, and you've proven quite the accomplished problem solver, Misha."   He radiates paternal approval at the girl for a few seconds consecutively, before taking the new cage carefully in hand and, young problem solver perhaps in tow, heading off to a reasonably private place on campus to develop this  rodentia rapprochement. 

* * * * *

The two cages side by side on the table,  Aiden pulls up a chair so they're reasonably level to discuss matters, with another chair beside for Misha, if she wishes it.  Then he uncorks the  potion o' palaver  and drinks it with neither suspicion, nor hesitation.  The absurdity of this meeting, a diplomatic engagement with the rats, does not appear to have entered his mind; the carpenter's psyche an impenetrable fortress of happy-go-lucky presumption.

 "Ah; now that's a novel flavour.  Well!  We've got an hour or less in which we can understand each other, my little friends, so let's get down to it.  As I introduced myself earlier..."  Earlier, without any alchemical assistance, likely fruitlessly,  "...I'm Aiden.  I think you've already met my friend Misha; and I apologize for asking her to capture you.  I don't mean you any harm; but if things continue as they have, well... I'm afraid someone less charitable than myself is going to come with extreme solutions.  But I'm told you're very clever folks; so how about you and I work out some way to solve this so everyone goes away happy?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Aiden's giving them a chance to squeak/speak for now.  A chance to air their grievances if they want, or even cuss him out as they prefer.  Open dialogue is the key to healthy relationships. :D
 
DeTess
Misha did come along with Aiden, the prospect of witnessing the negotiations clearly winning over her tiredness.

The potion itself tasted like someone had liquified mist from the harbor district. Very salty, with hints of all kinds of exotic spaces, and rotting fish. Altogether a rather unsavory brew. While speaking, Aiden didn't really notice anything different about his voice, but the rats seemed to be paying attention to him, though that was no different from before he drank the potion.

After a moment of silence, the newly captured rat turned to the one that had already spent the nigh in Aiden's custody. And squeaked something to its companion, though for some reason Aiden could easily attribute meaning to the squeaks, as if hearing a foreign language he was well-versed in. "He really does talk a lot doesn't he?" The rat squeaked out.

"Ugh, don't get me started on it. He was talking my ears off all throughout the day." The other rat was still watching Aiden carefully from one eye, even as it conversed with its companion. "That witch said she'd get him something that'd make him understand us though, and since he doesn't look particularly poisoned, she might have actually pulled off."

"Oh..." the other rats paused for a moment. "Well then, you should tell him... tell him how much trouble he is in! Yes, that makes humans leave other humans alone, right?"

"Well, it's worth a shot." The other rat squeaked softly to his companion. Then, in a louder note, it seemed to address Aiden. "You, human! it is clear you don't know who I am, but I will forgive you for this mistake. I am Arthur, and I have slain monsters beyond counting! Not even the black dragon of Mornhaven could stand against my sword. If you walk away now that will be the end of it, but if you continue harassing me and this fair lady over here, I will have no choice but show you the business end of the blade that has laid low a dozen orc chieftains!"

"A 'fair lady' now, am I?" The other rat squeaked softly in a bemused tone.

"It's what the human that I am copying said." The other rat squeaked softly. "Really impressed the thugs harassing him."

Sitting besides Aiden, Misha was making an admirable effort not to burst out in laughter at the rat's bravado.
Prehysterical
After the meeting with their contact, Bolten goes home to begin work on the drone. With all of the skill, magic, and tools he has at home, he is able to perform a full day's work in the span of four hours. The dwarf falls heavily into bed, running off to dreamland.

He wakes up the next day and goes back to the archives, trying to solve the riddle of the pulley grappler's power source. Unfortunately, the hours and hours of research prove once again to be fruitless. There is nothing in metallurgy or magic that he can find to solve the problem. The only new possibility that comes to mind would be to incorporate a water tank into the scorpion's design to counteract the heat, but it would need replacing every few hours... grinding exploration to a halt. Well, maybe Shandara would have a few helpful suggestions...

As per their agreement, Bolten arrives at Shandara's home that evening. After she lets him in, Bolten explains his lack of progress. The dwarf seems a little crestfallen, perhaps even frustrated, but he looks to the drow woman with hopeful eyes.  "Well? Do you think that the water tank idea... holds any water?"  Bolten hesitates in the middle of the sentence, only now realizing the accidental pun.
MrAbdiel
This level of conversationalism actually shocks the smile off his face briefly, and the carpenter actually pales.  Not in fear, exactly; but something near enough.  Aiden possesses a simple, but firm set of beliefs about the world and its makeup; and the hierarchy of things within it.  The gods were above mortal peoples; peoples above beasts, beasts above crawling things, crawling things above plants; a not uncommon understanding of the world.  One should not be cruel to the beasts below them - just as the gods ought not be cruel to mortals - but their obligations to them were lesser than to peers, and lesser again to the things further below on this grand teleological taxonomy.  But the rats, as they speak, possess intelligence of teleological peers.  Intelligence implies a soul, and all the deference of rights one person owes to another; and the craftsman is startled at how close he came to being complicit in the sequential murder of what are, by his standards,  people. 
 "...Well, I... Look."   He regains himself, color slowly returning to him as he forces his smile back to the front.   "Stop that.  I'm being serious, and you ought to take me seriously.  You're smart - smarter than I dared imagine.  So you know what's happened, and what's been done to you, and how special you are among other critters.  You probably remember the professor, and Merce, the professor's assistant who decided she'd set you free instead of what she might well have done, if she were a little harder of heart.  You owe her your lives, and the lives of all your fellows.  Her kindness delivered you from a critter's perdition; and now your lives are in my hands.  But the situation has reversed - if I let you go, I'm lettin' you go only to die at the hand of someone who didn't take the time to speak with you.  But if you work with me, and we reason together, we might get you out of this not only alive and free, but safer than you were in the first place.  D'you understand?" 

This is a sincere plea; as sincere as he's ever given, eyes wide with conviction as he bargains with  people  ignorant of the peril in which they find themselves.  But he can only do so much, if they will not listen.

 
 Spoiler: Rat Diplomacy! 
Gonna use that once a day luck for the sake of the rats!    Diplomacy  - (1d20+23)[ 29 ]  Be convinced, rats!  I'm trying to help you!
 
DeTess
"Oh... this human seems serious." The recently-caught rat squeaked softly to its companion.

"I don't know why he thinks we'd be in trouble though..." that rat that had introduced himself as 'Arthur the dragonslayer' squeaked back.

"Maybe because we got in the food-place that makes all the other rats afraid?" Arthur's 'fair maiden' responds with a soft squeak.

"Maybe...I wish Bell was here, she understands humans better than we do." Arthur considers for a moment, then addresses Aiden again. "Okay, human... Aiden, was it? You seem to think that we're in a lot of trouble, but we don't really get why. So how about explaining all that, and then telling us how you're hoping to prevent the bad stuff from happening to us."
MrAbdiel
Aiden breathes a sigh of relief, as the critters seem to regard him with seriousness.   He leans down to eye level with Arthur and the Maiden, and explains:

 "You're right, it's because you broke into the food place.  The granary.  The protection on the building keeps the other rats afraid of it so they  won't  break in.  But now that you have, folks are worried about their food and are looking for solutions.  And most solutions will involve traps, or poison, or predators, or magic that makes you drown yourself.  But it doesn't have to be that way.  If you and the others like you agree, you can come out of hiding and we'll give you somewhere safe to live and make sure you have plenty of food without provoking anyone.  Heck, if you can get the other marked ones like you to agree, I'll build you all a house.  We can co-design it.  With... wheels to run in, or... A cheese cellar..."   Aiden realises he's running out of creativity at this point - there is very little to go on, as far as historical discussion of what kind of little rat houses rats prefer, and with what ammenities.   "The important part is we need you and the other marked ones to agree to come out of hiding into a safe place we prepare for you.  I give you my word that there'll be no tricks, and you won't be harmed.  I'm sure many of you would be able to get exciting work as wizard familiars, if that's your bag.  But you can't be out there on the streets, disrupting the normal order of things.  You have to come in from the cold.  Who's this Bell?  A leader of yours, maybe?" 

And then, piling another question on the last:  "...If I open these cages, will you give me  your  word that you'll stay and talk with me?  It'd be good to be able to trust each other." 
DeTess
The rats exchange a quick glance. "Sure, as long as it's just talk I suppose we could stick around for that, even if you open up our cages." Arthur responds.

"As for the problem, wouldn't it be simplest if we just promise we don't go there any more, and in return you bring us plenty of food?" The other rat responds.

"I mean, a nice warm place to spend winters in would also be nice." Arthur adds. "But it also sounds like you're expecting us to then stay in that place during all the other seasons, is that right?"
MrAbdiel
This is good.  This is negotiation.  He first reaches out without a second thought, and opens the cages, permitting the rats to exit them and, hopefully, not to flee immediately.  Then he tents his fingers in front of his lips.

 "Well.  I guess if you just promise to stay out of trouble, not getting into places that will rile folks up - and making an effort to dissuade the unmarked rats the same - you wouldn't need to stay there.  How about this - round up all the other marked rats, and tomorrow morning, I'll meet you wherever you like; and we'll march together over to the laboratory where Merce works.  You know she's got your interest at heart, since she released you in the first place; so she, and maybe the professor, can witness as we sign an agreement.  You marked ones will stay out of trouble, and in return if trouble finds you anyway, you can come to me and I'll advocate on your behalf with the big folk.  Plus, once I have my house and workshop up and running, I'll make a nice little place for you, and you'll be welcome to stay there any cold night you wish; and I'll do my level best to keep you in food there when you're over to stay.  I can't feed every rat in the town, but I can probably feed your little clan for a season out of a year, and the other cold few nights.  How does that sound?" 
DeTess
"Well..." Arthur tilts his bewhiskered head, as if thinking things through. "We'll talk to the others, and maybe meet tomorrow after sundown? No promises, but I think the rest will at least want to hear you out. As for where to meet..."

"Oh, you, girly. Remember that dead-end alley near the docks between those places humans get food that smells like fish?" The other rat addresses Misha, who had quietly been watching the exchange. "You'd been chasing me a while back, and you lost me there."

Misha considers for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, I remember the place." The young druid seemingly doesn't need any potions to be able to follow the conversation.

"Right, how about we meet there, tomorrow at sundown?" The rat suggests.
MrAbdiel
 "Right.  Right!  Great.  Great."   He allows himself to be progressively more excited as things move along.  Nodding reassuringly, patting his palms together in brief, mute applause.

 "Might I ask how many of you and your marked friends I should expect?  I'm told there were twenty of you, at once time; and another batch of ten before, though five of them, perhaps, less uplifted than the others.  And, another question, while we're talking.  You've obviously been in contact with the other rats.  Before the fear wards were put up on the granary, they used to put out poison, and send out cats to hunt; but the poison kept showing up in the food of the workers there, and the cats were being killed by coordination.  These are schemes I wouldn't put past rats like yourselves, but a bit beyond the normal kind.  Have any of the other rats... mentioned that?  Indicated anything about that time, like how those previous generations might have accomplished such things?  My gut tells me they had humanoid help, but I just have no proof at all.  Aside from that... You're free to go, and I'll see you tomorrow evening.  Unless- you'd like to hang around a little longer, and I'll buy you lunch." 

This sentiment seems to be aimed at the rats, and Misha together; an final integration of everyone in the room as peers, wrapped up in that offer.  One a way or the other, he and Misha will escort Arthur and the Lady out of the building, and back into freedom; rats bound by honor alone, now, to return at the appointed time.
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

The drow's home was about as it was the last time Bolten visited it. Though it seemed a tad bit untidy with some open books laying about and a few unwashed dishes in the kitchen. And if one were to be very observant: feathers.

 "Well, I have heard of magic that can conjure up water... that should be simple enough."   Except Shandara knew that it was clerics who usually did this.  It would probably be far harder for someone such as herself to write up a spell to replicate the same effect.

She leads Bolten to the sitting room just nearby and begins boiling a fresh pot of tea for the two of them.  "Yes.. that should be quite doable. I believe magic items exist, much like a bottle, which produces endless amounts of water. Though it is quite expensive. I am sure something similar to that may work." 

But no matter how Shandara thought about it, she couldn't quite imagine the arcane scripts, or the "code" coming together to work.

 "Apologies, I have been busy with my own affairs, of late. What of the spybug? Still far too soon for a prototype?" 
DeTess
"Oh, those?" the Lady replies to Aiden's question about those rats from the past. "They must have been a real sneaky bunch, as some of the other rats still occasionally reference them, even though it's been a couple generations now, and it's rare for anything but the most important stuff to be passed on. Supposedly their descendants still have a nest somewhere in the city, but I don't know where."

"Thanks for the offer of food, but we really should be going, as there's a bunch of stuff that needs doing if we're going to meet tomorrow" Arthur responds to the bard's offer. "I don't know how many of us will actually attend. Probably at least..." Arthur looks down at his paws, and it seems like he's actually using them to count off the ones he expects to attend. "...six, but I reckon the others will be nearby, watching at first."

"Well, I won't say no to some lunch." Misha says. "And afterwards I'll make sure Auntie knows that you'll need another one of those potions. I can meet you at the granary tomorrow evening to lead you to the meeting spot?" She suggests.
MrAbdiel
This all works for Aiden on all accounts, and another round of nods and encouragement aside, the rats are set free somewhere outside of the Society grounds (as long as they're confident making their way back, from there), and the carpenter and the young druidess wind up back at Julieanne's Brew.

 "I never asked - how many are in the Circle of the Mouse?  Is it like ... family, of sorts?  Or do you split time between family and the circle?" 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

While Bolten does observe the books Shandara has lying around, he is too preoccupied by the project's difficulties to notice the strange presence of feathers in the house.

At Shandara's question, Bolten shakes his head.  "I've only had one day to work on it! It's a small project, when talking about size, but the clockwork involved is very delicate. It's going to potentially take the rest of the week. I'll do what I can to speed up the process, but your enchanting won't matter if the parts aren't fitted properly. Now, about the water... I'm new to this whole, er, magic thing, but couldn't you just hire a priest or someone to cast the spell for you and then find a way to bind the spell to the tank?" 
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 
 "I.. suppose we could do that.."  she begins reluctantly.

 "Although, there would be some complications involved. First, we would need some form of permanent affect. And second, we need a way to control how much water is needed. Don't want to make the whole apparatus overflow or burst with pressure, do we?" 
 "And third,"  she states, her voice lowering a bit,  "I think we had best keep this little project secret, both of them, and bring in as few outside contacts as possible..." 
 "You see. I visited the Midnight Guard yester- er, earlier this morning. They asked me some questions regarding the threats I may be expecting. And it occurred to me that, if word got out that I was working on some gadget to help some .. some operative like Ironmonger kill and spy on my own kind, well..  as you can imagine, it's one thing if they simply take offense to me living here and no longer worshiping their Spider Queen. But I feel it is a whole different matter if I were to be actively working on something that is a detriment to them..." 

She huffs a breath and adds,  "To be frank.. you might not be so safe either. And this is why I ask, for my sake and your own, to try to be as discreet about these projects as possible." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten listens quietly and finally nods give a small nod.  "All right... because you asked, I will keep mum on this whole thing. I'll leave you to puzzle it out, then, or we are going to have some major design problems. Also, I meant to ask you... When are we going to go help Vaigr and Banbas? They said they wanted advance warning before coming to the shop and, well, we're going to be busy for the next month or so anyway." 
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara shrugs and says,  "Hm? I thought we told them about a week after the festival ended?  I was under the impression that we could come at about any time after that." 
 "Well, maybe we could still drop by. I don't think we could promise anything regarding their clockwork menagerie, seeing as we'll be busy, though." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
 "Oh... Sorry, I thought you felt that that was too much time. Still, I distinctly remember that they wanted confirmation before we came so that they could prep the spirit's clockwork for inspection. We'll be busy, sure, but I will try and make some time to help them. A dwarf's offer of aid is never given lightly." 
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara offers,  "Well.. perhaps there will come a time when one of us is busy working and the other is waiting on the other to finish their part? If I knew how to solve the water issue off the top of my head, that may as well have been tomorrow." 
 "What I mean to suggest is that, it may be more convenient for us to visit their workshop one at a time? Either way, I think we could spare an afternoon or so at least visiting them. And at the very least, it may be extra time to think about their unique situation." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
 "Going separately at time is a fair suggestion,"  Bolten admits.  "I, er, uh, suppose that you can schedule an afternoon that works for you and I can make accommodations for that first meeting? After that, we can visit as needed to improve upon different aspects of the improvements." 
WindStruck
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara brings out the tea, pouring each a cup.

 "Well, perhaps we may visit them tomorrow afternoon, if you would like? I will need to go to the archives and take a long, hard look, but I am fairly confident that I can find the solution to continuously conjure just the right amount of water." 
 "Another day that suits you better may also work, as I also need to spend time on finding a modified version of that silence spell." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten blows on his tea before sipping it.  "Tomorrow would work just fine. Finishing the drone chassis will be my priority going forward. I'm done banging my head against the wall at the archives. It's late now, so I will swing by there in the morning." 
DeTess
 Julieanne's Brew 
"I suppose we're a bit like a family, yes. I wouldn't really know, but the circle definitely feels more like I think a family would than any of the little gangs I was part of before." Misha said between bites of her bread. "I think there's maybe a dozen of us? Auntie 'Toma I see a lot, since she's my mentor, and there's Berk and Arnold that are also newer members of the circle, so we help each other sometimes, but the rest only pops up every couple months, mostly if there's some kind of serious trouble, and they need auntie to tell them how to fix it."
MrAbdiel
This gives him an idea of the circle, as it stands; a sort of drop-in, drop-out circle for stray druids; a not unappreciable concept.  Aiden picks Misha's brain about it mostly idley, but after that he invites her - and Auntie 'Toma - to be there tomorrow to bear witness to what he hopes will be an end to the hostilities between humanoids, and... bizarrely intelligent rats, for good.  Once he's bid her farewell, he drops by the laboratory to update Merce and the professor about the rat-chat, since it'll put Merce's mind at ease and the obvious growth of the rats from vermin into  sapient creatures  definately has implications on his research, datalogically and ethically!  He asks them if possible to be there tomorrow night, after dusk, to be witnesses and signatories to the document he spends the rest of the day drafting and very carefully writing up, listing the promises he has made to the rats, and that the rats have suggested they will be prepared, themselves, to promise.

After all that, what remains is to meet with the bulk of the vermin the following night - and convince them, of course, to join him in legal agreement with one another.
DeTess
Professor Hoplum seems quite surprised by Aiden's discoveries regarding the rat's intelligence, and assures him that this must be a recent development. Merce doesn't contradict the professor but looks quite thoughtful after hearing the revelation. She also promises to be there the next evening, while professor Hoplum excuses himself, as he apparently already had an appointment.

The next evening Aiden finds Misha waiting for him and Merce at the gates to the Eastwharf Grannary. The young druid hands him another potion like the one auntie 'Toma had made for him before
. She also hands him several papers covered in small and neat handwriting and arcane diagrams. "Auntie 'Toma made that for you. It contains details on a spell for being able to understand the rats. She said you should  figure out a way to cast it, or enchant something with the effect, as she won't make any more of those potions for you."

Misha then leads Aiden and Merce through the harbor district, ending at a small alleyway with a distinctly fishy smell. The alleyway is already quite dark, and is full of refuse and garbage. It seems to end at a wall with garbage piled up against it, and from this pile of garbage several pairs of small beady eyes are looking at Aiden and his companions. No sounds is forthcoming from the gathering of rats, and they seem content to wait for Aiden to take the lead.

 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
Vaigr and Banbas' workshop is a sizeable building on the Bronze avenue, not that far from the campus of the Artificery society itself. A set of large double doors below a sign bearing the gnome and goliath's name are open and lead into a large open space studded with furnaces, anvils, workbenches, grinding wheels and other machinery. The place is also rather busy, with several of Banbas and Vaigr's associates currently hard at work making components. One of them notices Shandara and Bolten as they enter, stops his work and calls out. "Hey Boss, the two artificers that helped us the other day are here!"

Moments later, Banbas himself arrives from a backroom and scurries over to meat the elf and dwarf. "Bolten, Shandara, it's good to see you! Please, follow me, we can talk in the office!" The gnome leads the two of them back into the room he'd come from.

The office is  a rather curious place. It has all the things you'd expect from a company's office, like solid desks, chairs for guests, shelves filled with books and ledgers and a variety of diagrams pinned to the walls showing a number of different clockwork designs. However, just about every piece of furniture in the room is provided in two very different sizes. Of particular note are the two desks, the smaller one is placed on a raised dias to be at the same level as the far larger desk right next to it, while the seat behind the larger desk actually seems to have been placed in a recess in the ground.

"Please, take a seat." Banbas gestures towards some chairs set in front of the twin desks that are sized more appropriately for elves and dwarves, and then sets to work heating up some water on a small stove behind his desk. "What can I get you? Tea, coffee? Vaigr is currently out on an errand, but I expect him to be back in half an hour or so."
Prehysterical
Bolten is amazed by the scale of the pair's operation. They had a whole business all to themselves, with workers and everything! They even had custom furniture to make up for their very different heights and statures.

 "Oh, tea, please,"  Bolten answers pleasantly as he sits down in the chair.  "I must say, I am quite impressed with the operations here, Banbas. This place is as properly bustling as a dwarven forge, as my mother used to say." 
WindStruck
 "I'm not feeling a particular preference today, but tea would be fine, thank you,"  Shandara says, looking over an Bolten with a slight smile.

 "Hm, yes. It does seem you run quite a business here. As I'm sure your income doesn't come from merely organizing parades?"  she remarks.

 "Well there's no rush, if you would like us to wait here for a time." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden is grateful for the potion and even for for the scroll; effusive as ever in his thanks, even if clearly somewhat nervous.  This, after all, had stopped being a matter of pest control and had become one of life and death. With Merce and Misha looking on, he drinks the potion, clears his throat, and calls the meeting to order.  He thanks them for being here.  He appreciates some have probably come for quite a distance.  He spares a thought for those who could not make it to this occasion.  And then, after the formalities, he tells them everything.  He tells them about the Granary - the food-place they penetrated, leaving the operators frustrated and seeking aid; about how his initial plan has been to set up an elaborate scheme involving owls and mind control until these two young ladies here helps show him that these furry survivors deserved compassion and recognition; about how his fondest wish is to insulate them from harm but his capacity to do so is limited entirely by their capacity to cooperate with him.  He gives them the offer he described to Arthur and the Lady, sophisticated slightly: shelter on cold nights, a secure food source for the marked rats and their kin for three generations, his advocacy among humanoids where it was needed in matters where they ran into trouble.  In return, he asks for the cessation of their efforts to penetrate the humanoid homes and storehouses and the cessation of any inducement to make other rats do the same; their best faith efforts to convince the other marked rats to get on board with this plan; and their promise not to abuse his personal generosity in this matter by, say, having hundreds of children each and eating him out of house and home.

At the end of the presentation, he unveils two things.  One is a large document clipped to a board that details this agreement, signed by himself and shorty after by his witnesses Misha and Merce (Merce the most helpful in assuring this contract is what it says it is) with dozens of spaces available at its base to be countersigned.  There is an ink pad, boxes for a paw print, and then a space where the corresponding ratÂ’s mark number and name if any can go.

The second thing is a big wheel of cheese, ready to be sliced up in anticipation of an outcome worth celebrating here.

Â“And so, it falls to you, my small friends.  Will you now join me in this noble endeavour, and put to rest any fear of lasting trouble between your people and mine?  If there remains any questions, these I will answer; and it any of you are ready to sign at any point in the future, you need only find me.  But if any of you are ready to sign now, then step forward, tell me your name, and let ink, and not blood, write the last chapter of this story.Â”

He opens the ink pad, sits on a crate, and rests his case.

 
 Spoiler 
A new day, a new wellspring of luck to draw upon.  First impression best impression!

  Diplomancy  - (1d20+23)[ 27 ] 

Edit:  one day, that luck thing will give me jaw dropping success.  But for now I’ll settle for it pulling my butt out of the fire.
 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"The parades are a good advertisement for our expertise." Banbas explains as he sets down three cups of tea, a small one for him, and two larger cups for his guests. "We take all kinds of commissions for clockwork designs and even the occasional construct. Designing new bodies for the spirits pushes our mastery of clockwork to its limits, but the lessons learned can then be applied to all kinds of other things. It's a good thing too, as designing new bodies for those guardian spirits isn't cheap."

"I'd say it is well worth the price though." A deep voice adds. "Bolten, Shandara, it is good to see you again." Vaigr shakes the hands of the two Artisans, then sits down behind his own desk.

"How did Assama do?" Banbas asks after emptying the rest of the teapot into a large cup for Vaigr.

"Quite well. The local spirits seem to have accepted her, and I expect her power will grow soon. She was very tired though, so I send her home early to get some rest." The goliath responds to Banbas' question. "But that can wait for later."

"True, true. Ah, Assama is Vaigr's apprentice in the mystical ways, and the two of them set out out to perform a ritual outside the city to see if she was ready to master new tricks or something like that." Banbas' adds for the benefit of Bolten and Shadnara.

"Something like that, yes." Vaigr adds, a slight smile playing around his lips. "Now then, Bolten, Shandara, what can we help you with? Or have you come here maybe to lends us some of your own skills?"

 alleyway in the harbor district 
A moment of silence follows Aiden's explanations, which stretches on for almost a minute before it is broken by a small and wizened looking rat with a tattoo of the number 4 in its ear. "Ha! Arthur spoke truth, you do enjoy talking a lot, human." The rat squeaks as it slowly approaches Aiden, supported by a younger looking rat without any tattoos in its ear.

"Oh, that's Mirabelle. She was one of the smartest in the first group." Merce whispers softly to Aiden.

"Mirabelle... a bit too long a name for me, I think. I call myself Bell." the elderly rat replies. She speaks slowly and deliberately, in contrast to the rapid-fire patter of Arthur and his lady when they spoke to Aiden. "I have seen enough of humans to know that you're a selfish bunch and never to be trusted...well, most of you anyway. But the Mother..." she speaks that as a title and looks pointedly at Merce. "Well, she's different, and so I have no reason to suspect tricks on your part." The old rat looks at Aiden again.

"Your terms are... mostly acceptable. If you provide for us we will not take food from other humans. Know though that many of my kin, both those released by the Mother and those born of me and my cage-sister are quite curious, and there are those that will still enter human buildings to hear, see and learn. They will refrain from mischief as long as you provide for us though. Is that good enough?"
MrAbdiel
 "I  do  like to talk,"  he concedes self-effacingly, smiling at the rodent elder as she makes her dignified scurry forward.   "And I think we can accommodate that adjustment.  If people find rat droppings in their homes and storehouses, they're going to assume there's a problem and start taking measures; and clever as your folk are, sometimes this'll result in tragedy.  But... Well, put it this way.  If no one knows you were there, then no one can have a problem with it.  Take nothing, leave nothing, and I doubt anyone will be able to much complain about.  I think we might have an agreement, Mirabelle." 

This was not an unforeseen possibility.  He produces an inkpen, strikes through the section about not entering buildings, and pens a new section reflecting the new agreement, initialling and letting Merce and Misha witness and sign the change.  Then he lays the board flat on the ground, uses another sheet of paper below the first signature line to prevent little rodent feet from accidentally marking the whole thing, labels it "#4 - Mirabelle", and lowers the ink pad for the first of what will hopefully be many tiny, orderly pawprints.
DeTess
The elderly rat steps forward, gingerly presses it's paw to the ink pad, then presses it on the paper, using it to cover up the number four next to her name. Behind her, Aiden hears a bit of rustling through the trash at the end of the alleyway, as a lot more rats have appeared to watch proceedings. Four more rats are now approaching as well. One of them Aiden recognizes as Arthur, while the other two are also clearly elderly rats, marked with numbers 7 and 10 in their ears. Rat number seven is supported by an untattooed rat, much like Mirabelle was.

"Janeway and Markus of the first generation, and Arthur was part of the second group." Merce whispers to Aiden to introduce them. "No signs of Ceasar and Marvello though."

"Both of them have died. Kai got grabbed by a cat almost a year ago, Marv died from old age last week." Bell says in response to Merce's musings. "If she can't understand me, I'll leave it up to you to tell her." she adds, addressing Aiden.
MrAbdiel
Aiden performs the translation dutifully, even respectfully, to Merce.   "Bell - who has called you the Mother - says that Kai, Ceaser, was taken by a cat almost a year ago, and Marv, Marvello, passed last week, at the fullness of life.  Both Mirabelle and Janeway have children, who... seem to have inherited some or all of their uncommon cleverness.  I shall have to make you something that permits you to speak with them, Merce.  This seems both fascinating to learn, but also meaningful to know.  They remember and respect you - only crediting me with trust because you're here.  Misha, would you mind cutting up some of that cheesewheel for our small friends while carry on here?" 

All of this is going so wonderfully that the carpenter's eyes are shiny with unspent tears - a little overmuch an emotional response for most, though obviously his instinct feels it is warranted.  He works the ink pad, facilitating for the rats as they come, writing names by numbers, indicating with the polite inference that the rats have not been taught to read no matter how cunning they are.
Prehysterical
Bolten accepts both the tea and the handshake with a smile.  "Well, as per our conversation the other day, it sounds like you are having some major problems with designing a clockwork animal chassis that the spirits are able to control efficiently. I'd like to take a closer look and perhaps do some experimentation. Now that I think about it, perhaps creating a central common chassis with a modular limb system could be a way to go."  Turning to Shandara, Bolten asks,  "You had your own suggestions about enchantments to use, right?" 
WindStruck
 Hyrsson Clockwork 
 "Ah yes, it was just a friendly visit.. as I know Bolten has expressed a willingness to help the spirits,"  Shandara says with a nod.

Looking toward Bolten she says,  "Not quite. I've no idea what to do for them in terms of enchantments. My main reason for being here was curiosity." 

Gesturing at the Goliath, she explains,  "Vaigr here mentioned a ritual he used that was a weaker version of summoning the animal forms. I would be interested in taking a look at that, as well as studying some of the crystals more closely, and any other notes you said you had. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to find anything helpful, but I am willing to take a look into it." 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Well, I certainly won't say no to some advice from a fellow expert on all things clockwork." Banbas' announces in response to Bolten's offer of aid. "After we finished our drinks I'll show you some of my most recent designs, and we can discuss your idea as well."

"After our earlier talk, I've already gathered and written down all the information I have on the rituals so feel free to peruse them and share your insights, Shandara." Vaigr picks up a thick notebook from the shelf behind his desk, and presents it to Shandara.

 alleyway in the harbor district 
"Ah. Thank you for telling me." Merce responds quietly to the news of the last two rats of the first group. Meanwhile, Misha starts cutting the cheese wheel into small chunks and soon enough there is a small swarm of rats spread out before them, eagerly accepting the bounty of food.

"The shelter you promised, I assumed that is something you wills till need to set up?" Bell asks Aiden, ignoring the food for now. "Any idea when it will be ready?"
MrAbdiel
 "I'll make it my top priority.  That might require a little time for me to gather the money for something substantial, but I think I have enough squirreled away for something soon.  In the meantime, I'll bring any food I can to this alley, and keep you updated on that progress." 

His smile maintains, even if it dims slightly with introspection.  His  ideal  home might have to wait - he needs, for now, one that will suffice, to fulfil his end of this deal.
DeTess
 Alleyway in the harbor district 
After the cheese had all been handed out nd an agreement had been reached with Bell about when the next delivery of food could be expected the rats all disappeared almost as quickly as they had appeared.

"Professor Hoplum has arranged for some funds, both as a reward for helping us out and not making a massive fuss about this, and to help cover any costs you would have to make." Merce told Aiden. "That should help with arranging for a place for them to stay as well. I'll help as much as I can as well, of course."

"This is going to be a world of trouble." Master Mitoma seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, standing just behind Aiden. Despite her dire words, there was something almost approaching a smile playing around her lips, and there was a twinkle of amusement in the old crone's eyes. "I'm sure you've noticed that these rats have offspring that are definitely a bit more social than your average rat, so if part of the adjustments of these creatures are hereditary... well you two are going to have your hands full ensuring that Vaungate's future overlords are a benevolent lot." the old druid lets out a loud laugh. "Well, with a bit of luck I won't be around for that to become my problem."

 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
Banbas and Bolten take some time to look over the various designs for the clockworks animals. Banbas' are incredibly intricate, almost to the point of being excessive, with things like individual  movement for all toes and both tails and necks flexing in all possible directions. Sturdiness of the designs could definitely be improved by skimping on these details, but Banbas explains that these kind of additions actually help the spirits feel more at home in their bodies.

The two of them also discuss Boltens suggestion for a modular design. Banbas is quite enthusiastic about the idea, especially because it'd allow him to try out small improvements and design iterations more easily, though there are still some challenges to overcome. "I'm not sure how to adapt the control system for your idea though." Banbas points out. "We use wires that the spirits can essentially tug on to operate every aspect of their body, but we'd have to figure out a way to bridge the wires between the connections for the modular parts. If we would have to rewire each part after attaching it that'd make everything a lot more complicated."

Meanwhile, Shandara and Vaigr look over the rituals involved in waking up the spirits. Having Vaigr there to explain things is certainly helpful, as at first glance the diagrams and spellcraft involved appears to be an absolutely disjointed mess. As a matter of fact, this impression isn't that far of the mark, as it requires a lot of willpower and faith on the part of the caster to keep everything together. Though this way of casting is quite unintuitive for Shandara, and it makes adding any large-scale improvements a lot more difficult, it does open up a lot of small ways in which the rituals could be adjusted based on more conventional arcane principles to make it easier on the caster, which might allow Vaigr to put more actual power into the ritual without having to worry about holding it all together.
Prehysterical
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

While the intricate designs may seem overkill at first, Bolten understands that form is the same as function in this case. If the spirits can be made to be more natural and fluid in their own bodies, that would reduce wear and tear. It simply meant that more work needed to be done up front to keep maintenance down.

After some thought, Bolten suggests,  "Why not have standard wiring ports for the tails, heads, and limbs? If the wires can be consistent in their placement inside the body and bundled so that they are all placed together at the entry ports, that would make it a lot easier. You could just slide in the parts and everything would simply line up with a click as the same wiring in the appendages line up with their partners in the main body." 
MrAbdiel
 The Alleyway in the Harbour District 
 "Funds would be wonderful - very helpful for both out small friends here, and - I'll admit - not a little helpful to me, if I'm about to kick my plans to set up a home in the city into a gallop.  We can sort out the details of that later, but I want you to know..."  he pauses to look at Merce directly, with radiant, paternal approval in his features; projecting his hand toward her to trigger a natural response to reach out and receive what might be expected to be a  shake , but is infact a clasp of her hand between both of his in earnest.   "I want you to know that your  instinct  to spare these creatures, these little  people , was right.  You were right to spare them; right to feel bad about betraying Professor Hoplum's trust; right to muster the courage to confess to him; right to have assisted all the way here.  You've been right every step of the way, and the rats are right to revere you.  You've been a force for good in a world which often has very little of it, especially for the least creatures.  I want you to let yourself feel good about that."   He gives her hand a pat, like he's making a physical gesture to seal in the lavish approbation, then releases it, just as Auntie 'Toma appears.

 "Master Mitoma, you made it!"  He says with warmth, far in excess of what he has any right to feel having only met the mysterious druidess recently and knowing her almost not at all.   "You're right, there may be trouble to come.  But we'll encounter it, a bit at a time; and if the city and its smallest citizens are robbed of your matronly watch before the full fruit of that trouble, then we shall all be glad you've taken the time to pass on  your  fascinating wisdom to another generation, too."   He nods over at Misha, dispensing cheese dutifully.   "She's been a great help.  I think I'll pay her some coin each week just to keep her on retainer for jobs around the city, and for matters with the rats when Merce's benevolent intellect is best paired with someone who can get down on their true level.  You've been a blessing too, Master Mitoma; potions, and scrolls, and insight and all.  Is there anything I can do for you, before you vanish into obscurity again?  You deserve some repayment yourself.  And if you fob it off, I'll get you something anyway that will both vex and flatter you."   He wags a warning finger at the old woman, his mirth taking on an edge of his own, somewhat more divine sense of mischeif.   "Test me, at your peril." 
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

While Bolten is discussing actual clockwork design with Banbas, Shandara is going over the ritual with Vaigr at his very large desk, both frustratingly trying to read and comprehend the writing itself, and listen to the Goliath at the same time. At a certain point she gives up on the papers and just focuses all her attention on his words, until he seemingly has nothing else to say.

Looking back to his notes, she tries to analyze them again, finding the magic principles buried within and a way to better organize them.

With a nod, she says,  "Erm. You wouldn't happen to have more parchment in that desk, do you?"  Shandara had some sheaves herself. Hopefully it was enough to get something accomplished...

With a keen eye and some concentration, Shandara began transcribing the ritual onto the new pieces of paper, frequently skipping around the cumbersome notebook. The irrelevant bits of information (in her opinion) were effectively trimmed away, and so too were a few redundant images and texts which cropped up.

 "I have to admit, this type of magic is quite alien to me, though I do recognize it does in fact exist .. and in many cases, fundamentals I learned about arcane magic still apply here as well,"  she says evenly, soon after she began this process.

 "And I also admit I am attempting to copy a few things I still don't understand.. but when I am finished here..."   she trails off in some deep concentration for minutes before realizing maybe she should finish explaining what she was doing.  "I am working on transforming the ritual in these notes into something I can understand a bit easier. You should hopefully be able to understand as well, and I will point out the improvements." 
 "I think at the very least, should you try these small changes and get used to them, you and your apprentice will find find the ritual a bit easier to conduct." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
thank goodness for "restore autosaved content"
 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
""Hmmm, it would still require some changes to the way the system works right now..." Banbas sketches out a couple rough designs for the connections for the control wires while talking. "But I think I can make that work. Not every limb design uses the same amount of wires, but if we provide the maximum amount of connections in the body the modular limb can then just interact with the ones that it needs." A smile crosses the gnome's face. "It'll take a while to work out new designs around this, but I think I can definitely make this work."

Meanwhile Vaigr is looking over Shandara's modified rituals. "I... think I mostly get these modifications..." The Goliath then asks for a number of clarifications. Though it is clear that he is no scholar of the arcane he picks up on the theory behind the changes suggested by the dark elf fairly quickly. "I think I'll have to take another look at the other rituals I work with as well. I think I can modify a lot of them based on these suggestions. Thank you, Shandara. I knew it was a good idea to have someone with more understanding than just the rituals passed on by their ancestors look over these."

 The Alleyway in the Harbour District 
Merce seems quite stunned at Aiden's barrage of compliments, a blush visible on her face even in the dim light of the alleyway. Master Mitoma on the other hand appears to be a lot more resistant to the bard's charms. "Flattery will get you nowhere with me, young man." She says, as unflappable as ever. "As for a reward... I think I'll keep hold of that owed favor for now. There is nothing I need that you could provide for me at this time, but if that changes, I'll make sure to come calling."
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Shandara smiles a little, perhaps with more self-satisfaction than anything else.

 "Of course. Do let me know if it all works out as intended, later. There is still much I don't understand, so perhaps we could revisit the topic later..  when we aren't working on other commissions." 

Leaning forward a bit, she asks,  "Now then, about the crystals - um, the spirits themselves. Would you mind if I had a closer look at them?" 
MrAbdiel
Aiden's business with Mirabelle, Merce and Mitoma concluded, he takes a moment to speak with the fourth lady M of the gathering - Misha.

 "Miss Misha,"  he begins when he has her attention, holding his hands in the air between them as if framing her face in his own vision for a portrait in his mind.   "You've done everything I could have hoped you to do, and then some.  I'm grateful, and impressed.  You've earned much beyond your pay.  If you want, I'll keep you on retainer.  That means I'll pay you, say, two gold a week just to be available in the city if I ever need your help communicating with the rats, or things like that.  And I'll buy you a pastry every day you show up for breakfast.  Oh - and I haven't forgotten my other promise.  If I can get a few measurements from you some time soon, I'll have a set of armor for you that'll knock your socks off.  The ranger I bought the leather from said it's  moonstag rival  leather, which I'm told means it's harvested from defeated challenger in a moonstag leadership challenge, out in..."   He trails off, flicking his fingers loosely in the air to dismiss the remnant of the thought.   "Anyway, it's good, and it's about as nature-friendly as good leather gets.  But for today, you can head home and get a good night sleep."   He hands off to her the remaining sum of gold for the last day of her employment in the original contract.   "I'm going to make sure Merce gets home safely, then get some sleep myself.  Lots of big things happening in my world, now; but I'm glad I can count on people like you." 

* * * * *

After following through on those promises, and a morning of fiddlin' for the artificer foot traffic, Aiden (and Ambrose) are walking once again to the office of Overseer Evans, at the Eastwharf Granary.  When he knocks on the door, blowing out a calming breath, he tries to imagine what kind of man the Overseer, who he has spend very little time getting to know, might be.  Will he be so skeptical of this development he will immediately seek another violent remedy - or will he just be happy that his problem has been solved, and offer the same compensation he had intended in the first place?

 "Overseer Evans, sir?"   He calls past the door, too excited by the events of the night before to be patient.   "It's Aiden Sorveaux, your man looking into the vermin problem.  I think we've cracked it, but it's... Well, it's going to take some explaining." 
Prehysterical
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
Bolten tries to reassure Banbas.  "Yes, it will be a lot of work now, but it will save a lot of headache going forward. I once heard a wise man say that 'invention is an investment of labor'.

Now, are there any spirits that you're having particular trouble in accommodating with a body?" 
DeTess
 The Eastwharf Granary 
"Ah, the artificer, right?" The old overseer opens the door and motions to Aiden to follow him a short distance outside, to a short bench overlooking most of the granary. He carefully lowers himself to the bench, and motions for Aiden to do the same. "Well then, fill me in on the fruits of your labor."

 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"As long as you promise to be careful, I don't mind you studying the spirits. If they are of a different opinion, I'm sure they'll let us know." Vaigr responds to Shandara's request. "Please, follow me, I'll show you where they rest."

The Goliath leads the dark elf back into the workshop, then to another door. The door opens up in a very small room, more like a large storage closet than a proper room really. However, the moment Shadnara steps over the threshold she can immediately sense that there is a ***presence to this room, much like stepping into an active ritual circle. The floor is bare earth, and the walls are covered in rough wood-carvings depicting a variety of creatures, like big cats, boars, stags, and even a large eagle-liek creature. Inside the mouth of each of these creatures one of the spirit crystals is set. "Hmmmm, they're more alert than usual." Vaigr says, his voice a respectful whisper. Maybe because of the rituals I performed earlier today, they would have likely sensed that."

***
Meanwhile Bolten and Banbas' discussion of clockwork continues. "The most difficult one right now is Kiutl. We've tried several times now to make a body for... her, I think, but she's taken to none of them." Banbas informs the dwarven artificer. "The problem is that Kiutl is a bird spirit, and though I could definitely create a clockwork body with wings and talons and all that, making it fly is quite another matter entirely. I've tried a number of things, but anything that allows the body to actually take to the air also makes it decidedly less bird like, which is a bit of an issue for the spirit."
MrAbdiel
With a deep breath, the carpenter begins to lay it all out.

 "Well, sir, it's like this.  When you first spoke to me about the way the rats had once been so crafty they'd ambushed cats and tried to poison the human food, long before they were able to penetrate the new wards, I thought something was up with the vermin that deserved examining.  That old mystery I've yet to penetrate - maybe I never will.  But I hired on Misha - you met Misha, she's the young druid girl who was snooping after the rats for me? - I hired on Misha to gather information for me, and she didn't disappoint."   It's here that he begins to be careful, trying to honor Professor Hoplum by not directly implicating him.   "Well, we discovered how the rats were able to penetrate your wards.  It turns out there's a small number of rats - less than thirty, I think - in the city that have an advanced intellect.  Maybe they came in on a ship with magic artifacts, or they were caught in some kind of supernatural event... The reason doesn't matter at this point.  What resulted is these rats have real smarts behind them.   Real  smarts.  Smart enough that, if you can understand their squeaks with a nature-magic potion, you can hold a pretty good conversation.  Smart as people.  They are people, really.  And they worked out that the magic wards on your granary are fear based - they create the illusion of predator fear in the rats, you see.  Makes 'em run.  But when they worked it out, like anyone else confronted by a fear, they muscle through and overcome it, and once they do it's not so bad.  And the other rats - the regular ones - well, they see these smart rats leading the way, and they follow."   He alloys a grimace to his smile and makes a placating gesture with his hands.   "I know that sounds all quite outlandish and convoluted.  But the upshot of it is that there's a small number of very smart rats who are guiding the regular rats through the magical countermeasures you're taking.  And knowing that, myself and a few colleagues found a solution that we think solves the problem in the most humane and cost effective way.  We negotiated with the clever-rats, and they've agreed not to breach your silos, or to try to sneak in to other food-storage places.  And it's my belief that without those leaders helping them through, the normal rats will once again be unable to breach your existing wards."   He leans back in his chair a little, and makes a little  so that's it  gesture, flapping his hat to one side and empty hand to the other.

 "So I might have worked myself out of a job with you, sir.  It turns out you didn't need an ingenious rat killing machine at all; just a little clever druid work.  With that out of the way, I think you'll find your existing wards, and the services those warders have provided you, will once again be sufficient to the task of keeping your goods safe.  Keep an eye on your silos and I think you'll see over the next days and weeks that the rats stop getting in.  I've no right to demand payment for my services as an artificer, since I've made you no artifice.  Simple as that." 
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Shandara nods quietly to Vaigr.  "I see. Well, I shall try to be careful. Are you able to talk to them directly? Or they with you?" 

Well, whatever the answer, Shandara starts off by casting  Comprehend Languages . Because that's a spell she had prepared specifically for today, anyway.

 "Which one was Muud?"  she asks, peering around at the various cat-like carvings. If she recalled, this was the spirit that had a lion body shortly before its hind legs were blown out.
Prehysterical
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Bolten rubs his chin thoughtfully.  "That is a problem... Would you mind showing me the designs? I might be able to suggest something if I know what we are working with." 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"It requires a special ritual to give them an actual voice." Vaigr explained to Shandara. "They can communicate by sharing feelings and emotions if you touch the crystal, but it can be hard to interpret if you're not familair with that particular spirit." The Goliath pointed out a crystal held in the mouth of a carving resembling a large at with ferocious canines. Shandara could just about make out a minor blemish on the crystal's surface, all that remained of the once large crack. "That's the one you saved. I don't know about the others, but I'm certain Muud won't mind it if you interact with them."

***
"Right, one moment." Banbas hopped down from his chair and went over t a shelf containing a large number of folders. "Let's see here... ah, this one." Banbas retrieved one of the folders and brought it back to the desk. "These are the designs I've made for Kiutl." he opened the folder to reveal a collection of large sheets of paper covered in intricate clockwork designs. "This is the first proper design I made for her." The first sheet he shows details a bird-like form, about three feet high based on the notes on the design. "The first design didn't really have wigs that could move on their own. I rectified that in later iterations, but it was not enough, as the design couldn't fly. I did some calculations, but even if I made the entire thing from wood and mithril I wouldn't be able to make it light enough to fly under its own power."

The gnome picks a sheet from further down into the folder. "So instead I tried this." The designs shows another bird-like form, but this time suspended beneath a large balloon. "I thought it was quite ingenious, if I say so myself, but it didn't matter for the spirit. Apparently she needs to feel like she's flying herself, rather than just being held aloft. And that's more ore less what I'm stuck on. I tried some more variations on the balloon with more control for the spirit, but with no success."

 The Eastwharf Granary 
Overseer Evans listens attentively to Aiden's explanation, then takes some time to think it all over. When eh eventually speaks, it is not to address Aiden. Instead he calls over a woman who had been going over a shipment of food that was being prepared to be carted away. The woman is fairly tall, with long brown hair and blue eyes magnified by a pair of glasses. Her clothes are utilitarian, like much of those worn by the other workers of the granary, but they do seem to be of excellent quality, and she carries a clipboard covered in notes in her left hand.

"Did you make your count yet?" The overseer asks her when she has joined him and Aiden.

"Yes, I have. Eight signs, but clustered. Might be as few as two rats, and probably no more than four." She responds immediately, without even checking her notes. "That's less than yesterday and the day before."

"Very well then, thank you Iza." the overseer indicates that she can return to her work, and she hurries back to the shipment she was tallying. "When I contacted the artificery society I was imagining some new wards or traps or a clockwork rat-catcher or something." Overseer Evans finally addresses Aiden. "But what we need is simply for the rats to stop being an issue. The amount of tracks we've seen has been decreasing over the past couple of days, starting the day after the druid you hired started catching some of the creatures. If this trend continues I'd say you've done your job, even if it was in a different way than I've envisioned. How about you drop by a week or three from now? If we're indeed rat-free by then then I'll make sure you get a proper reward."
MrAbdiel
Aiden swivels in his chair to smile politely at the counter - countess? - and then back to Evans; the carpenter's smile growing as the overseer proves to be the fair minded man he had dared to hope; and the report given seems to comport with his hypothesis about the typical rats losing the moxie to penetrate the magic wards.  He reaches out to shake the man's hand.

 "Well, that's more than fair, sir.  I'll come around and check in after a while.  If it turns out the problem persists, I'll get right back on it.  If it's dried up, we're all happy; and you can let the folks who did the last wards know there's nothing wrong with their designs."   He puffs a sudden laugh, spilling over with mirth.   "I bet they're scratching their heads, looking over the enchantment, wondering how in the good heavens their wards are getting bowled over!  Hahah!  But before I go, while I'm here - how much for a sack of grain?" 

...and with a bulging sack of grain to feed his newly extended family, the merry carpenter is on his way to see  Professor Hoplum once again.

* * * * *

 "...And the Overseer's own watchers are seeing a dramatic drop-off in invaders; so everything seems to be sealing up nicely, and I don't expect there will be much fuss to follow.  I know this isn't the clean kind of circumstance under which a man of your expertise likes to do his work; but I'm sure you can see the implications of these rats passing on their mental increase hereditarily.  Maybe after I get a mechanism set up, you'll be interested in speaking to them. But that's up to you.  Either way, they responded well to being treated as equals, and..."  He gestures to the Treaty, open on the table between them; with its numerous paw-print signatories.   "It seems that your help - particularly Merce's - has put this to rest.  She has excellent instincts for the ethics of your field, Professor.  Maybe, if you're interested in sponsoring her, she can do her own data collection on these strange new citizens of Vaungate." 

Classy in his rustic way, Aiden doesn't even mention the money Merce mentioned - permitting the somewhat egg-faced professor the dignity of offering it spontaneously.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
How much for a sack of grain to feed my hungry hungry rats?
 Rats don't eat much, but there's a few.  I imagine they'll go through... what, a sack of grain a week, maybe?
 
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
 "Ah, I may be vaguely familiar with that. Though.. as useful as an empathetic communication may be, it is still extremely limited,"  Shandara says, remarking after her experiences with having her own familiar for the first time.

 "I think, for now, perhaps I may see which of them take a liking to me. But if possible, I would appreciate if you could make some time for that ritual. I would plan to ask.. perhaps some innocuous questions. Like what they think their first memories are..  if they ever think they have thoughts that are not their own, and the like. I suppose, what I would like to do is tap into the nature of their existence, and how they came into being..." 

For now, however, Shandara slowly reaches out for the blemished crystal and gingerly picks it up. She may be thinking of something like,  Hello, are you well?  but perhaps her emotions were only vaguely positive as a greeting, and a bit shy.
Prehysterical
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Banbas's multiple problems with design leave Bolten scratching his head.  "Those are some major concerns... I understand that funds may be tight, but have you considered a design that incorporate flight runes into the feathers? Normally, I like a mechanical solution when I can find one, but it sounds like the constraints are more psychological than material. 
DeTess
 professor Hoplum's office 
"Actually, there is one more loose end." Professor Hoplum says with an apologetic smile after Aiden is done with his explanation. "There are still the twenty rats we have for current experimentation. We're still discussing what to do with them, but all signs do point to their intelligence having  progressed well beyond the point at which we could reasonably consider them 'specimens suitable for study'. Frankly, these developments have put our efforts to design ways to permanently enhance intelligence to a stop, given the significant ethical issues involved in uplifting creatures. Either way though, could you discuss with the earlier groups of rats whether they would be willing to take in the remainder of the rats we had been experimenting on? We would of course also provide you with additional compensation for the extra burden their care would place on you."

 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"I was planning on performing that ritual sometime in the coming week anyway, so that my apprentice can interact more directly with the spirits. I'll make sure to invite you to join us then." Vaigr promises Shandara.

When the dark elf picks up the crystal it starts glowing a bit brighter, and she feels several emotions wash over her, coming from the crystal. The first is a slight grumpiness, almost immediately replaced by curiosity, and then a sense of gratitude.

***

"It's something I have considered." Banbas tells Bolten. "However, I have been told that actual flying enchantments are a rather difficult magic to weave, especially if it then needs some sort of mechanical method for the spirit to control the spell with. Not impossible, but the costs involved would be very high, so I have been hoping to find a different way to do it."
MrAbdiel
The carpenter looks briefly taken off guard, but then game enough for the expanding challenge.  “I’ll ask them, sure.  I think you can have confidence they’ll take them on, though.  They’re very community minded creatures.  If you can keep the twenty you have for another day or two, I’ll sort that out.  And the very next thing I’m going to do is look to procure some land to start building my house - and theirs as part of it, so any contribution you can kick towards that project, well, it won’t be unappreciated.”

Twenty  more  rats, then.  He smiled, but his mind was running to the logistics of it.  Presumably they could be convinced to clean up after themselves for the most part; but he’d become responsible for feeding quite a few little mouths.  Then again, if anyone understood such overheads, it was the professor who had been feeding such mouths for years already.
DeTess
"Oh, hadn't I given you that, yet?" Professor Hoplum blinks twice, looking slightly confused, then sighs. "It seems it had slipped my mind." He rifles to his drawers until he comes up with a slip of parchment, signed and with a seal affixed to it. "You can hand this in at any banking house in the city. We're providing you with a total of 3000 gold pieces, both as reward and to hopefully pay for any costs you encounter while preparing a home for the rats. If you take on the additional twenty we have we'll add another 600 gold pieces on top of that to pay for any expansion their facilities require. In addition, I've seen to it that our research group provides you with a stipend of 10 gold pieces per week. This is to pay for food and other ongoing costs, but if you find time to record any observations of these rats and send them our way, we would much appreciate it."
MrAbdiel
Aiden blinks.  It’s possible he has not understood the value of his decision to help keep the laboratory’s involvement quiet, being a man with no imagination for exploiting such a weakness.  But he ends up smiling again, shaking Hoplum’s hand, and experiencing a soul deep cleansing at particularly the perpetual payment.  The rats would be okay; he had no doubt of it now.

“I think that’ll do just fine,” he concedes, folding away the docket for later activation.  “They’ll be well looked after, and fed.  And grateful, I imagine.  Thank you so much for your time, Professor Hoplum. I’ll see you soon, once I’ve followed up with Mirabelle.”

With patience, and caution, all the threads are weaving into place; and all that remains is to spend the finishing hours of the day speaking to someone about available properties in the Stormdrains…
Prehysterical
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Bolten had already imagined that the costs would be prohibitive, but it seems like he also underestimated the magics involved, as well. He slumps on the desk, supporting his chin with one fist as he intensely considers the puzzle laid before him.

 "Do you mind if I take these home with me? I'm going to need some time to come up with some decent solutions... Might make a visit to the Society Archives for some inspiration. I would leave these safely at home, of course,"  he adds quickly.
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Shandara keeps a little chuckle to herself, though of course those emotions pour through.

 Oh, you recognize me now? You're welcome. 

Turning to Vaigr she nods and says,  "Oh, certainly, I will make some time for it, then." 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Yes, you can borrow those blueprints." Banbas told Bolten. "I don't have any plans for them right now, but if you want to keep them for more than a week or two I'd prefer it if you made a copy and send me back the originals."

***
Shandara was still getting a feeling of gratitude from the crystal, mixed with curiosity.

"Are you getting anything from Muud?" Vaigr asked the dark elf. "I presume he'd not block you out, but the empathic link can be difficult to understand."

 Aesha Domiciles and Dwellings 
The contacts Aiden had gotten through his little charity drive pointed him towards a fairly reputable broker that did business in the storm drains, and the bard eventually found himself in an office just outside the slums opposite a middle-aged half-elf. "Good afternoon, Mister Sorveaux, I am Aesha Silvertear. I was given to understand that you where looking into buying some real estate?" The woman introduced herself and then immediately got down to business.
MrAbdiel
 "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Silvertear!" 

This statement is about the most common formality the common language knows; yet when he says it, a listener can actually believe he's deriving real joy from the experience of meeting someone new - even special joy, for meeting someone like the listener.  He rolls his hat over in his hand over hands as he  takes his long, paced strides into the room.

 "I am, yes.  I plan to organize the construction thereupon myself; but I need a chunk of land in the Stormdrains I can make a home and workshop upon.  The quality of the neighbourhood doesn't bother me - I know the place has been hard hit.  But something that covers four thousand square feet at the low end is what I'm looking for, if you please." 
Prehysterical
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
 "Just to be safe, I will make the copies tonight and bring them back tomorrow,"  Bolten reassures Banbas.  "Easier for everyone involved and far less risk to you. Just to forewarn you, I will be busy the next few weeks with commission work, but I will ponder over this and see if any solutions come to mind." 
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
 "Hm? Oh, yes. I am getting.. emotions..  He seems somewhat curious, but also grateful,"  Shandara says with a soft smile forming on her lips.

She begins to put Muud's crystal back into its resting spot.  "Well, I suppose you have already looked at the actual composition of the crystals up close, with a magnifier many a time? Have you ever, um.. shaved a small piece off the outside? Would that hurt them?" 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"I've never tried to take off a small piece, no." Vaigr looked troubled at Shandara's request. "Given that these crystals are pretty much their bodies though, I expect it would hurt them, and might have unpleasant side effect. This is not something I want to risk." The Goliath's tone was somewhat apologetic, but also resolute.

 Aesha Domiciles and Dwellings 
"Hmmm, that's a sizeable piece of real estate." Aesha picked up a folder on her desk and started rifling through it. "Especially for that area. Normally it would be rather difficult, but given recent events..." She finished going through the folder and got out several large drawings. "I've got two options for you right now, but if neither suit you I can do some asking around, see if there are some other options. First are these two." She showed Aiden two different drawings, both of the same part of the Stormdrains district, showing the demarcations for two adjacent buildings. "A small block burned down a week or two ago after an accident. Some of the inhabitants remained to rebuild, but others decided to take this as their cue to leave, and the land-lord they where hiring from decided it'd be better to sell than to rebuild. These two together get you the area you want, but it's in a bit of an 'L' shape, would that be a problem?"

"The other option I have is this." The half-elf got out another drawing showing a square area bit larger than what Aiden had requested. "This is a little over 5000 square feet. There is a three-story building on it, but it is old and decrepit. It used to hold an orphanage, but if the plague has done one good thing for the district, it is that it has gotten a lot of charity money into the place. Some rich merchant paid to have the whole operation relocated to a slightly better neighborhood, and he's selling off the old building."

"Now, as for how much this will cost you, if you go for the land covered by those two burned down cottages, I'll make it a round 3000 gold pieces. That'll save you a good 600 over buying the two places individually. Now, the old orphanage, I can't really sell to you for less than 4500 gp. However, If you do settle on that one, I can throw in a 300 gp rebate on any costs you make for demolishing the place and building something new, but only when buying goods and services from people living in the Stormdrains. I'll give you a hand finding the right people as well in that case, free of charge."
MrAbdiel
The carpenter marvels at the pictures; childlike in his interest.  He looks for all the world like the kind of dazed country fellow who might actually take one of these trouble properties off her hands!   “The L-block is no bother to me.  And someone else might be able to make use of the old orphanage as it stands.  I’m more interested in clearing and making something out of the burned wrecks.”   He taps at that drawing.  But then purses his lips, pulling his whole expression thoughtfully askew like he’s reconsidering the whole thing.   “Then again, all the burned supply will be useless; whereas there’s plenty of salvage on the other.  But if you knock the price down to 2500, I’ll sign for it right now before I leave this room.” 
 
 Spoiler: Let’s Make a Deal 
Take 10 for a total of 25 Bluff/Diplomacy to haggle!  22 if it’s Appraise.  He’s lowballing, expecting her to come back at at him having shaved one or two hundred off the asking price.
 
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
 "That's understandable. Even the concept of having crystals as bodies is fascinating..."  She nods and puts Muud back.

 "Although.. One could argue, the more powerful the magic, and the more energy being stored, the more crystal one needs to contain it. And you did mention that in the past, as animal and shaman died, they grew larger." 
 "Hm. I'm not sure if there is much else I can do here, aside from casting some other divination spells I prepared earlier today." 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"You might learn more when I've cast the ritual to allow them to talk more directly to you, but be warned, they don't perfectly understand themselves either." Vaigr warned Shandara.
***
"It's no rush, Bolten." Banbas replied. "I perfectly understand tat you have your own work to see to as well. Still, any little insight you can share with us about this problem will be very welcome."

 Aesha Domiciles and Dwellings 
Aesha consdiered  Aiden's offer for a moment. "I'm afraid I can't go quite that low, mister Sorveaux. But how about..." She idly tapped the sheet of paper  as she considered. "I can drop the price to 2900 gold pieces, and add a similar rebate offer as with the other location, covering up to 150 gold pieces worth of services and material, provided you buy them from other inhabitants of the district."
MrAbdiel
Turns out, Aiden’s not a hard sale.

 “Let’s draw up the papers!”  He says, with a burst of excitement.  His first owned home since -

Well.  Since he came to the big city.  Since the descent.

 “Because I’d love to get to work right away, with those locals helping out.” 
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
 "Alright,"  Shandara says.  "I suppose I'll wait until then?" 
 "What day and about what time do you plan to do that?" 
DeTess
 Aesha Domiciles and Dwellings 
"I'll have the papers ready for you in the morning." Aesha told Aiden. "You can pay through a bill of credit from any of the merchant banks in the city or directly through cash, though if you go for the latter option, please let me know now so I can make appropriate arrangements, and I'd prefer it if you were to pay in platinum over gold."

 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"I hadn't set an exact moment yet." Vaigr considered for a moment. "How about dawn, four... no, let's make that five days from now? If you want to observe the ritual in full, try to be here an hour or so early."
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Shandara nods again.  "I can manage that." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Hmm, we done here for now? Shandara may have a suggestion about the other bird spirit too... 😛
 


As Vaigr and Shandara return to the office, she picks up some of the tail end of the conversation. She adds,  "Hm. In my opinion, I think clockwork designs are simply out of reach for this creature. Why not go with something far lighter and simpler? How exactly did the others interact with the bodies you constructed? By exerting force on some wires?" 
MrAbdiel
 "I'll pay by bill of credit, Miss Aesha.  Save me lugging the coin all the way here, and you lugging them all the way to the bank.  Seems downright wasteful of energy, when a slip of paper can accomplish the deed.  I'll be here tomorrow morning, bright and early, and let me tell you, ma'am - it's been a pleasure doing business with you." 

And away he goes, striding into the street to lead Ambrose back to the stable on the Society grounds - via the nearest merchant bank on the way.  It's just as well he held to the guide rope of the old warhorse, on the way: otherwise, he might well float off into the sky, levitated by his own satisfaction.

 
 Spoiler: OOC! 
Well, that's all neatly tied off then, for now!  He'll go by literally the nearest merchant bank to open an account, deposit the letter of credit from Professor Hoplum for 3000gp, and withdraw a letter of credit for 2900gp, for tomorrow's transaction.  We don't have to play those scenes out, unless you want to!

Otherwise, that's a fair bit of activity for one day, I think he'll go home, get some shut-eye, and go to fulfil the transaction tomorrow after the normal routine.

If we want to do a chance-encounter for Aiden to meet Bolten and Shandara somewhere on the campus the next day, I'm also open to that, too.  Sow the seeds for later collaboration, and all.
 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"That's the short version of it, yes." Banbas replied to Shandara's question. "It's how I designed them to be controlled, at any rate. When presented with a well-fitting form  they sometimes show control just a bit finer than what should be possible with the methods I defined, but it essentially comes down to the control wires. Why do you ask, did you have something in mind?"
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Shandara crosses her arms briefly, organizing her thoughts, and says,  "I envision something fairly minimalist: a very light wooden frame, and thin material that would grant it an excellent wing span with much surface area. And I suppose you could add more minor details like ways to adjust the tips of the wings, the tail, talons to perch..." 
 "Hm. It would be like one of those toys I've seen flying around. The children try to throw them into the air on a windy day, and they float in the air. Um, what was that called again?" 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"You mean like a kite?" Banbas considered for a moment. "It might work out, weight wise, but I worry a large enough kite would have the same issue my balloon-based solution has. And if we make the body light enough and something causes the kite to come crashing down, which I've seen happen with some regularity, that would risk the crystal inside. Well, I suppose I should look into it anyway, there could very well be something to this idea, but there's a couple of obstacles that need to be cleared first."

 The Stromdrains district 
There was a bit of an odd energy to the Stormdrain's district. People seemed excited and even a little happy, but at the same time nervous, like a minor festival was going on, but at the same time a storm was approaching that everyone was bracing for. The mood wasn't that strange, given the districts recent history though. A dangerous plague had swept through only recently, and though it had been a little while now without any new outbreaks, the worry that the disease would return still remained.

Aiden's search for his plot of land seems him weave his way through a number of narrow alleyways before eventually coming across the blackened timber remains marking his newly acquired real estate. Some blackened timbers remain, and a foundation of stone is visible below it, but the rest of the building seems to have been burned down. Construction seems to have already started on the parts of the block that the bard did not buy, but his land seems mostly untouched. Oddly enough, some brave and hardy plants are popping up among the ruins, despite the approaching winter.
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
 "Kite? Hm. Yes, I think so...  Well, I would imagine that your spirit would be able to stabilize itself in the air and recover should something happen. But perhaps an emergency feather fall spell is all you need,"  Shandara says.

She looks at Bolten and asks,  "You've already talked at length on the subject, yes?" 
Prehysterical
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
 "Yes, well, Banbas has shown me multiple designs and nothing seems to fit the spirit's needs. A thinner material for the wings could be a good idea, but we need something more sturdy than paper..."  Bolten strokes his beard in thought.  "I know that you're probably sick of hearing about this by now, but what if we made the wings out of spider silk instead of paper? Still just as light, but it would be a lot stronger and tear less easily. The actual skeleton, however... I am genuinely stuck. I cannot think of anything light enough that can also withstand impact, not even mithral."  He pauses as a thought occurs to him.

 "Maybe darkwood might fit our needs. The elves use it as substitutes for metal in many cases. I'm not used to making wooden cogs and such, but maybe I can do a few test designs to finetune the swelling and fit. And this is just another thought, but... I have heard stories of elven woodshapers that can grow wood into specific shapes. If getting a 'natural' fit is important for the spirit, then perhaps it might be better to go with a route where the skeleton all fits together cohesively instead of piecing it together from different parts."  The dwarf finishes with a shrug.  "That is beyond my area of expertise, but I'm not afraid to try something new." 
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs and says,  "All good suggestions. Though I still can't help but feel you're trying to make something far too much. What I had in mind was more like a skeletal frame anyway. I assume it just wants to be free and fly around, right? Regarding impacts..  ideally, the body isn't going to be ramming into anything. It's not meant to be sturdy. It's meant to be light and float through the air." 

She adds,  "Again, for this particular spirit, I don't think you need cogs and clockwork. All you need is a light frame it can manipulate." 
MrAbdiel
The next two days pass for Aiden in a blur of delight.  The joy of profitable labor resonates strongly with his bones; and once he has sifted through the ashes and found no ghastly surprises, he whistles merrily as he goes about his day prying off decent boards, ordering them by length, mapping out his domain, in his mind; imagining what will be.  On the way back to his accomodation on the Society's campus, he stops by the alley where the rodent bargain was struck, and cheerfully announces to the creatures he assumes are hiding in the fish-smelling crates and garbage that tomorrow he'll be making a place for them, just like he said; the one over in the Stormdrains, the district that had the plague so recently; and his property is the one on the third street off the main.  They can't miss it - it's the one burned to scrap on that street.

He makes this announcement to the empty air and hypothetical listeners like a crazy person, and then he and Ambrose head home.  Another day, another performance - the fact that he is now charitably busking for the restoration of the district he lives in has presently escaped him - and off he goes again to the burned house.  With a stop on the way at a supply yard, and a stack of boards lashed precariously on Ambrose's saddle, he spends the day throwing together a respectable shack, lockable door and all; with the grain sack inside and a few gapped boards so the rats can come and go as they please.  That night, his body aching from his first 'big' build in a while, he sleeps the sleep of angels.

But the next day, the third day, he is late to perform.  He is late because he is diverted scribbling out a notice, copying it a second time, and then pinning those notices to a couple of the job boards near enough to where he has gained his reputation for performing.  They read as follows.


 "   Fine Mechanical/Arcane Solution Required for a Small Job  

I find myself in an unusual circumstance, and needing a specialized designer to create a divine.  Will likely require small mechanical parts, in addition to a novel variation on an otherwise common, and simple spell.  Nothing illegal, but discretion is required.

Please see me, Aiden Sorveaux, any morning on the steps near the notice boards.  I am the one with the fiddle."  
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Hmmm..." Banbas considered Shandara's suggestion for a moment more. "I think I see what you mean. Instead of relying on clockwork at all, use the wire system to manipulate a rudimentary wing, which would then glide on the wind. It's certainly not something I'd considered before. I'll have to discuss this with Vaigr and draw up some designs. I've never really made something like this before, so it'll take a bit of research on how to make it work, but..... It's certainly worth putting some time into developing."
WindStruck
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Shandara smiles lightly.  "Ah, I think you understand now. And I wish you luck with that. It might not be too difficult to get a feather fall enchantment somewhere around the crystal's housing, just in case. Though I feel it would be more difficult to ensure it does not  accidentally  go off..." 
 "Well, if not.. I suppose you know who you can ask for help."  Her lips curl up again and she looks at Bolten.  "Is there anything else on your mind?" 
Prehysterical
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 

Bolten remains skeptical, but he has no concrete reasons to put forth. This is simply out of his area of expertise. If Banbas is happy with the suggestion, who is he to say anything?

 "Nothing that comes to mind, really. I'll need to take these schematics home and copy them before I can offer any constructive suggestions." 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
After talking a little longer about nothing in particular, Bolten and Shandara took their leave from Vaigr and Banbas, heading back home or to their work spaces, depending on their own schedules.

 the Eastern Embassy 
The next morning, Bolten finds himself once again in the embassy district. This time, the gates to the embassy of the eastern civilization he'd read about are open and the dwarf finds himself in a small garden surrounded on three sides by the embassy itself. Signs in the empire's common tongue and a language the dwarf did not recognize pointed him towards a waiting room in the western wing of the building. In the room a clerk was sitting behind a desk, while several merchants, or maybe minor nobles where currently waiting for their appointments. Rather than chairs or benches, everyone was seated on small cushions on the floor, which was covered with a mat seemingly made from a kind of reeds or thick grass.
MrAbdiel
The carpenter stands with his hands on his hips.  A light, sweat-stained singlet covers a chest; though the build of the man within it is so unremarkable one might be surprised only by the vigor that he has worked to create.  And he has worked, and he has created: a shed, wooden and simple, sufficient for a few shelves upon which he can stuff some blankets and put some food for his unique tenants.  He smiles down at a handful of ratty spectators, and offers them a thumbs up.

 "It'll work for now.  Let your friends know.  And if all goes well, there'll be a better barn in a month which will be warmer, and roomier.  For that, I just need..." 

His bright eyes track across the afternoons sky to the street behind him; and the silhouette of a neighbour he hasn't met, passing the idle hours on the stoop of their own residence.  The carpenter approaches, hand extended to shake atleast five strides from close enough; his goodwill as obvious as the smile on his face.

The next three weeks are a warm, pleasantly folded blur for Aiden.  Every part of those weeks is a feature of mortal life he loves.  Meeting new people.  Hard, manual work.  Problem solving.  Problem solving and hard manual work with new people.   Shopping for hardware supplies!   And, for that matter, sleeping the sleep of the blessed.  By the end of it, he looks up at the building, crumbling and uncrumpling in his hand a sack that once contained three thousand gold pieces.  It's a fine enough house, if one can forgive the odd unparallel joist, or gap between foundation and sleeper.  And he  can  forgive those things!  And he  does  forgive those things.  And so, to Aiden, the house is perfect perhaps  because  of the imperfections that are the result of hands less skilled than his. Warmed by that thought, lightened by the loss of all his wealth, he spends the rest of the day nailing up tarpaulins over the open ceilings of the lower floor, for now the only floor, of his house.  Tomorrow, he'll go play his music near the notice boards as normal; then he'll visit Overseer Evans, to see if the efforts to solve the rat crisis have completely borne out; then he'll invite Misha over to visit the rats in the barn, and also to show her the armor he's almost made for her, to get her fitted for the final stitches; and then, after all that is done... he will sleep, in his own bed, in his own house, in the greatest city in the world.

This, absolutely, is  the life. 
WindStruck
After some idle chitchat and bidding farewell to the odd pair, yet another odd pair leaves the offices and workshop of Vaigr and Banbas.

As planned, after some dinner, Shandara heads over to the Society archives to try to figure out how to solve the water conundrum in an arcane fashion. She knew there must be some avenues, all but certainly within the school of conjuration, but various approaches. For starters, rather than relying on the blessings and good will of a deity and strong personal conviction, one could also likely tap into the plane of water itself. Though anything related to crossing planar boundaries was no small matter. Perhaps, water could be drawn only from this plane of existence itself, or by creation, which was likely to be limited.

A funny thought also occurred to Shandara: transmutation. One could, theoretically, turn one form of matter such as stones and air into another form: water. It was an idea to play around with, but remembering the preliminary sketches that she had seen of Bolten's work, whatever this was would have to be compatible with some kind of steam engine.

She spends most of her time that evening looking for ways to create water with an arcane method. And she uses a spell to help in her study:

 
 Spoiler:  Creatus Aqueous! 
using investigative mind

Spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 23 ] 

or

Spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 19 ] 
 


Finally, late into the wee hours of the morning, she spends some extra time looking into the issue of modifying a silence spell to be very very small, and filtering out certain types of noises - in particular mechanical/metallic clicks and whirs..

 
 Spoiler 
Spellcraft:  (1d20+18)[ 20 ] 
 


After a very long night of studying and designing, Shandara worked up quite an appetite. She was very hungry, that was for sure. And moreover, she had some business to attend to this morning as well! After having a bit of pastry and tea at Julieanne's Brew, she also ordered one of those burrito/wrap things. Filled with eggs and hash browns, and cheese and ham, it was actually quite appealing, and more importantly, something you could just eat as you went.

And that's what Shandara was doing, as it was already morning and she needed to meet with the Midnight Guard. Shandara would be walking or hiring a carriage there...

Wait, no. That was supposed to be the  next  day, wasn't it? She had to admit that sometimes it was difficult to keep track of days accurately, since she rested in the middle of the day for everyone else. Yes..  this was most annoying. And she had already walked like half a block with a half-eaten wrap in hand.

Oh well.

Instead, Shandara turns around to head back to the center of the campus. She will go to the center of the grand plaza just to see what is happening. Of course, she was probably going to be too busy to help with any of the notices that were posted, but at least it wouldn't hurt to stay somewhat informed.
MrAbdiel
On just such a day, having checked on his own posted notices and seen no interest manifesting in the last few weeks, that the impenetrably optimistic Aiden has settled down in his usual spot for his usual performance.  His operation has a somewhat professional veneer, now; graduating slowly over time from a man baffled to have money thrust at him for playing, to one who bring his own stool, and carved wooden bowl to catch the coins, and a large sandwich board hung on wide straps over Ambrose's back, explaining that the Stormdrains district's various causes would receive all the donations.  There are a few folks who bring their breakfast over and eat it under the public serenade as part of their own routines; and such folks often have silver to spare for the bowl.  He takes requests for the hour or two he spares for this daily duty, dispenses a seemingly inexhaustable series of fly-by-greetings with people whose names he has remembered but who offer mostly faint smiles in response.

And this day, like many before it he rounds off the day's ditty's with a shift towards the painfully soulful; and putting bow to string, he closes his eyes, and a faint glimmer of celestial mist winks and spirals from the humming strings.  In the negative space provided by those silvery vapors, the faint impressions of a trio of archons are present; having set aside their trumpets and taken up violin, and guitar, and banjo, to play their sweet accompaniment at the call of the strange man from the forest village of Tantamere.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Actions! 
Taking 10 on Perform generally; but also, meta-specifically, to impress Shandara.  15 for the skill, plus 2 for masterwork fiddle, plus 3 for Songbird, taking ten comes out at 30.  And let's go ahead and say it's an  old favorite .
 
WindStruck
 The Royal Artificery Society Grand Plaza 

Shandara had finished her own breakfast completely by the time she arrived at the bustling scene of the grand plaza, the big fancy monument still there, telling time, stars, and weather, and almost ignored. There was the announcement board as well, which Shandara was more than passive in checking, as there wasn't any rush at all to do so.

But music. Music wasn't something heard here often. Especially not  good  music. Her eyes following the notes to find the source, she saw a somewhat familiar face. Ah, this was.. Aiden...   Though she had trouble remembering his surname, if any. Still, such a man was hard to forget, especially with her sharp wit. She couldn't help but notice how practiced and well-versed the strings were played. It seemed they wafted from the man's instruments effortlessly.

She also noticed the sign about the Stormdrains District and his collection bowl. Most peculiar. Just what was this man planning on doing? If the sign was even truthful. While she had no reason to distrust Aiden, she honestly had no reasons to trust him either.

Shandara waits for a lull in the music, which ironically would never truly come until Aiden finished off the session with his sorrowful, if not passionate tune.

 "Hello, Aiden,"  she says.  "Into charity work now?"  she asks, raising a brow, which of course conveyed some skepticism but also a chance at redemption via explanation.
MrAbdiel
Aiden is just settling the fiddle back in worn and treasured case, when Shandara's voice draws him out of the ritualistic simplicity with which he packs up his routine.  His eyes flash with delight once he looks up and pairs voice to skeptical features: this is a face he has seen, but never had occasion to meet.  The raw opportunity in and of itself seems to produce in him a canine-like, half-stupified appreciation for life before he shakes his head a little, grins loosely at his on silly delay, and gestures to the board Ambrose wears, as his half of the charitable operation.

 "Well, when I got to town, I just started playin' here because I felt like the folks to and fro might like some music.  Never played with people who had spare silver in their pockets before, and when people started giving me coin I had little clue what to do with it. Felt almost theft to keep it, since I was plannin' on playin' anyway.  So."   He gestures again to the sign.   "Now it feels right again.  Aiden Sorveaux." 

This introduction, rising with hand extended toward the drowess, despite the fact that she obviously knows his name.  A big, calloused workman's hand, clean but rough, offers its most formal available shake.
WindStruck
 The Royal Artificery Society Grand Plaza 

Shandara continued eying Aiden for a bit, but it seemed there was no dishonesty or ill intent. The few times she had come across him before, as far as she could accurately recall, he always seemed a friendly and happy-go-lucky sort. Perhaps far too talkative and gullible, though.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I think we were going on the assumption that players in this game have at least vaguely known or heard of each other.
 

 "Mm. I guess that makes sense..." 

Since it seemed the player was introducing himself again, Shandara made sure to try to remember the surname this time. She responds,  "I am Shandara,"  with a slight nod.

After an awkward pause, she looks down at his large, rough hand and gingerly extends her own delicate hand to barely touch, before quickly withdrawing.

 "Uhm, I.. sorry,"  she mumbles.
MrAbdiel
With the collapsed handshake, and even the vocal mixed apology, Aiden does instinctively the best thing someone can do for such an awkward moment - he plows onward as if everything had been executed perfectly, seeming to fail to notice any hiccups in the exchange.  His hand, abandoned swiftly by Shandara’s tepid brush, turns to snap his fingers as she gives her name, and his eyes brighten.

“Oh!  Yes,  Shandara , I  have  heard of you!”

This, as if the name, and not the fact that she was the only drow on the campus, was the giveaway.  Immediately, his eyes gleam thoughtfully.  “You’re an enchantress, yes?  Could I-“, he pauses to look skyward and drags a hand back through his hair, as if he can hardly believe his luck, and needed a breather to cope.

“D’you think I could pick your brain about a project?  I’m a practical hand, and once I hit spellcraft things get a little dicey for me.”
WindStruck
 "Oh?"  she asks, perhaps wondering what exactly he had heard. Hopefully it was only good things.

 "I may be a bit busy..."  Shandara began. She had her own set of problems that she was trying to solve, and it felt like she was making little headway. Though perhaps she had the time to hear Aiden out. After spending hours and hours in the archives already, it would probably do well to step away from the issues she had already attempted to solve.

Looking back into the exuberant man's hopeful gaze, she sighed.  "Well.. I guess I have a few minutes. What are you working on?" 
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

Bolten had never felt so out of his element. Thankfully, the signs still had Common writing, but it was clear that most of the waiting persons were at least mildly important people. It made him feel self-conscious about his simple mission here. He had done his best to wear a nice blue tunic under his vest and replaced his thick work gloves with finer black ones. Ignorant of custom and foreign etiquette, the already socially anxious dwarf simply resigned himself to sitting down and waiting on a cushion.
MrAbdiel
 "Great!  Great."   He radiated gratitude so profusely it would trigger suspicious instincts, but provide them nothing to settle on.  He hung his fiddle case on Ambrose’s burdened saddlebags, and took down the guitar case from the horse's other side before settling down again, new instrument in his lap, eyes distant as he explains to the magical prodigy before him.

 “Well, it’s a little secretive.  But I took a job, and ended up responsible for the welfare of some little creatures.  Little animals, I mean, who’ve by certain means become intelligent enough to understand common.  But only druids and rangers know how to speak to them, what with the absence of vocal cords and whatnot.  I've been given a scroll of  Speak to Animals  to make a solution, but I thought… is there a way to invert the spell, and then apply it to, say, a little weigh-sensitive device so the rats- so the creatures can just step onto a weighted plate, and receive a temporary enchantment?   Speak to Humanoids , I mean?” 

It’s quite a ramble.  He backs over his own efforts to be discreet completely, so that he’s hidden almost nothing from the woman before him.  But as he speaks, his fingertips are plucking away softly at the guitar strings; thoughtlessly arpeggiating and meandering in a serene if uncommanding tune that seems to be an integrated part of the way the man processes his thoughts: out loud, to music.  And the music, mysterious as it was, certainly seems comfortably to settle into the cracks of a busy mind, not to distract it like a more demanding peace.

 
 Spoiler: OOC Actions! 
Aiden is using  LoFi Beats to Study Artifice .

He’s using  Inspire Competence on Shandara for a +2 Competence bonus… and  Bestow Luck to give her his daily +8 Luck bonus to a single roll.

Aiden is doing this all subconsciously, if he’s aware at all.  But Windstruck, feel free to use that  +10  +8 for either a spellcraft check to immediately glean an insight into the much more complex and challenging thoughts going on in Shandara’s mind!  It’s probably funnier if she gets inspired about her own stuff and bolts than if she spontaneously invents the Rat-translator majig!

This, of course, is all subject to it DeTess thinks the rolls are appropriate.  Inspire Competence doesn’t seem like it’ll work for long duration study sessions but might be useful for flashes of insight.
 
DeTess
 the Eastern Embassy 
Several minutes pass in silence. The other visitors to the embassy sat in silence while the clerk worked away behind her desk. When she finished writing on a piece of paper, which Bolten now noticed she was doing using a brush, rather than a pencil or inkpen she folded the piece of paper. Not just down the middle or in threes, as one might when folding a  letter before sealing it, but rather into an intricate shape. She worked quickly with practiced motions, and before long the sheet of paper had turned into an intricate paper bird. Which then took flight, leaping from her hands and disappearing deeper into the embassy.

Several more minutes past, and then another woman, a noblewoman by the style of her dress entered the embassy and approached the clerk. They exchanged some words, too soft for Bolten to hear, and then the woman took a seat like everyone else, and the clerk started drafting another message. Before she was done however a paper bird arrived and unfolded itself on her bureau. She took a look at the message, then motioned for one of the merchants to approach. She exchanged several whispered words with him, then the merchant left, going deeper into the embassy, presumably to attend whatever appointment he had come for.

What was noticeable was the silence that had reigned in the room during all this. It wasn't really oppressive, but more like the silence in a temple, the feeling of it being rude to speak above a whisper.
WindStruck
Ugh, this sounded like more divine magic. Druid magic in particular. While Shandara was able to cast  comprehend languages  already, actually being able to  speak to another creature  so that it always understood you was a different matter. It may seem like a trivial difference, but it really wasn't at all.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I think I've already vaguely got the "knowledge arcana" that yeah it may theoretically be possible, but how??

So spellcraft with Aiden's +8 bonus?    (1d20+24)[ 26 ] 

I'm just aiming for being able to design a simple spell.  A permanent thing that casts that spell when a rat steps onto a plate is a different matter...
 


Already Shandara was frowning at the whole idea. How would this possibly work? And - wait, what? He wanted to listen to rats??

Maybe Shandara had some ideas, but nothing really concrete, groundbreaking, or very plausible...

 "I'm sorry, Aiden. I can't think of any way to make..  a 'speak with humanoids' spell that you cast on a rat. Perhaps you should just get someone to copy that scroll of yours?" 
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

Bolten was used to silence, but usually it was when he was by himself. It was unnerving for several people to be in the same room and no one so much as coughed. At least he was somewhat entertained by the novelty of the clerk's method of writing and the magic in the notices.

Realizing that being bashful would get him nowhere, Bolten dared to walk up to the clerk's desk and tried to his voice quiet.  "Um, excuse me... I, er, would like to schedule a meeting with the ambassador... if, um, at all possible." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden smiles with one corner of his mouth - appreciative, almost apologetic on her behalf, to have confronted her with the question so suddenly.   "Well.  I imagine it'll take a little work.  But if you get any insights later, I've put up a posting on the job board.  I need a solution that - " 

His fingers puck a discordant note on the guitar, breaking the flow of music and thought at once, and he lets his hands go slack across the instrument.   "Anyway.  I appreciate the time.  If you ever need anything manufactured, you just come right on over and let me know.  Moving parts and deep magic get past me, but I can work in almost any physical medium, tell you what."   He tips his hat.  No part of his opinion of the woman before him seems to have suffered from the lack of miracle manifesting from her at once.  He radiates warm approval of her general existence, all the same.
DeTess
 The Eastern Embassy 

The clerk looked up as Bolten approached and made his request. "Citizen of the Sunset Empire, that is not impossible." She replied. "Would you tell me who is making this request, and what the business is with the honored ambassador?" There was a hint of an accent to her voice, but she spoke the empire's common tongue without hesitation.
WindStruck
Shandara raised a brow. A 'little' work?   "Yes, well.. it's unlikely that I happen to think of a random insight. Perhaps, given enough time for research and experimentation, I could arrive at something suitable - but I am already struggling with something else outside my area of expertise as it is." 
 "If I may suggest, perhaps you should seek out a druid or ranger. They should already be familiar with the spell you mentioned. Modifying the spell should not be nearly as difficult for one such as them." 

At first Shandara shrugs a little at Aiden's offer. Nothing at all was coming to mind. At least, nothing that wasn't absolutely frivolous. But then, she does nod a little, trying to maintain at least a veneer of civility and politeness.  "Well, um. I appreciate the offer. And I'll keep you in mind,"  she promises emptily.  "I should be going..." 

When her conversation is concluded with Aiden, Shandara seeks out the offices or wherever it was you went to rent out an area for potentially hazardous experimentation.
DeTess
 Campus Facility offices 

The facility offices are a mid-sized three story building tucked away in one of the corners of the campus. This is where the maintenance of all the facilities on the campus is maintained, and where people go if they want to rent out any of the myriad labs or workshops on the campus grounds.

Just inside is a small reception area, and once Shandara explains what she's there for she's given a form with instructions to fill it out and then bring it to office 2.3, which is located on the second floor. The form itself contains questions about the nature of the work she wants to do, the expected risks and for how long she expects to make use of the facilities.
WindStruck
Shandara fills out the form fairly honesty. The biggest hindrance to answering these questions were all the unknowns.

The nature of the work is what she attempted to describe, as eloquently as possible on paper, is replication of a common spell of 'divine' origin,  create water , through arcane means. She would be expecting to effectively siphon water from the plane of water at a slow rate.

The risk, she expects, should not be too severe, as if something were to go wrong with the magic spell she is researching, in all likelihood any such link or rift to another plane should collapse. Error in magnitude may cause a large deluge for a brief time before the magic is canceled, hence why a lab capable of handling flooding and draining water would be essential. Another possible risk, however small, may be miscalculating 'planar coordinates' (effectively creating a link to the wrong plane), but again, given the small size of the experiment nothing too severe should happen before it is dispersed.

As for the time frame, she can only provide some vague estimates. Either until she succeeds, or evidence shows that what she is trying to accomplish is impossible, too unfeasible, or unsafe. Though her tentative guess would be anywhere from two to four days.

After completing the form, she makes her way up a flight of stairs to the second story of the building to find this office 2.3. It seemed to be a very nondescript name or designation for an office, but she supposed that hardly mattered.
DeTess
 Campus Facility offices 
The office Shandara was directed to was located on the third floor, with it being the second office on her right. Inside, a pair of desks stood facing one another, though currently only one of them had an occupant, a youngish looking dwarf with a short and well-groomed ginger beard.

"I am Olaf Narson, and my colleague handle allocation of the more specialized labs." The dwarf introduced himself while looking over the forms Shandara had filled in. "Hmmm, main risk seems to be excessive flooding. Yes, we have some places that can handle that." Olaf got up and grabbed a small bundle of papers form the shelf behind his desk. "You can use the third Waterworks lab on the Sapphire Avenue, right by the river. Costs are 2 gold pieces per day, and there's a 100 gold piece deposit. If there are no issues you'll get the deposit back, but if there's an incident the cost for cleaning and repair comes out of the deposit. Read these papers about the safe usef of the lab, and if everything is clear, sign this paper, and once you pay the deposit I can get you the key."

The papers he handed Shandara included a description of the lab, and the various safety features it had. The main feature appeared to be a griddle floor connecting to a drainage system that could handle a lot of water all at once, but other things that where mentioned included a special enchantment that could be triggered to dampen the amount of magical energy in the room to more quickly end any ongoing effects, and a system to quickly douse the entire room in water to put out fires.
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

'Sunset Empire'? What did she mean by that? Brushing away his confusion, Bolten answered,  "Bolten Cogturner, here to inquire on matters of, er... dragon etiquette."  He really hoped that request didn't seem as silly as it sounded.
DeTess
 The Eastern Embassy 
The clerk was silent for a bit, looking at Bolten expectantly. When it became clear the dwarf wasn't going to expand further she spoke up again. "Ah, Master Bolten. The ambassadors are generally quite busy. Would it be possible to expand further on this request? That way we can determine how best to provide aid."
WindStruck
Shandara skims over the papers. Hm. Seemed simple enough.

 "Very well. I will need to run some errands and withdraw that much money. But you will have your deposit when I return in the afternoon." 

------

Having taken care of, or at least started to take care of that for now, Shandara does a little shopping around the campus for some magical supplies and other things she thinks might be useful. Ideally she would inscribe upon some soft metal loop a ring much like with the sewage system, in which this 'portal' would open and draw water out of. She could worry about adjusting the size and intensity of the finished product later once she got the final dimensions from Bolten's design.

And then, after all that, she was quite tired and went home to rest before the sun reached its peak.
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

Bolten cleared his throat.  "Well, um, you see... I work as an artificer with the Society and I need magic that only a, er, dragon can provide. I understand that dragons are held in high esteem in your homeland. I would like to make one's acquaintance, but I understand that there are matters of, well, etiquette of which I have no knowledge. I was hoping that one of the ambassadors could give me some advice on the proper way to approach one of them and present a token of respect. My own investigations at the Archives have proven woefully inadequate." 
DeTess
 The Eastern Embassy 
"My thanks, master Bolten, I understand now. I will send a message to the ambassadors. Take a seat, please." The clerk gestures at the cushions spread across the room as she sets to drafting another message, which she soon sends flying out on wings of paper.

Close to an hour passed before the clerk motions for Bolten to join her at the desk again. "Junior ambassador Seidorjoku has made time for a meeting. Please, follow my guide to his office." While speaking, the clerk folds a sheet of paper into a four-legged shape, resembling a cat somewhat and put it on the ground. The paper creature then immediately started making its way to one of the hallways, though it stopped once it got more than about five meters away from Bolten it stopped though and looked back expectantly.

Once the dwarf started following the paper creature it led him deeper into the embassy, eventually stopping in front of a sliding door. It pawed at the door several times, much like a cat requesting access, then looked back at Bolten.
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

It is a long wait, but thankfully Bolten has his schematics to look over and ponder. He breathes a sigh of relief when the clerk calls him up and tells him that one of the ambassadors is actually willing to speak with him. His eyes watch the paper cat homunculus with a degree of wonder. Whatever magic is at work, it can manipulate the paper with an astonishing accuracy and rigidity. Wait... maybe that could be something to help the ancestor spirits with? Now is the last time to turn around and start asking questions, but Bolten resolves to do so after his meeting.

Upon reaching the door (and realizing that the cat was waiting on him), Bolten knocked softly on the portal before sliding the door and entering the office.
DeTess
 The Eastern Embassy 
The Junior ambassador's office is richly decorated, mostly with beautiful maps, some showing areas Bolten is familiar with, but others show very foreign countries. There is one large map that presumably is a world map, though it looks quite different to the maps of the few attempts to map the world Bolten has seen before. Most noteworthy, the Empire Bolten grew up in takes up significantly less space.

The floor is covered in the same type of mats that Bolten saw before in the waiting room, and at the far end of the room a low desk is set before a scroll rack. Two thin cushions are set out for guests in front of the desk, while a man dressed in deep blue Silken robes is kneeling behind the desk. The man appears human at first glance, but on closed inspection there is definitely something else mixed in his bloodline. Fine bronze scales are visible in his neck just above the collar of his robe, and the irises of his eyes likewise have bronze cast to them.

"Mister Cogturner, I presume?" The Junior ambassador gestures for the dwarf to take a seat on one of the cushions. "Or would that be mister Bolten? Your people have such an odd way of presenting your names, it can be difficult to keep track of which one is the name of your clan, and which one is the name of you specifically. Ah, but a discussion of the finer points of your language as opposed to mine can wait. You had a quandary of sorts, I understand?"
WindStruck
After running various errands and gathering some suitable materials, Shandara enters the designated lab area and has a look around.

With her, she brought several large, thin rings of metal, which she haggled off of a cooper who either seemed to have quantities in excess, or at least didn't mind letting go of a few barrel rings for a premium.

She ensured that the metal, although relatively sturdy and flexible, would be soft enough to etch some designs with the tools she brought. Also with her, in her pack, were a few reference books about the planes, the documentation about this waterworks lab, some gems capable of storing some magic power, and magical inks that would go upon the runes she would inscribe upon the barrel rings.

She felt she likely had what was necessary to start for now. Now the tricky part was figuring out how to tackle this subject first...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Just describing the sort of things Shandara brought with her, and allowing you to set things up if you want to describe more or have some kind of event.

Also, for bookkeeping:  2 gp a day for 4 days.  100 gp deposit.  And how much in materials do you think Shandara just spent?
 
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

Bolten almost missed that he could make a copy of those world maps to take home with him. Surely, all it would take to figure out which was more accurate was a few measurements put on a grand scale.

Ignorant of foreign custom, Bolten tried to use the flat mat more like a seat cushion than a place to kneel. He noted the ambassador's features with interest, which were almost certainly draconic.

Unfortunately for the ambassador, he made the mistake of telling a dwarf that they didn't have time to explain something. The dwarves' heavy clan structure combines with Bolten's natural curiosity as he explained,  "Oh, er, Mister Bolten would be fine. Bolten is, of course, the name given by my mother. Most dwarves would prefer to be addressed by their family name in the presence of a stranger, but it doesn't matter for me. To make life easier, ambassador, understand that dwarf names usually don't include their clan. Among our own kind, sure, but dwarves learned long ago that humans often have difficulty remembering just two names!"  Bolten chuckled before continuing.  "Cogturner is my family name, but we are only one family within the larger context of the clan.

At any rate, I have come to..."  Bolten trailed off before realizing his breach of etiquette.  "Oh, goodness me, I am so sorry for my poor manners! Er, what should I call you, good sir?" 
DeTess
 The Eastern Embassy 
"Ah, forgive me for the oversight, mister Bolten. I am Junior Ambassador Seidorjoku Naotado. You may call me Junior Amabssador Seidorjoku or master Seidorjoku."  The bronze-scaled human introduced himself to Bolten. "And it is good to see you're likewise a connoisseur of languages. I will make sure to send you some copies of scrolls about our language alter, I am certain you will enjoy them."

"Now then, I had been given to understand that you where looking into the proper etiquette for approaching one of the dragons of my homeland, is that right? It is good of you to ask. Recognizing that there are protocols to be followed puts you well ahead of most foreigners that seek to petition the Elders. Tell me, Master Bolten, what exactly do you seek?"

 Waterworks Labs on Sapphire Avenue 
The waterworks labs are housed in a long single-story building There are six labs in total, and running right behind them, though obscured by the building itself is a deep and narrow channel running straight to the river to carry away the results of any issues with the experiments. The labs seem mostly unused as Shandara arrives, but a warning lamp above the door leading to lab 2 indicates that it is currently in use.

Lab 3 consists of two rooms, a mid-size room with a griddle floor connected to tubing leading to the channel, and a small observation-room separated from the main experimental room by thick glass and a thick metal door. The door leading outside is likewise made from metal, and it is clear both have been designed to form a water-tight seal, so that any flooding incidents are channeled downwards, rather than outside.
WindStruck
Shandara settles in the lab, setting her books and supplies on a table in the observation room, and gets to work. Any magic relating to the planes was not something to be taken lightly, so she consulted her reference manuals frequently to make sure she was doing this right.

The first and most basic thing that needed to be done was establishing a perimeter. The rings she had picked up would do nicely as mere physical boundaries, however, there was more to it than that. Clear bounds of the enchantment needed to be declared and manifested.

Next, a link to the plane of water needed to be created. This was the most crucial part of the magic, and also the most bizarre and eldritch of the components. References to coordinates that didn't exist and going out of bounds of reality were all notions that were commonplace when thinking of it as doing something in the present plane of existence. And so if something didn't look right, it was easy to overlook. Easy to mess up. And of course, this part of the enchantment needed the most power, too.

Last there came the basic conjuration that Shandara was more familiar with. Once a link was established, it was supposed to be  one-way , meaning matter would flow  from  the plane of water, but not the other way. Also, there was a filter of sorts, so as not to accidentally bring in lifeforms, elementals, or other debris. Since all she wanted was water, simply accepting any loose liquids comprised of only the smallest molecules  should  do, she reasoned. The worst she figured she might get may be brine.

Also, as a fail safe, if the magic is resisted on the other side by any means (will save, physical resistance, or otherwise) it automatically fails/ceases. That should just about cover not accidentally bringing anything unwanted over here. The finishing touches would just involve adjusting with and playing with magnitudes, she hoped. Once she got this enchantment down, there would likely be a number of reliable ways to altar it.

Finally, after inscribing all the runes inside a barrel ring, a gem powered up with some arcane energies is affixed to the outer part of the ring. Now all she needed to do was say a command word to get it started...

Her soft voice wasn't strong enough to carry through the thick glass, much less the heavy iron doors. So, as the enchanted ring just sat there on top of the grated floors, she poked her head out of the door and said,   "Commence!"  
 
 Spoiler: roll! 
If you'll allow investigative mind over the course of this development...

Spellcraft:  (1d20+16)[ 34 ]  or  (1d20+16)[ 33 ] 
 
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

Bolten nodded in response to the Junior Ambassador's question.  "Well... It's not exactly a great secret that relations are not great right now between the various dragons and the Empire. I am currently involved in a personal project to push the boundaries of our understanding of clockwork constructs by imbuing them with an actual intelligence. I am merely the most amateur of wizards, however, and most of my skills come from my hands."  He held up his gloves in emphasis.  "I believe that a key component to the experiment's success is the use of a dragon's lightning breath to... provide an aspect of 'life' to what would otherwise be a lifeless machine. Since dragons have such a deep connection to the elements, I figured they would be my best option to provide the catalyst.

That all being said, I understand that merely  asking  for that directly from a dragon would be considered the height of rudeness. I want to be able to reach out to a dragon that might be able to help and make their acquaintance before offering up my request. I have to imagine that they will want something in return. Oh, I almost forgot! If I want to make a good impression, what would be a suitable gift to offer to the... 'Elder', I believe you called them?" 
MrAbdiel
Aiden is disappointed that the fateful encounter with the elf - he'd always liked elves - did not at once manifest a solution to his problem.  But negative feelings exist in the depth of his soul like tinder; persisting only long enough to be consumed for greater warmth and brightness moments later.  He packs up his operation, and gives Ambrose's neck an affectionate rub.

 "Alright, old man.  Let's go see Overseer Evans, and get the final report.  Moment of truth."
 
And that, naturally, is what he does.
DeTess
 The Eastern Embassy 
"Indeed, the dragons of my homeland are the Elders to our people, providing advice and insight. There are younger dragons, of course, but they tend to hide themselves and blend into our society." The junior ambassador takes a moment to think over Bolten's explanation. "I think Zao Soranoiro, of the keen mind, Watcher over the South, High professor of the Imperial academy, Bulwark against barbarism and Granter of Light would be the most receptive to your plea. I think the best way to approach this honored Elder would be to begin with a letter explaining your work, which should be written in our language, but it will work best if it's by your own hand, rather than through a translator. She will forgive some clumsiness in your writing if its clear you've made an honest effort to learn."

"Now, learning our language won't be easy, and I can't guarantee this great dragon will hear your plea even if you do, but She is known as being greatly interested in the sciences and arts, and I think your plans will intrigue her." Junior Ambassador Seidorjoku seems quite taken with his proposed course of action. "Now, there will be more to actually earning your boon. Likely, if the great dragon is impressed by your letter she will ask you to come visit her in person, but that is something we can arrange if and when the time comes."

 Waterworks Lab 3 on Sapphire Avenue 
It takes quite a few tries for Shandara to get solid control of the volume of water that is created by her enchantment, which proves to not just depend on the size of the portal, but also on the location within the elemental plane of water she chooses to target. However, thanks to her other preparations she manages to get through her experimentation mostly incident free, bar some minor flooding which is quickly drained by the room's design once the spell ends, and a single incident where a jet of water came through the hoop with such force that it actually caused some minor damage to the grating covering most of the floor.

After a day or two Shandara has a solid grasp of an enchantment capable of generating water with an easily adjustable rate of flow, as well as some inroads into other enchantments, such as an offensive or material cutting spell based on the incident with the incredibly forceful jet of water, though it would take some more experimentation to refine that idea into something useful.

 the Eastwharf Granary 
Aiden finds overseer Evans sitting on a bench just outside his home, overlooking the operations of the granary. "Ah, Aiden, welcome!" He greets the artificer with a wave and a smile, and gestures for the younger man to take a seat next to him. "Things have returned more ore less to normal here. There was one particularly persistent sign of a single rat that remained until about a week ago, but a captain unloading with us overnight set his ship's cats loose in our granary and we haven't seen any sign of that rat since. The cats didn't catch it though, so it probably just got scared off. It's all the same to me, though."

The overseer gets a thick pouch out of his coat. "I reckon you've earned this, as you've resolved the issue in your own way." Inside the pouch are number of platinum coins, for a total value equivalent to a 350 gold coins.
WindStruck
Despite the various setbacks and odd behaviors, Shandara is very studious with her notes, diligently recording all the results and the associated runes with each attempt. Before long (in terms of a few days of research) she believes she has something very workable that she could fit into Bolten's device!

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Also the idea of an offensive spell which would summon forth a jet of water and attack in a line sounds kind of funny!

How bad is the damage to the grating?
 


However! This was several days of research, and in the morning of the next day, she was due to make a visit to the Midnight Guard to pick out a prospective bodyguard.

Shandara didn't recall being told a specific time to come that morning, but she aimed to arrive about 30 minutes earlier than her prior visit.
MrAbdiel
Aiden is initially distressed to fear that one of the little rats might have fallen victim to cats - but releived to learn it was, apparently, uncaught.  Misha, keeping her eyes on things?  He'll have to check in with her.  Though, it occurs to him in real time, he has no way of contacting her other than waiting for her to show up for a danish!

He shakes the overseer's hand with country vigor.   "Glad to help, sir.  Glad to help.  If you ever need another solution, I'd be happy to give it a shot.  But if we're a little blessed, things will run smooth as butter for a good long while.  Heaven's light on you, friend!" 
 
 Spoiler: Actions! 
Woo hoo!  Well, that's enough to finish of Aiden's house.
 So let's knock that out.

Aiden works for 9 days with more hired helpers from the area to complete the second floor.   In those 9 days he generates 27 carpentry based labor which will half the build time on the four most time-expensive rooms (20, 20, 20, 16), with 0 spare.  With that done, the longest part of the build remaining is the 12 day long kitchen install (ain't that always the way).  So while he's doing his collaboration with the local labor, he'll sneak in two days of armor work (trusting that one morning in those 12, Misha will show up to steal a Danish and he'll be able to get her measured for the armor fit).  Then there's last day... which, while he's waiting for the grout to dry, I suppose he'll spend looking for his next job!  All that costs 2410gp. Then it's time to take on a new task, so time to visit the boards!

EDIT:  Part of the build is 'sewer access', but as we've discussed, the district doesn't have sewers yet.  So if it's alright, it'll be establishing all the plumbing with the expectation that at some point there will be a sewer it can be routed into.
 
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

Oh dear... It seemed like this would be even harder than Bolten had suspected. Bolten reaches for his sketchbook and quickly scribbles down the several titles that the Elder possessed. Learning a new language is never easy, but writing technical details is already difficult enough in his own native language! He chuckles nervously and comments,  "Well, if it gets to the point where She wants a meeting in person, I suppose that I should take that as a good sign! Er, how exactly do you want me to handle delivering the letter? Should I bring it here or is there some other preferred method?" 
DeTess
 The Eastern Embassy 
"We will arrange for the letter to be delivered to the Elder. so you won't have to worry about that." The junior ambassador assured Bolten. "I will also look the letter over myself and help you avoid any social faux passes. It would not reflect well on either of us if you accidentally insult the Elder."

 The Stormdrains District 
"Oi, chief!" One of the laborers helping Aiden with the construction of his house called him over to the entrance of Aiden's modest estate. "This fella says he's with the crews putting in the sewers, an' he says he wants to talk to you." The laborer, a hulking man going by the name of Ven gestured to a willowy half-elf waiting at the edge of the street. The man wore the uniform of the Escribano workshop, one of the most prestigious engineering workshops with the Artificery society, and was holding a clipboard.

"Ah, are you the owner of this plot?" The half-elf asks as he spots Aiden. "I'm Veridis Olfheart, of the Escribano Workshop. As I'm sure you're aware, we have been contracted to put in a sewer system in the Stormdrains district. Now, recently we've run into a small issue not to far from here. It's nothing for you to worry about it, but it has slowed down work somewhat.... well, anyway, to try and get back on Schedule we need another point to start digging from, but those are few and far between in this warren of a district. However, it seems that at least at this point you haven't covered your entire plot of land with rickety... well, actually fairly decent looking buildings, especially for this place... where was I? Oh, right. We where wondering if you'd allow us limited access to a small section of your land for the next week or two, just so we can use it as the starting point to start digging the required tunnels for this part of the district."

 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
Someone else is manning the front desk this time, a middle aged halfling with a figure more reminiscent of a gourmand than a bodyguard. The calculating look in his eyes and the faint shimmer of a magical aura around him suggest that looks might be deceiving though. When Shandara introduces herself the halfling gives her directions to an office slightly deeper into the building.

"Come in." Jacob's voice invites the elf in as she knocks. The office is a fairly small affair, the space dominated by a bookshelf and a desk, with the lighting mostly coming from a magical lantern, as the only window is a slit set very high up in the wall. Jacob is sitting behind the desk, on which a bunch of papers are spread out, and a woman in her late thirties or early forties is leaning over the desk, looking over the paperwork. the woman has long reddish hair with streaks of grey winding through it, all bound up in a long braid running down her back. She looks up as Shandara opens the door.

"Ah, that's her?" She asks, after looking over Shandara.

"Yes, that's Shandara." Jacob replies while indicating a chair in front of the desk for Shandra to sit on. "Jess, could you go tell Xavier and Jay to get ready? I'll talk Shandara through some final details, and then we can do the introductions."

The red-haired woman nods, then quickly leaves the room. Jacob starts gathering up the paperwork into a fairly thick folder in front of him, then addresses the dark elf. "Before I introduce you to the candidates I've gathered to serve as your bodyguard, I should quickly talk you through the results of the risk assessment I asked Grayson to do. It mostly matches your own assessment, with no indication of any immediate danger to your health. however..." Jacob shuffles through the papers in the file and picks a fairly rough drawing showing four people, a male gnome, two humans, one a man, one a woman, and a male half-orc. All four appear to be in their late twenties and have a rough and tumble look to them. The half-orc in particular draws Shandara's eye, as she has seen him once before, though that had been quite a while back. "Do any of these look familiar to you?"
WindStruck
Shandara eyes the drawings curiously. If not that, perhaps more confused than anything.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
well I might not have been meant to remember the other three, but just in case, here are some rolls

remembering (intelligence roll):  (1d20+4)[ 8 ] 

retroactive perception:  (1d20+7)[ 17 ] 

perception may have been lower previously, and this is not including any bright light penalties
 


Almost immediately, the half-orc sticks out to her. After giving the other three drawings another look, she timidly points at the one.

 "I remember a half-orc like this, perhaps around a month ago. He was discreetly following me around and taking notes. I approached him and asked him who he was working for. He played dumb and departed quickly, and I haven't seen him since..." 

Looking up from the drawing and at Jacob with concern in her eyes, she asks,  "Why? Who are these people?" 
DeTess
 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
"These four form a little outfit called 'Estevan Investigations'." Jacob explains. "They do small time stuff. Looking into an employee a merchant thinks is stealing stuff, keeping an eye on a woman whose husband thinks she's cheating, that sort of stuff. They have neither the reach, nor the skills, nor the manpower of big players like Grayson or Valadiel, but they're not quite as discerning in their contracts either. Grayson thinks that they'd been hired to keep an eye on you for a while, but eventually the contract was cancelled. Based on the rough period Grayson thinks they'd been following you, your spotting of one of them might have actually resulted in their employer cancelling the contract." Jacob makes a quick note of that thought one one of the papers in the folder.

"Now, Grayson has noted that they have reason to believe that their employer has then gone on to hire someone more discrete to keep an eye on you." Jacob pats the folder in front of him. "It's unusual for Grayson to be able to assemble a risk assessment in such detail in so little time of someone that should be relatively obscure, but they indicated that apparently you already where a known quantity with a couple information brokers in the city, suggesting that someone has been making inquiries in you. They haven't figured out who it is though, but it is likely someone with quite a bit of resources at their disposal. The guess from Grayson is that it is either a rival intent on stealing your work, or some kind of jilted lover turned stalker-by-proxy. Do you have any idea who it might be, and why they're interested in you?"
WindStruck
 "W-well, I.. I never had a..  a lover..."  Shandara stammers. It was kind of an embarrassing topic for discussion. She shakes her head.  "It.. couldn't be anything like that." 
 "So then. A rival? With a lot of resources?" 

Her eyes narrow and she shakes her head.  "Hrrrrm...  It couldn't be. Unless, well.. who else would it be?" 
 "Have you heard of an elf called Jephrius Fenlho? He is also an esteemed member of the Royal Artificery Society, but he has made it no secret that he believes I should not be. Not only does he think I am a spy, but he thinks I am far too young to make any contributions to the academia or society as a whole." 

She chuckles a little, with a wry grin spreading across her face.  "It's ironic, really, considering I am older than most humans.. And my projects during the past few months have done plenty to help this city and the empire, I am sure." 

Shandara leans back in her chair and sighs.  "He's a lot like those people your outfit was meant to protect me against. However, I wouldn't say Jephrius is a violent person. If he hired companies to investigate me, it would make sense though. He must be looking for any evidence that might reinforce his.. delusions." 
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

Bolten breathed a sigh of relief and leaned forward to extend a hand to shake to the Junior Ambassador.  "I am very happy to hear that, Junior Ambassador! Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me! It makes me feel a lot better knowing that I will not- well, am  less likely  to make a fool of myself before a powerful being. I will not take up any more of your valuable time." 
DeTess
 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
"I'll pass on the name of this Jephrius Fenlho to my contact in Grayson, they should be able to figure out if he's the one behind this surveillance." Jacob makes a couple more notes in the folder in front of him, then turns back to Shandara.

"Now, there are some last things to discuss, before we start with the introductions. First of all, during our talk earlier I suggested a single guard protecting you during the night would be sufficient, but if action is to be taken to make life difficult for any spies or investigators keeping an eye on you, you'd really need at least two, both for round the clock protection and to be able to have someone available to protect you while the other guard takes some steps to discourage professional observers. Would such an arrangement be acceptable to you?"

 The Eastern Embassy 
"The pleasure is all mine, mister Bolten." The junior ambassador shakes Bolten's hand firmly. "Please leave your adress with the receptionist on your way out, and I'll ensure some basic material is send to you so you can start learning our language. The embassy does also arrange formal lessons for a reasonable fee, the receptionist can inform you of the details if you're interested."
WindStruck
Shandara mulls it over a bit.  "Hm. But these.. 'professional observers' as you call them.. they should not be posing a threat, right?" 
 "Then again, I don't really like the idea of these people potentially being able to spy on or steal my work." 
 "Is that really in your line of duty, or your liability?"  she asks.  "And I am curious about something. What actual incentive, beyond reputation, do you have for fulfilling your contracts?" 
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

After excusing himself, Bolten did stop by the receptionist's desk on his way out and left behind his address details. For the moment, he would hold off on any formal lessons. Not because he thought himself a natural linguist, but there was simply too much going on as it was. With so many projects, even this minor visit was a strain on Bolten's timetable. He had to get back to work!

Maybe at some point, he could learn about that paper magic... That seemed like fun... Oh, he had almost forgot! Bolten rushed back in and asked the receptionist in a quiet voice,  "Oh, um, excuse me... How do you do make the paper animals out of the notes?" 
DeTess
 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
"They shouldn't pose a threat no, but whoever is paying them might." Jacob notes. "As for our ability to do someone about them, these people are operating in a bit of a legally grey area, which means that we can get away with a bit of harassments of our own, making it more difficult for them to follow you around, making them lose your trail and the like. If they're really committed we probably can't get rid of them unless we bring in a far larger team, but we can make life difficult for them, which should increase costs for their employer, which might in turn make them decide to leave you alone." The mercenary shrugs. "As long as all they're doing is watching we're limited in how much we can do back to them, but if they break into your place or otherwise take more overt action we have a lot more options."

"As for our reasons to do what we do... well, every one of us has three reasons. The first two are reputation and gold." Jacob raises his hands apologetically. "That might sound a bit mercenary, but in the end this is a job and we're not exactly a charity most of the time."

"Now, the third reason differs for every one of us. You should ask the other bodyguard candidates I picked for you about theirs, but I can tell you mine. I used to work as a caravan guard. I picked that job because it gave me chance to see more of the world while protecting people weaker than myself. Well, at first my reasons might have been slightly less charitable, my younger self had quite the chip on his shoulder. Nonetheless, I eventually gained a solid reputation as a dependable and crafty protector and had reached the point where I'd often be in charge of the guard contingent. I took the job seriously and took pride in bringing trade expeditions home with all members and all cargo intact. Thing is, month-long expeditions through dry deserts or freezing wilderness take their toll on you, and after losing some fingers to frostbite on an expedition to the north I decided I had had quite enough of life on the road. However, keeping people safe was both what I was good at and something I enjoyed. A friend of mine introduced me to the Midnight Guard, and the rest is history. Now I get to sleep in a decent bed most of the time, while still helping to keep innocent people safe from those that might endanger them."

 the Eastern Embassy 
The woman looked up at Bolten in surprise as the dwarf came rushing back in. After a moments consideration of his request she took a sheet of paper and quickly folded it into a shape resembling a bird, and handed it to Bolten. "Study the folds to learn how it was done, Master Bolten. As for the magic I add...I'm afraid it is forbidden for me to speak about that to people outside of my..." she falls quiet for a moment, searching for a suitable word. "my Order, I think it would be called."
WindStruck
Shandara thinks over what Jacob says, though her response remains rather cautious and neutral.  "I think I'd rather see if these.. observers' employer is who I think it is. If they've really been at it all this time, I don't think they're actually any danger..." 
 "If you can't figure out who is stalking me, I guess I would want them to stop and I'd go along with what you are proposing. But supposing we do discover who the employer is, what else can we do besides causing scenes in the streets?" 
Prehysterical
 The Eastern Embassy 

While the woman's reply seemed somewhat cryptic, Bolten was pleased by the prospect of such a puzzle. His face sagged in disappointment at the secrecy of the magic, but he was not one to press things. Bolten gave the woman a mild bow of his head.  "I understand. Thank you."  Not wanting to cause any trouble, Bolten actually left the embassy that time. He held the bird in his hands, knowing that it would be a little conspicuous but paranoid that stowing it in his pack would crinkle the paper and ruin the folds.
DeTess
 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
"If we confirm who hired them and have sufficient proof, you could file a harassments complaint with the authorities. We have some people in our organization that know exactly how the system work and who can file the complaint on your behalf if necessary. There'd be a hearing, but as long as the proof holds up and the one responsible doesn't have some high-up friends willing to interfere on their behalf that should be the end of it. Though, of course, that's a lot of ifs..." Jacob leans back in his chair. "Another option is to simply let them know that you know, maybe threaten to file a complaint. Depending on the reasons of the one hiring the spies that might be enough to get them to back off, but it might also cause them to redouble their efforts, and would give them time to prepare if you do follow through and file an official complaint."

"Now, if the person hiring those spies is someone that is not an upstanding citizen, like a crime boss or the like then we could be a lot more... direct... in discouraging their attentions, but if it is this Jephrius fellow or someone like them we'd have to stick to the traditional borders of the law when dealing with them directly."
WindStruck
Shandara peers at Jacob with a brow raised as he explains the legal things they could or might do. It was a bit mystifying to her, as she hadn't had much of any experience operating in such a lawful and civil society with such complex and messy situations. Arguably, back where she was from, the simplest solution would just be kill the spies.

 "File a complaint. I see..." 
 "Well, why don't we try to go that route and not bother with the extra bodyguards unless it becomes necessary? Anyway, is this all we needed to discuss before meeting the prospectives?" 
DeTess
"There are some minor points of order, but those can wait till after we're done with the introductions." Jacob got up from behind his desk and headed for the door. "These will be a couple of short one-on-one conversations. feel free to ask my colleagues whatever comes to mind, but expect them to have a question or two for you as well." Jacob opened the door and stepped out.

"So, who is first?" Shandara could hear Jacob speak to some people waiting just outside.

"Nah, he already has a contract." A highpitched female voice responded, followed immediately by a mixture of laughter and groans from the other people waiting outside.

"Well, it's a good thing you're a bodyguard and not a comedian, Jay. Xavier, how about you go first?" Jacob ordered, and a moment later a large man entered the office. he was nearly two meters tall and deeply tanned skin color. A hint of tusks protruding from his lower jaw suggested he might have a hint of orcish blood. He was wearing a well-tailored and stylish suit, of the type often seen among younger nobles. The man carefully sat down in the chair Jacob had vacated.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Shandara. I am Xavier Firmhold." Xavier's voice was deep but smooth, and he had a slight elvish accent to his common, something often seen with nobles or those wanting to appear noble. "As your bodyguard I will first and foremost be the shield between you and anyone that would wish you harm. Quite literally, in my case. I have served a decade with the Adamant legion on the southern border, using my greatshield to keep my comrades safe. However, I am also schooled in matters of etiquette of a number of different cultures, and can use my knowledge to make your meetings with members of the nobility and foreign merchants go a lot smoother." Xavier rounded off his introduction. "I'm certain you've got some questions for me, so please, feel free to ask about anything."
WindStruck
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I can kinda use my imagination on what the Adamant Legion is or might entail, but just in case there's any other interesting or relevant information, I'll try some knowledge rolls...

adamant legion history:  (1d20+8)[ 16 ] 
adamant legion local:  (1d20+8)[ 21 ] 

And how about for this guy in particular?  If he specifically does not ring a bell, does the family name?
xavier local:  (1d20+8)[ 27 ] 
xavier nobility:  (1d20+8)[ 28 ] 
 


Shandara has to crane her neck up to get a look at Xavier's face before he sits down. Quite a tall and muscular man. She may have come across taller, but it was rare, that was for sure.

She nods along his explanation. It wasn't like she planned on meeting with merchants and nobles, but she liked to think she could handle the interaction herself..?  Hm.

As she sized the half-orc (or perhaps eighth-orc) up and tries to recollect any background information regarding his introduction, she asks a preliminary question.

 "So to clarify.. you plan to carry a greatshield with you everywhere you go?"   Of course it would be a great defensive tool and she was sure a man like this could even use it to protect others with it, but still..   "Does that tend to get in the way, or attract undue attention?" 
DeTess
"Ah, you would think that, wouldn't you." Xavier grinned. "Allow me to demonstrate." He got up, stretched out his right arm, and the next moment a small buckler appeared on it, seemingly out of nowhere. Then, with a metallic ring the small buckler expanded into a larger round shield as a second portion unfolded around it like a paper fan. The entire movement took less than a second. "It can expand even further, but this office is a bit too small to properly demonstrate that." Xavier explained. He manipulated something at the back of the shield, and the large second rim started folding up again and retracted into the shield itself. "The Artificery Society comes up with all kinds of marvels, though I suppose I don't need to tell you that."
WindStruck
Shandara watches the demonstration with interest. It was definitely intriguing and would be useful. She imagined that a conjuration effect bought the buckler to his hand. As for the mechanisms which caused the shield to expand, it almost seemed mechanical in nature, or she could reasonably see magic being involved as well. Well, it might be a toy Bolten would be interested in examining..

She nods, pretty satisfied and impressed overall.  "I see. Very well, then.." 

Since Firmhold was a typical surname adopted by bastard children who went to this certain Firmhold Academy she had heard of, and he seemed to have some orcish blood in him, she could imagine, perhaps something occurred between a human noble and a half-orc... Or perhaps an elf or a half-elf parentage?? It might explain the accent. In any case he likely learned all manners, languages, and got much of his prowess from that academy as well.

 "So, the Adamant Legion.. I take it you have been deployed to hold back the Deathless Kings' armies, if you were sent to the south?"  Perhaps she was wrong about the assumption. Regardless, it was a little small talk that he might elaborate upon.

 "If you don't mind my prying, do you happen to have any elven heritage, or were you raised in such a background? I could not help but notice a hint of accent. In that vein, are you able to speak elven as well?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
This brings up an interesting point. Does Shandara have an accent? Common was not her first language. First and foremost she should be completely fluent in Elven and Undercommon. And I imagine there's various dialects of elven with many specific nuances for the drow.

But if Shandara did have some kind of accent all along, would she really notice an elven accent?  Ugh, I don't know! I mean, maybe, if she got really really good at Common.
 
DeTess
"Indeed, the main deployments of the Adamant legion have been against he Deathless kings' and their hordes. I'm surprised you made that link so quickly." Xavier seems genuinely pleased about Shandara's knowledge. "It is also why we developed a defensive focused fighting style. You can't break an undead army with a single determined charge, as they simply won't stop fighting no matter how many losses they take, so instead we trained to fight slowly and steadily, beat the horde by outlasting them."

"As for my heritage, I probably have a hint of elvish blood, most people with some noble blood in their veins are. If you're asking about my accent though, it's just something I picked up during my education. most Nobles fake an accent like this to appear sophisticated, and since this is done by most nobles, that means by definition they've succeeded at makin this accent an unofficial mark of nobility and sophistication. I myself do speak Elvish as well as Dwarvish, and I'm somewhat conversational in several of the dialects spoken by the tribesmen living on the empire's southern border."

"Now, if you don't mind me asking a question of my own, I'm somewhat curious about your work as an artificer. What kinds of project do you generally work on, and how do you decide which jobs to take?"
WindStruck
 "I, erm.."  Shandara begins, flopping on her first attempt at making a good impression. Admittedly, she wasn't quite ready to be receiving questions herself, even though she was warned. She took a breath and tried to compose herself.

 "Well. My specialty is arcane magic. And I've done quite a bit of research and a number of enchantments with such. I am sure you have heard about the Stormdrains District, the plague, and the new sewer system being planned for it, yes? About a month ago I submitted a design with the Escribano Workshop with an innovation that would make their project a great deal easier. It has since been approved, and I have enchanted all the relevant sewer pipes, therein." 
 "Now, they don't have to dig up so many streets and demolish so many buildings because the sewage may collect in one reservoir here,"  she gestures with one hand, and then the other,  "and is magically transported to another location there. Also, in about that same period, I helped to enchant a sword for Captain Eshanel of the Ranger's guild. Right now she moves to face one of the deathless kings, and if all goes well, that threat should be ended permanently." 

She looked at Xavier appraisingly, seeing if he would be impressed by that. If anything, it did seem people had a hard time understanding her work, so she hoped she had dumbed it down enough.  "Aside from those specific examples.. it's hard to say what my projects generally are. I usually check the notice board in the grand plaza of the society campus, but occasionally something else may fall into my lap. But I suppose..you could say I work on things that are either intriguing or potentially lucrative. Preferably both."  She manages a small smile.
DeTess
Xavier seemed to have no trouble following Shandara's explanation, or at least he was hiding any confusion quite well. "It seems you're on your way up then, as projects like that should help grow your reputation. I'm quite intrigued by that sword you mentioned in particular. I am somewhat familiar with the logistics of taking down a deathless king, and if you condensed all that down to sword-form...." There's a hint of awe to his voice, though it does not show on his face. "But I don't think we've got time for a full explanation on that project. Do you have any other question for me? Otherwise it is time for me to swap out with one of my colleagues."
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "Mm. Well, I have to say, I think you would make a fine candidate. If everyone else is on your level, I would have a difficult choice indeed. I do hope you can handle long nights of staving off boredom, yet remaining alert. Some nights I may be staying home, but I often find myself in the archives well into the night. So that won't be a problem, will it?" 
 "Perhaps, to help make my selection a bit easier.. could you tell me why you think you would be the best choice? Or, um.. I suppose with your brief introduction, you may have already attempted that.." 

She shakes her head.  "No, that won't do. Unless there is something else you would like to bring up, or speak ill of the others.."  There is a hint of a mischievous smile, the edges of the drow's lips slightly curling up, as she shakes her head and chuckles ever so lightly and briefly.

 "Okay, I have one. How long have you actually spent as a bodyguard, professionally? And have you ever had any attempts on your wards' lives? I would be interested in knowing how you have fared with such an occupation." 
DeTess
"I have been with the midnight guard for four years now, though I spent two years as part of a noble's guard before that." Xavier answered Shandara's question. "In my time with the midnight guard, I've had two attempts happen on the lives of my charges, though both times it concerned a high risk mission where I was part of a small team, so my responses where different than what they would be if you came under threat while under my protection."

Xavier seems to consider the question a moment more. "There was an incident a little while back that might be more representative. I can't give any exact details due to confidentiality, but I can give you an idea of the general situation. I'd been put in charge of the protection of the second daughter of a baron during her stay in the city. The incident in question took place during a ball at one of the noble estates in the city. Having every noble followed by their personal guards would have soured the mood of a social event, so I, like all other personal guards had been relegated to waiting at the edge of the grand ballroom, only allowed to come forward if your charge asked for our presence. This did mean I was unable to prevent someone from slipping a substance in my ward's drink. It wasn't a straight-up poison, but rather something intended to help compromise my charge's... virtue."

A grimace crossed Xavier's normally impassive face. It was clear he found the matter rather distasteful. "I noticed my charge wasn't quite as steady on her feet, and a young man was trying to lead her away from the main festivities. I quickly intervened to get her away from the matter, but the man in question had a lackey or two who tried to be difficult. I knocked both of them out and then got my charge out of there before the whole thing blew up into an even bigger scandal. Of course I immediately got her to a reputable alchemist who neutralized the substance. The alchemist also later provided testimony to make certain that the scandal was laid squarely at the feat of the ones to blame, and my charge's reputation was kept intact."

"I think this neatly summarizes the steps I would take in case of danger to you. The first step is to get you out of the situation, taking whatever steps necessary but applying violence in such a way that it won't cause issues later. The next step would be to get you any medical attention you might need. Depending on the nature of the situation I would then either escort you home, or take you to a safe location, most likely the midnight guard headquarters." Xavier summarized.
WindStruck
Shandara listens and is, for lack of better words, intrigued and entertained by Xavier's story.

She nods.  "Very well then. Like I said, I think you would be an excellent candidate. But, I suppose for posterity, I had might as well speak with the others." 

With that, she stands up, signalling she is quite satisfied with her questions, and began to open the door for him.
DeTess
 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
Xavier left the small office and a moment later the red-haired woman Shandara had seen earlier with Jacob entered. "I'm Jess Stanton." She introduced herself as she sat down in the chair Xavier had just vacated. For a moment she made a move as if to put her boots on the desk, but then she though better of it. "I've been with the midnight guard for 4 years, and spent 10 years as a city guard right here in Vaungate before that." Shandara got a better look at the woman now. A pair of piercing grey eyes looked out from her weather-beaten face and some scarring in her neck just visible above the collar of her tunic. "In between those two occupations I spent 4 years as a ranger." She added seemingly as an afterthought.

"I know this city well and can advice you on which areas to avoid at what time, or how to act to blend in. I also know how to spot troublemakers, even the kind skilled at blending into crowds, like assassins and pickpockets, and unless they're really skilled, I'll deal with them before you even have a chance to notice them yourself. I won't clean up as nicely for attending social functions as someone like Xavier might, but I know the streets better than just about anyone here." She rounded off her introduction.

"Jacob told me about the potential spy issue, and I can keep an eye on that and, if you want to, help you avoid their attention altogether. I also understand you are worried about other Drow causing issues. I have some experience with Drow assassins, so if it does come to that, I know what I'm up against. I think that's about it? Any questions?"
WindStruck
Shandara sits down shortly before Jess and listens to her introduction.  "Mmm.. I don't think blending in is something I will do particularly well,"  she comments.

Weighing the pros and cons of this potential bodyguard vs the previous, Shandara was already thinking that Xavier's usefulness with his other skillset would come up more often than Jess's street smarts. After all, though rare as it was, it seemed much more likely to have meetings with powerful merchants and nobles rather than wandering about seedy parts of the city.

She peers at Jess appraisingly as she finishes her introduction. Obviously the bit about other drow assassins piqued her interest.  "Tell me about your experience with the assassins. I am quite interested in knowing what happened and how you dealt with it. Also, I take it you are familiar with, and have an antidote for their knockout poison?" 
DeTess
"Right, this is a long story, but I'll try to condense it to the important bits." Jess takes a moment to think, then launches into the tale. "This started during my time in the guard. A 'well-regarded merchant', by which I mean a smuggler with enough money to pay off people fairly high up in the guard, had suddenly turned up dead, and my partner and I where tasked with investigating. The merchant had died from what appeared to be a rather peculiar cocktail of poisons, so that was the angle we pursued. After a couple days of looking into the matter, and nearly catching the culprits after they offed a black market alchemist we had tracked them to a hideout in the sewers. Once we'd found them, we tried to retreat and get some reinforcements, but one of their lookouts spotted us and I got a nice dose of that knockout poison you mentioned."

"Once I woke up I found out I was dealing with a group of Drow assassins. They roughed me up a bit, wanted to know what I knew, that sort of thing. Then they left on their mission. Apparently some high priestess' daughter had decided she liked living on the surface more than living underground, and they where there to cut her little vacation short. Anyway, after they left on their job I escaped. I reckon they might have been planning on coming back for me or something, as they gave me another dose of that poison, but the one applying it got sloppy, and the dose wore off pretty quickly."

"Anyway, I'm skipping over a bunch of details here, but it isn't really relevant how my own partner stabbed me in the back, first figuratively and then later almost literally. Suffice to say, the assassins succeeded, I got fired, and with nothing better to do I decided to chase down the lot of them. In the process I met up with a small squad of people that ended up being rangers, who'd been sent out to hunt down these assassins, because apparently the elf they killed had been married to a pretty high-up Noble. They taught me a thing or two while on the road, and in the end we caught up with the assassins and dealt with them before they could make it back underground. The rangers where at least a little impressed with me, so I got offered a new job."

"And before you point out that I failed to protect the one that needed protecting that time around, two years later I ran into a similar situations as part of the Rangers, and that time we did manage to get to the assassins well in time. I'd like to think I make the same mistake only once." Jess grimaced. "Sorry about going over this so quickly. To properly tell this story requires a long evening and ideally a couple glasses of something tasty."
WindStruck
The story was a lot to take in, and quite worrisome.

 "So, there was another drow living on the surface not long ago? And she was married to a noble..."  There is dread and a hint of sadness in her voice as her eyes drift downward.

 "I suppose you are very familiar with what I fear, then. I was not related to anyone influential back where I was from, but still.. they are a covetous, spiteful, and zealous lot." 

She looks back up toward Jess and says,  "Well, it's not so much that you failed your mission. It's more that.. it seems most of your experiences with the drow have been, shall we say.. literally 'experiences'. You were bested and escaped by a stroke of luck. But I guess that's better than most people. Especially with your experiences with the rangers later."  She shrugs.

 "So why were you fired from the city guard? That still doesn't make sense to me. Something to do with that betrayal?"  Shandara asks.

 "That brings up another concern, then. Are you on bad terms with anyone.. in the guard? Or with any nobles or officials?" 
DeTess
"Eh, my partner was crooked, and he'd been bribed by those assassins. When I turned up alive he tried and succeeded at pinning the failure to catch them on me." Jess shrugged. "That got cleared up by the time we caught those assassins, as I managed to gather enough evidence to turn things around on him. I could have gotten my job back , but by then I also had the offer from the rangers, and the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth so I didn't want to return to the guard. As for any one holding grudges, it's been 8 years since then, and there's been no signs anyone out there still has a chip on their shoulder about me."
WindStruck
Shandara nods.  "I see. Well, I think that is about all I need to know." 

Much like the last time, she will see Jess out, and speak with the next person.  Unless she had some questions for Shandara?

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
aside from potential questions, how many more people are there to interview?
 
DeTess
"Hi Shandara, I'm Jay, pleased to meet you!" After Jess left a halfling entered the office. She appeared to be significantly younger than the others Shandra had seen, appearing to be in her mid twenties. She sat down in Jacob's seat, and then, with a wave of her hand, levitated the chair up a good feet so she didn't have to crane her neck too much to look at the elf.

"I'm sure our resident muscleheads have talked your ear off about their martial exploits." The halfling said with a grin. "And I'm sure they look very impressive and all, but at the end of the day, shields and skills have nothing on a spell or two. Thugs menacing you? An illusion or two will see them running for the hills. Unwanted observers? Oops, seems they'll have to deal with some localized potshots. Assassin taking shots at you? Just put up a barrier of wind or magical force, and they might as well pack up and go home. Mage casting spells at you? Well, that's what counterspelling is for. Sure, they would claim to be able to go all day, but if someone's taking shots at you all day, someone somewhere has messed up pretty badly."
WindStruck
While Shandara was.. mildly intrigued by the halfling's use of seemingly effortless levitation, she still had doubts. Many, many doubts. Perhaps that was an understatement. Due to Shandara's expertise, she knew the ins and outs of magic, and it wasn't all that simple as touted.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
speaking of which, I've really been neglecting her spellbook ever since she actually got levels in wizard...   I should really copy down and scribe some useful spells!
 


Her eyes narrow at Jay, clearly suspicious. The way she talked sounded like she was running a con.

 "Have you..   ever  actually been in a life or death situation before?" 
DeTess
"Eh, a couple. Well, one that was life or death, and another couple that could have become problematic if not for my quick thinking." Jay doesn't seem to be too flustered by Shandara's doubts. "I might not have the wealth of experience the others have, but I've been with the Midnight guard for almost three years now, so I've been in a scrap or two." The halfling states that last part with a certain amount of pride. "Two years ago I was on a job with Jacob, protecting this merchant. He was a key witness in some kind of trial regarding some kind of illegal price-fixing agreement or something like that, I didn't really get what was going on, but it was serious enough that people wanted the merchant dead. So when arrows started falling, Jacob managed to parry the first one with his shield, and then I whipped up the winds around us to give us enough time to get to cover. And the thing about using illusions to send thugs running for the hills wasn't a theoretical example either. Anyone trying to make a living out of beating other people up probably doesn't know the ins and outs of magic, so messing around a bit with spooky lights and sounds is enough to convince them you're not worth the trouble."
WindStruck
Well, this still seemed pretty dicey. And honestly, couldn't Shandara just use spells to fend off would-be attackers herself? But then again, she couldn't if she got knocked out or seriously injured first in an ambush, and most of the time she had spells prepared that were more useful for her work. Not..  attacking or blocking attacks.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Though there is one pretty strong defensive spell she has prepared like all the time now.
 

 "So, where did you learn your magic? Or is your talent more.. shall we say, innate?"  she asks.

Whatever the answer, Shandara likely still isn't very convinced.  "I'll tell you what," 

She shifts around a bit to remove her backpack and rummages through it, pulling out a piece of chalk. She places the piece of chalk upon the desk.

 "Counter my spell, and I may consider you." 
 Random Boss Music 
 
 Spoiler 
Initiative:  (1d20+1)[ 4 ] 
Caster level:  (1d20+6)[ 8 ] 

Shandara casts  Break  on the piece of chalk!
 
DeTess
"I've got an innate talent, but I studied to hone my craft further at the Eysenwald academy." Jay responded to Shandara. The Eysenwald academy was a magic focused school in the capital, focusing on practical applications rather than the more theoretical approach the academy of the royal artificery society took. I was generally frequented by those with in-born talents for magic as a way to hone their particular skills for every day use, rather than with the goal of becoming scholars of magic. The academy also has a program for training battlemages for the empire's army, though it's doubtful Jay has taken part in, or at least completed , that program, as its graduates need to complete a mandatory 5 year tour of duty in one of the empire's legions.

As Shandara casts her spell on the chalk a shimmering blue field pops up around it for a split second, then breaks as Shandara's spell takes effect. The chalk itself however remains intact. Jay herself also does not look particularly taxed by the little exercise. "I have a natural talent for wind-based effects and a bit of illusions, but I've studied defensive spells in depth as well." She explained.
WindStruck
Shandara isn't sure if she should be impressed with Jay or disappointed in herself. But, it would be silly to go back on her promise, and finally, she was starting to acknowledge that skill.

She retrieves her piece of chalk and droops back into her chair, wondering what to do. Then she came up with an idea.  "And what are your plans for the future, Jay? Do you have any intention of delving into the more theoretical aspects of magic, or aspire to become a member of the Royal Artificery Society one day?" 
DeTess
Jay shakes her head. "I considered it for a little while, but at the academy the more theoretical lessons could never hold my attention, and that is light stuff compared to what I would have to deal with if I wanted to become an artificer. I actually considered going into the battlemage track for the longest time. My skills and magical interests would definitely allow me to qualify, but the idea of fighting in wars, especially offensive ones didn't sit well with me. I considered becoming an adventurer of sorts, and I might still do that in the future, but right now protecting folks is both a good use of my magical abilities and something I actually enjoy doing."
WindStruck
Shandara sighs, a bit disappointed, but nods.  "That's too bad. You know, you aren't making my choices easy..." 

She leans forward a bit and lowers her voice.  "See, I had an idea. You seem fairly talented, so I was thinking, maybe I could take you on as an apprentice of sorts? Or at the very least, you might be able to help me out a bit. Perhaps, I could even help get your foot in the door to join the Society, if that's what you wanted.."   Though at this rate, it was hard to tell if this was something Jay actually may have aspired to, or if she just saw her own flaws and didn't have the attention span for it.

 "It was just an idea, though. Of course, I would have also planned on choosing a contract with the others in that case, and compensating you on the side, but.."  she shrugs.  "I figured an extra presence would not hurt." 
MrAbdiel
 
 Spoiler: Previously, on Artificer Fun Time 

  The Stormdrains District 

"Oi, chief!" One of the laborers helping Aiden with the construction of his house called him over to the entrance of Aiden's modest estate. "This fella says he's with the crews putting in the sewers, an' he says he wants to talk to you." The laborer, a hulking man going by the name of Ven gestured to a willowy half-elf waiting at the edge of the street. The man wore the uniform of the Escribano workshop, one of the most prestigious engineering workshops with the Artificery society, and was holding a clipboard.

"Ah, are you the owner of this plot?" The half-elf asks as he spots Aiden. "I'm Veridis Olfheart, of the Escribano Workshop. As I'm sure you're aware, we have been contracted to put in a sewer system in the Stormdrains district. Now, recently we've run into a small issue not to far from here. It's nothing for you to worry about it, but it has slowed down work somewhat.... well, anyway, to try and get back on Schedule we need another point to start digging from, but those are few and far between in this warren of a district. However, it seems that at least at this point you haven't covered your entire plot of land with rickety... well, actually fairly decent looking buildings, especially for this place... where was I? Oh, right. We where wondering if you'd allow us limited access to a small section of your land for the next week or two, just so we can use it as the starting point to start digging the required tunnels for this part of the district." 
 

 
"Well, hey!  Ain't this a coincidence.  I was just measuring out the run for my pipes hopin' the sewers would soon be underway, and now here you are.  Sure, you can start digging here.    Keep fifteen paces from the barn and house - I don't want any foundation sliding, obviously - but go on ahead." 

Aiden is in such a hurry to be helpful that he doesn't ask two questions that might be obvious to anyone else - namely 'is this going to leave a huge open sewer grate on my property?' and 'perhaps you would like to pay me money for the privelege of using my land this way?'  He thinks of neither.  His payment is the opportunity to assist others in their labor; which to most people wouldn't be much payment at all.
DeTess
 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
"Ah, thanks for the offer, but I'm happy doing what I do." Jay declines Shandara's offer. "I really don't have the scholarly discipline needed to make it as an artificer. If you ever have some kind of defensive or offensive enchantment in the works I'd be happy to help you do some stress-testing though, provided I don't have another contract keeping me busy at the time."

 The Stormdrains District 
"My thanks!" Veridis sketches a slight bow to Aiden. "We'll keep our distance from the rest of the buildings, don't you worry. Well then, I'll be back with some of my people later this afternoon. There might be a bit of noise at first while we drill down, but afterwards disturbance should be kept to a minimum."

Things went as Olfheart said. Later that afternoon, he and some other engineers with the Escribano workshop, as well as some local laborers arrived with a pair of carts, one of which carried a clockwork drilling machine. They set up quickly and efficiently, and by the time night fell their digging machine had already disappeared undergrounds, leaving a hole a couple feet across. Activity on Aiden's plot seemed to consist of moving ground out of the hole and onto the carts and, after a day or two had passed, lowering sections of pipe into the hole. Most seemed quite mundane, but there was the occasional section of enchanted pipe as well.

After a couple of days, Veridis approached Aiden again. "Thanks again for allowing us to do some digging here, it has done wonders for getting us back on schedule. Since we're laying pipe so close to your plot we could give your house a direct connection, rather than relying on enchantments, like we're doing for most other buildings here. In theory it shouldn't really matter which way we hook up your house, but a direct connection will still be a bit more reliable, and you're less likely to run into a temporary clogging issue if you need to get rid of a lot of water all at once."
WindStruck
 "Alright then,"  Shandara says quietly.

 "Well, I don't think I have any other questions for you. Do you have any for me? Or shall we just.. end the interview?" 
Prehysterical
 Bolten's Workshop 
Days passed and Bolten lost himself in his work. As exhausting as crafting could be, it was freeing in a way. He didn't have the luxury of thinking about anything else while doing so. Tempering a blade or fitting cog teeth together left no room for idle thoughts. Piece by piece, the spy bug came together and the pieces lined up like they did in his head and in his notes. During the course of his work, Bolten made a curious observation about the casing and inner gears of the drone. Inspiration struck him and some modifications were made to the design. Once everything had been tested and sealed, Bolten clapped to himself in happiness. Not only had he managed to squeeze in an extra feature to the device, but he had finally come up with a proper name for it...

 Shandara's Home 
Later that evening, Bolten made his way to Shandara's residence with the contraption stored in his backpack. He had done all he could on his end. Now, it would be up to the drow's magics to provide the spark necessary to power the device. He knocked politely on the door, announcing his presence to put her at ease.  "Shandara, it's Bolten! You have a visitor!" 
WindStruck
Shandara cautiously opens the door.  "There is someone else with you?"  she asks.
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
Bolten held up a finger to his lips to hush Shandara and gave her an uncharacteristically cheeky wink. After she let him in, Bolten set down what appeared to be just a regular clock on the table. He looked between her and the clock, barely able to hold back his tittering.  "Well... what do you think?" 
WindStruck
Shandara peers down at the clock, not sure what she was looking at. Had Bolten simply lost all his marbles?

 "It's.. a watch??" 

But looking back up at the dwarf, bewildered and disappointed, she suddenly realized that his uncharacteristic mirthfulness probably only meant one thing.

 "Or is this..."   She quickly snatches the object up to study it even closer. Intuitively, she guessed it had to be the spybug. But how did it work?
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
Shandara's expression only made it harder for Bolten to contain himself. When she caught onto the game, Bolten instructed her,  "P-Press the clock face."  At this point, Bolten was acting more like a ten-year-old after hearing some toilet humor than a professional artificer of the Society. His raised, clenched hands indicated his excitement.
WindStruck
Doing as instructed, Shandara figured she needed to press the center of it where the hands radiated from. After all, it kind of did make a button of sorts.

After doing that, the "clock" ...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Well I don't even know if Shandara did the right thing or how it looks when it opens, but please do go on.  🙂
 
MrAbdiel
 The Stormdrains District 
 "Well, let's do the direct connection, then.  I like practical things that don't rely on magic more than they need to - I know I don't want to be a  Dispel  scroll away from a septic tank overflowing."   Aiden amiably shakes hands with the various workers, smoothly glides in to defuse any contention between locals and professionals, and spends some time sitting on the partially shingled roof of his almost-house, playing his music for those toiling below.  When it's all over, he's richer for what he has given.  But before they go, he catches Veridis.   "That's an amazing machine you have, there; the little digger.  It's got to be saving you days of labor.  Is that an Escribano original?" 
Prehysterical
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Doing as instructed, Shandara figured she needed to press the center of it where the hands radiated from. After all, it kind of did make a button of sorts.

After doing that, the "clock" ... 
 

 Shandara's Home 
suddenly sprouted legs and a head with eyes.
 
 Spoiler: If she drops it in fright 
It lands on the table with ease, shocks in its legs absorbing the impact.
 

There is no mistaking it now... This is the spy bug that Bolten had been working on.

 "Do you like it,"  Bolten asked hopefully.  "I call it the... clockwork  tick ."  A hearty guffaw broke lose from his lips as he could not longer contain his mirth.
WindStruck
Shandara did fumble with the bug and ultimately drop it when it started coming to life. However, it landed pretty neatly on her table.

 "The clockwork tick..."  Shandara says, not getting the joke.

nature:  (1d20+8)[ 17 ] 
 "Ah. The parasitic arachnid, the tick. I'm not entirely certain if that is what one looks like.." 
 "Well, I can certainly see you've outdone yourself. How complete is it, not including the silence enchantment you wanted me to place upon it?" 

Just then there was a flapping and a white blur as something flew down the stairs, but when it settled on the table to peer at the curious bug, it was quite obviously an owl.

 
 Spoiler: picture 
 
 

 "Oh. Bolten. I've recently acquired a familiar. This is Elu." 
DeTess
 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
"Hmmmm..." Jay takes a moment to think, then shakes her head. "There's some stuff I'm curious, but those'd be a bit rude to ask out of the blue, and the answer wouldn't affect how effective I am if you chose me as your protector." The halfling deposits the chair back on the ground with a wave of her hand and then heads for the door. "It was nice to talk to someone that doesn't immediately go 'ooh, magic' after my introduction. Getting to spar a little with someone that knows their stuff is a nice change of pace." With that remark she left, and a moment later Jacob entered the office and sat down again.

"So, what do you think?" He asked. "Anyone in particular that you think will be a good match for you? If not, I might have a pitch for you of my own, but otherwise we'll leave it at that."

 The Stormdrains District 
"Hah, not quite." One of the Escribano engineers, a red-haired female dwarf appearing to be in her early adulthood responded to Aiden's question about the digging machine. "This one was designed by a freelance artificer with the Society called Bolten Cogturner. A pretty nice design too. We've been making some mild adjustments and upgrades as we encounter issues in the field, of course, but the machine is very solid and we've barely encountered any trouble." The dwarf takes another good look at Aiden. "Say, haven't I seen you around the society yourself?"
WindStruck
This time Shandara actually opens up a little with a quiet chuckle.  "Well, Jay, I think it's all a matter of your presentation. That said, if practical magic is your strongest skill, you would inevitably need to mention it. But if that is something that bothers you, perhaps you need a different introduction?" 

Maybe she was misunderstanding the halfling's feelings, but.. either way, her suggestion might yield a reaction from potential clients that Jay was happier with.

 - - - -

After Jacob returned and sat down, Shandara said,  "I think you have brought forward a promising set of candidates. Now, honestly, I feel I could use the unique expertise of all three of them. However,  that may be quite unnecessary, and prohibitably expensive..." 

She leaned back a bit and sighed.  "...it is a difficult decision, however... with the current contract as it is.. Xavier would be my first choice. But if we ever needed to expand it to day and night coverage, I would prefer Jess in the evenings and Xavier during the day."  She nods.

 "Jay also had me interested, as I felt she could have helped with my work, too. However, it seems her heart and ambitions - and likely her capabilities - are not there, sadly." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
While Bolten was pleased by Shandara's reaction, her less than excited response to his name caused him to sag a little.  "Oh... Well, if need be, I can design it to have eight legs instead of six... but then it would be really close to a spider, wouldn't it? We don't want that." 

Before he could answer Shandara's question, her new friend came to say 'hello'. Bolten startled in his seat and looked at the creature of the night.  "Oh! Oh... Um, hello, feathered friend."  The dwarf waved meekly at the owl. He was half-tempted to try and pet it, but one look at that beak told him that probably wasn't a good idea.

Returning his attention to Shandara, Bolten explained,  "Well, we still need the twinning enchantment done for the glass lenses to project the tick's senses into the wearer's mind. Other than that, yes, I think that the silencing spell is the only thing that is missing."  He stopped for a moment.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I am going to assume that Bolten was able to program the overdrive kidnapping protocol and command words unless DeTess says otherwise. Ditto for the recording device inside.
 
WindStruck
 "Oh, uh..  a twinning enchantment...?"  Shandara asks.  The owl looks at Bolten curiously.

 "Perhaps I had forgotten about that. I recall you mentioning a recording device within?" 
 "Oh dear. I'm not even..."  she begins, before shaking her head and sighing.

 "Well I guess that means there's a lot of work remaining,"  she says. Seemed especially true for her. She stands up,  "Well, come. I want to show  you  something. It's for your, uh, scorpion, backpack thing. I don't suppose you've come up with a clever name for that as well?" 

Briefly leading Bolten over to her study/workshop, she picks up a metallic ring. Then she brings it to her kitchen and holds it over the basin.  "So this is what I've been working on for the past several days. I believe I've solved all your water needs for the device." 

Simply by holding the ring and channeling some power into the ring, she was able to start up a trickle of water, which gradually turned into a mini deluge and then suddenly started spraying everywhere until she dropped it.

Shandara winces and blinks.  "Ah, well. It could still use some fine tuning." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden has been given an opportunity to introduce himself, and doesn't miss it.   "That's right!  Aiden Sorveaux.  Afraid I'm not terribly accomplished an an artificer in the society as such.  I may not yet be very good at it!"   He laughs, leaning down a little to offer a hand to the dwarfess, to shake.   "My capacity with magic is a little limited, and I've never seen anything like what mister Cogturner seems to be able to produce.  I'm more of a builder, and craftsman than a maker of fabulous things - but I received an invitation, and the folks at the society think I can do some good with the skills I have.  So I'm here in the big smoke, to try my best!"   His eyes flicker to the machine once or twice again - its obvious intricacy refreshing his half-formed vision of a weight-activated translation station for the rats.  He commits the name of its maker to memory, but then focuses on the folks from Escribano in his midst.   "Mostly I've made a name playing music in the thoroughfare on the society campus.  But now that my house is almost ready, I can take on another contract and try to make something fantastic, too.  Maybe a..."
 
Table.  Statue.  Set of overalls.  Leather belt?  Saw horse? Shears?  Mandolin?

A flurry of learned, technically specific and perfected forms bubble through his mind; but the thing in him that is responsible for generating entirely  new  forms, the kind that legendary artificers bring to life, lags behind, in the shadow of the master craftsman who has made all of those things, each many times over, each in keeping with their historical template, none of it innovative.  The smile on his lips flags, just a little, before permitting its hopefulness to alloy with a little humility, to retain some measure of its shape.

 "Well.  Something." 
DeTess
 The Stormdrains District 
"Elish Stoneshore." The dwarven engineer answers Aiden introduction with a slight smile and bow. "So you designed this home yourself?" She asked. "We where actually talking about how the design and a lot of the techniques used wouldn't look out of place in one of the fancier districts. You seem to know your wood, that's for sure." She seemed to think for a moment, then added. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have some experience with shipbuilding, would you?"

 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
"Very well, I'll let them know. There's just a bit of paperwork left to go over." Jacob got several sheets of paper from a drawer in the desk. They where mostly covered in a small, neat script, but several open spaces where left where Jacob quickly started filling in some details in his own handwriting, which was a lot rougher. "Regarding your preference in case a situation comes up where you want to bring in an additional guard, if Jess is available when that comes up we can of course accommodate that, but there's no guarantee she won't have a contract of her own then. Still, that's a bridge we can cross if and when the time comes." Having finished his additions, Jacob slid the papers over to Shandara. "This is the contract. Take your time to read it through, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'll inform the others and get Xavier back in here, as he needs to sign it as well."

The contract was several pages long, and it explained the duties of the bodyguard, what they where and weren't expected to do, but also what was expected of Shandara, both with respect to monetary compensation and what she should do in case of an emergency, though that mostly came down to 'don't panic and do what your bodyguard tells you to do'.
WindStruck
Shandara nods, as Jacob passes the papers over and leaves.  She is still reading them over as Xavier comes in, and then a bit longer as he waits.

 "I think everything appears to be acceptable,"  she says. With a flourish of her inkpen, she signs.
MrAbdiel
Aiden is, of course, delighted.

“You know, I’ve been fascinated by it!  Little use for it out where I come from, where the streams aren’t deep enough for more than a penny barge.  But I’ve made models, and read books.  Made some real fine tools thinking once I was out here I’d get a chance to try something out.  And the work boards have a standing invitation for new ship designs, so.”  Slowly, he begins to connect some dots.

“Is that your workshop’s posting?”
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten blinked before shrugging.  "Yes, twinning for the glass lenses for the bug's owner. That conversation was about a week ago, to be fair. And yes, the recording device is already installed inside." 

Her desire to show him her latest breakthrough perked Bolten up with curiosity.  "No, no name for it, yet, but I'd love to see what you've come up with all the same!" 

In the workshop, Bolten watched with mild curiosity as Shandara held up the metal ring. Just what had she done with it? His confusion only grew as she led him over to the wash basin. Bolten's hairy eyebrows shot up in surprised delight as the ring began to gush water. He smiled and let out an appreciative chortle... which twisted into a frightened yelp when the flow became a torrent. The angle of the water deflected it into Bolten's face and he blustered at its assault, holding up his hands to shield his face. By the time Shandara had deactivated the ring, Bolten's entire head was soaking wet. The dwarf sputtered water droplets from his lips and tried brushing more of them from his beard with limited success. While a bit put off by the accident, Bolten still seemed positive about the whole experience.

 "Fine tuning, aye, but this definitely could solve our water problem for the thermal crystal casing. I'd say you've outdone yourself this time,  dawri !"  Bolten trailed off and his movements slowed as a sudden realization came to him.  "Wait... Shandara, do you know what this means?!"  Bolten's eyes bulged at her, his hands flying to his head.  "This could help the people in the Stormdrains! No need to wait for the storms to drain the filth when one can simply sweep it on command! This magic could help ensure that everyone has access to clean water without requiring divine magic! A limitless supply for whole communities! You could even try incorporating it into the designs you already submitted for the sewer systems! Sure, the magic you put in involves just teleporting the sewage, but this could still be helpful!" 

Bolten's head was spinning. What had started as an answer to a minor problem could have huge ramifications for life throughout the Empire!
WindStruck
The incident with the water-producing ring didn't seem too bad, as Shandara wasn't sprayed too badly, but upon seeing Bolten, she almost gasped.

 "Oh my, how did that.."  she begins, quickly grabbing a small towel to try to dry him off.  Elu fluttered in and perched on top of a cupboard, attracted by her master's feeling of surprise from the water.

 "Uh, sorry about that.. the Stormdrains District? I wasn't aware they actually had a water shortage. Either way, my findings should eventually be found in the archives at some point..."  she says with a shrug.

 "I may have to revisit your design, but I think I can make the enchantment fit anywhere and have a few different settings." 

Just then there was another knock on Shandara's door. Her head turns in that direction with realization.  "Oh. And there's something else you might want to know. I'll be having another accompany me during nights from now on.." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
 "I'm happy to make adjustments if it means solving the power supply problem,"  Bolten replied. He visibly paused when Shandara added that last little detail.  "...Oh? Er, um, uh, what do you mean by that?"  The dwarf looked confused at the news.
WindStruck
 "You recall the recommendations for security companies that Dukkear gave me, don't you?"  Shandara asks, as she heads to the door.

She opens it, revealing a tall and muscular man, with perhaps just a hint of orc blood in him.  "Xavier. Welcome." 

She pauses awkwardly looking back and forth between the newcomer and Bolten.  "Uh. This is an associate of mine in the Society, Bolten Cogturner,"  she says gesturing at Bolten.  "We were just discussing designs on our project. And Bolten, this is Xavier Firmhold from the Midnight Guard." 
DeTess
 The Stormdrains District 
"Ah, no, that one is not ours." Elish shook her head. "But a couple of my colleagues have been working away at a design proposal for that very commission. Problem is, one of them specializes in larger scale mechanisms, cranes and the like, and the other in magical-mechanical power sources. They have some interesting ideas, but I think they would really use the help of someone that knows a little more about ships. If that's something that sounds interesting to you, I could arrange for an introduction."

 Shandara's home 
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, master Cogturner." Xavier sketched a short bow to the dwarf and greeted him in near perfect Dwarvish.

"Lady Shandara, if there are still matters you wish to discuss with your associate I can take a walk around your house, get an idea of the lay of the land, so to speak." Xavier switched back to common as he addressed his employer. "Otherwise, I would like to hear your plans for the night, so I can adequately prepare for my duties."
WindStruck
 "I think we have more to discuss,"  Shandara says.

 "But yes, feel free to look around. If you have any security concerns, feel free to let me know." 
 "As for plans for the night.."  she begins, looking at Bolten.  "Well if you don't mind, I think I'll need to hold onto that 'tick' of yours to study it and figure out how to best enchant it." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Ah, right... So Shandara did go through with security, after all. Even with the advance warning, Bolten still looked up the rather tall man at the doorway from his own short height. His eyebrows shot up in surprise at the man's proficiency in the Dwarven tongue.  "Oh... Uh, likewise, Mister Firmhold." 

As Shandara gave her orders, Bolten gave a light shrug.  "Oh, I don't mind leaving it with you. All of my work is pretty much done on it. Meanwhile, I should probably get started on our..."  Bolten trailed off as he looked over at Xavier, unsure of how much Shandara had shared of her work.  "Our other project. I can at least try to get the legs together and test the new experimental cable." 
WindStruck
 "Considering that Xavier is supposed to be protecting me, it shouldn't hurt if he knows some details. After all, should any of this information get out, it would make his job a lot harder.. But then again, that's only if he continues having an obligation through his contract..." 
 "I don't know. Can I trust you to not speak about anything you see or hear? I could at least explain why, but I need your secrecy indefinitely."  She gives the large man a paranoid look.

- - -

Turning to Bolten again, Shandara nods,  "Okay, leave it here, and I will try to get the enchantments on it. In the mean time, based on what I just showed you, the water supply should work, right? When you are ready, I'll need to see some schematics or.. something I can work with." 

After a bit of awkward pause, she adds,  "You could still stay for some tea if you'd like." 

Though admittedly, with Xavier's hulking frame, Bolten, and an owl to boot, Shandara was starting to feel a little cramped.
DeTess
"As long as you're not planning to commit treason, you can count on my discretion." Xavier confirmed. "I do not make it a habit to gossip about my employers, but I do occasionally discuss incidents with my colleagues, and use examples of previous service when talking to prospective employers, though I won't name my clients if I do. If there is anything that would appear innocent or inconsequential that you want me to keep to myself, please let me know, but I'll naturally keep any details I glean about your work or your employers to myself."
WindStruck
 "Rest assured, there is no treason here.. if anything, it would be against my own people, far away underground. I'm sure you could imagine that, if word of what I had helped create got out, that would significantly increase the risk of assassination attempts. And neither of us want that." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten allayed Shandara's worries about the schematics.  "Let me sketch the dimensions of the ring into my notebook and I will update my designs to include your water generator."  His business-like coolness warmed up when Shandara invited him to stay for tea. No one ever did that for the dwarf... Sure, it was somewhat awkward with Xavier and the new owl there, but Bolten was so happy with the suggestion that he gave a hyper nod of thanks.  "I think I would like that. What are you having?" 
WindStruck
 "There's no need to make the dimensions exact,"  Shandara tells Bolten.  "I should be able to fit it into a smaller area, or an ellipse, or perhaps even a square. Just run the schematics by me to be sure." 

She adds,  "Mmm, I have quite the selection. Recently I came across one with Jasmine and Green Tea. I've taken a liking to that as well if you want to try it." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

It was reassuring to hear that he would not have to do overmuch to recalibrate the design.  "Sure, that sounds lovely!" 

As Shandara begins brewing the tea, Bolten walks over and asks her in a low voice,  "Listen, I uh... You're not paying a lot for this gentleman's protection, are you? Since I was the one messing with the spy beetle, I would feel horrible if I was emptying your bank account for the sake of my curiosity. I can help pay for your protection, if needs must."  The dwarf sounds very concerned.
WindStruck
Shandara responds with an equally quiet voice, if not moreso.  "Well, protection like this is not cheap.. but the stipend I get from the society should help cover it. Money is not a pressing issue at the moment..." 

As she gazes at the kettle she says,  "To be fair, from the moment I realized other drow were coming to Vaungate.. I feel I would have needed to hire some security, regardless. Our little project need not have any negative effects on me, should we keep it secret." 
MrAbdiel
 
 Spoiler: Last Time, at the Stormdrains 

 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
  The Stormdrains District 
"Ah, no, that one is not ours." Elish shook her head. "But a couple of my colleagues have been working away at a design proposal for that very commission. Problem is, one of them specializes in larger scale mechanisms, cranes and the like, and the other in magical-mechanical power sources. They have some interesting ideas, but I think they would really use the help of someone that knows a little more about ships. If that's something that sounds interesting to you, I could arrange for an introduction." 
 
 


Aiden throws his hands out to the sides in excitement.   "That sounds great!  I'd love to see if I could help.  Just let me know when and where."   He looks to his right, expecting Ambrose to be there to placidly share in this good fortune; but the old warhorse is in his barn now, out of the sun, lazing in the company of a colony of intelligent rats.  The carpenter smiles at his own foolishness.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
With no immediate next plans and a need to get more work, Aiden is keen to go straight to this introduction!  I mean... Scenewise.  It's unlikely it can happen right now narratively!
 
DeTess
 The Stormdrains district 
"Sure, how about tomorrow, at noon?" Ellish suggested. "I'll introduce you to the guys and you can discuss a bit over lunch? Just drop by the workshop and I'll do the introductions."

 The Escribano workshop 
The Escribano workshop is located quite closed the central plaza of the artificery society, occupying's a large building several stories high. several annexes jut from the side of the main building, with smoking chimneys suggesting these are where forges or similar amenities are located.

Ellish is waiting just outside the doors leading into the main ground-floor area, and with her are two men, both appearing to be in their mid-to-late twenties. One of them is a human with short reddish-brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. The other is a half-elf with long blond hair. Both men are wearing the insignia of the Escribano workshop on well-tailored but sensible clothes.

"Hey, Aiden." Ellish waves the bard over once she sees him. "These are the two colleagues I mentioned before. The redhead here is Albert, he specializes in power sources, mostly magic-to mechanic conversion." The bearded man gives Aiden a quick nod as he is introduced. "And this is Mieveur, he does large-scales mechanisms, like cranes and the like." The blond half-elf hives Aiden the tiniest of bows. "Gents, this is Aiden Sorveux, the woodworker I'd mentioned."

"A pleasure to meet you." Mieveur speaks up first. "I assume Ellish mentioned we'd been working on a bunch of ideas for the Streidekker shipwrights, but to be honest, neither me nor Albert know much about ships. Of course, that doesn't stop us from having all kinds of ideas about revolutionizing the business, but it'd be nice to have someone give us a hand and sanity check our ideas."
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten nods his understanding.  "As I promised, I have not breathed a word to anyone else. It will also be nice when-"  He stops himself, still reluctant to name-drop their client in front of a stranger.  "'Our friend' pays us out for the first commission." 
WindStruck
Shandara nods.  "And when that happens, the cost for a bodyguard should be covered for quite sometime,"  she says.

It isn't long before the water boils. She pours it all into a clay kettle and drops an infuser full of leaves inside of it.

 "Are you working on any other hobbies or little side projects?"  she asks.
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
 "Well... I am working on a personal project of mine... The one that I brought up at the dockside restaurant,"  Bolten admits, wondering if she even remembers that conversation.  "I went down to the Embassy and, well... Before the ambassadors let me contact the 'Elders' for any favors, they want me to learn their language well enough so that I can write a letter of introduction personally. Thankfully, the materials that they sent me were very helpful, but... it will take some time before I can consider myself proficient enough to even begin writing a proper letter.

Of course, asking a favor of a dragon...  That's  going to be the hard part." 
WindStruck
 "Oh yes. The thing with dragons.."  Shandara says, looking a little skeptical.

 "It sounds promising, though. It's too bad that learning a new language isn't always easy..." 

As she sips some tea she ponders how she may have come to learn so many languages. Only one was actually studied, while two were learned natively.. and the rest were picked up by proximity.

 "Um. What nation was that am embassy to?"  she asks.
MrAbdiel
 The Escribano Workshop 

Aiden smoothly turns the projection of his arm, which would have been the beginning of a round of enthusiastic hand-shaking, into a sweeping hand gesture accompanying a bow.  With the wide brimmed hat swept of his head with his other hand, the gesture comes off as somewhat overblown - but hopefully, in a likable, larrakin manner.   "Albert and Mieveur.  The pleasure's all mine, and thank you kindly, Ellish, for the invitation.  This is your workshop?  Amazing!"   And then he's striding around, wide eyed like a delighted tourist, floating excited questions about various tools and displays and design choices to the fellows he might yet be working with.  It's eighty percent his own eccentricity, and twenty percent cunning; giving the men an opportunity to share a little of their expertise, and to warm to his demeanour.

 
 Spoiler: First Impressions.. 
Aiden's trying the ol' Sorveaux charm to start off on the right foot.  If I can take ten on the diplomacy check for a 25, I will!  Otherwise, it's a  (1d20+15)[ 32 ] !
 


Once he's got a feeling for the space, the carpenter is almost  intoxicated  by the idea of working with (hopefully) likeminded peers.  "Well, fellows, I'd love to bounce some ideas around with you.  Hey - imagination is free, right?  Let's just eyeball an idea or two, so we can get a sense of each other."  He takes - apparently without even considering he maybe should ask - a sheet of drafting paper from a blank stack, clips it to a workboard, looks around for two seconds until he spies a pencil, and starts drawing.

 "All the warships are already designed.  Broadly speaking.  They improve by increments when someone thinks up a new rudder, or figures out a way to shave a couple of degrees off the curvature of the hull without making it prone to capsize or some other calamity.  But let's say we're thinking of a better way to... salvage something wrecked."   He makes a mark on the paper, then pauses, and scratches it out.   "Or better, to rescue a sea-asset that is otherwise going to become salvage.  Catastrophic hull damage.  Alright?  The client-ship has had some massive breach at or below the waterline.  A remnant magazine detonation, or leviathan strike, or ship-to-ship collision.  Too much water is coming in too quickly for the crew to patch anything.  Standard procedure is to secure any critical material on board, and abandon ship.  The rest of the fleet marks the location of the wreck, and maybe, some time later, there will be a costly and complicated effort undertaken to raise her up.  That's no good." 

He paints the picture, enthusiastic gesturing and all, before finally getting around to sketching something.

 "So what about, if, instead, we have some kind of ...rescue craft, that can swoop in arrest the sinking process.  A catastrophic event - ship ripped in half - will be underwater in three minutes.  I'm not sure we're saving a ship ripped in half, but if we can have a ship that is responsive enough to move and arrest a sinking event inside of, say, ten minutes... Barring other mitigating factors, you'd cut down on fleet losses by... what, eighty percent? Ninety?" 

The ship he has has sketched, from two angles, is almost U shaped from the top view; and a sleek, low-running spike of a ship in profile.

 "Say you've got two of these.  Dual hull craft, like, ah..."   He snaps his fingers to conjure the words to mind.   "Like those elven pleasure sailers.  Catamajigs.   Catamarans. "   Snapping fingers turn to the pistol-fingers of certainty, and then he's back to describing his initial concept.   "They come in, one from port, one from stern.  You have some kind of locking mechanism at the tips of each of the dual-hulls, so you've essentially surrounded the client vessel with a single, stabilized structure.  Then all you need is to stop the blighter from sinking, and not to break the rescue ships while doing it.  I appreciate I'm kind of... turning your specialties on their heads, right now.  But you'd need a number of cranes on each hull whose job is not so much to lift something off the surface, but to prevent something from sinking below the surface in a disaster scenario."   He looks to Mieveur at that, hoping the specilation has activated the man's almonds.   "The trick there is distribution of force on the relatively narrow hulls of the rescue ships, but you're only fighting percentage of the client-ship's total weight; and even then, cut down significantly by performing the operation in water.  We can talk about adding other counter-sinking measures - maybe some kind of harpoon and pulley arrangement for desperate situations.  Or something as simple has being able to cast water-freezing spells around the hull breach to stem the 'bleeding'.  But for now just with the core concept..."   He looks then to Albert.   "Obviously we're looking at a propulsion mechanism that isn't subject to the vicissitudes of the fickle wind, if we're trying to accomplish rapid rescue.  But more than that, once you have a half-sunk galleon hooked up to six cranes and the force is well dispersed, you're looking at a whole lot of strain on the bridge-decks - the parts that link each rescue ship's pair of hulls.  Decent chance of mechanical failure both where it hinges to each hull, and at the apex of the curve.  But I figure, one way or another, that's all force.  And if we can cast spells that can stop catapults from breaking castle walls, I'm sure we can figure something out to spread more integrity onto critical structure points.  I know you specialize in magic to mechanical conversion.  Is there any way you can imagine going the other way - bleeding off the mechanical stress from the strain into some more easily dispersed, or captured magical format?" 

All of this just sort of comes  out  of Aiden, in a rush of ideas that seem to assemble in his forebrain in realtime seconds before he explains them like he's dwelt on them for months.  Eyes lit with the excitement of the creative process, he looks to Mieveur and Albert for feedback.

 
 Spoiler: The Creative Process 
This is a fairly early, spontaneous part of the design process, so I think I'd be struggling to apply the Masterwork Tools bonus to this roll.  Unless the Escribano Workshop itself, with its design tools and whatnot, is considered to apply that Masterwork bonus.  If that's the case, the roll that follows is going to get a +2!

I could take 10 for a 19, but this is exactly what I want my sweet, sweet +8 on one roll a day luck powers for.  So here goes nothin', to make the difference between a curious design with  some promise, or perhaps something more significant.    CraftShipmaking  - (1d20+17)[ 36 ] .
 +2 if Masterwork applies.
 
DeTess
 The Escribano Workshop 
Several times during Aiden's enthusiastic explanation it looks like Albert or Mieveur want to interrupt him, but the bard just runs roughshod over their attempts. When he is finally done, a stunned silence falls. It stretches out for several moments, starts to become uncomfortable... And hen Ellish starts giggling before breaking out in happy laughter. "Welp, you boys have fun!" She says as she turns around and leave Aiden with Mieveur and Albert.

"I think we're going to get along just fine." Albert, who had appeared quite reserved before now grins from ear-to-ear. "One of the ideas me and Mieveur had been looking at was a salvaging rig, but we'd been trying to work around a traditional hull. but of course a catamaran design makes far more sense!" The man steps up to the drawing board. "Your more proactive idea has some merit too, I reckon we could combine both proactive and reactive salvaging in the same design. Now, running the ship's propulsion completely on magic will be difficult thought..."

"We will need a fairly sizeable power source in either base to run the cranes and other equipment. With a bit of smart gearing we might be able to make it so the purpose of the power source can shift from propulsion to operations." Mieveur stepped up to the board as well and started to doodle some quick designs in the corner of the sheet.

"That's still result in a ship that's not as quick as a traditional vessel during cruising." Albert looked over the design with a thoughtful frown. "Say, Aiden, do you think we could add at least part of a full deck here that could fold away during operations?" The man picked up a pencil as well and quickly adds some liens to Aiden's design, sketching a more traditional deck on the catamaran hull. "You could probably get away with less than half the normal amount of sails if we supplement it with magical propulsion, and if we can make it so that all this can fold away during operations it wouldn't impact he utility of the design."
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Shandara's question puts Bolten on an awkward foot. He bites his lip with embarrassment.  "Well... I don't actually know what those people call themselves. Everyone always refers to them as the 'Eastern Empire' and they seem to call us the 'Sunset Empire'. I notice that their highest ranking ambassadors seem to have dragon blood." 
WindStruck
 "Hm. I don't think I've heard of them,"  she says as she begins to sip some tea.

 "But it seems you are already closer finding a dragon to aid you. I'm curious about that little side project you are working on. I suppose it must be something unique if it requires a dragon's breath to..  to do what, exactly?" 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Ah, so she did not remember... Bolten pours himself a cup as he explains,  "I'm trying to, well... I'm trying to get past the limits of clockwork intelligence. Most clockwork is just that, a machine built to do a task and nothing else. I want to create something... more. Something with a life of its own. It is my firm belief that draconic lightning breath is the key to granting any semblance of self or personality to a clockwork construct." 

He stops to take a sip and smack his lips.  "Nothing that can affect our current projects, but perhaps in the future, when I have enough funds saved up, I can finally create something just for myself. A true work of art."  Bolten looks far away for a moment, lost in his own imagination.
WindStruck
 "Oh, do you mean.. a clockwork construct with some sentience? That does sound fascinating,"  Shandara says.

 "The subject of intelligence, consciousness, and sentience is perplexing, that is for certain. In fact, I was planning to visit Vaigr again, along with his apprentice to study those spirits within the crystals more. Don't you think it is strange how bits of a humanoid's and an animal's spirits may go into a vessel of sorts, I suppose via a pact of some sort, and over time, amid that amalgam of energy or.. whatever it is, they develop personalities of their own? 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
 "It is... interesting,"  Bolten admits reluctantly,  "but at least those souls are willing. There's a reason that I never studied the art of golem-making. I hate the thought of binding already existing spirits to a body against their will. The ways of Vaigr's people are different and I respect that, but... that is why I need the dragon's breath. It has enough innate magic that it can perhaps  spark  life into the clockwork itself rather than pulling from somewhere else. Not a shell, but a body with gears and wires instead of bones and muscle..." 
MrAbdiel
 The Escribano Workshop 

 "That's still result in a ship that's not as quick as a traditional vessel during cruising." Albert looked over the design with a thoughtful frown. "Say, Aiden, do you think we could add at least part of a full deck here that could fold away during operations?" The man picked up a pencil as well and quickly adds some liens to Aiden's design, sketching a more traditional deck on the catamaran hull. "You could probably get away with less than half the normal amount of sails if we supplement it with magical propulsion, and if we can make it so that all this can fold away during operations it wouldn't impact he utility of the design." 

 "Seems right to me.  Typical dual-hull vehicles have a deck on the bridging element.  Cutting any extra weight from the design is important for sure; but... Well.  Elegance is cutting everything you can, and nothing that you can't, right?"   Aiden watches as Mieveur and Albert add their parts to the shipwright jam-session's design board.   "Any reduction in sail number and size that we can get away with helps, as well.  If we're talking about wrecked and sinking ships, the last thing you need is extraneous matter to get caught in someone else's collapsing mast, or to have to pause to fold away your own to go under the rigging of the client vessel because they've had to roll the thing eighty degrees starboard to get the breach above sea level.  Ah, maybe I'm getting too fancy.  We can always come back around for a revised concept and work in a brace of bound water elementals to pull along under the surface, or whatever esoteric solution crops up as feasible.  But for now, sure.  Hey; how about I put together a rough scale model tonight and tomorrow.  I'll come back around in a couple of days and we'll bring whatever ideas we've come up with by then?" 
DeTess
 The Escribano Workshop 

"That works for me." Albert nodded, then glanced at Mieveur.

"Same for me. Could you tell mew hat scale you'll be working at for the model? I'll work on a mockup for the cranes and systems at the same scale then." The half-elf's eyes remained glued to the diagram they'd sketched, a look of concentration on his face suggesting that he was already doing a lot of design work in his head.
MrAbdiel
 "Let's say one-to-seventy five.  It'll come out... maybe a foot and a half long, I think; big enough to see detail if we end up shopping it to the admiralty."  To flops his hat back on his head, animated by the idea of constructing this model, and bigs his co-conspirators a hasty farewell to get to work!
MrAbdiel
 "They turned out alright, I think!" 

Back in the  Escribano Workshop , Aiden lays out three models on a cleared table.  The abstract shape of a galleon, with upright, unflagged dowels standing in for a triple mast, takes the centre of the display.  The other two are dual hulled catamarans, in a skilled approximation of their collaborative scribbling in the previous meeting.  One's hulls are marked, simply enough, with a '1'; the other is marked with a '2'.  He settles them on the table, and slides them across the surface to encircle the galleon; the paired hulls of the catamarans kissing their flat prows against each other either side.

 "I'll have to remodel once I've a clearer idea of what the propulsion will look like, and what kind of hardware that'll require to be packed into the bridge; not to mention the anchorage for the cranes, which I'm guessing will have to bolt all the way through the bottom of the hull in order to leverage against the hull spines.  But it helps me to have something three dimensional to look at; maybe it's use to you lads, too."   Immediately, he gestures to the points of contact between the rescue vessels.   "My first thought was that just could just have flat prows and then some kind of latch system on the outsides, but I don't think that'll give enough support.  It's got to turn two ship spines into one ship spine, for the reliable leverage of the cranes."   He puffs a breath through his lips, and wags his head left and right like he's stirring the thoughts within.

 "If we're  really  clever, we'll find a way to make the fold-away masts slide through like locking pins, to splint the spines.  Since there's no scenario where we'd need both sails and locked hulls, and that'd save us storing idle mass.  Thoughts?" 
DeTess
 The Escribano Workshop 

"Hmmm, the bring the ships together they should be able to sail both forwards and backwards." Albert looked over the models. "That might be difficult."

Mieveur shook his head. "It won't need to go fast, and during my research into a magical powered means of propulsion I discovered a design proposal from a year back that should solve that." The half elf put some papers on the table showing a kind of mechanically driven propeller used for propulsion. "The rest of the design detailed here is completely impractical, involving way too much fire for use on a wooden ship, but if we can use a magi-mechanical engine to turn this shaft it can be used to generate propulsion, and a clever bit of gearing should allow us to reverse the direction of the propeller, allowing the ship to back up, if slowly."

Mieveur continued inspecting the hulls carefully. "I had expected a slightly deeper draft, but I suppose that's not really needed for stability on a twin-hull design. I'll need to do some redesigning then, as my original model for the crane wouldn't fit like this. How much deeper could these hulls be without running into issues?"

"There's also an issue with the power sources themselves." Albert looked to be deep in thought." It's pretty hard to regulate the output of a magical generator, which you'd need if you want the propulsion to work well." Mieveur raised no object to Albert's observation, though the reason for this issue wasn't immediately apparent to Aiden. " One crane moving a bit faster than another is generally not an issue, but for the propulsion it could cause trouble. Mieveur will have to do some pretty smart gearing to absorb that, or..." A smile appeared on the engineer's face. "I've got a potentially revolutionary idea, but I'll need to test this first, because I doubt either of you will be believe it is possible if I can't show you a working prototype."

"As for your idea with the masts, if you can get them to fold backwards at the height of the deck, I could create a mechanism to lock them into place. Would that work, Aiden?" Mieveur asked.

 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
A couple of days after her conversation with Bolten, Shandara found herself once again in the room where the spirits where residing. In addition to Vaigr a female half-orc was also present. Vaigr introduced her as Assama, his apprentice. The woman was tall, even for a half-orc, and wasn't actually that much shorter than Vaigr himself. She wore the same uniform as the other apprentices and assistants in the workshop, but it was adorned with several strings covered with hand-carved beads and feathers. Xavier was present as well, of course, but he'd set himself up at the door of the room as things would get rather cramped if he joined the three of them inside.

On the floor of the room an intricate diagram consisting of a large circle of runes with several smaller circles set inside the main circle. had been drawn out using a kind of amber-coloured dust. "Would you mind taking a  look over the diagram with me, Shandara?" Vaigr asked. "I've tried to integrate some of the things you explained, but I want to make certain I got everything right."
DeTess
 the Orlof merchant house 
The estate occupied by the Orlof merchant house is much like it was when Bolten last visited, but as soon as the dwarf enters the waiting room he sense that something is a little different. The dwarf can sense a charged and tense atmosphere hanging around the building, like a storm waiting to break. When Bolten introduces himself to the dwarf manning the receptionist's desk it seems like the man is going to ask Bolten to come back at another time at first, before changing his mind.

"Actually, lady Orlof could probably use the distraction. Please, wait a moment and I'll see if she can make some time for you. Please, take a seat." The receptionist then departs, leaving Bolten alone in the waiting room.
WindStruck
Shandara had arrived where they intended to meet, and she also introduced Xavier briefly as her bodyguard. However she is a little confused at first.  "Oh, were you planning to do the ritual in this room?"  For some reason, she thought they were planning to do it in a more remote location. But also, it did seem pretty cramped.

She kneels down to get a better look at the diagram.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I guess we need an arcana roll?

 (1d20+17)[ 36 ] 

Also, I'll need to draw up my list of prepared spells for this occasion. Probably will do the same stuff as before, like bring a pearl for identify, and comprehend languages.
 
Prehysterical
 The Orlof Merchant House 
Bolten feels a sense of unease as he enters the merchant house and notes the receptionist's hesitance. Well, if the clansman says that it's fine to stay...

After ten minutes of sitting down, and the receptionist has still not returned, Bolten starts getting antsy. Just what is going on in there?

Slowly, Bolten turns and looks at his backpack, his eyes seeing the innocuous-looking clock inside as if the siding of the pack is not there. Does he dare? He has no idea why things are so tense around here.

...The perfect reason to test out his newest creation.

Bolten pulls out the clock and taps the face in the middle, causing his tick to sprout its legs and eyes. He bites his lip to suppress a mad chuckle at the thought of such mischief. Yes, he might get in trouble, but this is too good of an opportunity to pass up! Setting the tick down, Bolten fishes out the crystal lens glasses (showing Shandara's delicate craftwork) and places them over his eyes.

 "Find Lady Orlof,"  Bolten commands his mechanical minion with a cheesy grin.
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
It was clear to Shandara that Vaigr had been trying to incorporate what the dark elf had taught him in the ritual to make it easier on the caster, and what was there looked solid. She did however notice one issue. Three of the smaller circles seemed to be the focal points of the ritual, and would likely be where Vaigr, Assama and herself would be standing. The ritual seemed designed so that while the occupants of all three of the circles would receive its effects, only two of them would require a caster actively participating in the ritual itself. However, an errant bit of logic meant that, to make it all work, the occupant of the third circle was still expected to contribute power to the ritual. it would be an easy enough thing to fix, but fixing it would make it harder for the occupant of the third circle to observe the casting process itself.

 The Orlof Merchant House 
Bolten guided the little spying construct to the house to the office he had met lady Orlof in before, but was stymied by a closed door. Moving the construct into the next room over and out to the window netted the little creature a perfect vantage point to watch the proceedings. Junya was holding a meeting with a richly dressed man appearing to be in his mid forties. The quality of his clothing suggested that he must be some kind of wealthy merchant or Noble. As the spybug only recorded the sound it overheard internally Bolten couldn't hear what was being said yet, but the look on the man's face was one of malice, almost comically so. It reminded Bolten of the villain in a play as they gloat after they have the hero trapped. A broad-shouldered human was standing behind the man talking with lady Orlof, and though he appeared unarmed, his entire demeanor screamed 'bodyguard'.

The bug couldn't see the expression on lady Orlof's face from its vantage point, but she sat perfectly straight in her chair, showing no obvious signs of distress as the man seated across from her delivered what appeared to be a speech or a long winded threat, that ugly grin of malice still plastered over his face. Eventually he finished whatever he had to say, and he seemed to wait for a response from Junya.

The head of the Orlof merchant house stood up from her chair, and the bug could now get a good look at her clothing, which had been obscured by the chair before. She was wearing a long, flowing black dress in a style Bolten was not familiar with, though it seemed made of a rather thin fabric. Not scandalously so, but it was clearly designed to hinder the movements of its wearer as little as possible. Whatever she said wiped the smirk off of the man's face as his expression turned to one of anger. For a moment it seemed like the man would hit lady Orlof, but then he seemed to think better of it. he spoke some final words, then turned around on his heel and stormed out of the office, followed by his bodyguard. Bolten could hear the door slam shut all the way from the small reception hall and could hear the heavy footsteps of the man approaching with his own ears.
Prehysterical
 The Orlof Merchant House 
As the tick silently skittered away on its mission, Bolten was grinning from ear to ear beneath the ruby-red glasses. It was working! He could see right through the construct's own crystal eyes as if they were his own! If anyone had been observing him from elsewhere in the room, the dwarf might have looked considerably unhinged.

That grin faded as Bolten realized that Lady Orlof was currently receiving a rather unpleasant (and powerful) visitor. When the man and his thug began to leave, Bolten began to panic. With such a rotten fellow in a bad mood, the stranger would be looking for any suitable replacement victim. Bolten hurriedly stashed the glasses away inside of his pack and pulled out his spellbook, trying to act like he was merely studying.
 
 Spoiler: Bluff 
 (1d20)[ 12 ] 
 
DeTess
The richly dressed man didn't so much as look at Bolten as he stormed past the dwarf and out of the house. Several moments passed and then the receptionist walked into the small waiting room. "I do apologize for that." He didn't specify what exactly he was apologizing for, but the meaningful glance cast at the larger doors that had but moments before slammed close as the unpleasant visitor vacated the premises made his meaning quite clear. "Lady Orlof will be able to see you in about twenty minutes. If there is some work you wish to do in the meantime, I could show you to a small office."
WindStruck
 "Hm. The circle isn't completely ideal, but it would work..  if  it draws some power from me as well,"  Shandara says.

She looks at the others uncertainly.  "I don't know if it was your intention, but I suppose it would have to do. Who knows? I might learn a bit more this way." 
Prehysterical
 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
 The richly dressed man didn't so much as look at Bolten as he stormed past the dwarf and out of the house. Several moments passed and then the receptionist walked into the small waiting room. "I do apologize for that." He didn't specify what exactly he was apologizing for, but the meaningful glance cast at the larger doors that had but moments before slammed close as the unpleasant visitor vacated the premises made his meaning quite clear. "Lady Orlof will be able to see you in about twenty minutes. If there is some work you wish to do in the meantime, I could show you to a small office." 
 

When it was clear that the man was finally gone, Bolten heaved a great sigh of relief. He feebly waved off the receptionist's apology.  "He seemed like an unpleasant fellow..." 

At the receptionist's offer of an office to "do work", Bolten couldn't keep a smile off of his face.  "Oh, er, that would be lovely!" 
 
 Spoiler: After he is led to the office 
Bolten will continue to test out the spy tick. If anything shocking should happen, such as a Lovecraftian horror appearing or Lady Orlof undressing, Bolten will have the tick flee to his position.
 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Ah, that was not my intention." Vaigr says apologetically. "This ritual normally doesn't really allow for 'guests', so I attempted to modify it so that you would receive its effects, but would not have to contribute, but It seems I missed something." The goliath looks over the ritual circle again, a frown on his face. "I'm not immediately seeing what I did wrong, so if we can go over that later, I would appreciate it. If it is oaky with you though, we'll perform the ritual as is."

Vaigr indicates that Shandara should stand in one of the three smaller circles inside the main ritual cycle, and then he and his apprentice each take their place in one of the two remaining circles. The Goliath than starts to slowly chant in his low voice, and Assama soon joined in, her higher voice forming a pleasant harmony with the Goliath's own. Shandara could not understand the words, but instinctually understood it was a prayer of sorts, asking for the spirits to present themselves to them and provide them with guidance. As they chanted, Shandra could feel power moving through the ritual circle, the power being drawn from the Goliath and his apprentice, as well as herself. Even with her direct connection to the ritual, it was difficult for Shandara to determine what exactly its various components did, the type of magic involved being so different from her own. She could tell that there where two components to it though. One component empowered the crystals set around the room, while the other component acted on the participants in the ritual, giving their eyes and ears the ability to perceive beyond what they normally would be able to.

As the ritual reached its crescendo the  room around Shandara seemed to disappear, being replaced with a view on a rugged mountaintop. If Shandara focused, she could still make out the room they where in, but it was almost entirely hidden behind the vista that now surrounded the elf, the Goliath and the Half-orc. Several moments later a group of animals started to approach them from all directions. They where  a varied group, stags and boars, wolves and great cats, eagles and bears. The animals approached until they where standing just outside of the circle. Then one of them, a massive brown bear let out a series of growls and roars. Despite the clearly animal nature of its vocalizations Shandara could clearly understand its meaning. "You have called and we have answered, Vaigr, last of the Himsnar. I see your apprentice has joined you as well. We welcome you Assama Feather-carried. Yet you also brought with you a stranger to our ways." The bears gaze now shifted to Shandara. "Explain."

The elf could definitely sense hostility from the bear, but before she could do anything a large feline creature the size of a large pony with two massive canines each easily as long as Shandara's hand 'spoke up', it's growls once again easily understandable for Shandara. "This frail, dark-skinned creature saved my life, Brunar. She is welcome here."

Shandara could immediately sense the bears hostility abate. "Ah, she was the one? Very well, Muud, I recognize the debt we owe her, and welcome her to this communion."

After this matter was settled, Vaigr and Assama shared a number of greetings with the gathered spirits, their formulaic nature seemingly about them recognizing Assama as having advanced to a new level in her understanding. Once that part was completed Vaigr addressed all spirits once again, though he faced the bear as he did so. The bear-like spirit seemed to be regarded as the leader of the group, at least as far as Shandara could tell. "I brought Shandara, the elf who healed Muud here because she has put her knowledge at our disposal, to find better solutions to embody you. She has many questions, and I would humbly request that you endeavour to answer them, so that she better understands and can better aid you all."

"Very well then." The bear, Brunar, grumbled. "Ask, and we shall share our wisdom, Shandara."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Shandara expended a single 1st level spell slot to contribute to the ritual
 

 The Orlof Merchant House 
The office Bolten was led to was a small room on the ground floor. Its furnishings where spartan, consisting of a solid desk with a comfortable chair set behind it and a number of empty bookshelves. A slight discoloration one one of the walls suggested there might once have been a painting or other decoration there, but it was gone now. There was a large window in the far wall however, looking out on a small garden situated at the far side of the house from the entrance. The receptionist informed Bolten that he would come get him once Lady Orlof was ready to meet with him, and then left the artificer alone.

As soon as the artificer put on the glasses linked to the bug he was once again greeted with a view of lady Orlof's office. Of lady Orlof, however, there was no sign.
WindStruck
Shandara nods.  "Certainly. I have time to go over the designs with you once we have finished." 

Had the drain of power come as a surprise, Shandara might not have realized what was going on and resisted it in some way or another, but in this case she simply let the arcane energy flow and helped push it along, almost like in a manner one normally expends energy when casting a spell. Except, she still didn't really understand what was going on.

The vista looked pretty amazing. Admittedly, Shandara hadn't ever been on top of any mountains. Perhaps some large hills at best. As the animals approached and spoke, she attempted to maintain a respectful and quiet demeanor, though she was still filled with curiosity. The bear, with all its growling and roaring, and hostility clearly felt, withered Shandara. For all that she might have told herself that this was just some ritual, that none of this was actually 'real', part of her still wondered if she could be harmed in some way. And in any case, it really wouldn't do well to have the spirits' ire. They would be very uncooperative.

Thankfully Muud spoke on her behalf. It was a little weird to be called a 'frail, dark-skinned creature' but she supposed it was technically true.. and perhaps none of them even knew what else to call her. After all the formalities and the introduction, Shandara had her chance to begin asking questions.

 "Thank you, Brunar, Muud, and all other spirits present,"  she humbly begins.

 "There are many questions I have, and they may seem strange, ignorant, or perhaps inconsequential at first. However, if I were to aid you, and Vaigr and his apprentice, Assama, my goal is to first understand the nature of your existence..." 

She feels as though she may be rambling and perhaps wasting their time. And perhaps the spirits thought or felt differently than she did and just wanted the questions. So she first asks,  "What are your first memories? This question is for all present, should they wish to answer. It may be difficult to answer, but please take your time, and do not feel obligated to give the most accurate answer possible." 
Prehysterical
 The Orlof Merchant House 

As Bolten was led to the room, he wondered why the bookshelves in the office were empty... Seemed like a waste of space. When he placed the crystal lenses back over his eyes, Bolten was surprised to see Lady Orlof gone. That was odd... Where had she gone to?

While Bolten had been feeling a bit mischievous, he wasn't interested in actual espionage. He guided the spy tick to a window where he could open it and retrieve it. As he did so, a thought occurred to the dwarf. Every part of this had been a successful field test so far... except for the sound. Had his disc idea worked? He shouldn't... he  really  shouldn't... but he had to know. Not for the sake of getting into Lady Orlof's dirty laundry, but for sheer curiosity's sake... and science! Bolten had to be sure that his recorder worked, after all.

Knowing that he only had a bit of time before he was no longer alone, Bolten scurried to the corner of the room and had the device play back what little it had overheard of the exchange between Lady Orlof and her menacing visitor.
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
A stunned silence followed Shandara's question. The spirits seemed shocked an perplexed by the Drow's request, their postures, which seemed so confident and full of power now seemed unsure. Even the proud Brunar seemed to be unsure how to proceed. Eventually the silence was broken by a series of Barks from a grey-furred wolf, the ritual allowing Shandara to interpret the sound as one of mirth.

"This one sees clearly!" The wolf spoke, the ritual allowing Shandara to interpret her voice as being feminine. "I don't think anyone has ever asked us or our forebears a question that perceptive." The other gathered spirits murmured their assent to the wolf's words. Many of them looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"The answer, of course, depends on what you would consider 'my' memories." The wolf continued. "The earlier memory that I'm certain could be considered 'mine' is one of unease. The powerful spirits that had surrounded me as I slowly became aware of myself had disappeared, and the Shamans left in the cave where we rested where clearly uneasy. The reason being that all others had gone to war, though I only learned that later."

"However, there are memories within me that are significantly older than that. Memories of hunting down prey besides my two-legged companion. Memories of driving a spear home to down an aberration that had crawled out of some deep crevice of the mountains while my wolf companion kept the creature pinned in place. Memories of running, both on two legs and four. Memories of hunts and feasts. And memories of pain and death. Are these memories mine? Or do they belong to those that came before, those that, in part at least, would become me? Who could answer that question?" The wolf looked around the gathered spirits. "I certainly can't."  The wolf turned back to Shandara. "I hope that gives you some insight."

Several other spirits then volunteered similar stories. They could often identify the first memories they had as the beings they where now, but all had memories significantly older that that, of lives lives by tribespeople and their animal companions.

"This is not a topic we often think about, which makes it hard to talk about." Muud spoke after finishing his own story, which was fairly similar to that of the wolf. "We take the wisdom gained from these lives as a given, but we are not inclined to actually reflect on the nature of these memories."

 The Orlof Merchant House 
"...and so we now circle back to the position you find yourself in 'Lady Orlof'." Bolten could clearly make out a male human voice from the recording. The sound was somewhat tinny and thin, but nonetheless clearly audible. "Though I hesitate to use that moniker for you, as you are of course neither. I really should report you to the authorities. They would have you put to the sword, and there is of course no doubt you have done plenty to deserve such a fate. However, I can empathize with your situation, I truly can. In this matter you are lucky, lucky indeed, that your secret was discovered by one such as I. Why live in some dank forest when you could enjoy the pleasures of civilized life, right? And I'm willing to let you keep al of the little comforts you have gained for yourself. However..." The male voice paused for a moment.

"I could not, of course, allow a creature such as yourself to have any influence in our society. Your contacts, your resources, your wealth will all be mine to command. A Paltry price to be paid for being allowed to continue living in this society, don't you agree?" Another silence fell, and the Bolten could hear the sound of a chair being pushed back.

"You truly think you can threaten me with this  nonsense ?" Lady Orlof did not shout, but her steely voice nonetheless easily carried to the bug outside the window. "It is clear to me that you are a fool, and a desperate on as well if you need to resort to such  idiocy . Leave this house, and never return. And know that, if you choose to try and follow through on these ridiculous threats, you will face the full strength of House Orlof and its allies, though I doubt I will have need of them to crush one such as you. Now, begone!"

"You... I will see you and your damned house burn for this!" The man's voice was followed by the sound of a chair being pushed back and two pairs of footsteps retreating. Bolten thought he could then hear lady Orlof say something, but the sound was too faint and garbled to make out. A short moment of silence passed, then Bolten could hear the voice of the Dwarven receptionist.

"My apologies, lady Orlof. The artificer, Bolten Cogturner is here to see you to demonstrate one of the devices he was contracted to make for the Ironmongers. Should I tell him that now is a bad time?"

"Hmmm, no, I could use the diversion. It'll be a while before I can take action against that buffoon, anyway." Lady Orlof spoke. "I'll have to change first though, it wouldn't do to greet him in this dress. The significance would almost certainly be lost on him but... actually, given who his co-worker is, he might very well know. Tell him I'll be ready to receive him in twenty minutes, and give him the use of that empty ground-floor office if he wants to do something productive in the meantime." Several more noises where recorded by the bug as the receptionist and lady Orlof both left the room, and then all fell silent.
MrAbdiel
 
 Spoiler: The Escribano Workshop 

 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
  The Escribano Workshop 

"Hmmm, the bring the ships together they should be able to sail both forwards and backwards." Albert looked over the models. "That might be difficult."

Mieveur shook his head. "It won't need to go fast, and during my research into a magical powered means of propulsion I discovered a design proposal from a year back that should solve that." The half elf put some papers on the table showing a kind of mechanically driven propeller used for propulsion. "The rest of the design detailed here is completely impractical, involving way too much fire for use on a wooden ship, but if we can use a magi-mechanical engine to turn this shaft it can be used to generate propulsion, and a clever bit of gearing should allow us to reverse the direction of the propeller, allowing the ship to back up, if slowly."

Mieveur continued inspecting the hulls carefully. "I had expected a slightly deeper draft, but I suppose that's not really needed for stability on a twin-hull design. I'll need to do some redesigning then, as my original model for the crane wouldn't fit like this. How much deeper could these hulls be without running into issues?"

"There's also an issue with the power sources themselves." Albert looked to be deep in thought." It's pretty hard to regulate the output of a magical generator, which you'd need if you want the propulsion to work well." Mieveur raised no object to Albert's observation, though the reason for this issue wasn't immediately apparent to Aiden. " One crane moving a bit faster than another is generally not an issue, but for the propulsion it could cause trouble. Mieveur will have to do some pretty smart gearing to absorb that, or..." A smile appeared on the engineer's face. "I've got a potentially revolutionary idea, but I'll need to test this first, because I doubt either of you will be believe it is possible if I can't show you a working prototype."

"As for your idea with the masts, if you can get them to fold backwards at the height of the deck, I could create a mechanism to lock them into place. Would that work, Aiden?" Mieveur asked. 
 
 

 "Interesting.  If you have a propeller behind each hull on a single catamaran, one forward and one back, I'd suppose they'd turn around on the axis between the engines.  If that gearing is as clever as you hope it can be, it'll make manoeuvring a breeze." 

He considers the problem with the depth of the draft.   "You're right, a twin hull ship needs a shallow profile under the surface so that when it turns against choppy surf there isn't a surfeit of water pressure hitting one hull, and not the other.  That'll just add stress on the connection to the bridge - it won't break it right away, but it'll create a situation where it's liable to accrue stress damage.  But we don't really need the hulls deeper, do we? Just... what, a footing for the crane in question?  Would it work if the crane's...  stem  -" , he aborts to a guess word after a moment of arm flapping silence,  "protruded down through the base of the ship?  It'll compromise the effective depth of the ship - will struggle with reefs - but we won't have to drop the entire hull profile.  Maybe.  I'm not satisfied with that solution - I really want to have the cranes without losing the ability to skim, or traverse shallow waters.  Hmm." 

Having done all he can with that issue for a moment, he considers the mast issue.   "...I think we can get them to happen.  Down at the base below deck, we're looking at a mechanical fastener between the mast's foot and the spine of the hull.  One secured with some big, steel pins that can be cranked out.  That's a lot of weight to move around - do you think, Albert, we can rig it so the lowering of the mast and the raising of one or more of the cranes is connected?  Might as well make all that weight work for us coming up and going down, I figure." 
WindStruck
Shandara nods, and it seemed her hunch was correct. She explains,  "I was told that Shaman would make pacts with their animal companions using various crystals. When either of them died, their size slowly, yet inexplicably grew. The fact that you remember bits and pieces of these past lives would confirm that parts of their souls, or at least their memories, transferred over. I imagine that the most important parts of these lives are the ones that stuck with you.. Do you recall what type of creatures you were in these old memories? For example, Brunar appears to be a bear before us, but were the lives before his own always that of a goliath and a bear?" 

She follows up with another question.  "Do the eldest among you recall this ritual taking place while your consciousness, your present being, already existed?" 
Prehysterical
 The Orlof House 

As Bolten listened, his expression grew more worried and pale with each passing moment. He had been expecting something like a simple financial power struggle between two merchants, not a reveal that Lady Orlof was not who she said she was! And just what did she mean about the dress? Was she talking about Shandara? Did the dress have some connection to the drow?

Bolten was now left with more questions than answers from his snooping. His head spinning, Bolten sealed the tick back up and activated its clock disguise to set it on the desk. The dwarf pulled out his magical sketchbook, trying to focus on physics and math to keep his mind from chasing its tail.
DeTess
 the Escribano Workshop 
"The issue is more that I need quite a bit of complicated gearwork to operate all functions of the cranes." Mieveur walks to a large storage cabinet and retrieves a model of a crane from it. "This entire section here would be below the hull." The half-elf points at the lower third of the model, which in the model is a frame containing a lot of sections of gearwork and pulleys. "We can't really have this stick out of the bottom of the ship, but I could redesign it to be flatter and broader."

Albert takes a moment to think over Aiden's proposal. "Since we'd probably raise a crane shortly after dropping the masts I think we could store the energy into a flywheel. Not so suited for long-duration energy storage, but a lot cheaper than having to create a device that turns mechanical energy into some form of magical storage medium."

"It seems we've got quite a few ideas now, enough to actually start working on a scale prototype." Mieveur suggests.

"It should be a bit larger than this first model." Albert interjects. "I can only miniaturize my work so far, so if we could work with a scale to put it about 3 feet in length, that should be fine."

"We probably won't need a completely functional deck layout or anything like that for this, but all other functions should be present so we can show the functionality to the shipyards." Mieveur suggests. "Aiden, if you could at least create a basic model of the hulls as soon as you can, sow e can see how much space we have to work with. I'll also be working on this project in the afternoons, so if you could drop by again sometime soon so we can work on some of the trickier mechanical parts, like the collapsing masts, that would be great."

 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Our forms reflect the beasts we remember being." The She-wolf confirmed for Shandara. "I do have some memories of being a large cat, but most memories are those of wolves and Goliaths."

"That certainly explains a thing or two about you." A boar-spirit grumbled good naturedly at the wolf, before answering Shandara's question. "All my beast-memories are of being boars, no exception."

It was no different for the other spirits. Some of them seemed to remember being slightly different creatures as well, but they where in the minority.

"I've seen it happen." Brunar begins to answer Shandara's second question. "The tribespeople would go out into the wilderness after coming of age to find and form a bond with a beast that matched their temperament. Then, upon their return with their new companion the shaman's would perform a ritual to bind them together, and to the appropriate ancestor spirit as well."

"It was slightly different for the tribe I was to watch over." the she-wolf spoke up. They had  a pack of wolves and hurting cats accompanying them, and every year on the solstice all children four years of age and all cubs and kittens born that year would gather together. The shamans would then invoke us in a large ritual, and each kid would be bound to a kitten or cub that matched them. We were not explicitly part of the bond."

Several other spirits chimed in as well. Each tribe seemed to have its won variations. In some tribes its people would go out into the wilderness for a couple months to bond a creature, while others where accompanied by a pack or a herd and would at some point in their lives bond with one of them.

 The Orlof Merchant House 
Some time after Bolten finished watching the recording, the receptionist knocked on the door. "Lady Orlof is ready for you now, master Cogturner." The dwarf then led the artificer to the office Bolten had had his first meeting with lady Orlof.

Junya Orlof was now wearing a simpler and more conservatively cut dress in a dark green color. On her face there was no sign of the stress she was likely under, as she greeted Bolten with a radiant smile. "Mister Cogturner, it is good to see you again. I do apologize for making you wait, but there was an urgent matter that needed to be attended to first. Can I get you anything to drink before the demonstration, or should we get straight to business?"
WindStruck
Shandara listens to the spirits' explanations intently, with a nod or a curious head tilt every now and then.  "This is fascinating, indeed. There were variations to these bonding rituals, and yet it seems you all still came out more or less .. equivalent?"  She shrugged at her own comment.

Looking towards Vaigr she adds,  "And as for the ritual which would give you all a more substantial form in the material world, I assume none of you have been able to properly witness it? Otherwise you surely would have passed that knowledge on to Vaigr by now, and I would not be here asking questions..." 

After a moment's thought Shandara says,  "You know, I am quite curious about something. Since you all contain memories of  both  animal companion and tribespeople.. have any of you ever taken the form of a goliath? One who walks on two legs? Is.. is that even possible?" 
Prehysterical
 The Orlof Merchant House 

On his way to Lady Orlof's office, Bolten made sure to tuck the clocked up tick under his armpit before leaving the room. He tried to greet the lady's gracious welcome with a smile, but it probably came off as rather weak. For a moment, Bolten was sorely tempted to take Lady Orlof up on her offer of refreshment, but the question burning in his mind drove away all thoughts of distractions and pleasantries. The dwarf set his clock on the table between them, slightly off to one side to not obstruct his vision as he looked to the taller woman. Bolten's expression became troubled as he returned Lady Orlof's gaze, trying to pierce that veil of hers.

 "Straight to business, I am afraid... Before we begin, I must know... Who  are  you, really?"  Bolten's uncharacteristically stoic gaze left no illusions as to what he meant by his question.
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"We know some things, but nothing specific." Brunar confirmed regarding Shandara's question on the ritual to embody the spirits. "Those who have seen it have only seen it once, while we where still too young to understand much. It required a number of powerful Shamans to work together to bring the spirit fully into the world, but more than that I do not know."

"As for our shapes, we are no more able to change our shape than you are." Muud chimed in. "Nor would I want to. I vastly prefer this form over that of a two-legs."

 The Orlof Merchant House 
"That buffoon let something slip, did he." Lady Orlof's eyes seemed to darken and her warm expression from moments ago disappeared, replaced by an icy anger. "I could say that it is none of your business, mister Cogturner, but for the sake of our working relationship, I will tell you this: I can say with utmost certainty that I've given more to this empire than I've taken away. And there aren't that many people here that can say the same. That man certainly can't make the same claim. This simple fact was enough for Dukkear, who knows more about my past than you ever will, and it should be enough for you."
Prehysterical
 The Orlof Merchant House 

Now that it was  his  turn to face Lady Orlof's displeasure, Bolten blanched slightly even under her mild ire.  "Er, well, he actually  didn't  say anything... or rather, you  all  did... however that works."  Rolling his eyes at his own lack of articulation, Bolten pressed the clock face and allowed the tick to pop out onto its legs on Lady Orlof's desk. He pressed his fingertips lightly together like a schoolboy explaining his misbehavior to his mother.  "I didn't mean to spy on you... No, no, that's a lie! I won't lie! It's just that... while I was waiting, I thought, 'What better time to test it out?' I had only thought that you were only doing boring merchant business, 'tariffs' this and 'margins' that...  I  really  didn't know that it was going to be about someone trying to blackmail you." 

Due to his shame and embarrassment (and wanting just a moment of reprieve), Bolten fished in his backpack and pulled out the crystal eye lenses before placing them on the table for Lady Orlof's inspection. Bolten raised his hands up, at a loss, and explained,  "My point is, I'm not here to judge anyone. That man seemed  horrible  and any business between the two of you is none of mine. You see, it's just that..." 

The dwarf was earnest and pleading as he grasped the table nervously.  "It's not  me  that I'm worried about. While you were talking to the receptionist, you mentioned Shandara. I don't know who you are, what you are, where you come from, what you've done, or what that black dress even means... but  you know  about Shandara and her people. I don't know what Dukkear told you, but she has been in trouble ever since we found that spy beetle at the restaurant. Dukkear mentioned that three masked drow followed us and that, if he hadn't been following us as well, things might have turned  very  ugly. She's so scared... She's by herself here in the city. She has no family or friends to call on. She's been hiring  private security , by the Forgefather's Anvil! And all of this is happening while she is providing vital enchantments and crystals for these commissions,  your  commissions!" 

Though obviously emotional, Bolten kept a steady voice as he continued,  "You seem to be more than business partners with Dukkear. From how you talk about him, you might call him a 'friend'. Dwarves are good to their friends, Lady Orlof. Shandara is  my  friend... my only friend... and I have to stand by and watch her flinch at every shadow, every time a coin drops on the floor!"  He pounded a gloved fist on the table in emphasis, rising to his feet but keeping his hands planted on the table. Bolten made no other moves, just standing there as he looked across at the woman behind a mask.  "Any dwarf worth their whiskers knows what Clan Ironmonger gets up to down there! Dukkear will be using our inventions to spy on the drow. And if their spider goddess is angry enough that  any magic  that involves spiders or webbing is failing, then how likely is it that Shandara herself is now a target? She's probably been singled out as a traitor by her own kind. Small wonder that she never wants to talk about her childhood! And  you , whoever you are... you know who she is, what she is, and at least a bit about her people." 

Bolten sat back down, emotionally sapped as he slumped in his chair.  "You're right, 'Lady Orlof'. Who you really are is none of my business... but I need to know that, whoever you might be, you aren't a threat to her. That you're not just a spider spinning her webs and pulling our puppet strings before you close the trap. You know about Shandara's people. You can help her. So please, if you have  any  idea how terrifying it is to be  alone  and  scared  with no one to help,  please ... tell me that you can help her."  The dwarf's voice wavered, as if on the verge of tears.
WindStruck
Shandara was a bit disappointed by the answers given, though she still nods in affirmation.  "I can empathize with that. I think most people, including me, prefer the shape and form they were born into, however biased that may be.."  she smiles with a hint of mirth, though she was momentarily contemplating taking the form of other animals, and other  beings . Hm. Would her life here in Vaungate be easier and much simpler if she were just another elf or human amongst their thriving population?

 "I just thought... well, understand that the reason  we  don't change shape is that we are made of solid matter, much like the rest of the world. And I suppose there is a spiritual component to us, but my guess is it mimics our physical form. As for you all.. I was under the impression that the rules might be different. Are you.. are you absolutely certain you cannot assume a different shape? What if you could?" 

She raises her hand in a placating gesture and tries to explain,  "I don't mean to imply there is anything wrong with your current forms, or identities. It's just that, I thought the goliath portion of your memories was equally as important. So I wonder, where has it gone? Surely, it is not only represented by the wisdom and intellect you all possess?" 
 "Perhaps it is nothing and merely only a curiosity of mine. But perhaps, if it is even remotely possible, it is an important piece that is missing." 
MrAbdiel
 
 Spoiler: Previously... 

 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
  the Escribano Workshop 
"The issue is more that I need quite a bit of complicated gearwork to operate all functions of the cranes." Mieveur walks to a large storage cabinet and retrieves a model of a crane from it. "This entire section here would be below the hull." The half-elf points at the lower third of the model, which in the model is a frame containing a lot of sections of gearwork and pulleys. "We can't really have this stick out of the bottom of the ship, but I could redesign it to be flatter and broader."

Albert takes a moment to think over Aiden's proposal. "Since we'd probably raise a crane shortly after dropping the masts I think we could store the energy into a flywheel. Not so suited for long-duration energy storage, but a lot cheaper than having to create a device that turns mechanical energy into some form of magical storage medium."

"It seems we've got quite a few ideas now, enough to actually start working on a scale prototype." Mieveur suggests.

"It should be a bit larger than this first model." Albert interjects. "I can only miniaturize my work so far, so if we could work with a scale to put it about 3 feet in length, that should be fine."

"We probably won't need a completely functional deck layout or anything like that for this, but all other functions should be present so we can show the functionality to the shipyards." Mieveur suggests. "Aiden, if you could at least create a basic model of the hulls as soon as you can, sow e can see how much space we have to work with. I'll also be working on this project in the afternoons, so if you could drop by again sometime soon so we can work on some of the trickier mechanical parts, like the collapsing masts, that would be great." 
 
 


Aiden listens with almost crazed intensity as his now partners pick at the model's weakpoints and showcase their own expertise.  He can feel the point of departure each time his pragmatic craftsman's expertise runs out of bridge, and he is left staring out over a chasm of specialist knowledge that these friends are able to traverse.  It is as marvellous to him as watching someone shoot into the air and fly.  With no small effort, he contains his excitement to be collaborating at all.

 "Sounds like we have some real challenges ahead. But if it was easy, someone would already have done it.  I'll get to work on it right away, fellas.  Three feet long, eh?  I might be able to use pins for nails, rather than glue..."   He waffles a little but then catches himself; desperately shakes first Mieveur and then Albert's hands, and hurries off; carefully bundling the smaller models in their collapsed forms and tying them to Ambrose's rarely used saddle.   "My friend, it may take our combined cunning to keep up with these new partners.  I hope you're up to it." 

The old horse, to his credit, does not seem intimidated by the challenge.

 
 Spoiler: Woo, progress! 
I'll throw a couple of take-10s at the models, coming out with 32s for the woodworking aspect of the construction, and 21's for the ship making.  Will that be enough to knock those out to a high standard?  And the cost for the wood for the models - did you want to bill me, or should I expect that kind of thing gets handwaved off to the background bookkeeping of expenses that we assume get evened out?
 
DeTess
 The Orlof Merchant House 
Anger had been clearly visible in Lady Orlof's eyes at the dwarf's refusal to accept her explanation, but her gaze softened as soon as Bolten brought up his reasons. When the dwarf was done with his explanation, she gifted him a slightly sad looking smile.

"Your friend has nothing to fear from me, Bolten. She and I are somewhat alike, I think. And if she desires any more help than what she has already acquired herself, she should feel free to come speak to me, and I'll see what I can do." The head of the Orlof merchant house assured the artificer. "Though it might be best if she kept her distance from me until this business regarding my... 'blackmailer' is dealt with. Those desperate to see a nest of evil here would no doubt brand her as an accomplice for no other reason than the color of her skin."

 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Our forms are a pure and constant reflection of the inner spirit of..." Brunar began to say, but the she-wolf cut him off.

"What Brunar is too proud to admit is that we don't actually know if we can change our form. None of us have tried, for we see no reason to." She explained. "There are some stories of ancestor spirits occasionally having a more mutable form, but this seems to be rare. Those of us so inclined will do some experimentation to see if something like what you propose is possible, but it is impossible to say right now."
WindStruck
 "Perhaps there may be no reason to. Or, perhaps, it could lead to a better understanding of yourselves."  Shandara shrugs.

 "Well, I do not wish to make you uncomfortable, or suggest you do things you do not want to... but I do have one more question for you all,"  she begins.

 "I know of the mechanical bodies Vaigr's friend has constructed for you, and there is a certain ritual he performs which allows you to control them in some way. As far as I understand, with such a ritual, you are allowed a limited interaction with the physical world and you can move with surprising ease and grace. So, could you describe your experiences with that ritual? How does it feel, both before and after? What manner of new sensations would you experience?" 
Prehysterical
 The Orlof Merchant House 

Bolten nodded softly at Lady Orlof's words.  "All right... Well, you can see that we've delivered. I will say the only thing is that, well, it might be useful if the glasses also came with some form of sound for the viewer. Shandara might be able to adjust the magic, but I think that adding some smooth metal wire loops might help. Conducts the vibrations to the ears, you see. Then again, being underground, I don't know if it's a good idea to be both blind and deaf in your immediate area while using the spy tick... What do you think?" 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Without any rituals to sustain us, we are all locked in darkness." A boar-shaped spirit begins to explain. "We can't see, we can't feel anything, but we can speak with and hear each other, provided we're close together, and if someone touches the crystal we inhabit, we can get a sense of them as well."

"This is not as it should be." Brunar, the larger bear-spirit takes over the explanation. "Before all the older spirits fell we lived in a kind of spiritworld, not unlike what you see around you now. I believe the older, more powerful spirits created this. When Vaigr performs the ritual to put us into our mechanical bodies, it is somewhat like waking up and being able to walk around the real world, but... it is flawed. We can see, but the colours are all washed out. we can hear, but it takes real focus to make sense of any one sound. We can feel, but only the stronger sensations. The ground below our feet, the scraping of branches on our mechanical bodies, but not more subtle sensations, like that of the wind on our skin. We can move too, but it takes far more focus than it should. Every step requires a conscious effort. We have learned to adapt to this, of course, and it is far better than being locked in darkness but..." Brunar's voice trailed off.

"This is not meant to disparage your efforts of course, Vaigr." Muud spoke up. "You have achieved more than we could have expected but..."

"But there's more work to be done." Vaigr himself finished the thought. "I understand, and will continue working to improve things for you."

 The Orlof Merchant House 
"Is it possible to have both options?" Lady Orlof asked Bolten. "There might be times where listening as it happens is vital, while at other times it would be far too risky. Then again, I know Dukkear is a skilled lip-reader so if those lenses paint a clear enough picture..." She reached a hand out towards Bolten. "Could I take a look through those lenses?"
WindStruck
 "Much work indeed,"  Shandara agrees.

 "Perhaps another project may be in order, like keeping this 'spirit world' permanently up and intact..."" 

Turning to the Brunar and the other animals, she asks,  "So, um. I heard there were wires within the mechanical bodies. Those are very thin, but long strings of metal, which supposedly controlled them. Do you not consciously notice those?" 
Prehysterical
 The Orlof Merchant House 
 "I... will see what Shandara can come up with, but I make no promises,"  Bolten told the woman uncertainly. When Lady Orlof asks for permission, Bolten encouraged her with great fervor.  "Oh, please, help yourself! I brought it here so that you could see its capabilities! Or perhaps... so its capabilities could see  you ,"  he teased, finally starting to relax.
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"We usually don't." Muud responded to Shandara's question. "If we recognize these wires as a truly separate part then it means something has gone wrong with the ritual, or the body is not a good fit for us. Normally, they'd feel as much a part of us as your muscles are part of you."

 The Orlof Merchant House 
Lady Orlof Took her time looking over the bug and testing its various functions. "This is really quite a marvelous design." She concluded once she was done. "I hadn't expected the image on those lenses to be as clear as this. Even without a way to directly listen to the recording, this should be sufficient for Dukkear to be able to follow a conversation by lip-reading." She spent several moments in silent contemplation before continuing. "I realize that this is a prototype, and that a moment earlier I was asking about adding additional features. However, I would like to subject this particular model to a more comprehensive field test. Do you believe this model is up for that already? Naturally, if this device is damaged or lost during the test I have in mind, I'll ensure you are provided with materials and additional compensation to create a replacement."
MrAbdiel
 The Escribano Workshop 
 "The solution is more hulls!" 

This, Aiden announces two days later as he zooms into the workshop, perhaps startling Mieveur.  He pushes a hand-cart, in which is stacked, and tarp-covered, the much larger replications of the original design.  Without waiting for acknowledgement, carried forth on a tide of his own enthusiasm, he clears a table in foolish haste that scatters a handful of unattended papers and drafter's stationary.   Clonk , the left hull the three-foot long catamaran model is placed on the table, held stable in a display cradle of thick braided copper.   "I was thinking about how we're going to cram all the craneworks into the hulls, and how we could minimize all the other features to make that work.  The crew has to sleep  somewhere , and the hardtack and fresh water needs to be lardered and so on, and so on; and those locations can only be shrunk so much."   Clunk , the other hull comes to the table in a matching cradle, and Aiden's hands begin fiddling with the elegantly curved connecting bridge, locking it into each hull in turn to snap them together.  "But then I thought... 'Why not just get rid of them entirely?'"  He reaches with both hands, each seizing on the upright stubs of dowels that serve as placeholders for the main masts to later come, now serving as lid handles; and the top deck of each hull pops off, revealing the totally vacant interiors of the ship's twin hulls.

 Clunk;  a third hull, admittedly a little rougher a model and plainly tossed together mostly as a stand-in on a flash of inspiration, settles on the table between the twin hulls. This one has a more conventional barque's shape, with a more classic deeper draft.  "A third hull, which contains all the space dedicated to non-salvage functions.  Crew quarters, arms lockers, food storage, repair supplies - all of it.  When following a fleet or sailing to its destination..."  He produces a v-shaped wooden element that, connected to the prow of the central hull, looks at first like a vicious ram; but with a moment's care, its notched ends click into the spaces on the prows of the two main hulls, where the presently undecided locking mechanism will later exist for the ship to dock prow-to-prow with its sister vessel.  Now, instead of a catamaran, the assembly of three hulls has the look of a sea-bound chariot; with the central vessel's stern poking out in front, like a harnessed horse.

 "Now, will it be a larger build?  Certainly.  It's fifty percent more work, just at the construction side.  When coupled, will a vessel with three rigid parallel hulls have the turning circle of a drunken hippopotamus?  Again, the answer is  yes.   But who cares?  What we need are three things:"   He counts them off on the fingers of his right hand as he presents his pitch.   "One, cruising capability to keep up with a fleet or independently cover large stretches of ocean surface.  With this  pilot hull  latched to the  operation hulls , we can have large, centralized masts that don't impinge on the space needed for other systems.  It'll be able to catch as much wind as a military vessel of comparable displacement.  More, if we want to get crazy and put extra mastage on the thing that is only safe when the ships are all latched together to create the bigger footprint.  I'm getting off track.  One, cruising capability.  Two, manoeuvrability to quickly navigate into complex maritime situations for salvage and rescue." 

He detaches the v-shaped connecter piece, and slides the central  pilot  hull out from the space between the connected hulls of the catamaran.   "Once cruising approach is complete, the operation crew decouples the pilot hull, and lets it pull away.  The pilot hull's crew's objective becomes rescue; they can start sending out rowboats to scoop up sailors, so they don't swarm the operation hulls and interfere with the salvage.  The operation hulls proceed, and lock up with their sister vessel to box the sinking vessel like we've discussed.  And three, we need secure and functional cranes to secure and manipulate the damaged vessel.  Without crew quarters, storage or anything else in the operation hulls, you've got all that space entirely to fit propulsion, sails, and craneworks.  And if you need more, we can flare each operation hull outward away from the centre line.  As long as we have ship symmetry, we don't need to be bound by individual hull symmetry." 

Obviously pleased with this revelation, Aiden - who realizes his hat is still on inside, and hastily pulls it off - looks to his colleague (or colleagues, if Albert is also present) for their take.   "What do you think?" 
Prehysterical
 The Orlof Merchant House 

Lady Orlof's compliments were gratifying, but Bolten was surprised when she already wanted to field-test it. The idea made Bolten slightly nervous, but if there was nothing wrong with it, then what was the problem? He hesitated for a moment before nodding.  "A-Aye, it should be ready for such a test if you want it. I had intended to bring this in as the finished product."  Bolten felt immensely grateful when his benefactor agreed to compensate him in the event of the tick's destruction.
DeTess
 The Escribano workshop 
"It's not a warship, so maneuverability doesn't matter too much, I'd think, and this tri-hull design does solve the worries I had about leaving enough space for supplies and crew." Mieveur looks over the models. "It adds to the size and therefore costs for whoever wants to build it full scale, but we won't have to completely reinvent several disciplines just to fit all the parts inside the hull, which should help keep the overall design manageable." the half-elf nods in approval. "You've just made my job a lot easier, Aiden."

"Was that Aiden I heard?" Albert pokes his head into the large central workshop area. The man looks rough, unshaven and with large bags under his eyes, suggesting it has been quite a while since last he slept. Yet even from over there, Aiden could see that there was an excited gleam to his eyes. "I'll be over in just a moment!" The engineer disappears deeper into the workshop, but a minute later he returns, a model of his own cradled in his arms. The model consists of a cradle holding two identical metal shafts with a barrel-shaped container sitting in the middle of each shaft. Both shafts are rotating, and a needle and dial set at the end of each shaft show that, as far as Aiden can tell, they're rotating at exactly the same speed.

"Gentlemen, I present to you... the future of magi-mechanical power." Albert presents the model with a grin. "Some quick background for you, Aiden. Magical power sources tend to be unique, in that each magical engine has its own unique power output. Even two designs that should be identical have their differences due to imperfections in the crystals used, or variations in the elementals bound. Mostly, this isn't an issue, but if you need two engines to run in synch you need to design a unique set of gearing for each, and even then it's difficult to get exactly perfect. However..." He gestures at the model. "These have been running in perfect synch for the past two hours, and will continue to do so for the next couple of centuries if we let them."

"Impressive." Mieveur looked over the two models, carefully observing the dials to ensure the two shafts where running in sync as Albert claimed. "This can be scaled up?"

"Yes, the principle should be scalable to the size of ships." Albert grinned and then, at some prompting from Mieveur, explained further. "Maybe you've heard of a 'twinning' enchantment before? It's generally used to either transmit sound or sometimes even images by enchanting two objects, like a needle or lens to convince them that they're the same object. I started using the same general idea, but instead of a needle or piece of glass I enchanted these two caskets to convince them that they're both the same. Any force that acts on one, also acts on the other. Only one of these two barrels actually contains a piece of ghost crystal to turn the shaft. The other one is simply enchanted so that it believes it is the same barrel, resulting in exactly equal power exerted on both shafts."

 The Orlof Merchant House 
"Ah, that's good to hear." Lady Orlof favored Bolten with another smile. "If it's okay with you you can leave the bug here, and I should be done putting it through its paces in a day or two. I'll make sure to let you know how it went afterwards. Was there anything else? Otherwise, I've got some work to get to."
MrAbdiel
 The Escribano Workshop 

Aiden is the best kind of audience for an expert like Albert.  Just now coming from his own creatives' high at Mieveur's approval, his attention turns with rapture to the spinning shafts.  His eyes aglow with a child's fascination at a wonder; his lips slightly curved with a peer's appreciation for cunning; all up, he radiates a hearty approbation that is manna from heavy for artistic souls.

 "That's incredible, Albert.  I'd thought there would need to be a whole mess of gears from a single central engine leading off each way to the starboard and port hulls; but precision propulsion from two sources will make that a whole lot simpler.  And simpler means less chance of mechanical failure!  The last thing we need is to  increase  the number of ships in distress by accident.  As long as there's mechanism to engage, disengage, and engage in reverse the units seperately, it should be fine with fixed parallel propulsion.  Right?"   Not much of a  gear head , he looks to the two mechanically minded gents for confirmation of his speculation, back and forth between them.   "I mean, there's the shaft, and I'm guessing that fits to some kind of... master gear, to which we engage or disengage other gears by... A chain, or something similar?"   Stalling breifly, fearing he is making no sense, he tries again:  "We'll be able to have one propeller spinning forward and the other back, yes?  To pivot?" 

Without even waiting for an answer, he moves on!   "So what happens now?  We work on this stuff together to get an operable set of models for presentation?  I could go home, and get my tools and things, and bring them back here if there's a spare cot for me somewhere. I just have to remember to feed my rats." 
WindStruck
Shandara nods and turns to Vaigr.  "Well, I don't think I have any other questions for the spirits." 
Prehysterical
 The Orlof Merchant House 

Now that his fears were allayed, Bolten was returning back to his old self.  "N-No, nothing else, Lady Orlof. I will leave you to it." 
DeTess
 The Escribano workshop 
"Yes, that's the plan pretty much." Mieveur agrees with Aiden's suggestion. "Though by the look of things, Albert should first go home and catch up on some sleep."

"I'd like to say that I'm fine, but..." Albert smiles wanly. "You know how I get once I've got an interesting problem to solve."

"We can start hammering out some details between the two of us right now, Aiden, but otherwise it's probably better to reconvene tomorrow afternoon to begin in earnest." Mieveur suggests. "This is a personal project of ours, so we don't work on it full time, as we also have other obligations to the company."

 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
Vaigr speaks some words in parting to the spirits, and then the vista surrounding Shandara dissipates. As soon as the ritual ends Shandara hears a noise behind her as the half-orc, Assama, slumps to the ground. She's clearly still conscious, but looks quite tired. Vaigr too looks a bit the worse for wear.

"Ugh, you were right." the half-orc speaks with a sigh. "Even between the two of us we wouldn't have been able to bring them all in without those modifications to the ritual Shandara designed."

"But we did, and it'll be easier next time." Vaigr responds.

"The lot of them could have at least acknowledged what we'd done though, rather than just taking it for granted." Assama grumbled as she slowly got back to her feet.

"That's not in their nature, I think." Vaigr replied to his apprentice before turning to Shandara. "Shall we return to the office? I assume you might still have some questions for us, or knowledge to share, and I don't know about you, but Assama and I could use a cup of strong coffee."

 The Orlof Merchant House 
"Very well then, I wish you a pleasant day, Bolten." Lady Orlof stood up and walked with Bolten down to the entrance hall and waiting room, where she started discussing things with the receptionist as the dwarf left the building.
WindStruck
 "Alright.."  Shandara says a bit reluctantly and with a nod, though she figured she had promised to look over the designs anyway. She also gives a look toward Xavier, of course expecting him to come along too, but half wondering if he had a preference for coffee or the like either.

 "So perhaps a permanent spirit world may not be feasible if that ritual of several moments took that much out of you. And perhaps.. if invited over again, we might want to keep the design of what we just did. It.. seems like you could use a bit of energy from me as well?" 
 "But if you'd still like, I can go over it with you again. I'll show you what I was talking about, and maybe you could try to clear up some things I still don't understand..." 
MrAbdiel
 The Escribano Workshop 

Aiden has to slow the wild momentum of his excitement down to a confused crawl, and then settle it to a reasonable simmer.  He rubs the back of his head, sheepishly.

 "Oh, of course, sure.  I'm the same; just caught up in it all.  I'll, uh.  Well, I'll leave this set here, and head home and get to making the matching model set.  I'll drop it over when it's ready, and we'll see where we're up to." 

Another round of shaken hands, before the carpenter flops on his hat, and leaves the lads to their rest and other projects.  Conspiratorially, he leans into murmur to Ambrose as they head back on the road home:  "Of course they have other work, and other projects.  I'm a silly duffer, Ambrose.  I ought to have a few projects going myself.  But maybe... something familiar, first.  What do you think?  A banjo?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC! 
Aiden's off to complete the rest of the model set.  If he completes that and Mieveur and Albert are still puzzling through their ends of the work - which they might, since they need the paired models to do things like make the locking mechanisms - Aiden will start work on a masterwork banjo, one day hopefully to be the string instrument component in a  Lyre of Building .  But banjo version.
 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
When Shandara glanced over at Xavier she noticed him slipping away a lens or monocle in a pocket on his belt. At Shandara's questioning look he gave a reassuring smile and shook his head.

Vaigr led the party of four back to the office, where he made a big can of coffee. He poured a big cup for himself and his apprentice, and then offered Shandara and Xavier, who politely declined, a cup of coffee as well.

Once Vaigr and Assama had taken a moment to recover the goliath spoke up. "In case you where wondering why a ritual I've performed before tired us out so much, I don't generally bring in more than a couple spirits at once. With the help of Assama and your modifications I felt confident to try brining them all in at once for a change. This proved to be right at the limit of what we could do, but we pulled it off nonetheless." Vaigr sounded quite proud. "I imagine you might still have some questions, Shandara, and I would like to go over the ritual with you. Even if you're fine with the small defect, I'd still like to understand what caused it."
WindStruck
 "Of course.. could you retrieve the diagram I showed you before?"  Shandara asks.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I probably couldn't say why it wasn't working right myself unless I tried to make up some technobabble.

Does the roll I made previously allow Shandara to know the exact cause and explain it?
 
WindStruck
Shandara recalls what she had seen of the ritual in the room where all the spirit crystals were housed, and once the diagram was produced she points out,  "You did well when it came to the spaces for yourself and Assama, but it seems there was a bit of guesswork involved for the space I was standing in, seeing as I was not supposed to be contributing to the ritual..." 

After peering at the diagram for a moment, she shakes her head and says,  "No, I think the problem lies with the entire ritual itself. As it is designed,  every participant  is expected to contribute something, and in turn they each are able to see and converse with the spirits. I was able to do this, and I could willingly do the same in the future to make things easier." 
 "But since you asked, I think the entire ritual would need to be reworked to make something more like what you thought. The new ritual would need three distinct parties: the casters, the spirits, and  spectators . As you can imagine it would be far more taxing on the caster party because they would not only be expending power to create the spirit world, bring the spirits together, and commune with them, but they would also have to grant more power to the spectators, so that they too could enter the spirit world and commune with the spirits." 
MrAbdiel
 Casa de Sorveaux 

Over the next seven days, Aiden spends his time breaking in the workshop in his house in earnest.  Much of that time is spent sawing and tacking in the fine miniature wooden planks needed for the total -six- hulls of the ship recovery system.  Checking in from time to time with his colleagues, he discovers quickly that the direct and physical nature of his work, specifically the reduced need for a conceptual stage, means he's ahead of the timeline.  Thus, the carpenter is free to pursue a passionate subgroup of his primary skill - the art of the luthier.  Taking some fine, set-aside cuts of cherry wood, he lovingly spends his rest hours shaping and sanding, measuring and carving; stringing out the process to permit him to add a little indulgent flourish in the instrument: an embossed, stylized tale told in six panels around the curved rim of the banjo's body; with some details picked out in carefully pressed gold and platinum leaf - once the staining is complete, of course.

As he does so, he consults consults a book from his modest library concerning an item of power he should like to recreate - the Lyre of Building.  The account of the tome's compiler suggests it is capable, when played proficiently, of replicating the talents of a significant workforce - a very fine tool to have, if he's getting into the ship building business.  The detail of the enchantment process still mostly eludes him, but he knows an instrument of superlative quality is required to hold the power of it - that much, he can supply.

 "...But it'll have to wait, I'm afraid."   He explains this dilemna to a trio of rats, watching him work away in his shop; dashing in to snatch up choice curls of chiseled off cherrywood to add to the colony's nesting.   "If this ship-dalliance comes together, we might be able to finance such a tool.  But first things first, little friends.  Carry that one, will you?"   He tucks a long trunk containing one half of the completed models under one arm, and gestures to the other, before heading outside to secure it on hard-working Ambrose's back.

The rats, well used to his sense of humor by now, merely give each other the rodent equivalent of an eyeroll.

A little later in the day, he returns to the Escribano Workshop; hopes high, as ever.
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Ah, I think I see." Vaigr looks over the schematics a bit more, and then nods to himself. "That would indeed be infeasible if we tried to bring in every spirit as well, at least as things stand now. Well, at least the reason why it didn't go as planned is clear to me now."

"I have to say, Shandara..." Assama spoke up as well. "Those questions of yours for the spirits where  interesting . I've practiced this ritual with Vaigr a couple times, bringing in smaller groups of the spirits, so I'm at least somewhat familiar with them. Yet I don't think I've ever seen anything knock them off balance as much as your questions did." the half-orc's tone was not one of admonishment. If anything, she seemed impressed.

 Escribano Workshop 
When Aiden arrives at the Escribano workshop he finds that the large central room has been rearranged a little to accommodate a very large tub that's slowly being filled with water from a large hose snaking into the central room from elsewhere in the complex.

"Ah, Aiden, over here!" Albert gestures Aiden over to a large table covered in gearwork subassemblies and other, more arcane looking components. "We thought to do final assembly and then an actual test in the water before booking an appointment at the shipyards for a proper demonstration. I assume your models are ready for a trial by water?"
WindStruck
Shandara manages a somewhat shy but brief smile, accompanied by a nervous chuckle, equally as faint and cut short.

 "Well, it was not my intention to make them uncomfortable. Like I said, I just wanted to try to understand the nature of their existence a bit more, and based off the story Vaigr had told me, I was simply asking some questions that I believed may confirm or deny a theory of mine..." 

Shandara on the other hand, goes from looking hesitant to even somewhat mirthful.  "So what sort of things do  you  ask them, then? Weather predictions and fashion advice?" 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Stories of the old days, insofar as they remember those anyway, and advice on difficult problems, mostly." Assama replied to the Drow's question.

"Even blinded as they are now they also still have a kind of sense for the world around them. They can provide warnings if they sense something is very wrong even if they can't pin down exactly what is going on." Vaigr explained before switching topics. "Could you share that theory of yours, or do you need to do further research first?"
WindStruck
 "Well, I had already briefly explained the theory while were were talking with the spirits,"  Shandara says.

 "So it seems that parts of one's soul, or at least memories were being transferred into the crystals. Based on the tales each spirit gave of those 'before-memories' it could still be a process that happens at their ancestors' deaths, but there are still many events which are important and are of them not dying.." 

Looking between the two, she shrugs.  "I still do not know how the process works, or why. Perhaps when one of the creatures in a pact dies, the most important, or at least most pivotal moments, are brought into the crystal. After a number of these pacts, there would be a substantial amount of memories to.. build a framework I suppose." 
 "You mentioned there was some sort of ritual of awakening as well? To wake the spirits up for the first time?" 
MrAbdiel
 
 Spoiler: Recap 

 
 Originally Posted by Last Time, on Escribano-Bros 
  Escribano Workshop 
When Aiden arrives at the Escribano workshop he finds that the large central room has been rearranged a little to accommodate a very large tub that's slowly being filled with water from a large hose snaking into the central room from elsewhere in the complex.

"Ah, Aiden, over here!" Albert gestures Aiden over to a large table covered in gearwork subassemblies and other, more arcane looking components. "We thought to do final assembly and then an actual test in the water before booking an appointment at the shipyards for a proper demonstration. I assume your models are ready for a trial by water?" 
 
 

 Escribano Workshop 
 "Ready, ready!  The true vessels will need a resin seal, but the models will suffice with the waxing I've given them.  I've got to say, putting them all together, and confusing myself about which hulls I'd started to seal and which I hadn't, has taught me we will need to be very clear on any produced vessels about which is which.  For purpose of command and coordination between six hulls, four independent floating elements, two compound vessels and one rescue unit.  Perhaps differently colored sails, in addition to great big numbers on the hull."
 
This explains the numbers he has painted on the hulls, now - "1" and "2" on the main twinned  operation hulls , and "1A" and "2A" on their counterpart  pilot hulls .  He lays them out on the workbench, and springs forth to help in the assembly of the complex components wherever he can be useful.
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"Of a sort, yes. It is actually rather similar to the ritual you just participated in." Vaigr explained. "Once the Shaman's judged that a spirit had grown enough, they would be woken up and introduced to their peers to learn. Once they had then matured enough, there would be the moment where they would be brought into the physical world for the first time as well. But the ritual itself does not contribute to their development as far as I know."

"The way it was explained to me it sounds more like the act of delivering a baby." Assama explained. "The baby has already fully grown, the ritual just wakes it from its sleep in the womb and brings it into the world."

 Escribano Workshop 
It took the three of them a couple hours to fully integrate all components into the ship. Several minute adjustments had to be made during the work, but in the end all hulls sat assembled and ready. One looked like a miniature model of what the actual ship would look like, while the other one had several rather obvious panels set in the decks covered in levers. Mieveur explained that these allowed him to control the clockwork inside to actually operate various functions, such as the raising and lowering of the cranes.

Finally, the moment of truth came, and the two models where carefully lowered into the large tank of water.

"Are they supposed to sit quite that deep?" Albert asked after the two models had stabilized. The ships floated, but they where sitting quite deep in the water.

"Scale models like mien tend to be a bit denser than the actual end product would be, so we'd lose quite a bit of weight when doing this on the full scale." Mieveur looked the two ships over. "We might want to see about losing a bit more weight for the next iteration on the design though, just to be on the safe side."

Apart from that small issue everything seemed to be working fine. The clockwork Mieveur had designed seemed to be ticking along just fine, and the panels he'd built allowed him to easily demonstrate how the ship  would go from it's normal sailing mode to its operational mode. The hulls themselves also held up easily on their trial by water, with no signs of any leakage whatsoever.

"I think we're just about ready for a proper demonstration." Mieveur suggested. "I can make the arrangements for tomorrow? I have some contacts at the shipyard, so getting in quickly shouldn't be too difficult."
WindStruck
The next question seemed like a pretty obvious one. Looking at Vaigr, Shandara asks,  "So how would you go about knowing if the spirit is ready or not?" 
MrAbdiel
 The Escribano Workshop 
 "Tomorrow works just fine for Ambrose and I.  We'll be there with bells on."   He answers quickly, though his eyes wander with distraction over the models bobbing in the water.  They  did  sag low, a little.  Even through the hulls were arranged like a cruising pleasure craft, they were build as big-bore work hulls, which required a sturdier construction than vessels that were not designed to have operable cranes and clockwork wonder-turbines in them.  But of all the parts of the ship, it would always be the hulls that had the most weight.  His lips pulled thoughtfully to one side; denied warping downward into a genuine frown, they resort to a lateral move.   "I'll be honest, my noodling with ship designs have been mostly around small changes and novel implementations of classic design techniques.  But we're doing something pretty radical here.  I'll have to think more about how to slim down the hull mass without radically compromising the hull integrity.  I'm not sure it's possible... But heck, I'll take another swing.  We can move ahead with the demonstration in the meantime, though.  If we get backing, the next stage is going to involve getting our hands on a very clever and adaptable captain, and crew.  All the crew procedures and training to use the devices will need to be made explicit.  Not to mention the maneuvers to detach and reattach pilot hulls, and to lock operation hulls.  Lots of 'people components', you know?" 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"You can tell if you're attuned to the spirits." Vaigr answered, before giving an apologetic smile. "I realize that this isn't the answer you where hoping for, but I'm affraid I can't really give a better one than this. It's like the difference between an incredibly lifelike statue of a creauture and an actual living example of the creature. You can sense that one of them is allive, and the other isn't. The same goes for these crystals."
DeTess
 Streidekker and Sons shipyards 
"Hey Aiden, I don't suppose we could trouble you to do the overall presentation?" Albert ask Aiden as the three prospective ship designers where sitting in a large meeting room of the main office of the Streidekker and Sons shipyard.

The center of the room they where in was dominated by a large tub of water, in which the ship models where already floating. There was a large blackboard set at the front of the room as well, and Albert and Mieveur had already sketched out some diagrams to aid with the presentation. They where mostly set up, so all that was left to do now was wait for the representatives from the shipyard to come by. They'd been told to expect several engineers as well as the elder Streidekker himself.

"Me and Mieveur can add in the technical details for our own contributions, but neither of us are what you'd call 'gifted public speakers'." Albert continued. "We're decent enough at explaining the technical stuff, but this is also supposed to be at least a bit of a sales pitch and..."

Albert was interrupted as the door to the room opened and three humans entered, an older man and a man and a woman in what appeared to be their mid thirties. The older man sported aa neatly groomed silver-grey beard and hair and was wearing a well-tailored suit. His younger companions where wearing simpler clothes, with the man carrying a small case with delicate tools and measuring equipment, and the woman carrying a thick notebook and writing supplies.

"I hope we haven't kept you waiting for too long." The older man greeted the three artificers with firm handshakes. "I'm sure I don't need to introduce myself, but for proprieties sake, I am Alfonse Streidekker, the founder of these shipyards. With me are Eduardo Jurado, one of our own ship designers, and Emillie Pascal, from our calculations department. Well then, I've been told you have something interesting to show us?"

As the old man asked for the presentation to begin, both Mieveur and Albert shot Aiden a look. The looks weren't exactly pleading, but definitely something close to that...
WindStruck
 "Hm. I suppose that makes sense. One would have to be quite familiar with what a living creature is, as well as various ways a statue could be animated to be "life-like" to know the difference?"  Shandara shrugs again.

 "Well, this whole experience was intriguing to say the least. I am not sure where to go from here, though. Perhaps, on my free time, I could look at some of the other rituals you have for.. um.. 'birthing'. And manifesting a spirit into the real world. But I don't know if I can make any headway." 

She sips a little bit of her drink and continues,  "I think at the very least, as you said, it's something that requires more shaman.  Unless,  of course, it's something I could make much more efficient and only the two of you could pull it off. Though I doubt it..  And also, I am not sure if the spirits themselves are ready. Do you think they are?" 
MrAbdiel
 Streidekker and Sons Shipyards 
 "Heck, are you sure?  I mean, we all put in-" 

Aiden's self-effacing protestation is cut short by the truncating clacking of the door's lock, and suddenly there was no time to argue.  Under most circumstances, most men who happened to be one member of a team project, who suddenly has the  talking part  thrust on them at the last minute, especially when the stakes are so high, would be very upset at his colleagues.  Most men would be caught off guard, offer a flustered excuse, and then try to get on with it, somewhat addled and resentful.  Most men would furthermore feel entitled to a more than even share of any success that might come out of a presentation he ended up making mostly himself, and a less than even share of any failure that spun off the same.

But Aiden Sorveaux, lucky for everyone involved, it not most men.

 "My good and noble lord Streidekker!  It's my pleasure to meet you, and I must say thank you for making the time!  I'm sure you'll be glad you came!  Mister Jurado, as a student of the discipline I'm honored to meet a master.  If you have time for me at the end of this, I'd just love to pick your brain about the craft.  Miss Pascal, I'm so pleased to meet you and I think you'll find our presentation to be as impressive at the the level of technical output and investment opportunity as it is at the conceptual stratum.  My name is Aiden; you may know my partners, Mieveur and Albert.  If you'll all be so kind as to take a seat, we can get straight to it; but kindly angle your boots away from the demonstration table because, boy-howdy, this is gonna  knock your socks off. " 

Aiden gives the arrivals a trio of two-fisted, water-pump handshakes that to the outside observer may seem almost like a helpless effort to discharge some convulsing voltage into stunned victims.  Once more he becomes animated to a new degree; moving about as he explains the project with a liveliness that seems just a notch and a half back from being outright  dancing.   He looks funny as he does so, of course; his hair wetted and combed back but drying slowly and gaining wild, displaced locks as he carries on; clad in what he thinks of as his  best clothes , which are the pressed but rustic kind one might expect to see on a bachelor uncle at a country wedding.  And now, just as when he whirled into the Escribano Workshop to sweep his two confederates into the vortex of his good natured, furious industry, he is possessed of that outlandish but deeply penetrating likability that almost ensures that all these behaviours, unusual as they are, are counted charitably as contagious whimsy, and not the sign of a mind shaking itself slowly apart.

 "My friends, it's like this: my colleagues and I set out to brainstorm a valuable or even revolutionary contribution to the world of sea going vessels; the problem being of course that great and skilled minds have been doing just that for thousands of years and generations within them; and they do so today-" , he gestures with a flourish to Eduardo Jurado,  "-and the vessels available and the techniques to build them are already highly advanced and tested; the product of collected wisdom.  The most prominent weakness of modern ships, if there be any to be considered, is the cost to replace them in the unfortunate event they are lost."   His bright and energized eyes contact Emilie Pascal's, anticipating she would most appreciate the actuarial realities.   "So we wondered if there might be a way to mitigate fleet losses by a sleeker recovery system, rather than costly replacement.  Thus..." 

He realizes mid-pitch that they haven't  named the project .  Inside the fragment of a second, his mind whirls, and hangs on the defining feature of system - the six hulls required for one recovery unit.   "...Thus the  Hexfold Recovery System  is born.  A single Hexfold Recovery System consists of two  savior  units, each consisting of a  pilot vessel  and  operations vessel. "   He plucks one of the connected  savior units  out of the water, and tips it forward to displate the top-down arrangement of the connected hulls.  Water drizzles over the floor and his shoes; but he blows past that distraction, his project too urgent to consider it.   "The pilot vessel is the single central hull with the primary mast, crew quarters, supply, and all the non-active-operations components.  The operations vessel is the left and right hulls connected in this catamaran formation, equipped with secondary masts and - importantly - my colleagues' incredible designs for manoeuvring propulsion units and heavy-hauler cranes.  My friends, the Hexfold Recovery System brings the drydock with your fleet wherever it goes!  Let me show you how it works, and then Albert and Mieveur can explain to you a little extra detail about the all-important mechanical components, designed with all the quality and precision we've all come to expect of an Escribano project." 

And demonstrate he does, placing the  savior  unit back into the water with its companion, demonstrating briefly the forward and back functions of the scaled-down propulsion units, the collapsing secondary masts and the powerful cranes, and the locking mechanism that separates the  pilot  from the  operations  vessel.  Once the active demonstration is over, he plans to throw to his technically gifted companions to field any lingering questions.  But salesmanship is like performance, and like sailing for that matter; in that much depends on momentum when the moment comes that matters most!

 "Consider a stricken vessel at see; whether cannon-struck below the waterline or else suffering there result of intentional or unintentional collision.  She's taking on water too fast to repair.  In nine out of ten cases, the vessel sinks within an hour.  Half of those, it's within fifteen minutes.  In such a case, the striken vessel, or the fleet commander, sends a signal to the  Hexfold , and the crews within spring into action..." 

Another dilemma.  They have all the model ships for their units... and no demonstration  vessel!  No mock victim to save from sinking!  Quick as a flash, he reaches for the detached  pilot  vessel of the second saviour unit.   "This could be any ship from a fishing vessel to a ship of the line.  She's breached, and taking on water."   Without so much as looking, he reaches to the side, one handing the model, and cracks the starboard side of its hull against the edge of the demonstration table, as a chef might break an egg.  The wood on the model cracks and buckles inward at the point of impact, creating a breach the size of a knucklebone; and then plops it back in the water.  Immediately, it begins sagging to one side, and the  plup-plup-plup-plup  of water slapping through the breach is audible whenever he pauses for breath.  But of course, it's not destined to sink.  Lacking model-sized crews to pilot the ships in real time, he explains the docking-and-locking procedure surrounding the stricken vessel, the collapsing of masts and engagement of cranes; and within a few minutes, with the breached ship halfway sunk from water spilling up through its decks, its descend is halted entirely.  The cranes do their job, fighting and holding back the forces trying to drag the ship down; and for good measure, he demonstrates using the cranes on the port side to pull the ship into a tilt so its breach is above the waterline.

 "...And while the  operation hulls  are saving the wounded ship, the pilot hulls are free to save sailors who might have understandably abandoned ship.  Once the crisis is over, normal repair can take place to pump the water out,  and get the ship into shape to limp back to port.  The ship is saved - and likely the lives of more than a few good seamen and women.  Building the true-to-scale Hexfold won't be a small project - naturally, it's a considerably more complex build than, for example, a single hulled warship, or even six individual vessels.  But each Hexfold Recovery System represents the capacity to deliver much more than its own cost from destruction and loss at sea.  Now, my friends, I'm sure you have questions.  About the hull designs, I'll do my best; and my partners can certainly speak for their own innovations." 

He gives a little half bow at the terminus of his demonstration, and smooths back maybe eighty percent of his now eccentrically ruffled hair.  He glances once to Mieveur and Albert, and gives them an encouraging smile.  It's their turn in the spotlight now; but all in all, he seems pretty convinced it's gone very well.

 
 Spoiler: Roll! 
I suppose it's appropriate to make a Diplomacy roll to put Aiden's best foot forward here.  At a +15, I'm gratified he can't fail so catastrophically that the whole event is unimpressive; and it's definitely the most important thing he'll do today, so he'll throw in the +8 luck bonus for this one.  Here 'tis!:   DiplomacyPresentation  - (1d20+23)[ 29 ] .

EDIT: Welp, it's a bad roll! Though you might mercifully justify a bonus for Mieveur and Albert assisting with their pertinent knowledge skills, which would kick it over the 30.  Even if not, 29's still not terrible!
 
DeTess
 Coalburner and Hyrsson Clockwork 
"You mean if they're ready to be properly manifested?" Vaigr asked. "You wouldn't have been able to interact with them as you have if they weren't. And you're right about needing more Shaman's to perform it. Generally it was done with five, though it can be done with three if all of them are very strong and experienced."

 Streidekker and Sons Shipyards 
After Aiden is done with his part of the presentation, Aduardo and Emillie started barraging Albert and Mieveur with questions, ranging from general questions on things like weight, cost and performance to the highly specific regarding obscure technical details. The two engineers seemed to be in their element with this part of the proceedings, and seemed to have little trouble fielding the endless array of questions. Mister Streidekker seemed to be ignoring that part of the proceedings, likely trusting his companions to have this covered. Instead, he was looking over the models with a grin on his face, not unlike what you'd find on the face of a child with a a new toy.

"Well done with that presentation." The elderly shipwright congratulated Aiden quietly while the cross-examination of the engineers continued. "I've had quite a few demonstrations like this recently, often about quite revolutionary concepts, but most artificers lack that spark to make the explanation actually interesting. You managed to keep my attention all throughout the presentation though, which is quite a feat at my age."

Once Streidekker's two companions where done with their questions they took a moment to quietly discuss matters, though it didn't take long for them tor each some form of conclusion.

"I'll start with the goods news." Streidekker took the lead on matters. "I myself am really intrigued by your concept, and my companions think the design is technically quite viable. I could have told them that myself, of course, given that this design comes courtesy of associates of the Escribano workshop, but still. A multi-hull design of this size does come with some new challenges, but nothing we couldn't overcome."

The shipwright takes a moment to let his praise sink in before continuing. "However, Emillie has some doubts about the commercial viability of the design. As much as I would want to build this just to prove we can, I do have a business to run at the end of the day. Emillie is about as honest as they come though, and if she thought there was no chance we'd ever sell a ship like this she'd say as much. As it is I'll do some talking, checking in with some of the larger merchant conglomerates and the navy, see if we can drum up some interest. If we can, I'd love to move forward with making this design a reality, and we would of course want to have the three of you advice in the project in that case. Might I suggest we reconvene a month from now? That should give us enough time to get a better look at the commercial side of things."
MrAbdiel
 Streidekker and Sons Shipyards 
 "Mister Streidekker sir, that works just fine for me.  I'm sure it'll work fine for my partners; they've plenty of other projects, and I've got a banjo I'm just itching to finish sanding and polishing."   He chuckles, and seeks to shake the elder-shipwright's hand for the second time today; casting a glance then to the models bobbing quietly in the water.   "And we'll have some time to consider alternative uses for the same design, in that time.  There's no reason you can't use the cranes to sink hooks way, way down to a shallow sea floor to recover wrecks, for example, and haul them back up for recovery. But broadly, you're right; it's not a particularly cheap solution unless it's weighed off against a large fleet and the losses that fleet would take over a fairly long time.  Which is a little limited, outside of a serious naval conflict - I'm ramblin', now."   He laughs at himself, settles his knuckles on his hips, and nods once again as he circles back to Streidekker's encouragement.   "But when the time comes to put hammer to nail, I'd love to be doing more than advising, sir.  Designing a ship is tricky, I've found; but building them is just another kind of woodwork, give or take a little specialized expertise.  I might be able to make the process a little more cost effective, being as it is that I've spent a long time now imagining how I'd be putting it together at scale!  I've often wondered if the ship-building process could be refined at all, but I've not had a lot of chance to watch them built, so I can't presume." 
WindStruck
 "Um.. well no. When I said birthing I meant awakening for the first time? Oh well maybe I should have just said that..."  Shandara says, slowly trailing off into muttering to herself.

She puts her cup down.  "Anyway, I'd like to thank you all for having me over. I wish I could help more. But I do have some other business I need to get back to.. contracted work and all that." 

--------

 Shandara's Home 

After visiting the friends' workshop and spirit guardians, Shandara heads back to her house to set to work on the important piece of equipment needed to operate the SCORP.  First she had to start creating a circlet and cutting the jewels and placing them in their settings. Though one particular thing of note was that this was going to be specifically shaped for a dwarf's head, and ideally it would not fall off easily, even if you were to hang upside down. Hmm..

Still, Shandara gets a basic frame in place that she thinks is the right shape. Perhaps she'd have to experiment with Bolten's head a bit to see if she can find the perfect fit.
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

It has been four days since the meeting with Lady Orlof. Overall, the clockwork tick seems to be on-track with the client's expectations. Bolten does feel a bit embarrassed when Lady Orlof points out the flaw of the tick's crystal eyes becoming clouded by fog and mist. A potentially deadly oversight... Perhaps Shandara can help with that. In his excitement, Bolten had also forgotten to camouflage the tick with the proper rocky covering. Despite his dwarven heritage, Bolten has not had that much experience with stoneworking or masonry. Perhaps he and his partner could find a way to make a natural rocky exoskeleton to disguise the smooth, artificial lines of the tick's construction.

Just as well, since Shandara has requested his presence at her house. It seems as though she is running into trouble with the crystals for the control headpiece for the SCORP. Bolten's certainly no jeweler, but he's happy to give his opinion if she asks for it. On his way to Shandara's house, Bolten stops by a market stall and picks up a pair of glazed honey buns for them to split. This is shaping up to be a long night...

At last, Bolten arrives and knocks politely on the door. The dwarf's precise movements should be familiar to Shandara by this point.
WindStruck
Shandara was getting a little antsy. She had requested Bolten's presence because she did need him, but also only at a certain point when she could meaningfully contribute more to the SCORP.. so it needed to be somewhat stable as a prototype.

Perhaps she could have filled her time with something else, going outside, visiting an interesting location, or perhaps a library for something entertaining or otherwise superfluous to read. Maybe even a theater? But she didn't know exactly when Bolten would be coming over either, due to her own lack of poor wording.

So she eventually settled with attempting to bond with  Elu  more, and working on some other jewelry. Perhaps inspired by her owl companion, she was working on making a delicate bracelet of tiny silver feathers when she heard the familiar rapping on her door.

It took a moment for Shandara to get to a good stopping point, but she tried to make up for the delay by moving quickly to her front door. She opened it and squinted out into the daylight.  "Bolten. Please come in,"  she said softly, with a hint of a smile.

 "Oh, apologies. I was not sure what exact time you were coming. Would you care for some apple-cinnamon tea today?" 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

At first, Bolten is a little concerned by the delay in answering the door, but he relaxes when he hears the knob turn and he sees Shandara relaxed in her own sanctum. He smiles back at Shandara as she invites him in. His smile expands into an excited grin at her question.  "That sounds absolutely lovely! In fact, that will go perfectly with the honey buns that I brought for us to share!" 

While Shandara starts the tea to boil, Bolten fishes the clockwork tick out of his backpack.  "I know that the SCORP is our biggest concern at the moment, but I need some advice from you on this little fellow. Lady Orlof pointed out that the crystal lenses are vulnerable to fogging up. Is there anything that can be done about that? Also, know any good alchemical recipes for stimulating rock growth on a surface? I've had my mind on other things, but in all my excitement, I forgot that this drone needs some camouflage in the Underdark! She's mostly pleased with the results, but including a twinned listening device with the goggles would make this perfect." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Might as well roll the Knowledge checks here for ideas on rock camouflage beyond just gluing it on like a preschool project. It would need to fit in with the natural stonework in the expected mission area.
Know (Arcana):  (1d20+12)[ 18 ] 
Know (Dungeon):  (1d20+7)[ 17 ] 
Know (Engineering):  (1d20+12)[ 32 ] 
Know (Nature):  (1d20+11)[ 15 ] 

Once again, Bolten proves to be an engineer first and foremost.
 
WindStruck
 "Hrm.."  Shandara mumbles, mulling it over.

 "That is tricky. You see, it's not like there is just one type of rock underground..  there are a whole myriad of possibilities, and that's not even considering manufactured environments..." 
 "Perhaps, if we could just turn the exterior into a dull, neutral grey, that might make it easier to hide, given dim conditions, or even dark vision. Of course, that will definitely affect the clever clock disguise when it is deactivated. What metal is that on the exterior, brass?" 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten nods his head as he is forced to concede Shandara's point.  "Aye, it is brass... It's what's traditionally used. There's no reason that we can't use a stainless steel alloy to help make it waterproof and display a more neutral, natural color. I'd have to scuff it up a bit so that it wouldn't be quite so shiny...

But what about the crystal lenses, though? Is there anything that you can do about that? It's a pretty big flaw for our bug if something as simple as dripping water can render it blind!" 
WindStruck
Shandara begins to look a little worried over a problem so simple and minor as fogging up lenses or water dripping on them.

 "Uhm.. l-let me think..."  she says, as she scurries to the kitchen.

Due to the familiar voices, Elu flapped down the stairs to visit with Bolten, as did the lumbering steps of the half-orc bodyguard who made the stairs squeak and groan under pressure with his every step.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I mean it's the daytime so I'm assuming Xavier is here too, isn't he?  I'll assume he went upstairs to look out the window and identify who was knocking on the door. Or perhaps, he was already expecting Bolten and waiting?
 


The owl tilts its head at Bolten and then at the weird little contraption set on the table. She peers down at it and walks over, seeming about to give it a little exploratory peck. Xavier must be trying to blend into the background as much as possible. And that is when Shandara returns with a pot of steeping tea. She stops and blinks at the odd situation, once again feeling a bit crowded, but sets the pot down.

 "Uh, anyway. What you're concerned about is a fairly natural and potentially common physical phenomenon, depending on the environment...  I suppose there's two ways we can go about it.  Well, on second thought, maybe only one way, since the first involves keeping the lenses very hot so water simply evaporates quickly, rather than condenses.. but that would not only be potentially dangerous, but expend even more energy we can't afford." 

She sits down and says,  "I would propose an alchemical layering to coat the lens that repels water. 
MrAbdiel
 Aiden's Workshop 

A huge L shaped segment of the lower floor of Aiden's fresh new house is given over to his crafts - and Aiden has more crafts than the average craftsman.  But right now, on the evening when he was expecting Misha to visit, his overactive mind had commandeered the room for another purpose again.  Past the sawhorses, and the racks of chisels and the pedal-power lathe, and the desks covered in sewing templates and bolts of cloth, and a host of other tools for working metal and stone and leather, a number of benches have been pushed to the far sides of the room to create a void in the middle.  This is where Misha finds Aiden - past the door he has left unlocked, at the locus of the sounds of music and commotion, the druid who finds her knocking unheeded is given no choice but to investigate and discover the bizarre scene.

Aiden is  prancing  about the empty space, orbiting its rim in an energetic circle while plucking wildly away at a very find banjo.  In the centre of the room is a square rug, red and a couple of yards long to each side; looking stomped flat from years of service in one shop or another, washed clean, bought at bargain price to keep the chill from coming up under feet.  Or in this case, under paws.

  "Heel, toe, heel, toe, slide, slide, slide, slide; heel, toe, heel, toe, slide, slide, slide, slide!  Right hand clap!  Left hand clap!  Both hand clap!  Knees knees knees!  Now swing your partner round, and join back up with the next you've found!  Heel, toe - that's it, you're gettin' it - slide, slide..."  

Aiden's fantastic rats are arranged in a circle on the dancefloor-rug.  Their animal physiology is poorly suited to the dance's commands - their heels and toes are not so distinctly pronounced as they are on humans, being integrated more meticulously into a paw not designed exclusively for upright balance, and the forepaws do not make enough of a seal to really clap.  But they seem to be giving it a shot anyway, and perhaps even enjoying the experience.  They heel-toe as it's called, then - in pairs standing up on their back paws, they slide-slide sideways toward the middle of the rug making a tighter circle, then out again after the next round of heel-toe.  The best they can manage is an awkward, bobbling gallop in that sideways gait; rats are versatile creatures, but their hips are not hinged in a way made for rapid, upright strafing. They do better at the spinning of their partners, swapping 'hands' and directions halfway then peeling off to another partner in sequence to begin again.  It's not a professional performance; but perhaps, as is often the case with amateur dancers, the fun is alloyed perfectly with the imperfection of it all.  A couple of the more venerable rats watch from the padded seat of an old dining chair Aiden has salvaged from somewhere - a kind of grand balcony, in this context, permitting a commanding view.

Unlike the last time Misha saw them, many of the rats are in part  dressed.   It's unclear if this is just for the dance or because some have taken a liking to it, but the most popular article are simple vests with single buttons, which do not restrict the movement of paws.  Aiden, it seems, has already collided with and advanced past some of the trouble with clothing rats; none of them wear pants, or anything that would confine tails.  But there are little white cuffs on some tiny wrists; charming bonnets with baby's breath flowers accenting one side; and a handful of bowties which have the very civilizing virtue of making the rat's neck visually distinct from its shoulders.  Though some of the rats must notice Misha's entrance, Aiden certainly doesn't - he's lost in the sacred role of the Caller, at least for the next minute or so.
DeTess
 Aiden's Workshop 
Aiden is eventually made aware by the presence of his guest by the sound of laughter. He finds Misha standing not that far from the dance floor for the rats, clutching her stomach and gasping for air between peals of laughter.

 "This is... oh gods, my stomach...pfft... hahaha... Oh, if...." it takes here a little while to get coherent again.

"That must have been one of the funniest things I've seen this year." the young druid said with a grin once she was capable of stringing full sentences together again. "And here auntie was a bit worried you might still see the rats as creatures rather than people."
MrAbdiel
 Aiden's Workshop 

Aiden is characteristically immune to any possible interpretation of this reaction that could be construed as mockery.

 "Misha!"  He exclaims, throwing his arms wide with banjo still in hand, as if embracing the very  idea  of her arrival.  One of the rats, thinking this is some extra-credit portion of the dance, pops up on its hind legs, spreads is forepaws, and squeaks.  Then, self consciously, sets down again.

The Caller himself sets aside the banjo as the rats variously squeak out their greetings to Misha - which she understands, and he does not - and crosses to her with the same cheerful, two-hands taking one of hers handshake he met her with the first time.  "Come on, come here, look - I did my best guessing, but I need you to try it on before I make final alterations."

The armor is certainly masterful.  He's sunk the time and money into it to make it so.  A full set of tunic and breeks, bracers and gorget, gloves and boots.  Supple and strong, flexible and free to permit maximum mobility while tough enough to offer a measure of critical resistance to blows.  Beyond that, the artistry is impressive in itself; the tunic is embossed with a central icon of a tree whose trunk runs the length from navel to breastbone; after which the branches spider outward with fantastical, mythic profusion just as the roots flood out below.  The entire set is crowded with embossed, stylized images of creatures occupying this ecosystem, no more than two of any kind.  Parrots and ravens roost in the branches alongside falcons and owls; squirrels, koalas and snakes stake out homes in hollows of the trunk; foxes, bears and dear frolic in idyllic peace at the base. Where the art transitions to the breeks, rabbits and badgers make their burrows beneath the 'surface' of belt height; and deeper still, moles and wombats and digging things populate, if more sparsely, the deeper places of this depicted world.  The boots are rimmed with a wave motif, with sharks and seals and fish saluting that nearly forgotten corner of the animal spectrum; the gorget hosts a suggestion of cloud, and high flying ospreys, and swifts.  The gloves are a little different; they have artistic flourishes in the borders.  On the back panels of the palms are mirror imaged ambiguous humanoid figures; and nested sneakily in the hollow between ring and middle finger of the left hand are a pair of rats, completing the menagerie.  The whole ensemble is washed an earthy matt brown; a simplicity of base that accentuates the very fine silver and gold leaf work that pick out the branches, roots and trunk of the tree; and the eyes of all the creatures.

 "The leather is all Silvertoe buckskin; the rangers who harvest it do so according to exacting standards, using every part.  I haven't known many druids, but I expect that'd be important in some fashion.  And I know that you aren't supposed to wear metals; but I figured that meant armor and such that protects, not the aesthetic bits.  I've seen druids with earrings, so I think it's alright to have a little gold and silver just to fancy it up, some." 

Saying this out loud, he is struck suddenly with a fear that this addition has  indeed  disqualified it from her use; and his shoulders draw in a little as he asks with diminishing certainty:   "...Is that... how it works?" 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

While Shandara retreats to the kitchen, Bolten looks up in surprise at her owl familiar and the half-orc bodyguard. Sure, he's seen them before, but it still takes some getting used to... especially since he didn't even realize that they were there. He gives a sheepish wave and smiles weakly with a greeting. Bolten internally debates whether or not to admonish the familiar for eyeing his invention with intent, but Shandara returns soon enough with the tea.

After Shandara gives her input, Bolten nods in agreement.  "Aye, it would be easier (and cheaper) to coat the lenses in a hydrophobic substance... It would need to be clear, though. We've already had problems with heat management with the SCORP. I'd rather not revisit that with the tick." 

Bolten pulls out the honey buns and sets them on the table, suddenly looking self-conscious as he realizes that there is not enough for everyone present. Doh, if only he had remembered!  "Given how they have opted to go with the adamantine claws, maintenance will be very light in terms of recoating the eyes with our chosen substance." 
DeTess
 Aiden's Workshop 
"Oh, noooo! A tiny bit of metal! My abilities, they're all melting awaaay!" Misha exclaimed in an overly dramatic fashion while striking a pose like a socialite about to faint in shock. She held the pose for a second, then grinned. "Auntie says the metal thing is mostly tradition these days. I notice that the little magic I can do becomes a bit weaker if I'm around a lot of iron, but that's about it."

The young druid then took a moment to admire her new armor. "This is really nice though. Almost feels like a shame to actually use as armor. Like using a tapestry as a towel or something like that."
WindStruck
 "Yes, ideally the coating would be clear, and it would be more or less permanent. In other words, it shouldn't just rub off..." 

Shandara tries to think of something like that as she reaches for a honeybun, stops, removes her teacup from its saucer, and then breaks the bun about in half.

 
 Spoiler: roll 
craft: alchemy  (1d20+9)[ 22 ] 
 


Maybe she had an idea or two. She glances at Xavier briefly, but from her experience he didn't seem to be the type who ever took offered food or drink. Understandably, it was a precaution in case there was something in them.
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten pours himself a cup of the tea before handing the teapot over to Shandara. He lifts up the honey bun and looks with serious consideration down at the still steaming tea. Ultimately deciding to deny the dunk into such a watery drink, Bolten tears off a piece and tosses it into his mouth. It is a well-practiced motion, one intended to minimize crumbs in the beard.

 "That would be ideal, yes. Sadly, my own experience with alchemy is extremely limited. What was the name of that person that we teamed up with for the competition? They might be someone worth talking to. We wouldn't need to explain everything, just that we need a clear substance capable of repelling water."  Bolten blows on his tea to cool it off.
WindStruck
 "Her name was Ash,"  Shandara says. She takes a small piece of her own honey bun and chews on it. The rest of the bun rests on the saucer.

 "Hm. Now that I think about it, I think I have even heard of a solution that is readily available, and used for such applications. A vial of it should cost only about five silver pieces, I think, and you only need to reapply it every few months." 

Shandara offers a small piece of bun to Elu, who curiously nibbles on it but doesn't seem interested afterward.

 "Well, I guess that's taken care of, then. Anyway, the main reason I wanted to talk to you was regarding the SCORP. You see, while in theory I can create a mental link with crystals like on your other project with the legs, the problem is, this contraption is.. much more complex and automated. So I am not sure how we bridge the gap from the controller thinking they want to go someplace, and then.. all the limbs and scorpion tail doing something. I think you'll need to walk through with me how you have the.. the, uh, control apparatus set up." 

She sips some of her tea and abruptly adds,  "Oh, and I'll also need to borrow your head for a moment." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden smiles through Misha's pantomine of druidic distress; her city-girl brand of sarcasm based humor a little saccharine to hit his funnybone correctly.  But he has the pleasant, slightly vacant look of a man, a generation or region removed from a target audience, who is close enough to understand that  this is the kind of joke that would be hysterical if he just understood it , and he is able osmose sufficient joy through that ephemeral vector.

 "Well, I'm glad you like it.  I'd have said the opposite - it'd be a shame just to leave it on display, on account of it's purposed for your wearing.  Perfect for you, if I've done it right.  The thing about perfection is it comes off the back of purpose - a thing can only be perfect for what it's  made for .  But heck, I'll give you the wooden doll to hang it up on, as soon as you have a place of your own to put it!"   He promises, rapping his knuckles on the display doll on which the armor presently hangs; featureless humanoid construction of wooden portions, with wooden sphere joints threaded through with tensioned cords to provide a certain amount of possibility.  There are three of them in the room; and fortunately, Aiden has had the good sense not to attempt faces on them or to make them  too  human looking; their unanimated, woodgrain bodies are about as un--creepy as it is possible to get mannequins to be.

He sends Misha into one of the bedrooms upstairs to try on the armor; makes some notes; has her change out of it again, and takes a few minutes to finalize some of the stitching while she's here.  To no one's surprise, he remains chatty as he finishes it up.

 "I just really appreciate your help, with the little folks there.  I still don't understand them naturally - they understand me, though, and that seems to be enough.  I lose sleep sometimes about how close I came to helping build something that might've.. done 'em harm." 

For a second it seems like he's run out of words; but he's merely entered a moment of silent focus as he blinks back what might have been a tear or two.

 "I've still got that scroll Auntie gave me; but I'm hesitant to use it.  I'm hoping, when I get some more advice and help, I'll be able to get them something that'll let them speak common.  Like a...  Like a little lectern, and the critter that stands at it depresses something that casts a speaking spell on them.  Somethin' like that, anyway.  I think that's going to be important, because there might come a day when we need to stand before someone official who makes real decisions and make the argument that these are folk; and deserve all the protection and accommodation afforded to them.  For that, they'll have to be able to speak in their own stead.  Won't be enough to barndance.  I'm hoping that you'll be able to help me again; and that you'll stay on retainer.  I'll give you a gold a week just to check in once a week and be available; and pay appropriate to what comes up.  But first, I wonder if you can talk to the other druids about.  Well.  This  Speak With Animals  spell.  We need a way to... turn it inside out.  You understand?   Speak With Humanoids , for animals.  Once we can make the spell, I can try to get some people to help out with the rest of it.  I've already made a friend, at the Society; and she seems smart as a dart." 

This is a little presumptuous, on his part; but well-meaning presumption is his standard operation.  It would be extremely generous to call Shandara a  friend  based on their limited interactions; but off he goes, anyway.

The expression,  smart as a dart , must be one specific to wherever he's from.  Perhaps some derivative of  sharp as a tac , but who can say for sure?
DeTess
 Aiden's Workshop 
"Huh." Misha tilts her head quizzically as she thinks over Aiden's proposal for a 'speak with humanoids' spell. "That's a pretty odd idea. Not sure if we can come up with something like that, though if anyone can, it'd be auntie 'Toma. Just have to figure out a way to convince her its a good idea." she frowns. "That might be a a bit tricky, actually. She's a big fan of us changing to meet nature, not the other way around."
MrAbdiel
 Aiden's Workshop 
 "I appreciate her sentiment there. But it's a bit late for that.  The experiments granted personhood to these rats in a way that obligates other people to recognise them.  And people won't recognize them unless the look them in their little eyes and hear them saying 'I am here';  squeek squeek  won't do the trick.  Not to mention, they're curious now.  It's unfair to elevate their minds but leave them unable to communicate with the wide world of neighbours they've inherited.  Auntie Toma seems to just come and go as she pleases - would you tell her I'd appreciate if she could visit me here?  I'd be happy to go to somewhere else for her, but.. I have a feeling she'd rather keep the sacred places a secret from the uninitiated like me." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten shrugs in response to Shandara's suggestion.  "I think I would be hard-pressed to propose anything better."  He listens intently as she expresses her concerns about the interaction between the crystals and mental control of the SCORP. Of course, the tone of the conversation takes a drastic turn at Shandara's poor choice of words. Thankfully, Bolten doesn't have anything in his hands, so he doesn't end up spilling tea everywhere as his hands instinctively fly to cradle his head while staring wide-eyed at Shandara.  "I  need  my head, thank you very much!" 
WindStruck
Shandara stops, tea cup still in hand and peers at Bolten.  "Oh, don't be such a baby, Bolten. I only need it for a moment. Or perhaps five." 

Setting her cup on the table, she stands and then strides over to the other corner of her house, to the little workshop she has. She returns with an insidious, horrific looking device! With hooks, and jewels, brass wiring!

Wait, jewels? Shandara holds out the mental control unit for Bolten to see.  "You see? This is supposed to fit securely over Dukkear's head, but.. well, I'm no expert on designing circlets and headbands for dwarves, and it can't be falling off if he hangs upside-down." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten is appalled at Shandara's callousness! At least, until she returns with the headgear intended for the SCORP. Once Shandara explains her reasoning, understanding washes over Bolten.  "Oh, I see! You need someone with similar cranial measurements in order to calibrate it properly! See, I thought you meant..."  Bolten shakes his head at his own internal accusations of prejudice against his friend.  "All right, I shall serve as your head model."  The dwarf takes off his tinker's cap and sets it on the table.
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "I made some preliminary design with my best guess. I figured heads are heads but..." 

Hmm, it seemed Bolten's head was a lot wider than expected.   "Hrm." 
 "On second thought, maybe I should just have tried to mount it onto a dwarven mining helmet?  It would have provided some extra protection too." 
DeTess
 Aiden's Workshop 
"Sure I'll ask her. Once I tell her about the little party you where having here, I'm sure she'll want to see for herself." Misha nods to herself, as if coming to a conclusion or decision. "It's probably a good idea if you're the one to try to convince her anyway. You're a bit better at the whole 'convincing people to do stuff' thing than I am, that's for sure!" The young Druid starts heading for the door, but then stops, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Hey, uhm, if you have some free time sometime..." She wavers for a moment as if reconsidering what she was going to say, but then pushes on nonetheless. "Some friends of mine are trying to fix up an old boat they found lying around. If they can fix it they could go fishing on the river, which should get them some decent money. Thing is, they don't know much about fixing boats. They'd probably appreciate a helping hand, but they don't really have any money to pay someone that knows their stuff and all. Still, I heard you basically build this place you've got here yourself, so I thought you might be able to help them out if you had some time. For free, I mean."
MrAbdiel
Aiden animates at the opportunity with wide eyes and a literal, involuntary  hop .

 "Well, sure!  I'd love to help!"
 
And then, apparently having mistaken 'when you have some time' for something like 'now is good', he turns to the assembling of barn-dance rodentia.

 "That'll be it for tonight, folks; but we'll do it all again next week.  Oh, and Kenner - I haven't forgotten.  I've never made one that small, but I'll try.  I'm still looking for the right bit of wood, but more than that, I'm trying to find someone who's able to made strings that small and fine.  Might need to come from a different animal than normal; but I promise I'll have you callin' and fiddlin' soon as I can." 

He bows to the rats - they bow back, delightfully - and then is immediately about throwing saddlebags on Ambrose, and loading him up with tools.   "And where were  you , by the way?  You used to keep time with that big ol' left hoof, for me; back before you became too  cool ..." 

Once he's bundled up Misha's gift for her benefit and grabbed enough tools to make an assessment on the repairs he'll make on her friend's boat, the fiddler is ready to go.
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten smiles in wholehearted agreement.  "Oh yes, that is a splendid idea! Also makes it less likely for the apparatus to get tangled in hair or snag on skin. Comfort is not the greatest priority, but it  is  something to consider." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Was that a dig or a compliment, Windstruck? 😛
 
WindStruck
Shandara nods, giving up with the idea of fidgeting with the half-completed circlet she brought out and sets it on the table.  "Perhaps you had better come with me, then, to find a good one. I feel like you might know a good helmet better than I, and perhaps, maybe a good intuition about what our client likes..." 

She sits down again, absentmindedly chewing on another piece of honeybun before she suddenly looks at Bolten again.  "Oh, but before then.. how did you envision interfacing a mental link with your engineering? Perhaps you could explain to me what sort of commands the SCORP could understand, and what exactly it is capable of doing?" 

Shandara preemptively raises a shushing hand up at Bolten.  "Yes, I remember the drawings. I assume the limbs and tail can move any which way, correct? The tail can shoot out a wire, and the arms can grip things.. but for example, how much degree of motion is there?" 
DeTess
 Aiden's Workshop 
"Oh, I didn't exactly mean... Eh, now is as good a time as any, I suppose." Once Aiden had prepared his equipment Misha led the way out of the Stormdrain's district and tot eh same harborside district where Aiden had helped to resolve the rat problem. However, she led him to a completely different area, one not covered in warehouses but in a warren of weathered hovels and houses not all that different from the Stormdrains district. She easily found her way to the warren, eventually stopping at a small hut right at the water's edge. A stone quay led down to a thin strip of gravelly beach, and Aiden could see a small sailing boat laying on it, only about 5 meters in length.

"Oi, Markel, Cliff!" Misha knocks loudly on the door of the house while calling out, and several moments later a malnourished-looking older boy, in his late teens maybe, appears in the doorway.

"Oh, hey Misha." The boy replies softly while shooting a worried look at Aiden. "Cliff's out on the town, seeing if he can earn some money, so it's just me. Uhm, what can I help you with?"

"Hey, remember that craftsman I was doing some jobs for." Misha points over her shoulder at Aiden. "He said he was willing to take a look at that boat for you, for free of course."

"Oh!" the boy's eyes light up. "Thanks for taking the time to help us, mister!" He addresses Aiden, then quickly scampers past him. "This way, please!" He descends down a ladder cut into the side of the stone quay to the gravel beach and leads the way to the boat. The boat itself isn't in great shape. The wood looks like the boat must have washed up somewhere a while back before spending at least two summers baking in the sun without any sort of maintenance. The wood ahs warped in a couple of places, likely causing leaks. However, the small mast laying in the boat and the sail and ropes attached to it appear to be mostly in good order, though its size suggest it might have been taken from a different, slightly smaller boat.

"So, uh, how bad is it?" the boy asks Aiden, worry returning to his face.
MrAbdiel
 "I'm not gonna lie to you, Markel.  She's looking pretty rough.  People don't abandon things they see value in.  Warped planks, here and here.  Someone made repairs with inferior timbers and they're dryrotting now - that's the grey skin you can see over here, by the stern.  And the mast, which looks alright, seems to have been cannibalized from another boat entirely.  Someone looked at this boat, Markel - someone looked at this boat and decided  'this is worth so little, I'm better off leaving it behind and pretending I never had it at all'. "   He gives the boat's unfortunate hull a mournful pat, as one might give a beast in poor health that may need to be given a final mercy, and goes quiet for a moment.

And then, with a plucking draw of forefinger and thumb down his beard, he animates again.   "But  I  see... a good frame.  I see a boat that, with a little bit of work, can head out on the water again; and with a lot of planning, and love, and good old fashion  effort , could be a real cutter out there -"  he gestures swiftly to the water, the primal open-horizoned majesty of which seems to agree with notions of hope and opportunity -  "...catching the wind and spurning the waves, and faithfully hauling back a great big mess of fish each day you and Cliff put your feet in it.  And whoever left it might look out and wish they had such a boat - and boy, oh boy, they'll never know they  did , just because they couldn't see what  we  can see!" 

It is not clear whether Aiden knows he is speaking both about boats, and also the greater tragedy of boys like Markel and Cliff growing up in such circumstances.  It may be some unconscious instinct to rail for hope and betterment of the conditions of life for folks like these simply glides out unnoticed by his conscious mind, fascinated by the artisan work ahead.

He projects a big hand, calloused to pebble-hardness from their dual loves, music and work.   "It's real fine to meet you, Markel.  My name's Aiden.  We're going to save your boat." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC Actions! 
No real need for it, but Aiden is going to (subconsciously) attempt to fill this compellingly underprivileged boy with hope for the future and belief in the transformative power of  gumption.   He'll drop the big once-a-day +8 luck bonus on this diplomacy check!   (1d20+23)[ 42 ] .  Success or fail, he'll spend some time with Misha and Markel looking over the boat until it gets dark; and then use a light cantrip to look a little longer; and then explain the next step is for him to get a wagon and haul the boat back to his barn, where he can work on it.  He'll invite Markel and Cliff to come by and help him work on it each day, and use this as a pretext to feed them and generally spoil them, as well as teach them about woodcraft and boat maintenance.
 He will make a token effort to hide the fact that he lives with a colony of intelligent barndancing rats.  Friends with a druid and children of humble circumstances, they seem unlikely to be widely bothered by the rats anyway.  He'll spend the 180GP to begin the major overhaul, the (5GP) fee to get it transported to his barn, and he'll feed them every time they come over to lend labor or check on the thing.  If they show interest in learning the craft, he might even be prepared to offer apprenticeship.
 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 

Bolten falls quiet for a moment as Shandara lays out her concerns about the degree of control necessary for the SCORP. Eventually, he responds:

 "Well, as far as the helmet goes,  I  could make one custom-fitted specifically for him. I would just need his cranial measurements to ensure the snuggest fit.

As for the real problem... The tail does not need to have that much freedom in its movements. After all, it is a glorified cable housing for the crane pulley encased within the shell. Sure, it might need to swing from side to side and precise control is key, but it wouldn't need to do that  quickly . This tail would not be as flexible and limber as a real scorpion's tail.

The claws would be in a similar state. These claws are meant for finer manipulation and grasping, not for intensive combat. Again, precision is key, but they would not need to respond as quickly as, say, your hand catching a bottle before it hits the floor.

Our biggest difficulty lies in the legs. Those are the single most important part and require the fastest reaction time. As far as the mental connection goes, I was not envisioning control over every single leg of the SCORP. How I intended the movement to work is that the pilot thinks something along the lines of 'go forward' and the SCORP does just that, the legs automatically seeking out a nearby surface to latch onto for support. These impact sensations would not need to be translated into thoughts or confirmations to the pilot. They have enough going on mentally as it is. Yes, that might mean that a leg misses latching on, but having so many should mean that there are several back-up points of contact. Besides, if the construct tips as a result of a gap, the gyroscopic harness would automatically adjust and the pilot would realize the problem, which would allow them to back up or move to the side to find a better route.

All in all, control of the limbs would be issued as loose commands most of the time rather than direct control. Direct control would only be used when precision is absolutely key. Does... all of that make sense?"  Bolten finally stops, wondering if that explanation helped at all or if he had just babbled for five minutes.
DeTess
 the harbor district 
The boy, Markel, looked down in defeat as Aiden delivered his initial verdict on the boat, but then his face lights up again as Aiden continues his explanation, and by the time the bard makes his promise, his eyes are positively sparkling as a smile crosses his face. "You... you really can do that?" The boy asks in wonder, looking between Aiden and Misha.

"Trust me, Aiden can't just talk pretty, he can make some pretty nice stuff as well." Misha replies to Markel with a smile and a thumbs-up.

It takes a little while to get a wagon big enough to transport the boat back to the boy's house, and by the time Aiden has made the arrangements and is ready to start lifting the boat up from the beach, Cliff has returned as well. He appears to be about the same age as Markel, maybe one or two years older, though he appears to be in slightly better health, his stature a bit more robust than Markel's, but its clear that he too isn't getting as much food as he should. he doesn't speak much, but quickly joins Aiden in helping him get the boat up from the beach, and in the process seems to have a real skill for making knots and working ropes.
WindStruck
Shandara thinks a bit and nods.  "Hm, I suppose that would work. I still need this gem in the helmet though."  She points to a somewhat large, flat, and faceted ruby.

 "A good helmet is a good helmet regardless, and I have no doubt you can make one with ease. However, just as important as making it fit our client's head snugly, so too does the gem need to fit in its socket..." 

She frowns a bit.  "How exactly would you intend to measure his skull? I don't think he's here in Vaungate. Perhaps you'd need to go with your best guess?" 
Prehysterical
 Shadara's Home 

Bolten shrugs lightly, as if not greatly concerned.  "We put together a sword to end an undead tyrant. Mounting a gem onto a helmet is child's play compared to that!"  He waves his hand in a dismissive notion, as if to banish any doubts.

 "As for his head measurements, I can surely communicate with Lady Orlof. If she doesn't have them somehow, she would know someone who does. Something tells me that Dukkear goes through clothes like meals in his line of work. I'll talk to her tomorrow and see what I can find out. In the meantime, is there anything that I can help with while I'm here?" 
WindStruck
Shandara smiles lightly.  "Yes, of course I know that. I was simply reminding you..." 

She just shakes her head and goes back to sipping her tea.

 "Hm, I suppose that's all for now. I will try to get the enchantments to pick up simple commands and relay them to your machine. And I'll leave it to you to make sure all the legs and arms do what they are supposed to do after." 
Prehysterical
 Shandara's Home 
 "You do your part,  dawri , and I will do mine,"  Bolten promises his friend. He takes a sip of his tea... which turns into a grunt of surprised delight. The dwarf ends up downing the entire cup in one go.

 "Oh dear... That's dangerous. I think we'll be drinking the whole pot tonight." 
WindStruck
She raises her eyebrow at Bolten.

 "I assure you, there's nothing dangerous about my tea. And I think at this rate,  you'll  be drinking the whole pot yourself. Though I guess you're welcome to. Better yet, maybe you could take some unbrewed tea home with you?" 

Glancing once again at how voraciously Bolten downed the tea, Shandara says,  "..on second thought, maybe I will just tell you where I got it from." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Is the British sitcom over, or do we have more of a sketch to run?  😁
 
MrAbdiel
Aiden lavishes the boys with praise and meandering-but-pleasant stories as they haul the boat, and they help him get it set up on a set of bow-set sawhorses in his barn.  He makes sure to feed them before they go - but finds, once he is feeding someone other than himself, he is not that good at it.  He has bread and cheese, only the latter of which is mouldy and even then he's quite sure it's meant to be that way... but until that moment, he hadn't realized how much he had depended on the various food vendors whom he encountered at the Society and through his wandering in Vaungate proper.  How had he fed himself, before making his way to the city?  With a laugh that only the rats hear, he concludes  poorly. 

Tomorrow, he'd have to see to that.

 
 Spoiler: OOC! 
I'm aware that we're trying to slow down Aiden's timeline so the others can catch up, since he's chugged along a little much; so I'm okay with the boat project (and the other, actually remunerative boat project with the Escribano Workshop) not progressing just yet.  But Aiden's next project is to get someone who can cook for the boys when they come over to help with the boat.  If he can get a maid/cook package who can cook and clean and do it all, that'd be great - but what he definitely needs is someone who can take care of cooking for him, who is open minded enough to also put some effort into using the leftovers for the rats in a way that is more dignified than pouring it into a trough, and who can cook for Markel and Cliff (and Misha and anyone else when relevent).  Ideal candidate is someone like a widow who could use a break, and has those domestic skills and not much else; so he can do a good turn by her giving her the opportunity too.  Since such people are reasonably likely to live in the Stormdrains, that might work out.

I'm going to have to make a spreadsheet of the people he is keeping on retainer.  But for now, we need to find someone who can actually cook!
 
MrAbdiel
 Somewhere in the Stormdrains... 

A few days hence, as his for-profit and pro-bono nautical endeavours percolate in the background of his life, Aiden is hoping to make a new friend.  He walks the streets from his house to his destination with Ambrose clopping uncomplainingly at his side, knowing much of the district with loose instinct by now and delighted to expand that knowledge.  He has prepared for this first impression as best he can - that is, by wearing one of the two  good shirts  he possesses, and wetting back his hair.  After this, both this shirt and the one he wore to the prototype demonstration will have been worn in the last week, marking it as a very important week indeed.

 "You're going to need to be at your most charming, Ambrose.  I'm given to understand she has suffered some; and suffering people will go to great lengths to soothe that suffering.  One day, they must confront it and the changes it imposes, however.  If we are lucky - if Marian is lucky - she is ready for that now.  If not... then we will instead just show her as much kindness as we can." 

Ambrose, imperceptibly, adjusts his behaviour accordingly as the residence of Marian Page comes into view.
Prehysterical
 Bolten's Home 

The next day (and one pot of tea later), Bolten is able to secure the measurements without too much trouble from one of Lady Orlof's assistants. Unfortunately, he cannot think of any materials that would be both protective and help conduct the mental energies of the crystals. In the end, Bolten decides to just keep it simple.

As the dwarf goes to work in his forge, he has to consciously rein himself in. Normally, Bolten turns his crafts into a work of art, but Dukkear is a spy. Not only is it unnecessary, but it might put him in danger to have any sort of clan or family insignia on his helmet... For that matter, putting the Cogturner family sigil on it might not be a good idea, either.

In the end, Bolten does his best to keep it simple. He makes the helm open-faced, making it easier for the bearer to breathe. Rather than a boxy greathelm, Bolten tries to keep the outline to a smooth circle to make it easier for Shandara to mount the crystal array. Where he can, Bolten creates deliberate insets in the metal to serve as a niche to place the crystals. If the crystals remain at rest within the helm itself and aren't reliant on wiring to stay seated, all the better. It will also camouflage the helmet's outline much better in the rocky Underdark.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Craft (Armor):  (1d20+22)[ 23 ] 
Just because it basically happens automatically with such a roll, I'm going to go ahead and make it a masterwork. Maybe that'll make it easier to wear on his head.

Helmets aren't their own item as far as priced gear goes, so not sure what the materials would cost or how long it would take.

Yikes, thank goodness I cast  Crafter's Fortune  before doing that!
 
WindStruck
Over the next few days. Shandara prepares her spells and materials and then designs the enchantments for the gem upon the helmet.

It consisted of detecting the underlying thoughts and desires of the wearer, only insofar as wanting to go places, be it someplace in sight, or in a direction relative to the user. Also there was a bit of "friction" in place, such that fleeting velleities would be ignored. Only a strong sort of decisiveness could begin an action, but it didn't take much willpower to continue on with a repetitive action, much like walking.

The work also involved something similar but with imaginary limbs. There were nine of them altogether: six scorpion legs, two pincers, one tail. These limbs could be controlled individually and deliberately as well. It was more like saying, for instance,  place the central-left foot on this rock . The commands for the limbs were designed to also be deliberately abstract, such that one could potentially contort any one limb into odd shapes or patters, within the limits of the machinery's mobility and freedom of movement.

And then finally, there was a secondary gem that was tied to the first. It was smaller, and meant to collect a condensed list of orders from the first gem, and pass it on to the machinery in a way that it could understand. It was then that Shandara had realized she never mentioned another space for a gem that needed to be somewhere on the whole apparatus. Also, she was still rather worried that maybe it wouldn't interpret the commands correctly or be able to act.

But still, with the success of the spy bug, maybe they could patch that over quickly...
DeTess
 Somewhere in the Stormdrains... 
According to the information Aiden had gained Marian lived in a small hovel in one of the backstreets of the Stormdrains. The 'street' itself could hardly be called such. It was so narrow, cramped with shoddily made buildings on both sides that it would be rather difficult for Ambrose to turn around if Aiden decided to head the other way. The buildings above Aiden's head where so close together Neighbors from opposite sides of the street could shake each other's hands from the second-floor windows. The hovel Aiden's search had led him to was particularly dilapidated, and Aiden could hear someone moving around inside through its thin outer walls. However, when the bard knocked on the door, no one answered.
MrAbdiel
After two intervals of knocking and listening, Aiden draws the natural conclusion - someone is home, but not accustomed to having visitors they welcome.  He reaches to knock again, but steadies his hand, uncurls his fingers, and just lays his palm flat against the wood.  His other hand takes off his hat and holds it to his chest, lips tightening a little as his seemingly inexhaustible fountain of personal positivity was tested by the scenario, at-least how he imagined it.  Aiden loved people; how deep a wound, how wicked an injury, that should drive a soul to hide from the world, and all its bright lives?  It had been his job, once, to pour joy into lives like this; and to make war on the forces of misery and darkness.

Old habits die hard, as they say.

 “Ma’am,”  he begins, speaking through the door on the blind hope the person within cares to listen.   “Ma’am, if I could trouble you for just a moment of your time, I think you could really help me out.  My name’s Aiden; I moved to Vaungate from the country and it’s big and a little confusing, but I think I’m at the right place.  Some friends told me I might meet Miss Marian Page here; and that she might be just the soul in this place that can help me.  Can you spare a few minutes, to hear a fella out?” 

Voice falling away, he is struck with the strange lameness of his words; a weapon he is normally so adept to wield.  It’s because, he decides, he is talking around the thing he means to say; and chiding himself a little, he starts again and says it.

 “I… ma’am you’ll have to forgive me for saying so, but… I expect you’ve been praying.  Praying for a while now, that things might get better than they are.  I think I might be here to deliver, on that.” 
 
 Spoiler: First Impressions 
I will assume that’s a diplomacy roll!   (1d20+15)[ 27 ] , to try to present an impression of benevolence and hope.
 
DeTess
 Maria Page's dwelling 
Several moments pass after Aiden's words fade away, but then the bard can hear someone moving to the door and a moment later it is timidly opened by a tall, slim woman. She has long blond hair and a  fair complexion, though it's clear that she hasn't been keeping up with self-care. She has the left side of her face turned towards Aiden, and her hair covers the right half of her face. The eye Aiden can see seems almost dead, seemingly devoid of the little spark of life that one could fine in the eyes of most people. "W-w-w-what can I do for you?" She stammers the question out timidly, refusing to meat Aiden's eyes.
MrAbdiel
  Maria Page's Dwelling  

A flash of deeply sourced empathy and pity briefly alloys to his features; lost to the woman's deflected gaze.  But he is not slow to respond, now that's she's given him the opportunity.

 "Well, thank you so much for hearing me out, Miss Page.  Like I said, my name's Aiden.  Aiden Sorveaux.  I come from a village called Tantamere, which is, ah..."   He pauses, swivelling at the waist and seeking to orient himself on the face of the world to give the woman a sense of the direction he has come from.  Confronted with a brick wall a foot away however, he is reminded how little the world outside of a great city like this means to city folk.  No knock on city folk, he thought; but the city was a world almost of its own, where back in Tantamere the world was a spider's web of towns and their satellite villages spread throughout the forest and plains adjacent.  Smiling with barbless self-reproach for his distraction, he looks back to the woman and dismisses his own half-formed statement with a little shake of his head.

 "Well, I answered a summons to be part of the Society of Artificers; so I packed up my things and came to town.  I've had enough success that I've been able to build a fine house for myself here in the Stormdrains; and that serves me well, because there's a fair few folk I've met here who could use a hand and it's my nature to spend the time I can giving help where I can.  But, ah...  Well, my home back in Tantamere was small, and cluttered; and this one just built is quite big.  I find I don't have much of the time I wish I had to keep it in good condition.  On top of that, I'm helping out a couple of young lads with their boat, and thought I'd be able to do them a kindness by feeding them, and came upon the discovery that I have no skill to make a dish at all.  Never myself bothered beyond simple fare, but I thought I could really use the help of someone who could make them something decent to eat.  And likewise when Misha comes over.  Misha's a young druid who helped with, ah..." 

Rambling again.  It's not unpleasant rambling; Aiden has a good voice for rambling, which makes listening to him seem less like a pointless trek through the weeds and more like brisk stroll in a park; but he rubs the back of his neck with one hand and crushes his hat a little with the other as he tries to marshal his point.

 "Miss Page, I've been blessed with some skills that people find valuable and I find rewarding; but I'm discovering that I'm close to helpless with much of the basic action of keeping a home fit for living and having guests.  Some folks who helped me raise my house told me you've kept homes before, and I've come to hope you'd be happy to consider doing so for me.  There's a room for you there, if you'd like it; but you need not live in the house if you don't want to.  I, ah..."   He gestures loosely to her home behind her.   "I don't know if you're renting here, or if you own it; but I'd be happy to spend some time fixing up the buckling joists in your ceiling, if you decide you'd prefer to reside here ongoing.  I'm not so far away that it would be a burden walking to or from."   He thumbs towards Ambrose.   "I didn't actually need my friend here to make the trip; I just brought him along for the company." 
DeTess
 Maria Page's Dwelling 
"I..." Maria takes several moments to think over Aiden's proposal. Then, with a determined set of her jaw she turns to fully face the bard. The long hair covering the damaged side of her face hide a lot of the damage, but it is still absolutely clear that the right side of her face ahs been absolutely ruined. Where the left side of her face is fair, the right side of her face is the color and texture of a Steak that has been grilled beyond edibility. A hole is visible in her cheek and given the extend of the damage, it is unlike her right eye survived, though it is impossible to tell with the way her hair falls.

No matter how well he might try to hide out, some expression of shock at the extensive harm she has suffered is visible on the Bard's face, though he quickly regains his composure. Maria clearly noticed though, as she quickly turns the damaged side of her face away from him again. "W-well... at least you're not running away or throwing up. If you're willing to hire me despite... this..." she gestures at her face. "I would be willing to give it a shot, but..." she sighs. "I won't blame you for retracting your offer." She is no longer meeting Aiden's eyes with her left eye, instead looking down at her short and badly worn leather boots.
WindStruck
It is some days after Shandara and Bolten's last meeting at her house. She is able to finalize the enchantments on the two gems she makes, but by far the bulk of the work is being done by Bolten, so she has some more time to think about things and prepare. It was decided that they'd go out of the city and do a field test of the SCORP to see if everything was working properly, and if there were any more adjustments that needed to be made before presenting it to the Lady Orlof, or Dukkear himself. Aside from that, perhaps it would be nice to go out. Exciting, maybe? It's not like they were traveling  that  far...

She had already discussed the idea with Xavier, who seemed a little hesitant at first, but otherwise agreeable to the idea. Perhaps her own promises to do what she could to prepare and not quite be a sitting duck persuaded him. Or his curiosity, as he may have been wondering just what exactly they were working on. Or, less likely, the extra gold paid to him in overtime for that day. Still, who can argue with making more money?

A few days prior to the trip, Shandara had been scouting around the local mage community and shops, looking for some spells that might aid her in this little adventure. She finds some suitable spells, and even a wand to take along with her.

On the day of her departure, she rests a bit earlier than normal, rising around noon, then prepares some spells specifically for this day. It was a little odd deviating so much from her normal routine, but again, somewhat exciting. After a light meal, she heads out to rent a wagon and pack animals to draw it for the day. She returns to her abode to find Xavier waiting - thankfully he hadn't been waiting that long - and the two of them proceed to pack some extra belongings.

Shandara wears some comfortable boots and her large, midnight-blue cloak as normal, but on the other hand, a somewhat flirtatious dress. In addition she brings a raincoat, an umbrella, and a parasol. It almost seems as if she couldn't make up her mind, or was preparing for all sorts of weather.

In addition to that, there was the crossbow she had (and dagger on a belt of hers) with the standard case of 10 bolts. There really wasn't any point in bringing more than that. If she ever was in a situation where she had to fire more than 10 bolts...  well, they would be in a lot of trouble, to say the least. Two of the bolts had a small, colored piece of thread tied to them.

She also brought an insulated container with a large slab of ice in the bottom. Inside were various fruits, mushrooms, some bread, a bottle of wine, and yet another bottle, which actually had sweetened tea brewed earlier that day. There were a few cups as well, but no plates.  Lastly, there was a weird stand, almost like a coat rack on the bottom, but looked more like a curved, gnarled branch up top. It was a resting perch for Elu, her familiar.

After packing all this stuff and double checking, Shandara locked everything up around her house, then asked Xavier if there was anything he needed to get before heading to Bolten's house/workshop to hopefully clandestinely move the SCORP into the wagon and cover it up with a blanket.

 Nearing the gates of Vaungate 

Shandara had been driving the wagon so far, perhaps somewhat awkwardly. Indeed, she'd never really done this so much before, but thankfully the animals seemed well-trained. It seemed, up in the distance, the gates of the city loomed before them, as well as a small line.

 "I don't suppose any of you would rather drive?"  she asks. Admittedly, she was beginning to feel a little shy and nervous. But she also didn't want to seem like she didn't know what she was doing when it came to the driving part.
MrAbdiel
The bard is struck by the intensity of his feeling - a deep well of pity, springing up at once.  Pity in the best sense; the heartdeep recognition of another’s suffering or brokenness, without a corollary sense of condescension.  Maria’s scars were grevious.  If it was possible to repair such damage, it was the province of the highest miracle workers; a feat of celestial kindness, not human craft.  And human craft was all he had, now.  It pained him when she turns away, and remarks about possible worse reactions.  He was a prisoner of his instinctive reactions, and the flinch had shamed him.

A host of words flew to his mind, competing for primacy on how tongue.

 You don’t need to turn away like that…
You’re beautiful the way you are…
I’m not going to -
You’re still-
Really it’s not-
I promise-
I-
I- 

At once, he knows all of these words have nothing to help Maria, and all of them serve only to soothe his own sense of shame for reacting.  Instead, he resolves to prove his character to her over a longer campaign or kindness.

He produces a spare key to his house from his pocket, and extends his hand.

“When can you start?  Oh, and… how do you feel about animals?”

Ambrose, at his most charming, whickers.
Prehysterical
 Bolten's Home 

After weeks of work, the day had finally come to put their labors to the test. They had agreed to test their new contraption in an old quarry outside of the city, both for privacy and to minimize the chance of property damage. Thankfully, Bolten himself was only slightly nervous about the journey. His magical cloak would provide protection from the weather, among other things, but otherwise he dressed as normal. They would hopefully be back within the same day, after all.

Along with the SCORP itself and the control helmet, Bolten also remembers to throw together a proper harness backpack using Dukkear's measurements. They were probably different than Bolten's, but at least he had a similar dwarven build. The gyroscopes for the harness integration would need to be properly tested, after all. After a bit of paranoia gnaws at Bolten about leaving the prototype tick alone in his house, the dwarf shoves it into his backpack. He has a few ideas for alternate disguises for the clockwork creature, but those could wait.

When Shandara and her escort arrive, Bolten enlists the half-orc's aid in carrying the SCORP and its accessories to the cart. Though Bolten is no weakling, the solid metal frame of the SCORP makes it hefty and unwieldy for just one person (and Xavier is much stronger, besides). With the prototype loaded up and covered, Bolten rushes back into the house to recover something quickly. He emerges and locks his door behind him, a solid heavy crossbow slung over his shoulder and a quiver of bolts on his belt. From the intricate work put into the weapon and the Cogturner dwarf symbol cast in metal on the side, it is obviously one of Bolten's own designs. After loading up in the wagon, Bolten is shown the container full of goodies. The dwarf coos and claps his hands in delight, praising the drow's foresight as they are on their way.

 The Gates 

Shandara's question prompts an immediate head shake of denial from Bolten.  "I've never been any good with animals. Happy to either walk on my own two feet or pay someone else to drive for me."  Looking up at Xavier, Bolten asks,  "I don't suppose you've had any driving experience, have you?" 
WindStruck
Shandara looks over at her half-orc bodyguard and says,  "Well, you wouldn't have to if you don't want to. I'm sure you're busy being attentive for dangers and all that." 

Then she looks at Bolten.  "I mean, I suppose we should be too. Just in case. But obviously, we'll have more reason to be distracted." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc note 
I think I'll also add that Shandara is wearing some gloves. Nothing too big, thick, or fancy. Probably something like some soft deerskin gloves?

She might not normally wear them, but probably a good thing to have since this is a somewhat extended trip outside.
 
DeTess
 Maria Page's Dwelling 
"R-really?" Maria stammers in surprise and starts to turn to fully face Aiden before quickly catching herself and turning the ravaged part of her face away again. "Ehm... I'd have to do something to make myself at least a little more presentable... Is it fine if I start the day after tomorrow? I could come in tomorrow evening to make dinner, if you wish, my lord." She gives Aiden a small curtsy and some color seems to have returned to the healthy portions of her face at the unexpected reversal of her fortunes.

 The western Vaungate gates 
"Ah, I do have some skills with managing wagons like these, but I need to keep my attentions on our surroundings." Xavier says apologetically while scanning the streets and crowds milling around. The bodyguard appears quite at ease, yet the way his eyes dart around suggest that he's fully alert.

A short while alter the cart approaches the western Vaungate gates. This large set of gates is wide enough to allow four carts much like the one Shandara was driving to pass through, and about a dozen guards, in addition to a couple of other officials where on duty to keep an eye on things. However, most of the guard's attention was on incoming traffic, which was subject to all manner of inspections. People leaving the city rarely got a second glance.

"Unless the testing you planned is going to take longer than expected, this same shift of guards should still be on duty when we return." Xavier explained, though his attention was not on the guards at the gate, but rather on the street behind the cart. "They'll probably just wave us through going out, but things will be different when we return. It might be wise to have a quick chat with one of the guards or officials on your way out, explaining that you're with the Artificery society and going on a short trip for some testing, and expect to be back before too long. They should remember us when we return and hopefully we'll get back in with minimal questions as well."

Xavier's estimate of the guard's priorities seemed correct, as the few guards facing inwards made no movement to obstruct the cart as it approached the way out of the city.
MrAbdiel
 Maria Page's Dwelling
 
 "Hey, I'll trade you up to one better - I'll make dinner for  you  tomorrow night, so you'll see how desperately I'm going to need your help. And also, so that you'll see what the kitchen is like, and maybe we can work out a list of things you think you'll need.  Brooms, and... eggs."   He gesticulates loosely.   "And everything." 

But by that point, it's over - at least in his mind; and Maria has assumed a position in the unusual and enchanting web of relationships Vaungate has presented for him.  Hopefully, she was ready for the eccentric contours that the country carpenter's life tended to take on.
WindStruck
 "Uhm. Right,"  Shandara says, in agreement to Xavier, albeit awkwardly. So what were they going to do now? Well it had to be something and soon, as their window of opportunity was shrinking by the second. Almost as awkwardly, Shandara makes an abrupt motion for the horses pulling the wagon, and they veer off to the side, careening into the wall and grazing it. Were the horses not well-trained, they might have toppled over one of those aforementioned guards too.

 "Whoa! Whoa!"  Shandara cries, but then she's left there speechless peering over the large animals at the guards. This was kind of bad, she almost ran one of them over! On top of that the flapping of the wings of her startled familiar and its annoyed screech was also causing a ruckus and its agitation was flooding into her through their empathic link.

Growing more nervous by the second, Shandara throws a glance at Bolten, but then thinks maybe it's best if she were to get off the wagon and speak with them directly? She felt so jittery, at this rate she might have even fallen off too.  "My- my apologies. I'm not very skilled at driving horses. I mean wagons. Or is it. Um.. Are you alright?" 
DeTess
 The western Vaungate gates 
"Hey, watch it!" The guard that only narrowly avoided getting trampled by the cart's horses angrily glares at Shadnara. "What do you think you're doing?" His angry shout brings several other guards over, and Shandara soon finds herself the object of a number of unfriendly glares. Before things can escalate however an officer makes his way to the cart and starts shouting orders.

"Tex, Marit, manage the traffic, I don't want a traffic jam or another crash here. Everhard, Mai, stand back and keep an eye out." The officer is a tall man with a harsh voice, and the four guards that had been gathering around the cart scramble to obey his orders, two of them heading back into the street to make certain no other carts run into trouble due to Shandara's little crash, while the other two take several steps backs from the cart and assume a watchful stance, their spears still pointing up into the sky, but their tightening grips on their weapons suggesting they're ready to bring them to bear.

"You..." The officer points at Shandara as he marches up to the cart, then at the ground next to the horses. "Get down here and explain yourself." Though his voice is as harsh as when the officer ordered his men about, he doesn't appear to be particularly angry, just annoyed.
WindStruck
Still as nervous as ever (growing more so as the guards gathered around the wagon and glared at her, and only slightly less so as the captain ordered them away and engaged with her) Shandara throws one last fearful look at her companions before slowly and shakily climbing her way down from the driver's seat. She does so without falling.

Shandara was having flashbacks of her hometown now, which of course also employed guards. They would have been just as irate as these ones she almost ran over, but also, a bit more murderous. The slightest provocation could get you killed, but thankfully, here in this empire.. perhaps an apology and an explanation might save her? Shandara could only hope..

 "Ah, I'm sorry sir. I was trying to explain, I'm not very proficient with directing animals.. on a wagon.. or at all, really..."  She was looking down guiltily before she thought of the next thing she should say, and almost as careless as before, she quickly whirled around and looked upward, drawing attention to the occupants of the wagon.

 "One of my companions mentioned I should talk to you all. Before we left the city."  Turning back to the captain she continued,  "And then the gate was already coming up and I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to pull off to the side here, but I guess we were going too fast.. maybe the wagon's momentum..."  she trailed off mumbling and shook her head.

 "Well, that's why I'm here,"  Shandara said. She looked around again, and while before the gate did seem kind of big, wide enough for four wagons like this to pass through, she was beginning to doubt herself. Perhaps she shouldn't have stopped here at all?  "I'm sorry, should I have even stopped here? I still need to speak to you all about something." 
MrAbdiel
  The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux  
Aiden is not a messy man - a craftsman can only become so proficient without developing some orderly habits, after all - but for someone like Maria who knows a thing or two about maintaining a home, it's clear he doesn't know much about the nuance of transforming a place one lives into... well.  A place one would  want  to live.  The lower floor is all workshop and storage, which is spic and span but for a dusting of sawdust and a conspicuous arrangement of tools that suggests the floor has been cleared around a rug, for some reason.

But the upper floor, when the living is done, is out of sorts.  The sweeping has been done, but Aiden seems to be possessed of that irritating masculine trait of  total failure to appreciate the necessity of ever dusting anything.   His clothes don't lie in filthy piles; but they do lie in crumpled  clean  piles, one in his bedroom and one in the corner of the dining room, as a ridiculous subversion of the practice of folding and storing them.  The kitchen is overflowing with dishes in wooden drying racks - they are still shining from the water Aiden has clearly used to wash the great backlog of them, knowing she was coming.

 "I hope it's alright,"  the bard suggests, loosely gesturing with his fork toward Maria's plate.  And it  is  alright; for the meal is bread he bought that day, and a shank of lamb he bought that day.  The primary mystery of cooking -  apply heat to food  - is known to him, but without so much as the daring-do to apply both salt  and  pepper, he is incapable of creating a meal beyond alright, and only then with the freshest possible elements.

 "Oh, before I forget - do you think you'd want to live on the premesis?  I haven't gotten around to furnishing the spare room yet, but if you're coming, I can start putting things together.  Is your current home one you're renting, or that you own..?" 
DeTess
 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 
When Maria arrived at Aiden's home she already looked a little better than she had when eh had first seen her. It seemed she had used the intervening day to catch up on her self care and was now wearing a long black dress and white apron in a style commonly seen with live-in servants for nobles and rich merchants, though on closed inspection the dress did appear to be a bit threadbare. She had combed her long blonde hair to cover the ruined part of her face, though hints of the damage to her face still shone through. She still appeared to be rather timid, but Aiden's friendly banter did seem to put her at ease somewhat.

"Ah... the food is very fine, my lord, though I think with some fresh ingredients and some time in a proper kitchen, I will be able to create meals that are even better for you." She takes her time to savor the food Aiden arranged. The way she speaks ahs also shifted, a dignified and polite tone has now entered her voice and she addresses Aiden like one would a minor noble or well-off merchant. "As for your offer... This district is not the safest, so I think it might be best if I moved in here, if that is quite alright. Though I do wonder... This is quite an unusual building for this district. If you will forgive me the curiosity, I was wondering what made you decide to build your home here."
DeTess
 The western Vaungate gates 
The officer let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose with one gauntleted hand. "You'd think you Society types would earn enough to get someone drive you around if you can't do it yourself..." He waves his hand and the two guards he had watching Shandara and her companions return to watching over the incoming traffic. "So what did you want to talk about anyway?" The officer sounds a lot less annoyed now, though there is still an air of exasperation at the whole situation about him.
WindStruck
Shandara frowns a bit and flushes imperceptibly at the whole situation, not only admitting to being a poor driver, but too cheap to hire a competent one (she had her reasons, honest!) but at least they were moving on from the whole subject of nearly running over a guard.

 "Ah, well, you see,"  she begins turning back to the wagon,  "what we have here is a new creation of ours that we want to test outside of the city. We shouldn't be gone too long, and we shall be returning with the same contents in this wagon - minus a few food items perhaps." 

Turning back to the captain, or officer, she adds,  "It's, uh, a little more complex than that though. We would prefer to keep its exact nature a secret for security reasons. But I understand you do have  a system here to control customs and imports..."   Shandara then briefly turns her gaze toward the line of people trying to gain entry into the city.

 "So.. is there anything you can do to verify what we have now is what we return with later? And we won't have to answer a dozen questions about what we created?" 
DeTess
"We do actually have a procedure for that. One moment." The officer turns around, his gaze scanning the guards and officials checking the incoming cars, before landing on a woman with long red hair in the uniform of an official of trade office. "Auditor Ianna, I've got a 7-18 Exception here, can you handle this?" He calls out, his voice easily carrying across the distance. The woman turns around at the sound, waves, and after handling whatever matter had her attentions tarts heading in the direction of the artificers and their cart.

"Well then, listen to the auditor's instructions and you'll have no trouble on the way back in." The officer nods and then starts to walk away, but Xavier quickly dismounts and calls out to him.

"Do you have a moment, guard-captain? There is a small matter I need to discuss with you." The bodyguard declares, then quickly walks up to the officer and starts talking to him in a low voice, while surreptitiously gesturing towards the road leading back into the city.

At the same time the auditor, lady Ianna arrives and addresses Shandara. "So I heard you had asked for a 7-18 Exception? I assume you're with the Artificery Society then? You don't really look like you're with the battlemage's college or the Naval Academy. If both you and your coworker could fill in and sign this document..." she fishes a sheet of paper from a pouch on her belt and hands it to Shandara. "And if your companion could dismount form the cart for a moment? I need to cast a quick spell. Just something that will allow me or a coworker to verify that the contents of the cart haven't changed in a meaningful way. If there is anything in there that you do not intend to bring back, like food items or the like, please remove those as well."

 
 Spoiler: the document 

The document is a simple form, asking for name, address and the date, as well as including the following text:

 Undersigned declare themselves to be members of good standing of the Royal Artificery Society / Imperial Naval Academy / Battlemage's college (cross out what doesn't apply). Furthermore, they declare that they will only bring back into the city those items that they took our of the city on this day. They will furthermore guard against any attempts by third parties to store items in their conveyance or bags for the purpose of brining said items into the city. 
 
WindStruck
Shandara peers over with a bit of concern at the private conversation Xavier was attempting to have.  What was that about?  she wondered.  If he planned to betray her, he wouldn't need to speak with the officer, would he? No, it seemed absurd. Given that he was pointing down the road into the city, had he spotted a potential threat?

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
perception to eavesdrop?   (1d20+7)[ 22 ] 

Yeah I know she is a bit distracted now as well.
 


Regardless of whether she can glean any other information or not, Shandara nods distractedly to the auditor, and waves over Bolten, even offering him a hand down. Though perhaps he didn't need it, and maybe she was a bit too frail to be of much help.

 "Oh. Battlemage?  Naval academy? No, no.."  she says, quickly shaking her head.

But she later gives the auditor a look, a little confused and quite curious.  "Wait, so you are going to cast a spell on the whole wagon? How does it work? And what if we don't eat all the food?" 
Prehysterical
 The western Vaungate gates 

At first, Bolten is concerned that the guard-captain will make them unveil the SCORP for inspection. Fortunately, it seems like the guard have an entire procedure ready for military contractors and development. The fact that Xavier wants to personally converse with the captain is concerning, but they just have to trust that Xavier is doing what is best.

Bolten dismounts from the wagon as he accepts Shandara's hand, though he's careful to keep most of his weight away from her. While Shandara questions the logistics of the audit, Bolten looks over the form and crosses out the names of the Imperial Naval Academy and Battlemage's College. After signing with his name with his address and the date, Bolten gives the text a second look and coughs awkwardly.

 "Um, I, uh, I apologize, marm, but, uh... There is an error in this form. Right here at the end, it says 'brining' when I am sure that it is meant to say 'bringing'."  Bolten's gloved finger points to the line in question.  "I'm guessing that sort of form would only apply to the Imperial Naval Academy, eh?"  He gives an uneasy smile and chuckle, which both die as he realizes that the auditor might take offense.

-And, just because he can't help himself-

 "And here it says 'our' instead of 'out' of the city." 
DeTess
"What? Let me see!" The auditor reacts agitatedly as Bolten points out the mistakes and snatches the form back. As she confirms that the spelling mistakes are indeed there she lets out a couple curses more appropriate for a harborside dockworker than a gate official of the auditor's office, before quickly going through her pockets, checking several similar forms.

"Ah, here I have one that is free of mistakes. I apologize, the enchanted quills we use to copy these occasionally make small mistakes, and if one of these faulty documents is then used to make further copies..." Ianna sighs and hands over another copy of the form, this one free of any mistakes. "It is really rather embarrassing for an office that is supposed to be all about the utmost precision."

"As for your question about the spell..." She turns to Shandara. "I'm afraid I cannot share any details on this particular spell. It is one of our tools for use against smuggling, so the less people know about it, the harder it is to counter. Suffice to say that it does not allow me tot tell what exactly is on the cart but will allow me to determine if anything has changed about your cargo when you return. As for the food you brought, simply take it off the cart when you return before the spell is cast, and we will check those bags the normal way. I assume that is not an issue?"

 
 Spoiler: OOC: listening in on Xavier 

Unfortunately it is rather difficult to listen in on Xavier's conversation while holding one yourself. You do catch some words though. Xavier mentions a "suspicious individual" and then later "inspection or something like that", while the guard captain says that he "wants something in return".
 
WindStruck
Shandara is a little disappointed to hear that the details of the spell cannot be divulged, but she supposes the reasons are understandable. Still, she puffs out her chest in an uncharacteristic display of ego and responds,  "I'll have you know, as a member of the Royal Artificery Society, spellcraft and arcana is one of my specialties. I could likely devise a similar spell myself.." 

But she deflates rather a lot and says,  "Well.. I suppose that doesn't matter at all does it? And I can only assume your spell works fine, or you think there's nothing to improve. After all, if people did manage to smuggle goods past it, you wouldn't know, would you?" 

She realizes she's practically shooting herself in the foot by casting doubt on these very procedures which would make her entry into the city easier, and so she quickly adds,  "Ah.. well, then again, I think you only do this for those whom you think you can trust. So.." 

After half paying attention to the conversation between Xavier and the guard captain, she turns to them and calls out,  "Oh, Xavier, before I forget..!"  Trotting up to the two, she reaches into her coin purse and fishes out ten gold coins.  "Here's your pay for the extra work you will be doing today."  Of course, she had  already  paid him prior to this.

Returning to the wagon and the others she says,  "Apologies, auditor. So is this spell harmful to living creatures? I have an owl familiar in there.. Oh, and Bolten? Would you help me get the box of food out? I think it would be simpler if we just removed the whole thing." 

Meanwhile, she begins to scan the form and assuming this one is free of typos, she quickly fills it out and crosses out the inappropriate organizations.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I was more imagining a covered wagon of sorts.  Some extra shade would be nice.  Hopefully it's not too impractical or ridiculous.

How much is the rental fee for the animals and wagon?  Just need to add that to the total.
 
Prehysterical
 The Western Vaungate Gates 

While Shandara goes to hand over the money to Xavier, Bolten suggests in a soft voice to the auditor,  "Um, madam, has the office ever considered mechanical quills? I'm not greatly experience with magic, but perhaps a specially made machine might be able to avoid such mistakes." 

When Shandara returns, Bolten assists her in removing the basket of food from the wagon.
MrAbdiel
 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 
 
 Spoiler: Tea for Two 

 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
  The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 
When Maria arrived at Aiden's home she already looked a little better than she had when eh had first seen her. It seemed she had used the intervening day to catch up on her self care and was now wearing a long black dress and white apron in a style commonly seen with live-in servants for nobles and rich merchants, though on closed inspection the dress did appear to be a bit threadbare. She had combed her long blonde hair to cover the ruined part of her face, though hints of the damage to her face still shone through. She still appeared to be rather timid, but Aiden's friendly banter did seem to put her at ease somewhat.

"Ah... the food is very fine, my lord, though I think with some fresh ingredients and some time in a proper kitchen, I will be able to create meals that are even better for you." She takes her time to savor the food Aiden arranged. The way she speaks ahs also shifted, a dignified and polite tone has now entered her voice and she addresses Aiden like one would a minor noble or well-off merchant. "As for your offer... This district is not the safest, so I think it might be best if I moved in here, if that is quite alright. Though I do wonder... This is quite an unusual building for this district. If you will forgive me the curiosity, I was wondering what made you decide to build your home here." 
 
 


Aiden is pleased and even flattered by Maria's gentle praise.  The possibility that she may be exaggerating, and not savouring her food but spacing out the suffering of ingesting it, is a vision unable to penetrate his sanctified imagination.

 "Why build here, in the Stormdrains?  Well..."   He scratches his chin with the heel of his fork, as the sequence of events is wheeled out into rough cohesion in his mind's eye.   "I came into the funds to buy some land outright, and I needed a decent size of land because I wanted enough space for the downstairs workshop, and the barn out back to fit Ambrose and any large projects I'm taking on, like the boat for these boys I mentioned.  I spoke to Miss Silvertear - Aesha Silvertear, lovely woman - who was managing some sales in the area and she pitched me the two parcels of land here and for the barn rolled into one.  She's really great - gave me a reimbursement specifically to use buying labour and goods from the locals, which I thought was just fantastic.  She..." 

The conversation comes flickering back to him, and he dons a concerned expression for a distracted moment.  " ...Mentioned some of those who lived in the destroyed homes here had remained to rebuild before the landlord decided to sell.  No one came to me during the demolition or build asking about tenancy, though.  They must have found somewhere else to go.  I hope they're alright."   He broods there for a few moments, but the buoyancy of his personality cannot abide pessimism.   "Yes, I'm sure they must have found somewhere else to go.  I'll have to ask around.  But in short, the land was affordable for my design.  It only left me with enough money to build the first floor, but I put the second one up as soon as I could, and got to know a whole mess of the work-hands in the district in the process.  It's not as close to the Society grounds as it could be, but I don't mind the walk.  And I like the people I meet, here.  Or, I mean to say... I'm from a forest town, you see.  People there are used to living simply.  I thank the heavens for my good fortune gaining all this -" , he gestures to the house around him,  "...But I've got no illusions of fitting in terribly well with the the well-born classes.  I'll be spending much of my time working on special projects for people who pay in platinum; but whenever I'm able, I like to take time to do helpful work for people who pay in handshakes.  Does that make sense?" 
 "Oh, and that's great that you want to live on site.  After we're finished eating, if you like, we can take a minute to talk about what you want done with your room - how big a bed, and how many drawers, and so on.  As well as ... Well, I've never been in this position before, but I see you've worn a uniform.  It's very nice, and professional - do you prefer it, to dressing informally?  I know back in the militia, I enjoyed having the uniform and the town tabard, but I supposed I've never asked anyone else.  Maybe you could help me design something that feels both personalized to you, and professional, if you'd like that." 
DeTess
 The western Vaungate gates 
"It is harmless to living beings, so your familiar should be safe and sound." The auditor explains to Shandara. She then turns to Bolten. "I don't think we have, but if you have a potential design, you could always stop by to demonstrate it. If it's more accurate and effective than the enchanted quills we'd be happy to have it."

Once the crate with food was removed from the wagon, the Auditor began to cast her spell. It seemed to be quite a tricky spell, as the casting took almost half a minute. Once she was done she quickly scribbled down some notes. "Well, that's it. You're free to leave. If I'm still here when you return I'll do the inspection, otherwise hand this ticket to the auditor on duty and they can do it instead." She handed a small note to Shandara with a signature and a short code on it.

 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 
"You are a very compassionate person." Maria comments after Aiden explains his reasons for living in the Stormdrains. "I grew up here actually, and like most others I couldn't wait to leave it all behind. Yet you make enough that you could easily live well in a better district but chose to come here to give something back to those that need it."

"I don't need much for my room. A simple bed, someplace to store my clothes and a few personal effects is enough, though a small washbasin and mirror would be very much appreciated." She explains once Aiden moves on to more practical matters. "As for my uniform, it is something of a badge of honor for me. As I mentioned, I came from this district originally, so when I managed to make my way into proper work for a rich household the uniform I got showed me how far I had come..." a smile plays around her lips for a moment before immediately being replaced by a frown and pained look. "Of course, it didn't last..."

She takes several moments to regain her composure. "Ah, I do apologize, my lord. It is difficult not t-to get stuck in bad memories." Where before she'd seems at least somewhat animated, her tone of voice had gone flat again, and the one eye Aiden could make out had lost some of its shine again. "I do prefer the uniform. it is a way of preparing for work, and also allows me to distance myself from said work once it is all done by changing into something else. If you wish to arrange a different design for me that is of course fine. The exact details of the uniform don't matter too much to me."
WindStruck
Shandara hangs back a bit and watches as the auditor does her work. She may not be able to verbally share any proprietary knowledge, however, Shandara was still capable of gleaning components, gestures, and words from spells simply by watching.

 
 Spoiler: roll 
spellcraft:  (1d20+16)[ 17 ] 
 


After that, she takes the ticket and nods, deciding the safest place to keep it might be within the pages of her journal.

 "I take it you won't need to do any searches of our bags now, and only when we return?" 

It seemed everything here was wrapping up.  Shandara glanced over toward Xavier to see if their business was concluding.  They should be getting this show on the road.
Prehysterical
 The Western Vaungate Gates 

While the spell is being performed, the gears in Bolten's head are already turning for potential designs. At first, he considers a mechanical arm to hold the quill and move it along a predetermined pattern for the form. Unfortunately, that might be prone to the same sort of errors that the magic quills already have.

Perhaps something like a large signet sing or seal? Carve out the letters, dip them in ink, and press them onto a sheet of parchment. Besides removing the possibility of errors in transcribing, it would also be potentially faster than the magic quills. Or maybe the letters don't even need dipped in ink? Perhaps if the press had an internal reservoir of ink, that could be refilled and the ink could be released through special slots or pores on the faces of the letters themselves.

As Shandara asks her last question, Bolten loads back up into the wagon.
MrAbdiel
 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 

Reading quickly that Maria is too humble to make specific requests for furnishings, after dinner he takes her on a walk around and gets a sense of what she likes from the existing furniture; taking notes about what to fit in her room.  At last, he settles the question of uniform, since she kicked it back into his court.

 "Well, it's obvious how much you've treasured your first uniform, and what it represented in that opportunity.  I'll see if I can't make you a second to treasure; and perhaps with time, reasons to treasure it." 

And after all that's done, Aiden sets out a neat little folding bed in Maria's room - the stand-in, until he makes her genuine article.  He can hardly let her walk home alone at this hour!  But if she insists, he'll walk her there; and in the morning either way, the cheerful carpenter will be back at her door, Ambrose at his side, ready to help her move anything she needs shifted to the new home.
DeTess
 The Western Vaungate Gates 
"Yes, unless there are instructions to watch out for specific stolen goods we only perform checks on the way in, so you're free to leave now." The Auditor explains to Shandra and then quickly heads off as another guard calls for her.

Xavier returns just as Bolten finishes loading up the crate of food and he moves to take the position at the reins Shandara had held before. "The guard captain asked me to take over the reins, at least till we're away from the main road to prevent any further accidents." Then, as soon as he sets the wagon in motion he explains more about the conversation he just had, in a low voice just loud enough to hear over the sound of the wagon and horses. "Don't look, but someone is following us. Male human, slightly scruffy look, dressed and equipped like a peddler. At first I thought it might have been a coincidence, that he was just going the same way we were to the gate, but when the wagon got into its little incident and we got stopped he just loitered about instead of heading on his way. That was nicely done by the way, lady Shandara." The bodyguard added that last sentence without a hint of sarcasm.

"Afterwards, I had a chat with the guard captain and he is going to subject the suspect to a surprise inspection." Xavier continues his explanation. "If he's just a spy without anything incriminating on him then the guard captain will have to let him go, but with a bit of luck we can get too far away for him to follow by then." The wagon was travelling at a steady clip now, and the gate was rapidly disappearing in the distance, Xavier's steady hand on the reins guiding the horses down the road without any issues. "If he had more nefarious intentions, which I hasten to add is unlikely, then the inspection will likely find some equipment he will be hard pressed to explain, and we'll be rid of him anyway."

"Now, as I suspect lady Shandara might have overheard, the guard captain did ask for something in return. However, it wasn't a simple bribe or anything like that, but rather a promise I'd take over the reins of the wagon to avoid any future incidents, at last while within sight of the gate. That was all, so I'll be returning that little extra money you gave me in a bit. And just for future reference, trying to bribe gate guards with money is a bad idea.  I have heard that there are all kinds of incentives for reporting attempted bribes and inventive punishments to discourage the guards from accepting the bribe and citizens from trying to bribe them."
WindStruck
Shandara shyly nods as it is explained the guard captain wanted Xavier to drive for the time being. Ugh. When the suspicious fellow that was following them is mentioned, Shandara does resist the urge to look back, and she says,  "That makes sense. I thought as much." 
 "Nicely done for.. what? Nearly crashing?"  She shakes her head dismissively and adds with a sigh,  "You know, if I just knew what to do at the gates beforehand, there shouldn't have been any incidents..." 

Then Xavier continues the explanation and Shandara looks away nervously. Sheesh, guards that don't just kill people for looking at them the wrong way  and  they don't take bribes? She knew this empire was quite civilized, having lived in it for some time now, but it was genuinely surprising to hear that officials here were quite strict and rigid with their duties. Considering she had always gone out of her way to stay out of trouble, however, she had very little first-hand experience with them.  "W-well, um, alright. I mean, I already hazarded a guess at the situation and I figured he might have been asking for some compensation to stop someone. I didn't see the harm in it..." 

Looking back at her bodyguard, who was now temporarily their driver, she says,  "So, if you're our expert driver for the time being, and we want to put more distance between us and our stalker, I don't suppose it's a good idea to go faster? Reasonably faster. It wouldn't do us any good to tip over the cart or crash into anybody." 

Then again, it probably was a bad idea to go too fast, and maybe this was as fast as Xavier intended to go. Either way, with him being both protector and driver at this point, she was just going to leave the judgement up to him.
MrAbdiel
 Royal Artificery Society Campus 

It didn't take long to find an artist in such a hive of talents.  As Aiden was carefully writing his advertisement on the steps where he frequently busks, he strikes up a conversation with one of his artificer peers, who herself does not perform raw conceptual artistry - but her brother does.  And when he speaks to the brother, he is pleased to make the acquaintance, but a little full on work, and passes Aiden off back across campus to his old tutor.  The tutor is an artist of many forms themself, but is too prestigious to be engaged for  such a small project - and has the decency not to get Aiden on the hook for hundreds of gold just for the consultation.  But from that link in the chain, he goes next to a promising apprentice with time on their hands and ample skill for a simple design project.  And  this  individual is the one to whom Aiden gives invitation to meet back at the café near where he busks, for a croissant and an excitable attempt to describe what is required.

 "Honestly, it's real funny to me to be askin' this.  I can do form-work just fine.  I once made a four-post bed for a gentleman where each post was the likeness of creature, stretching to hold up the heavens.  Came out pretty good!  And technical work, work to plan or raw design, I'm pretty handy with at any medium.  But I'm not so good with straight art, per se; visual, anyway.  The symbolism, and the... compression of meaning into.  Well, a symbol.  Some folks here in Vaungate are getting to know my work, and I figure it's time to have something recognizable to the eye.  If the heavens are kind, I'll have some apprentices doing a little work for me too; so they'll need a mark to put on anything that comes out of our studio.  Oh, and I guess I'll need a shingle.  I can make the shingle, obviously; but what to carve on it's the question.  So what I'm looking for is someone who can take a little time to stir all that together and sketch out a few designs of a symbol, or crest, that harmonizes to it.  It's gotta be scalable to look visually interesting on a banner or shingle, but compactable to a ring, or wood-brand.  I don't need any text in it; I don't want any folks who have no letters to feel like it's not for them.  Is that... Uh... Something you think you can do?" 
DeTess
 outside Vaungate 
"Ah, I do apologize for not sharing more information beforehand, Lady Shadnara." Xavier apologizes. "I had done  a bit of reading up on gate procedures, but I was not actually aware of the particular procedure for the Artificery society. If I had been I'd have told you about that in advance. As for my comment on the crash, I was quite serious with my compliment. I was half wondering whether you had actually seen the one following us as well and arranged the little drama to out them."

"Regarding out current speed, we could move a bit faster, but it will make the wagon shake and jostle a lot more, and I am unsure how that will affect our cargo. If you believe it to be fine, I could definitely increase our speed a little more."

 
 Spoiler: perception 

While driving away from the gate, Shandara does not notice anything in particular. Bolten can just about hear the guard officer's voice suddenly calling out "You there, Peddler, hold for a moment. we need to inspect your cargo." but eh hears no more than that.
 

 Royal Artificery Society Campus 
"So something that clearly communicates your specialty to anyone looking on it, without the use of any letters and that works on both large and small scale." Sitting across from Aiden was a halfling in his mid-twenties with curly brown hair and a gentle face dotted with freckles. While Aiden talked he was quickly jotting down notes on a sheet of paper. "Now, I understand you do woodwork, but I think I've seen you making music in the square as well, right? Is that something the symbol should also allude to?"
WindStruck
Shandara considers the possibility of extra shaking and asks Bolten,  "Hmm. I don't think our device should be adversely affected by the shaking, do you? Not sure how sensitive the mechanisms you devised are. I'm more worried about scaring Elu. But.. I suppose I could hold her." 
 "Well what do you think, Bolten? I think we could rearrange some things in the wagon to be more stable and use the blankets for more cushion than concealment now. And I also wouldn't mind sitting inside under the cover to keep an eye on things." 
Prehysterical
 Outside Vaungate 

It seems like Shandara's faux pas has turned out for the best. Bolten just barely hears the guardsman accost their stalker. When Xavier and Shandara ask if they can go faster, Bolten chews on his mustache in thought.  "Aye, we could probably go faster, but... I don't like the idea of moving the blankets around. For one, I'd like to keep it hidden in case anyone comes across us on the road. Secondly, never underestimate how bad weather can foil our plans. Sure, it might not look like it will start raining, but the sky is a treacherous thing. I'd rather not take any chances." 

Bolten's concerns turn out to be unfounded as they reach the quarry with neither trouble nor rain. He assists Xavier in lifting the SCORP and its accessories from the cart. Bolten takes the time to wind up his new clockwork contraption before placing the control helmet on his head and strapping himself up in the gyroharness (which first has to be attached to the SCORP). The dwarf looks toward the wide open sky of the quarry with a deliberate exhale of nervous anticipation.  "All right, well... 'Here goes nothing', as the humans say."  With that, he willed the SCORP to move.
WindStruck
Shandara supposed there were risks involved no matter what they did, so instead she simply tries to enjoy the ride and scenery and keep an eye out for dangers. Although this was rather difficult given that the daylight was many times brighter than what she was comfortable with. Eventually as they turn off the main road and their path winds around to face the sun directly, Shandara closes her eyes completely, turns around, and retreats into the wagon.

 "I think it's for the best that you are driving, Xavier. I don't think I could manage with the sun in my eyes." 

After a while, they do eventually get to this quarry. At first glance, the Roc-Weiller Quarry might seem like a natural valley or gorge in the ground. Bushes and trees lined the top, struggling to hold onto fertile soil, and a dilapidated red-brick building was nearby. Perhaps it was an old office. Little shrubs grew wherever they could along the sides of the depression, and a precarious dirt road winded down to the bottom, where stagnant water pooled.

 
 Spoiler: image 
 
 

 "Not the most idyllic place, is it?"  Shandara comments.

They had already done a few preliminary tests with the SCORP, just to see if each individual limb would operate. But as for testing out the entire functionality, where the SCORP uses its own programming to move all the limbs at once simply based on where one wants to go...  that was rather too risky to do inside one's home. So now they were here.

After Bolten prepares and straps himself in, Shandara says,  "Hah, I think I have heard that one as well. Though I don't think I understand the literal meaning. Anyway, don't get too adventurous with that thing just yet. I have a spell that might help before you decide to climb one of the rock faces." 
MrAbdiel
 Royal Artificery Society Campus 
 "Yes, that's it precisely.  That's what it needs to do.  And wood is my primary medium, but I can work in stone, leather and cloth, too.  A little metal, but not for artistic projects.  Just for making my own tools, you see."   After that unsolicited ramble, he considers the actual question.   "I do play music here and there.  Not professionally, you understand; but I think I might be known for it, now.  And I can make instruments as well, so...  Well, sure.  You could have something musical in there, if you don't think it'll misdirect people into thinking it's a music shop.  Honestly, I'm excited to see what you come up with." 
WindStruck
 "On second thought, I have actually prepared this spell twice, so just to be on the safe side, why don't you allow me to cast this on you now?" 

Shandara approaches Bolten, and after pulling out what appears to be a tiny piece of fabric from her spell component pouch and a few relatively simple gestures and chants...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Shandara casts Baleful Poly-

Just kidding.  It's Resistance.

Shandara casts  Resistance , giving Bolten a +1 resistance bonus to all saves for one minute.  Now don't knock yourself out!  😛
 
DeTess
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 
As Bolten focused his attention on operating the SCORP, it indeed started to move. Backwards, that is. Bolten manages to stop it before it runs into the cart, but it takes several more attempts before it actually starts moving in the intended direction, and even then the slightest slip in focus causes the contraption to halt or suddenly swerve into a different direction. That is not to say the the device is faulty. When the dwarf concentrates in the right way, the SCORP moves as desired. It is just very easy to mess up and think in the wrong way, causing the device to go awry. No doubt further practice would improve matters, but it its clear it requires a disciplined mind to get the most out of the contraption.

 Royal Artificery Society Campus 
"Okay that is clear enough. Give me a few minutes to draw some initial sketches, and you can indicate what you like so I can use that as a basis for the final design." The halfling pulls out a new sheet of paper and quickly starts making a couple of rough sketches on it, displaying a variety of different designs. Most feature wood-working tools, either on display or in use to create something, with some products show in the background, some kind of musical instrument like a fiddle or flute generally featured among them.
MrAbdiel
 Royal Artificery Society Campus 
 "Hey, these are are pretty great.  You're really good at this; how many years have you been drawing?"   Lavish in his praise and hearty in his approbation, Aiden rides the line between appreciative and annoying as he looks over the manifesting sketches.

 "Oh, that's the one.  I think that's going to be it.  With the fiddle, and the saw.  With the body of the fiddle crossing over it - Could you try it with the fiddle just..."   He twists the idea in the air with his hand, like the manipulation of an invisible valve.   "Rotated a little?  A little isometric, to give it depth in the... in the icon?  On small scales I might flatten it out when I replicated it, but on something like the shingle I'll have fun doing the lighting on the different faces with some creative parquetry.  But that's the one, for sure!  When can you conjure up a final version?" 

Even in the moment of asking, he's fishing in his coin purse to pay for the service which he seems to consider all-but-completed.
WindStruck
Shandara had already given Bolten a wide girth, though she ends up scampering away and hiding behind the wagon as he almost ends up running into it.

 "Uh. Are you alright?"  she asks. If Bolten accidentally went off one of the edges or into the water...
Prehysterical
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 
 "I'mallrightcan'ttalkrightnow,"  Bolten hurriedly tells her, the words spilling out of his mouth in a rush. It's all the attention that he can spare as the device takes his whole concentration.   Walk, just walk... Don't think about anything else...  

Once the basics of walking are mastered, Bolten stops and takes a breath.  "Okay... I am going to try and climb the cliff now. With the adamantine claws, this shouldn't be a problem."  The SCORP turns and makes its way over to the quarry wall.
WindStruck
Shandara hangs back, not sure what to do.. well, nothing apparently. She had nothing to do other than to watch her friend hopefully not kill himself.  Actually, since his movement seemed to be erratic, Shandara figured now might be as good a time as any to expend a charge of her mage armor wand. And thinking on the subject of spells more, she kicked herself. Here she was running around the city copying spells to fend off robbers, wild animals, and whatnot. How about a  spell  to prevent Bolten from breaking his neck?? She was thinking of one at the moment.  She just didn't have all the details of it written down, much less prepared today...

Anyway, Shandara did not want to distract Bolten with some other question but when he said he was going to try climbing, Shandara balked a bit at the idea before quipping back,  "Fine, but don't expect me to catch you." 
DeTess
 Royal Artificery Society Campus 
"Ah, if that's okay, there's something else I'd like to ask as payment instead of just money." The artist speaks up as Aiden pulls out his coin purse. "There's a large party being organized by a couple of friends of mine, two weeks from now, and we're still looking for a musician. We've all heard you play in the square, and it'd make a lot of people very happy if you could come play that evening. Would that be okay?"

 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 
Though it still requires a significant effort of will, now that Bolten has had time to get used to the contraption, it moves, mostly as he wants it to. The quarry's steep cliff walls prove to be, for the most part to be no great challenge. One particular section of the wall, weakened by erosion did start to crumble once the SCORP put its weight on it, but Bolten managed to quickly steer the climbing rig away from that section, resulting in only a few rocks tumbling down.
WindStruck
Shandara is still there, watching, albeit at some distance away. She was serious about not catching Bolten if he fell. She didn't think that would accomplish anything, other than killing herself too. A few rocks tumbled down, affirming the choice to stay back.

The drow dare not shout anything up at Bolten to distract him, but she does turn to Xavier and asks,  "So, what do you think?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Oh, also, how much noise does it appear to be making?
 
DeTess
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 
"It is quite the machine." Xavier had been keeping his eyes on the surroundings all this time, but shot the occasional glance in the direction of the contraption Bolten was piloting. "The idea seems to be to be able to move around easily on all kinds of surfaces without the use of the spells traditionally employed for this purpose, right? It seems to perform well now, though master Cogturner seemed to have some issue earlier..." One of the horses tethered to the wagon raised it's head and inhaled sharply. Both animals seemed to be a bit restless, which in turn caused Xavier to scan the area around them with even more interest, though there where no signs of trouble. "The only thing I would worry about is its bulk, but if its...driver?" Xavier considered for a moment what would be the best term to use. "Can easily get in and out of the contraption that should not be too much of an issue. Can it remain stuck to a wall like that while no one is actually driving it?"

 
 Spoiler: regarding noise 

It is not silent, but not particularly noisy either. All gears are currently well oiled and running with a minimum of noise, so the only real source of noise are the claws as they move across the surfaces. Overall it is comparable in volume to someone in full plate moving around.
 
WindStruck
Shandara nods.  "Yes, your assessment is right. Our client, whom I suppose you will meet soon enough, requested some alternative form of mobility, something that might simulate the capabilities of magic spells and the like which allow one to climb with ease. Unfortunately, they were related to spiders and seemed to be failing inexplicably at the worst of times..." 
 "Yes, Bolten had some trouble at first. It's a totally new experience after all. I can only imagine.. must be like growing a bunch of extra limbs and trying to learn how to control them." 

With the horses seeming a bit alarmed and Shandara noticing Xavier looking around, she glances around too.

 
 Spoiler: roll 
perception:  (1d20+6)[ 12 ] 

Remembered to apply light penalties.
 

 "It's a simple but sturdy harness that keeps the driver in,"  she says, agreeing with the word for now.  "It should be fairly easy to get out of too, in most circumstances. But yes, you do bring up an excellent question..." 

Shandara squints up at Bolten again to see how he is doing up there.
Prehysterical
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 

As the SCORP scales the wall, Bolten feels a rush of elation. It's working! Not only that, but he feels incredible as the machine helps him scale a sheer cliff wall that would have been unnavigable otherwise. Sure, one section of the wall does fall away, but Bolten is pleasantly surprised by the responsiveness of the unit to rapid repositioning. The dwarf chuckles, as excited as a child on his father's shoulders. He looks down toward the other two and waves, positioning the SCORP behind him so that its tail drapes over his head.

 "Shandara! Could you please be a dear and give me something to hook? We need to test out the pulley on this thing!"  As if to emphasize his point, the SCORP subconsciously waggles its tail from side to side and causes the hooked stinger to swing lightly.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Preemptive Will save. If I still get the +1 bonus, just add it to this roll:  (1d20+7)[ 11 ] 
Alternatively, we could rule this as Use Magic Device, which case add another +2 on top.
 
WindStruck
Shandara looks up, at least pleased to see Bolten was fine, possibly even enjoying himself by the tone of his voice.

 "What do you mean something to hook??"  she calls back.  "Weren't you supposed to be able to shoot the tail at anything? Perhaps you'd better climb back down before trying that." 
Prehysterical
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 
 "Ah, thank you for reminding me of that feature!"  In all of his excitement, Bolten had genuinely forgotten the dual purpose of the tail.  "But just like I forgot,  you  forget that this thing is also meant to be a crane! We have to test if the hook raises and lowers properly! Hard to do that on the ground. Perhaps, if you are feeling a bit trusting, our picnic basket?" 
MrAbdiel
 Royal Artificery Society Campus 

Aiden had to blink once as he takes a difficult moment to process why this man is offering to pay -him- in such an opportunity instead of the other way around.  But he catches up.

 “More than okay.  I’d be delighted.  Just give me an idea of the tone of the event and what you might like, and I’ll be there!” 
WindStruck
Shandara wasn't too enthusiastic about setting their lunch out everywhere while Bolten played around with the box, or much worse, broke it.  She looks around for something  else  she wouldn't mind breaking, but unfortunately, everything she brought on this trip was not for that purpose.

Spotting an old, fallen log, Shandara trots up to it and says,  "Here! Try lifting this thing!" 

strength check:  (1d20-3)[ 16 ] 

(maybe she moves it a little??)
DeTess
 Royal Artificery Society Campus 
"It'll be a get together of local students and artists." The halfling explains. "If it's anything like the last coupe get togethers there'll be a lot of talking and debating and drinking and stuff at first, and dancing later, but there'll probably be quite a few people coming to listen to you play as well once word gets out. I don't think you'll have to worry too much about what to play. The usual things you do at the square are great, but if there's new material you want to introduce I'm sure people will love that too."
DeTess
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 
The log has clearly been lying there from quite a while, and having been dried out and bleached by the sun actually leaves it a bit lighter than it looks, and Shandara's shove actually succeeds in making it roll over.

Bolten's attempts at hitting the log prove to be quite unsuccessful. It is not that Bolten's aim is lacking, but that precisely aiming the tail at a relatively small target requires an inhuman effort of concentration. Bolten's first shot goes wide, though at least the winching mechanism works fine and has the tail ready for a second shot in no time.

By that time Xavier has once again pulled his towers shield out of seemingly nowhere and has positioned himself between Shandara and the SCORP, his shield raised to deflect any stray shots. "Might I suggest observing this test from a slightly safer distance, lady Shandara?" The bodyguard asks. "Though it might not be intended as a weapon, I suspect getting hit by that tail hook will still be quite bad for your health."
WindStruck
Shandara  thought  she was a safe enough distance away, but Bolten's shots were still going awfully wide. She looks at Xavier uncertainly. Got to at least give him props for taking his job seriously.

 "That may be true enough. But we've still got to test something else.." 

Still she backs up as suggested for now and calls up to Bolten.  "Just shoot it next time but don't bring it up!  I will attach the hook if you miss again." 
Prehysterical
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 

Bolten blinks in confusion. He could have  sworn  that he wanted to lower the hook down gently, as if hauling a box or barrel onto the deck of a ship. Had he accidentally activated the grapnel head instead? He hadn't even heard the gears turn to swap the heads... That could have ended very badly had Shandara been standing in the wrong spot.

 "All right,"  Bolten calls back. Now, if he could just focus...
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Not sure whether to roll this as a ranged attack roll or another Will save.
 (1d20)[ 3 ] 
+5 with ranged attack, +7 with Will save

Xavier is earning his pay today.
 
WindStruck
Well whatever happens, after the hook comes down again, Shandara approaches, tries to jam it into a nook or something that should begin to hold the log, and then she steps back again.  She steps back a lot.  For all she knew, even the log could fall apart and then could tumble in some random direction.
DeTess
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 
Following Xavier's suggestion proved fortuitous, as the next shot from the tail hook ended up landing pretty close to where Shandara had been standing just moments before. Attaching the tail hook to the log was quite simply done,  and the retracting mechanism set to work bringing the log up. The sudden shift in weight made it look, at least for a moment, like the SCORP would stumble, but the machine remained stuck to the cliff as the tail hook lifted the log up into the air.
WindStruck
 "Apparently it can carry some load,"  Shandara calls up.

 "What would you say the maximum capacity on that is?" 
Prehysterical
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 

Bolten's heart skips a beat when he feels the SCORP begin to tip, but he sighs in relief when it stabilizes.  "I confess that I don't know off the top of my head,"  Bolten calls back.  "I'll have to do the calculations when we get back. I'd rather not press my luck out here, away from the city, and especially when this log is already trying my concentration."

Now, I'm going to try and gently lower the log down. Please stand back in case it falls! Don't want anyone getting hurt. After that, I'm coming down. Then we can see how the remote operation does." 
 
 Spoiler: Will save 
 (1d20+7)[ 21 ] 
 
DeTess
The log was lowered to the ground without incident, the weight settling on the ground at the foot of the cliff, leaving the SCORP free to maneuver one again.
WindStruck
 "Ah.. yes.. of course..."  Shandara says.

Remote operation? This thing had remote operation? Oh dear, she hoped that would still work at a distance.

Fretting over the possibility of a letdown, Shandara walks over back to the wagon briefly to check on Elu and bring out a parasol. Now, wearing a big poofy cloak and an umbrella to shade her even more..  it was still too damn bright out here. Pretty much why she always preferred to stay in doors. And that's not even to mention other unpleasant things like gusts of wind or rain.

In any case there still may be a few other things to test, but Shandara won't bother Bolten with those questions until he climbs back down safely.
Prehysterical
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 

Bolten breathes a sigh of relief as the log meets the ground without incident. With his practice, he is able to bring the SCORP back down to ground level without too much trouble. As he tries to disengage the harness, however, Bolten feels his lack of flexibility become an issue.

 "Um, Xavier... Could you help me up, please?"  With the half-orc's help, Bolten extracts himself from the device. (Of course, he takes the helmet off first to avoid hurting their escort.)

Seeing Shandara look somewhat dejected, Bolten looks down at the helmet guiltily before giving his coworker friend an understanding smile.  "Shandara... Would you like to try the remote control portion? The helmet might be a bit big on you, but who knows? Maybe that doesn't matter as much as we think it does." 
WindStruck
 "Hm. Is there an issue with the harness? What is stopping you from getting out easily?"  Shandara asks, circling Bolten, though she can't immediately see what the problem is.

 "Ah, the remote control.. you simply meant, controlling it with this helmet, while not riding it?" 
Prehysterical
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 
 "Oh, the harness should be fine. I'm just not as limber as a field agent,"  Bolten confesses.  "And yes, that's what I mean. As long as you concentrate on the SCORP's movements, it shouldn't be too much of an issue."  He hands over the helmet to her.
WindStruck
 "I.. suppose I'll try it,"  she says. After folding up her parasol, she first casts a spell that actually makes it a little darker around her person. Then another spell.. the same spell she had offered Bolten at first.

Carefully lowering the helmet onto her head, she can't help but notice it's really the wrong dimensions, on top of pressing against her ears.. even painfully so. Shandara has to hold the helmet up with both hands just to keep the helmet from bending the tips off!

Still, it seems to pick up her mind easily enough when within the helmet space. First she tries moving a few limbs individually, and then she tries to get the contraption to walk around by itself.
DeTess
Moving the limbs individually proves easy enough, with Shandara quickly getting the hang of the individual movements. As with Bolten, when she tries to move the entire thing it first starts to go backwards, but the elf was watching for it and quickly corrects the movement, sending the rig scarpering forward. Keeping her focus to keep it moving as she wants is a big of a challenge, which gets worse once her own orientation and that of the rig no longer align. No doubt when given significantly more time to practice moving the rig without any mistakes should eventually prove possible.
WindStruck
 "Mmm. It is pretty tricky, isn't it?"  Shandara comments.  "I would like to think with practice it becomes much easier. This remote control, though.. when it's oriented...."  she trails off, trying extra hard to concentrate when the SCORP turns about and becomes even less intuitive.

Eventually, after playing around with the SCORP for a while, she has it walk up to the wagon and go to a resting position, taking the helmet away from her head.  "Well, I am fairly confident that if even a tenth of the things said about Dukkear are true, he should have no problem handling it in time,"  Shandara muses.

 "Something does bother me, though. The claw tips are fairly noisy. It would be hard sneaking around with them chipping into rock and making a ruckus. I think I needed to put enchantments on all the claws to be silent." 
Prehysterical
 "Well, since you know how to do it already, that shouldn't be a problem,"  Bolten observes. He looks pleased with how Shandara was able to control the SCORP.  "I'm quite sure that Dukkear won't mind the extra expense for stealth." 

Placing the helmet back on his head, Bolten notes,  "There's just one last feature to check... Will the claws in front be able to handle objects?"  Bolten tries to handle the log from earlier with the appendages at the front of the SCORP.
 
 Spoiler: Will Save 
 (1d20+7)[ 16 ] 
 
WindStruck
Shandara wasn't sure if Bolten's remark was some kind of an insult.

No, he wouldn't do that. Perhaps it was simply an attempt at reassurance, though certainly one with a fragile ego would take it the wrong way.

She nods and says,  "Well then. I suppose that will be my next little project when we get back,"  with a slight smile.

When Bolten declares his last test, Shandara says,  "Why wouldn't - I mean, did you not design it - erm. Let's just see." 

She stands back, pulling hood and parasol back up, and watches.
DeTess
The first couple of attempts to pig up the log failed, as the claws did not exert enough pressure to properly grip it. Then, with a loud crack, the dried out log splintered in three parts as the SCORP tried picking it up, the front claws exerting too much force to safely handle the log. Several tests using the splintered remains of the log showed that it was possible to regulate the pressure exerted by the claws to pick up the parts without going overboard, but as with all aspects of the SCORP, it required precise and complete focus.
WindStruck
 "Ah, very good, very good,"  Shandara says, sipping a glass of beverage in hand. It was probably some wine.

About halfway through the test, Shandara had withdrawn into the shade of the covered wagon. After checking on Elu and rummaging around through the box of food and refreshments, she decided to help herself before sitting down on the wagon to finish watching Bolten.

 "I hope you don't mind if I began to celebrate early. I had no reason to think it was incapable of grabbing anything. Just, it was rather clumsy, as expected." 

She swirls her glass around and gazes at it a moment before looking back at Bolten.  "So were you getting hungry yet? This isn't the best spot for a.. what did they call it? A.. pick-nick? But I don't think we have time to go anywhere else." 
Prehysterical
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 

The destruction of the log is only to be expected. Perhaps Dukkear can fine-tune the pincer controls, but better to warn him before trying to pick up some mission-critical item. Sure, Bolten has designed it to perform that function, but he learned a long time ago that sometimes intent of design and practical reality do not always align.

Taking the helmet off, Bolten responds to Shandara's apology.  "Oh, it's no problem! The fact that so much is working already is a cause for celebration. Plus, you know better than anyone else that I don't get out that much. I love my workshop as hearth and home, but it's easy to forget that there's a world that exists outside of the capital's walls." 

Bolten hikes up into the wagon before hanging his legs over the tailgate as he rummages through the basket of goodies.  "I could certainly do with a bit of a snack. That much concentration builds up an appetite! Where we are is fine. I don't even know this area, so it's not like I have any better suggestions." 

He decides to go for the mushrooms, bread, and sweet tea. After a moment's thought, Bolten mournfully shakes his head.  "I should've brought a block of cheese so we can make some proper sandwiches. Silly me! My mind was on other things."  It certainly doesn't stop him from enjoying the cooled food.  "Glad  somebody  was thinking ahead,"  he tells Shandara.
WindStruck
 "I guess that explains my sudden hunger as well,"  Shandara says, and she chuckles lightly at the compliment.

She'll help herself to some bread and mushroom as well, and once her glass of wine is gone, she just has tea after that.
DeTess
Dinner in the quarry was uneventful, but delicious. As Bolten and Shandara packed up the remains of their feast the cart's horses once again started to act agitatedly, sniffing the air, stamping their hooves and tossing their heads.

"Might I suggest not loitering around here any longer?" Xavier suggested. "There might be a pack of wolves or a bear or something out there, and though I don't doubt my ability to deal with something like that, if it spooks the horses and they panic it might end up damaging your invention."
WindStruck
 "Mm.. yes. I think we should leave now,"  Shandara agrees.

 "I don't know if you mind driving again, Xavier? Perhaps Bolten and I can man our crossbows, should some wild animals come out to attack us." 
DeTess
"I think it would be better if..." Xavier voice trails off as he takes another look at the skittish horses. "On second thought, if we do run into something troublesome, we'll need a steady hand on the reins. Very well then. If there are any spells you want to cast, now would be the time. Otherwise, let's get going."
Prehysterical
 The Abandoned Roc-Weiller Quarry 

For once, Bolten has a very skeptical look on his face.  "The horses aren't the only ones that are jumpy. Aren't you two forgetting something?"  He points to the SCORP, still standing and waiting to be loaded.

 "Xavier, help me load this and we'll be on our way, yeah?" 
WindStruck
While the two are loading the SCORP into the wagon, Shandara gets out her wand and casts Mage Armor on herself again. She'll also climb up and check on Elu once more, make some last minute preparations to make sure things are secure and not liable to tumble about, and then she starts handling the crossbows, taking a bolt out of each case and slowly winding the winches back.
DeTess
Once the SCORP is loaded the wagon climbs its way out of the quarry, the horses still skittish, and getting worse. The quarry is surrounded by light woodlands, obscuring vision beyond the road leading to the quarry. It is out of these shrubs that a large grizzly bear suddenly appears, on the road, its fangs bared in a growl as it slowly advances on the cart.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

So, what do you do?
 
WindStruck
Shandara's heart was beginning to pump pretty frantically. She had read all about forest creatures on this continent and in the vicinity of Vaungate. And in particular, bears. She didn't know what it was that fascinated her.. their raw power, yet often peaceful life? Their ability to climb trees and swim? She had even seen some good drawings and even a painting or two. And this one, by the description, was certainly the dreaded 'grizzly bear'. They were very territorial and dangerous.

So now what? The bear was obviously not happy by their presence and advancing. She had read again and again that the best thing to do was to just stay calm, do not run, do not make loud noises, do not look it in the eyes, or to even play dead. But somehow she felt that the horses were going to be incapable of that. Backing up the cart simply was not an option. She was pretty sure horses were almost mentally incapable of walking backwards, let alone  pushing a cart  backwards.

 "Xavier..."  she mutters lowly, crossbow shaking in her hand.  "I have one spell which may briefly incapacitate it. If it works, we need to move on quickly, if it doesn't.. it will be angry. Thoughts?" 

By the Gods, she hoped it wouldn't get closer. The animal was ten times as strong as her, and probably weighed six times as much.

Turning to Bolten she says,  "Get the bolts I have marked with red twine. Slowly." 
Prehysterical
In a way, the thought of being accosted by a bear is worse than any bandit or drow. Humanoids have motivations, grudges, agendas. Who knows what goes through the mind of a savage forest beast?

As Bolten tries to comply subtly with Shandara's request, he asks in a hushed whisper,  "Do you think it smells the food that you brought with us? I've heard that can attract bears. What's so special about these bolts? If they're non-magical, I have a spell that we can use." 
WindStruck
 "It seems more angry than hungry,"  Shandara quietly points out.

 "And those marked bolts.. they have knockout poison. I don't think a couple bolts or five would kill it, but the poison might just knock it out." 
Prehysterical
Bolten gives a small whine in response.  "Can't replicate the poison... Guess I'll just have to make the shot count..."  So saying, Bolten loads the marked bolt into his crossbow.
DeTess
"It already seems angry." Xavier muttered back. "If you can create an opening, I'll drive the cart out. Otherwise, I'll dismount and hold it off." As Shandara and Bolten made their preparations, the bear was steadily advancing, until it stopped about 30 feet from the cart, it's muscles bulging as it readied itself for a charge.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

The bear is about to charge you. You both get to take a standard or full-round action equivalent to try and stop it, if that fails we'll be going into imitative
 
WindStruck
Shandara looks kind of sickened.   **** .

Glancing aside to Bolten, though, maybe it was better her and Xavier than him.. not to mention the horses and stranding their precious SCORP here, even if things did not turn out horribly awful.

 "We have to dismount, Xavier. This spell doesn't have nearly enough range, and might affect the horses otherwise.." 
 "C-cover me by the horses, won't you?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
In order for this to work, Shandara would need to dismount with Xavier. I imagine maybe she'd be kinda between the horses and him (or maybe that's a bad idea because they might rear up), but in any case, he's gotta do his bodyguard/interception thing, and Shandara will have to ready to cast her spell.

 Color Spray  only has a 15 ft range, and has a cone effect.
 
DeTess
The shot from Bolten's crossbow leapt across the short distance separating the bear from the cart, striking true in one of the bear's hunched shoulders. In response the bear let out a deafening roar and leapt forward, only to stumble and then fall on the ground, unmoving.

"Easy, easy!" Xavier was shouting at the horses, beating the reins to keep the animals from bolting. Even as the bear went down the skittish beasts refused to advance, so Xavier leapt down and guided the beasts past by hand. Once the horses where past the bear he quickly clambered back up onto the cart, and the horses needed no further encouragement to start running down the road to get away from the fallen predator.

Several moments later the bear clambered back up to its feet, letting out another loud, rumbling roar of displeasure, but making no effort to chase the cart down.
WindStruck
After the bear goes down, Shandara quickly climbs back into the wagon as Xavier has to lead the horses by hand. She is nervous as the seconds are ticking down.  "Better hurry. The bear could wake up in just a moment." 

Thankfully they begin riding out of there.  "Nice shot, Bolten."  she says with a nod. She peers back at the bear with worry, but thankfully it doesn't keep chasing them.

 "I don't think this was a coincidence,"  Shandara says.  "I had read a study all about bears. It said something along the lines of all the ones left near big cities tend to be more docile, less aggressive, for if they did attack people they would be hunted down." 
 "And I think it makes even less sense for a bear to be attacking such a big wagon like this, drawn by two horses on a road. We had best be careful." 
Prehysterical
For a split second, Bolten fears that all he has managed to do is enrage the beast. A gasping sigh of relief explodes from his lungs as the poison takes effect and the bear goes down. His heart pounds in his chest as Xavier navigates the horses and wagon around, terrified that the bear should stir again. By the time they are galloping down the road and the bear awakens, the danger has passed. Bolten sags back into his seat, still clutching his crossbow as he groans and mutters prayers of thanks to the Forgefather for his true aim.

 "At this point, I don't care. The bear's not chasing us and I won't be seeing it sniffing around in the city. That is fine enough by me. Live and let live. The bear can have these stinking woods!"  The dwarf is pale and shaking as the adrenaline of the moment wears off.
WindStruck
Shandara nods emphatically.  "Agreed, it certainly can, and I'd rather not come back here any time soon."  To be fair she felt pretty shaken from the whole ordeal too, but it could have been much much worse, and she was glad they had gotten by with little difficulty.

 "But..  you are missing my point, Bolten." 
 "I think  someone sent  that bear after us. The bear may be behind us, but whoever caused it to stray into our path and anger it, they are still out here." 

After mulling it over a few seconds she adds,  "Unless that was the freak one in a hundred bear that got a really nasty temperament amongst all its kin, and it just happened to wander in front of us. But I really doubt it. I would wager that when the horses seemed a bit skittish before at the quarry, that 'someone' was watching us..." 
DeTess
After a couple minutes Xavier reined in the horses, brining their all-out run down to a more manageable canter.

"I have read some files on the potential threats you had pointed out to us, lady Shandara." He begins after brining the horses back under control. "I am having some difficulty determining who would go through the trouble to try and attack you in this way. Other Drow... well, they have their own, bear-free methods of doing things like this. And that xenophobic professor that is keeping tabs on you would be unlikely to go this far, at least based on what I have read about him. Can you think of anyone else that might be behind this?"
WindStruck
Shandara keeps watch of things behind them, sitting within the wagon along with the jumbled up SCORP and its other toppled stand for Elu. She sets it up right again.

 "I really can't think of anyone else  specific ,"  she says.  "Though I do wonder about that suspicious peddler that was following us." 

She sighs.  "Well, maybe the most we could do is report an aggressive bear in this area..." 
Prehysterical
 "For all we know, it could be someone using the quarry and doesn't like the idea of us snooping around,"  Bolten points out.  "Or maybe it's a local druid circle wanting the quarry left undisturbed. In any case, we're thinking in circles here. Keep looking around trying to find enemies and it will eventually drive you mad."  While Bolten is not happy with the situation, he's resigned himself with the knowledge that there's not much that they can do about it.
DeTess
The rest of the journey back to the city passed without incidents, and soon enough Shandara, Bolten and Xavier found themselves in the queue leading up tot he city gates. It was shorter than it had been when they'd left the city, but it still looked like it would take a couple minutes before their turn came around, as what looked like a small trade caravan was still going through inspections ahead of them.

"I'm not seeing that Auditor that did the inspection on our way out around." Xavier was scanning the milling crowd of traders and guards with a keen eye. "I think she gave you a ticket of sorts, is that right, Lady Shandara? I'll have to keep an eye out for now, as if I was some kind of spy or investigator set to watch you I'd probably try to pick up your trail again at the gate after having lost you."
WindStruck
Shandara fumbles around with her belongings.  "Ah, yes. A ticket.. here,"  she says, producing the small slip of paper.

 "Well, if you do happen to spot another one of those so-called investigators, I don't suppose I can just stop him and demand to know who his employer is? Would be nice." 

Shandara had briefly imagined other methods of 'persuasion', but in this society, it would be highly frowned upon. Also, she would likely never get that to work out in her favor - at least not by herself.
Prehysterical
 "I'm not trying to be a naysayer, Shandara,"  Bolten apologizes in advance,  "but what's to stop them from just walking in the opposite direction? I can't see you stopping them short of magic... and that might very well classify as assault!"  He shrugs helplessly.
WindStruck
 "I.. I don't know..."  Shandara says.

 "I was not planning on doing such. I simply meant being commanding and forceful. I find it ironic that one is allowed to harass and stalk another in this so-called civilized society, and yet if I were to cast a little charm on them to make them stop or get some answers, then I would be the criminal." 
DeTess
"If we do positively identify someone following you around, you should leave the confrontation to me." Xavier spoke as he goaded the horses forward. The trade caravan just ahead of them had been given the go-ahead to enter the city, so their turn would come up soon as the line ahead of them rapidly shrank. "I've got a good reputation with the city guard, so if they do get involved things are likely to go my way. You'd likely face issues because of discrimination regarding your race."

Two guards walked down the line and stopped next the artificer's cart. "You're up for inspection." One of them spoke up. "What are you carrying and what is your business in Vaungate?"
WindStruck
Shandara simply answers,  "We all live here. As for what we are carrying..." 

She hands them the ticket.
DeTess
The guard checked the ticket, Then called out up the line of people and wagons being inspected. "I've got a 7-18 here, can I get an Auditor over here? Thanks!" He then turned back to the artificers. "Please offload anything that wasn't on the wagon when it was checked by an auditor when you left, and we'll check that now."

The two guards quickly checked the mostly empty food bags, and then an Auditor stopped by and cast a spell on the wagon. After taking some notes and  checking the ticket once again, the auditor indicated they were all good to enter the city again.

While the Auditor was checking the cart, Xavier had a quick chat with the guards, and when they got the all clear to enter the city he once again took the reins. "I've already informed the guards about the bear, and they said they'll report it. Some hunters will likely check the area out later, and they'll warn travelers for now."

The rest of the journey home passed without incident.  Xavier  kept a wary eye out for anyone showing more than a passing interest in them, but if someone was keeping an eye on them, they were being a lot more stealthy than the earlier attempts.
WindStruck
Shandara sighs with some weariness, though her day had almost only just begun..

 "Well. Glad we made it back in one piece. If there is anyone following us again, let's just get it inside quickly,"  she says, dismounting from the wagon, but otherwise leaving the heavy lifting up to the other guys.

 "I will have to put my own things back and return the wagon and horses. But I still think there's some last-minute work to be done...  Can I come by later in the evening, Bolten?" 
Prehysterical
Bolten breathes a sigh of relief when they are passed through the checkpoint without trouble. The bear can be someone else's problem, now.

He nods in response to Shandara's question.  "Oh, aye, I'll be doing some last minute adjustments myself. I'll make sure to leave a light in the window for you."  Bolten blushes slightly in embarrassment as he realizes that the gesture probably doesn't mean the same thing for a drow, born and raised in the darkness.  "It always feels like there's a few last-minute tweaks needed before the deadline. Honestly, if it wasn't for deadlines, some of my creations would probably never leave my shop!"  He chuckles a bit at his own expense.
DeTess
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 
A couple days after their field test Bolten and Shandara are finished with their final set of modifications to both clockwork designs, and a demonstration is arranged by the Orlof merchant house to take place in the early evening several days later. Bolten and Shandara are given an address in one of the more affluent districts in the city to bring their designs to on the day of the demonstration.

The address is revealed to belong to a supply gate of a currently under construction building. It is fairly large and seems to be several stories tall, and seems to emulate a somewhat exotic style, with a couple narrow spires at its corners and two large domes covering the interior. The structure of the building seemed to be complete, but much work was still being done on the decoration.

A dwarf was waiting at the door, and on seeing the artificer's approach with their cargo he knocked on the large double doors of the supply gate, which where then opened to allow them entrance into the building proper. Inside where several more dwarfs, as well as Dukkear and lady Orlof. Dukkear is once again wearing a suit, though the design is simpler than the ones he wore in their previous meetings. Lady Orlof is wearing a long, wine-red dress, which nicely accentuates her long black hair.

The building's interior consisted of a large open space reaching all the way to the roof, and curiously enough, the floor has been lowered in many places as well in large bowl-shapes, adding another meter or two to the building's cavernous heights.

"Shandara, Bolten, welcome to the construction site of The Mendigo bathhouses! We reckoned this would be a decent place to put your inventions through their paces. I take it this gentleman here is your new bodyguard, Shandara?" Dukkear gestured at Xavier.
WindStruck
Shandara is wearing something nice yet simple again, much like her attire when she and Bolten went on their outing: a colorful yet modest dress which could be appropriate for an upscale restaurant or important visit, and her usual midnight-blue cloak, great for venturing out. At first she is uncertain if they have even arrived at the correct place, but a dwarf who appears to be waiting for them gives her some hope. When let inside and seeing more dwarves - Dukkear among them - she knows they made it. However, looking around within the vast shell of the building, she is given pause. This didn't really seem to be an appropriate place to test the SCORP...

Perhaps the hesitance was evident on Shandara's face immediately.  "Uh. Thank you..."  she says.

 "Hm? Oh! Yes, this is Xavier Firmhold.. I should thank you for the recommendation. I feel much safer with him around,"  Shandara says, nodding toward the half-orc.  "Why, just last week he.. er, perhaps I could spare you the details." 
 "A-anyway, Dukkear, I am not so sure if this is a good place to test our inventions. All the surfaces  can  and  will  be damaged, to some extent or another, as you climb around..."  She peers around again at the unfinished walls. Were they just.. okay with that? Maybe they expected that the damage would be repaired or simply covered up somehow? Or.. was it simply none of their concern at all because they were trespassing?

 "Who owns this building?"  Shandara asks.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
just some rolls.  I have no idea where we are or who or what Mendigo is.

knowledge local:  (1d20+8)[ 27 ] 

knowledge nobility:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
 
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 
Bolten arrives at the premiere dressed in his usual shop attire with a vest of tools covering his torso and his tinker's cap sitting atop his head like a clockwork bird's nest. His reasoning is practical: if any repairs or adjustments need to be made, he was not going to go all the way back to his shop to get his tools. He's made sure to wear sturdy boots and brought forge gloves just as a precaution. The dwarf needs to be ready should anything go wrong.

 "Honor to your ancestors, Dukkear,"  Bolten greets the dwarf in custom. Even he can detect Shandara's nervous hesitation as she stammers. Bolten pipes up,  "Er, rest assured, assembled  dawi  and  dawri , that both of our projects are ready for their testing."  While Bolten somewhat likes the idea of testing the SCORP in a new environment, he falls quiet as Shandara questions the ownership of the building.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll throw in a Nobility check just in case Bolten does better on the roll:  (1d20+7)[ 22 ] 
 
DeTess
 the Mendigo bathhouses 
"I own the building." Lady Orlof replied to Shandara. "I have recently acquired this place from another merchant consortium that made some... poor business decisions... and ended up going under. I am as of yet unsure of what to do with it exactly, but I plan to demolish everything down to the foundations first to build something new. Either way, damage to the walls will not be an issues".

 
 Spoiler: Knowledge rolls 

Local: Shandara has encountered the Mendigo name before. There are a variety of buildings bearing that name around the city, generally places like bathhouses, theatres and the like. From what you've heard these where all build and managed by the Mendigo consortium.

Nobility: The Mendigo Consortium was, despite was a conglomeration of businesses brought together by Mestvan Mendigo, a pompous noble with a reportedly vast fortune. There had been quite a bit of rumours these past years that he had encountered financial and legal issues, as well as a variety of other scandals, and was being forced to sell off significant portions of his real estate empire. Bolten would have seen a drawing of him in a newspaper, and he looks quite a bit like the unpleasant individual he encountered on the premises of the Orlof merchant house during his most recent visit.
 

 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 
A couple days had passed since Maria had settled into her new position as the Sorveaux household's new maid. In that time she'd taken to improving the food and cleaning the house with enthusiasm. There had been one minor incident, when she'd encountered some of the Rats that also shared the building with them but after explanations from Aiden she'd quickly come to accept the creatures, and also aided in their care when needed.

Early that morning there was a knock on the door. Though normally answering the door would fall under the tasks of Maria, she was still very hesitant to show herself to people she did not know, so for now answering the door was still something Aiden had to do. Waiting just beyond where Cliff and Markel, the two boys Aiden had agreed to help with their boat. They seemed a little bit worried and nervous and ready to bolt, but when they saw Aiden they did seem to relax just a little.

"H-hey..." The younger of the two, Markel began. "Uhm... we're here to help with the boat. W-we know we agreed we'd drop by sooner, b-but..."

"There'd been a little problem in the harbor district." Cliff, the older boy finished. "Kept us busy for a couple days, but we're ready to help out now. What do you need us to do?"
WindStruck
 "Ah.. I presume you must be the Lady Orlof. It is a pleasure to meet you,"  Shandara says. She then lightly claps her hands together,  "Very well. If you do not care about any damage to the walls, all the better."  Shandara was quite curious about what the lady intended to do with the building later, but it was none of her concern. She felt she had stammered and looked nervous enough for all the three of them, and now it was a time to put on a show of confidence.

Looking amongst the assembled dwarves, Shandara says,  "If any of you fine gentlemen would care to help Mr. Cogturner unload his invention, I shall briefly summarize both of our works and introduce the smallest in the meantime." 

Turning around briefly, she retrieves a small case from their cart and approaches Dukkear.  "The machinery being unloaded is a backpack-like mobility device. We call it the Scouting Clockwork Observation &amp; Retrieval Platform, or SCORP. As you will soon see, it very much resembles a scorpion, and we thought the concept to be fitting, as not only are scorpions arachnids, but natural enemies to spiders." 

She opens the case and presents what appears to be a miniature clock, a set of crystal lenses with attached earplug, and a small bottle with cloth.  "And what we have in here is the Clockwork Tick. It is an advanced espionage device, similar to the trained spying beetles, but far more capable and sophisticated. It has a number of defensive mechanisms to avoid detection. Go on, pick it up, and have a look."  Shandara gently pushes the opened case near Dukkear so he can easily reach inside.

 "As you can see, the device appears to be an ordinary clock. You may also note that it tells the time correctly. A casual observer may think nothing of it. However, you can manually activate the device with some clever manipulation. Care to try?" 

If Dukkear can manage to figure out how to make the tick change its form, Shandara briefly congratulates him. If not, she shows him how - by pressing the center button on the face of the clock in the correct sequence. So now the tick has sprung to life, and appears much more insect-like.

 "The Clockwork Tick can take on a number of other disguises: a compass, or a hand-held light. In these states, it is not mobile, and surveillance capabilities may be limited. However, in its insect form..." 

Shandara takes the crystal lenses out of the case and puts them up to her face,  "It is a simple matter of issuing commands and telling it where you want to go."  While the tick is still in Dukkear's hands, it begins to scurry up his arm, then down his body and leg. To the floor it goes, running around in circles around Lady Orlof. It felt like Shandara was briefly teasing them and she could not help but smile.

 "Haha, sorry,"  she says, she'll rub some of the anti-moisture compound onto the lens and hand it off to Dukkear.  "Not only can you issue the Clockwork Tick commands through this apparatus, but you can also see what it sees through the lenses and hear what it hears with the ear piece. Furthermore, it is capable of recording sounds, which may be played back later once it is retrieved." 

There was still more to tell, but Shandara felt she had gone on for quite a bit.  "There is yet more to show you, but..."  she trails off, glancing behind her where Bolten and the SCORP awaited.

 
 Spoiler: ooc notes 
I think the clockwork tick was supposed to have some kind of camouflage, but I'm not sure if that happened, or what it looks like.  Either way, I don't think it's a magical camouflage. It's probably just one static pattern or such that may blend in with a common type of stone, but otherwise provide no benefit.

I'm also not sure if you decided on the extra disguises you would give the tick, but for now I'm just saying it's a compass and a hand-held light.  Can edit if need be.
 
MrAbdiel
 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 

 "H-hey..." The younger of the two, Markel began. "Uhm... we're here to help with the boat. W-we know we agreed we'd drop by sooner, b-but..."

"There'd been a little problem in the harbor district." Cliff, the older boy finished. "Kept us busy for a couple days, but we're ready to help out now. What do you need us to do?" 

 "Boys!  Cliff, Markel!  So glad you're here, lads, so glad!" 

The fellows don't exactly offer an apology; and Aiden doesn't seem like he intends to hold it against them, so the nervous points about the 'little problem' seems to sail by without protest.  Indeed, it might seem that the carpenter has missed it entirely; but the fact of that mention has merely been catalogued behind the agenda of his personal brand of creative enthusiasm and exuberant goodwill.  He grins from the doorway, reaches out to clap both boys on the shoulders, and then at once leads them into the house's lower floor - the workshop full of benches, tools, and projects; as well as pallets of timbre and stone, with the odd rack of cloth bolts here and there in the orderly but definately  full  space.

 "Boys, this'll be much easier with six hands instead of two;  and I figure you'll come away feeling like you know her before you go to sea on her anyway." 

Out the big L-shaped workshop/showroom, via the backdoor to the narrow yard leading to the small shack that was his home while fixing the house up, and the modest barn; inside whose walls waited the wounded body of the boys' boat, under the lazy guardianship of Ambrose the horse.  The old beast is napping on a bed of hay in his stall, when they enter; lazily, he rolls to his feet, and hangs his big face over the door of his stall to watch the activity - so far, without commentary.

 "It's going to take a little time and  oomph,  but we'll sort her out.  And the first thing to do when you're repairing something is to mark out everything you can't save - everything that's got to come out, so we can know what we have to do to make her seaworthy again.  And when we know  that , we can decide what we  need  to make it happen.  And when we know  that , we can round the timbre and hardware up for the job; and when we've done  that , we can get to work." 

The vessel right side up, and elevated off the barn floor with an array of wooden staging horses and stacked wooden blocks so that it sits at a 'waterline' of about chest height.  Excitedly, the carpenter hustles to a shelf in the barn/dock, and returns to the lads with two glass jars of thin red paint.  He gives them each a cursory shake and hands them to the boys, with a painbrush to each as well; the kind of brush that has been retired from delicate work, destined to end it days in service to tasks that do not mind a profusion of wiry, flyaway bristles.

 "This is just watered-down red; you'll see the grain through it when you paint it on.  But we're not doing art, lads; so it doesn't need to be pretty.  This is just to mark up the planks we're taking out.  Doesn't need to cover the whole plank; just a nice, big line from one end to the other.  Then we can stand back and wrap our eyes around the state of her.  Ready?"
 
And then it's on.  Aiden scoots about the vessel, indicating the planks to mark; the warped planks from the dud repairs, the dry-rot, the damaged, the ill-fitting.  He takes the time to explain (mostly unbidden) what's wrong whenever a new problem is discovered.

 "Yea, yea; that's another one, Cliff.  It's only a little bowed; but you're putting your lives in this thing, so we want her all  neat as nails.   Oh, and this one here - well, it's not warped, but it's another.  That big knot in the plank there is beautiful in furniture, but all your boards want to be plain vertical grain, with no irregularities.  The timber is what they call  hygroscopic , see - which just means the planks take in a little water and swell, and dry out and shrink.  You'll see when we put her in the water for the first time it'll look like she's leaking a little, but really the timber's just getting back to seagoing standard; and all the wood will swell just a little to tighten the whole thing up..." 

A little while later, a little more dappled with collateral paint for the effort, the three are looking at the same boat, now riddled with red stripes and marks noting the planks that have to go.  The whole exercise is ultimately pointless, for Aiden personally - to him, all those flaws were visible as if they were lit from within by a neon glow.  But it was good, he thought, for the boys to start to  see  the whole of a job, like this; and Aiden himself seems very pleased.

Ambrose, watching the process from his stall, elects the moment of their reflective silence to poop.  If questioned as to whether this should be taken as a specific remark on their work so far, past behaviour would suggest the horse would likely not elaborate.

They get this done; and then a little work with mallets and prybars working under the damaged boards and jimmying them free of their copper nails and rivets.  This more major part of the job is only partly complete when it becomes time to break; and he brings them inside to occupy two seats at a too-big and too fine dining table to await the refreshments Maria has assured him she'll whip up for them.

While they wait, each with a wooden mug of clean and cool water in hand, Aiden circles back to the matter he'd skipped over.

 "...While we're off the tools... You said there was a little problem that key you boys busy?  What's happened in the Harbor district?" 
DeTess
 the Mendigo bathhouses 
"Hmmm, it seems you've corrected the issues lady Orlof identified in her own field test as well." There was a slight smile around Dukkear's mouth and a twinkle in the dwarf's eyes as he looked over the little clockwork device. "I can think of quite a few uses for this little device already. However, there is something I'm wondering about. How easy would it be to make more? I have little doubt that over the course of my work I'll end up losing a couple of these. Would the craftsmen of my own clan be able to reproduce this design with little trouble, or is this the kind of thing that can only be built at the seat of the empire's ingenuity?"

 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 
"Ah...well..." Cliff and Markel exchanged a glance, clearly unsure if or how they should answer Aiden's question.

"Just the usual harborside troubles." Cliff answered evasively. "You don't really have to worry about that, it has been dealt with for now anyway. And you're already doing plenty to help us out anyway."
WindStruck
Shandara purses her lips and taps her chin in thought.  "Well.. in order to make it all work, you would not only need a skilled engineer that can make clockwork devices, but also a decent gem cutter, and an artificer capable of enchanting them." 
 "Acquiring the right gems is easy enough for you, but I also imagine you should be capable of finding the right specialists? We can provide the schematics after all..." 
MrAbdiel
 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 
 
 Originally Posted by Cliff and Markel 
 "Ah...well..." Cliff and Markel exchanged a glance, clearly unsure if or how they should answer Aiden's question.

"Just the usual harborside troubles." Cliff answered evasively. "You don't really have to worry about that, it has been dealt with for now anyway. And you're already doing plenty to help us out anyway." 
 

 "I sure am."   He agrees with a little nod, and avuncular smile.   "On account of the fact that I like helping out.  The heavens've been good to me, boys; and it's clear then that it's incumbent on me to be good otherwise to those around me.  I won't twist it out of you; but the way I see it, you fellas have enough trouble living hard like you do out there;  I wouldn't mind helping more, if I can.  Is this the kind of trouble someone...  gives  you, or that you find on your own?" 
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Those seem like perfectly valid and useful alternate functions for the tick. Props for the creative ideas!

Also, I just realized that we tried so hard to avoid spiders and yet  both  of the inventions are based on arachnids!
 


Bolten pales a little as he puts two and two together. Lady Orlof seems to be a very dangerous woman to push... Shandara, meanwhile, seems to have a natural talent for showmanship... or show woman ship? Bolten smiles at her flair in presenting the tick, thankful for her late night ideas for tweaks to the tick's disguises. As his partner explains the tick, Bolten unloads the SCORP from the wagon. In response to Dukkear's inquiry, Bolten informs him,  "As Shandara says, I keep meticulous blueprints of my clockwork contraptions. I won't insult Clan Ironmonger by questioning their clocksmiths, but they should be able to follow along.

Now, as for the SCORP... I could stand here and wax poetic about the design, but I feel like showing more than telling."  Bolten equips himself with the special carriage harness and hooks himself up to the SCORP. He then places the control band on his head, taking a moment to adjust as he is now responsible for the SCORP's limbs. The practice in the quarry proves invaluable as Bolten "crawls" across the floor. Bolten avoids the dips in the floor, focusing on scaling the wall. Once he is directly above the gathered group, Bolten looks straight down at the assembled group and waves an arm... and a claw in the bargain.

 "Haha! So, what do you think? Mobile enough for you, Dukkear?" 
WindStruck
When Bolten begins climbing, Shandara stops what she is doing (or even thinking!) and watches, ready to cast one of her prepared  feather fall  spells should anything happen to go wrong. She tenses up as Bolten goes higher and higher in the big empty room, several stories up, and then proceeds to crawl along the ceiling!

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Thankfully she need not begin casting already and hold a spell.  Feather Fall may be cast as an immediate action.
 
DeTess
 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 
"A mix of both, really." Cliff answers after another moment of hesitation. "We don't really know who owns the land we're living on, but every once in a while someone big and strong comes by demanding rent. And figuring out how to cough up that kind of money is..." The boy shrugs. "We manage, but it's always a bit of a scramble. Having something to actual sell once we can go fishing would help a lot though."

 The Mendigo Bathhouses 
Bolten's progress leaves marks on the wall, but the building is quite sturdy, and doesn't seem to be in any danger of collapsing from the SCORP's movement.

"That is quite something!" Dukkear shouts up at Bolten, the hint of a grin paying around the dwarf's mouth. "How does it do in leaps? Can it leap from up there down to the ground without issues?"
WindStruck
Shandara's heart feels like it falls to the pit of her stomach when Dukkear was talking about  leaping from the ceiling  to  all the way down here .

 "W-well hold on,"  Shandara says,  "We didn't really - you know - practice leaping. I'm sure the machine is capable, but at the same time, it takes quite a bit of concentration and precision..." 

Peering up at Bolten she calls,  "Um. Bolten? Do.. do you think you want to practice first?" 
MrAbdiel
 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 

Aiden listens, compassionate and interested as always.   "Well, we all have to pay the rent somehow.  And you boys - ah, you're so young, you've got so much time to learn skills and so forth.  I suspect it won't be terribly long before people are paying  you  rent! "  He gives a generous little laugh, but then asks with a moment of concern -  "...But if you're ever in a position where you can't pay, you let me know - I could probably find some work for you lads sweeping sawdust or what not for a few coins every now and then, and it's better that than getting kicked out of your home." 

Within his mind, Aiden believes himself to be very cunning, just now.  He has not deceived the boys - but he's going to act subtly on their behalf.  He has concocted a plan to speak with Miss Aesha Silvertear, whom he knows to know the district well, about who might own that area of shacks and slummery; and, for that matter, the narrow and decrepit alley in which poor Maria was dwelling.  But once he knows who owns that area and who is asking the boys for rent, he might be able to go and have a little  chat  with that lady or lord about being more reasonable with their rates.

What has escaped Aiden's cunning, on the other hand, is the fact that almost anyone would have picked up immediately - that this is a shakedown operation.  What is unlikely to work in his favor is the fact that the  chat  he intends to have is not a euphemism for threats and bravo at all; but a legitimate appeal to the person's better angels; the kind of appeal that can almost never succeed against the kind of man who makes his money wringing copper out of orphans.  But some lessons must be learned, even by the most obliviously well intentioned; and for now, the carpenter can only imagine his plan succeeding and ending with him having yet another friend in the area.

He does not pester the boys more about the problem, if they don't offer more; but he does reserve the right to pester them to eat their fill (and a little more) of the dish that Maria will bring out.  All the old encouragements are likely to be employed - 'growing boys', 'will put hair on your chest', 'if you don't I'll just have to throw it out', and so forth.
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 

Bolten sputters and shouts in perhaps the loudest voice that anyone has heard from him.   "LEAP?!  Are you  mad ?! It's not designed to jump!"  Grumbling to himself and gnawing at his lower lip, Bolten grumbles to himself,  "Now, let's see here..."  While the SCORP cannot leap with its legs, there is a possible alternative. The cable winch in the tail is designed to raise and lower the SCORP just as much as items of cargo.

Aiming the tail at the ceiling, Bolten wills the tail's harpoon head to embed itself in the ceiling. He tugs on it a few times to test its firmness before willing the SCORP's legs to let go of the ceiling. Bolten lets out an involuntary yelp as the whole contraption swings through the air, dwarf and all. Once the swinging (hopefully) stops, Bolten attempts to lower himself slowly.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Guessing this is going to need a Will save:  (1d20+7)[ 12 ] 
 
DeTess
 the Mendigo bathhouses 
Regulating the exact rate of descend from the cable proves to be a bit tricky, the Scorp either going very slow or a bit too fast, but Bolten eventually manages to make it back to the ground in one piece, if not exactly gracefully.

"My apologies." Dukkear sketches a very short bow to Bolten. "It moved so naturally before, I assumed it had access to a full range of motions. But in the end I suppose it is a machine, not a creature. Would it be very difficult to add a leaping function? The tail hook seems quite functional and useful for longer distances, but I can imagine wanting to quickly traverse between two surfaces closer together."

 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 
While the boys had tensed up a little during Aiden's inquiry, but relaxed again once more food was brought in and the conversation moved on to other topics. They ate their fill and a little more, and then happily got back to working on the boat under the bard's tutelage.
MrAbdiel
 The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux 

Once they return to work, much of the afternoon's time is spent off the tools.  Aiden runs them through the plan - tomorrow, they'll pull away all the bad and busted wood; and they'll head out to buy the boards and supplies they need from the maritime lumberyard.

 "It's cheaper to go to my normal suppliers for wood - I don't mind the walk to the warehouses - but you can't do vessels with any old wood." 

He plucks one of the models from a nearby shelf - the abstract galleon he had pierced during the demonstration of the rescue catamarans -  and lifts it to show its underside - the undamaged side, facing out.

 "They have to be straight as a die; and importantly, the grain needs to all be per-" 

This basic ship-wisdom, he gains from their blank faces, he already told them.

 "...Right!  Right, we covered that.  Sorry; I just get excited, with this stuff.  But here - let me show you the tools you'll be using." 

Aiden walks them through the tools they'll be using; the chocks and mallets, the planes and scrapers.  He waxes lyrical about waxes; and does not gloss over alternative finishing compounds - these he presents with unvarnished candor.  When it comes to fastening devices, he really  nails  home -

Well, you get it.

But his purpose is both to continue marinating the boys in what they don't know is an apprenticeship, and also to ascertain how much they already know about, particularly, ships and ship anatomy.  They intend to sail and fish from this thing, after all; he could hardly spend these weeks working with them, salute them at the dock, and then learn the day after they'd drowned at sea because they hadn't the foggiest clue, really, how to operate at sea!
WindStruck
Shandara is glad that Bolten decides not to just  jump down , though the descent via his tail seems tenuous as well.

Finally when Bolten has safely reached the bottom and Dukkear suggests a leaping function, Shandara adds,  "I think short distances should work in theory. It should all be a matter of moving all the limbs in unison, to propel the rider forward, then catch the next surface. However, perhaps this is not the problem..." 

Looking at Bolten she asks,  "Do you think you could make some small leaps now? Or would we need to add another functionality to the machine so it better understands what you're trying to do?" 
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 

On the way down and back on the ground, Bolten has time to reflect on his outburst. He matches Dukkear's bow as he apologizes... or, at least, as much as he can with a mechanical scorpion attached to his back.  "I'm sorry for shouting at you like that. I was just... afraid. I'm not used to this whole spy business."  His lips purse as he considers Shandara's words.  "I could try it right now... The biggest problem is that the legs weren't designed with jumping in mind. I probably  can  jump, but there's nothing in the leg design that amplifies the force to make the apparatus jump farther."  While he can't be jumping around like a friendly neighborhood arachnid man, wasn't the point of field testing to showcase limits as well as capabilities?

 "Here, let me try with these smaller indents here in the floor. That way, if I fall, I might only break a  few  bones instead of my entire body."  As he draws closer to the gap, Bolten recognizes that it will take a great deal of concentration to coordinate the legs enough to make a proper go of jumping. Well... here goes nothing...
 
 Spoiler: Will save 
 (1d20+7)[ 14 ] 
 
DeTess
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 
Bolten's first attempt at jumping ended up going a bit awry. Only four of the six legs actually participated in the jump, turning it into a stumbled half-leap. However, Bolten did manage to recover from the maneuver without any damage to the SCORP or himself, and after several more attempts he was starting to get the hang of it. The current design certainly could handle small jumps, a meter or three at most, though every landing rattled Bolten as the design didn't really contain anything meant to absorb the bigger shocks from those leaps.
WindStruck
 "Hmm. I do see the problem,"  Shandara states.  "The system isn't really built to absorb shocks like that.. however, thankfully the tail mechanism should allow you to raise or lower yourself, or swing from one place to the next if you really need to clear a large distance." 

Shandara suggests,  "To prove a point.  Bolten, I have an idea, if you're still willing to give some demonstrations. Why don't you climb up a bit onto that wall, shoot the tail at the ceiling, and then try to swing to that wall?" 

The inside of the building was just large and open, so Shandara had to point to two exterior walls which came together at a 90 degree angle. The two points she had pointed at were also about forty or fifty feet away from each other.
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 

Bolten knows that he's going to feel very sore later from the way his body shakes in the harness with each collision against the floor. He's surprised that the SCORP is even capable of jumping at all.  "I can attempt to redesign the legs to absorb shock more efficiently, but I would need time to reconcile the clockwork connections in the legs to compensate." 

He nods in response to Shandara's suggestion and once again scales the wall. This time, he only goes up so high before aiming the tail at the ceiling and firing the head. Once it is finally attached, Bolten takes a moment to gulp in preparation before trying to swing across toward the other wall.
 
 Spoiler: Will save 
 (1d20+7)[ 10 ] 
Wow, these have been awful.
 
DeTess
Nothing happens. Though Bolten tried to give the command to properly release the legs, his own fear resulted in the contraption seizing up and the SCORP remaining exactly where it was. it took nearly a minute before Bolten managed to relax enough to give the right commands. When he does, the swing is executed quite gracefully, the SCORP completing the arc and securely gripping the wall on the other side.
WindStruck
Shandara watches with some tension, not so much for fear of Bolten's safety this time, because the maneuver did seem fairly safe, but she was starting to worry that they either seemed incompetent or that their machine was inadequate. But finally, Bolten does manage to swing across, and Shandara ceases to hold her breath, and also avoids sighing with relief.

Turning to Dukkear, Shandara says,  "Well! You have seen what the machine is capable of. In truth, Bolten is no acrobat, and he is merely a.. a craftsman, not a master spy nor a field agent. He also has not spent long hours practicing with the SCORP..." 

She tilts her head curiously at their dwarven employeer.  "But I have a feeling that you would fare much better. If even half the rumors about you were true, you should be able to pick it up quite quickly. Do you care to give it a test run yourself?" 
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 

Bolten feels a flush of shame at having taken so long to work up the courage to fire the tail harpoon and swing. Once he had finally gotten his nerve, it had worked like a dream! Having scaled down the wall and walked back toward the assembled group, Bolten overhears the tail end of the conversation. He forces the SCORP to settle on its belly (his back) and he disengages the swivel harness from the chassis. His head spins as his mind catches up with no longer controlling phantom limbs, but he shakes it off and removes the headpiece before giving out a sigh of mixed disappointment and relief. Bolten removes the harness and offers the items to Dukkear should he want to try the contraption for himself.
DeTess
"I'd been wondering about that." Dukkear approached the contraption. "I'd noticed it freezing up at times, especially when doing trickier things like those jumps. I wondered if it was a fault with the mechanism, but you're saying it's more of an issue with the controller? Well then, let's give it a go."

With some help from Bolten and Shandara Dukkear strapped himself into the SCORP and started his test-run. He seemed to have no issues getting the contraption to do exactly what he needed it to, soon graduating form moving across the ground and walls to jumps and swings using the tail hook. After about 15 minutes of testing he returned to Bolten, Shandara and the other onlookers, a grin on his face.

"I'll admit, I was a little worried about its performance at first, but this is really a true marvel of engineering. If it's possible to add those shock absorbers we discussed to the legs that'd be ideal though." The dwarf started disentangling himself from the machine as he spoke. "Oh, there are a couple things I was wondering about though. First, how long can the SCORP work before it needs refuelling or recharging or whatever, and what does that require? And what happens if it gets hit by anti-magic spells like a dispel magic? Will it continue to work fine, or freeze up? in the latter case I definitely need some way to quickly get out of the contraption. That'd be a nice addition either way I think."
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 

As the "father" of the invention, Bolten feels a mixture of relief and shame when Dukkear takes to the SCORP like fish to water. Dukkear's questions give him something to focus on.  "While I will defer to my more magically inclined partner here on the subject of anti-magic, I have thought about a mechanical solution to just such a problem."  Bolten points to a metal clasp that covers where the harness straps meet in the front. Engraved on the clasp is an embossed motif of a scorpion. Using two fingers, Bolten presses down on the arms of the symbol and there is a discernible click.  "By pressing these releases, that will disengage the harness from the SCORP in the event of an emergency. I even took the liberty of making the receiving slot in the SCORP itself spring-loaded to ensure that separation can be accomplished even if you are on your back... Well, I mean, facing directly toward the ceiling... Um, it works against gravity!"  He stumbles as he tries to reconcile the strange tricks of perspective that the SCORP accomplishes with its climbing.

 "As far as the power supply goes, it is supplemented with a thermal crystal. Shandara came up with a handy enchantment that will keep it water-cooled without replacement. It could go for a few days without having the master cogs turned, but I would wind them for a minute a day just to be on the safe side. That master cog key would be provided with the SCORP, of course." 

Like a merchant during the holiday season, Bolten warms as he points out the accessory features.  "The claws in the front are fully functional. I wouldn't advise handling anything delicate with them until you get some practice, but they are handy if you need to manipulate things in the environment or have an additional pair of 'hands' to carry things. The grappling hook harpoon in the tail is double-sided; its other head can be used as a crane hook to turn the entire tail into a pulley system. Very useful for retrieving heavy cargo or hauling something out of harm's reach!" 
WindStruck
Shandra nods along to Bolten's pitch, but at an opportune time, she does need to chime in about anti-magic effects...

 "Ahem, regarding the question of anti-magic spells.. yes, that will be quite problematic. Although dispel magic effects should only be temporary, during the brief time the SCORP is affected, it would freeze up.." 

She explains,  "You see, there's a crystal in the helmet that 'connects' to the body of the SCORP. We use magic to pick up the user's thoughts, and it translates and sends it over to the SCORP. If magic were to be temporarily nullified, your thoughts - the commands simply would not go through. The power supply may also be adversely affected, but it's a very small problem in comparison to losing control altogether." 

Shandara shrugs and says,  "Well, I suppose it cannot be helped. I believe the other effects you used to climb also relied upon magic, but at least the SCORP is not obviously dependent on magic. And I do think if you were already gripped to the ceiling you should stay that way... though I would not make any bets on it." 
DeTess
Dukkear nodded at Bolten's explanation. "It's good to see you anticipated the need for quickly dismounting. I think at this point the only outstanding change is for those shock absorbers you talked about. Though if you could test and confirm whether it will actually remain stuck to a wall or ceiling when hit by anti-magic I'd appreciate it. Ideally it would, but if I know it won't I can work around that. Hein, Marik, do either of you have anything to add?" Dukkear addressed two of his Dwarvish companions.

"Maintenance shouldn't be too much of an issue." one of the dwarves, who'd bene making notes in a notebook during the test spoke up. "Assuming the blueprints are shared with us the only part I am worried about is the control mechanism. I haven't heard of anything like that before, so if it gets damaged we might have to rely on these Artificers to patch it up."

"Material wise it all seems fairly conventional." The other dwarf Dukkear had addressed spoke up. He was by far the oldest in the group, with grey appearing in his beard and hair. "The only thing I can't place is the cable used for the tail hook."

"That is something I can provide." Lady Orlof spoke up. "Though production does take a bit of time, so keep that in mind."

Dukkear listened to the input from his companions, then turned back to Bolten and Shandara. "Well then, I think we can discuss payment. How much where you hoping to get for these two inventions? Before you name your price, do know that I'd like to be purchasing exclusive use of these. That means you won't be selling anything quite like this to anyone else, nor will you be sharing the blueprints with anyone. Ideally all designs and copies would be turned over to me as well."
WindStruck
Shandara raises an eyebrow when it's made known they intend to have exclusive rights over the inventions. Perhaps she had a mind to protest to that, but then again, it was all probably for the best, since the production of many units would be laborious, and if that labor was outsourced, things could become.. quite complicated and risky fast. However, she still does have one objection.

 "How much we get paid depends on how much you are asking us to do. Obviously, if you want all the schematics and intend to build and repair everything yourself, we would get less than if we were the ones producing everything. However, the fact that you wish to hold those exclusive rights does have a value in and of itself..." 
 "That said, when it comes to the artificery components of the SCORP, I cannot guarantee any exclusivity. The magic I have worked on has a wide variety of applications, some of which have already seen use elsewhere, and in fact, I was planning on publishing a detailed report on conjuring water from the elemental planes. As you can imagine, such findings could be incredibly useful and beneficial to this empire and its people." 
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 

The dwarves' praise sours as national security rears its ugly, exclusive head. For the first time in the evening, Bolten glowers.  "If you want my word as a professional that we won't sell these models to anyone else, or share their designs with other people, that's fine. Giving over the master copies of the design is where I draw the line. I put a lot of myself into my creations. Poring over old designs has proven useful, so I always keep the originals. I am happy to provide you with copies of the schematics so that I am not the only one holding the keys. As a matter of fact, the only reason that we were able to create such a control headpiece in the first place was due to an open design trade during a previous project with another artificer in the Society. Shandara and I are the only ones who have seen either the tick's or the SCORP's design documents, but the design of the control headpiece is open knowledge by now. And that's just on my end. I won't speak for Shandara here, who just stated her intentions of further development of the magical principles involved with the SCORP's cooling system.

I know that answer is going to cost me, quite literally, but I am a dwarf of the craft! The only reason I didn't carve my signature rune into either of these was out of courtesy for their future use. In every other respect, that is Cogturner work sitting right there!" 

There is a part of Bolten which wonders if that answer might cost him more than gold... Clan Ironmonger take the security of the Underdark very seriously.
WindStruck
Shandara observes Bolten and is a little surprised. It's one of the few times she's ever seen Bolten so passionate about something. He was  very serious ...

The drow offers,  "I think you can have our word that we won't be making similar devices for anyone else. I don't think it's very likely we would be doing work in this field anyway. Perhaps we could limit it within a timeframe of ten or twenty years? I only suggest such a time frame because it's possible that future advancements by the Royal Artificery Society could make our work.. hm. Outdated?" 

Glancing over at Bolten, she continues,  "But my friend does raise a valid point. Reviewing our previous works is often quite helpful. Would you say it would be reasonable if we kept a copy of our own schematics in a secure location, and did not share them with anyone else?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
diplomacy, just trying to be cordial and offer more of a compromise?   (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 

On one hand I hate rolling, but it does feel like it is appropriate at this time.
 
DeTess
Dukkear frowned at Bolten's outburst. "I hadn't expected this to be such a sticking point. Well, if nothing else, your stubbornness seems rooted in professional pride, and that's something I can respect." The dwarf sighed. "Okay, we should be able to compromise on this. I don't doubt your word is your bond, but what about security. How safely do you store these designs? Just because you promise not to share them doesn't mean someone else can't try to take that decision away from you."
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 
 "I guard my designs very closely,"  Bolten responds directly.  "Besides the physical security at my house, I would be able to use alarm magics on the chest where I keep my schematics. I don't ever get visitors, so it would be obvious if anything was amiss.

If that is not sufficient, I can obtain a lockbox at a treasury like the Goldrow Bank. It's not uncommon for artificers to store sensitive documents there, so I would not attract a great deal of attention. If someone is able to bypass an entire security network specifically designed to detect magical intruders, then why would they need the SCORP in the first place?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Just as a note, while Bolten does not have immediate access to such a spell, it wouldn't be hard for him to scribe such a spell into his spellbook.
 
WindStruck
Shandara can't help but chuckle a little.  "You forget, you are talking to quite a skilled engineer. I'm sure we can come up with a clever gimmick to hide a safe or whatnot, plus other security precautions. But really, it's... hard to imagine why anyone would target Bolten just to steal these designs. Arguably, wouldn't the copies of designs you keep closer to the Underdark be in more danger of being stolen?"  she asks.

 "If all else fails, yes I think the Goldrow Bank should be a very secure place to store something. As a matter of fact, I think they were holding some challenge to see if breaking into their vaults was even possible..." 

She adds,  "I don't know how much you know about the place or its creators. But you might know more than me. Do you think you would have a shot of breaking in there?" 
DeTess
"I don't think it's likely someone will try to get the designs through you, but if there is one thing I've learned over the years in my profession it is that the only way to survive is by planning for every possible problem." Dukkear admonished Shandara's dismissal of his concerns. "As for where to keep them safe, Goldenrow bank is hardly impenetrable, but it'll do better than most. I'll include payment for a safe deposit there for the next two decades in your reward, just so that that's taken care of. Is that acceptable?"
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs and looks at Bolten.  "It seems fair enough to me. I hope storing the schematics in the bank isn't too much of an inconvenience?" 

Turning back to Dukkear she asks,  "And are you okay with our using the individual components of our research for other projects? I assume you are fine with it, so long as we aren't making knock-offs of these spy gadgets?" 
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 

Bolten softens at Dukkear's compromise. He waves off the other dwarf's offer.  "That will not be necessary. Since it is my insistence to keep the designs, I will shoulder the burden of storing them. I will not pass on that extra expense onto you."  He looks up at Shandara and answers,  "An inconvenience, yes, but compromise involves both parties giving up something. That will be where I budge." 
DeTess
"It is fine to use individual components you have designed for this project in other projects, of course." Dukkear confirmed. "My aim is not to stifle creativity, merely ensure that the details of this particular creation remains under wraps. Well then, I think that's most of the details taken care of, and just leaves the big question. How much do you want for these creations?"
WindStruck
The question had been brought up before, and now that it had been brought up again, Shandara briefly considered the question once more before saying,  "Hm. How about 20,000 gold pieces? Or two thousand in platinum. In this case, not only would you be getting the spybug and SCORP, with some slight modifications like the shock absorbers by the way, but of course you and your clan receive the full schematics; exclusivity rights guaranteeing we don't sell something similar to anyone else; and technical support should you require any assistance or expertise with maintaining, or recreating these items. Most of those are somewhat intangible benefits you requested, but their value has significance nonetheless." 

Shandara knew she was asking for a lot. But she was also offering some vague long term commitments, which she just knew would probably rear up at the worst times, as things often did. Well, at least she was trying to sell their work like it was worth something.
DeTess
"Hmmm, the offer of technical support is certainly valuable, though we'll have to put that in writing so we're sure what we can and can't expect." Dukkear mused.

"20,000 gold pieces is a steep price, however." Lady Orlof, who had been a mostly quiet observer so far, stepped into the conversation now. "These devices certainly warrant a generous reward, however..." She pursed her lips in thought. "The offer of further support is certainly a valuable addition though.... Hmmm. Our counteroffer will be 16,000 gold pieces and 'preferred client' status with the Orlof merchant house, which you'll find will allow you to acquire rare materials from our stocks quicker and cheaper."
Prehysterical
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 

Bolten himself thought that Shandara's price offer was a bit high, but he kept his silence so as not to undercut her. Fortunately, their clients seem to appreciate the long-term values of their continued expertise. After Lady Orlof makes her counter-proposal, Bolten looks up at Shandara with a look of mild contentment on his face.  "I think that's certainly fair. I know that I'd certainly like to get my hands on more of that cable for my future inventions! We can hash out the finer details in the ongoing contract." 
WindStruck
Shandara tilts her head at the counteroffer.

 "Hm. That does sound appealing. Though I wonder what actual variety of rare goods you might have, or their quantities. I assume an exceedingly rare metal like adamantine could be more accessible? Perhaps materials from other planes or imports from the Underdark? Do you care to give some other examples we may be interested in?" 
DeTess
"We trade for rare goods and materials all across the world, and have many contacts in far-flung ports, so even if we don't have something, we likely know how to acquire it." Lady Orlof explained. "Though our main trading partners are the various dwarven clans, so we are particularly well stocked with rare gems and metals. For example, despite the current scarcity, we have reasonable stocks of Mythril and Adamantine still available."
WindStruck
Shandara nods.  "Well, your counter-offer certainly does seem appealing. I'll accept that." 
DeTess
 The Mendigo Bathhouses 
Shadnara, Bolten, Dukkear and lady Orlof spent a little more time discussing the specifics of the deal before eventually settling on and signing a contract. One of lady Orlof's employees then accompanies Bolten and Shandara to one of the city's banks to authorize transfer of their payment.

 Royal Artificery Society campus Plaza 
Some time had passed since the harvest festival, and the chill that had crept into the air had grown ever more pervasive as fall started to fade into winter. Though the festivities and festivals the mark the end of the year where still quite a ways off, preparations already got slowly under way. The request boards also started to get crowded by requests from Noble patrons. Many of the nobles that spend the summer months managing their own estates and domains in the far-flung corners of the empire would return to the capital to spend the winter currying favor at the court and networking with their peers, adn they brought with them requests from all corners of the empire.

 
 Spoiler: Announcements 


  Mythril and Adamantine shortages 
The shortages on Mythril and Admantine have been steadily getting worse, and as of now there is no clear sign when these issues will let up. There have even been some discussions at the court of rationing supplies, though it hasn't gotten bad enough to require such measures yet. Still I urge you all to limit your reliance on these metals as much as is feasible until this supply issue has been remedied.

-Headmaster Dey 
 

 
 Spoiler: Commissions 


  Looking for consulting engineer for a sensitive project 
I am looking to acquire the services of a skilled engineer to help resolve a thorny issue. Discreteness required!

Leave your resume at the Gatewatch inn for mr. Greylance, together with your contact details. We'll contact you if we decide we need your services.

 Addendum: we are still looking for assistance on this issue, and are willing to pay extremely well for help with our troubles. 



 


  anti-wolf solution sought 
The grazing herds in my domain are under significant threat from several vicious packs of wolves. Attempts to hunt the creatures down have so far failed, as they hide themselves well in the dense forests to the north of my domain. I am therefore urgently looking for a solution that can safeguard the herds kept by my people.

For more information, inquire at the estate of Viscount Magnussen. 


  Artisans sough for creation of festive masterpiece 
I am looking to commission the creation of a masterpiece to be displayed during the midwinter festivities at my estate. This commission should be a true display of the artisan's skill and impress even those used to the capital's advances. Cost is no issue.

To submit your proposal, inquire at the estate of Archduchess Vilfarien. 


  Imperial Records and Custom's office looking for new copying solution 
After repeated issues with out current solution, the Imperial Records and Custom's office is looking for a new solution for quickly copying and transcribing texts. This solution needs to be both quick and extremely accurate. Our current solution using enchanted quills unfortunately fails on this second point. We are looking for designs of a new system that can be easily mass-produced and used in all our facilities. 


  Instrument commission 
I am looking to commission a Violin. In addition to needing to be of high quality, the instrument should be able to function as a spellcasting focus and be suffused with enchantments to protect the instrument from extremely harsh conditions. Additional enchantments that would allow it to bolster or protect those relying on me would be much appreciated.

For more information, ask for Luge at the Ranger's guild (or Sergeant Vars if you're feeling formal). 
 
MrAbdiel
Most days, Aiden is there near the announcement boards in the hub of the Society's activity, serenading passer's by with his banjo and fiddle; and today is no exception.  The wood elven composer  Jacquelyne Ironleaf  likely never expected her opus  'Son of Mine, Son of Yours'  to be rendered on banjo; but its beautiful-tragic melody twangs out over the assembled crafters, drawing the odd coin into the banjo's case fated to aid the recovery of the Stormdrains.

He is so wrapped up in his performance that it takes one of the passers by, a regular listener to his efforts, to point out there are new jobs on the board, including one for the manufacture of an instrument.  Needless to say, that gets his attention; and at the end of the third movement in the  'Son of Yours'  portion of the treatment ( 'Fanduril's Triumph' ) he leaves his banjo, horse, and the open coin-scattered case unattended in a display of trust that shares a border will folly, and rushes over to the board.

As always, every job presented appeals to his curiousity.  But as Archduchess Vilfarien's call for a work of art sets his mind a-whirring for inspiration, his immediate attention is on Sergeant Vars' need for a violin.  An accomplished luthier, Aiden almost clicks his heels with glee at the opportunity - but the tail line of the advertisement, the desire for more complex enchantments for extra protection and bolstering, gives him pause.  His physical craft is strong, but his grasp of enchantment weaving is less so.  He may not be able to fulfil the order after all.

But then the Society's most distinctive elven artificer draws his eye; her dark dark profile showing her to be looking over the jobs, too.  This, Aiden takes to be providence.  The Hebdomad clearly rewards his interest, and he will not waste the moment; and bare seconds later Shandara's peripheral vision is likely to catch Aiden strolling toward her with the happy, harmless, unearned sense familiarity that is usually the exclusive possession of dogs.

 "Miss Shandara!  Oh, how good it is - I've just had come to mind a need to ask you a thing.  Ah, I forget my manners sometimes - how are you, Miss Shandara?" 

Behind him, about ten paces, the old warhorse Ambrose finds himself without supervision and begins to wander - but a beast so venerable is unlikely to find much mischief.
WindStruck
On a morning not long after tidying away the project for Clan Ironmonger, Shandara hears that distinctive sound of music being played in the Grand Plaza again. Must be Aiden, she thinks, and sure enough, she sees the man playing on a banjo now of all things, and his big horse. Somehow, the din of the banjo didn't seem quite right to her, but regardless, the music seemed pretty well-played. The man had some serious talent indeed.

Well, Shandara didn't feel like interrupting Aiden for the time being. She trudged up to the board, clutching her cloak around her as chill still crept into her small frame. Though she wore some supple boots and a modest dress which came down to her calves, she was still thinking she should have dressed a little more warmly. If there was one thing she didn't like about living on the surface (aside from the brightness of the sun) it was the changing of the seasons as they got colder, and inclement weather. She always seemed to be lagging behind a bit when anticipating how to dress. Hopefully she'd learn though.

As Shandara read the announcements and commissions, subconsciously she noticed the music come to a stop. It is only when Aiden is nearly upon her that she turns to meet his approachable gaze.

 "Oh. Hello, Aiden,"  Shandara says with a nod.  "I am.. alright,"  she replies, though she looks rather squinty, and a little cold.

 "What did you have in mind?"  she asks.
MrAbdiel
If Aiden notices her slightly out-of-season dress, he draws no attention to it.  Infact, so unaware of her subtle struggles with surface life is he, that when he finishes his approach and looms a foot and a half above her, he has positioned himself unfortunately in a way that forces Shandara to have to look up toward the morning sun.  The alternative is to adjust herself slightly, putting the sun behind his straw-hatted head; rendering him a dark shape with a golden sunlit outline like some exuberant, hillbilly angel.

 "Well, I sure am glad you asked - it's this one, see?" 

He indicates with one big, country-strong hand; pointing with a finger whose banjo callouses are dark and hard as treebark.

 "This Sergeant from the Rangers' Guild is looking for fiddle; one enchanted to endure tough conditions, and elsewise blessed to protect and prosper his allies.  I can make the instrument, no problem - I was thinking of making one anyway - and I can manage some simple enchantments, but I wager not at all approaching what you're capable of.  I wonder if you wouldn't mind to much if, after we speak to the Sergeant and get a clearer set of ideas about the instrument's ideal function, we split the commission.  It sounds straight forward enough, 'less there's some hidden barb.  What do you think?" 
Prehysterical
By all accounts, Bolten should be in a good mood. He had been paid well for his work with Clan Ironmonger and the lockbox at Goldrow had cost less than what he had feared. Lately, however, he's feeling like a spun-up clock that just won't wind down.

When he tries to lie down and sleep, the gears in his head are still turning full spin. The spirit animals still need a solution for their metal frames. There was that business with the guardswoman at the gate asking for a solution to their magic quill problem. He still needs to continue his foreign studies so that he can finally reach out to the dragon nobles of the East... just so that he can get his hands on that vital dragon's breath needed for his own dream. Bolten should be basking in his achievements of designing not one, but  two  new spy devices, but they're like children that have grown up and moved away. Business, and life, goes on.

In such a strange and melancholy mood, Bolten drag himself out of bed. He doesn't set himself straight into work, like usual. Instead, he feels the need to take a walk. He hopes that the fresh air will help clear his mind.

Dressed in a warm robe and still wearing his nightcap, Bolten looks rightfully like he just rolled out of bed, but he doesn't care. A steaming cup of green tea warms his hands as he makes his way toward the requests board. In his mental fugue, Bolten just barely notices Shandara and Aiden talking.  "Morning,"  he greets them with an uncharacteristic mumble. His puffy eyes stare at the board as he takes a large gulp of hot tea into his mouth. Bolten's expression takes on a sour note.

 "Not satisfied with my work, Greylance? Impossible to please, these young nobles,"  Bolten mutters as if the other two aren't standing right next to him.  "He's the fool, then."  A grunt of surprise follows.  "Oh, they put up the official notice for the Records Office, eh?"  That was good. Now, Bolten would be spared the social awkwardness of an unprompted proposal of replacing the enchanted quill system. At least that is one more thing that he could cross off the list...

Finally recognizing he's been rather rude, Bolten coughs self-consciously and turns to face the other two artificers.  "So, um, what are you two thinking of taking on?" 
WindStruck
Shandara decided to reposition and began circling around Aiden, only for her attention to be drawn to the notice board again.  "Ah, that one.."  she says.  "I initially passed it over, seeing as I wasn't an artisan of musical instruments.. nor could I think of someone at the time. It seems you have an idea there. It wouldn't hurt to see what the ranger's specifications are." 

Shandara was reminded of the sword she and Bolten had created. Well, to be honest, she felt she put in the bulk of the work in terms of value, but it still couldn't have come to being without a skilled smith. She wondered how it was doing now.. they were probably still on their march towards the Deathless Kings, or perhaps they would be engaging soon. She thought it strange, if she would be garnering a lot of favor with the ranger's guild of all things.

But then an unfamiliar voice roused her from her daydreaming. Though it did resemble...

Shandara turned to look to find Bolten in a rather disordered state for once. She blinked a bit and mentally tried to recall if she was actually awake herself.  "Oh.. Good morning.." 

She let Bolten grumble to himself for a bit before he finally addressed her and Aiden.  "You're in rare form, Bolten,"  Shandara lightly teased.  "We were just discussing that job for an enchanted violin. That seems like something we could collaborate on.. I'm sure it would be about as successful as that sword we made." 

Turning to Aiden, she asks,  "That is, if you can make a violin about as good as you play one?"  She had to be a bit skeptical at first. Not all musicians knew how to craft the instruments they played. In fact, most, she wagered, couldn't do any carpentry or metalworking to save their life.
MrAbdiel
Aiden laughs, joyfully.  This is a strange response, since she no one has made a joke; and it doesn't seem to be a nervous titter as some given when they aren't sure what to say.  Something about the arrangement just tickles him, it seems.

 "As it so happens, I think I can make them a little better than I play!"   Another chortle, before his eyes go wide and he pats his pockets - but snaps his fingers in mild disappointment.   "Drat.  I ought to be carrying my tokens, on account of making them - but I've recently opened my shop, the Fiddle and Saw.  I can do just about anything with wood that can be done, fiddles to furniture to frigates; and a few other mediums, for that matter.  But heaven's oath, I can make one for sure.  The conventional instrument, I mean - I know there are some battlebards who like a... retractable blade built into it, or a repeating crossbow, or some such.  The mechanisms are not my forté - just the form.  Depends on what the Sergeant turns out to want, in specific." 

He tips his had to Bolten, completely missing or politely ignoring his somewhat worse-for-wearness, and addresses the dwarf.   "Though to be honest, all these new ones are interesting, even if I know some are beyond me.  I'm no engineer, though I do enjoy the puzzle of a 'thorny issue'.  I'll definitely be taking a swing at the bid for that art piece; and while I'm sure better minds will be on it, I'll be thinking about some kind of read-and-replicate system for many idle hours, I suspect.  The wolves are a sticky issue, I think."  He gives the mildest possible frown, which seems more severe given how infrequently he does it.   "Out in Tantamere and the villages around, they call them the 'Old Grey Enemy'.  Tragic as it is, I'm not sure there's a solution for that other than hunting them in greater numbers - drive them away somehow, and they become someone else's problem.  Unless the problem isn't that they're in such number, and that they're unusually aggressive instead - that would bear some investigation." 
WindStruck
When the topic meanders over to wolves, Shandara just looks down and shakes her head.  "Couldn't they just build a fence?"  she asks, completely oblivious to how large and expansive these pastures might be.
MrAbdiel
The country carpenter tilts his head back and forth, thoughtfully.   "Sure, sure; though wolves are pretty big, and clever.  A fence'll keep your livestock in, but doesn't do a lot to keep critters out if they're wily enough.  It'd need to be a wall more than a fence, and if the wolves are clever or hungry enough they'll dig under it or find a way to pull pailings off it.  This is the kind of thing that a woodsman's guild - or a ranger's guild, I suppose - would typically be on top of.  I wonder why it's out of control..." 
Prehysterical
Bolten's only response to Shandara's teasing is a loud slurp of tea. When she brings up the violin, however, the dwarf becomes confused.  "I don't think that I would have any skills that would be useful for a musical instrument... I have nothing against music, but I've never done any such work. Unless you want it to turn into a shield or something,"  Bolten jests off-handedly.

To Aiden, Bolten responds,  "You're welcome to take a crack at the replication, but I feel that a mechanical solution will be best. A machine could be built that has the letters prearranged and stamps them out to make identical copies."  As the topic turns to increasingly aggressive wildlife, Bolten grows quiet. While he has significant background with the natural world in  theory , he has no practical suggestions for handling a predator that he's never even met.
WindStruck
Looking between Bolten and Aiden sheepishly, Shandara responds,  "I suppose I'm not the best consultant for that job. I've no experience with wolves, or wild animals in general, except my owl familiar, and that bear that accosted us..." 

Shandara smirks a bit, her mind wandering and then reminiscing the odd mistakes on the form.  "I can only hope their paper replication doesn't worsen. Though when I looked over the document, I didn't notice the error at first. Bolten certainly found it easily." 

She sighs and says,  "There is only so much time in a day. And I plan to finish up experimenting and compiling a report regarding creating - or perhaps more accurately summoning - water. But I think I can help enchant a musical instrument on the side?"  Shandara looks pointedly at Aiden.
MrAbdiel
Aiden is almost overwhelmed by this; like he's rarely afforded opportunities to have such visioncasting discussions, despite working in this fine institution.   "Hah, well I suppose my interest outstrips my expertise in many things.  I'm interested in all these jobs, but not equipped to really offer solutions.  But I don't intend to compete for the document replication matter - it's all yours friend.  Bolten, is it?  I'm Aiden, it's a pleasure -" , a pause for a brisk, exuberant handshake,  "but if the fellow who wants the instrument does indeed want it to turn into a shield, I'll be certain to loop you in." 

But on the matter of the instrument, he is most impelled.   "Well, normally I'd offer to go speak to the client and bring back a requirement list to save you the trip, Miss Shandara; but I wouldn't care to understate your capacity or ingenuity, on what matter of enchantments might be possible.  And you might well be able to talk him into things he didn't know he needed - a man who is ordering a custom magical instrument for battle has gold to burn, and will be glad to burn it for the right reasons.  Do you have a few hours aside today or tomorrow, so we might talk to the fellow and make a plan before someone snatches it away from us?" 
WindStruck
 "I have some time now,"  Shandara says.  "And I would prefer to meet the client in person as well. I feel I like to get a feel for them, and yes, you are correct.. I may think of questions or ideas you won't."  Though of this, Shandra was actually all but certain.

Looking back to Bolten, she asks,  "I don't know if you already have other plans.. were you thinking of attempting a new document copier? I believe you could come up with something quite ingenious." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Off the top of my head, I'm also remembering that brewery society. Believe Shandara took a little visit and I threw around some ideas OOC? But probably not a top interest nor priority atm.
 
MrAbdiel
Aiden smiles and throws up his hands, elated at how simply this has all moved along.

 "Wonderful!  Fantastic!  To the Ranger's guild, then.  I'll just get my - Oh!  Ambrose!" 

And then he's charging off down the road in long strides, towards his errant horse which has wandered a few windows down and started eating fruit out of a bowl someone has carelessly left within horsing distance.  Aiden makes it about ten yards before his hat blows off, and he is comically stuck in a back and forth loop of stepping toward the horse and back toward the fallen hat for a full three seconds before he snatches the hat and completes his apprehension of the fugitive apple-snatcher.  It doesn't seem to be the first time - he mollifies the owner of the fruit with an apology, and then leads Ambrose back towards his open banjo case; trying to muster the energy to scold the horse but ultimately just laughing and stroking it's neck with affection.  It takes him a few minutes of pack-up and coin counting to get his things in order, affording Shandara and Bolten time to chat out speculations about the other jobs - but after that, he's right and ready to find the Ranger 'Luge'!

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Alright!  So this Ranger HQ - how far away from the campus is it?  A stroll?  A jaunt?
 A hop?  Walking distance, or hire-a-wagon distance?  Or is this uninteresting busy work and I shouldn't ask? :D
 
DeTess
 The Ranger's Guild 
The Ranger's guild is located in the military district, which is quite a walk away from the campus of the Artificery Society. The guild hall is a squat and utilitarian building, clearly designed with utility and defensibility in mind, rather than aesthetics. this forms a clear contrast with the surrounding buildings, which are richly decorated military academies and headquarters for famous regiments. Any doubts whether this squat and utilitarian building is truly the headquarters of the famous rangers is dispelled once the two artificers set foot past the heavy double doors barring the entrance. Beyond these lies a large hall decorated with faded and not-so faded banners pointing to campaigns of old, as well as displays of storied weapons and the skulls of great creatures slain by the members of the guild.

Unlike Shandara's previous visit, the hall is a bit more lively close to a dozen people are moving about the place. Some appear to be noblemen and women come to gawk at the trophies on display, but many of the others appear to be members of the guild. Though they don't share what could be easily identified as a uniform, the confidence with which they hold themselves as they move around and greet one another shows that this is their home.
WindStruck
Shandara looks around at the visitors and staff, a bit intrigued.  "Hm. Seems we have arrived during the middle of an event?" 
MrAbdiel
 
 Spoiler: OOC: Riding in Style 
Just for the sake of it, I assumed Aiden went ahead and hired a wagon for this quite-long walk, so he and Shandara can ride in style.  I've marked off one GP, presuming a 25GP deposit is also in play as with the last time I hired a wagon!
 


Aiden would have chatted Shandara's pointed ears off on the way, as much as she would permit; about her previous work in the city, when she arrived, has she done much work with Bolten, and so on.  It doesn't seem like small talk - more like Aiden is easily fascinated, it would appear.

But when they arrived at the Ranger's Guild, Aiden takes off his straw hat and holds it in front of him stomach as his gaze dances across the assembled personages - but certainly also, the layout of the building and its fine trophies and its generally impressive qualities.

 "Ah!  Well, how about that!  How lucky are we?  Some kind of party, maybe.  Perhaps our sergeant will have the answer - excuse me, there!"   He targets the least busy looking individual in eyeshot; one who he can best guess is a ranger, or a servant in this place.   "Sorry to interrupt, friend - but we're looking for Luge.  Or, ah, Sergeant Vars, beg your pardon."
 
DeTess
Aiden had addressed an elderly woman who seemed to be a caretaker of the exhibits on display in the main hall. She cast a glance around at Aiden's request, then pointed to a group of three rangers gathered in one corner of the main hall. The group consisted of a male human and elf, and female half-elf. "The white-haired human would be Luge." The caretaker explained.
MrAbdiel
 "Thank you kindly, ma'am.  And I must say - this whole arrangement is just lovely."   He gestures to the exhibits, with an outpouring of real delight.   "Just stunning."   But his time is not only his to burn; and he detaches from the older woman and returns his attention to his drowess companion; and from her, another gesture to to trio yonder.   "Our sergeant is the gentlehuman with the white locks, I'm told.  I reckon we would do well to make the acquaintance." 
WindStruck
Shandara let the ever-so-gregarious man wander up to the people and do the talking. She let him make inquiries and babble on, sifting out the information that was important. Even while he was giving his thanks and doling out compliments, Shandara had begun making her way to the trio of rangers speaking in a corner.

She moved at a slow pace, and Aiden could easily catch up. When he pointed the man out, she briefly glanced at Aiden and simply nodded.

Shandara quietly approached.. and though Aiden was big and friendly and loud, her more striking appearance still more than likely made up for her tact and subtleness. She had no intention of interrupting their conversation, though as soon as she got their attention and there was a moment to speak, she said,  "Excuse me. We're here to see Sergeant Vars about the violin commission." 

She dipped her head to the (older?) man with white hair and eyed the other two cautiously.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I thought to myself "uh oh!" A new day and I forgot to prepare spells!

Currently I've had Shandara prepare/cast some spells earlier in the day already:  namely Investigative Mind, Read Magic, and Drench x2 for purposes of her water research, and alarm x2 because she's paranoid about people breaking into her home while she's away. This was probably done when she first went to the archives, and then sometime before she went to the Grand Plaza.

Not too many spells left for now!  But Shandara's "day" is almost over.
 
DeTess
Despite his hair color, Luge was, as Shandara discovered as soon as he turned around, far from an old man. He was a young man in his mid twenties, with ice-blue eyes and a clean shaven face. The sharp planes of his face suggested there was likely some elven blood in his ancestry, which might explain the unusual color of his hair as well. "That' would be me, yes, though please, call me Luge." He favored Shandara and Aiden with a smile. "Could you two tag along to my room? I've got some notes there and an unfortunately broken example of what I am looking for." He then quickly turned back to his companions. "Misty, Kalar, duty calls. I'll talk to you two later." After saying his goodbyes, Luge then led Aiden and Shandara down a hallway further into the building. Shandara could feel the elf glaring at her until she left the main hall behind, though he didn't say anything.

Luge led the two artificer's down a hallway with many doors. Most were closed, but a few where open as well. The open ones revealed small rooms with a bed, a desk and often some personal effects scattered about. Some of the open rooms look like they've not had an occupant for quite a while, while others show clear signs that whoever lives in there has only stepped out for a moment, with clothes and papers scattered about. Luges stopped about halfway down the hallway, and opened a door leading into another one of the rooms. Like the others, the furnishings where quite sparse, consisting of a bed, a desk, two simple chairs and a larger open trunk stuffed with clothes, weapons, what appeared to be potion vials and scrolls and other necessities for the adventurous wanderer on the go.

"Sit down wherever you want." Luge gestured at the two chairs, then walked over to the trunk. He moved some clothes around, then retrieved the remains of a violin that had been stashed below that. The lower third of the instrument seemed to have been eaten away by some kind of strong acid. "This used to be my instrument, but unfortunately it ended up in the maw of an acid-breathing hydra and is now quite unsalvageable." He offered the remains of the instrument to Shandara and Aiden to look over should they so wish. "The posting I made should have covered most of the basics, but I figure you two have some questions about the specifics?"
WindStruck
Shandara tried as best she could to ignore any glares, though she's still thankful, perhaps more comfortable to being led down an empty and more claustrophobic hallway. Taking a look at the seats, there was quite a decision to make. Hm, where to sit? The chair? Or the chair. She supposed, she'd sit in the chair.

She waited as Luge dug out a partially burned and dissolved violin, raising an eyebrow at the mention of an acid-breathing hydra.

 "I see.. you did mention it needed to withstand  'harsh conditions' ... are we to assume being used as an improvised bludgeoning weapon, and jammed into the mouths of monsters with breath attacks to be a regular occurrence?" 
Prehysterical
On any other morning, Bolten would have found Aiden's exuberance contagious. As it is, the dwarf shakes the man's head glumly. He nods in response to Shandara's question with a grateful smile.  "Well, thank you, Shandara! Yes, the wheels in my head have already been turning for a machine that can copy such missives. It will be a nice engineering challenge, finding a way to incorporate as little magic as possible... Can't rely on it too much, otherwise it becomes a crutch in my work." 

In his slug-like stake, Bolten waves a feeble goodbye to Shandara as she goes off with Aiden to investigate the magical instrument. Finishing the last of his tea, Bolten wanders home to collect his thoughts... and some more tea. Black, with honey. Yes, that sounds lovely.

For the moment, Bolten goes back to studying the tongue of the Eastern dragons. Despite his ability to grasp the language, the dwarf struggles to rein in his impatience. Yes, the dragon's breath was the limiting factor on his personal research for the moment, but it would all be for naught if he offended either the ambassador or the dragon whose aid he was beseeching.
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Mythweavers is down for me currently, so I'm not going to do anything that needs dice rolls right now.
 
MrAbdiel
 "Luge it is!  It's swell to meet you, Luge; real swell.  We're excited to see what we can do to help." 

After introductions are exchanged (he makes an effort to introduce himself to Luge's hangers-on as well, as if unable to resist) and they are led to a quieter room to discuss the project, he winces with an apologetic smile at the crippled instrument, taking it into his hands and looking it over with pity.

 "A terrible shame - I hope this was the worst injury of the matter."   After a moment's mourning, he adds his questions to Shandara's.

 "We've lost most of the bridge here to the acid - do you prefer a standard curve, or a country flat-bridge?  And are you a five stringer by preference, or is this just the instrument you happened to have?  I guess much of what I'm asking is how much do you want the new piece to resemble the old piece?  Because I can look at wood matching and mixing the right lacquers and so forth; but otherwise, I could try to make something that maps nicely to your standard field wear."
 
DeTess
"It shouldn't be a regular occurrence." Luge answers Shandara's question with an embarrassed grin on his face. "This particular incident was more of a case of 'me or the instrument'. Still, I travel all across the empire and the instrument needs to be useable under many different conditions, from scorching heat to freezing cold, and it would be nice if it could take some physical abuse as well without immediately breaking."

"As for the design, I would appreciate it if it could be close to this one. I used my old violin for almost two years, so the less time I need to adapt to its replacement, the better."
MrAbdiel
 "A sort of combat-bard, then?  I'm given to understand you play it in combat, and this wasn't just an accident, if I understand correctly.  Does it serve you to have some kind of.. hidden weapon within?  Or do you require really only a very durable instrument?  Oh!  And you mentioned you'd be interested in any kind of effect that might be a boon to your group; is that so?  Would you hope such blessings be.. comfortably versatile, considering the range of your work?" 
WindStruck
Shandara nods along to the abashed explanation, distantly taking in the facts.

 "I suppose I understand. Being in the Ranger's Guild and all.. I can only imagine your lot deals with many dangerous creatures." 
 "My name is Shandara, by the way. Aiden here will be responsible for crafting your instrument just the way you would like it. I, on the other hand, will be enchanting it. Much of what you ask for can be done simply enough.. protection from energy attacks, improved hardness and durability.. It just costs quite a bit in terms of magical reagents. Do you have some sort of budget in mind?" 
 "And on that vein, if practical, what sorts of boons for your allies were you thinking of?" 
DeTess
"The instrument doesn't need to pack any weaponry." Luge shook his head at Aiden's suggestion. "I have a perfectly serviceable rapier to use when I need to personally stab something. As for what other effects to put on it, I'm somewhat of two minds about it. Something versatile that I couldn't do with my own magic might be nice, but my own magic is also already plenty versatile. In that regard, simple mainstays like basic protective charms or healing spells might be better, as it would free up my own magical energies for other uses. Frankly some emergency healing for when I'm tapped out of energy myself would be very useful either way. As for my budget, The Ranger guild ahs offered me a 12,500 gold pieces stipend for replacing the instrument, and if you've got a particularly amazing idea that goes over this I might chip in a little myself."
MrAbdiel
Aiden bounces one eyebrow lazily in thought, his eyes rolled up and looking at the ceiling as if imagining the outcome of their project there.

 "Well, given the amount of  ramblin' hither and yon  you and your companions do, it might be worth having a daily enchantment for  communally enduring the elements ; not just the instrument, but your companions and you.  A single daily casting would get one man through a day with his possessions; or a day's worth divided among a group - say, a group of six benefiting from it for the four hottest hours of a desert trek.  Or-"   He looks to Shandara; ultimately, she's the enchanting wiz.   "That's what I think, anyway.  Hey - if you don't mind, I've my own fiddle outside with the wagon.  I wonder if I bring it to you, we could play a little music, just so I can see your technique and know best if there's anything I can consider about the make of it, without radically altering its form to something unfamiliar to your grip." 

He's halfway out of his chair, as he anticipates an affirmative response; intent taking a positive indication and dashing out to grab his banjo and fiddle and haul them back while Shandara is considering the magical implications of the creation.
WindStruck
Whether Aiden runs off temporarily or stays, Shandara purses her lips in thought and says,  "Hm. For all the protections you wanted on the violin itself, it does not come cheaply.. at least not for anything of high quality. I am aware of some charms that are typically placed on spell books, or in this case, it should be able to apply to your instrument as well. The problem is, it only protects from acid and fire.. and then one day, perhaps seemingly randomly, it may end once you've stuck it in the maw of a hydra one too many times." 
 "I really think it all depends on you, your needs, and what you may expect to face, Luge. If this incident with the violin was just a one-off, perhaps this enchantment I mentioned may be adequate for years upon years to come. There might even be a way to recharge it. But it seems to me like you may be facing a host of totally unexpected situations. And in that case, I would have to recommend something more.. comprehensive." 
DeTess
"It doesn't exactly happen weekly, but incidents like with the hydra do pop up once in a while." Luge explained while Aiden dashed off to get his instrument. "My squad tends to do a lot of monster-hunting, so there are always risks. Still, we have time to rest recuperate and rearm between jobs, so something that could take one or two big hits and then needs recharging could work quite well, I think." While he spoke, he retrieved a case from his trunk which contained another violin, though to Shandara's practiced eye it was clear that it was quite mundane.
MrAbdiel
When Aiden returns, he has both fiddle case and banjo case with him - expecting to lend Luge his fiddle and accompany on his banjo.  But when Luge produces a spare, she is delighted enough; sets aide the larger case, and takes out his own fiddle and bow - a device of warm yellow pearwood.  It is not, itself, outwardly a beautiful work, like might be expected - but its polished faces bear the bumps and nicks of considerable history; and an elven inscription carved into the bottom face, visible only briefly as he takes it out to tune it: 'You may have this, for a time.'

After being caught up on the brief exchange taking place in his absence, he nods along excitedly as he tightens and plucks at strings.   "Well, given the custom work ahead, there's a few not-so-mundane woods to consider in the construction.  Harder to work, but with superior results, and perhaps taking the burden off some of the enchantment for the instrument's preservation.  I've never made much out of Tundra Oak, but a near-unbreakable violin might be worth the effort.  If I can make it sing right, it would be as resilient to fire and blows as worked iron; but without going brittle in frosty conditions.  Insulation against acid, and sonics, and more exotic energies... well, for that I'm glad to have Miss Shandara's collaboration.  But the alternative to Tundra Oak is Greenwood, which requires a touch of maintenance - a little water and earth each month to maintain the inherent supernatural quality of the living wood.  But the trade off is quite remarkable; the smashed or burned remnants of the broken instrument can be laid on fertile earth and will repair themselves completely in a matter of hours.  I suppose it depends on if you want stark, up-front toughness or insurance against true, unavoidable misfortune."   He saws out a swift arpeggio on his instrument, and pleased with its readiness, smiles in implied appreciate for indulgence from Shandara, then tracks his gaze excitedly back to Luge.  Technically speaking, Aiden is intending to observe Luge's technique to inform his creation.  But aside from that, how can two bars who come into each other's orbit resist the opportunity to jam?

 "Hmm - we need a two-part piece.  Do you know  Talons of the Winter Bird ?  You take lead, I'll take second?  Unless you prefer second!" 
 
 Spoiler 

  
 Not to be too wildly clichéd, but here we are!
 
DeTess
"I've heard of greenwood before. One of my colleagues uses a flute made of the material." Luge nods at Aiden's suggestions. "She told me that she couldn't get any complicate enchantments placed on it though, as those might not regrow properly after damage though. Or is that an issue that has been resolved by now?"

As he spoke, Luge finished tuning his violin, then nodded to Aiden. "I'm used to playing lead, so if you don't mind?" He placed his bow to the strings of the instrument and after giving Aiden a moment to get ready, he started playing.

 
 Spoiler: Luge's performance check 

 (1d20+17)[ 27 ] 
 
MrAbdiel
Aiden puffs out his cheeks for a second of internal consideration.   "Is that so?  I admit, I've not made anything overtly magical with greenwood.  I assumed it would be fine, but that is an assumption - I'll look into it.  Obviously, if that's the case, it's unsuitable.  One way or another, we'll find the perfect wood for it.  Alright - I'm happy to take second.  Three, two..."   He taps the time in with his foot, and lets Luge get started; and soon enough joins him.

Aiden seems almost beside himself with delight.  This is a chance to play music, make a friend, and collaborate on a crafting project with  a different friend  all in one place.  What could be finer?  But as they play, he takes note of Luge's hand position on the instrument, how quickly he shuttles the bow; a number of small matters so little and intuitive he would have trouble articulating in words, but will ultimately inform the masterwork eventually.  And the duet, for that matter, isn't half bad...

 
 Spoiler: OOC: It's time to d-d-d-d-duet! 
Aiden's in the zone, and he wants to make a bard friend for sure; so I'll use the one-a-day +8 luck bonus on this, and roll the bones.    Strings!  - (1d20+25)[ 27 ] !

Edit: Ha HAH!  The dice wanted to SCREW me but I saw it coming and now we play equally good instead of me embarassing myself!  AHAHA!
 
Prehysterical
After some reading at home and a chance to perk up with tea and biscuits, Bolten finally straightens himself out to be more presentable. He makes sure to comb his beard and slip into some appropriate workman's clothes before heading down to the Imperial Records and Customs office to offer his services. He feels confident that he can resolve this particular issue by himself, if need be.
WindStruck
Shandara nods, looking .. somewhat impressed at the suggestion of tundra wood. And then green wood is also brought up as a potential material.

Regarding these woods she comments,  "Tundra wood.. That seems like quite an interesting idea. Only now you just reminded me of it. I believe it was wood mostly used for ship building? It's quite resilient, yes, though I suppose there's a reason it's not commonly used for.. violins and such? I believe it would be much harder to work with..." 

Shandara felt quite intrigued about the whole idea of tundra wood and the cold climate it came from. Though she knew she'd probably be quite miserable out in the cold.

 "As for Green Wood, I am not too sure how that works. Isn't that an exceedingly rare type of wood, anyway? And you need some forest nymph's blessing?"  She frowned slightly and shook her head. Yeah, good luck with that.  "In any case, I have never worked with the material, but if it is like a living object, it could pose a problem when trying to inscribe enchantements directly into it. I think at best, we could plan out some indents to place enchanted gems in..." 

Both Aiden and Luge belt out a nice and stunning performance. Though the acoustics were probably a bit messed up in this tiny room, and it was likely far too loud and up close to be all completely enjoyable to Shandara, she still felt the melody was unique and memorable.

After the two finish, she clears her throat and says,  "Ahem. Perhaps there may be yet further options for wood to explore? We may be able to find something in the archives, or ask an expert? Though this tundra wood does sound promising, assuming you can get the Violin to play properly,"  she says, nodding to Aiden.
DeTess
 the ranger's guild 
"You play very well." Luge wasted no time complimenting Aiden after their performance. "I believe creation of the instrument will be in good hands with you. Is there anything else you need from me right now? unless some emergency occurs, I'll be in the capital for the next month at least, so if you have anything else to discuss later, you can of course come and find me here."

 Imperial Records and Customs office 
The Imperial Records and Customs office is a massive complex near the heart of the city, only about a bowshot away from the royal palace. The building is several stories high, and made with a clear eye towards aesthetics, columns and carved facades giving the building a palatial aesthetic. Bolten had no issues getting access to the building, it's main entrance and the large foyer behind it being publicly accessible. The foyer was filled with rows of counters manned by clerks where people would come to ask for records, submit licenses and handle all the other little bits of bureaucracy that kept the capital running. The place was quite busy with clerks rushing to and for and a large amount of people waiting to take their turn. A couple times a minute a bell rang and a new number was put up on a large board at the front of the room, which listed a ticket and desk number. The tickets themselves where handed to everyone who entered at the entrance to manage the flow of people effectively.
MrAbdiel
 "It shouldn't be hard to find - the amount of wood required for a luthier compared to a shipwright is a stark difference, I tell you true; but you're right that it's harder to work with.  You can induce a workable state in certain conditions; but the trick will be making sure a wood with that peculiar resilience doesn't have a drop-off in harmonics.  I'll have to play with it and see what I can do - worst case, I've learned something, and we can make you a nice pearwood piece."   He flips his own fiddle in his hand end over end with needless flourish, before putting it away.  Committing to memory Luge's technique in essentia and detail, he puts away his instrument, and glances between the ranger and his new comrade-in-artifice.   "I think that's all we need.  I've a regular fellow for woods; we can swing buy his yard on our way back and ask if he knows anything about exotic alternatives.  There might be something he knows about which you might have more luck finding through your own contacts, Shandara.  But I think we've got all the information we need." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
With that, Aiden's ready to go - but I did want to ask if Aiden noticed the elf giving Shandara the stink-eye, either on the way in or the way out.  If Shandara is amenable, we'll go by Aiden's normal lumber dealer (the one he went to for wood for the sail boat, he should have some Tundra Oak!) for supply and advice!
 
WindStruck
Shandara nods and asks,  "That sounds like a good idea. Would you say your contact is an expert on a wide variety of exotic woods? Or just, a, uh.. common trader?" 
MrAbdiel
Aiden smiles.   "He's never done wrong by me.  He's a wood seller for many projects in the greatest city in the world; though I admit I haven't stressed his full knowledge base.  I just trust him to know, or to tell us he doesn't know; that's all." 
DeTess
 the Dunfen Woodyards 

The Dunfen woodyards where located not too far from Vaungate's western gates. It consists of a large house functioning as living space and showroom for Dunfen, and a number of large warehouses storing the merchant's goods. The house's ground floor is open to the public and consists of one large room packed with a variety of wooden products. Examples of woodwork ranging from furniture to instruments are on display, showpieces Dunfen commissioned to showcase the properties of the raw material he sells. The walls are paneled in a wide variety of woods, and one one side of the large room several racks hold smaller unworked planks for prospective customers to look over.

As Shandara and Aiden enter, one of Dunfen's sons approaches the two. The man is in his early twenties, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a well-trimmed brown beard. "Ah, master Sorveaux, welcome!" he greets Aiden with a smile and a small bow. "Is there anything I can help you with, or do you have some exciting project coming up that needs my father's expertise?"
WindStruck
Shandara nods to the young man but remains silent. She figured Aiden was being talked to, after all, and knew his way around the place and its people. But, perhaps she could chime in later when appropriate, or if she had a particularly burning question.
MrAbdiel
Aiden throws out a hand for the kind of hearty handshake that audibly claps when it makes contact with the young man's own.  Naturally, he enhances this shake with a second hand cradling the pair in his signature double-hand enthusiastic shake.

 "Richard!  It's good to-..."   He pauses, and squints at the fellow, and then goes with his gut.   "No, I decided last time I wasn't going to second guess.  I decided last time that if you and Rickard were going to get bent out of shape about it, one of you should shave.  Hah!  But yes, if your father is around we might use his eye and nose, though you're welcome to stand in and see if you have ideas of your own.  We've got a - oh, of course-" 

He interrupts himself to make an introduction, and, at this point, finish the handshake.   "Richard, this is Shandara.  Shandara is the Society's premier enchantress, we're working on an fiddle together, and we're in the market for timber options in the  select  range.  Really special client; last one got melted by a hydra.  The last fiddle, not the client.  Is your father around?" 

Aiden's description of Shandara as the premier enchantress of the city's Artificer Society - a defacto suggestion that she is the most skilled enchantress  in the world  - might not be strictly true.  Still, he seems to believe it.
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs office 

Bolten appreciates the building from an engineer's standpoint, but also enjoys the sight of bureaucracy. At least, the kind of bureaucracy where a system is in place that makes a process out of requests and handles them in an organized fashion. Granted, because mortals are prone to error, that machinery is prone to corruption, bias, or errors, but... it's a nice thought.

Ever the rule-abiding dwarf, Bolten takes his own ticket and waits his turn.
WindStruck
 "Ah, yes.. I have some skill.."  Shandara says, smiling sheepishly.

 "So, Richard, is it? Or..."  She glances between the man and Aiden.  "In any case, we are looking for a very durable type of wood that is resistant to energy effects.. Something even better than tundra wood?" 

She'll leave it at that. If it was his father they were looking for, she'd just wind up repeating everything anyway.
DeTess
 the Dunfen Woodyards 
"A pleasure, to meet you, Lady Shandara." The man, most likely Richard, gave the drow a short bow. "As for your project... hmmm, I think this will require my father's expertise. Tundra oak has some of the properties you need, but it is very difficult to work for something as small and detailed as an instrument... Bogwood would have a strong resistance to acid and is also somewhat resistant to flames, but it is too soft and porous to be useful for making an instrument... A difficult conundrum indeed. I'll go fetch my father, one moment." The young man heads up a set of stairs at the back of the room, and returns several minutes later, accompanied by an older gentleman.

The older man has the same hair color as his son, though the brown is interspersed by gray. He wears a well-tailored suit and several rings adorn his fingers. "Aiden, it's good to see you! Lady Shandara, I am Victor Dunfen, owner of these woodyards." Victor is the image of a well-to-do merchant, but the fingers on the hand he offers to Aiden and Shandara have the calluses of a craftsman on them.

"My son informed me of some of the details of your project. It seems you have quite a challenge ahead of you. For woods that naturally have the properties you seek I honestly can't think of anything better than Tundra Oak, though it would be very difficult to work in the shape you desire. I am also familiar with some lacquers that could impart a degree of acid resistance, though given that it has to withstand the exhalations of all manner of dangerous creatures, what I have in mind will most likely not suffice." Victor makes a show of thinking the matter over, though the twinkle in his eye suggests that he already has another suggestion in mind.

"I was told you are an enchantress, Lady Shandara?" The merchant continues after a moment of deliberation. "If so, would I be correct in assuming that you would use your arts to further complement the wood's natural qualities? In that case I might have an alternative, though working it will prove to be a challenge, though one of a different sort than Tundra Oak would be. You see, not too long ago I got my hands on a tree from the far west, from across the ocean. An associate of mine discovered it there and had it shipped to me. The local people apparently call it 'spiritwood' and use it for all manner of creations. What makes this wood so unique is that it is crisscrossd with tiny veins of crystal, that I've been told make it very suitable for taking enchantments, reducing the amount of reagents needed significantly. I sold most of my supply to the battlemage's college, and I've heard their experiments for using it to create rods and staves have been quite successful, so it might work for your project as well. I still have a length left if you want it, though I am afraid I can provide little in the way of advice on working it, given that this is a very new discovery. I am also afraid that its uniqueness and the costs involved with shipping it here means that it has a significant price-tag to it."

 Imperial Records and Customs office 
After a wait of around 10 minutes, Bolten's number was put on the large board, and it took the dwarf little effort to find the appropriate desk. It was manned by a halfling, seated on a tall stool behind the human-sized desk. "Good afternoon, what can I help you with?" He greeted Bolten as soon as the dwarf approached his station.
MrAbdiel
 "Oh, well that  spiritwood  sounds interesting indeed - though perilous, working with a small supply with nothing to lose in the crafting process.  Tell me about that price tag - but keep in mind, I'll be taking some Tundra Oak while I'm here.  Oh, and some simple pearwood, for another project.  Bogwood too, if the price is right.  I wouldn't mind having some exotic stock laying around for my experimentation.  That way, if we decide to go with one wood or the other, we can afford our preferences to fall through without running out of options.  And I'll find work for the leftovers, don't you fear." 

A terrible haggler, Aiden is already fumbling for his coin purse; utterly at the mercy of his supplier's goodwill.
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
 "Er, yes, I was made aware of the commission notice for the new form copying method,"  Bolten informs the halfling. He remains standing, since he assumes that it won't take long before he has to meet with someone.  "I'm here to propose a design for a machine." 
WindStruck
Shandara greets the two men, and she nods to the older merchant.  "Ah. Seems you are well-acquainted with yet another type of exotic wood with useful properties. Though I will trust your judgements." 
 "The spirit wood does sound intriguing. Might we see the piece? And how does its hardness compare to that of other woods?" 

While Aiden was already going for his coin purse, Shandara was reaching into her bag for an eye loop. Sort of like a singular small magnifying glass, useful for examining tiny details otherwise imperceptible to the naked eye.
DeTess
 the Dunfen Woodyards 
"I'll go and get the piece for you. Once you've had a chance to look it over we can discuss the price." Victor left for a moment, his son in tow. After about five minutes the two of them returned. The younger Dunfen carried the miscellaneous pieces of wood Aiden had requested, while the older merchant carried another length wrapped in cloth. He brought it over to a table, then unwrapped it for Aiden and Shandara to look at. The piece was a rough cylinder about 60 cm long and about 40 cm in diameter. The bark had been stripped off, but it hadn't been processed in any other way. It sparkled slightly because of thin veins of differently colored crystal running through the wood and catching the light.

 
 Spoiler: rolls requested 

Windstruck, I would like a knowledge: arcana or spellcraft (only pick one) and an appraise, adding a +2 bonus for each of the following you are trained in: knowledge: arcana, knowledge: nature, craft: woodworking and craft: jewelcrafting (or similar crafting skill).

Aiden, if you want to get involved in the appraising, you can also make an appraise roll with the some bonus sources.
 
DeTess
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
"Ah, understood. Do you have a working design ready for appraisal, or are you here to gather information on our exact needs and discuss an idea?" The halfling asked Bolten while starting to fill out a slip of paper.
WindStruck
Shandara inspects the wood carefully, and eventually she nods.  "It appears about as much as you say. This wood does indeed have some unique properties. However, it appears to be extremely hard to work with. Perhaps the battlemage college could share some insight into how they were able to work with the wood? Or perhaps not.. But it is surely quite a risky gamble, as I am sure this wood is not only expensive, but this is the last piece left." 
 "Is there a particular reason the battlemage college didn't want this piece as well?"  she asks.
MrAbdiel
Aiden blows out an excited breath, as he looks over the exotic wood.  His eyes are fixed on it, even as Shandara speculates about how best to use it.

 "Well, I'm keen to take this even if we don't end up using it for this project.  I'll have to experiment to work with it, for sure.  The work of a  luthier  is very different from just carving a staff, or rod; you can make those with wood that's been in a kiln for a little while and seal them and off you go.  To make an instrument, I'm using supple woods and aged woods; typically, some of the instrument is wood that has been left to settle for twenty years or more, and some has been harvested the prior season.  There's tricks, of course, and I know most of them; but I'm always keen to learn more about wood.  Why, I'd be excited to see what these  staviers  have to say." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Technically making a violin requires old wood and new wood and all this technical stuff; I'm just spackling over that with the assumption that Aiden knows some tricks that exist in this fantas world to get around that because... we're not trying to simulate item creation at that level of realism!
 What a pain that would be!
 
DeTess
 the Dunfen Woodyards 
The reason for that has to do with the piece's length. The wood had been cut in a number of pieces before being shipped here, most of which where about 1 to 2 meters long." Victor explained. "They wanted to make staves, and this piece was simply too short for that."

"Now, as for price, if I go by what I got for the other pieces from the battlemage's college, I could ask about a 1000 gold pieces for it. However, I pride myself on being able to advise my clients on how to work with their newly acquired materials, but for this new wood I simply can't do that. Therefore, I'm willing to cut the price down to 800 gold pieces, provided you two drop by once you're done with it to share some of your experience with me. That way, if I get more of this wood in later, I'll be able to properly advice my customers."
WindStruck
Shandara thinks a bit and asks Aiden,  "I don't know. Is this piece even big enough to attempt making a violin out of?" 
 "As I said, it seems to be quite the risky venture. It wouldn't be responsible to be gambling the funds of a client, however, perhaps we may want to put up some of our own funds just for the purpose of experimentation? I don't know..." 
 "I can't really say how worthwhile experimenting with this wood is for me. I'm curious, but.. I'm not sure how likely it is for me to ever run into this type of wood again. Obviously, if there was a more reliable supply of it, that might.. hmm." 
 "I'm still considering it. Would you care to indulge us in stating who your associate is that found this, and where it came from?" 
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
 "I do have a basic idea for a design, but I'd like to get as much information as I can before I commit to building something. It's hardly efficient to start on it and then find out part of the way through that there is some aspect that I had not accounted for or considered,"  Bolten admits to the halfling clerk.
MrAbdiel
Aiden is already reaching for his coinpurse when Victor is pitching a price.  He answers Shandara's question without even looking up, in his haste.

 "Oh, for sure.  More than one, even.  It's not as though you cut the instrument from one piece, like a sculpture; it's pieced together, glued at places to mirror the woodgrain back to back.  Oh..." 

Without needing supernumeracy to count them at a glance, it's obvious that Aiden has not much more than one hundred gold in the coin purse he is looking into with disappointment.  He purses his lips with dismay, looking at the length of mysterious timber, and asks:   "I might need to arrange a loan - do you mind holding it for me, Victor?  I'll come by tomorrow and claim it, even if it doesn't end up in this violin.  I'm waiting for some payments to come through from other jobs, you see..." 
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "I can cover the payment. Not right this instant, however. I only need to make a trip to the Goldrow Bank." 
MrAbdiel
 "Oh, would you?"   He says, startled by the drow's unprovoked generosity.   "Well, that's very kind; thank you.  I'll pay you back for it, I swear I'm good.  I just need a pending contract to come through, first." 
DeTess
 The Dunfen Woodyards 
"I'm afraid I can't share too much with respect to my sources right now." Victor said, apologetically. "This is something found in the far west, though I have been assured the piece I received was not unique. I expect to receive more in the future, though given the distances involved it will likely take at least 9 months before I receive more of this wood."

 Imperial Records and Customs office 
"In that case, I'll refer you to miss Lurel. She works with the copying department and can provide you with more information on our needs." The clerk asked Bolten several quick questions regarding basic personal information like his name, then handed him a slip of paper with a wax seal attached to it and Bolten's name and the current date written on it. "This is a visitor pass, please wear it visibly while you are on the premises." He then provided Bolten with directions to miss Lurel's office.

Bolten reached the office on the second floor without any issues. He passed a couple guards on his way, but all of them let him pass after a quick glance at his visitor's pass. Eventually he made it to the office, which was a small room, its walls lined with filing cabinets and with a single desk set in it. Behind the desk was another door and a window looking down into a sizeable hall. 'Miss Lurel' was a female elf, appearing youthful, but likely at least a couple decades older than Bolten. She had long honey-blond hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. According to the plate on the door to her office she was the assistant director of the recordkeeping department.
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "I see..."  somewhat dryly.  "So, you do not know what nation or area this wood came from either? Or is this also being kept a secret?" 
 "I suppose. Since this won't be just a one-off thing, I am quite interested in buying it. And the Tundra Wood, and.. I suppose whatever else Aiden is interested in buying." 

She shoots the country bumpkin a look.  He had better pay me back. 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
So, we could probably skip going to the bank and coming back to pick up the wood, unless you think something else interesting happens.

Total GP for all the purchases?

Then I have two other places to go in mind. First, the Orlof Merchant house. Remember the special preferred client status we were offered? Would be interested to know if they have seen this wood before, and where it comes from. Then, secondly, the Battlemage college, to see if we can talk with any crafters and what their experience was with working with the Spirit Wood.
 
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs office 

Bolten accepts the visitor's pass with thanks before heading up to the second floor. He makes sure that it is obviously and securely on his person. Upon finding his way to Miss Lurel's office, Bolten knocks and bows politely to make his presence known.

 "Good day to you. You must be Miss Lurel. I'm here to inquire about the commission for a new copying method for the guard's custom forms. From what I have been told, the magic pens used to transcribe the forms are eventually prone to errors due to deterioration in the magic. I think I might have a mechanical solution for your problem, but I'd like to learn all the relevant details before I commit to anything." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden is sheepish about having shown up to make the purchase without the dosh to do so, which translates into  even more  warm chatty-ness as they head off to the Goldrow Bank.  But only so much of that talk can be flavorsome smalltalk of the kind bards are excellent at using to fill silence.  Some portion of that must be  real ; and Aiden transitions from one to the other with no regard for the flinchy sensitivity many may have for such questions, concerning Shandara's singular nature.

 "...Which is really something special.  I figure I can carve up part of the length into some coin-sized pieces we can use to play with, as far as determining how quickly it picks up enchantments and what not.  Anyway - I've never met drow-elf in person, before.  Did your family migrate to the surface generations ago; or did you make your way up here on your own on your own cause?" 
DeTess
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
"A mechanical solution?" The elf raised one eyebrow at Bolten's suggestion. "Color me intrigued. I've had several enchanters from the artificery society here already, but they're still stuck on troubleshooting what causes our current solution to sometimes make mistakes in the first place, so if you have a different approach I am al ears. But regarding our needs, allow me to give you a quick demonstration."

Miss Lurel got out several things from her desk, a short note, several blank sheets of paper and a quill ad inkwell. She placed the blank paper in a stack, the note next to it, and then tapped the note with the quill, before dipping it in the inkwell and placing it on the blank paper. The quill then started copying the text from the note onto the sheet of paper. Once it was done, the quill nudged the sheet of paper to the site before starting the process again on the next sheet. It would automatically return to the inkwell as well whenever it ran dry.

"If I had the quill copy this note a hundred times or so, one of the copies is likely to have some kind of small mistake in it. We primarily use these to copy things like forms and other missives that need to be copied en masse. Documents that only get copied once or twice, such as contracts get checked manually after that, so any mistakes get caught and can be corrected, but we can't do that for things we need lots of copies of." The elf continued to explain. "Your solution should have a significantly higher accuracy, while not being significantly slower or requiring much more in the way of manual labor. It should also ideally not take up more space than this desk here. Is all that clear so far?"
WindStruck
Somehow, Shandara manages a balance of vaguely listening to Aiden, to filter for anything that was important, while also simultaneously phasing him out and maintaining an awareness of her surroundings.. despite the sun creeping higher and higher into the sky.

Suddenly, when he begins asking about her family and the circumstances of her being here, her body stiffens and her movements become far more deliberate. Facing the bard briefly, before turning away to look back down towards the ground and ahead of her, she mumbles,  "Um, no. I came here by myself..." 
MrAbdiel
 "Oh, yeah?  Me too, me too.  Well - except for Ambrose here."   He nods towards the geriatric horse pulling the cart; a task that would probably difficult for such an old beast if he were enhanced by a magic belt clearly made for humans, but threaded effectively into the creature's bridle.

 "It's not easy, starting new in a new place.  For some people, it's the only option to chase a dream of success, or profit in a far place.  For others, it's just the only option." 

He glances back to the enchantress, herself glancing away at the time.  Aiden is foolish in some regards, but not so sheltered that he is unable to imagine that the circumstances under which a drow comes alone to the surface are likely not purely entrepreneurial.

 "But your skills are in demand, and your reputation is established; so you're doing something right.  D'you think you've adapted, now?  To the new start in the new place, I mean." 
WindStruck
Shandara steals a glance back at Aiden, after he rambles on a bit then asks his question again.  "It's been a few years,"  she says.  "And I think, for the most part.. yes, I've adapted. My life feels fairly comfortable now. And I think, it was lucky to turn out that way." 
MrAbdiel
 "Well, if you're gonna start again, Vaungate's the place to do it, I figure.  I've only been in town for  a handful of months, and now I've got a nice place and a shop; and a whole passel of new friends.  They told me the Stormdrains was a rough place to live, but I've had nothing but good experience with the folk there.  You should come over some time - Maria makes a very fine sandwich.  I could ask her if she knows her way around mushroom dishes, if you're missing them up here... " 

At some point in his chat, probably around the 'handful of months' remark, he starts speaking elven and seems to be unaware that he's made the change.  Certain elements of his speech, things like 'passel' and 'handful' as units of measure, fit better in common, certainly.  Still, off he goes; odd fellow that he is.
WindStruck
It takes a few seconds for Shandara to process what happened. From a conversation in English, to an abrupt chorus of gobbledygook, which in retrospect was a switch to Elven. Now the man's flowing tongue was speaking in Elven. A bit of a different dialect from hers, but still. How strange.

Shandara was silent for a while, peering at Aiden. Rather indecisive, like she either could not decide what to say or how to say it. Finally she says,   "... the Stormdrains? There was a plague there not long ago. It may still even be ongoing. I should not go there..."  

She looked at Aiden again, distancing herself a bit. She wondered if he was, in fact, unknowingly carrying some kind of disease with him even now as they spoke. He seemed healthy now, but she wasn't absolutely sure.

  "And who is Maria?"  
Prehysterical
 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
  Imperial Records and Customs office 
"A mechanical solution?" The elf raised one eyebrow at Bolten's suggestion. "Color me intrigued. I've had several enchanters from the artificery society here already, but they're still stuck on troubleshooting what causes our current solution to sometimes make mistakes in the first place, so if you have a different approach I am al ears. But regarding our needs, allow me to give you a quick demonstration."

Miss Lurel got out several things from her desk, a short note, several blank sheets of paper and a quill ad inkwell. She placed the blank paper in a stack, the note next to it, and then tapped the note with the quill, before dipping it in the inkwell and placing it on the blank paper. The quill then started copying the text from the note onto the sheet of paper. Once it was done, the quill nudged the sheet of paper to the site before starting the process again on the next sheet. It would automatically return to the inkwell as well whenever it ran dry.

"If I had the quill copy this note a hundred times or so, one of the copies is likely to have some kind of small mistake in it. We primarily use these to copy things like forms and other missives that need to be copied en masse. Documents that only get copied once or twice, such as contracts get checked manually after that, so any mistakes get caught and can be corrected, but we can't do that for things we need lots of copies of." The elf continued to explain. "Your solution should have a significantly higher accuracy, while not being significantly slower or requiring much more in the way of manual labor. It should also ideally not take up more space than this desk here. Is all that clear so far?" 
 

It's easy to see the appeal of such a system... These magic quills free up personnel to work on other tasks. Bolten rubs his beard as he considers the limitations of the project. He makes a point of measuring the dimensions of the desk for his own notes.  "As far as accuracy goes, I will have to perform some tests to see how my method performs long-term. I will admit that it may or may not involve more manual input, but you can see for yourself that using magic as a shortcut sometimes results in unexplained hiccups. I will be back tomorrow with some potential designs for your inspection. With all this being said, what would happen if some artificer solved your magical problem before I complete my design for the machine and manufacture a prototype?" 
MrAbdiel
Back to common, for no discernible reason for the reply:

 "Maria - oh, that's my housekeeper.  She's wonderful; you'd like her a lot." 

Would Shandara like Maria?  Is there any particular reason for that conviction, other than a buoyant faith in the quality of both women mentioned?  It remains unclear.

 "And I'd heard something about a sickness in the place - seems well gone, from what I can see.  Lot of folk there needing work and kindness, I think; but it's alright.  Best city in the world, but still has no shortage of people who could use a little work and little kindness.  I've a couple of lads who brought me this old husk of a boat - nothing much else to their names, but now I reckon they'll be making the next boat, and that's just dandy.  Do you have any apprentices, miss Shandara?  I've only done low level enchanting, but I bet there's a deal of lesserwork involved in the more complex projects that you could leave to a protégé." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC: Will he ever shut up? 
No, probably not.  DeTess, move the scene on whenever you're ready.  I'm just having fun Aidening up the joint in the interim!
 
DeTess
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
"We'll be looking at designs until at least the end of this month." The elf explained. "If wee ask for a prototype to be manufactured we'll reimburse you for your time and material costs even if we end up settling for another design in the end."

 The Orlof merchant house 
After finishing business at the bank and the woodyards, Aiden and Shandara make their way to the Orlof merchant house. They are located in a stately building located near the eastern gate. The sign above the door shows a bolt of cloth and a stack of differently colored metal bars, providing a hint towards the house's specialty. The door immediately opens on Shandara or Aiden's knock, though there is no doorman in sight. Immediately inside is a small waiting room filled with comfortable chairs upholstered in expensive looking fabrics and a receptionist's desk manned by a dwarf.

After introducing themselves the dwarf asks the two artificers to wait for a moment while he checks with lady Orlof. He returns after a couple minutes to lead Aiden and Shandara to her office.

Junya Orlof's office is a large and lavishly decorated room. The large windows set behind the desk look out on a garden. The walls are decorated with all kinds of tapestries, as well as a an oil painting showing a beautifully painted cavescape. Junya Orlof herself appears to be a human. At first glance she appears to be fairly young, in her early twenties maybe, though there is a timeless air to her more commonly seen with elves, suggesting she's older than she appears. She has long, shimmering black hair, and eyes so dark in color they appear to almost be black as well, though the light brings out a brown note in them. She wears a modest yet well-tailored dress made from a dark-blue fabric. She appears quite beautiful, though in a slightly otherworldly way. Lady Orlof greets Aiden and Shandara with a smile, and bids them take a seat on one of the chairs in front of her desk. "So, Shandara, what can the Orlof merchant house help you with today?" She gets straight to business as soon as the two artificers are seated.
WindStruck
Eventually, Shandara was coming around to Aiden and the whole idea of renting out a carriage. Going from just about one end of the city to the other and back again would have been utterly exhausting. Even so, the day was dragging on for her, and she was beginning to feel weary as noon approached. But business was business, as well as a bit of.. unexpected socialization, she supposed.

As they arrive to the Orlof's estate, Shandara is polite and quiet. She takes in the picture of the cavescape, wondering if she might recognize it ...  Or perhaps, it was someplace completely random, or of the imagination. She might never really know.

Lady Orlof gets right to business, and so Shandara begins,  "Lady Orlof, good to see you. I recall you had offered Bolten and I 'preferred client' treatment as part of our previous arrangements.. and so, I wanted to see what you could make of this." 

She nods to Aiden and then gestures toward Lady Orlof so that the man might relinquish the block of wood from his possession so she may have a better look.  "We came across this at the The Dunfen Woodyards. One name for it is 'spirit wood' as far as I know. It has fine crystals that grow throughout the wood, and it is supposedly excellent for putting enchantments upon, if not for the difficulty of working with something new. The battlemage academy bought up most of it, and this is the last piece..." 
 "I was wondering, with you being so resourceful and all, and your contacts, if you had ever dealt with this type of wood before, or perhaps, if you even have a supply presently. All we were told is it comes from some place far to the west, across the ocean. And I'm afraid Mr. Dunfen would not divulge the identity of the one who sold it to him." 
 "I was quite intrigued by this wood and was thinking it might be a useful investment. But not only is the price absolutely exorbitant.. if there is no steady supply, I see little point in experimenting with the wood further..." 

With that explanation made, Shandara's sat back in her chair, her red eyes settling on the lady's dark irises. Though with the window behind her looking out into the garden, she was hardly more distinguishable than a silhouette.
DeTess
"You've brought me something quite interesting indeed." The moment the block of wood was placed on her desk lady Orlof got out a magnifying glass and looked it over while Shandara explained its source. "It is not surprising that master Dunfen is trying to keep the source of this wood under wraps. Based on what I've heard from the experiments by the Battlemage's academy there could be quite a demand for this wood. I myself wasn't aware there was still a piece left, otherwise I would have bough it myself."

Lady Orlof finishes her inspection, then turns back to Shandara. "As my earlier comment probably made clear, I don't currently have a supply of this wood. I have my own contacts in the far west though, and they have tracked down the supply, and are currently negotiating to buy some for me. The earliest I'd have any in stock would be 4 to 5 months from now though, and I doubt there'll ever be a large supply of this wood. My people are still looking into it, but based on what they've learned form the locals it can take several centuries for a tree that can supply lengths like this to grow. The forest these are sourced from is apparently quite large, but with few trees mature enough to be suitable for an enchanter's craft. There are also several several local tribes willing to fiercely protect their territory, which means we are subject to their whims, as far as supply of this wood is concerned."

"So, whether or not investing a lot of time in learning the quirks of this material is worth it is up to you. However..." Lady Orlof stretches out the silence just a little before continuing. "It'll be a while yet before any new supplies reach these shores, and I suspect that when the next shipment arrives, there will be quite a demand, and not just for the wood, but also for the few individuals that have had a chance to work with it already. That's something worth keeping in mind, I think. Certainly, if I knew someone with expertise with working with this wood by the time my shipment arrives, I'd make certain to pass this information on to any prospective clients, which would create more opportunities for these few experts."
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
 "Ah. That is more than fair of you,"  Bolten admits.  "Makes me feel better about the whole thing. In that case, I suppose I had better make myself busy."  The dwarf stands and offers a hand to shake to the young (though slightly older) elf.  "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden is delighted to meet Lady Orlof in his customary,  labradorian  default of good nature.  Additionally, he does not seem put out at all to be the 'wood carrier', listening to the women discussing their own arrangement and the possibility of sourcing more Spirit Wood, but occasionally losing focus and letting his eyes wander to marvel at the art in the room.

So much so that he seems to miss the sideways suggestion that, if he masters the material, he will be well positioned to be an exclusive craftsman with it, perhaps in tandem operations with Shandara.  He catches up before he needs it explained again, however; eyes brightening with the belated understanding.
WindStruck
Shandara mulls the new information over. Her fingers interlaced, and her eyes also wandering occasionally.  "I see. Well, I certainly was not expecting any miracles. And it sounds like the prospects of acquiring a large quantity are slim to none, especially since it seems the demand is only ever going to be increasing, and the supply decreasing..." 

With special trees that took nearly an elf's lifetime to mature, it seemed like an utterly impractical resource to utilize, no matter how vast the forest in question was. Shandara's mind wandered back to the goliath, Vaigr, whose own people were conquered and overrun by the empire. How long would it be until these tribes in distant lands were subjugated? Would the trees in question be over-harvested, and thus wiped out of existence within the next hundred years or so?

 "I had an idea..."  Shandara said.  "I've been thinking of opening a shop at some point in the future. I can't say exactly when or where. But one thing this wood brings to mind are wands. They are quite small objects, and you could potentially pack a lot of magic into them. It's a lot more feasible to craft wands out of wood in such short supply rather than staves, shields.. instruments."  Her eyes wandered over toward Aiden.

 "Ahem, Aiden. I think it may be a bit too risky to try to craft a violin out of this. One mishap on either of our ends, and it may as well just be ruined. But we can practice making scores and scores of wands instead. What would you say to that?" 

Turning back to Lady Orlof, she asks,  "And I am curious. What would you have done with this piece of wood yourself?" 
DeTess
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
The elf shakes Bolten's hand. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with."

 The Orlof Merchant House 
"I'd have waited a little for more information about this material to become available, then I'd have found a prospective buyer and sold the piece off at a significant profit, of course." Lady Orlof answered Shandara's question with a smile, as if her course of action was the mot simple and natural in the entire world.
WindStruck
Shandara offered a slight and polite smile back at the explanation. Well, of course that was what a merchant would do. But did the lady not have more grand or for lack of better words, nefarious plans with them? Well, who knew at this rate.

 "Well, I suppose it is fortunate, then, that not only did you get an opportunity to see it and learn more, but you may have also found a future prospective buyer." 

Her eyes wandered back toward the painting of the cavescape again.  "I must say, that is quite a skillful painting you have there. How curious. Such an accurate representation of the Underdark.." 

While Shandara had actually managed to recognize the artist who made that painting, she was subtly probing for some more information. There was something about this Lady Orlof. Though she supposed, if Dukkear Ironmonger was a contact of hers, maybe it wasn't so far fetched that she may have procured a large painting done by a famous Drow artist. Though,  why . Of all things to display, why this?
MrAbdiel
Aiden's eyebrows go on a journey as he listens to Shandara's suggestion; from elevated with excitement to flat with concentration, to up with mistaken delight and then furrowed with the final implications of her suggestion.  It's plain he disagrees - and that it takes him longer that it should take a man to marshall the wherewithal to disagree so directly.

 "Well, Miss Shandara, I don't know-... I mean, wands are just rods.  I can make those on my lathe at home without any trouble at all.  But if it's a wood that's only going to grow in demand, and not radically increase in supply...  Well, this might be the only chance to make an instrument in such a medium.  It may be prohibitively expensive later, while it'll only ever be moderately difficult to get supply for small wooden rods.  Our client might end up as the only man in the world with an instrument made from Spirit Wood - I just think..."   He pauses, fretting, rubbing the back of his neck.   "Well, I'd really like the opportunity to try." 
DeTess
"Ah, yes. That was a gift to me actually, from a... client I helped out when she was in a bit of a bind." Lady Orlof smiles wistfully. "That was from back during my wilder years, though. Still, it is a beautiful keepsake to remind me of some past adventures."
Prehysterical
Returning home from the records office, Bolten spends a few hours hashing out some initial concepts for the new form replicator. He has a basic idea of its form and function, but how to make it actually practical? Ideally, it would have as few magical parts as possible since such charms have already proven to be unreliable.

 
 Spoiler: Design 
What Bolten has in mind would be a prototype typewriter. While it  could  be enchanted to operate on its own, he would also design it for manual input. After all, living eyes can help to check for mistakes while the magic is uncaring of its quality.

The machine itself would be a casing where the ink reservoir and the levers are housed in. Levers outside would have the standard alphabet on them and be the data entry points. These levers would be attached to metal plates that strike the paper and leave behind the impression of the letter in ink. There would also be room for custom plates and levers such as the Imperial seal or any other necessary markers.

Since this kind of thing has never been designed before in this setting, I'm going to guess that Bolten won't immediately think of quality-of-life improvements like ergonomic keyboards. He probably would recognize the need for the paper holder to slide as the user types, however.

Here's a Knowledge (Engineering) check to help catch any potential design hiccups:  (1d20+12)[ 24 ] 
Hopefully, Bolten can make it work without including any magical components. If the parts can be readily replaced, that would make things easier for the office and its workers.
 
WindStruck
Shandara pinches at the bridge of her nose and sighs.  "Yes, he  could  have the world's first and only violin made of spirit wood. But that's not what he  asked for , is it? He just wanted a violin that could stand up to the harsh conditions of his.. profession." 
 "Due to the special medium this wood presents, I rather doubt that crafting a wand is simply a 'rod' you make on a lathe every day at home. And for these same reasons, crafting a violin - a violin which can be  enchanted and take advantage of this wood's special properties  is quite a risky endeavor." 
 "Look, Man. I think we all agree the wood will only get more expensive. And do you really think you will be asked to create a violin like that again in your lifetime? I, too, wanted to experiment with this wood. That's the ultimate reason why I purchased it. But if you want to have a go at it, then.. well, I suppose you could be the one to pay the costs instead?" 

Shandara was feeling fairly ruthless now as she began to lord the 800 gp pricetag over Aiden's head. Or perhaps she was just becoming cranky with weariness.  "Oh, wait. As I recall, you were short on funds. But I suppose I'd be amenable toward a repayment in a timely manner?" 
MrAbdiel
Aiden just sort of absorbs the strident response to his pushback.  His eyes spend the whole time hunting around her expression for some facial indication that he is missing something, or for some better handle on the scenario.  The sarcastic rhetorical questions, the running-down of his estimations of what he can lathe, the sharp but perhaps not unfair clarification of the challenge of the endeavour - he simply can offer produce no defense.  It seems to have taken all his capacity for contention to raise his mild objection in the first place.

The final, indelicate reversal of what he had taken to be a gesture of generosity, forwarding the gold for the Spiritwood when he had not nearly enough, is a definitive rhetorical suplex from which there is no hope of recovery.  It strikes him less hard than 'Man', had, before; the country carpenter sitting in his chair still recovering from the perplexity of why she had elected to employ such an impersonal, racial appellation against him instead of his name.  By the end, he has the diminished presence of a kicked dog; cheeks red, eyes wide but deflected in their gaze downward and away; the battered broad brimmed straw hat twisting in his deeply discomforted grip, against his stomach.

 "No, that's... That's fair, that's quite right; you did, ah...  I can- I can certainly work with the Tundra Oak, or the Bogwood.  Or, hah, maybe some kind of-kind of laminate of the two..." 

He trails off; his typical tendency to prattle on about his work asphyxiating swiftly in vacuum left by his absolute concession of the point.
WindStruck
Shandara looks at Aiden, taking in his reddened face and disappointment. She felt a slight twinge of regret, perhaps a realization that she may be burning bridges or alienating a person who was integral to this commission. But she had her own goals, and business was business. She wasn't about to risk a huge chunk of her own money just so another man could literally fiddle around with a quantity of exceedingly rare and expensive wood, which she thought she could make far better use of.

 "Sorry to disappoint you, Aiden... We came here to learn more about the Spirit Wood and see if it was possible to procure a more stable supply. And I'm afraid, it is simply far too rare and expensive..." 

Shandara wasn't sure what she should do, as the situation became awkward. If she had to choose, she would choose trying to craft the wands and following her dreams, rather than a one-off experimentation with a violin. Granted, they may be able to learn something from that attempt, but it probably wouldn't be nearly enough or as useful.. for she did not expect to be making many enchanted violins like this either.

Perhaps if the violin didn't pan out, they could still salvage something to make some wands? Though there would be a lot less opportunity to learn, and how many magical ingredients would she waste in the mean time? Her mind was whirring, with calculated risks, unknowns, probability, and resource management... far more focused on the material and opportunity costs, rather than social niceties.
MrAbdiel
 "No, that's... It's alright.  I'll just - I can just make an attempt at some other-" 

He's almost inarticulate with discomfort; the peace-making expression on his face what you might imagine if you were to see someone who was ordered to be happy at gunpoint.  He rubs his brow with one knuckle and fans at the air with one hand as if seeking to waft away the collision of interests like an intrusive smell.
 
"It's alright." 

He finds his jumping off point to move on from there, much to the appreciation of presumably everyone in the room, his attention tracks back to Junya Orlof; about four seconds into his new questioning, tapping into a new wellspring of curiousity and radiant goodwill.

 "Lady Orlof - I hope you don't mind me asking, but your dress.  I think it's very fine, and you're obviously a woman who knows about such things.  Would you say it's very stylish, in the city right now?  I ask because I dabble in mediums beyond woof, cloth often enough; and I'm fair with a needle, but the fashion of sophisticated ladies is, hah..."  He gives an affable shrug and a self deprecating smile.   "Not at all something I was raised with.  Is it rude to ask what a woman such as yourself might pay for a dress of that quality?" 
DeTess
Lady Orlof regarded the little moment of drama between Aiden and Shandara with a cool gaze, but refrained from commenting on it. When Aiden swung his attention around to her attire she raised an eyebrow in slight surprise at the speed with which he changed gears, but kept any comments on it to herself, instead choosing to simply answering his question. "A dress closely resembling mine in form, if not in function, would likely go for a couple dozen gold pieces. If one wished to replicate it in full... well, you'd be looking at a price closer to a 1000 gold pieces, but you'd find very few people willing to pay that amount."
MrAbdiel
 "Function..."  Aiden repeats, blinking once, smiling faintly as he catches up.  A magic garment, then; with some undisclosed ensorcelling.   He had assumed the dress itself would command a more intimidating price - a couple of dozen gold pieces for a garment is positively restrained for nobility, he would have thought; or perhaps Lady Orlof is a more functional, minimalist type of noblewoman.  Either way, since his desire is to comprehend the arcane world of demanded fashions and what drives it so he might be one day in a position to serve it, he gives his awkward, if endearing smile again, and bows a little in his seat; not even asking the obvious follow up about the nature of the enchantment.

 "Fascinating, ma'am; I've so much to learn!  Thank you, kindly, for indulging me." 
WindStruck
The woman's dress was nice indeed.. the price seemed to match her estimates, given the finery. And the additional cost of 1000 gp made Shandara tilt her head slightly with some curiosity.

 "Hm. A magical glamour effect, perhaps? Though I suppose, it really is none of our business..." 

Her eyes wander over to the cavescape again. It was a delicate subject, one which she was sure prodding wouldn't be welcome.  "I have heard of the artist that created that painting. Rumor has it that she was killed. But.. I might not be the only of my kind living above ground. Or perhaps, I wonder if she simply moved elsewhere..." 

Shandara looked back at Lady Orlof.  "Either way, with your connections to the Ironmonger Clan, it seems quite reasonable for you to have valuables from the Underdark..." 

Quickly pivoting subjects, she asks,  "Ahem. Would you like to inspect this wood further, or do you have any other future inquiries about it? I am sure we will learn much, one way or the other." 
DeTess
 The Orlof Merchant House 
"I have no pressing need to further investigate this wood myself. However, I would be interested in learning about your experiences with this wood once you're done with it." Lady Orlof responded to Shandara's final query, leaving the Drow's subtle queries regarding the painting unanswered. "That is something we can discuss in further detail at a later date, however."
WindStruck
 "Ah, yes. As would Mr. Dunfen, and just about any other artificer who has caught wind of this..."  Shandara said. Everyone here knew how valuable this information would be, and it probably wasn't something to be given freely as of yet. Although Shandara did hope that if she could provide this information, then she could secure a 'preferred client' status with this wood, which the Lady Orlof did not specialize in.  "I don't suppose the Battlemage Academy would be willing to divulge any of these secrets? As you recall, they bought most of the wood to make staves. But I think, as their purpose is more militaristic than the Royal Artificery Society.. I don't know..." 
DeTess
"Some information has gotten out, given us some idea of the potential of this wood." Lady Orlof answered. "However, they have since been ordered to keep quiet about the details. Someone probably believes it would be best to keep the details of this material secret for military use. I suppose someone in the Artificery Society might be able to learn more from them, but then you'd likely be told to keep said details quiet yourself."
MrAbdiel
Aiden is content to be quiet for the moment; considering both his secondary tailoring goals, and the primary instrument crafting to come in, he supposes, one of the other woods they picked up.  And a third, tertiary project... which exists now only as a sparkle in his eye.  But he is happy to dwell half in his own imagination as Shandara exhausts her queries.
WindStruck
 "Military use?"  Shandara balks. She really doubted there would ever be enough of these trees for this to become a widespread thing amongst a government institution.  "Well, if some higher-up decides the results their subordinates discovered should be kept secret.. I suppose there is no helping that. Those in command may make decisions for good or for ill, but either way, that's something we all will have to deal with." 
 "Very well, then. I feel this was a pleasant and productive visit.. and I assume that if - or when - you can acquire a supply of spirit wood in the future, any useful information I can provide should help secure a portion of that?" 
DeTess
"We can certainly make a deal about that, yes." Lady Orlof nodded in response to Shandara's question.
WindStruck
Shandara nods, silently, and after a brief pause, begins to stand.  "Well then. Thank you for your time, Miss Orlof." 

It seemed going to the battlemage academy was off the tables, since apparently any who had worked on crafting staves would be sworn to secrecy. She wouldn't be getting any useful information from them, she felt.. the most she would get might be awkward looks and perhaps half-sincere apologies.

So what to do now? Well, she needed some rest, so perhaps it was simply time for her to go home. She could perhaps think about experimenting with the Spirit Wood at a later time. As for Aiden, he had various samples of wood to work with for crafting a violin...
MrAbdiel
 "Indeed, indeed - much oblidged, ma'am.  Much oblidged." 

And then off they go.  The walk to the cart is a little quiet; but soon Aiden's desire to know and be known exceeds the bruising of their earlier clash.

 "Well, I'll see how I go working with the Tundra Oak and the Bogwood - if either of those come out alright, it's a small expense for a significant gain in quality for a ranger on the roar.  As for the Spiritwood, well - when I get a moment, I can shear off a sheet of it and  turn that into wand-standard dowels for your experimentation.  There'll be some fractional offcuts, but I'll keep it all together.  I'll drop you home, then - and you know where to find me in the mornings to convene, if that works for you, Miss Shandara." 
WindStruck
Shandara nods and says,  "For one of your skill, I am sure you can come up with something workable. If not.. well, at least tundra oak and bogwood is fairly plentiful..." 

Almost half nodding along to the rest of Aiden's remarks, she says,  "Oh. Don't turn it all into dowels. For now, I would like just one single piece. We can't be too careful with the Spirit Wood. There may even be a certain technique needed for cutting it. I must study such a smaller piece much closer when I am at home." 

Shandara yawns and squints about, pulling her cloak further down over her eyes.  "And one more thing, Aiden. Do try to avoid visiting me in the midday. Mornings or evenings would be best." 
MrAbdiel
Later, at home in his workshop, Aiden is ensconced in the realm of his own happiness.  The lads are set to come in and keep sanding their boat without him, tomorrow - a fine test of their ability to work under their own supervision - leaving him to work at his leisure on other projects.  The awkward discovery of his own financial shortfall reminds him that he does, infact, need to make a profit or face some unfortunate limitations.  The shelves are stuffed with sketches of things he would like to make; scattered notes on things he has seen and would replicate, if only he could afford a few special components...  All of this awaits his material success.  Perhaps Shandara was right - the money to be made selling quality wands might be significant, and he was positioned to become the city's resident master of this new wood... if he played carefully.

But the length of spiritwood lay uncut on his bench before him, surrounded by curls of bogwood and tundra oak upon which he had been experimenting more freely.  The problem with the spiritwood was that it was not, necessarily, all wood - not completely.   The woven veins of crystal must be a residue of its particular fluids, and cutting them would require care... But then, he knew so little about those veins.  Should he be 'chasing' them, losing clusters of the 'capillary' spread to make fewer, oddly shaped wands with in-tact spirals of crystal?  If so, why not just use a crystal wand?  He was out of his wheelhouse in some ways - just as his partner in this endeavour was, with the ligneous aspect.  To do this  right  would take both their respective expertises...

The next day, after his early performance at the Society, he loads up Ambrose with all his instruments and tools, and also the sheet-wrapped precious wooden cargo secured on his saddle; and gets to walking.  Having dropped Shandara home, he knows the way to her residence...

 
 Spoiler: Visitation! 
Aiden is trying to get to see Shandara before it hits midday, as per her request - but I figured he might be intercepted by her bodyguard or something, and i shouldn't assume it all goes smooth!
 
WindStruck
After saying goodbyes to Aiden, Shandara promptly bathes and slips into bed. She felt a little hungry but honestly felt better going to sleep in that state than full.

The next day she makes a trip to  Campus Facility Offices  and rents out a Waterworks Lab for several more days. She absolutely meant it when she stated she was intent on publishing a paper, but before she went to writing, she had several more experiments and tweaks to make so as to make her report the most accurate and reasonably comprehensive as possible. Xavier has the privilege of standing by, able to watch the work, but mostly guarding and keeping an eye out for potential dangers.

Given she had something like a full 12 hours of time, minus breaks, note jotting, and going out for a meal, she felt she got a lot done. But she worked her mind pretty hard, and after grabbing some "breakfast" someplace nice, she went home to unwind, and as a cursory afterthought, she wasn't sure if she might see Aiden.  Well, he might be done making a good violin sample by tomorrow,  she thought, when she noticed a tall figure through her windows approaching her gate, opening it and then stepping through her small yard to rap on the door.

Almost in disbelief but.. well.. honestly she shouldn't have been that surprised, she peers out one of her windows and then slowly opens the front door.  "Ah. Aiden.."  she says, somewhat wearily.  "Come on in. Did you.. have something to show me?" 

It could take a while for Shandara to warm up to you...  Xavier, her bodyguard was nowhere in sight at this hour, but a  white barn owl  perched on a chair looks at Aiden curiously.
MrAbdiel
Aiden smiles in amazement when she calls him by his name and invites him in - as if he expected her to have forgotten it, or to not want to speak at all.  He takes off his hat at once, as he dwells on her doorstep.

 "Oh!  Well, nothing you haven't seen already, I'm afraid; but I figured I'd consult with you a little before I did anything that can't be easily undone.  I'm - oh here, let me grab the wood..."
 

A few minutes later, Aiden is inside and laying the cloth-wrapped spirit wood on a suitably durable indicated table.  He does notice the owl watching him - and is immediately, totally distracted.

 "Oh!  Look at you, then...  Familiar, or pet?  He's beautiful."   He takes a couple of inadvisable steps toward the predator, stopping a few feet away.  His hand at his side moves slightly, as if he has just restrained a secondary instinct to offer his finger out as one might to a parakeet.  This much, at least, he does not do.   "Hah... You and I were almost very good friends, mister owl."   Plainly excited to be talking about his adventures, he can't help but let part of one slip out, looking to Shandara as he does.   "I took a job to exterminate some unusually smart rats, and was halfway to building a weathervane that summoned owls before - ah, well.."   Only at this point does he catch himself in the ramble.

 "Well.. I'll tell you some other time.  Anyway, it's like this - I hadn't realized how oddly shaped some of the crystal veins in the wood would be.  You can see the way they spider, at the top of the peice ?  They run like that down through the wood.  I can carefully cut it into regular slats, easilly enough - I think so, anyway; they cut it down somehow.  But if the value of the crystal veins intact is really what we're looking for, for wands - well..."   He scratches his head, having run out of words; teetering at the edge of his expertise.  But then his expression lights again,   "Here - would you be kind enough to lend me your hand for just a moment?  I promise, it'll make it all much easier for me to explain." 

The jovial craftsman extends one big, calloused hand.  The other is lifted at his side, in plain view; fingertips paused towards some bardic magical gesture.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Presuming Shandara lets him, Aiden is going to cast  Borrow Skill  and 'borrow' her ranks in either Spellcraft or Arcana, whichever is more appropriate for assessing the magical construction qualities in the spirit wood.  He plans to use that brief window of competance to comprehend and convey the positives and negatives of either breaking up the crystal into regular lengths, or 'chasing' the crystal for far fewer, more connected wand blanks.
 
WindStruck
 "I am fairly certain that Elu is female,"  Shandara says.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Then again, I don't know what sex the owl is in the picture. Could have been male for all I knew.
 


She watches with slight amusement as Aiden is briefly mystified with the bird and resists the urge to stick his finger out.  "A familiar,"  she adds. More curiosity splays across her face as he starts getting into a ramble about his job with intelligent rats, though perhaps most of that curiosity was due to him cutting himself short.

When he started talking about the wood and the wands, however, it seemed he had little idea what he was talking about. But neither did Shandara. She says as much:  "Yes, those crystal veins purportedly have something to do with it, but I don't know the specifics either. We may need an entire intact vein running from tip to tip.. or we may only need a dense concentration of veins. Or.. or maybe we don't want different veins to intersect?"  She shrugs.

Cautiously and suspiciously, she slowly offers Aiden her hand.  "Only if you are not going to mark or maim me, or what have you..." 
MrAbdiel
  "Only if you are not going to mark or maim me, or what have you..."  

Aiden's oddly innocent nature is on display after Shandara's comment.  The blue eyes widen; the sunny tanned skin pales swiftly.  His hand recoils from her own as it rises, for a startled two second beat in which his rattled brain grasps that this is a joke, and wrangles a fearful desire to figure out what it is about himself, or his gesture, that presented such a grim threat.  Then he offers a polite cough of a laugh, his cheeks flush with color again, and he masters himself once more.

 "No, no; nothing like that, never.  I just need help, for a moment..." 

When he does take her hand - almost not even taking it, so much as curling his fingers under hers for a moment's contact - the fingers of his other hand flex, and curl into his palm.  There is little beyond that gesture to indicate that a spell is transpiring; but then the soft blue of the iris of his left eye fades through grey and then fills out with red - the same hue Shandara is familiar with when she glances in the mirror of an evening.

His mismatched eyes track their gaze at once to the spirit wood on the table; and he releases a cathartic sigh with the settling of his shoulders, like a burden has been released from him.

 "It's the crystal veins, like I said.  We can't be sure if the  mystical quanta  are leaping through the wood from crystal element to element when a casting runs through it, but it's reasonable to assume the crystal is what's lubricating the spell completion.  Without seeing what others have made, we're working from first principles; but my first instinct was to use a minimum of the wood.  I wanted to confer with you about being more cavalier with the composite matter to preserve the integrity of the crystal formations - I'll lose a lot more usable wood trying to carve out a crooked wand with an intact vein of the crystal.  Better in the long run, I suspect.  If, after some experimentation, it turns out to be the crystal and not the wood that is the critical element, we might be able to figure out some way to fabricate a synthetic version, whether that involved a pure form or some kind of laminate; or figure some way to clear the wood out from the crystal structure without cutting at all, like termites, or a decay spell, or some such." 

The borrowed expertise is fading, now; his eye normalizing, but the more clear understanding of the medium granted by pairing Shandara's knowledge directly to his woodcraft remains.

 "Does that sound alright?" 
WindStruck
Shandara does a double take as one of Aiden's eyes turn red, and even moreso as he starts rattling off complex concepts regarding the arcana like he actually knew what he was talking about. For a second there, she thought she was having a stroke or Aiden might have pulled some enchantment over her, but what he was saying sounded kind of important so she tried to follow along.

She blinks, as he transitions from stating some things she already thought were apparent, to rather bold endeavors that involved creating a material like the crystal by hand, or using other exotic methods of extracting it from the wood safely.

 "Um.."  she stammered, taking a step back. Shandara did not really feel  threatened  by Aiden, but she certainly felt uncomfortable and a bit confused for some reason.

 "Aiden.. I think, perhaps we might want to slow down? The ideas you're throwing out might be possible, or they might not be.. but I think first things are first. We should concentrate on extracting a singular piece of wood which encompasses a whole vein. The trouble therein lies how to get it out..." 
 "Though I imagine, I could come up with a spell that makes the veins easier to see. And perhaps, makes the wood appear.. translucent? I'm sure you would be able to carve a piece out under these conditions..." 

Thinking about it more, she deflects and says,  "Well, regardless: our first priority is delivering an enchanted violin to our client, yes? Once that is out of the way, I could begin looking into this spirit wood more.." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden smiles reassuringly, and holds up his palms.   "Of course, of course, Miss Shandara.  Just speculatin' on the future, with most of that; the first thing is whether we use a minimum of the supply we have to extract a wand blank... or we commit to losing some of the volume of the supply to preserve a vein.  And I think we're in agreement, there; magic does love it's crystals, so we'll try to extract a full vein.  And well, if you can figure a way to make the wood translucent for a time, it sure would make the carving easier; otherwise, I can just go slow and steady, and let the wood tell me what it's hiding.  One's easier, but that's without counting the effort of making such a spell.  I'll keep this safe at home for now, and keep on the violin.  Oh - did you want me to mock up an example of the design I plan to use, once I've mastered the wood for it?  If it matters at all to you about the specific shape, for the enchanting, I mean.  I can put one of those together overnight - I just have another errand to knock out today.  Ladies." 

The flash of borrowed arcane insight is gone, now; he's just waffling about woodwork which is his normal state of being.  He bows a little to Shandara (and Elu), and pops his hat back on his head; the odd moment rapidly fading into an odd memory.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Alrighty - I have assumed Shandara will indeed want such a mock-up, based on our discussions in the OOC.  Aiden's next stop: the Estate of Archduchess Vilfarien, to inquire from her (or her designated servant) about the Festive Masterpiece commission.
 
DeTess
 Vilfaren Estate 
The Vilfaren estate was one of the very largest in the city, beaten only by the royal estate and matched only by the estates of the two other archdukes. It consisted of a massive mansion that one could get lost in and a surrounding garden big enough to make one forget you were at the heart of the largest city in the empire. One of the estate's guards escorted Aiden to a side entrance and left him waiting in a small foyer after asking a different servant to call on the estate's majordomo. The waiting room was lined with comfortable seating and had a fire merrily burning away in a fireplace. One wall was covered in a painting of some kind of festive gathering, depicting a large table laden with all manner of foods, and various people surrounding it and feasting merrily.

After about 15 minutes a maid arrived who escorted Aiden through the mansion to a large ballroom. The ballroom was an architectural marvel itself, The ceiling and the walls of the half further away from the entrance made entirely from glass to look out upon the sky and the garden. The remaining walls were decorated in paintings and statues, and several enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, the fixtures designed and decorated to resemble dragons.

Several servants were busy cleaning the room, and there was a balding and greybearded dwarf wearing a simple but well-tailored black suit overseeing the work. It was to this dwarf that the maid brought Aiden. "I am Duncan Westhold, majordomo to the Vilfaren estate." The dwarf introduced himself. "You are Aiden Sorveaux, yes? I have heard a word or two about your skill at the musical arts, though less so about your abilities in other matters. I assume you are here about the commission for the midwinter festivities?"
MrAbdiel
 Vilfaren Estate 

The fifteen minutes Aiden spends in the waiting room of the fabulous estate are some of the longest he has ever known.  He sits in his normal clothes, which describe him immediately as a rural man who is not at all used to being present in such rarefied social strata.  He is thankful he has done little work today; at least he is clean, even if he is suddenly very conscious about his scruffiness and rough-edges.  He half-crumples the old straw hat in his hands as he waits, looking around the room at its very fine paintings, and architecture, and furniture.

He is bewildered by the loveliness of the ballroom, pivoting on the spot and fallign ten steps behind the maid escorting him before hurrying to catch up.  He gives the departing maid an unnecessary salutation with his hat as she goes, and then reaches instinctively for Duncan Westhold's hand for a shake, if he'll meet it; though in this moment, he is actually conscious enough of himself that he will not let the gesture hand orphaned in the air if the majordomo seems unreceptive.

 "You've heard of my music?  Oh!  Oh, well, that's wonderful.  Good things, I hope - but, ah, yes!  Yes, that's right, you're right.  I'm sure there are many artisans working on notions for such a prestigious event, but I thought I'd..."   With a smile, he gestures loosely with the battered hat in his hand, toward the centre of the room.   "Well, I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring, so to speak.  I can work in a wealth of mediums - wood especially - but it occured to me I could hardly start imagining what such an artwork would need to be without knowing more, Master Westhold.  I wonder if you can help me." 

Aiden rambles less than usual (still a non-zero amount), about the chandeliers mostly, but eventually gets around to his points, asking about each in turn:

 - Where, specifically, is the piece to be displayed? 
 - What limitations are upon its final size? 
 - Is it to commemorate a specific person or event, or merely the pass of the season in a general way? 
 - What kind of woman is the Archduchess Vilfaren? 
 - Does the Archduchess herself have any preference for subject or medium? 
 - Is there any subject that would cause discomfort and should be specifically avoided? 
 - Are there examples from the previous years still extant, both to avoid repetition and to gage the scope of the endeavour? 
 - Given that the commission listed money as no object, is there to be a single artisan hired to make a single work - or are multiple commissions in competition for selection? 
DeTess
 Vilfaren Estate 
The dwarf gave Aiden a solid handshake, then started answering the man's questions. "The piece will be displayed here." The majordomo explained with a gesture to the ballroom. "The intention is for it to be displayed at the far end, facing the entrance to the ballroom. It should be the first thing the guests see when they enter, which means it has to be quite sizeable. The only other limitation is that it should still be possible for people to comfortable move around it. I'd say no more than about 15 meters across, but this is open for discussion." As he talked, the dwarf walked with Aiden to the intended location of the piece.

"Your only limit on the subject for the piece is good taste. This event is merely to celebrate the changing of the seasons and the winter gathering of the nobles of our empire. Though if you were to look into the Vilfaren family's history I am sure you'll be able to find a thing or two the event could commemorate or your piece could reference, it is not what the event itself is about." Duncan continues his explanation. "I am afraid we do not have a good example for you to reference. In previous years the archduchess has commissioned artists to create grand works, but she wanted something more unique for this year's event. The archduchess has not stated preference for a particular subject, but the piece in question should not just be unique and beautiful, but it should be the kind of creation that could only be created with the backing of house Vilfaren. Its mere existence should be proof of the house's influence."

"As for the kind of person the archduchess is..." The dwarf took a moment to compose his thoughts. "To put it simply, she is  the  archduchess. As you are no doubt aware she was widowed shortly after bearing her first child. However, despite expectations that she'd remarry or appoint a steward to manage the Vilfaren estates she instead stepped forward herself and has led her house to even greater prosperity. She is wise and extremely capable, second only to the imperial family in her ability to rule well."

"We are looking for a single piece for the festivities, and are currently receiving submissions. That is, designs accompanied by proof that the one that submitted it can bring it to fruition. The Archduchess will select one submission in due time, and provide the chosen artisan or artisans with all the backing they need to complete it."
WindStruck
Shandara nods a long, though she does protest,  "Hm. Well if you'd like me to craft a spell that makes working with this wood easier, I think, perhaps you should just leave the chunk of wood with me? Probably safer that way, just in case you feel the urge to start cutting into it too early..." 

Regarding the violin she says,  "A 'mockup' wouldn't hurt. Perhaps you could show me places on the violin where it wouldn't hurt to carve runes into, and we'll see if that works." 
MrAbdiel
 At Casa Shandara... 

Aiden gives Shandara a quizzical look.  Never in his life has he been tempted to be wasteful with good wood; the notion is befuddling to him.  But strictly speaking, she did put up the money for the spirit wood; it's more hers than his, so he gives it a pat, as if saying farewell.
 
"Well, alright.  You just let me know when you're ready to move forward on that little side project.  I'll make a pearwood example of the instrument I intend to make and bring it over in the next few days - but for now, I've got to head to uptown.  Have a good day, Miss Shandara!  Or, err... Sleep tight?" 
 At the Archduchess's Estate 

Aiden listens for a while - and then asks for a pause, and takes out a small battered notebook and takes out a stubby pencil, and gets about taking notes in his square, compact letters.

 "No more than 15 meters!  What's that in feet?  Fifty?  No, fifty and a fifth, or so...  Wow!  Wow, what an opportunity!  And to require to be such a rare and resourced piece that no one else could finance it, that's... wow."   He paces fifteen careful, meter long strides, then looks back to where he was.   "Wow." 

After a long pause enjoying the idea, he asks the narrowing rump of his questions:  "...I assume there will be a musical element playing in the room for the entertainment - where will that be?  In case it matters for acoustic properties, if there is an audible element to the work.  And finally..." 

He gestures with both hands at Duncan Westhold himself, as if inviting him to behold his own self.   "Well, this is not the same topic, but I think that's a very fine suit you have, Master Westhold.  Simple and slick and professional - I like it a lot.  I'm a rural man, myself; but I'm dabbling in tailoring, and I wondered what you'd pay, for a suit in that style, and quality.  Just for my reference sake, you understand." 
WindStruck
Shandara nods, noting the look of confusion and attempting to puzzle it out. But in the end, seeing as Aiden is agreeable to the idea, she moves on.  "Very well. At the very least, so long as it's here, I will be able to study and work with it at my convenience. Thank you for coming by." 

A slight, tired smile ticks up on her face when he tells her to sleep tight.  "Yes. I will try. See you in a few days, then. Goodbye..." 

Shandara was feeling weary. It was about time to get ready for sleep. After seeing Aiden out, she prepares for rest, and moves the chunk of spirit wood over to her work shop in the meanwhile.

Later that day in the afternoon, she takes a look at the piece closely again with a magnifying lens and attempts to identify some prominent crystal veins. She prepares a few simple spells like Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Ghost Sound, and Prestidigitation to see if there are any strange interactions with this wood. A detect magic before and after are used to see if there is any lingering differences.

But then in the evening, when Xavier comes by for bodyguard duties, Shandara drops what she is doing and heads over to the Waterworks Labs to continue filling in any holes her research may have. By now she had an extensive list of "coordinates" for various types of water: fresh, saline, frigid, tepid, warm...  And a few select settings where the pressure was so great that it damaged the iron gratings again. This was later fixed by mending and make whole spells.

Tonight Shandara faced a rather unique challenge she wanted to attempt. She had drawn water from the plane of water. Now she wanted to send it  back . She needed two silver rings now, and a large bucket. Theoretically, all she needed to do was reverse these coordinates, and...?
DeTess
 Vilfaren Estate 
"There will indeed be a group of musicians playing." The majordomo explained. They will likely be positioned at the side of the hall, approximately in the middle, but the exact location has not been established yet, and if the work does have a musical component accommodations can be made to ensure it all works together well.

The dwarf seemed ever so slightly taken aback by Aiden's sudden change in topic, but took it in his stride. "I believe this particular suit cost around 30 gold pieces. It was custom tailored and made to a high quality, but not to such an extend that I couldn't wear something like this while going about my daily duties around the estate."
MrAbdiel
 "Excellent.  Excellent on both counts!  Thank you again, Master Westhold; I'm real flattered you gave me the time.  I've a lot to think about, and plan, before I can offer a submission plan.  Oh - ah.. One last thing.  I assume the Archduchess will make her determination as soon as she sees an offer she is most taken with.  But could you tell me, perhaps, when the event is supposed to be held?  Is it an evening long affair, on the middle day that most celebrations take place - or a longer event, or displaced to one side of that day?" 
DeTess
"The event itself will be an evening long." The majordomo answered. "As for when the decision will be made, you are right in suspecting it will be made soon after the archduchess finds a suitable enough proposal, though we will post a notice at that time to give anyone still working on theirs a chance to submit it before the final decision is rendered."
MrAbdiel
All his questions answers, Aiden spends a little longer looking around the hall in appreciation and then presents his hand for another shake to the dwarf.   "Well, I can't think of anything else - I'll track you down if I have more questions, Master Westhold.  Really, I appreciate your time." 

With that, he excused himself from the fabulous estate; retreiving Ambrose from the stable and giving the horse's neck a companionly rub.

 "What do you think, Ambrose?  Pretty impressive, eh?  Well, if you get any ideas for a masterpiece, you let me know." 

Off the country carpenter goes; stomach grumbling in anticipation of what Maria might have prepared for lunch...

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
That's it for the intel gathering for the day - at some point later he'll have to research the Archduchess's family history, but for now he's got to get home to spend a couple days banging out this violin for Shandara!
 
WindStruck
After some hours experimenting that following night, Shandara came across some difficulty trying to send water back to the plane of water as expected. After puzzling it out a bit, she came to a laughable conclusion: this endeavor was totally unnecessary: a waste. She reasoned if water was being summoned for use and consumption, there wouldn't be any point in sending it back. If there was a more frivolous endeavor that simply had water flowing for the sake of flowing, what she could do was simply use a single enchantment that drew water from a designated basin on the same plane, rather than two enchantments which crossed planar boundaries. While it was an interesting idea in theory, it seemed very impractical and wasteful.

With her experimentation for the night cut short, Shandara felt she had less to do and a bit less to write, and so she headed to the archives to peruse a few random reports. She was not looking for any particular bit of information, but was rather trying to get a better idea for formatting a presentation. Being able to provide a seemingly endless amount of water to peoples was a big idea. She was going to dot every i and cross every t to make sure this got published - and that she got the credits.
Prehysterical
 Bolten's Home 

While Bolten's immense focus and creativity are some of his better qualities, that does sometimes create problems... One such problem is getting fixated on an appealing idea instead of directly solving the problem.

Halfway through his design, Bolten realizes that the manual keys would defeat the purpose of the commission. They want something replicable with minimal maintenance. He leaves his unfinished work in his journal, convinced that this kernel of an idea will eventually be useful. Bolten does salvage some of the design to make a press with the metal letters on their sheet plates. The dwarf then adds a feeding tray where paper can be stacked, slid into the machine for ink pressing, and released on the other side in a neat stack.

For a proof of concept, Bolten revisits the original form and creates a series of typeface for each of the necessary letters. Thankfully, his dual talents of smithing and fine detail work are a great help. Scrounging about for parts, Bolten gets to work on creating an actual prototype machine.
MrAbdiel
Aiden spends rest of the day directing his unknowing apprentices in their reconstruction of their fishing boat (secretly teaching them a livelihood much more lucrative than fishing, as they go).  But at night he dreams; his mind abuzz with strange woods and flourishing ideas for the art piece he hopes to earn as a commission.  The day after, he takes some old pearwood from his stockpile and some fresh pearwood that he bought just a couple of days ago, and gets to work making the mock-up fiddle.  There's nothing wrong with it - it's a perfectly good fiddle!  And with a little more time poured into it, it could be excellent.  But it has all the features in the right place - the bridge arched like the ranger's, rather than flat like Aiden's preference; the specifics of the neck length and the proportionality of the instrument idealized to the client based on Aiden's expert assessment while they played together.  He even strings it, tunes it, and matched it with a fresh bow of the same fair wood; though he holds off on staining or varnishing it since he expects Shandara to have to handle it without waiting for it to properly dry.  By the time he's done, it's just after dinner - and once he has complimented Maria once again on her cooking, he sets off to deliver it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
I am making the radical assumption that he gets to Shandara's house, knocks, and is greeted again all without drama.  If there's drama, let me know and I'll edit! :D
 

 "At this stage, I'm hoping the final product will be in the Tundra Oak.  The Bogwood is a fine wood - and it directly answers the destruction of the last violin by acid - but it's so soft, really.  I'll experiment with it a little, but mostly it's looking like it'll be less than useful for any stringed instrument, on account of how much they rely on rigidity in the frame to maintain a tone.  With a spongy wood, you'd have to overtune the thing to get the desired sound, and it's a whole mess.  The Tundra Oak is great for fire and cold and general hardness; we might just have to rely on the enchantment to secure it against even more exotic damages.  At that point, the experimentation must pass to you.  I'll be working on how to get some temporary flexibility into the tundra oak, to properly shape it.  Wish me luck!"  

He surrenders the prototype shape for Shandara's experimentation.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Bogwood on the backburner for now.  The next day, Aiden's going to experiment with working the Tundra oak - steaming, soaking and more esoteric methods that probably exist in this magical world about which I do not know!
 He may end up needing a set of adamantine tools to work comfortably with it.  How much would those cost...?  A single weapon is +3000GC.  Something similar..?
 
WindStruck
In the evening, Aiden is met with the somewhat stern and unreadable face of a half-orc when he knocks on Shandara's door.

 "Oh. That is Aiden Sorveaux. You may let him in,"  a soft voice calls out from behind. It was of course Shandara.

With violin being delivered, she nods along to the explanation, remarking,  "I am sure such soft wood would have difficulty standing up to rigors of battle anyway." 

She nods again, and before Aiden heads off, she asks,  "Would you hold it for me again? As if you were playing?"  Though she is particularly picky about Aiden's movements and would rather have him standing like a statue. After looking the violin from below and to every side, she asks,  "Is there any place you can tell me that I should  not  carve into, or not put gems on?" 

She was considering that the handle of the violin might be the most stable place to work something in, but then again, that could interfere with the hands and possibly make it difficult or uncomfortable to play.
MrAbdiel
Aiden is happy to meet Shandara's bodyguard/doorman - though he makes a note to ask her why she should need one, later - and even more excited to provide assistance in modelling the form of the instrument's use.

 "Carving, and gems, ah?  Well it's a good idea to get that straight together - I intend to add a great deal of embellishment to the surface; but I can adapt it around your functional elements.  Mask them, even.  Here - oh,  boy , you're gonna regret this; now we're talkin' about woodcraft and music together, that's my two favorite things." 

What follows is a short, impassioned course about the acoustic mastery of the luthier craft, and specifically violins.  From a man who was not so completely and obviously sincere in his passion, it would feel condescending.  To a listener who was not so extensively intelligent and used to grasping technical craft, it would be too fast.

 "The term in the craft is the  acoustic chain , which is exactly what it sounds like..."
"... and the  soundpost  here works with the  bassbar , distributing the tension load of the strings.  You can see why the Bogwood's out, because..."
"...and so the resonance comes out through the holes here - sound holes, they are; I wish there were a fancier name..."
"...and because all the resonance is happening inside, as long as you're not carving real deep, we can work over most of the body of the instrument for sure.  Theoretically it'll change the sound, but you're talking at that point about microvariations in timbre that are just beyond mortal ears; that's only gonna matter to the higher orders of angels and fae; and even then they only use it to identify each other by sound.  Not a quality difference, just a more distinct  harmonic signaturation ..."
"...And your instinct is right about the neck of it; none of the harmonics are happening there.  He's right handed, so... here, I'll mark it with - do you have chalk?" 

By the end, Shandara is furnished with a comprehensive series of notions about the least and most acousticly violin parts of the violin - the scroll, chinrest, the neck and nose and saddle, the pegs themselves, the thicker parts of the body of the violin all viable for her ministrations.  Not to mention a primer of luthiership and acoustic theory up to and including, apparently, the outer fringes of a musical language enjoyed by archons, solars and archfey, just for fun.
WindStruck
Shandra patiently tries to follow Aiden along. He was quite a rambler after all, but.. she  did  ask for it.

 "I'll see what I come up with. As will you,"  she says. Though she was still somewhat distracted by the other report she was trying to write up. She would try to balance out her priorities, and seek not to waste Aiden's time with waiting unless she had to.

The next time she gets the chance, she tries carving out some divets to insert some cheap glass gems. Potentially a placeholder spot in case they could afford to put stronger, temporary enchantments for the bard to utilize. She also tries putting some small runes into the side of the fingerboard, minus the actual magical ingredients of course. Hardening and elemental resistance enchantments were commonplace and easy to reference, after all. It was just the placement she wanted to get right.

There was just one thing that was bothering Shandara. If she warded the violin against the sonic energy type, would it have difficulty or be impossible to play music with it?  She wasn't about to waste resources testing out a permanent enchantment to find out. Instead, she would seek out someone who could cast a spell temporarily on the object.
MrAbdiel
Heading away from Shandara's home, Aiden knows he could head straight home to rest - but he can't stop thinking about the Tundra Oak, and the challenge of it.  He decides to take his chances, and heads instead towards the Society's campus grounds.  Surely, some of the artisans were nocturnal workers - perhaps he'd find someone at the Facilities Office who could help him inquire about adamantine tools...
DeTess
 Campus Facility offices 
The facility offices are a mid-sized three story building tucked away in one of the corners of the campus. This is where the maintenance of all the facilities on the campus is managed, and where people go if they want to rent out any of the myriad labs or workshops on the campus grounds.

Just inside is a small reception area. At this time of night it is mostly empty, but a relatively young looking dwarf is seated behind one of the desks. He seems to be busy writing when Aiden enters and doesn't immediately notice the bard when he enters.
MrAbdiel
 "Ahah!" 

Aiden's coming is foretold by his exclamation of joy from some distance away, before he power-walks the distance from the door to the desk with a big smile on his face, and his hat in the crook of his arm.

 "Ahah, someone IS here this late!  I'd hoped so!  I'd hoped to find someone who could help me try to locate some specialized tools for my current commission - adamantine tools specifically.  I'm working with supernatural woods, and some of the have a toughness comparable to a soft granite.  So a spreads of chisels and a saw would get me started; I'm not fussed if they're masonry tools to start with, I can work around that.  Just for experimenting right now, you see.  How do I find out what's available, my friend?" 
DeTess
 Campus Facility offices 
"Ah, one moment!" The dwarf is shook up by the bard's sudden entrance and scrambles to put away his writing work. "Adamantine tools, you said? one second." The dwarf pulls out a large ledger from behind his desk and starts leafing through it. "Ah, here we go, the granite street workshops... and you said you wanted to do some woodworking?" The dwarf puts the ledger away again, then pulls out a smaller one. "We can't directly rent out tools like that, but we can provide a workshop with suitable tools. How long would you need to use the workshop for?"

 Johansen and Johanson glasswork 
Shandara does some asking around looking for someone able to help her with the spell she was looking for, and is eventually referred to a workshop specializing in glasswork on the campus. Though the elf might at first have been  surprised at the recommendation, she is quickly reassured that the workshop works a lot with protective enchantments and their glass is often used as a safe way to observe experiments that might otherwise be 'dangerously volatile'.

The workshop is not open at night, but opens up very early, before dawn at this time of the year, so Shandara does not have to adjust her schedule too much for her visit. The workshop occupies the ground floor of a building similar in size to the apartment complex she lives in. The doors, decorated with a painted carving of a beaker and a pane of glass opens up into a sizeable room with a variety of glasswork, mostly for alchemical use spread around in display stands. Small cards boast of the varying treatments and enchantments reinforcing the glasswork, making it useable for working with all kinds of exotic and dangerous substances.

Behind a counter in the back of the room a middle aged human is seated. He is holding a beaker and is in the process of slowly carving runes into its bottom.
MrAbdiel
 "How long..?  Oh - well, oh, gosh.  Well...Probably a couple of days to experiment, and then a few more past that if all goes well to make the product.  Maybe a week, I expect.  But I don't mind sharing the space with a friend, if there's competition!"   He laughs warmly.  And then gets immediately distracted by his interest in knowing the dwarf - another new friend to make.   "Doin' a bit of late paperwork there, friend?  Or a personal project?" 
WindStruck
Shandara enters the shop quite early in the morning. If it's early enough, Xavier might still be following her around for his body guard duties. The idea of visiting this shop seemed a little questionable at first, but on the other hand, the more she thought about it, specially enchanted glass containers like this could prove remarkably useful...

Approaching the middle-aged man, and cradling the mockup violin awkwardly in her hands, she says,  "Excuse me..." 

Once she has the busy man's attention, she says,  "I was looking for a temporary spell-casting service, and I was referred to you." 
DeTess
 Campus Facility offices 
"Ah, I suppose you could call it a personal project." The dwarf moves to cover the papers he was writing even further with another book, but Aiden can make out enough before he does so that the writing seemed to be a story or some other work of fiction, rather than the kind of dry reports artificers would often be working on. "As for using a Granite street Workshop for that amount of time..." The dwarf shakes his head. "I'm afraid that won't be possible anytime soon. They are in high demand right now, so the soonest I could reserve one for that kind of time would be... early spring. The earliest opening I have is the day after tomorrow, but that's only a 6-hour timeslot starting at midnight..."

 Johansen and Johanson glasswork 
"One moment..." The man finishes the rune he was carving and puts the beaker down, before turning to Shandara. "If you were referred here it is probably some kind of defensive spell or enchantment. What exactly are you looking for?" He regards the Drow and the violin she is carrying curiously.
MrAbdiel
Aiden gestures open handed with resourceful delight.  "I'll take it.  Maybe I can figure something out in that short time that'll help me solve my problem without needing to wait till the spring."

He raps his knuckles contently on the counter top, and gives his details for the booking.

 "Wonderful, wonderful.  Say - my friend, I wonder if you could point me to the archives?  Since I've tomorrow off, I ought to do some research about the Archduchess's family line.  I'm hoping to get my submission for the Mid-Winter Ball art commission ready... if I can just figure out what I'm going to do, at all!" 
WindStruck
Shandara nods.  "Yes. A defensive spell. You see, I plan to do some enchantment of my own." 

Looking down at the violin as if she only just now realized she was holding it, she says,  "I am going to enchant an instrument. Well, not this one, but a similar one. But first, before I do anything permanent, I need to know something: I need to know if a magic effect, like resistance to sonic energy, will negatively impact a musical instrument's acoustics." 
DeTess
 Campus facility office 
The clerk provides Aiden with directions tot he archives. They are not hard to find as the sprawling archives occupy one of the largest buildings on the campus. Before Aiden leaves though, the clerk runs through some of the formalities of the process for using the workshops. Aiden is given a small manual that describes the exact facilities and how to use them, as well as the procedure for calamities like a fire breaking out. Aiden is also told that there'll be a 1 gold fee for renting out the workshop, but also a 100 gp deposit that will be returned if the workshop is left in good order.

 Johansen and Johanson Glasswork 
"I can most certainly help you with a spell like that, but maybe a little demonstration showing the effects of an enchantment like the one you have might be useful as well? One moment." The man gets up from his chair and disappears through a door behind the counter. He returns several moments later carrying a glass beaker and two glass vessels similar in shape and size to the beaker, but with a very broad rim around the top.

"These two vessels can be solidly secured upside down toa  table using the rim, and have been hardened against a variety of different energy types, as well as physical shocks." The man sets the two broad-rimmed vessels on the counter. "These are used to observe tests using small amounts of volatile materials or enchantments involving the manipulation of energy." He puts the beaker down next to the two vessels. "This is just a standard beaker, though it has been enchanted to be harder than normal glass. I just picked it for its similar size to the other two so that it can function as a point of comparison."

The man picked up a tiny chisel, then used it to lightly strike the rims of the three vessels in order. The normal beaker produced a clear ring, much like you'd expect from such a vessel. The first of the two broad-rimmed vessels produced a very similar tone, but it died out just a bit quicker than that of the beaker. The second vessel did not produce any tone at all.

"The first vessel has been enchanted using an effect that lets very small amounts of sonic energy through so that it does not dampen normal sounds. In this way it is similar to most spells that protect against sonic energy, as without this exception they would deafen and potentially mute you. The other vessels does not have this exception. It makes the enchantment both simpler and a bit stronger for the same amount of energy and reagents, but does dampen all sound." The man explained. "If I were to cast a simple resist energy spell on this violin, the end result would be similar to the first of these vessels, with little direct effect on the sound, though the vibration of the strings might dampen out a bit quicker than it usually would."
WindStruck
Shandara's eyes narrow a bit, at least not due to suspicion but more like confusion.  "Hold on. I don't believe a standard spell that resists sonic energy has any exceptions built into it.. does it? So that enchantment on the second vessel is custom made, but more simpler and powerful?" 

Shandara was of course perplexed by this, but then again, she had not got a chance to thoroughly study such spells, nor could she cast them on her own in the span of a few seconds.

 "Hm. The impact does not seem too great, but I am no musician. I would have to ask an acquaintance of mine to see what he thinks..." 

She turns her head back to look outside. With it being early morning, perhaps she might catch Aiden at the Grand Plaza?
MrAbdiel
Aiden agrees quickly, and forks over the money.  A hundred and one gold represents almost half of his current liquid wealth - but he has no time to think about things like money.  He has a rulebook to read, when he gets home.

 "Well, thanks so much - you've been real helpful!  And hey - let me know when you publish that book, okay? I want to read it!" 

Back home then, for a long rest; and tomorrow, a long day of reading, and researching in the archives.
Prehysterical
 Bolten's Home 

Not only is Bolten able to adapt the design of this 'printing press' to his needs, but Bolten even manages to find a way to make the ink dispersal and reloading more clean and efficient. He looks down at the prototype with a nod of approval. Now, all that remains is to present this machine to the nice elven lady at the office... Even as a prototype, the machine is heavy and Bolten is no athlete, but the sturdy patience of his race allows him to carry his creation back to the Imperial Records and Customs Office.
DeTess
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
The Imperial Records and Customs office is much the same as it was when Bolten visited it last. After presenting himself and the business he came on Bolten is pointed to a waiting room and informed that someone should come to meet with him within an hour. Apparently it takes slightly more people to appraise his prototype than it took to simply provide information for the job, and it will take a bit of time to gather them. The waiting room is fairly large, and filled with benches for people to sit on and rest, but there are also desks, ink and paper available for those that want to do some work while waiting.

Eventually a bespectacled man in his late twenties came to pick up Bolten and guided him to another sizeable room, about 4 meters wide by 8 meters long. There where tables at the two short ends of the room and at the room's center, as well as a system of numbered shutters at both ends of the room. its purpose was not immediately clear, but it might normally be sued for sorting large amounts of documents or the like. Today it was not in use for its normal purpose. Waiting for Bolten was the elf he met earlier, Lurel, as well as two humans, a man and a woman. The woman was advanced in age, likely past her 60th birthday already with shoulder-length white hair and wearing a pair of glasses and a simple, powder-grey dress. The man was in his early forties, with a bald head and full brown beard. He was wearing slightly stained workman's clothes and near him on the large central table a large toolbox was set.

"Mister Bolten, welcome, and thank you for your patience. I hadn't expected you to turn up today with a prototype, so it took a bit of work to gather a small committee to take a look at your invention." Lurel greeted the dwarf, the introduce her companions, starting with the elderly woman. "This is Marga, a manager with the notice drafting department. The gentleman with the tools is Victor. He is a facility manager here and has knowledge of all kinds of mechanisms and devices. Lastly there's Thomas." Lurel indicated the man that had brought Bolten to the room." He works in the record keeping department and would be one of the people who would regularly make use of your device if we were to choose your design."

Once introductions were done Bolten was invited to give a demonstration and explain his invention.
WindStruck
Shandara excuses herself from the shop, with promises to return shortly with a more musically-inclined expert.

She makes the walk over toward the Grand Plaza and waits. And waits..

She picks up some breakfast and returns, until finally she sees the tall figure of Aiden and his trusty equine friend Ambros.

By now, Xavier has decided to take his leave, entrusting the drow into the custody of the friendly bard.

 "Aiden, good. I needed to see you. Could you come with me for a few moments? I need your expertise on something."  Notably, she is still holding the violin in her hands, and looks a bit out of place with it.
MrAbdiel
Aiden is just wandering over to his normal spot near the job boards for a morning’s music.  He has just set up the sandwich board proclaiming in chalked letters the charitable destination of all donations when he hears Shandara’s voice and spins on the spot looking for her, his face split with a smile of delight.

 “Miss Shandara, as I live and breathe - certainly, I have all the days the heavens have given me spare, for such a friend.  Ambrose - would you hold my spot?” 

He gives the old horse a rub on the velvety nose, and then leaves his equine companion minding his possessions as he hustles over to the drow’s disposal.
WindStruck
Shandara offers a slight, polite smile back and says,  "Mmm. Excellent." 

After they walk a bit, she says,  "I've been working on the enchantments of the violin. As you can see, I have already put some markings on it, indicating some good places to put magical runes. There is only one slight problem..." 

Tilting her head sideways to Aiden, she explains,  "You see.. take a spell which resists fire energy, for instance. If I were to cast that on a blacksmith, though they would be protected from a fiery mishap at their forge, so too would be their tools and materials they directly work with. A length of steel would no longer be affected by the fires of the furnace, and therefore it could not be molded or beaten into shape.. not without breaking, in any case." 
 "Using similar logic.. I was looking into protecting the violin against sonic energy. I do not think it commonly used, but still.. it would be best to cover all the bases? The problem is, much like fire energy is based on heat, sonic energy is based on sound. So.. if I were to protect the violin against sonic energy, there would be, at the very least, some form of dampening effect on it." 
 "I need your expertise, your skill in playing an instrument, and your ear for determining defects, to tell if this enchantment is acceptable, or if it hampers your ability to play the violin too much." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden is, of course, excited to talk shop.  He takes the prototype in his hands and looks between it, and the enchantress as she explains.

 "Well, you know, I never thought of it like that.  Of what you might call 'normal' amounts of energy, interacting with the base object, I mean.  Now that you bring it up, I wonder - why is it that... a cloak of fire resistance isn't ice cold?  Should it not, by the simple principles, repel even comfortable warmth..?  Perhaps there's something to that, uh... What's it- who's that fella who had the theory about, ah... All objects havin' a natural state to which they are inclined to return..?  I knew it for a moment, back when you loaned me your arcane know-how.  Alright, let me at it then." 

He gives the instrument a quick tune, and then begins sawing away.  But that would be too simple, just to do the job and listen in silence.  Instead, he both listens to the bubbly, leaping tune his is producing, and continues his conversation.

 "Humor me, Miss Shandara.  What do you like, about Vaungate...?  As opposed to where you're from, I mean." 
WindStruck
Aiden plays on the violin, and Shandara patiently waits while he settles in with the instrument.

 "..alright. Let's go, and I'll ask this man to try placing a temporary enchantment on the violin..." 

But before they enter the shop, Aiden asks a peculiar question, to which Shandara just stares at him like a deer looking into headlights.  "Um. Well.."  she stammers.

 "It, um, has very rich cultures, from all over the world,"  she says.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Bluff:  (1d20+7)[ 18 ] 

Shandara actually doesn't care too much about other people's or cultures. Of course she gets curious every now and then, but her answer is a lie.
 
MrAbdiel
 "Oh, does it?  I suppose so!  It ought to - centre of the world, and all.  Centre of the world!  Why, back in Tantamere everyone spoke the same language and same accent - can you imagine?  You might mistake the trees for horizon and think the little village was all the world there was, and nothing but tall trees and critters beyond!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC: Oop... 
We might have desynched there for a bit; I thought the instrument was already enchanted, but actually we were on the way to the guy to enchant it.  But let's assume we went there, and got that enchant, and then Aiden tries again - seems smoothest?
 

 "Ah.  Hm." 

His enthusiasm dims as he finishes his fiddlin' and looks at the instrument in his hands.   "You're right, the vibrations are dropping off pretty quickly. In a ditty with a nice fast tempo you won't hear it at all, but it gets a little flat in the long notes.  Here, see? Listen..."
 
He makes some comparative slow arpeggios for Shandara to hear, with his instrument and the prototype, accentuating the problem points so her ears can notice it more acutely.   "It might not bother some people.  But for a professional like our client, he'll end up with the one instrument for his dangerous work and another for actual performing.  He can afford it for sure, but I think he's payin' for both in the one package.  D'you think you can do something for it?" 
WindStruck
Seems Shandara pulled a fast one on Aiden.  "Sorry, what is Tantamere?"  she asks, changing the subject.

After they acquire an enchantment on the instrument, she thanks the man at the shop, and asks how much gold he would like for compensation.

And afterward.. Shandara frowns a bit and nods along.  "Even I'm noticing a difference now. Well.. I'm sure there's something that can be done, but I think I would have to look into it." 

She began pondering. She should be able to pick apart a resist energy spell. It was a bit much for her to simply cast in one articulate motion, but there had to be some limiting factor to it. Something that would increase the tolerance the spell would accept before it started absorbing energy.
MrAbdiel
 "Oh!  Oh, Tantamere's my home.  Up in what we call the High-Hill Woods, about a two hundred, maybe two-twenty mile from Vaungate.  Little forest town.  I say little, hah - Tantamere's the hub town of about two hundred with all manner of little villages around it.  I was there 'til about two years ago my woodcraft started getting requests from the big city, and I started doing more and more commissions, and then finally took the invitation to come work out of the Society more directly.  It's nice - peaceful.  Lot of rural folks get nervous in the city, but I like it here - all the people. Like you said, all the different kinds, you know?  All the short ones, especially.  Like your friend Bolten, dwarves and other short folk.  No disrespect, of course; they're just a marvel to me, never seen such people before and they make such fine, fine metalcraft like I've never seen, tell you what..."
 

Shandara finds it is very easy to get Aiden talking when she is trying to avoid talking herself.  A little prompt, and off he goes, as they say in Tantamere,  like a round stone downhill. 

But after the enchantment, he listens to her pondering, and nods enthusiatically.   "Well, I look forward to hearing it.  If you can figure a way to... not so much suppress vibrations, but to normalize them to a certain range, it might help if it turns out the Tundra Oak ain't cooperative.  I'm booked at one of the campus labs from midnight tonight for six hours to figure out how to work the damn stuff.  It's promising, but it'll require cunning.  They bend the stuff to make the steeple boards on ships, and I'm learning more and more about shipwright work each day so - ... Ah, I'm goin' on.  Anyway, I'll keep at mine, you keep at yours.  It's gonna be a real pretty thing at the end, though." 
WindStruck
 "Midnight?"  Shandara asks, sounding more intrigued than anything else.  "That must be quite late for you."  She deduces it must be because of a lack of scheduling slots, so just asks to confirm it:  "I take it there was no other time available?" 
 "What do you need a laboratory for to work with the wood?"  she asks, as quite the naive woodworker would. Though a mention of the only set of adamantine tools he could get his hands on would make perfect sense.
MrAbdiel
 "It's late for sure!  But it's the earliest available slot, and I've got this art project for the Archduchess I'm goin' to get to workin' on beside; so I figure to strike while the iron's hot, as they say.  I've got plenty of fine tools, very fine - many I've made myself - but they're all for working with wood within what you might call the conventional scale of the medium.  When we start getting to these... frankly, supernatural woods, well that's a whole other thing.  Carpenter's tools hold an edge that something stone-hard will just deform.  But mason's tools - I got them too - won't manage an organic matter's grain, which is a whole ways separate from the grain you find in stone.  My best guess is adamantine tools will be the ticket to start, and this workshop will let me at them.  By the end of the morning I should have an idea of what I can accomplish with the medium, artistically.  Then I'll... well, I'll have to wrangle up maybe a few adamantine tools of my own.  Cross that bridge when I get to it!  But while we're talking of the project..." 

He snaps his fingers a couple of times like he is conjuring the thought out of his head.

 "Might be worth considering, while you're tinkering, a way one might amplify the sonic elements you're looking to see aren't suppressed.  In case it turns out the acoustics of the wood itself are somewhat damping."

 
WindStruck
Shandara has to hold back a smile as the wood is labeled supernatural. She scoffs and says,  "Really, Aiden? Supernatural? I.. do recall hearing that tundra wood is often used for boating applications. Cut into planks and whatnot, isn't it? I'm sure you could find an answer there. Whatever they use to cut their planks of tundra wood with, it must be fairly hard itself? But adamantine..." 

Her forehead creases and she knits a brow.  "Adamantine would be exorbitantly expensive, and it might be too much for the job. What was that word.. overslaying? I do know of some materials that are considered harder than steel, though.. forming them into a workable tool may also be problematic..." 
 "Ah.. well.. I suppose I should not dissuade you from the use of the lab and borrowing whatever tools you can get your hands on. Perhaps we'll talk on that later. Oh. And as for amplifying the harmonics of the violin.. I'll think on it."  Shandara nods and begins to walk back to her home.

For right now, she would have to let Aiden do his thing and hope he can come up with some promising results. As for her, she'd pretty much have to do the same thing in her own fields. After resting during the middle of the day, she sets out that evening to research the resist energy (sonic) spell. It should be a common spell that is not too hard to find, but she does plan to analyze it bit by bit to see where exactly that "exception" is in the spell to allow musical vibrations and other harmless sound waves to reverberate (albeit slightly muted).
MrAbdiel
Aiden laughs.  It's nice to see Shandara smiling, even if it is at his expense.

 "Well, I'm just an old country carpenter -" , a manifestly untrue statement given that only children could realistically call him old,  "but maybe there's a better word for it than 'supernatural' you can find for me.  What it is, it ain't normal.  When I'm done carving this violin, you'll be able to hit it with a hammer for an hour and throw in your wood burning stove overnight, and pull it out the next morning no worse for wear.  And that's before you start putting the magic on it!" 

He laughs again, and lets it boil down to a chuckle.   "And it's not like that's the last thing I'd ever use the tools for.   I've just started making ships, and I'm interested in the idea of tundrawood cladding... Or imagine - a house that can't burn down!  There's ideas here, that's all I'm saying; and I'm not going to be done with them, after we turn in this very fine fiddle.  But you're right, they  do  reportedly use it on warships already... That might be worth checking out, too. Thank you, Miss Shandara!  Happy enchanting!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Aiden is off to the archives to study up on the Archduchess's public and family history.
 And at one point in the day, as a break, he'll take a stroll with Ambrose down to the shipyards and have a jaw with some of the workers about Tundra Oak, and how they use it for ship work.  He expects he'll still need finer tools for his purposes, but he might as well ask!
 
WindStruck
In the archives that evening, Shandara rather quickly deduces what the issue is with the resist energy spell. Cross referencing some other magical effects, she elects to modify the spell into a small field around an object it enchants. From there, in addition to sonic energy, she adds lightning and acid resistance with more referencing.. long before the idiom "copy paste" was ever conceived yet.

With one rather fruitful night/evening spent, she spends the rest of her free time running through the paper she was writing, reorganizing the chapters for better flow and proofreading.

The following day, she hits the archives again, this time for insights into how to get a pre-existing field to expand and change properties even, with the careful and deliberate addition of magical energies. She had an idea in mind, and possibly wanted to do both at once. First, it would be nice to expand the field a bit to protect one's self from harm with a small sacrifice of magical energy. And second, a gem (also preferably rechargeable) could store more energy and power up a field large enough to protect a small group. At least in theory...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Shall I make some more rolls?
 
DeTess
 Granite street workshop 
There where a number of workshops in granite street, and even in the middle of the night quite a few of them seemed to be occupied. As Aiden arrived at the workshop he had rented it was just being vacated by a female half-orc in her mid-twenties. She was cradling a large amount of papers and a thin linen sack nearly as long as she was that clearly contained something heavy, while at the same time trying to close the workshop's door.
MrAbdiel
 "Oop!  Here, let me just-" 

Presented with an opportunity to help  any person in any way , Aiden springs into action.  He assumes custody of the door, and closes it for the half-orc.

Then opens it again.

 "...Silly of me, since I'm the next occupant.  Hah!  Are you alright, with all that?  Do you need a hand shifting it somewhere?  It looks to be an awkward project!" 
DeTess
"Ah, I-it's no issue." The woman seems surprised by Aiden's sudden appearance, but also a bit worried for some reason. She mumbles a quick thanks, then hurries on her way.

The workshop itself isn't too big, but it is jam-packed with the tools and machinery of the wood-worker's trade, including tools made form exotic metals and some advanced looking machinery that is unfamiliar to the bard. The room is fairly clean, though there is still wood dust on the floor, likely from the previous' occupants work. The dust is the same whitish gray as the Tundra oak Aiden is carrying with him.
MrAbdiel
He waves cheerfully to the hasty half-orc, before exploring the workshop with relish.  He fascinates over the tools he has anticipated and some he hasn't seen; finally noticing the dust, and giving it a sniff on his fingertips.

How fortuitous!  The stranger was working in the same medium - but when he goes to the doorway to see if they have lingered, to be drawn into a conversation about their work, it is too late.  Alas - another time then.

He takes his wood samples from Ambrose - poor Ambrose, who is ready to sleep upright at the hitching post - and lays everything out... and then gets to work, starting with the 'nuclear option' of adamantine tools and working down through the other hardened metal grades the shipwrights suggested.  It's only when he is steaming a sample of the wood that he remembers he needs some way, or someone, to rapidly chill it to avoid degradation of its properties.

 "Ah!  A conundrum." 

He leans out open door.

 "A conundrum, Ambrose!" 

The horse offers no commentary, but Aiden expected none.  Nothing to do now but make a new friend...

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Aiden is going to doorknock on the other workshops nearby hoping to find someone with a  Ray of Frost  cantrip to spare!
 
DeTess
The first workshop Aiden checks ends up being a bust, the one currently at work being a dwarf with little in the way of magical talent. The second workshop proves a lot more promising as a gust of frigid wind, colder even than the late autumn night air greats Aiden as the door is opened by a wizened half-orc man. Inside the workshop are a dwarf and a half-elf, all crowded around a block of pure blue ice. The dwarf seems to be testing the effectivity of a variety of tools on the ice block, while the half elf seems to be working some kind of magic on the block, presumably to keep it from melting.

"What can I help you with?" The old half-orc asks. "We're in the middle of a time sensitive experiment here, so make it quick."
MrAbdiel
Naturally, Aiden is delighted by this promising outcome.  He throws his hands up in the air in celebration, and just barely restrains himself from telling them the whole story - but veers towards respecting their time.

 "Friends, good friends - I'm experimenting with some exotic woods and one in particular that requires a rapid chilling after it has been heated.  I wonder if I could trouble one of you skilled arcane folk to spare a cantrip of cold power for a fellow artisan?  My name's Aiden Sorveaux, and I'd be surely in your debt!" 
WindStruck
Shandara tinkers around with the concept of a protective field that expands and contracts with energy fed into it. She is very sure it is possible, but she just needs to make sure that the enchantment only absorbs a very particular kind of energy, and does not instead accidentally amplify a different type of energy or unravel due to an overload.

So instead, she opts to make a prototype for the prototype: a simple wooden disk that is enchanted to resist fire damage. She should be able to safely place it in a stove and it will not become damaged or burn away.  And then, when she applies one of her own 1st level spell slots to it, the field will protect her as well. She should be able to therefore touch a burning stove without harm.
DeTess
 Granite street workshops 
The three artificers exchanged a glance. They seemed a bit hesitant at Aiden's sudden request. Eventually the half-elf spoke up. "We'll be busy here for an hour, may be two more. If you still need help afterwards I suppose I could lend a hand."

 Shandara's home 
Shandara's detailed research mean that her experiment did not result in a charred wooden disk or burned hands. The enchantment worked as expected, protecting both the disk and the elf's hands  from the effects of the fire.
MrAbdiel
Aiden is elated.

 "Great!  Perfect!  I'm only experimenting with materials, so I'm not so time-sensitive here myself - I'll be down there, in number three, until six hours of the morning!  I appreciate it a great deal!  Good favour to you, all!" 

And with that, he capers back to his workshop to experiment with the fantastic tools available.
WindStruck
With Shandara's experiment being successful, she then concentrates on finishing up the overall spell design on paper, then has to make some adjustments to fit all the runes onto the mock-up violin.

Additionally, much like she has done on other projects, she must acquire a gem of suitable size, strength, and value to begin cutting, which she will plan to install in or near the "scroll". Thankfully this part of the violin is all superfluous and decorative, so it may be nice to suggest making this part into the shape of a creature's head and giving it two gems as eyes.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
How much will Shandara's experiment with the little wooden disk cost? Keep in mind, I have now essentially created a magic item which at the very least has a use of "expend a spell slot, gain resist fire energy"
 
DeTess
 The granite streets workshop 
True to their promise, the half-elf stopped by Aiden's workshop after a little over an hour. In the time between, Aiden had time to experiment with the various tools. Anything with a cutting blade harder than standard steel could be used to work the Tundra Oak, though it required a lot of strength to do, making precision cuts very difficult to do by hand. However, in his time there Aiden discovered that one of the machines, which looked somewhat like a small guillotine was intended for just such a purpose, magical (or maybe cleverly hidden mechanical) force slamming an adamantine cutting blade through the Tundra Oak with ease.

When the elf, whose name was Ciel, arrived to help Aiden with his heat-based experiments the bard made several more discoveries. The steaming process he had thought of did not quite work as hoped. Though it did allow for bending of samples of the Tundra Oak, the steamed side, even after being flashfrozen by Ciel's magic, would remain noticeably softer than the unsteamed side, and tests revealed it to be more susceptible to fire as well. Tundra Oak submerged in warm water would become a little more pliable and return to its usual properties after being frozen again, though if the water was brought to a boil, the wood sample seemed to permanently lose its properties, becoming similar to normal white oak in hardness and fire resistance.
Prehysterical
 
 Originally Posted by DeTess 
  Imperial Records and Customs office 
The Imperial Records and Customs office is much the same as it was when Bolten visited it last. After presenting himself and the business he came on Bolten is pointed to a waiting room and informed that someone should come to meet with him within an hour. Apparently it takes slightly more people to appraise his prototype than it took to simply provide information for the job, and it will take a bit of time to gather them. The waiting room is fairly large, and filled with benches for people to sit on and rest, but there are also desks, ink and paper available for those that want to do some work while waiting.

Eventually a bespectacled man in his late twenties came to pick up Bolten and guided him to another sizeable room, about 4 meters wide by 8 meters long. There where tables at the two short ends of the room and at the room's center, as well as a system of numbered shutters at both ends of the room. its purpose was not immediately clear, but it might normally be sued for sorting large amounts of documents or the like. Today it was not in use for its normal purpose. Waiting for Bolten was the elf he met earlier, Lurel, as well as two humans, a man and a woman. The woman was advanced in age, likely past her 60th birthday already with shoulder-length white hair and wearing a pair of glasses and a simple, powder-grey dress. The man was in his early forties, with a bald head and full brown beard. He was wearing slightly stained workman's clothes and near him on the large central table a large toolbox was set.

"Mister Bolten, welcome, and thank you for your patience. I hadn't expected you to turn up today with a prototype, so it took a bit of work to gather a small committee to take a look at your invention." Lurel greeted the dwarf, the introduce her companions, starting with the elderly woman. "This is Marga, a manager with the notice drafting department. The gentleman with the tools is Victor. He is a facility manager here and has knowledge of all kinds of mechanisms and devices. Lastly there's Thomas." Lurel indicated the man that had brought Bolten to the room." He works in the record keeping department and would be one of the people who would regularly make use of your device if we were to choose your design."

Once introductions were done Bolten was invited to give a demonstration and explain his invention. 
 

Bolten makes sure to greet each member of the evaluation committee with a respectful nod.  "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I make it my aim not to disappoint on that account."  So saying, Bolten takes out the small prototype press from his backpack and sets out on the central table.

 "I have been told by the city guard that the magic that animates the copying pens has a tendency to stray and deteriorate. I thought it might be more economical to make the parts that fail more mechanical. Much easier to shape a piece of metal than a spell, after all.

What you see before you is a letter press. Parchment can be loaded into this tray here and the slate with the letters can be loaded here."  Bolten points out spots on the contraption as he goes.  "A full alphabet and number set of tiles can be made out to load into the slate for whatever configuration you set up beforehand. For the purposes of this demonstration, I have made a copy of the whole form that I recently filled out at the city gate."  He provides the original copy of the form for the committee's inspection before showing them the slate. They might have been confused to see the letters and words arranged backwards instead of forwards.

 "These tiles can be infused with ink from the machine that will bead out from the small pores that you see at the bottom. This ink will be released in the shape of the letters, ideally reducing any stray ink blotches. Once a tile set has been set up, all that needs to happen is that parchment is continuously fed into the machine for the pattern to be copied out. This could be set up on a timer with a belt attached to clockwork gears, but I decided to stick with a simple lever here on the side for this particular prototype. After all, this is more a proof of concept than anything else. Depending on your tolerances for security clearances, a version of this machine could be made that even melts wax and provides stamped seals to authenticate government documents. That is an option that I will leave to your superior judgments in that regard." 

Finally clasping his hands together in excitement, Bolten looks between them and asks,  "So, would anyone like to try it for themselves? Accessibility was a key factor in my design for this press, so that serves just as much a test as anything." 
MrAbdiel
 "Really, Ciel, I appreciate it so much.  If there's ever anything I can do to pay back the favor, you just let me know.  I'm at the campus all the time." 

He bids the elf farewell and sits amidst the scraps of wood and his discoveries, thinking deeply.  He would need Misha's help - the young druidess would have access to low level frost magics no doubt - and he could head the water just fine at his own home.  The small quantities of wood he was using to make the violin made that easy enough.

All that remained was access to tools. The adamantine definitely cut quicker - it would be a breeze, a joy, to carve with tools of such a magnificent metal; and he could do so with greater detail, even if there were lesser metals that could do the job.  But where would he get such tools - or the money to acquire them?  That was a mystery he was yet to solve.  It was dawn, now, and he had been awake a very long time - he needed to sleep.  But the sun was coming up - and he had other commitments.

Early that morning, the artisans getting their breakfast from the campus cafe would be treated to a new spectacle: the regular musician in his wide brimmed hat with his banjo on his lap, sitting on the steps to the cafe with the instrument's case open at his feet.  There were a few coins in the case, as he had managed to get a few tunes out before stopping to rest his eyes.  He leaned against the railing with one shoulder, his face tilted up, his mouth open, his cheek mushed to the bannister, snoring; with old Ambrose standing a few feet away, upright, but likewise asleep.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Alright. Research complete.  Tools required.  I have an idea for where Aiden is going to (try to) get them, but that'll have to wait until tomorrow when I can post again.
 
DeTess
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
Thomas stepped forwards at Bolten's invitation and after checking with Bolten once or twice to make certain he understood how to operate the machine he made a single copy of the form. Lurel and Marga took possession of it, then asked Thomas to make a couple dozen more copies to get an idea of the variance in the machine's output. Meanwhile they looked over the printed form carefully, comparing it closely with the original. While Thomas worked the machine Victor closely observed the press's operation. After Thomas was doen they asked Bolten to remove the letter plate form the machine again so they could look it over as well. Eventually they finished their deliberations and turned back to Bolten.

"First of all, I have to say this is a rather impressive piece of machinery, mister Bolten." Lurel started things off. "I was quite curious about the end result when you talked about a mechanical contraption, but this seems to be quite an elegant piece of machinery. That having been said, we do have some concerns and questions. Marga, would you like to start things off?"

The elderly manager nodded and presented Bolten with two of the copied notices. In both notices the 'd' in 'day' in the final lines of the document was a lot lighter than that of the other letters. "I noticed these imperfections. They seemed to be present in some of the other documents as well to a lesser degree as well, but these two where the most noticeable. When compared with the outright mistakes of the quills imperfections like these are more acceptable, but I'd still like to see the occurrence reduced. Do you know what causes them? Is it an issue with the operation of the machine, or an imperfection in the plate?"
WindStruck
Having finished her part of the violin design (at least for now) Shandara then turns her attention to the completion of her thesis. The report was all just about done, however she decided to refine the knowledge she had gathered (some from an accident that damaged the metal gratings in the lab) into a powerful combat spell.

Drawing what she could from the appropriate runes needed for a permanent magic ring, she then deduced a more simple and non-permanent structure that was in effect, powered by the caster's will, and shaped by their gestures and intonations. For all intents and purposes, this was just another way of describing how a spell is cast in real time.

However, while Shandara thought she understood it on a fundamental level, she did not feel confident enough to quickly pull all the necessary components off simultaneously, in a very short span of time. That is when perhaps a "friend" might come in handy. She recalled a halfling named Jay from the Midnight Guard who said she might be interested in some new spells to test out. Perhaps she was, in fact, skilled enough to pull off this spell?

 
 Spoiler: Shandara's Scalding Spray 
Conjuration [Water]
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S, M
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: 30 ft.
Area: 30-ft. line
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell Resistance: No

You release a powerful jet of scalding water aimed in a specific direction, which burns victims and deals physical damage. The first creature in the area takes 1d4 damage per caster level (maximum 8d4 or 16d4), half of which is considered fire damage, and the other half considered untyped physical damage and exploits vulnerability to briny water.

If the creature succeeds on its reflex saving throw, then the jet of water continues down the line, attacking the next creature like it would have the first.

If the creature does not succeed on its reflex saving throw, then it must make a Strength Check (equal to the DC of the spell). If the strength check fails, the creature falls prone and may be pushed 5 feet back and/or to the side. Then the spray of water continues on to the next target.

If the creature succeeds on its Strength Check, the creature is not moved any more, nor does it fall prone, but it does suffer an extra 1d4 damage per caster level, and the line of damage ends with it. The creature can choose to to forgo its successful strength check and drop prone at its current location, but that means the line of damage continues, up to the spell's maximum range.

Creatures that are small are pushed back twice the distance. Tiny creatures are pushed back four times the distance. For flying creatures, double that distance again.

If the damage caused to an interposing barrier shatters or breaks through it, the jet may continue beyond the barrier if the spell's range permits; otherwise, it stops at the barrier just as any other spell effect does. Barriers which do not move (or break) are treated like creatures that succeed on their strength check and choose to receive more damage. However, even if the additional damage breaks the barrier, the effect is stopped.

Arcane Material Component:
A teaspoon of salt.
 


While creating this spell, Shandara scribes a scroll of it and then makes a copy. She then considers if she should pay a random visit to the Midnight Guard.
MrAbdiel
It's past midday when Aiden awakens.  No one had the heart to bother him, it seems; and he is woken from his slumber only by Ambrose nuzzling at him with concern.  After a brief start, and a tumble down the three stairs that lead to the boardwalk infront of the bakery where he normally busks, he is rubbing the sleep from his eyes and enjoying the warm flush of embarrassment - an emotion most people avoid at all costs, but which he can sometimes seem to get  outside  of himself to appreciate.  An autumnal pinkening of his face is what he gets for falling asleep with his face tilted up toward the sun, but aside from that, he's alright.

In fact, he's much better than alright.  Dreams are a kind of workshop all of there own.

 "Ah... Ahah!  Hah!  Eureka!" 

For the next forty minutes, he is there on the steps with the wad of papers he had brought to take notes about the experimentation with the Tundra Oak.  He had overshot as it turned out, but now he finds purpose for the surplus - sketching, scribing, imagining, treatising.  And the moment he has his thoughts down, before the dreamfog has completely lifted, he laughs aloud again.   "Haha!  Ah - Julianne!  Julianne!"   He skids inside  Julianne's Brew.   The proprietress knows him well enough by now - he's been serenading the comers and goers outside her establishment for weeks, and has bought no small share of croissants for himself.  "Julianne, I have to leave Ambrose tethered outside for a few hours - he should be fine, but keep an eye on the old boy, will you?  I've got - I've got to run!" 

This is not strictly true.  He does not have to run.  There is no urgency to the matter that demands that Aiden should have to travel so fast he cannot slow down for plodding old Ambrose.  But the urgent  feeling  is sufficient compulsion for him; and with that one announcement he is taking off down the street in great strides, slowing down only when his lungs are burning and he is plodding up the steps to the Vilfaren estate; sweat-backed and flapping his hat in salutation at the no-doubt alarmed estate guards.

 "Duncan-" , he wheezes , "I need... to see... Majordom..o... Duncan!" 
 
 Spoiler: Aiden's Artistic Proposal 
 The proposal is almost illegible with the frenzy in which it was written in places, but Aiden will be very animated in  filling in the details.  The title on the proposal papers is written with such enthusiasm it seems to have broken the nib of the pen used to write it, commanding a chance to a new color of ink shortly after. 

 
 Originally Posted by The Proposal 
  The Legacy Tree 

The commissioned work shall be a tree of singularly attractive proportions no more than 20ft in height so not to soar beyond the ceiling of the estate.  The Tundra Oak, having been harvested in this fall season, will have shed its leaves and I will strip it of its pliable bark to reveal the smooth hardwood surface within.  I will carve the surface of the trunk with pictorial celebration of the Vilfaren family, and illuminate them with precious metal inlays.  Finally, I will select an appropriate arrangement of branches in the upper region and I will fashion the strings of a pair of grand harps and seats for two  harpists. Thus, the work will be a functional and singularly beautiful instrument in addition to being salutory for the Vilfaren family and a celebration of the seasons.  It will not be an inexpensive or easy project, but I think with a few specialists and dedicated action we can accomplish this wonderful feat.
 I will outline the matters of difficulty below as I see them.

1.  The Tree must be Tundra Oak.   Symbolically it is most perfect, as it is deciduous and will have shed its leaves and thus marks the season; but also the species has other qualities.  It is hard as stone, and all but immune to frost and fire; a symbol of the enduring power and majesty of our empire and its reach.  The tree is in demand to armor the ships of the fleet, and so the choice is not without a touch of military grandeur.  It is not enough that the message of the art should be beautiful; the materials for a project like this must be similarly rare and commanding.
2.  This will require an expedition.   Teleportation magics are, I must imagine, quite expensive; but in this case there is no choice if the initial showing of the piece is to be a debut in the mid-winter of the same year of its harvest.  And even if a team were told to set sail right now, fetch a tree and bring it back, it would not arrive with enough time to make the work complete.  This expedition will require a considerable investment in itself.  The reasons why will follow.
3.  The harvest will require tools that do not presently exist.   Collection of this tree's wood has so far existed only for military and industrial purposes. I am experimenting with it for small projects presently but the logging teams no doubt have enchanted or adamantine axes to fell the trees and then saw off the limbs.  This will not do for our purpose - we must have the tree unmarred by felling.  It will need to be taken down surgically, which means people in the tree using tools to cut it down in segments then lowering those segments for preservation, packing and transport.  Handsaws, two-man saws and the like are not sufficient for this.  Ideally the cutting will be done with some kind of powered saw, like what is normally confined to action in a saw mill, running an adamantine or equivalent blade.  I do not know how this will be accomplished; but I do have an idea of a machinist capable of conceiving and operating such a device.  Additionally, it will need to be dug out from the permafrosted ground; but my machinest is the inventor of a device that will make that matter, at least, very easy.
4.  The tree's preservation is problematic.   It can not be allowed to rot and the process of the tree drying once it is taken down will rob it of the aspect of vitality and endurance which is part of the subject of the piece; and the distortion of the wood as it dries may mar the carving.  It will require something like a permanent application of the  Gentle Repose  spell, but it will need to work on plants and indefinitely; perhaps by some token or tonic hidden in the interior of the segments. This is beyond my ability, but one of my best friends is an enchantress par excellance and will certainly be able to overcome this problem.
5.  I will need to be advanced a set of adamantine tools.   The wood is harder than stone which is excellent for the durability of the art but very difficult to manage instrumentally.  I have recently conducted experiments with such tools and I know they are suitable for this purpose.  I would be happy to sign a binding agreement that, upon my death, the tools are to be returned to the Vilfaren family for them to bestow upon the artisan of their choosing.  This is important, because the upper reaches of the tree will be prepared for carving but left uncarved for the deeds of the the generations to come.
6.  We must begin all these operations as soon as possible to supply the greatest freedom of time in which I can apply my craft to the medium.   This is a grand project and will take me many, many weeks of work.  Before I can begin this, the preservation and harvest processes need to be developed by my colleagues and an expedition undertaken where I can select the tree, and a team of helpers can assist in boxing the segments for travel.  But the final result will be a work of art that has, perhaps fifteen segments of trunk and more than a hundred segments of branches.  The joins will be mechanical fasteners but they will be hidden by goldwork.  Once the festivities are over, it can be disassembled into crates for storage and moved to another location at the Archduchess's desire.  No one has made anything like it before and the few parties who would be able to extend their resources to do so after will be seen as imitators.  Hundreds of years from now, the descendants of the Archduchess will gaze upon it and consider what they will do to earn their own addition to its design.

Note: As a matter of perfect transparency, I am currently working on another project which uses small amounts of this wood and which I would first complete with the tools I am asking for.  It is both a contract I intend to honor, but also it will be useful to have worked to completion with the material before I embark on this greater work.

Yours enthusiastically,

Aiden Sorveaux, Society Artificer
Proprietor of the Saw and Fiddle 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
That's Aiden's proposal.  And, fortuitously, it involves roping in two special friends.  Without their consultation, but one thing at a time!
 
WindStruck
After Shandara has finished scribing two copies of her scrolls, she decides to rest during the midday. Later in the afternoon, she takes a stroll over to the office of the Midnight Guard for an unannounced visit.
DeTess
 The Vilfaren estate 
It takes a little time, but eventually the Majordomo of the Vilfaren estate comes to meat with Aiden. He listens to the bard's proposal and looks voer the documents, seemingly having little trouble decyphering Aiden's handwriting. "It is certainly an intriguing proposal." The dwarf nods. "I understand there is some urgency to this, but we do require some further materials from you to better judge your proposal and your ability to carry it out. First of all, I'd like a sketch or small model showing your concept in greater detail. I get the gist of it from your notes, but the archduchess will want to see something in addition to your notes. Secondly, she'd want to see some woodwork done by you to give an idea of your skill at carving and decorating. Lastly, I'd like to ask you to prepare an instrument to show your skill at creating instruments capable of carrying a pleasing tune. Will that be doable?"

 the offices of the Midnight Guard 
Shandara was in luck, as it was the very person she had come to find that was manning the front desk as she arrived at the midnight guard compound. "Ah, Shandara, Xavier!" Jay sits up straight behind the desk, waving at the Drow and her bodyguard. "Welcome! What brings you here today?"
WindStruck
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'd imagine the afternoon is a bit early for Xavier to be doing body guard duty already.. However! It might be somewhat convenient if he was at the office tidying up a thing or two and just happened to meet Shandara there. Or.. he could walk in with her as you say. Either way.
 


Shandara waves shyly at the halfling and says,  "Hello, Jay. You're just the one I was hoping to find." 

Without really explaining why, she asks,  "Have you found work lately? Well, since I last spoke, I mean..." 

After a bit of small talk is out of the way Shandara says,  "So, I remember you told me that you might be willing to test out some new spells. As a matter of fact, during the course of my work, I believe I have come up with quite a nasty one as a byproduct. It could be quite deadly and destructive in the right hands." 

She extracts the scroll from her pack and sets it on the desk.  "You can read magic, correct? I'm just wondering what you think so far, without casting it." 
 
 Spoiler: spellcraft stuff 
Suggested stuff to reveal, in order of difficulty. If there's anything else you want to add or modify, feel free.

At first glance, the spell is of the conjuration school, though it does not appear to manipulate matter for the purposes of "creation". Nor does it summon or call anything. Instead, it actually seems to teleport objects.

More advanced insight reveals that the spell forms a brief connection with the plane of water.

And then that actually, though the spell goes to the plane of water, it is also slightly "close" to the plane of fire, and the negative energy plane.. or perhaps, one could say, close to the quasi-elemental plane of salt and para-elemental plane of steam.

And then it would take an insanely high roll and specific knowledge (spellcraft or planes) to recognize that this location on the plane of water is boiling hot, briny water, under extreme pressure.
 
MrAbdiel
Aiden is delighted that the Majordomo seems to be taking the proposal into consideration, even with the reservations.

 "Yes, yes!  I'll... mock up a little model tonight.  Not from ironwood - I don't have the medium or the tools right now, but the style I can replicate.  And as for a sample of my craft, well, that's -" 

He turns around and reaches for the open air where Ambrose is normally standing with his instruments, and meets nothing.  And then laughs.

 "Ah, I'm a silly fellow, sometimes.  I left my horse back at - ... It's alright, I can do that.  I'll make it a harp, I suppose.  You shall see me again soon!" 

He waits a little longer to catch his breath, and then off to collect his equine friend he goes; practically clicking his heels.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
Tasks:

1. Make a Masterwork Harp as an example of skill for the Archduchess.  This is a standard operation, and the calculation will be the same as it was for making my banjo:


 Masterwork instrument is 100gp, translating to 1000sp for crafting formula. Craft DC is probably equivalent to a "Complex or Superior Item", DC 20. Aiden pays 333SP and 4CP for materials.

Take 10 for Woodwork is 32, for future reference. I can pop the crafting DC up to 30 then, comfortably enough.

32*30=960. So a week of work would get it almost done; needing just another day (or half day) to push it over the 1000sp threshold. 

There's also the ship restoration happening in the workshop; but most of that at this point is sanding that Aiden is deliberately letting his unwitting apprentices do so they will discover at the end of it that they did most of the job themselves.

2. Make a model of the Legacy Tree concept.

This is a bit more freeform.  He doesn't need to carve the tree in exacting detail (he's not planning to sculpt a tree and the harp should demonstrate his talent) he just needs the abstract form and some scaled down gold fasteners for the segments, which I think he should be able to make with his  Toolmaking  skill.  That whole thing is a lot less complex than the instrument - maybe another day or two, with about twenty gold worth of material investment?  Up to you, boss.

Before that, though, he's going to have to check in with Shandara about his findings on the Tundra Oak.
 
DeTess
 The offices of the Midnight Guard 

 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Shandara waves shyly at the halfling and says,  "Hello, Jay. You're just the one I was hoping to find." 

Without really explaining why, she asks,  "Have you found work lately? Well, since I last spoke, I mean..."  
 

"I'm actually just back from a short job." Jay happily explains in response to Shandara's question. "Some occultist was hired to deal with the haunting of a Noble's manor and wanted some people to watch her back while she worked. Was only for a couple days, but it was pretty interesting to see the occultist at work, when I wasn't busy stopping the ghost from bringing down the house on top of us, that is."


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 After a bit of small talk is out of the way Shandara says,  "So, I remember you told me that you might be willing to test out some new spells. As a matter of fact, during the course of my work, I believe I have come up with quite a nasty one as a byproduct. It could be quite deadly and destructive in the right hands." 

She extracts the scroll from her pack and sets it on the desk.  "You can read magic, correct? I'm just wondering what you think so far, without casting it."  
 

"Hmmm, what do we have here..." Jay looked over the scroll, scanning the lines and diagrams with a practiced eye. "So, it opens a small gateway to the elemental plane of water for a short moment... You can aim it very precisely, so it's probably an offensive spell of some sort, right? Meant to push away a bunch of opponents with a flood of water maybe? Though... the apperture is really quite small, and you're being very specific about where you want to get the water from... I don't really know enough about the plane of water to know what makes one place better than another but at a guess you're probably going for something temperature related? Really cold or really hot water could add bit of spice to the spell. I'm still unsure about why you didn't creature a bigger aperture to allow more water to gush out.... maybe it's just to make it easier to cast?" After going over her initial thoughts the halfling looks back up at Shandara. "I think I'm still missing something. Could you explain the spell to me?"
WindStruck
Shandara's mouth ticks up in a small smile, and she nods and says,  "You seem to have the gist of it."  For a brief moment she silently laments to herself how nice of an assistant Jay might have been.

 "And yes, while the opening is relatively small, making it easier to cast, it... honestly, I'm not sure if it needs to be bigger. You see, this locale on the plane of water? It's actually extremely hot and salty. But what's more: it's under very high pressure." 

Shandara smirks and says,  "Let's just say, when I was doing related experiments for a more benign source of water, I accidentally created a jet of water so powerful that it damaged metal gratings." 
 "So anyway.. I have a feeling you are more capable of casting this spell than me, despite the fact that I designed it. I would be interested in seeing how it performs in your hands. Erm. You just need to be careful where you aim it. I'm sure it would cause considerable damage." 
DeTess
"A water jet so strong it can cut through metal? Now that I've got to see!" Jay said enthusiastically, but then some realization immediately dampened said enthusiasm. "However, it'd take me a bit of time to learn the spell. I mean, I could just use the scroll, but so can anyone with a bit of magical skill, so you wouldn't need me for that. With about half a week's intensive practice I should probably be able to get it down though."
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs office 

Bolten brightens at Lurel's compliment, but he really should have seen the "but" coming. Thankfully, Marga's complaint can be solved with some brief deliberation.  "Er, to be fair, it could be  either , really. It could be that that particular 'd' type is just  slightly  shorter than the others, but it could also be the amount of force being applied to the machine is slightly different between different people."  He holds his own freshly printed copy from before for comparison.

 "I'm thinking that the simplest solution would be to add a spring mechanism to the lever that ensures even force distribution regardless of whoever is pulling it. The problem could be solved by making sure that every letter is exactly the same height down to the finest hair's breadth, but I understand that such precise required measurements are not in the department's best interests for long-term viability,"  he finishes with a shrug.
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "I'd be happy for you to learn it and see it in action. And tell me if you find any flaws too. I hope not..." 
 "Well, as I said before, do be extremely careful with it, alright? Treat it like any other deadly spell.. hmm. That acid arrow one? Or the scorching rays? And don't worry about rushing to practice it. You may take all the time you need. I mean, it's not like I am paying you..." 

She smiles again and says,  "But perhaps adding a spell like this to your repertoire is compensation enough. For I am sure it would be useful, if not.. perhaps a bit too much force to deal with a problem." 
DeTess
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
"If that issue can be corrected then I have no further comments." The old manager said.

"Victor, I believe you had some comments too, right?" Lurel prompted the bearded man, who nodded.

"Mister Cogturner, what would you reckon the durability on this device is? And how easy will it be to maintain and repair?" the facility manager asked. "If we where to start using this device then I expect we'd end up putting a dozen or more into service, each of which would be used hundreds of times a day. If that results in these devices breaking down too often, especially if it requires very specific knowledge to repair than that could cause all kinds of issues down the line."

 The Offices of the Midnight Guard 
"Can I Borrow this scroll for a bit then?" Jay asked. "Don't worry, I'll get it back to you in one piece, but it'll be a useful aid while a try to figure this spell out. We have a practice area for mages in the compound, so I should be able to practice safely, even if it is as destructive as you said."
WindStruck
Shandara nods and says,  "Yes, you may borrow it. I have a spare anyway.." 

After a bit of awkward silence, she looks around and says,  "Oh Xavier, you do come by this office frequently, right? I suppose whenever you meet Jay again, you could tell me when she is ready?" 
WindStruck
After saying farewells and leaving the Midnight Guard offices with Xavier, Shandara drops by her home, and they then make the familiar trek over to the Archives. However, Shandara doesn't have research in mind tonight.

Instead, she approaches a counter she hasn't been to in a while, and says she has a paper she would like to file, for the benefit of everyone.
DeTess
 The archives 
The person manning the counter is a short, older human man with a bushy grey beard and a pair of spectacles clamped to his nose. He accepts Shandara's report and quickly scans through the document. "A report on an enchantment and some related mapping of the elemental plane of water I see. Quite interesting! I didn't see any monograms of existing research groups, so can I assume this is based on personal research? If so, we have an acceptance procedure that will take a couple days, maybe a week." The man explains. "You go into quite sufficient detail, so it mostly consists of someone going through the steps you outlined to confirm your results. Once that's been done we'll give it our stamp of approval and add it to the archives. Does that all sound acceptable?"
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs Office 

Bolten hesitates for a moment before answering, fighting the urge to shrug.  "I cannot give you an honest answer to that, sir. I've never made a device like this before or heard of anything like it. The answer to that question would require testing and time. I always design to be as durable and maintenance-free as possible, but there is always the chance of a hidden gremlin in the works. I typically offer a lifetime guarantee for my inventions with repairs at no cost in the event of mechanical failure. Alternatively, I am prepared to offer up the design itself as part of the commission. In that case, your engineers would be able to examine the schematics and troubleshoot any possible issues that might arise. I always prefer my designs to have mechanical fixes rather than requiring re-enchantment.

Truthfully, sir, I just thew this piece together as a proof of concept since I wasn't sure whether with a more magical solution would beat me to the punch. If the Office wishes, I can manufacture a full-sized machine for testing." 

The dwarf feels a bit stuck. How do you guarantee the longevity of a unique item that was built, quite literally, yesterday?
WindStruck
Shandara nods when the question is asked, or implied, that it's based on personal research.  "Very Well. I will check back with you in some days. Now is there some reference number or name you will be using while the report is pending? Or will it just be on the name given?" 
 
 Spoiler: Shandara's Report: On Conjuring Water Via Arcane Methods 
A lengthy and cumbersome document, which might form a very small novel, which is at least numbered properly by page and has a table of contents.

The introduction briefly describes the nature of the magic and other shortcomings that have been faced so far, for example, the creation of water only through means of divine magic. And then lists off a number of other practical applications for this magic, like irrigation, supply of fresh water through aqueducts, providing small compartmentalized units of water for steam engines, and portable emergency water supplies while being out in the wilderness.

Additionally, there is a call for a need to organize major, continual uses of these enchantments in a list, or registry, so that they do not overlap with each other and cause failure over the long term. A table of coordinates is listed in the third chapter.

The first chapter briefly explains the process in very technical terms. Opening small apertures into the plane of water, through a fixed and defined area. It is then followed up by a sample diagram and suggestions for materials resilient enough to make the framework and runes.

The second chapter goes extensively into different types of coordinates, and the ability to shift them over closer toward other planes, for example, the planes of fire, air, earth, positive, or negative planes. There is also a caution that pressure may fluctuate, or there are areas under extreme pressure, but no correlation has yet been determined.  Before putting to practical use, the location must be thoroughly tested to ensure safety. 

The third chapter cautions on long-term impact of this magic, should its use become extensive. If several powerful individuals or organizations use the magic constantly, all in the same locations of the plane of water, their enchantments will interfere with one another as they compete for the same sources of water. Also, in extreme cases, they may harm or anger denizens of that plane. Therefore it is advised to use multiple smaller enchantments with smaller apertures, rather than a single enchantment with a large one. A sample table is provided, which might describe what such a registry might look like. In the table are some fictional entities, application of water use, and the coordinates used. While coordinates may be fairly "close" to each other with little foreseeable impact, they should not be exactly the same.
 
DeTess
 Imperial Records and Customs Office 
"Well, I suppose having information like that available already might have been a bit too much to wish for." Victor sighed. "Well, It does mean I will have to caution against employing more than one or two of these devices, at least until we have an idea of how much effort maintenance will take."

Lurel nodded in agreement. "It's not unexpected. This would be a very new approach, and we'd rather avoid rehashing the issues we have with the quills, where a solution that seemed fine at smaller scales started to show problems at the larger scales we work at. Still, I do believe this invention is worth investing in. Mister Cogturner, if we were to order two of these machines with the additions we discussed here, as well as supplies so we can make our own plate designs, how much would you ask for those? I'll discuss it with some of my other colleagues and we should have a final verdict in one or two days, as well as an order if we decide to go further with this design."

 The Archives 
"For ease of reference we internally use a letter-code for referencing works like this." The archivist explained. "It would consist of a code referring the subject matter, in this case enchantment and planar sciences, the year and month in which it was submitted, an abbreviation of the title and of the primary author's name." While speaking the Archivist quickly noted down a short code and handed it to Shandara. "If you want to refer someone to your document in the archives you could refer them to this code, though of course we can find it for anyone looking for a document like this. The code is mostly just for us archivists to quickly and easily find relevant works based on someone's request or description."
WindStruck
Shandara nods and thanks the man. She has no other business in the archives for now, so she exits the building and it's still fairly early into the evening. She wonders what she'll do in the meantime, as she strolls slowly compared to her usual gait.

She knew this enchanted violin project would be her top priority, though at the moment she was still waiting to see what Aiden came up with as he experimented working with Tundra Oak.

The paper she wanted published, the process was started at least, and aside from possibly getting her findings published in a prestigious journal, it was mostly squared away.

Slightly related to that, the scroll she gave to Jay was passed on to her less than two hours ago. It would be some time until Jay had anything to say about her spell.

The spirit wood.. she could try revisiting the chunk of wood in her home and continue with her wand research.   Aha.

She suddenly changes direction and announces to Xavier,  "I need to make a quick trip to the bank and buy some material for wand blanks before all the shops close." 
DeTess
Shandara's shopping trip was rather uneventful, and she acquired the materials she was looking for without issue. When she arrived home however, she found a letter waiting for her. The letter was sealed close with the coat of arms of the city guard, and the letter read as follows:


 Dear madam Shandara,

I hope this missive finds you well. My name is Desmund Tar, and I hold the position of captain within the Arcanist branch of the city guard's investigative division. I have heard a thing or two of your prowess within the field of enchanting, and would like to offer you a commission designing a new tool for me and my colleagues. As the details of this matter are somewhat confidential I cannot go into more details in this letter, but if you are interested in taking this commission you can come visit the Crown's gate guard precinct to meet with me in person.

Regards,
Captain Desmund Tar, city guard 1st investigative division, arcanist branch 
WindStruck
Shandara takes and read the letter with some interest. Well at least it wasn't some sort of death threats or ransom note.

 "Crown's gate guard precinct.."  Shandara mutters.  "Do you know where that is?" 

knowledge local  (1d20+8)[ 23 ] 

It seems even as she asks this, some details she remembered hearing about flood back into her mind.

 "It is highly unusual for someone to directly send a request like this. I think you had better come with me." 
WindStruck
Shandara shrugs, then sighs.  "Let's go now, I guess. Before it gets even later." 

She stops and adds,  "Although. I will be a little annoyed if they tell me to come back in the morning." 
DeTess
The Crown's gate guard precinct is a stately building near the edge of the military district. Four floors high, the front of the building was decorated with marble columns and large windows. Right next to the large building where extensive stables, with uniformed men and women still arriving and leaving by horse-back, even at this time in the evening. The building's front doors led into a large lobby, with benches and seating along two walls, and a number of desks at the far end manned by uniformed men and women processing the questions and appointments of those present. The room was not too full, but there where still around a dozen people currently waiting around. Most seemed to be fairly well off individuals, some calmly reading broadsheets, others looking nervous, or impatient.

When the Drow presented herself at one of the desks, she was informed by the young man manning it that captain Tar was still present, and she was asked to take a seat while the captain was informed of her arrival. The man had initially looked a bit suspicious of the dark elf, but once the elf introduced herself he seemed more amenable, suggesting he had been informed that someone by the name of Shandara might be stopping by for a meeting.

After a short while a large man wearing a simple navy blue overcoat entered the room and approached the Elf. He had dark brown hair, a large mustache and mutton chops. "You're madam Shandara with the Royal Artificery society, I presume?" He asked as he stopped in front of Shandara's seat.

 
 Spoiler: Captain Desmund Tar 

 
 
WindStruck
 "Yes,"  Shandara says, standing as the man came out to greet her, and she still had to crane her neck upward to meet the gaze of his imposing figure.

 "I had been out on some errands, and while I normally may not answer a request so promptly, it was convenient for me, and I hope it is not too late in the evening for you,"  she adds.

 "If it's a confidential matter, I suppose we will speak further in your office. This is my bodyguard, Xavier, by the way. He is often present while I do my work at nights. Is it acceptable if he joins us?" 
DeTess
"I'm captain Desmund Tar." The captain replied to Shandara's introduction, though the elf had already determined his identity. "As for your bodyguard..." He looked over Xavier with an appraising eye. "What company are you with?"

"I am Xavier Firmhold, with the Midnight Guard, sir." The bodyguard looked like he was standing at attention as he replied.

"Hmmm, have we met before?" The captain asked, his attention now fully on the bodyguard.

"I think we briefly met about seven years ago, though we never got formally introduced." Xavier replied quickly.

"Seven years... ah, fair enough." Captain Tar nodded. "Well, I don't see any issues with you accompanying madam Shandara. The both of you, please follow me."

Having said that, eh turned around and marched back the way he came, leading Shandara and Xavier deeper into the building.

Xavier kept close to the dark elf and quietly addressed her. "He used to be with the 3rd Imperial Battlemage company. He and I met briefly when he was deployed to the Southern border. I didn't immediately recognize the name, but he still looks very similar to the way he did then. I don't know much about him, but based on the few things I saw and heard he is someone with little patience for small talk. He is also skilled with both evocation and divination magic."

As Xavier gave his short explanation the captain led them through several hallways, up a flight of stairs and through several rooms where, even at this point in the evening people where still at work, reading through documents, writing reports or quietly discussing matters. The guardsmen quickly got out of the way of the captain, giving him quick salutes as he passed by, though none addressed him.

Eventually the captain led them to an office at one of the building's corners, where an elf was waiting for them. He had long blonde hair and he was wearing a coat similar to that of the captain, though his was unbuttoned, showing a fancy silk overshirt below. He was looking around with a bored expression, and had a large sheaf of papers in one of his hands. A ginger cat sat at his feet. The moment he saw captain Tar a grin appeared on his face, not unlike the expression of a cat spotting a tasty morsel.

"Ah, Desmund, old pal." He adressed captain Tar with little sens of decorum, and his grin only became wider in response to the scowl he got from the captain, though it did not reach his cold amber eyes. "I wanted to hand in the reports on the analysis of the traces in the Marquis Del'Gavo case and my updated profile on the thief in person." He offered the stack of papers to the captain with an extravagant bow. "And who do we have here?" The moment the captain took the papers the elf's cold gaze shifted to Shandara. "Well now captain, I was not aware you had such an  interesting  individual among your acquaintances. My lady, once the captain is done with you, it would be my pleasure to..."

" Lieutenant  Whitecliff, that's quite enough." Captain Tar had clearly reached the limit's off his patience, his complexion having turned a rather alarming shade of red. "You will remember your position, and act with the appropriate decorum."

"Ah, my bad." The grin plastered across the elf's face changed little in the wake of the captain's outburst. "Well then, I'll be taking my leave for now..."

"No. Since you seem to have nothing better to do, you will sit in on this meeting. Though you will remain quiet unless I ask you for your opinion." The captain decided, then turned to Shandara. "I apologize for my subordinate's behaviour." He said in a gruff voice. "Unfortunately, despite his many shortcomings, he is something of a genius where forensic applications of magic are concerned, so my superiors have decided to put up with his eccentricities." As the captain spoke he opened his office and led the way into the room. Two walls where covered in bookcases and filing cabinets, and a large desk surrounded by several chairs stood in front of several large windows looking out on the stables and square in front of the guard precinct.

"Please take a seat." Captain Tar gestured towards the seats in front of the desk, then sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk. The elf, Lieutenant Whitecliff quickly grabbed one of them, twisting it around before sitting down. The ginger cat had followed him inside and jumped up on his shoulders.

Once Shandara had taken her seat captain Tar started to explain. "I reached out to you because I heard you are an enchantress of some significant skill, and I'd like to commission you to design a wand for us. It should contain a spell or spells that would allow for the locating of a creature based on simple traces, like hairs, blood, or even a scrap of clothing from their attire, and it should have a long range. Is this something you believe is within your ability?" He spoke in clipped tones, omitting anything he believed unnecessary and cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
WindStruck
The conversation between the captain and Xavier looked awkward. Though eventually, the captain relented and allowed Xavier to come along. As they followed Captain Tar, and Xavier explained his former position, it impressed upon her just how dangerous this man could be. Even with a bodyguard like Xavier, there was probably little he could do to save her, should he turn on her. Although, this was a civilized society, and this building would be the heart of their law and order and military power, she presumed.

Shandara tried to shake out the thoughts of paranoia from her mind, though she was still looking around cautiously, trying to map the route back in case she needed to retrace her steps.

She gazed at the blonde elf cautiously. Yes, eccentric was one way to put it. Surprisingly, he seemed quite friendly. But there was something off about his cold eyes...

Sense Motive:  (1d20+5)[ 13 ] 

Compared to the three around her, Shandara appeared to be nothing more than a common civilian in her drab garb and blue cloak. She looked out beyond through the windows, with the evening dusk sky colorful, and yet not so bright to hurt her eyes, and then gingerly sat down at a chair.

After thinking a bit on the captain's request and her capabilities, she says,  "Yes, I believe so. However, your definition of 'long range' and mine may be different. How far are we talking about?" 

She also asks,  "Is there.. something else at play here? I doubt a request such as this would need to be confidential. A commission posted at the Royal Artificery Society's Grand Plaza would have sufficed." 
DeTess
 
 Spoiler: sense motive 

Lieutenant Whitecliff remains quite inscrutable to Shandara. She can tell that his friendliness is something of a mask, but she can't tell what is hidden behind that mask.
 


"Ideally a single casting Would cover the entire city." The captain explained. "As for the confidentiality, it is to prevent smarter criminals from developing countermeasures to the magic."

The captain kept his explanations very short, which prompted a sigh from the elf.

"Really, Desmund, I think you'll have to give the poor artificer a little more info than that." Lieutenant Whitecliff sighed again. "Especially since she is the first to not declare your task impossible, though whether that is due to confidence in her skill or an underestimation of the magnitude of the task remains to be seen." The captain scowled, but the elf quickly raised his hands to forestall a retort. "Just let me explain a little more about what is going on. You'll avoid disappointment that way, I promise."

Apparently mollified, the captain simply gestured for the elf to continue. "Well, Lady artificer, I'm sure you are aware of at least some of the spells useful to tracking down criminals, like spells that allow one to speak with the recently diseased, or sniff out the whereabouts of a specific object. However, I am sure that, given some thought, you can also come up with countermeasures. If the one you killed never saw you, or if the guard cannot find your body, then having a spell that asks questions of your corpse becomes quite useless. Likewise, spells that track down objects require the object in question to be very specific. Random coins or even gold bars just can't be tracked down that way, so thieves focus on objects like that. And if someone does steal a unique object, they make sure to quickly leave the city to fence it elsewhere, avoiding the spell's limited range." Lieutenant Whitecliff gestured animatedly as he spoke, dislodging the cat on his shoulders, who jumped down with a hiss. This time the elf's enthusiasm seemed a bit more sincere.

"Well, there are more spells like that, but every single one has weaknesses, and the smarter segment of criminal has developed countermeasures to most of them over the years, though this required them to first figure out how the spell works exactly. The ones that remain effective are so difficult to cast that only a small handful of my colleagues can even manage to do so. That is the other limitation you have on this commission, by the way, though Desmund no doubt considers it such an obvious thing that he has failed to mention it so far. Your wand needs to be somewhat affordable, as we'll need at least a dozen to properly outfit our division, and unlike the Ranger's Guild we can't spend a noble's ransom on the gear of each individual officer. If we can only afford one of the wand you have developed it defeats the entire point. After all, the guard already has me, but the issue is that I can't take every case."
WindStruck
Shandara's brows furl by the end of the explanation. This was perhaps getting far too over her head.

 "Now hold on just a minute,"  Shandara said.  "You asked if I thought it could be  possible .. but not if it would be  cheap ." 
 "Quite frankly, and I am sorry if this meeting is a waste of time, I'm not entirely sure if it  is  possible. There are certainly many things I could try, but even known tracking spells, for example, have limited range - about a quarter of a mile or so - and can be blocked by a thin sheet of lead, or some feet of stone, I suppose. I'm not one to say it's impossible, however..." 
 "But in order to get everything you want - a very long range, and the ability to penetrate material and such beyond what is conventional - that requires much additional power, not to mention all the time and research just getting something to work. If you ask me to devote a large amount of my time to a certain endeavor, that will cost you, and I can also assure you that the cost of each individual wand would far exceed that of one that casts magic missile." 

Shandara shrugs, only a bare hint of apology on her face as she lays out the facts.  "So.. with that said, Captain Tar.. is this proposal a wash?" 
DeTess
The captain frowned, but before he could say something the lieutenant spoke up again. "How much would you ask for about a week's worth of research?" He asked. "Just generally looking into what is possible and what it would take."

"You don't get to make that call." The captain growled.

"Ah, Desmund, you've been trying to get the prefect solution for a while now with no success. It might be worth it to find out what an imperfect solution would look like at the very least, wouldn't it?"

".... Very well then." The captain looked at Shandara again. "What do you think of the Lieutenant's proposal?"
WindStruck
Shandara blinks a few times and looks between the two officers.  "Um, sorry? What exactly is this proposal? That I just do a week or so of research?" 
 "Not that this sort of request is unheard of, but I think you should be clear with what your expectations are. I could look into this problem, find some potential ways of doing what you'd like via magic, but by no means would it be an exhaustive list of all ways one could tackle the problem... And then, yes, I could roughly estimate the costs of materials and labor." 
DeTess
"To formalize the proposal, you'll be doing a week's worth of research into possible spells along the lines I described. At the end of that week you'll provide a written report detailing the approaches you've found, the expected capabilities of the approaches regarding the type of traces they would need an their range, as well as estimates on the costs involved if we wanted you to develop one of the approaches into a full spell, and what a wand containing it would cost." The captain explained. "For this research you can make use of our own records on forensic spells, and lieutenant Whitecliff will provide you with further explanations and insights if required. Does that sound acceptable?"
WindStruck
 "I do have other obligations, so I am likely unable to perform all this research consecutively, starting today. But as long as you are fine with receiving a report ten or fifteen days from now,  I would find that entirely acceptable. As for the rates I would charge, I think about.. 20 gold pieces per day is fair?"  Shandara says. She brings her hands together steepling and interlocking some of her fingers as she waits for their response.
DeTess
"That sounds acceptable." The captain nodded. "To confirm, we'll pay you 140 gold pieces, and you'll have the report ready no later than two weeks from now. Is that correct? If so, I can have a proper contract send to your home adress by tomorrow."
WindStruck
 "Very well,"  Shandara says. Looking around at the others she asks,  "I suppose I wouldn't mind starting now. Would I be able to look at what spells you currently have tonight?" 
DeTess
"Lieutenant Whitecliff will provide you with the necessary demonstrations." The captain confirmed without consulting his lower ranked colleague.

"Well, I suppose I can find the time." Whitecliff shrugged. "Please tag along to my laboratory and I'll show you some of what I know."

The lieutenant led Shandara and Xavier down several flights of stares to the building's basement. He kept quiet the entire time, the grin that had seemed permanently stuck to his face disappearing the very moment he left the captain's office.

The stairs into the basement led to a long hallway with doors set into the sides at long intervals. The elf stopped at the second door, then opened it slightly the peek inside the room, before opening it fully and ushering Shandara and Xavier inside. Inside was a large room several long tables dominated the room, which where covered in all kinds of instruments. Some Shandara recognized as being used with enchantment, while others where covered in instruments Shandara didn't immediately recognize, though the many types of lenses and magnifying glasses suggested they where used in one way or another for observing and studying materials. There was also a low table covered in alchemical equipment, the table's heigh suggesting it was intended for someone of far shorter stature than Whitecliff.

"Well then, you can research the standard things in your own time, so let me..." The elf froze as he spotted something one one of the tables. A number of yellow folders where pinned to the table by a slim dagger.  "Okay... I might have pushed her a little too far this time..."  He muttered quietly, though not so quiet that Shandara was unable to hear. "Sorry, change of plans, I have some urgent work to catch up on first. There are some books that might be of interest to you over there." The lieutenant gestured to a desk and bookcase which had been cluttered with books and papers. "And that rack over there holds the wands containing our standard investigative spells." He gestured towards a rack holding a little over half a dozen wands. "Feel free to cast any that you want to take a closer look at, these wands are the type that recharge over time so it's no waste."

"Oh, and mister Bodyguard, could you stand watch in the hallway and warn me if a furious looking gnome appears?" the elf asked Xavier.

"My job is to protect miss Shandara, so I'll be staying right here." Xavier replied, impassively.

"Well, suit yourself. She will probably try to murder me first anyway." Whitecliff turned to the folders, and with some effort yanked the dagger out of them and tossed it on the table, before opening the first folder.
WindStruck
Shandara followed along, but she still felt that something was off about this elf. She assumed that his big cheesy grin was solely to annoy his superior officer. Given Lieutenant Whitecliff's behavior, peeking into the room first, and then the dagger in the folders, she still felt something was not right.

 "Are you.. certain it is alright if I am here?"  she asks.  "Or is it you are more worried about a colleague you have angered?"  One of her eyebrows rises, and she doesn't look very amused by all this. It was a little too close to home. Such actions, like leaving a note with a dagger, were probably more benign, if not passive-aggressive, but regardless, she still didn't want to be caught in the middle of some rivalry, or be blamed for the ensuing chaos or violence.

Perhaps after being assuaged she wanders over to the rack of wands and asks,  "Are all these wands the same?"  Then,  "What is the trigger command?" 
DeTess
"Captain said to show you the spells, so you can be here. He wouldn't have asked you for this commission if he hadn't vetted you in some way anyway." Whitecliff didn't look at Shandara as he spoke, instead retrieving the contents form one of the folders. It was a piece of grey fabric with a large, dark stain on it. "And I might have used the excuse of giving the captain a report in person to take a short break from this drudgery..." he gestured at the folders. "And that might have been the third such excuse this evening, so my assistant might be slightly upset with me."

He worked with practiced movements as he spoke, holding the fabric under a variety of lenses and casting a spell or two on it.  "So what was this supposed to be, blood from a noble's guard that claimed to have been attacked? Not unless the guard in question is actually a cow... Basics of basics, can't believe they needed me to figure this out..." 

When Shandara asks about the wands, he looks up from his work again. By then he had already finished with the contents of the first folder and moved on to the next one. "There should be a rookie's manual somewhere in there with the trigger words and explanations of which wand is which... I know all the spells in there myself, so I don't really bother with them. They're mostly here because I'm expected to have them nearby."

True to his explanation, there was indeed a manual among the pile of books which, among other things explained the wands and their trigger words.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: list of wands 

 
 locate object 
 detect thoughts 
 Analyze Emotion aura (essentially gives insight into the targets emotional state and does not allow a save) 
 Summon tracking hound 
 Eagle eye 
 Object reading 
 Blacklight (like the light cantrip, but on different wavelengths allowing it to function as a blacklight. the handbook explains it as a special type of light that makes certain traces visible, even if a surface has been cleaned) 
 
 
WindStruck
Shandara perused the manual, and she nodded a bit to herself. Of the spells listed, she already knew Locate Object well. Detect thoughts was something she had heard of before and vaguely imagined how it worked. The rest of the spells, she wasn't familiar with.

Of the remaining spells, she cut down her selection to Object Reading. This was likely the most pertinent to her field of study, and so, extracting a wand from the rack and double checking the manual again, she asked,  "Aha, I think I know what I would like to try. Would you mind if I tested this Object Reading spell on that knife?"  She was referring to the one that had nailed the folders to the table.
DeTess
"Be my guest."  White cliff gestured towards the table on which he had discarded the dagger. He was currently manipulating a machine consisting of several crystals mounted around a central receptacle, in which he had deposited another crystal which had come from one of the folders, and his attention seemed to be fully focussed on whatever task was currently at hand.

The manual indicated one had to touch and focus on the object while casting the spell, so Shandara touched the dagger with one hand while casting the spell from the want with the other. The spell went off without a hitch, and as the manual had warned Shandara was presented with a rush of images, emotions and impressions. Most of these fled Shandara's mind almost immediately, but she managed to grasp hold of two pieces of information. The first was that of the face of a female gnome. She had auburn hair bundled up in a ponytail and had blue eyes visible behind her glasses. her face was set in a strict expression, like what you'd find on the face of a schoolteacher scolding an unruly child. The second thing she managed to keep hold of was a feeling of immense frustration.
WindStruck
After casting the wand, Shandara blinked with some amazement. This was some kind of new spell, some new ability that she had never heard of before. But to top it off, the spell merely granted herself temporarily the ability to do this. If she could have the magic itself take that flood of information and process it, she was sure this would work.

She looks back to the manual to see if there is anything else it can tell her about it. If not, which was probably true seeing as it was only a manual for a person with a layperson's understanding of magic, she has to ask,  "What is the origin of this object reading spell? It unlocks some ability within one's self, but I have never heard of this until now..." 
DeTess
"Ah, that spell is based on momentarily unlocking latent psychic abilities." Whitecliff explained. He had finished up with the crystal and was busy jotting down a short report now. "The wand with the emotional aura reading effect is very similar. You probably haven't heard about it much because people actually able to use those abilities are very rare. It either needs an extremely rare inborn talent, or a long and gruelling period of training. And among those with the actual ability, madness is a real problem. You see, it is like having an extra sense, and once you have it, you can't turn it off again." He shrugged, his eyes still focussed on his work. "Far safer and more convenient to temporarily copy that ability through magic."
WindStruck
 "If the ability is so rare, and the people who actually have it tend to go crazy, then how in the world were you able to procure  several recharging wands  of it?"  she asks. She didn't mean to sound confrontational, but she was more genuinely incredulous.

Shandara says,  "I think the aura reading spell will not relate enough to what the captain was asking for. But this one. Hmm..." 

Deep in thought now, she meanders over to the books that were pointed out earlier.
DeTess
"How many people with an ability like this would you need to study to try and find a way to replicate their gift?" Something about Shandara's outburst seemed to have attracted Whitecliff's attention, and he turned to face the elf. "That's not a hypothetical question by the way, I am genuinely curious. Let's say you heard about this ability, and found someone with this gift. They might not be the most stable of person, skittish, refusing to look straight at your or touch anything that isn't something they own, but they're still willing to participate in simple experiments and observations. Do you think that one person would be enough for you to crack the mystery? Or would you need more? If so, how much more?"
WindStruck
Looking back over to Whitecliff, Shandara says,  "At this point, I don't know. If said person is cooperative and doesn't act too crazy, it could be just the one person. If they're all erratic looneys..."  She trails off and shakes her head.

 "I'm still curious, how did these wands come into be? Did you - or someone - manage to replicate that ability already? Or was this merely some spell that already existed, in one form or another?" 
DeTess
Whitecliff considered Shandara for a moment, then turned back to his work with an indifferent shrug. "Let's call that your homework for tonight. You might want to start by looking into the Steiner research group."
WindStruck
 "I'll keep that in mind.."  Shandara says, and then she begins to peruse the books that were mentioned when she first entered the room.
DeTess
The books are a rather eclectic collection. There are some manuals like the rookie manual Shandara found for the wands, describing things like interrogation methods and how to approach investigating the scene of a crime. Most of these are tucked away near the back of the bookcase or at the bottom of the pile of books and papers on the desk. In addition to those, there are books on humanoid biology, divination magic, a number of catalogues from the largest tailors in the city, a book on geology, several on the architectural history of the city, copies of Artificery society research papers on all kinds of topics, a couple trashy romance novels, and copies of broadsheets and newspapers by publishers both reputable and disreputable. The books and papers didn't seem to be stored with any particular logic behind them, just stacked haphazardly atop one another.
WindStruck
Shandara keeps quiet, to avoid disturbing Lieutenant Whitecliff and checks out the books about divination magic to see if there was anything unique to them that she did not know. She'll try to find a chair and perhaps a very minimal light source behind her if that enhances the reading experience.
DeTess
Shandara was somewhat familiar with the books in question. she might have seen the titels in passing in the archives, or as references in other works. They where books describing advanced and theoretical scrying magic, including an in-depth treatise on the properties of Connection, the phenomenon by which one could use divination spells to try and find the rest of something once one part has been acquired.
WindStruck
Having skimmed over the books, Shandara then begins to focus on the parts which talked about "Connection". It seemed to be turning more into theory than any factual knowledge, but she was still interested in what the author thought on the matter.
DeTess
As Shandara had expected, the treatise was mostly focussed on theory, though some spell sequences were described that could make use of it. These tended to be very complicated however, and on their own would do very little, needing some kind of further expression to turn them into a useful spell, which would push the whole beyond the abilities of most mages. However, there was one part towards the end that caught Shandara's attention.


 As shown in a recent research paper (Whitecliff, 1038), practical uses for the principles of connection exist for the field of forensic magic. However, the holy grail of long distance tracking and viewing based on this principle remains as of yet out of reach, the spells described by Whitecliff demonstrate it is possible to use the principles to prove traces like blood or hairs have come from specific individuals. 

At the end of the treatise was a list of sources with more information on the paper in question.


 E. Whitecliff, Harnessing the principle of Connection for practical magic in the field of forensics, 3-1038, Artificery Society archive reference 31038EWHharfor-MD-F-PS 
WindStruck
Shandara glanced up at the other elf busy at work. She took out some parchment from her bag and began making some notes from the book, especially of the very complex subjects which were harder to remember.

 "Were you once in the artificery society?"  she asks.
DeTess
"Not really." Whitecliff replied noncommittally while finishing up the report he was writing. "I did a little bit of spell research a while back for my work and it got added to your archives I think, but that's about it."
WindStruck
Shandara glanced over, an eyebrow raised briefly before going back to taking notes.  "Oh. I guess that makes sense. It seems just anyone.. -no, I mean, perhaps qualified people outside of the Society can still submit papers. But then that begs the question, why are you here and not there?" 
DeTess
"Hmmm, why indeed. Consider coming up with a reason why an addendum to your homework." Whitecliff had opened the last of the folders and quickly read over the note within, then got up. "Seems I can provide you with a practical demonstration of one of the more advanced spells while still catching up on my work. Tag along if you're interested." The lieutenant started heading for the door without waiting for a response from Shandara.
WindStruck
 "I'll be busy with more important things,"  Shandara says aloofly, tiring of the lieutenant's attitude. She quickly jots down the reference code of the book (if she hasn't already), scoops up her belongings, and then begins to follow the elf.
DeTess
Shandara's aloof reply earned her a smirk from Whitecliff, though his eyes, which had been cold before now softened a bit in yet another apparent contradiction in the lieutenant's behaviour.

Shandara and Xavier where led down the basement's hallway to a door at the far end. unlike the other doors, which had been sturdy but not exceptionally so, this door was made entirely from metal. A guard was seated on a  chair next to it and got up when Whitecliff approached. "Open the door and inform Lieutenant Corsak that I'm here to check on his suspect." Whitecliff said, his voice now haughty and cold.

"Tssk, sure, one moment,  your bloody highness ." The guard looked at Shandara and Xavier. "Who are they?"

" They  are an honored guest from the Royal Artificery Society and her bodyguard, here by personal invitation of captain Tar." Whitecliff's kept up the icy air of superiority as he spoke. "They will be observing my arts at work."

The guard glared at Whitecliff, then shot a pitying look at Shandara. "I will need to clear that with Lieutenant Corsak first, one moment." The guard knocked on the heavy door. A slit at eye-level was opened, and the guard quietly discussed with the one behind it. About a minute alter the door was opened, revealing another guard and a dwarven woman in the same uniform as Whitecliff. She gave the elvish lieutenant a look of disgust, which Whitecliff answered with a leer.

"I'll have one of my people get the suspect to interrogation room 3. Your guests can come with me to the observation room." Lieutenant Corsak gestured for Whitecliff to get a move on, then motioned for Shandara and Xavier to follow her. "Please don't judge our entire department by that oaf's antics." She spoke quietly to Shandara as she led the way. "Pissing people off is his favorite pasttime, and he's a master at it." She opened a door right next to the one Whitecliff had disappeared through. It seemed to open directly on a solid stone wall, yet the dwarf seemed unperturbed and stepped straight through both the doorway and the wall, disappearing from view.
WindStruck
Shandara followed, still rather unsure about what she was getting into. The first guard's pitying look was met by her own glance, uncertain about the whole situation but for the most part still unperturbed.

When the other lieutenant said that Whitecliff enjoyed making everyone angry, it seemed to make sense. Everyone so far that he had interacted with had been ticked off: everyone from the Captain Tar, to the gnome coworker she hadn't met yet, to these people.

It was strange how the door opened for her seemed to lead into a solid wall. An illusion of some sort? Wouldn't be much point seeing it was already behind a door. Some kind of teleportation?

Shandara casts ' Detect Magic'  and then proceeds to wave her arms ahead in front of her, inside the wall, before cautiously moving into it.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Detect magic will last for 6 minutes.  It's from her magewright class side.

Don't think I have enough time to analyze the wall, but that's okay in any case. Detect magic will allow Shandara to see the auras of magic and eventually determine the schools of spell effects she sees. Might come in handy for snooping a bit later too, assuming this interrogation doesn't last for more than 6 minutes.
 
DeTess
Once Shandara touched the wall, revealing its illusory nature it seemed to fade away, becoming almost completely transparent to her eyes. Beyond, was a small poorly lit room. A large window was set in the wall to her left, in front of which some desks where set. Shandara could also still vaguely see the illusion overlapping with the window. Beyond the window was a second, brightly lit room. In the middle of the room a simple table was set, with two simple chairs set on both ends. Whitecliff was sitting in one chair, and seemed to be waiting for something, his boots propped up on the table. A yellow folder was lying on the table, next to his boots.

"You made it through without issue, good." the dwarven lieutenant said quietly to Shandara when the elf joined her in the room. "The illusion extends into the room to make it easier to see through it, or so I've been told." She gestured towards the window. "It's mostly there to keep the observers hidden from anyone in the interrogation room. The illusion doesn't stop sound though, so keep your voice down once the suspect is inside."

After another minute or so passed, a door at the far side of the interrogation room opened, and a human man escorted by two guards entered. The man was in his late forties, with greying hair. His clothes were fine, but his face looked haggard, a stubble across his chin suggesting he hadn't shaved for several days and bags under his eyes suggesting he hadn't had much sleep either. His hands where shackled behind his back and the guards each held one arm. They guided him into the chair opposite Whitecliff, then stepped back.

"Heh, so you're the infamous thief 'Phantome'?" Whitecliff looked the man over. "Given the acrobatics involved in your heists, I had expected someone younger. In fact, the description given by the one witness of the DeClerk heist...."

"Yes, I am the Phantome." The man interrupted Whitecliff brusquely. "I already admitted to everything, including the DeClerk heist or whatever you're calling it, so I don't see the point of this at all."

"Well, we'll see about that." Whitecliff removed his boots from the desk, then grabbed the folder and removed a small vial from it. it was stoppered at one end, and held a small amount of a reddish liquid.

"W...what's that?" The man being interrogated looked worried now. "I-I know my rights, you can't drug me..."

"Just a little bit of blood the Phantome left behind during the Aurix heist." Whitecliff responded. "Don't worry, I don't expect you to drink it." The lieutenant grinned, then pointed his free hand at the older man. A blueish white light started building in both his hands, then leapt over to the vial and the man. The light traveled up and down the man and the vial, before the light on the man leapt back towards the vial, and then faded after a moment.

"Well I'll be damned..." the dwarf whispered very quietly. "It's not him."

"Well, this just got interesting." Whitecliff grinned at the suspect in front of him. "Now then, why would a well-off merchant like you turn yourself in, falsely claiming to be the Phantome..."

"F-falsely!?" The man seemed to be panicking now. "I-I told you, I am..."

"Oh, hush, the jig is up already. Though..." Whitecliff considered for a moment, then seemed to repeat the casting of the spell. This time, the vial of blood lit up with a slight greenish light. "Ah, it seems you're not completely unrelated to the Phantome. Given your actions... a son perhaps?"

"N-no you've got it all wrong." The man said, his voice now sounding defeated. "I-it's me, I am the one that should be punished..."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Whitecliff turned around, and winked in the direction of his dwarven colleague behind the glass and the illusion. "Well, it seems we've got to go and catch the real Phantome. Thank you for your cooperation, it was most enlightening." Whitecliff started walking towards the door he had come in through, then stopped anda dressed the man without turning to face him. "Oh, and the Phantome never robbed someone called DeClerk, nor have there ever been any witnesses to their heists. You really should have read up on the case before turning yourself in if you wanted to convince me." Whitecliff then left, leaving the man slumped in the chair, a look of despair on his face.

"And this is why, despite his attitude, we keep him around." The dwarf whispered quietly to Shandara. "This was supposed to be a routine confirmation, but Whitecliff saw through his lie before even casting any spells."

 
 Spoiler: detect magic results 

The first spell Whitecliff cast was a divination spell, but the second casting was an illusion spell instead (both faint aura's, but the divination spell was stronger than the illusion one by a signficant margin). There was also a faint aura of abjuration on the manacles that shackled the man and a moderately strong aura that doesn't really map to any of the schools of magic on Whitecliff, though it had some resemblance to a divination aura.

Roll a knowledge arcana for more info on Whitecliff's aura, and a spellcraft for more info on the spells.
 
WindStruck
As suspected, the second spell was merely an illusion: a fake to make Whitecliff's assumption more convincing. As for his aura.. Shandara didn't know what it was, but she could only guess it was perhaps one of those strange, innate abilities they had formerly discussed.

The fact that this man was not the culprit, someone else taking the blame for another's crime was perplexing.  "Why would anyone do that?"  she quietly asks. A strange thing maybe most normal people would understand, but not Shandara, who was not sheltered out of love by her parents, and even attacked by her own mother.

Whatever the reason was, it seemed the man was caught in his lies and defeated, and Whitecliff was correct.

 "That is impressive. Is that all we are observing?"  she mutters.
DeTess
"I expect so." The dwarf replied as the two guards in the other room guided the human out of his chair and took him away. "That spell you just saw isn't something even a mage of Whitecliff's caliber can do easily, so he probably wanted to take this opportunity to allow you to observe." She sighed. "Anyway, I'll have to go and report this to captain David, so she can take the necessary action to try and catch that thief before he slips away again." Lieutenant Corsak started heading for the exit, gesturing for Shandara to leave as well.
WindStruck
Shandara exits the room, her eyes still scanning for magical things, although she had probably seen about all she expected or hoped to.
DeTess
Whitecliff was waiting just outside the observation room, the strange magical aura still lingering around him. "So, any thoughts?" He asked as he started leading Shandara and Xavier back to his lab.
WindStruck
Shandara paused a moment, before following Whitecliff.  "Well. It's not like I can glean much from such a quick demonstration like that. But I did sense that the first spell you cast was quite complicated. As for the second, well.. I will say your ability to read people must be quite profound." 

She makes sure no one is in earshot before she says,  "You are one of those people with that unique ability, aren't you?" 
DeTess
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Shandara paused a moment, before following Whitecliff.  "Well. It's not like I can glean much from such a quick demonstration like that. But I did sense that the first spell you cast was quite complicated. As for the second, well.. I will say your ability to read people must be quite profound."  
 

"Ah, reading people is a very useful skill for my favorite past time. Consider figuring out what that is part of your homework." Whitecliff responded with a slight grin.


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 She makes sure no one is in earshot before she says,  "You are one of those people with that unique ability, aren't you?"  
 

The grin remained on Whitecliff's face, but it seemed slightly more strained now. "And what led you to that conclusion? Surely I have not appeared  that  unstable?"
WindStruck
 "I think I already know what your past time is,"  Shandara says coolly.  "And I'm afraid with a little hobby like that, you wouldn't survive a day where I grew up. Thankfully, however, that is neither here nor there, and the people of this... hrm.. glorious..? advanced..? Ahh, never mind. The civilized people of this empire will be forced to put up with your antics as long as you don't do anything..  too  egregious. Or illegal."  She chuckles lightly at the thought of Whitecliff acting like a buffoon just to get a rise out of people.

 "But as for how and why I figured that, perhaps that can be a little..  homework assignment  for you, hm?"  For a moment, she's pleased with herself for flipping it back on him, but it's only fleeting.

She sighs and says,  "For what it's worth, you don't appear to be a raving madman or a lunatic. But, I've only just met you, so...."  and from there, Shandara trails off without completing the sentence. There probably was no telling if this person was crazy or not. Only a short time being around him, and every interaction was a new mask. What would be the  real  Whitecliff, she wondered? A relatively normal person? A harmless eccentric? Someone truly unhinged? At least it has been said that genius often accompanies madness.
DeTess
Whitecliff breaks out in a genuine laugh as Shandara retorts at his needling. "Ha, oh you should be careful with that, miss. I might actually come to enjoy our conversations, which I've been told is a .... fate...." Whitecliff's words trailed off as the ginger cat that had been with him when Shandara first met him and which has subsequently gone its own way reappeared and dashed up to Whitecliff. To Shandara's magically enhanced sight a slight magical aura played around the cat, though it did not belong to any particular school.

"Ah, well. It's been a long day and I finished up my remaining work, so I think it's time to check out. We can't all be night owls and all that." Whitecliff recovered his composure quite quickly, which earned him several annoyed meows from the cat.

"Wait, she said what?" Whitecliff looked a bit worried again

The cat meowed again in an affirmatory manner.

"Pretty sure that should get her locked up for threatening an officer with deadly harm."

The cat's meowed reply sounded quite sassy.

"What do you mean no judge would convict her!? I can't have annoyed all of them yet, can I? And aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Whitecliff sighed, then turned to Shandara. "Would it be okay if I continued my assistance at another date? It seems I am required to go do penance for my many sins right now, and it would be for the best if you didn't get involved."
WindStruck
 "A familiar, I assume?"  Shandara says, but doesn't bother asking for the cat's name or prodding further.

She sighs wistfully and says,  "I am quite the night owl, in fact. Seems much better that way. For me, at least." 
 "Yes, I guess it's time for you to run off and get some rest. But before you go, do you happen to have a written copy of that spell you cast during the short interrogation? It would give me less work to do, and therefore more time for research." 
DeTess
"Ehm, I don't have one on me, but there should be some around somewhere." Whitecliff seemed quite nervous, casting several glances in the direction of the door leading to his lab. "I can ensure a copy is send to your address, would that work?"
WindStruck
Shandara nods and says,  "Certainly. Do keep in mind that the Captain only gave me two weeks.. alright?" 

As she continues walking towards where she believes the exit is, she says,  "Twenty-two Stone Pine Road. That is my address." 
DeTess
Shandara and her bodyguard easily find the stairs leading back to ground lever, and from there an officer of the guard guides them back to the entrance.
WindStruck
Once outside, it wasn't really time to go back home yet. The night was still young and the day had only just begun for this drow.

 "We're going back to the archives,"  she tells Xavier.  "I know. You must be thrilled to be there. Again." 

What Shandara is after is the book referenced, "Harnessing the principle of Connection for practical magic in the field of forensics" by E. Whitecliff.  31038EWHharfor-MD-F-PS

It might actually be a good idea to see if there were other things he published...

And then there was something else really vague about a Steiner Research Group she wanted to look into as well.
DeTess
"It is one of the safer places you could be spending your time, miss Shandara." Xavier replies. "Compared to some other clients I have had in the past, I have absolutely no reservations with your choice of venue to spend the evening."

***
The archives are open around the clock, though they do get quieter in the nightly hours. The main desk isn't as heavily manned as it would be during the day, but there also are far fewer people looking for assistance, saving Shandara the trouble of having to wait in line. She is greeted by an elderly dwarf who had been silently reading a heavy tome until the elf approached. "Good evening, what can I help you with?" He asks as he puts away the book and pulls out a large ledger.
WindStruck
 "Ah.. perhaps the fact that I spend many of my nights there, or at home, is worthy of receiving discount?"  Shandara says with a smirk. But honestly. That would be kind of nice.

* * *

Well it was helpful to be greeted by a dwarf who was probably either very bored or used to getting leisurely reading done at these late hours.  "I'm looking for a particular entry here. I even have the code for it."  She slides over her written-on piece of parchment, with the book code circled and points to it.  "I'm also curious about any other entries this author may have submitted here." 
DeTess
After receiving the code, the dwarf quickly flipped through the ledger and provided Shandara with directions to a specific shelf that should hold the work in question. He then grabbed a different ledger and flipped through it to see if they had any other works by Whitecliff.

"Ah, there is one more. 'Adaptations of psychic abilities using Arcane principles'. Hmmm, it's in the restricted collection though." The dwarf frowned. "Ah, it's a derivative on the Steiner papers, that would explain it." The archivist turned back to Shandara. "You'll have to apply for access, but that generally shouldn't be too much of an issue for a member of the Artificery society." He grabs a form of sorts and fills in the name of the work and the reference code. "Just add your name, and the reason you want to access it, then hand it back in here. We can generally process the application in a day or two. You won't be able to borrow the work but you can read it here once you have permission."
WindStruck
Shandara raises an eyebrow.  "The Steiner Research Group.. that is restricted material, then?"  Curious. Ever so curious. Just by the title alone, it gave away the hint that perhaps psychic abilities could be developed, though some arcane means.

She passes a glance over the form and sighs.  "Suppose I could fill this out. I've been requested to do some research on behalf of a city official. Would some form of signature or explanation from him help as well?" 
DeTess
"Ah, you haven't been here too long yet, have you?" The dwarf asked. "I suppose a couple decades of people not wanting to talk about them has removed the Steiner group out of the collective memory of the younger generation. Well, if you are curious you can check out the research ethics section of the archives. You'll find mentions of them there." He sighed, a slightly distasteful look on his face, though it seemed directed at some memory of his, rather than the elf in front of him. "But just to confirm, the actual Steiner research papers are in the sealed collection, and a written statement from a city official would only be the first step to getting you access to those."

 
 Spoiler: archive collections 

 general collection 
Most of the works in the archives are in this collection and are freely accessible.

 restricted collection 
Books on topics both obscure and dangerous are in this collection. Things like books on rare poisonous herbs and poisons, obscure curses and the like. Just being dangerous isn't enough to end up in this collection, it also has to be rare knowledge. For example, books on fire magic are usually in the general collection as it is taught at various academies despite its danger.

Books that are derivatives of works in the sealed collection are also automatically at least restricted, even if their contents don't otherwise fall in this category.

Access to this collection is fairly simple for most artificers, requiring only a bit of of paperwork in most cases.

 the sealed collection 
This collection contains works many would argue ought to be destroyed, but which are considered to be too valuable to do away with entirely. It includes stuff like the grimmoires of evil mages, records of magical rituals that are supposed to be able to devastate vast areas and the like.

Occasionally someone's research is added to this collection if it grossly violated the society's ethics. Generally, it requires at least humanoid experimentation on multiple unwilling subjects with mutilation or death as a result for a work to be sealed.

Access to a work in the sealed collection is difficult, requiring the sponsorship of a curator and clear proof that the research is both important to society, and can't be done without the information from the collection.
 
WindStruck
Curiosity abound, it just didn't seem like a look at those papers would be happening. They might not be very relevant either.  "Hm. I see. Well, I'll just take a look at the first book for now. And as for this form..."  she begins digging through her bag for an ink pen, unless there was already some convenient writing tool on the desk.

 "Hopefully that other book is about as far as I'd ever need to broach into the subject..." 

In the space regarding the purpose of accessing this knowledge, she writes, "Researching forensic possibilities of spells which may utilize 'psychic' qualities. A confidential matter commissioned by Captain Desmund Tar of the Crown's Gate Guard Precinct."

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Speaking of, since the Royal Artificery Society is so well-respected.. what kinds of things would someone have to go through to become a member? I'm sure it must be pretty rigorous.. and need a sponsor of sorts?
 
DeTess
Once Shandara is done filling in the form the dwarf files it way, once again reiterating that her request should be processed in a day or two at most. After that, following the dwarf's directions, Shandara easily finds the work she had originally come for. It isn't that thick a book, but it's very dense in information. It provides a concise explanation of the principles at work behind Connection, and describes a spell that could be used to harness the principle to do things like prove that a blood or hair sample came from a certain person, or that a certain patch of cloth used to belong to another garment. It could even be sued a certain garment belonged to a certain person, provided the person had worn it foten enough and the spell was cast no more than a couple days after the clothing was discarded. The spells have been extensively tested too, with tables in the book showing loss of accuracy as time passes for various objects (two pieces of cloth couldn't be matched anymore more than half the time after three days, for example, while blood would remain good for at least 1 month for the purposes of the spell).

The spells is described in sufficient detail for Shandara to be able to replicate it as a scroll, but casting it herself might currently be beyond her ability due to its complexity. The spell is general purpose, suitable for use on anything from cloth scraps to blood sample, but this seems to add a lot of complexity to the design making it very difficult to cast.
WindStruck
Shandara starts jotting down notes, quickly realizing she needs to reorganize it and starts over with very neat and compact writing. Eventually she comes to a complex spell that is explicitly described in the book. And at this point, she begins to meticulously analyze it, to figure out how it works.

There are a couple questions on her mind, namely:
-How  exactly  does it compare two different objects to one another?
-Why does the accuracy drop off over time?

Furthermore, in order to make the spell(s) less complex, she has the idea to break it into two or more separate spells. There could be one spell which simply works on living creatures, determining if hair or blood came from the same creature. Another spell could work only on objects or fragments of objects, determining if at one point they were once whole and the same. Yet another spell could determine the relation between an object and a creature, perhaps denoting ownership or frequent use, though like mentioned in the book, this was most likely the least reliable and had the shortest window of time to utilize.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'm not sure if my first set of questions is arcana or spellcraft. I'm inclined to say this is more theoretical and academic and so knowledge (arcana) may be best. I'll use investigative mind on these questions.

 (1d20+17)[ 31 ]  or  (1d20+17)[ 21 ] 

Lastly, the bit about splitting this general purpose spell into three different ones. I actually think this shouldn't be too difficult, but I'll try rolling a single spellcraft roll for detangling it.

 (1d20+16)[ 23 ] 
 
MrAbdiel
In his normal hurry to transmit his excitement about the work underway, Aeden paces about in Shandara's living space, exhausting an unbidden updated on a peripheral project:

 "...And, having been percolating the old pecans about a greater project -", he twirls a finger beside his temple, indicating rotary motion of the percolation, "by which I mean a more expensive project, not one that reduces this one mind you, I have found myself in a position to leverage this research in a job immediately off the back of this one - and a job in which, if you'd consider it, I'd like to cut you in. You and Bolten even, if we can get him - but I'm rambling..." 

He  is  rambling, and he forces himself to sit instead of pace; and takes from a battered leather bag the samples of tundra oak he has worked on.

 "The flex in the properties of the wood here are really sort of... isolated in the middle of a thermal range. Steaming it makes it pliable, but even freezing after doesn't return it to full form, as I'd hoped. Boiling has a similar, if more comprehensive destruction of its supernatural qualities. But raising the wood's temperature uniformly in warm water below boiling temperatures gives some flexibility, and retains all of its resistant qualities after subsequent freezing. I'm confident there's enough flex in there that I can make an instrument from it using special tools - I'm working on acquiring some adamantine tools for the job, ask me about that later - but it does mean I'll be working with wet wood on the construction, which will be challenging.. but not as challenging as working with wood that doesn't flex.  Phew!" 

He goes to lean back in his chair, then quickly strains to look over his shoulder to make sure he's not, for some reason, outstandingly dusty or dirty and a hazard to Shandara's furniture before he completes the manoeuvre.

 "So in short, I think we can make the instrument out of the Tundra Oak. I'll just need access to adamantine tools, and some freezing magic for the duration of the construction at certain intervals - just a  Ray of Frost  or two would do, if you can manage. What do you think?" 
WindStruck
Shandara listens to the man ramble in her sitting room.

 "Sounds like you'll be quite busy. I, too, have picked up another side commission. I don't think it will impact our violin project harshly, though I do need to carefully manage my time and not dilly dally over the next few weeks..." 

She sips some tea, next to a stack of papers and a small book. She had previously offered Aiden some earlier if he would have liked.

 "But honestly, what do I think. Well. I think Ray of Frost may be somewhat inefficient or dangerous to say the least. As you can imagine, it is literally a ray.. So, you can expect one portion of the Tundra Oak to be flash frozen, but the other parts, even relatively nearby may not be. I could probably look into a spell that would chill or freeze an object more uniformly. Or, perhaps there may be somewhat more mundane means in the city? I hear ice is transported and preserved from some distant place outside the city. Treats and delicacies for the nobility, I am sure, but I am sure there must be some other way to freeze the wood again." 

Another sip and she asks, with a brow raised,  "What is this other thing you were looking to get Bolten and me into?"  The young drow woman's eye almost twitches, just wondering what this man had talked himself and others into this time.  Coincidentally, Elu's feathers ruffle slightly, mainly at the neck as she tilts her head over at the two.
MrAbdiel
Aiden sips his tea. For some, seeing the country carpenter's big, calloused hands seek to master the tea cup would be a comedic exercise; but Shandara is used to taking tea with a dwarven machinist, whose mitts are likely comparable, if not brawnier.

 "Hmm. Well, I suppose I didn't ask the fellow who helped - I asked another fellow who was nearby - to specify what spell he'd use; just to lay down some ice magic I'd assumed was a ray of frost. But we're working with  a number of small pieces of wood; wood immersed in the thermo-conductive environment of water, as well. How 'wide' is a ray of frost?  An inch or two? I didn't have any problems with the samples on the freezing part; just the heating part." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
DeTess, I guess that's your call how finicky we need to be with the ice magic.  Can we 'walk' a ray of frost across our peices without uneven chilling? Would a spell like snowball, or a 40gc pot of Liquid Ice do the trick, based on my research?
 


But he leaves this thought unfinished when she asks about the  other  project, so exuberant is he to speak of it.

 "Well, I submitted a proposal for the Midwinter party the Archduchess is throwing! The one that was posted as a guild job - money not an issue for the right applicant, if you recall? And I thought about it so much, and this work we're doing with the Tundra Oak, and she wants something so unusual and tremendously expensive and beautiful that it's a symbol of power and status on its own, and then it hit me..." 

He shows off the proposal, Duncan having sent it back with him for more information, and animatedly narrates that encounter, too.

 
 Spoiler: The Proposal! 

 
 Originally Posted by The Proposal 
  The Legacy Tree 

The commissioned work shall be a tree of singularly attractive proportions no more than 20ft in height so not to soar beyond the ceiling of the estate.  The Tundra Oak, having been harvested in this fall season, will have shed its leaves and I will strip it of its pliable bark to reveal the smooth hardwood surface within.  I will carve the surface of the trunk with pictorial celebration of the Vilfaren family, and illuminate them with precious metal inlays.  Finally, I will select an appropriate arrangement of branches in the upper region and I will fashion the strings of a pair of grand harps and seats for two  harpists. Thus, the work will be a functional and singularly beautiful instrument in addition to being salutory for the Vilfaren family and a celebration of the seasons.  It will not be an inexpensive or easy project, but I think with a few specialists and dedicated action we can accomplish this wonderful feat.
 I will outline the matters of difficulty below as I see them.

1.  The Tree must be Tundra Oak.   Symbolically it is most perfect, as it is deciduous and will have shed its leaves and thus marks the season; but also the species has other qualities.  It is hard as stone, and all but immune to frost and fire; a symbol of the enduring power and majesty of our empire and its reach.  The tree is in demand to armor the ships of the fleet, and so the choice is not without a touch of military grandeur.  It is not enough that the message of the art should be beautiful; the materials for a project like this must be similarly rare and commanding.
2.  This will require an expedition.   Teleportation magics are, I must imagine, quite expensive; but in this case there is no choice if the initial showing of the piece is to be a debut in the mid-winter of the same year of its harvest.  And even if a team were told to set sail right now, fetch a tree and bring it back, it would not arrive with enough time to make the work complete.  This expedition will require a considerable investment in itself.  The reasons why will follow.
3.  The harvest will require tools that do not presently exist.   Collection of this tree's wood has so far existed only for military and industrial purposes. I am experimenting with it for small projects presently but the logging teams no doubt have enchanted or adamantine axes to fell the trees and then saw off the limbs.  This will not do for our purpose - we must have the tree unmarred by felling.  It will need to be taken down surgically, which means people in the tree using tools to cut it down in segments then lowering those segments for preservation, packing and transport.  Handsaws, two-man saws and the like are not sufficient for this.  Ideally the cutting will be done with some kind of powered saw, like what is normally confined to action in a saw mill, running an adamantine or equivalent blade.  I do not know how this will be accomplished; but I do have an idea of a machinist capable of conceiving and operating such a device.  Additionally, it will need to be dug out from the permafrosted ground; but my machinest is the inventor of a device that will make that matter, at least, very easy.
4.  The tree's preservation is problematic.   It can not be allowed to rot and the process of the tree drying once it is taken down will rob it of the aspect of vitality and endurance which is part of the subject of the piece; and the distortion of the wood as it dries may mar the carving.  It will require something like a permanent application of the  Gentle Repose  spell, but it will need to work on plants and indefinitely; perhaps by some token or tonic hidden in the interior of the segments. This is beyond my ability, but one of my best friends is an enchantress par excellance and will certainly be able to overcome this problem.
5.  I will need to be advanced a set of adamantine tools.   The wood is harder than stone which is excellent for the durability of the art but very difficult to manage instrumentally.  I have recently conducted experiments with such tools and I know they are suitable for this purpose.  I would be happy to sign a binding agreement that, upon my death, the tools are to be returned to the Vilfaren family for them to bestow upon the artisan of their choosing.  This is important, because the upper reaches of the tree will be prepared for carving but left uncarved for the deeds of the the generations to come.
6.  We must begin all these operations as soon as possible to supply the greatest freedom of time in which I can apply my craft to the medium.   This is a grand project and will take me many, many weeks of work.  Before I can begin this, the preservation and harvest processes need to be developed by my colleagues and an expedition undertaken where I can select the tree, and a team of helpers can assist in boxing the segments for travel.  But the final result will be a work of art that has, perhaps fifteen segments of trunk and more than a hundred segments of branches.  The joins will be mechanical fasteners but they will be hidden by goldwork.  Once the festivities are over, it can be disassembled into crates for storage and moved to another location at the Archduchess's desire.  No one has made anything like it before and the few parties who would be able to extend their resources to do so after will be seen as imitators.  Hundreds of years from now, the descendants of the Archduchess will gaze upon it and consider what they will do to earn their own addition to its design.

Note: As a matter of perfect transparency, I am currently working on another project which uses small amounts of this wood and which I would first complete with the tools I am asking for.  It is both a contract I intend to honor, but also it will be useful to have worked to completion with the material before I embark on this greater work.

Yours enthusiastically,

Aiden Sorveaux, Society Artificer
Proprietor of the Saw and Fiddle 
 
 


He draws particular attention to the tools required, in section 3...

 "There, you see - to dig out the stump, we'll need special equipment; and to cut the tree in neat segments, not damaging it, ideally requires some kind of powered ... miniaturized, hand held sawmill. But the team that worked on the pipes near my house had digging machines that were Bolten's work; and it seems to me he could make something similar to cut wood, with an adamantine blade." 

In section 4, he draws attention to the enchanting requirements, and taps at the paper with his fingertip.  "When I considered the parts would need to be enchanted, I thought of you at once. It'll need to be, as I've written, something like the  Gentle Repose  spell, but for plants, and of indefinite duration. Not a trivial adaptation at all - but if they accept my proposal, well, I think it'd be marvellous, don't you think so? To have our names associated with a legacy piece for the Vilfaren family?" 

It's also true that the project will likely pay extremely well, given the client's incredibly wealth; and the social inroad of having worked for that extremely high circle in that capacity has value to it as well.

 "Of course, that relies on the Archduchess accepting it. But that's what this is for-"  he taps the little model of the tree he has carved out hastily,  "and I'll soon finish the harp I'll submit to prove my skill at instrument crafting. What do you think?" 
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs Office 

Why does Bolten feel so bad when Victor sighs? He thought he had given a reasonable answer, but Bolten hates disappointing people. Thankfully, Lurel seems more sympathetic.

So self-conscious is he that he low-balls himself in his own mind to sway the recordkeepers.  "Let's say eighteen hundred gold pieces for two machines, parts and labor included. If there are any issues, I will fix them at no charge. If you decide to proceed beyond the prototypes, then we can discuss a new arrangement."  Bolten has to consciously stop himself from clutching at his own hands or wrists in nervousness.
WindStruck
Shandara shrugged and said,  "There is likely something in the archives I can find that would solve that little problem. So let's not worry about that. What will be important is to work the wood without losing its properties. So warm water it is. And if you can't acquire adamantine tools, perhaps you could request more time in one of those workshops again, or I could enchant some tools to be harder than normal..  neither options are ideal though." 
 "This idea you have..."  she says, looking over Aiden's proposal.  "The Vilfaren nobility.. quite clever. They are, I believe, the most prestigious and important family in this empire, aside from the Emperor and his kin. That's certainly one way you might get your hands on some adamantine tools. If they accept the proposal." 

Her brows furl as she reads on,  "This would be interesting to see. But incredibly difficult to pull off. You mention needing special tools to 'surgically' take it apart, but that may be an understatement. I think you need some sort of engineer just to make sure you are cutting the pieces properly. You mention joints and mechanical fasteners, so.. the wood needs to be cut a certain way so you can hide them and easily put the tree back together?" 

There was some other stuff in this writing that Shandara may have taken issue with, but she said nothing.

When Aiden mentions Gentle Repose, she says,  "I think I've heard of novelty roses and preserved flowers which were enchanted to never wither. Absolutely exorbitant for just flowers, in my opinion. But yes, it should be possible. Honestly, my part in all this doesn't seem to be very big, so I don't think I would mind..." 
 "Although, don't you woodworkers use something called varnish to coat wood to preserve it anyway? Is the idea just to preserve it indefinitely with magic?" 
MrAbdiel
Aiden is nods enthusiastically in response to Shandara's expression of mild interest in the project.

 "That's right - very difficult.  Or... Very difficult to do right, without cutting corners. We could cut the thing down and let it dry out and attempt to pretty it up - but that would sacrifice the poetic sense of longevity, you see? Then it would be a plainly dead tree, rather than one quiescent in winter, but still alive. And I could ask an accomplished druid to animate the tree and we could teleport it back, and then do the lopping and cutting in a more pleasant environment - but then it's going to inevitably set in a pose that people will recognize, even unconsciously, as somewhat unnatural. No no, the difficulty of the task is half the point - the request stipulated they wanted the piece to be a testament to what the Vilfaren name can command, and finance. So it  has  to be dismanted and dug up from its native soil; it  has  to be preserved in a full likeness of life, not merely a cosmetic replication of liveliness." 
 "And varnish - yes!  Yes, I've lots of fine things to say about varnish. But it's mostly to protect wood from damage by the elements, and wear-and-tear. Tundra Oak's just not vulnerable to either of those things. Rot will take it eventually, and drying out will distort the wood, but that's what I'm hoping the enchantment will arrest." 
WindStruck
Shandara doesn't have much more to add about this other project, but she's still a bit skeptical.  "Hm. And you're still working on your little model and an instrument so that the idea may even be considered. How long do you think until they make their decision?" 
 "Back to our violin project,"  she says.  "I believe I have the magic design worked out. I've been able to protect an object magically, and then by expending a bit of power, extend that protection to myself. Don't think there will be any issues with sonic protection either. So for now, I think all I need to do is work on cutting and enchanting a gem or two, and hopefully we can find a place to put it on the violin?" 

She looks down and frowns.  "This is not going to be good if we have to wait a while just to get some tools so you can work with the wood. Even worse if we wait and then your idea isn't even selected." 
DeTess
 Imperial Records and Customs Office 
Lurel seemed slightly surprised at the quote given by Bolten. "Well, that certainly seems more than reasonable. I still need to check with my colleagues to get the funds approved, but at this price I don't think there are many reasons to not invest further in your design."
MrAbdiel
Aiden blinks, and looks up to the ceiling; as if literally consulting the heavens for their input before turning his bright eyes back to the drowess.

 "Well, they didn't say. I've assumed they will approve it quickly because... they commissioned a tremendous piece of art with only scarce months before it is due for display; there's simply no time to waste for anyone working on something so grand. Once I finish this harp, I'll have the evidence they need; I ... expect, I suppose, that it won't take long from there.  But you're right; I didn't think about that. I'll... I suppose I'll go ahead and talk to the fellows down at the shipyards that use the Tundra Oak in their work. They're unlikely to have many very fine tools, and I'll have to improvise, but they must be suitably enchanted hand tools to get some of the work done. Maybe I can borrow some from there, until the Archduchess gets back to us." 
WindStruck
Shandara continues to look down and sighs very softly. She didn't mean to bring the mood down and cause a bunch of doom and gloom, but it was a very real possibility.

 "I suppose you had better finish your crafts quickly and do it well,"  she says.  "Allow me to give you a small blessing, then. Do you have a woodworking tool with you?" 

It didn't have to be anything very fancy or valuable, just something that more or less would be suitable working with wood and symbolize the craft. Shandara slowly turns the tool in the air as she mutters something, gesturing with her free hand and then touching Aiden's shoulder.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Aiden receives  Crafter's Fortune .

+5 luck bonus on your next crafting check. Will last for some days (which is plenty of time).
 

 "I hope it works out, Aiden, but it's also important to have contingencies just in case. You may also want to look into when you can borrow tools again from the Society's labs. But top priority is finishing your wood crafts so that you can demonstrate your skills..." 

Shandara almost absentmindedly gazes out her front windows a moment before saying,  "If there are going to be any delays in the process, which I can only assume might be at least a week, we should probably check back with our bard friend at the ranger's guild to let him know of any delays and when he might expect a finished product."  She reaches out and draws the blinds and curtains more closed, making the room dimmer.
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs Office 

Bolten fights back the urge to heave a sigh of relief.  "That is most reassuring to hear. I'm glad to hear that you have as much faith in my work as I do." 
DeTess
"Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?" Lurel asked Bolten. "Otherwise Thomas can guide you back to the entrance, and I will get in touch with you in a day or two about the next steps."
Prehysterical
 Imperial Records and Customs office 
 "No... No, thank you,"  Bolten answers, almost a little too quickly. He wants so desperately to be out of this conversation.  "Just let me know when you are ready to proceed." 
MrAbdiel
  The Fiddle and Saw  
 
 Spoiler: Bing! 
   
 


The week blurs by. The fellows at the drydock are once again more than helpful, and a small agreeable trade of music-for-tools gains Aiden new friends and a window of two weeks with enchanted gear.  "Not as good as the adamantine ones, I think,"  the carpenter tells Ambrose as they amble back to the shop,  "but good enough to get cracking!"
 

And cracking he gets. The research put into the behaviour of the wood, and its response to heat and cold, pay dividends now. It's a harder medium to work with, sure; but with a little effort, a little improvisation, and a little help from a magical friend, it would work out just fine. The density of the wood meant the sonorous quality of the music would be impacted; less warm, more sharp and a little louder. But given the ranger was likely to be playing it outside during battle rather than in a recital hall with a silent attending crowd, the marginal extra sharpness and projected quality are probably preferable. But first, the magic. First, the collaboration with his good friend.

The storefront of the  Fiddle And Saw  features large glass windows with red cedar muntins and frames, beyond which a slew of tasteful wooden furniture is arrayed for the windowshopper's convenience in a swept and kept showroom. Beyond that, a freestanding dividing wall offers a glance of lantern light and activity in a workshop beyond. Aiden comes hustling out to open the door slightly quicker than feels credible, if he was summoned by a knock at the door.

 "Shandara, and Xavier! Come in, come in. Welcome to my place. Is... Err.. Elu with you?"  The carpenter, his overalls sawdusted and speckled with woodshavings, peers up past the arrivals, for the owl. "I've some little friends here that might be mistaken for the edible variety, is all. If she's hungry, I can get her something to nibble on. But here! The workshop is back here."

Workshop is an understatement. There is a spacious realm here that composes most of the ground floor for this large footprint house in a single grand room. But a woodworker's racked tools and benches dominate only a minority portion, closest to the showroom. Beyond that are wooden mannequins with partially complete riding leathers and accessories, and wax for the boiling and shaping of those articles. A small coal forge and anvil lay idle beside a crucible for bronze casting. A workstation with coloured threads and fine steel needles is tucked into one corner, beside a wire frame of a feminine form with a partially completed, somewhat modest dress - clearly a dark green variation inspired by the one worn by Lady Orlof at the previous meeting. Glasscutting tools, drafter's tables, and some kind of elevated tub with scale models of warships have their places, too; as does a sandstone sculpture, as of yet complete only to a level of abstraction that suggests mother and child.

On the joists and beams supporting the floor above, keen eyes could see curious rodents gazing with fascination at the new arrivals. Oddly, they seem to respond to being spotted with something like embarrassment, and hide themselves.

Aiden stops at one of the woodworking benches, where the elements of the violin lay deconstructed, awaiting the bended sides of the instrument. A series of jigs and glamps await their moment to shape the wood.

 "Here we are!  It's all gone very well, after all. The fellows at the drydock, well, they've been very helpful, let me tell you. I've got a set of their tools for the next six days, and I won't need five of them - presuming this goes well. But it will, because we've tested it!"  He claps his hands and rubs them together, visibly excited to complete his part of the project.  "Oh, and... Have you had any more thought about that spiritwood, I wonder..?"
 
WindStruck
Shandara had been very busy herself for the past week. Though she finished what she felt were her obligations for the ranger's violin, there was yet more that needed to be done in a collaborative fashion, once the violin was mostly ready. And so she continued delving into the archives, trying to puzzle out what she could of her latest commission. On one hand it wasn't like there was any pressure to actually come up with a working solution, seeing as what was being asked for was merely research. And yet, by this point she was almost insatiably curious if something like this was even possible. She wondered if she could solve this challenge. She was almost certain she could, with enough time and resources poured into it. But was that how she wanted to spend all of her time and money?

After some brief conversation with Aiden (or what passed for brief for the gregarious bard) she found out that things were soon to be wrapped up. Or maybe they already were. Aiden claimed his violin was all but finished now and just needed her magical touch, and yet Shandara felt a bit caught out by this news, having focused her efforts and spell preparations on study for the day. However, whereas Aiden's day was just beginning, Shandara's was ending. So, they agreed to convene later that evening, after Shandara had some sleep and could prepare for their meeting.

- - - - -

The air was brisk and chilly as Shandara walked through the storm drains district. Some weeks or months ago, she wouldn't have dared to set foot here because of a plague outbreak. But it seemed as though the problem had resolved itself - if anything partially due to her and Bolten's contributions to the project that would revamp the sewer systems. Something about that made Shandara feel.. warm and fuzzy.  No.  Accomplished? It wasn't exactly like she had the well being of countless, faceless strangers on the forefront of her mind. And yet something still was satisfying about walking through a district of a city which she had a hand in improving. Whereas before she would have feared traversing it, now she was taking some first steps at exploring it and visiting a friend. Of course, more downtrodden and desperate people were more likely to do desperate things. But that's what Xavier was for.

The sight of Aiden's shop, the Fiddle and Saw, was something modestly impressive. It looked very well-to-do in this area, standing out and perhaps uplifting the adjacent buildings. Shandara longed for a little shop of her own like this someday. Perhaps.. But it still didn't feel like the right time. After taking the building in, with its soft glowing lights under the evening sky, she resolved to press forward. Opening the shop doors, also with a gentle knock, Aiden came rushing out, which startled her a bit, at least for a second, but at least she hadn't taken any drastic action like hiding behind Xavier or drawing her poisoned knife.

 "Elu?"  she asks, looking somewhat puzzled. She shakes her head.  "No, she's still roosting. But I suppose she would still enjoy some snacks if I brought them back to her." 

She smiles faintly, though there's some thoughts in the back of her mind.  Little friends? What in the hells was he talking about? 

As Shandara glanced around the shop, looking at the various wares on display, or art pieces still being worked on, and tools, she looked up and saw what seemed to be little mice watching her. They shied away and hid, but then something clicked: that spell he had asked her about earlier to speak with animals, or mice was it? She continued gazing up at the rafters in thought, so much so that even Xavier began peering up as well, wondering what she was looking at.

She's suddenly jolted back to the present task at hand as Aiden continues to exuberantly ramble. Shandara approaches the violin pieces and picks a few up, studying them.  "Do we have all the carvings I need in place?"  she asks.  "I assume the wood is still softer and more workable, so if we need to make any more minor adjustments, now is the time." 

She sets her bag on a chair and rummages around in it, first pulling out some sketches / magical diagrams for things that should be on the violin, and then a somewhat sizeable gem.  "Oh, and here is the gem I cut specifically for this project. We should make sure that it fits." 

The quick switching of subjects to the spirit wood catches her a bit off guard, as she stops motionless for a moment and blinks at Aiden.  "Oh. Um.. I haven't had much time to investigate it. I only tried casting a few spells on it to see how it reacts..."  Shandara shrugs fecklessly.
MrAbdiel
Aiden gives a little nod; minimalist as it has little to approve of, but good natured as with all his gestures.  "Ah, I see. Busy busy, naturally."  Only the briefest glimmer of disappointment is detectable in his eyes. Then he's distracted again.

 "Oh, I should have gotten some tea sorted out - oh, in a moment, in a moment. No no, the wood's only pliable for that short window while it's heated, and the freezing locks it back up again, so I can't do any carving while it's in that state - thus, the special tools. But I have those now, and it's a bit more work because it's tough as stone. But I carve stone too, so..."  He offers a happy little shrug.  "We'll get there. But all the carvings on the neck and back are as specified, if you want to check them over a final time and I'll adjust as you direct. Oh, that's a cracker of a gem - very pretty. I'm using gold fasteners in a few places, and I'll make a nice little setting to keep that one secured in place too. I think our client will be very happy. Ah!"
 

He abandons his guests for a moment to charge over to the stairs where a maid in a smartly tailored house uniform descends. Her dark blonde hair is styled to fall concealing half her face, and she carried a tray with a teapot and three cups, with options for sugar, milk, and lemon. The speed at which Aiden rushes to the stairs to take the tray is as unusual as many of his other behaviours, as if he's reluctant for her to come down off the stairs and deliver the tray directly; and the woman vanishes up the stairs as discretely as she had come down.

 "Here we are, here we are - she's prescient, I think. I wouldn't have thought I had any tea at all." 

After that, they're clear to check on their collaboration, make minor adjustment, and drink tea.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
I think that project is just about done, then! Is the enchantment fully contained in the gem, or is there more to do?
 
WindStruck
Shandara nods understandingly, and she finds Aiden's work quite satisfactory. If everything went together as it should, it should work perfectly.

And then tea is brought down, by a maid she only briefly saw, with half her face covered by hair. Shandara raised a brow as Aiden hustled over, though by this point it hardly seemed out of character for him.

Well, some tea right about now seemed like a nice idea, so she finds someplace to sit amid the workshop.  "Very fine work, Aiden.."  she says, contemplating the man before her, who apparently now has a maid, little friends in the rafters, and a nice shop in a rundown part of town. After the tea is poured, she sniffs the cup briefly before deciding to add some lemon and sugar.

 "I came prepared with multiple castings of a freezing cantrip I found. It is quite suitable for freezing an object through and through - at least for a short time. Then once I do this, the wood will become even harder and regain its resistant properties, correct?" 
 "We had better make sure everything is in order before I cast it, then. Although.. I suppose it isn't the end of the world if something still needs adjustment. It would only be quite inconvenient." 

Shandara sits back in her chair a bit and cradles the cup warming her hands. There was no point in procrastinating. But no point in rushing either, she supposed.
MrAbdiel
 "That's about right - stable, boiling-range temperatures untension the bonds, and give plasticity. Forcing the bend in the grain starts a reaction inside the grain that begins decomposing the resisting properties, but flashfreezing stops that, and because we're quick about it, the loss in elemental resilience might be... well, maybe half a percent, or so. Functionally nothing. And with these jigs, we'll be done in no time." 

A few hours work between carpenter and enchantress sees the runework finessed, the enchanting lattice prepared, and all that remains is for the violin to be assembled after Aiden creates and attaches the gold setting for the main gem.

 "Well, that's about it then,"  he says wiping his brow with his sleeve, looking between the pieces.  "The rest is for me to do, and then I'll bring it to you to give the enchantments a final check - and then, off to our happy customer." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
I think we're done! All the rolls for item creation done, so unless Shandara decides to be suddenly nosy and wants to probe about the rats or the maid or whatnot, we can probably jump forward to the final product - either being tested, if that's necessary, or giving it to our client!
 
WindStruck
After a mere couple hours, the artificers are already done. And most of that work was just double checking to make sure everything was right, and making minor adjustments.

Shandara asks,  "Will I see you the next morning, then?" 
MrAbdiel
 "If you don't... send a search party. Haha!"  Restraining the instinct to leap into the air and click his heels, Aiden walks his guests to the door, vigorously shakes hands, and then returns eagerly to his luthier's bench to finish the task.

 
 Spoiler: The finished Product 
 (This can wait until Shandara has chronologically caught up!)

 * * * * * 
True to his word, he is there the following morning at the agreed upon time. The violin has a neat, red leather case with gilded springlocks. The instrument itself, now that the enchanting carving is well secure, has been furnished with a cosmetic carving on its back - an owl chasing a rat in several whimsical near-misses, wily predator versus slightly wilier prey, with the lines of vegetation and the creatures picked our in fine gold leaf, defined against the lacquered wood. He gives the strings a musical little arpeggio with the matching bow.  "It definitely works!" 
 
WindStruck
With the meeting with Aiden coming to a close, Shandara decides she wants to try to squeeze as much as she can out of the evening, as the deadline for her research was looming. There was still time, of course, but it did seem there was more work to be done on the violin as well, so she didn't want to delay the project more than necessary or give Aiden more cause to pester her.

She and Xavier have to walk a ways to get out of the Stormdrain District. And from there she is eventually able to flag a carriage service down. Having already came prepared with this idea in mind, provided that the time spent with Aiden was not too long, in her pack is also the workings of a modified spell: one which Whitecliff already provided, but with some hasty tweaks.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
So I know when I made the spellcraft roll earlier, you said it was possible for Shandara to create that spell. I'm just wondering how far along she is? Did she complete a working prototype, or is she basically at.. what would be the word, a proof of concept? Or something incomplete that at least clearly looks like it would work?
 


They soon arrive at the crown's gate guard precinct, and Shandara has to ask someone at the front if Lieutenant Whitecliff was available.
DeTess
The guardsman Shandara addressed gives her a  pitying look as she asks for Whitecliff. "Are you sure you need  him , miss? I'm sure someone else can help you with whatever you need." After confirmation that it was in fact Whitecliff she was looking for he checked several things, including Shandara's identity, then replied with a sigh. "Well, it seems you're in... well, I can't judge your luck in this matter. The lieutenant is still here, and I see here that you and your bodyguard have permission to visit him whenever he's present. He should be at his lab, let me lead you there."

The guard leads Shandara and Xavier through the guard precinct back to the basement lab that they had visited before. He knocked on the door and a moment later it was opened by a short female gnome. She appeared to be in wat for a human would be her late twenties or early thirties had long auburn hair tied up in a ponytail. Her blue eyes, magnified slightly by her glasses first looked questioningly at the guard, then went wide when she spotted Shandara. "W-wait, you're actually real!?"

Her exclamation was almost immediately followed by a burst of laughter coming form someone sounding a lot like lieutenant Whitecliff. "And you thought I was making it all up." the lieutenant joined the gnome at the door, a big grin on his face. "Anyway, come on in, miss Shandara. Do you want me to check your homework?"
WindStruck
At first Shandara raised an eyebrow at the gnome's incredulity. But then remembering how this  psychopath  nice gentleman apparently liked to toy with everyone, she figured that news of a mysterious Drow Visitor or however Whitecliff trumped up Shandara's identity and actions that evening probably wouldn't be taken seriously. Often times the truth would set someone on edge more than a lie. And then there was the reverse psychology payoff, finding out he wasn't actually lying. She almost felt like leaning forward a bit and saying, "Boo." But she shouldn't indulge Whitecliff even further.. at least not to such a juvenile extent.

Shandara folds her arms and says,  "Yes, I'm  very real . Though I don't know about everything the Lieutenant may have said.. Miss..?"  asking the gnome's name.

Focusing her attention back at Whitecliff, she muttered,  "Mm. Something like that." 

Stepping inside the lab, Shandara begins to recite a brief report that she had been mentally preparing as they had walked down the hallway.  "Five solid days of research. And the problems of peering far back into the past, and considerably extending the range of .. such an investigative spell are as elusive as ever. At least, in terms of what is already known by arcane divinations." 
 " However, "  she punctuates,  "It would seem the line of 'psychic' spells you have created are able to cross these boundaries further. But as you have already outlined in your publications, there are considerable risks to lengthy exposures of these.. experiences. Or at least, there were risks. Until now." 
 "What I have in the works is something that modifies the example spells you have already provided. It's not complete, as I admit that I know very little about this field, so I need to be sure that what I have is correct: no glaring flaws that I may have overlooked, or other seemingly minor details which turned out to be important. And moreover, I'd like your genuine expertise on the matter, to determine if this endeavor is even worth pursuing.. because the deadline is approaching." 
 "So, Lieutenant, did you have some time to look over  my research ?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
So, you've told me what I have OOCly. And I already outlined what the spell is supposed to do and rolled for it. Now I guess it's up to Whitecliff to understand what is going on, and maybe provide some input without being a jerk!

If he doesn't fully understand, Shandara is willing to explain what she was trying to do.
 
DeTess
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 At first Shandara raised an eyebrow at the gnome's incredulity. But then remembering how this  psychopath  nice gentleman apparently liked to toy with everyone, she figured that news of a mysterious Drow Visitor or however Whitecliff trumped up Shandara's identity and actions that evening probably wouldn't be taken seriously. Often times the truth would set someone on edge more than a lie. And then there was the reverse psychology payoff, finding out he wasn't actually lying. She almost felt like leaning forward a bit and saying, "Boo." But she shouldn't indulge Whitecliff even further.. at least not to such a juvenile extent.

Shandara folds her arms and says,  "Yes, I'm  very real . Though I don't know about everything the Lieutenant may have said.. Miss..?"  asking the gnome's name. 
 

"Ah, I'm lieutenant Crossling. I'm supposed to be Whitecliff's partner, but most of the time I feel like I'm either his baby sitter or his lab rat." The gnome quickly introduces herself. "I'm sorry for my reaction but... well, you've met Whitecliff, so I reckon you know how he is."


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Focusing her attention back at Whitecliff, she muttered,  "Mm. Something like that." 

Stepping inside the lab, Shandara begins to recite a brief report that she had been mentally preparing as they had walked down the hallway.  "Five solid days of research. And the problems of peering far back into the past, and considerably extending the range of .. such an investigative spell are as elusive as ever. At least, in terms of what is already known by arcane divinations." 
 " However, "  she punctuates,  "It would seem the line of 'psychic' spells you have created are able to cross these boundaries further. But as you have already outlined in your publications, there are considerable risks to lengthy exposures of these.. experiences. Or at least, there were risks. Until now." 
 "What I have in the works is something that modifies the example spells you have already provided. It's not complete, as I admit that I know very little about this field, so I need to be sure that what I have is correct: no glaring flaws that I may have overlooked, or other seemingly minor details which turned out to be important. And moreover, I'd like your genuine expertise on the matter, to determine if this endeavor is even worth pursuing.. because the deadline is approaching." 
 "So, Lieutenant, did you have some time to look over  my research ?"  
 

"Right, let met take a look at that." Whitecliff took Shandara's notes to one of the desks and started looking trough the notes.

While Whitecliff did so, Lieutenant Crossing offered Shandara a cup of coffee. "Don't hesitate to hit him if he goes too far." She said to the Drow, loudly enough that Whitecliff must have been able to hear as well.

It took Whitecliff a little while to rad through Shandara's notes, and then he spend a little more thinking them over and making some notes of his own, before calling Shandara over. He seemed uncharacteristically serious. "Good work on this. The fact that you've gotten this far with just my own work to lead you on the psychic stuff shows that you know your magic. Now, the main puzzle piece you seem to be missing is how t jump the tracks to the larger object. This isn't actually possible using just psychic methods, but you don't have to limit yourself to those." Whitecliff handed Shandara apiece of paper with an anotated part of a spell diagram on it. "This should get you most of the way there. It is something I made while experimenting with connection, but I couldn't get tit o do anything useful on its own. It essentially strengthens the existing Connection between the smaller object and the larger object, tot eh point that the rest of the spell should be abel to treat them as still being the same. It has some limits as I noted here, but it should let your spell do what you want it to."

The notes explained that strengthening the connection like that could actually cause the link to disappear once the spell ended, meaning that you likely wouldn't get more than 1 to 2 castings on the same object, and it of course relied on the connections till being there in the first place, which meant that if the smaller piece had been separated for too long it would no longer work.

"There is one major issue though... your new spell allows the caster to use the psychic ability for longer, which is dangerous." Whitecliff continued after Shandara finished reading through the notes he had provided. "You didn't have access to the full Steiner papers, so you likely don't know this, but they developed spells that gave one psychic abilities for far longer period of time, up to about an hour. However, over time this actually resulted in the ability getting burned into the caster's brain, resulting in gaining the ability permanently. And while the 'natural' way of getting these abilities prepares one somewhat for the burden of these new senses, getting it that way did not. This was actually how their experiments got to light, because one of the professors involved went mad because of this effect. Now, the way I setup my spells should be safe, requiring dozens or even hundreds of casts in a fairly short period of time to be dangerous, but I can't say the same for what you've designed, and it's hard to say how many casts over how long a period of time would be dangerous. I'd recommend looking for a way to shorten exposure back to the short instance my spells used, and find some other way to get the greater clarity you're looking for."
WindStruck
Shandara has a brief chat with Lieutenant Crossling. Trite small talk and vague answers beyond what she was comfortable with sharing.

And then down the to reason she was here. She was hopeful to hear she was on the right track, and that perhaps something useful could come of this magic (or at least the research) by time it was complete. But the concern for safety was troubling and not what she expected to hear.

 "So you are saying, even when the magic takes care to not overwhelm the caster, even when showing just one small fragment of information at a time, there is still risk for developing these.. these abilities?" 

She mutters to herself,  "There must be something that can be done. Some way to shield the user's mind? Some other way to reveal the information without burning it directly into their head?" 
DeTess
"It isn't really about the rate at which information is received, but the period of time you open those senses up." Whitecliff explained. "Or at least, that's my conclusion based on the data from the Steiner papers. For what should be obvious reasons, I have not been able to do any testing myself. That's also the issue with developing shielding or something similar, unless you're willing to put yourself at risk to test that it works. The way I went around it was to open up those abilities or only a second or two, and so far there haven't been any issues reported whatsoever."
WindStruck
 "I see.."  Shandara says.  "Well, I thank you for the input. That does prevent me from going down a futile and dangerous road. I guess I'll see what else I can come up with, if anything." 

After a while in thought, she slowly stands with nothing else to add.  "When I give my report to Captain Tar, do you want to be present?"  she asks.
DeTess
"That'll be up to the captain, though he will probably want..." Whitecliff's voice trailed off as the lieutenant seemed to freeze. Then a look of fear and frustration crossed his face, and before Shandara knew it he'd leapt up rom his chair and bolted out of the laboratory.

"Wait, where are you...!" Lieutenant Crossling called after him, but Whitecliff ignored her as well on his way out. The gnome let out a string of curses and seemed ready to bolt after him before stopping herself and shooting a questioning and confused look at Shandara instead.

"Are you okay, miss Shandara?" Xavier had appeared at her side the moment Whitecliff had leapt up, but hadn't done anything to stop the man once it was clear he merely intended to get away as soon as possible.
WindStruck
They actually were having a normal and productive conversation. Up until Whitecliff flipped out and bolted from the room. Shandara took a step back from the sudden movement, and then was baffled by his behavior. The memories that triggered that episode were distant, already grieved over, and for the most part, repressed and not relevant to the situation. But she would have no way of knowing what caused this outburst: only that, perhaps, very strange behavior like this may be expected from Whitecliff, given that he apparently had those innate psychic abilities that one simply could not shut off.

Shandara blinked at Xavier, then down at Miss Crossling, about as equally confused.  "Uh. I'm fine, Xavier. Does he do that every now and then?"  she asks.

Looking toward the door through which Whitecliff fled, Shandara says,  "Perhaps I'd better go after him..." 

She begins briskly walking to the door as well, then peers out into the hall. (Pretty sure he went toward the exit?)
DeTess
 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Shandara blinked at Xavier, then down at Miss Crossling, about as equally confused.  "Uh. I'm fine, Xavier. Does he do that every now and then?"  she asks. 
 

Crossling shook her head. "I've never seen him react that way to anyone."


 
 Originally Posted by WindStruck 
 Looking toward the door through which Whitecliff fled, Shandara says,  "Perhaps I'd better go after him..." 

She begins briskly walking to the door as well, then peers out into the hall. 
 

Whitecliff had already disappeared from sight by the time Shandara looked out into the hall, though she thought she could faintly hear footsteps on the stairs leading down towards the basement level.
WindStruck
Shandara peered back at half-orc and gnome before deciding to skulk off towards the basement where she thought the sound footsteps echoed, perhaps against her better judgement. She cautiously continues onward, unless a guard or something stops her.
DeTess
Both Xavier and Lieutenant Crossling followed after Shandara as she chased after Whitecliff. The elf had a significant headstart, but Shandara's keen sense did allow her to more or less track him based on footsteps and the occasional  confused looking gruardsman or woman, until she hit a dead end on the second floor. To her left and right where two sets of doors, which according to Lieutenant Crossling led to storage rooms and old archives. No sounds could be heard from any of them.
WindStruck
Shandara occasionally glanced at the guards she passed with a timid smile, and wordlessly they were able to track Whitecliff down.. at least, for now.

Coming to the two doors, Shandara looked down at Crossling and asks,  "Do.. you want to try one of them? Or shall I go ahead and pick one, with your implicit permission?" 
DeTess
"That should be fine." Crossling looked doubtfully at the doors. "These aren't evidence lockers or the like, so there shouldn't be any important documents or objects in there. Just old paperwork and junk someone decided they'd rather not throw away. Just be ready for this to be another one of his tasteless tricks."
WindStruck
Shandara tries the storage room first, expecting it to be smaller and with less places to hide, or no other exits. She attempts opening the door, and very slowly at that.

With the door perhaps only one third or one fourth of the way open she softly calls out,  "Lieutenant Whitecliff?" 
DeTess
The door squeaks as it opens and beyond lies a sparsely lit room, maybe a third the size of Whitecliff's lab. It is filled with all kind of different clutter. Brooms, chairs, boxes of papers and more, most of it covered in a layer of dust.

As Shandara looks around in the room, she suddenly hears a noise coming from behind one of the doors behind her. It is rusty sounding squeal, like you'd expect of a window being opened that hadn't been opened in along, long time.
WindStruck
If that was the sound of a window...

Shandara quickly deduces that, if there was a window, maybe this dead end faced an outer edge of the building! So she quickly turns around, and tries a door directly behind her, one that is closest to the dead end. She's not so cautious opening this door, thinking the person they are following may be about to leap out.
DeTess
The room Shandara opened was another storage room, though it was slightly less dusty and more organized. There was indeed a window at the far side of the room, and Whitecliff was in the process of climbing out through it.
WindStruck
Shandara calls,   "Whitecliff!! What are you-"   and then proceeds to hurry forward to catch him, although the frail drow probably could not do much to stop him.
MrAbdiel
 * *  At  Julieanne's Brew , one crisp morning  * * 
Aiden received his coffee with his typical brand of cheerful avuncular joy that bordered on madness, telling the apprentice barista dropping it at the table -  "Oh, this smells great. This really smells wonderful; this is a wonderful one. Did you make this? Tell - tell whomever - here, take this..." 

Parted from a fistful of copper coins as excessive tip for the coffee's delivery, he is freed to turn to his companion - Bolten, whose acquaintance he had made only once before, but whose bonded kinship had lived ever since in his brain.

 "What was I saying? Yes! Yes, well, when I was setting up my shop in the Stormdrains, the municipal crew was working on installing sewer works, and they had these marvellous, portable digger-machines. And I remembered thinking on it recently, that's where I'd heard your name before - what a work of genius! Can you tell me about them? The devices? Not the proprietary detail, I mean; just the principle of the thing." 

If there is one person in the city who can say such a thing, lavishing with such compliments and indulgent queries, and not be thought to be cynically flattering toward an angle, it's Aiden... who might never have said a word he didn't mean in his life.
DeTess
 Crown's gate guard precinct 
"Damn you, woman! Can't you learnt to take a hint, or at least keep your guard up around someone as obviously nasty as me!?" Whitecliff grimaced in pain as Shandara approached him, and it looked for a moment like he might fall. However, Xavier acted quickly and grabbed a hold of him before he could slip out of the window, and dragged him back into the room. "You should follow your guard-dog's lead, he's still properly weary of me. Seriously, with the kind of **** you've been through you shouldn't be so damn open to others." Though Whitecliff sounded angry, the look in his eyes was pleading, almost desperate even, a far cry from the usual cold amusement.
WindStruck
Shandara backs away slowly.  " Oh.  Did you..?"  She gives a concerned glance back toward Crosslings, as she continues to exit out of the storage room.

 " Okay. I'm leaving. Don't do anything rash like jumping out a window, "  she calls. Now she's moved further down the hallway, shaking her head sadly.

Another traumatic memory to add to her collection.

She could see now what was going on. Whitecliff didn't just annoy people for amusement (though he probably did get some joy out of it). By constantly angering them, he made people wary of them. And by doing this, he wouldn't just randomly be triggered by whatever was going on in their minds. At least that is what Shandara figured. She didn't know exactly what it was. It seemed everyone here hated him, except for her. Probably because she quickly figured out what was going on.. but only on the surface level.
Prehysterical
 Julieanne's Brew 

When bright and cheery Aiden had knocked on his door early in the morning, a tired Bolten had been strongly tempted to decline. There was just so much to do... And yet, for precisely that reason, Bolten needed a break. He had felt the love sap out of his work, reducing the dwarf himself to a clockwork machine of bone and flesh assembling other automatons. Surely, it wouldn't hurt to take just one morning to recharge and rewind. The work would be waiting for him when he got back.

Aiden has more frantic energy than anyone that Bolten has ever known, but he cannot bring himself to resent the man for it. Honestly, Aiden reminds Bolten of when he first came to the capital, all bright-eyed and in awe of the greatest marvels of the empire. It seems to be a state of being for Aiden, this sense of wonder.

While the man rattles on, Bolten orders himself some morning chai to accompany his biscuits and honey. Aiden's question about his work has Bolten grunting in surprise into his sip of tea. Setting down his large cup, Bolten pauses to wipe his face before answering.  "I suppose that's fair... Explaining all of the mechanical principles would probably take a few hours, which we don't have. Essentially, I created a mobile drillhead that can be piloted. Rather than one big drill, however, there are several smaller drills that take up less material and work together to achieve the same effect. All clockwork-driven, of course. I remember them saying something about combining the use of the machines with some of Shandara's own magic. Has she talked to you about that at all?"  Before Aiden can answer, Bolten suddenly asks,  "And are the machines actually helping at all? I never go down there. Aquaphobia comes honestly to me. Still, as nice as the gold is, I'd like to think that the measures we provided are improving the lives of people down there." 
DeTess
 Crown's gate guard precinct 
A moment later Lieutenant Crossling and Xavier joined Shandara in the hallway as well. Crossling looked mostly confused by the whole mess, while Xavier's face was unreadable.

"Are you okay, miss? It might be best if we leave him for the day, and where possible do future correspondence by mail." Xavier spoke quietly to Shandara. "Though I do not have a grasp on the full situation yet, I suspect being in your presence is not a good thing for the Lieutenant."
WindStruck
Shandara nods.  "Yes. That is abundantly clear to me now." 

They silently try to find their way back to the exit, and she started thinking about the Lieutenant's words. They cut her like a knife. Was she being too open with people? She knew it was a long time after she left the underground, until she stopped fearing for her life so much.. when she started falling into some form of routine.

And she had been through a lot, hadn't she? Shandara's mind began to wander, to darker times in her former life, wondering just what Whitecliff had experienced...

When they finally step out of the building, she sighs and says,  "Let's just go.. home..."   Though the word 'home' didn't really have the ring, or the feel to it that it normally should.
MrAbdiel
Aiden listens with rapture. It becomes clear he loves listening to professionals talk shop as much as he loves talking shop himself.

 "No, no we haven't talked about that - about a combined deployment with magic and the drills. It sounds interesting. But the machines, yes, they're helping; they're using them to install proper underground infrastructure for the rebuilding going on in the Stormdrains. You ought to come down some time, and visit me at my shop! In fact, I'd hoped to get your thoughts on, perhaps, a future project I might need your help with. You've clockwork-assisted drills - I think I'm going to need clockwork assisted saws, to carefully disassemble a tree in a difficult environment. Tundra Oak is hard as stone, you see; so probably adamantine blades... but I need a way to take it apart into undamaged pieces for transport so I can reassemble it as part of an artistic project. So a lopper or two might climb the tree and take apart the branches in sections, you understand?" 
DeTess
 Shandara's home 
In the early evening of the next day a letter was delivered at Shandara's home. It had been send by Lieutenant Whitecliff and seemed to be, surprisingly enough, an apology letter.


 
 Originally Posted by Whitecliff's Letter 
 To Shandara,

I'm frankly not used to writing letters like this. My intent is to provide you with an apology, some explanation, and a potential lead that could help with developing and refining the spell you're working on. If it seems that I am instead using this letter to belittle or antagonize you, then know that that is merely force of habit, and not my intention.

So, my apologies for the incident the other day. Though you certainly played a role of your own in what went down, without knowing any details about my condition you cannot truly be blamed for what happened. For your information, my particular ability allows me to get glimpses of events that left a serious impression on people I interact with, provided they don't have their guard up against me. These events can be good or ill, though it is my personal experience that traumas leave far deeper impressions on people than happy events. I have a little control over this ability, insofar that I can trigger it intentionally and even try to guide it to specific events if I know about them in advance, but I am unable to turn this ability off. I was not intentionally trying to get any sort of read off of you, and I will not share that which I did glean from you with anyone.

As I mentioned, my ability won't trigger on its own against people I am merely passing on the street, nor does it trigger for people who have their guard up against me. This is one of the main reasons I go out of my way to antagonize those around me, to ensure they keep their guard up while interacting with me. Naturally, if people knew about my reasons for doing so the whole exercise would quickly become moot, so I'm asking you to keep this a secret.

I'd prefer to limit our future interactions to letters like this one, though if you do need to speak to me in person for whatever reason, I would like to ask you to speak with captain Tar first. He knows of a mental warding technique that should ensure I gain no further glimpses into your past, and there's a remote chance you might have the mental discipline required to learn the technique. Naturally, captain Tar is aware of my condition. If he wasn't, I would have been kicked out of the guard a dozen times over, no matter how skilled I am in my field.

Now, as for the help I promised. Included with this missive is a letter of introduction for Gerard Oakhome. He is a curator with the Vaungate Historical society, and he is in the possession of another psychic ability. His particular ability is closely related to the spell you are working on, so he might be able to assist you. As you might expect he has his own eccentricities, but his ability is triggered by direct touch, so as long as you do not insist on hugging him there is little risk of a repeat of the incident of the other day. I would ask you to keep the particulars of his ability a secret though. It is a matter of privacy for him, as he would prefer not to have a bunch of researchers knocking on his door, asking for aid. He should make an exception for your case however, given that it is me asking for his help.

That is all, for now.

Regards,

K. Whitecliff, Lieutenant with the Vaungate city guard 
 
WindStruck
After compiling all her estimations on the forensic project, including tentative additional research times and material costs, Shandara met Aiden in the morning. The carpenter had delivered a violin as promised, and now all she had to do was finish enchanting it. This wouldn't be too difficult, as she already had all the plans set up. However, Shandara was somewhat morose that morning, more quiet and reserved than she usually is. She did not feel like an extended visit, nor did she explain why. Instead that morning, she spent some time thinking of a letter to write Whitecliff, only to discard the first draft.

She went to sleep, and in the afternoon, she made preparations to finish up the violin. However, in the evening she received a letter. This prompted her to stop what she was doing and write a response:

 
 Spoiler: Letter 
K. Whitecliff:

No apology is necessary. I thought myself clever when I realized that you antagonized other people purposely. And I thought the reasons you did so were as shallow as personal amusement. If I really was as smart as I thought I was, I should have known better. I had not considered that you did what you did to shield yourself and others.. not until it was too late. I even blatantly said to you that I thought you had such abilities. And you have warned repeatedly that they are uncontrollable.

I blundered into this situation. For this I am sorry.

 (Shandara had considered writing a brief explanation of her troubled past, but decided against it completely.) 

Thank you for the advice and the letter of introduction. I have hopes that one day this forensic magic may come to fruition. And perhaps, there may be a way to reverse your condition and others'. But I do worry that any attempts to find such a solution will cause more harm and end up in the Sealed Collection as well...

I do not know if we will meet again, but try not to get yourself killed.

Sincerely,

Shandara
 


With letter written, she sends it off to the same address it came from. Then she continues working on the violin. In the early hours of the morning, she finally finishes, affixing the gem she cut to its designated spot on the scroll of the instrument.

Now the gem just needed to be charged, and everything would be ready to go. However, it was very late (or early). It was a bit uncharacteristic, but she decides to go for a brief stroll. The pros of going out at night: it wasn't too bright, unless she looked directly into a torch or some other bright light source. But the cons of going out at night: it was cold. Shandara only spent about 20-30 minutes outside having some quality time with Elu, until the cold started getting to her, and the paranoia that she may be taking some unnecessary risks.

She went back to her home and preoccupied herself with some cleaning chores and organizing her workshop area, until the sun rose. She made a simple breakfast at home, and then went off to find the Vaungate Historical Society. Xavier accompanied her up until she found the building and was admitted entrance.
DeTess
The Vaungate Historical Society was situated in a large mansion at the edge of the Nobility district. It was clearly an older building, three stories high, with a slightly weathered, yet beautifully decorated stone façade. The building seemed to surround some kind of internal garden or plaza, as the branches of several trees could be seen stretching out over the mansion.

A mix of scholarly and noble-looking people frequented the large building, and despite its exclusive air Shandara had no trouble entering the building. Inside was a foyer to leave things like coats, and beyond was a large circular room that reached all the way to the buildings roof, with windows in a large dome letting in natural light. The walls of the room where covered with book cases and separated into three levels with balconies reachable by stairs. On the ground floor booths and desks where set up. At some of these scholars were poring over texts, but at others people with the air of nobility had gathered, chatting away while sipping cups of coffee and tea, occasionally gesturing towards a book or document they had brought with them. Overall the place felt like a strange mix between the Society archives Shandara was used to and a social club for nobles to gather and mingle.

Towards the back of the room was an area that seemed to function as a mix between a place where one could request and receive specific books and a café where one could buy their beverage of choice.
WindStruck
Shandara peered around. It seemed, maybe she should have dressed up a bit more for the occasion. For now, she debated whether or not she would leave her cloak in the foyer. She erred on the side of keeping it on. Who knew? It could probably get stolen. Despite there being other more fancy garments left aside..  Well, she also felt she still might feel chilly in here. And failing that.. honestly, it may have been the fanciest thing she was currently wearing.

So she stalks in, glancing at each scholar or noble, just now realizing she had no idea what this person looked like..  Oakhome, Oakhome.. would that most likely be a halfling, or an elf? A half-elf even? She looks around, seeing if it seems anyone appears to be keeping to themselves or avoiding unnecessary contact. Perhaps someone wearing gloves?

perception:  (1d20+7)[ 16 ] 

But if she doesn't see anyone that might be this Gerard Oakhome, she supposed she might ask someone in the back where she might find him. He might not even be around right now..
DeTess
There wasn't really anyone in the large common room who matched what Shandara expected the curator would look like, though she was, admittedly, working with very limited information regarding the man's appearance. When she eventually checked in with one of the people manning the books-and-drinks desks she was informed that the curator was present, but had retired to his personal study. "Are you an acquaintance of the curator?" The man Shandara had spoken to asked her. "The curator is somewhat reclusive, so won't agree to meet just anyone, I'm afraid."
WindStruck
Shandara says,  "Well.. no. But I do have a letter for him, likely from a friend, or acquaintance.. or former colleague.."  She shrugs, as she was merely hazarding a guess. It was probably one of those three.

She raises a finger to stop the man's next train of thought.  "I am not merely some courier, however. I came here to speak with Mr. Oakhome. And let's just say, his friend is vouching for me." 
DeTess
"Ah, a letter of introduction then?" The man nodded. "Very well. If you'll give me the letter I will see to it that it is brought to the curator at once. I expect the curator will try to make time for you as soon as possible, so please take a seat in the meantime." The man gestured to the many seats scattered around the large chamber. After accepting the letter, he disappeared through a door further into the building. After about ten minutes he returned and approached Shandara again. "Thank you for your patience. Please follow me, curator Oakhome will see you immediately."

The man led Shandara out of the central room, up a board set of stairs to the second floor and then to a large office. The walls of the office where covered in bookcases and display cabinets showing all manners of antiques. The office was lit up by light falling in through a floor-to-ceiling looking out on a large garden. In front of the window was a large desk, at which a man was seated. The man wore a well-tailored black suit and top hat. Most of his face was obscured behind a grey shawl, leaving only his eyes free. His hands where covered by a set of solid leather gloves. "Welcome, miss Shandara. Please, take a seat." He gestured at the chairs in front of his desk, his deep voice partly muffled by the shawl. "You'll have to forgive me for not shaking your hand, but I understand Kaz has already explained the basics of my situation to you."

Once Shandara had taken a seat and the servant had left, the curator addressed the elf again. "Now, I understand you're doing some research related to my particular ability. Normally I do not cooperate with researchers like yourself, but since Kaz vouched for you I'm willing to make an exception. He spoke quite highly of your skills as a researcher. And, more importantly, your attitude to the search for knowledge. So, what can I help you with?"
WindStruck
Shandara thinks about buying a drink at the cafe while she waits, though as she peruses a stylishly-written menu, she decides against it, as the prices seemed like complete rip offs, and she thought she may receive an audience soon. As nearly ten minutes roll by, she once again considers it, as she wonders just how long she may be sitting there, when the man finally returns to guide her up to Oakhome's office. There, she has to squint as she walks in, as the massive windows going from full bottom to top of the entire back wall let in far too much sunlight. As he mentions not shaking hands, she nods.

 "And perhaps you'll have to forgive me for not looking directly at you. My eyes do not take well to the sun,"  she says, deciding to turn away and focus on one of the antiques in the room.

She nods again and starts off with,  "Yes, Curator, and thank you for the time. Kaz - or Whitecliff as I know him - has already asked for secrecy regarding this meeting. Given how potentially dangerous this topic is, it wouldn't do for everyone to be interested in it, let alone bothering you." 

Shandara glances more towards Gerard's direction, noting the silhouette of his top hat and what looked like some wrap around his face, thinking it odd and wondering if that was part of managing those "gifts" he must have now. But she continues,  "Long story short.. you may be aware of Kaz's current position at the Crown's Gate Guard Precinct. And that he has developed some forensic spells that are quite safe to use, for use of guards and detectives. Well, his boss had contacted me, wanting something better."  The end of the sentence lingers for a moment.

 "Personally, I believe just about anything is possible. But this subject is truly testing me, and perhaps.. for once I may have found a situation where arcane magic has reached its hard limits. Time seems to be the biggest hindrance, no matter how I look at things. If you wanted to, say, take a piece of torn fabric and find what garment it once belonged to, or test if a drop of blood belonged to a creature... all the theory and practical spells are there to determine such, if they are in close proximity and it hasn't been too long. But after only a few days it becomes exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, and as for tracking and distance.. well, perhaps you might guess that the further one goes, the more energy is required. And I haven't even said anything of physical barriers yet, which provide yet another obstacle." 
 "With all that said, I still think there are a number of creative ways to potentially get around those limitations. But the time difference is critical, and these psychic abilities, as they are called, seem to be.. far more resilient.. or reliable? I have been researching nearly a week now, exploring various avenues to improve Whitecliff's spells, but it does feel as though it won't be nearly as productive as I had hoped. He thought you might be able to help me in some way, though. Now, I understand that you have some sort of ability.. that activates through touch? But that is the extent of my knowledge..." 
DeTess
"Ah, my apologies." After Shandara's comment on the light curator Oakhome got up and drew curtains across the window. The room darkened momentarily, but then the man clapped twice, and several magical lights lit up in the ceiling. "I hope this is better for you, miss."

After Shandara's explanation Gerard nodded. "I might be able to be of some use if this is what you're looking into. My ability is generally called psychometry. Since you've worked with Whitecliff before he might have shown you a spell allowing you to get some glimpses from an objects past. My ability is similar to that, but I have far finer control. I can read an objects past almost like a book when given some time, which has helped me cement my position as a historian here. My only trouble is that I tend to get drawn into an object's past when I first touch it, particularly if it is something that has seen recent use, rather than some ancient artifact. This is why I'm a historian, not a detective like Whitecliff. If I had to handle murder weapons and the like all day I'd go quite mad." The man chuckled, and the small twinkle in his eyes seemed to indicate genuine amusement, though it was hard to tell, given how the man was covered up from head to toe.

"A lot of the things you describe I could do, but the sensations and insights would be overwhelming if I'd be looking at events less than half a century ago or so. Still, I assume what you're trying to do is to create some facsimile of my abilities through arcane means, which I'm afraid I am not an expert on whatsoever. What do you think would be most helpful to you? An explanation of how it feels for me to do what I do, or maybe watching my ability in action? Or did you have something else in mind?"
WindStruck
Shandara is appreciative of the change in lighting, though sadly with the curator all covered up it didn't seem to make that much difference, aside from changing the focus of her attention..

However, what he said was most intriguing.  "Ancient artifacts.. and you've gone back further than centuries.. So it is possible,"  she says.

She shifts in her chair and asks,  "Well what I am wondering about is, what is the difference between an object that has seen recent use, and one that hasn't? I mean.. I know in the distant past, an object would have seen use as well -up until it was lost or discarded anyway. Why does a more recent object 'draw you in' rather than a more ancient one? Is it the sheer volume of sensations, or are they simply more vivid and detailed?" 

And then after a time in silence and pondering she asks,  "...can you go through the events of an object chronologically?" 
DeTess
"Yes, you an go quite far back, though there are some limits." Gerard started to explain. "First of all, impressions left in items fade over time. Let's use a sword that has been used in battle as an example. If I received a sword that was last used on the battlefield a year ago, the impressions I'd get of that battle would be overwhelming. It would be like I'm standing there myself, right in the middle of the maelstrom of chaos of that fight. I'd quite quickly loose sight of who I actually am, instead getting drawn into the experience of the soldier that held it at the time. Now, if instead held a sword that had been used 50 years in a battle and had been lying in storage somewhere since, it'd be like attending a reenaction of the battle. I'd be able to keep myself detached from the emotions people experienced at the time, while still observing what happened. Go back 200 years, it's more like looking at a couple of painting of the battle, maybe while listening to a bard talking about what occurred. The further back you go, the less vivid the impressions left on the blade are."

"Events that left less of an impression, such as the soldier carrying it with them to the battle, or training exercises and the like would fade quicker than those that left a big impression, like actual battles. Once I look more than a century or so back all that's left are the events that elft deep impressions. What seems to be important for how long an impression remains is the emotions associated with the event by the weapon's owner. Naturally, battles have a lot of emotional charge, but other moments, like swearing an important oath on the blade and the like would. I should also note that it is also a matter of skill or aptitude regarding how far back you can go. I can look back a lot further now than I could a decade or two ago." The curator shrugged. "Naturally, this means that objects that have had more recent events associated with them also hit me way harder."

"I can go through the events associated with an object somewhat chronologically, but this is the results of practice and skill, and not a natural part of the ability." Gerard replied to Shandara's question. "Hmm, what would be a good analogy... right. After the initial shock I get when touching an object, which would be the event that left the deepest impression on it, I can then look through it as if it was a bookcase filled with books. I can sense the different memories in the object as separate entities, the various books in the bookcase if you will. Then, by looking at how faded the impression are relative to their content I can establish what order they likely occurred in. I also make use of other things in the memories themselves. If I recognize certain people, places or events it can help date the particular impressions. When I receive a new object for study trying to establish the chronology is the first thing I do, which can take several days to several weeks, depending on the exact object."
WindStruck
Shandara absorbs the information, mulls it over, then nods slowly.  "I see, yes. And I believe I am able to see the limitations of even this.. overwhelming for you as it may be. Apologies." 
 "So from what I gather, from both you and Kaz, and perhaps if I looked more deeply into the research involved in those Steiner papers, is that emotion is critical when it comes to sensing anything with these powers. And though, I suppose the type of spells Captain Tar wants may only be to investigate things that happened at most, a month or a year ago.." 
 "Well, I suppose I could put it this way, or ask about your experience to confirm it: have you ever dealt with broken objects? What happens if you were to touch just a broken fragment of an object?" 
DeTess
"Given my profession, I've naturally dealt with fragments of objects quite often." Oakhome explains. "They are not that different from complete objects. If you where to break an object then all parts would retain the impressions gathered up to that point. What happens afterwards though depends on what happens to the fragments. For example, I've studied a broken sword a while back that was treated by the noble house it belonged to as a relic. All parts had been kept together and had been kept on display, and as far as my abilities where concerned, each part contained the same information, almost as if the entire set was one object. Another case where several pages out of an old wizard's diary. The rest of the book had been lost, but the impression left included information about other pages in that book, up to the moment these pages had been ripped out, but there where no clues as to the fate of the rest of the book after the pages were separated."

"Now, if something is broken into lots of small parts and then spread out, say an ancient vase that got shattered or the like, then the impressions in the individual parts will fade quite quickly, at a rate maybe 5 to 10 times quicker than they would in an intact or mostly intact object." Gerard raised a hand to forestall any questions. "I do not know exactly why this is. I've done some experiments with this phenomenon myself, but all I've been able to establish is that it happens, not why. However, when such fragments are gathered together, then some clarity is restored, though it would still be worse than fi the object had never been broken. Likewise, if an object has been split into a minor and major part, for example a blade from which the tip was broken, if you manage to find both parts and bring them together again, then the minor part will have the same clarity as the major part, much like the example of the blade I'd given you before, though the pieces of that weapon had never really been separated."
WindStruck
 "Hm. It makes sense,"  Shandara says.  "All behaving as the same object. But technically separate objects as well. And of course, the smaller fragments could perhaps start acquiring their own impressions..." 
 "That does seem to be the crux of the issue, isn't it? These.. psychic abilities are very good at determining what in the here and now may be related to one another. But as for actually finding missing pieces..." 
 "You mentioned a wizard diary before, with pages missing. Have there ever been any times when you could sense where the other parts of the objects were?" 
Prehysterical
 
 Originally Posted by MrAbdiel 
 Aiden listens with rapture. It becomes clear he loves listening to professionals talk shop as much as he loves talking shop himself.

 "No, no we haven't talked about that - about a combined deployment with magic and the drills. It sounds interesting. But the machines, yes, they're helping; they're using them to install proper underground infrastructure for the rebuilding going on in the Stormdrains. You ought to come down some time, and visit me at my shop! In fact, I'd hoped to get your thoughts on, perhaps, a future project I might need your help with. You've clockwork-assisted drills - I think I'm going to need clockwork assisted saws, to carefully disassemble a tree in a difficult environment. Tundra Oak is hard as stone, you see; so probably adamantine blades... but I need a way to take it apart into undamaged pieces for transport so I can reassemble it as part of an artistic project. So a lopper or two might climb the tree and take apart the branches in sections, you understand?"  
 

A happy little smile sprouts under Bolten's mustache and beard as Aiden informs him that the drills are, indeed, helping. While Bolten is loathe to visit the Stormdrains (well, maybe barring a visit to Aiden's shop), it is comforting to hear that the technology is being put to good use. It makes him feel useful.

When Aiden requests some input on his tree problem, however, Bolten blanches and he holds up his hands to forestall answering the question.  "I agree that adamantine is probably the right idea if the wood is indeed that hard, but wood is not my area of expertise."  Bolten takes a sip from his cup of tea before continuing.  "I'm not saying that I won't help, but it would save us both time and headache if you could tell me  exactly  what you need and why."  Indeed, Bolten fishes out his journal from his bag and takes up quill and ink to record notes should Aiden explain himself.
DeTess
 Vaungate Historical Society 
"Beyond using the memories embedded in the object to try and find out where the other pieces wen, you mean?" Gerard took a moment to think. "I  think  so." Gerard said after a moment. "But only in situations where the various parts where already in close proximity, such as the same or adjacent rooms. I'm not entirely certain though, as I have not really experimented with that, and in the few cases I remember I already knew where the other parts were."
WindStruck
Shandara looks down briefly and says,  "I see." 
 "Hm. I should be writing this down,"  she says, though she didn't doubt her memory enough to forget or misconstrue important details anyway. She gets an inkpen from her bag and begins jotting down some notation on a parchment.

She sighs and says,  "Well, Curator Oakhome, it's been very informative speaking with you..." 
 "I shall compile what I've learned into my report and convey it to Captain Tar. Do you wish to remain anonymous?" 
MrAbdiel
Aiden is more than willing to explain himself. Indeed, he almost falls all over himself in the effort.

 "Why, Bolten my friend, I'm glad you asked!" 

What follows is an animated explanation of his Legacy Tree proposal to the Vilfaren estate, assisted by a copy of the proposal he now keeps with him like a talisman.

 
 Spoiler: The Proposal! 

 
 Originally Posted by The Proposal 
  The Legacy Tree 

The commissioned work shall be a tree of singularly attractive proportions no more than 20ft in height so not to soar beyond the ceiling of the estate.  The Tundra Oak, having been harvested in this fall season, will have shed its leaves and I will strip it of its pliable bark to reveal the smooth hardwood surface within.  I will carve the surface of the trunk with pictorial celebration of the Vilfaren family, and illuminate them with precious metal inlays.  Finally, I will select an appropriate arrangement of branches in the upper region and I will fashion the strings of a pair of grand harps and seats for two  harpists. Thus, the work will be a functional and singularly beautiful instrument in addition to being salutory for the Vilfaren family and a celebration of the seasons.  It will not be an inexpensive or easy project, but I think with a few specialists and dedicated action we can accomplish this wonderful feat.
 I will outline the matters of difficulty below as I see them.

1.  The Tree must be Tundra Oak.   Symbolically it is most perfect, as it is deciduous and will have shed its leaves and thus marks the season; but also the species has other qualities.  It is hard as stone, and all but immune to frost and fire; a symbol of the enduring power and majesty of our empire and its reach.  The tree is in demand to armor the ships of the fleet, and so the choice is not without a touch of military grandeur.  It is not enough that the message of the art should be beautiful; the materials for a project like this must be similarly rare and commanding.
2.  This will require an expedition.   Teleportation magics are, I must imagine, quite expensive; but in this case there is no choice if the initial showing of the piece is to be a debut in the mid-winter of the same year of its harvest.  And even if a team were told to set sail right now, fetch a tree and bring it back, it would not arrive with enough time to make the work complete.  This expedition will require a considerable investment in itself.  The reasons why will follow.
3.  The harvest will require tools that do not presently exist.   Collection of this tree's wood has so far existed only for military and industrial purposes. I am experimenting with it for small projects presently but the logging teams no doubt have enchanted or adamantine axes to fell the trees and then saw off the limbs.  This will not do for our purpose - we must have the tree unmarred by felling.  It will need to be taken down surgically, which means people in the tree using tools to cut it down in segments then lowering those segments for preservation, packing and transport.  Handsaws, two-man saws and the like are not sufficient for this.  Ideally the cutting will be done with some kind of powered saw, like what is normally confined to action in a saw mill, running an adamantine or equivalent blade.  I do not know how this will be accomplished; but I do have an idea of a machinist capable of conceiving and operating such a device.  Additionally, it will need to be dug out from the permafrosted ground; but my machinist is the inventor of a device that will make that matter, at least, very easy.
4.  The tree's preservation is problematic.   It can not be allowed to rot and the process of the tree drying once it is taken down will rob it of the aspect of vitality and endurance which is part of the subject of the piece; and the distortion of the wood as it dries may mar the carving.  It will require something like a permanent application of the  Gentle Repose  spell, but it will need to work on plants and indefinitely; perhaps by some token or tonic hidden in the interior of the segments. This is beyond my ability, but one of my best friends is an enchantress par excellance and will certainly be able to overcome this problem.
5.  I will need to be advanced a set of adamantine tools.   The wood is harder than stone which is excellent for the durability of the art but very difficult to manage instrumentally.  I have recently conducted experiments with such tools and I know they are suitable for this purpose.  I would be happy to sign a binding agreement that, upon my death, the tools are to be returned to the Vilfaren family for them to bestow upon the artisan of their choosing.  This is important, because the upper reaches of the tree will be prepared for carving but left uncarved for the deeds of the the generations to come.
6.  We must begin all these operations as soon as possible to supply the greatest freedom of time in which I can apply my craft to the medium.   This is a grand project and will take me many, many weeks of work.  Before I can begin this, the preservation and harvest processes need to be developed by my colleagues and an expedition undertaken where I can select the tree, and a team of helpers can assist in boxing the segments for travel.  But the final result will be a work of art that has, perhaps fifteen segments of trunk and more than a hundred segments of branches.  The joins will be mechanical fasteners but they will be hidden by goldwork.  Once the festivities are over, it can be disassembled into crates for storage and moved to another location at the Archduchess's desire.  No one has made anything like it before and the few parties who would be able to extend their resources to do so after will be seen as imitators.  Hundreds of years from now, the descendants of the Archduchess will gaze upon it and consider what they will do to earn their own addition to its design.

Note: As a matter of perfect transparency, I am currently working on another project which uses small amounts of this wood and which I would first complete with the tools I am asking for.  It is both a contract I intend to honor, but also it will be useful to have worked to completion with the material before I embark on this greater work.

Yours enthusiastically,

Aiden Sorveaux, Society Artificer
Proprietor of the Saw and Fiddle 
 
 


He tries to focus on the parts he needs Bolten's help with - producing man-portable cutting tools for extremely hard wood with minimal loss of material. Digging the bulb of the stump out of the ground will probably need some of his drills, too. But Aiden is an eccentric sort, and he waxes lyrical about the carvings he's intending to do, and the gold cap-plates and fasteners he intends to use at the end of each piece of the ultimately produced 'kit' that will assemble yearly to be the Legacy Tree.

 "...It's been a wild matter to even think about. I'm a village man by heart; living in the city here like this has been one long strange dream to me, and it feels downright unnatural to lean towards extravagance. But the mandate for the project is almost explicitly to be as prohibitively expensive as possible. So, ah... What do you think?" 
DeTess
 Vaungate Historical Society 
"If you could refer to me as 'Trusted Source O' in the report, I'd appreciate it." Oakhome explains. "I've been referred to as such in the reports on the few cases I've helped Whitecliff with." He gets up to show Shadnara out as she prepares to leave. "If there is anything I can help you with regarding this or similar matters in the future, don't hesitate to reach out. Though I don't like the idea of becoming a research subject, I don't mind discussing my abilities once in a while with someone smart enough to ask interesting questions."
Prehysterical
Bolten grunts thoughtfully and scribbles as Aiden explains his intended project. The dwarf is looking considerably more keen now. This tree almost seems like a puzzle and Bolten is already thinking about solutions as gushes about his future plans for the tree's artistry.

 "The idea of making an entire tree into a large instrument is pretty novel, I will admit... Now, I do have a suggestion, mind. You've made it very clear that the wood itself is harder than stone. Well... if all that's under it is ice, frozen soil, and maybe a bit of stone, wouldn't it be easier to simply unearth its roots and transport the whole thing as one piece? I'm not a woodsman, mind, but I imagine it would be easier to parse, trim, and cut the tree in a more civilized setting.

I was always taught as a child that a fortress is only as good as the rock it sits on. Whether through some application of heat or simply drilling through the permafrost, going underneath somehow still sounds easier than trying to jack this lumber, if you catch my meaning. Also, not cutting the tree might mean that it doesn't begin to rot as quickly during transport since no injury has been done. As for the length, we could either have an extended wagon cart to carry it or we could use some shrinking magic to carry it in a normal wagon. Not necessarily cheap, but not impossible, either." 
MrAbdiel
Aiden hangs on Bolten's questions, suggestions, and speculation. He has an idea that Bolten is a deeply *grounded* artisan with practicality and economy and elegance in mind in his ideas. In this way, he seems to have a deal of temperament in common with Shandara. But while Shandara's proficiency with magic strikes off into realms so elevated and arcane it is difficult for him to understand them without magical aid, Bolten's craft sprawls into mundane rules of motion and exchanging forces. It does so at a level of detail that Aiden can't keep up with, but he is a physical man who lives in physical spaces, and he can at least jog along a few paces behind the clockwork maestro, glimpsing his insights from range.

It does strike him, on the other hand, that Bolten and Shandara are of a kind that he is not. An artisan seems to him to be something like the intersection of engineer and artist. If that be the case, his two new friends are both much more engineer than he is; and he is out alone at the far end of the artist branch. He is fortunate to have such friends now who counterbalance his natural bias towards form and ideal and  story  rather than function and solution and outcome... But it does seem that he doesn't really  know  any other artisans of his type.

Is he lonely, here in the big city?

The spectre of that melancholy thought blunders into his mind for a second before it is snatched by the shoulders and dragged into the back alleys of his cognition for a good thrashing. Sad thoughts did not long survive, in the mind of Aiden Sorveaux. All is well, in that place. No hint of sadness even makes it to his eyes.

 "Well, that's a fair thought, Bolten. I plan to need to shear through the root bulb, too - all the roots and trunk severed flat at the plane of the ground so they act as a kind of stand, you see - but you're right that the whole cutting process would be more easily accomplished if we could get the whole thing back to some great big set of sawhorses in a warehouse in the city. But here's the sticky bit - I'm operating under the assumption that the journey will be undertaken through a portal, rather than by ship. The journey alone by ship there and back will take all the time I need to have it prepared for the winter ball - it should be quite impossible for me to make the work of it I intend without many weeks free to do so. But my knowledge of portal magic is limited. I assume it to be many orders of magnitude more difficult to make a portal, to accommodate a whole tree, rather that to accommodate a large number of pieces of that tree. Though that may be a failure of my imagination, defaulting to thinking about getting something large through a small doorway. Really, that part - the getting it here part - relies on the Archduchess picking the project up and financing the acquisition. Do you... have any experience with translocation magic?" 
WindStruck
 Vaungate Historical Society 
 "Very well, I shall do that,"  Shandara says, with a slight smile and nod. She leaves the building, filled with artwork, artifacts, and fancy people, and meets up with Aiden somewhere. The Violin was all but done. They simply had to present it to their bard client at the ranger's guild and hopefully collect their commissions.

(A new scene maybe)


 One more day of research 

The next day, Shandara thought was the last day of contracted research, though she technically had done more if you counted her interactions with Whitecliff and Oakholme. Her original spell idea to have the information trickle in slowly was scrapped, so instead she looked into the technical aspects of two other options:

One idea was a spell version that simply recorded all the information that flooded in through the psychic spells onto paper. It would have to temporarily keep track of all that data and have a medium to keep putting down data. And many qualities it sensed and described would likely be subjective and have some inaccuracies...

A second idea Shandara had was having the spell reenact what happened through illusions. Casters of these modified psychic spells would not experience the psychic experiences normally (and thus be at risk of developing uncontrollable psychic abilities themselves). Instead the spell would process all the data into the common five senses (leaving out emotional ones) and reintroduce the data to the caster via illusion, just like normal illusions could deliver sights, sounds, smells, and tastes.
Prehysterical
The mention of portals sparks a moment of intrigue, but Bolten's curiosity thaws as his jaw sets in puzzlement.  "I don't, sorry to say. I only use magic in my designs to solve engineering problems, when I have no other choice. I know that Shandara did some work with portals for her part in the sewer project, but... never bothered with such things, myself." 

Bolten sits back in his chair, scowling at his teacup as if it's the cause of his consternation. Yet another problem for him to gnaw on like a badger working a bone... but this one in particular chafes him for some reason. The instrument that Aiden describes is an engineering marvel, a perfect marriage of nature and artifice, form and function. Beneath Bolten's formal, practical exterior is a craftsman feeling just as constrained as Aiden, even if neither of them know it.

Tipping back his teacup to finish the beverage with almost comical resoluteness, Bolten places it back back onto the plate.  "I don't know, Aiden, but we're in the capital of the Empire and have access to the greatest magical library of our age! If it can be done, we should find the answers here... somewhere. Been a while since I've been to the archives.

I'll tell you what. I'll do some research on my end and see if I can make some cogs fit. Best we take such a monumental undertaking one step at a time." 

"We"? This was supposed to be just a nice breakfast social! How has he managed to ensnare himself in yet another project?! Curse this man and his infectious eagerness!
DeTess
 the Ranger's guild 
Sometime in the late afternoon, the sun already setting in the winter sky, Shandara and Aiden found themselves at the ranger's guild once again, completed violin in hand. After asking a caretaker in the main hall about sergeant Vars' whereabouts they were led to a training hall. inside a number of members of the guild where practicing their skills. Some where attacking dummies with blade and spell, while others where sparring amongst one another using wooden practice weapons.

Luge was easily spotted, embroiled in a practice duel with a ginger-haried, heavily tattooed half-elven woman. Both where using wooden practice rapiers. At a glance it was clear that Luge's technique was better. He moved with an elegance and economy of motion of someone that had trained with the rapier for thousands of hours. Despite that though, his opponent held her own, compensating for a lack of skill with raw speed and strength. In the end it was this speed and strength, combined with a bit of close-in brawling, that won the woman the bout. Though Luge managed to parry the blows from her sword without any trouble, he was not ready for the follow-up from her left fist, which struck him square in the stomach, leaving him doubled over on the sandy floor of the training room.

"You're still fighting like you're participating in a formal duel." The woman admonished Luge as she offered him a hand to help him up. "I mean, you're damn good with that toothpick, but in a real fight your opponents will do anything they need to win."

Luge accepted her offered hand, then the two split up. The woman picked up a longsword and started tearing a training dummy to shreds while Luge took a swig from a waterskin before approaching the two artificers. "If I had known you two would visit today, I'd have picked a sparring partner that wouldn't have wounded my dignity quite that badly." He grinned sheepishly. "What can I do for you? May I hope that you've finished the commission?"
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Shandara watches the practice duel with mild interest, though keeps her distance and an eye on everyone else in the room as well. She is ready to reach out a hand towards Aiden, too, in case the man would attempt to boisterously strike up conversation in mid-fight.

After the duel is completed and Luge greets them, Shandara smiles slightly and says,  "Nothing we would ask of you, except to get ready to transfer funds. For you are correct: the commission is finished."  She nods to Aiden, holding the violin. Seeing it in the artisan's grasp, that was a reasonable assumption anyone would make.  "I think you will find this violin quite to your liking. Why, you could even duel with it! Though.. I still wouldn't recommend it. That won't be good on the strings or the tune, I think." 
 Later That Night 

With all planned research done, now Shandara needed to compile all her findings and research - and conclusions - in an orderly report.  It would be similar to research reports she has seen or written in the archives herself, although in her opinion it was a smattering of a whole myriad of subjects with a common theme, to the technical eye. And as far as she was aware, Captain Tar did know quite a bit about magic already.. divinations especially. On one hand, Shandara felt she was as free to be as technical and write on a high level as she wanted. However, she also realized that this report may also be read by other people that are not as knowledgeable with arcane subjects. So she opted for a mix of both styles. Introduction and conclusions would be informal and written in layman's terms. Each particular subject she had researched would have its own explanation, followed up by all the technical aspects she had either researched or written herself.
MrAbdiel
 At Julieanne's Brew 
 "I'd appreciate it more than I could say." 

It was good to have Bolten interested. The way the whole scenario had been projected in the country carpenter's head, the dwarf's assistance was indispensable - though in fact the whole project hadn't been greenlit yet, and may be much ado about nothing. Still.. it was fun to dream, with friends.

 At the Ranger's Guild 
 "You could definately slug someone in the face with it - this Tundra Oak is hard as stone, without the brittleness. But it's still very light, so in my opinion, you're better off laying about with a real weapon, when you have the choice."  He chortles, rapping his knuckles against the carved and ensorcelled instrument.  "Shandara's enchantment will preserve it from a host of damage; and even on the outlandish chance you end up catching a dispel that suppresses the enchantment, it's still all but immune to fire and ice, and most physical blows just as a material quality. You're also the first to own string instrument made of Tundra Oak!" 

He offers the instrument and bow to the ranger, setting its accompanying case nearby. He has tested its musical capacity enough by now that he holds no concern as to its quality, but he allows Luge to take it and test it as if it had just been discovered, and that quality was totally unknown.
DeTess
 Ranger's guild 
Luge takes the instrument from Aiden's hands, then inspects it with a practiced eye. After his inspection he played a few notes, then nodded his head in satisfaction. "This is a fine instrument indeed. I also noticed an enchantment on it that seems to go a bit beyond Just protecting the instrument, though can't tell what exactly it is meant to do. Can you tell me about it?"
WindStruck
 "You have a good eye,"  Shandara says.

 "What I think you are sensing is what I would call.. an expanding matrix. The tundra oak is already naturally resistant to fire and cold energies, so I warded it against acid, lightning, and sonic to cover all the bases, as well as enhanced its natural hardness further. I added a little feature to the enchantments so that if you contribute a bit of your own magical energy into the violin, you will also receive resistance to sonic, acid, and lightning damages for a time." 

She points to the gem on the ornate scroll of the violin and adds,  "Furthermore, this gem stores a larger amount of energy. Activate its key word, and you can extend that same protection to all of your allies within about.. a ten foot radius?" 
 "Overall, I think we've done what we could with the budget allotted." 
DeTess
"That's very useful." Luge nods. "I can think of a couple situations where it would have been nice to have had that little trick up my sleeve."

"So, how much does the Ranger's guild owe you?" The ranger asks when he's finished appreciating the instrument.
WindStruck
 "I'd say, we give your prestigious organization a discount, then round the numbers out a bit. Twelve thousand gold? Should be reasonable..." 

She looks over at Aiden as if looking for some approval at the numbers as well, but not unaware of how bad with numbers he may actually be.
DeTess
"That sounds perfectly fine." Luge responded. "How do you want to get paid? I can get it in coins for you, but a letter of credit for one of the city's banks might be slightly easier to carry around."
MrAbdiel
Aiden lets out a puff of a laugh at the number - it's an absurd figure, and it remained a persistent source of delight and amusement to him that he was operating in this world of artifice and wealth and patrons and power. But when Shandara looks at him he gives an acquiescent nod.  "That sounds more than fine to me. And I'm sure a letter of credit will be fine - let a numismatic banker do the counting, rather than Shandara or I!" 
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 
 "A direct deposit to my account is fine,"  Shandara nods. Though with Aiden and his.. let's say, perhaps weaker financial situation, maybe he'd want a bit of pocket money too? Come to think of it, though, there's still the matter of  how  to split up the money. They really should have discussed this prior...

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
How much for a masterwork violin of this special material, unenchanted?

Appraise:  (1d20+11)[ 17 ] 
 


She said nothing else as of yet, but she was quickly trying to do some mental calculations. How many days had they both spent researching and testing things? How many hours had they both spent actually working on the finished product? It was hard to say, but the only thing that was certain was that without both of them, the violin would have never been created.

= = = = = = = = = =

 The Crown's Gate Guard Precinct 

After compiling her report the prior night, the following morning Shandara traveled once again to the Crown's Gate Guard Precinct. In her bag, within a protective folder, was a report, a neat stack of about 26 or so quality papers. Not parchment, mind you,  paper . Upon arriving to the building, she requested to see Captain Tar. Xavier was with her as well.

 
 Spoiler: The report itself 
Well I don't want to relive college and BS a 26 page report on magic unless I can get a real life degree...  But here's a very basic rundown.

The report starts off with a very brief introduction to the problem being researched, and in the following paragraph, a conclusion that the results are still so far inconclusive. Four months of focused research are suggested to further explore all the options and refine magical advances, and the end product will likely be the same cost of a level three wand. They may be able to lower the costs, however, in doing so, this all but guarantees they can't get all the qualities they want.

In short: there are still improvement that can be made to the repertoire of spells their officers currently possess, however, there currently isn't a magic bullet that will solve all problems, link objects and blood that have been separated by great amounts of distance or time, nor is it likely there ever will be. Even if there was, the costs would be astronomical.

Each potential research avenue Shandara tried taking are also explained, with critiques on how viable they may have been, their limitations, and potential risks vs what she calls the Steiner Effect. Magical diagrams and formulae she has currently come up with are written as well.

In the final pages of the paper is a more detailed financial analysis. Costs for research in time, potential costs of research in terms of special materials, the costs of wands. The sheer amount of energy and contributing ritual casters it might take to have a known desired tracking spell extend to a range of about 20 miles, which looks utterly absurd.

Finally, she touches on the Steiner Papers. Though she hasn't read them, she's heard plenty of reference to them. She adds commentary gleaned from "an expert in their forensics department" and "Trusted Source O" which show that even though their gifts offer unique insights and abilities not offered via conventional divination magics, they are still quite limited. While time does not seem to affect the information so much, what is more important is emotional resonance, which causes its ordering to be come jumbled in order of what was most emotionally impactful. It may be possible to glean where a ripped cape was torn with new magical research, but not so much with the ripped scrap alone. The same principle applies with blood from a creature. It's very feasible to tell if two parts once belonged to one another. Because they are treated as the same object, but the smaller object contains much less information, if anything usable at all, it's nearly impossible to track the larger object with the smaller object using 'psychic' magic. Conventional divination magic will be better in this regard.

In short there's a bit of irony here. It's easier to attempt to track the smaller torn piece via the larger object it once came from. But generally the needs of the investigators is the opposite.
 
DeTess
 the Ranger's guild 
It took a quick trip to one of the treasurers of the Ranger's guild, but soon enough Shandara and Aiden had their letters of credits arranged, providing them with their share of the payment for the violin. "Well then, unless either of you have any questions or advise for me regarding my new instrument, I think it's time I got some practice in to acquaint myself with this masterpiece." Luge walked the two artificers to the main hall, a smile on his lips as he looked down on his new instrument.

 The Crown's Gate Guard Precinct 
Shandara did not have to wait long, and soon enough she was led to captain Tar's office by a guardswoman. Little had changed in the office since Shandara had last seen it, the bookcases  and the captain's desk still looked neat and organized. The curtains in front of the windows looking down on the square had been drawn, possibly as a courtesy to Shandara. The room was lit by a warm yellow light set in the ceiling.

Captain Tar was seated behind his desk, and the orange cat Shandara had seen hanging around Whitecliff was curled up one one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Madam Shandara, thank you for stopping by." The captain gestured for her to take a seat. "I assume you have finished your research, given the time that has passed since our last meeting?"
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Shandara is sure to teach Luge the key word to activate the violin's party protection feature, but of course she warns him not to casually say it then and there while holding the violin. It's just a precaution as usually you need a certain mentality and tone of voice. She also says that the gem can be recharged by a caster of sufficient power in advance...


 The Crown's Gate Guard Precinct 

Shandara notes the cat, which was apparently Whitecliff's familiar. She nods slightly, at least thinking it will listen in and tell him how the meeting went. She takes a seat, beginning to sling her bag around her shoulder to extract the folder from it.  "Yes, that's correct, Captain Tar."  She hands the report to him.

 "I suppose I could have simply had it delivered, but I figured I would let you skim over it and ask any other questions that came to mind." 
DeTess
Captain Tar takes several minutes to skim through the document, reading through the conclusions and studying the diagrams in a bit more detail.

"Hmmm." the captain grumbles a little after finishing his quick read-through, then nods to himself. "It is not what I was hoping for, but that's no fault of yours. It seems I was simply trying to cross a desert with a single water-skin. However, getting the funds to do the further research you suggested and create the wands will take a bit of time and...  politics ." The captain pronounced the last word as if it was something particularly distasteful. "If I do get the resources necessary, would you be interested in taking it on? And if not, would you have a recommendation for who could?"
WindStruck
 "Politics?"  Shandara says with an actual chuckle.  "Mm, I can only imagine. But I suppose if you need city officials or nobles to approve funding for the research, they would probably never do it unless it was worth their while. It would probably take something very important to be stolen, or someone extremely well-liked killed. But by then, even with rushed research, too little, too late..."  she says with a shrug.

At his latter questions, Shandara says,  "Well, I will not lie, Captain Tar. The entire subject itself has me quite intrigued. I am very curious about just what can be achieved, and how far into the past - and the present - one can peer. I wouldn't mind continuing the research at all, should the opportunity arise, and I am not terribly preoccupied with something else..." 
 "As for recommendations..." 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
knowledge local:  (1d20+8)[ 22 ] 

Well I probably know someone aside from Giles "Gizmo" Glitterbanger on my background/contacts with that roll.
 
MrAbdiel
 At the Ranger's Guild 

Aiden geeks out over the string instrument with Luge for a moment or two before releasing the man from his social traction to enjoy his new treasure.  After that, he is left with Shandara, and their bank notes.

 "Well,"  he sighs contented,  "I'm almost sad to see it go... But job's done. It's been a pleasure working with you, Miss Shandara. We ought to nip off and deposit this, reimbursing you for the components you fronted and so forth. Oh - and now I'm able to pay you for the  spiritwood . Or... Ah..." 

Quickly, plainly, his good mood begins retracting. The  spiritwood  - eight hundred gold paid forward by Shandara in what Aiden had thought was a loan for his sake, but morphed in an awkward following meeting with Lady Orlof into a sort of lopsided custody arrangement. Broaching the subject again, and the possibility of another clash of interests, distressed him greatly, but it needed to be done.  "I believe we were up to a point where you were going to try to develop a means for me to see through the wood to carve out a vein of the crystal for your experimentation. How about you take an extra four hundred gold out of our pay here, and we'll go forth on that as equal partners in whatever outcome we produce from that purchase and our experimentation with it?" 
WindStruck
 The Ranger's Guild 

Shandara was satisfied with a job well done, and more coin to fill her personal coffers even more. Soon, she may be close to realizing some sort of dream. It could be sooner than she realized.

And then Aiden went and brought up that spirit wood again. She spares him a withering glance, if only very briefly. For a very brief moment, she could understand her mother's penchant to whip and beat her desperate captives. But this poor man was not a slave, he was a friend. Or at least, he was among the few that even came close to it. He was big, and he was friendly, and gullible, and...   "Aiden..."  Shandara sighs, trying to formulate words.

 "... This spirit wood stopped being an equal partner venture the moment it was apparent it was utterly unsuitable for the violin project. And if not then, as you expressed interest in experimenting with it regardless, from the moment I paid for it in full because your coin purse was empty, and I was the one to assume the risk of the gamble." 

And now she was sure if she looked at Aiden she'd see his big sad puppy dog eyes. She rather feared the day they would not merely be sad, but disdainful. But she couldn't just let the spirit wood go. She had to try to reason with this man.  "You're always getting three steps ahead of yourself, Aiden. I know you expressed interest in playing around with the wood, and maybe you thought I implied it was a joint venture, and at the moment, I might have even considered it like that as well. Even if that was the case, I've changed my mind. I don't have any interest in selling half of the wood, or half ownership of the entire piece." 
 "Within the next few days, I plan on putting my mind fully to the task of unraveling the mysteries of this spirit wood. And I don't need any distractions." 

Shandara releases some breath again, thinking 'what else..?'    "How about this, Aiden? When the time comes, and I am ready, I will tell you what I learned, and most likely with the spell you are expecting prepared.. and I can contract you for the services of cutting it?" 

Now she finally musters the courage to look Aiden in the eyes.  "In other words, you won't be paying me 400 gold. I will be paying you.  ...  um. P-Probably not 400 gold just for cutting it, obviously. I'd - I'd think that would be obvious..." 
MrAbdiel
When she turns her eyes to him, he has not graduated to woundedness. The perplexed labrador bewilderment still fixes his features - the man is still wading through the frontload of goodwill he has for the drowess, assuming she has merely misunderstood, even given their previous clash on the issue. He does have to suck in a breath slowly to try to offer her correction, still.

 "Well... That's not exactly right, is it? You didn't know about master Dunfen's woodyard until I led you there. He had it marked to sell for a thousand gold, but he took two hundred off the price on the premise that you and I would return to him and talk about what we'd discovered in the course of our experimentation with it, so he could advise other customers on how to work the wood. I said I'd buy it, and asked for him to hold it while I secured a loan.  You  told me you'd cover it. I... respected your disinterest in using it for the violin because you're my partner on that project, but we went forward studying it together either way. You see? You're not selling me half of the wood, or the enterprise, or anything. I own it; and I owe you the balance of that loan. I'm offering to sell  you  half of that wood, and the enterprise, on account of the fact that you're the best enchantress in the city. No, you're mistaken. You're an artificer, not a loan shark." 

He laughs a little, at the end; as if he'd done the job of reassuring himself, more than convincing her, at least.
WindStruck
 "It's true that I didn't know about Mr. Dunfen, as I rarely have any reason to go to a wood yard such as that myself,"  Shandara says as they continue walking along.

 "But if I wasn't there, introduced as an 'enchantress', he would have never brought up the spirit wood in the first place. Nor would you have been able to afford it even if he did." 

There were a lot more counterpoints to make, such as where and how he expected to get a loan on such shaky promises. From an actual loan shark, maybe? She was probably doing Aiden a favor sparing him from that fate.

 "His discount also has nothing to do with this,"  she says, waving a hand dismissively.  "As I said, I plan to do some real experimenting with the wood now that I have the time. You can rest assured that I will find out all I can and follow up on that promise to inform Mr. Dunfen." 

Shandara was starting to get annoyed by all the ridiculous things he was saying. She shakes her head, then stops in her tracks and turns to Aiden once again.  "Do not fool yourself, as you are prone to do, Aiden. We  both  expressed interest in purchasing the wood. I said I would cover the  payment. Not give you a loan ." 
MrAbdiel
The ensuing moments are difficult for Aiden. Strictly speaking, she is right; she did not say she would give him a loan. She said she'd cover the cost, which he  took  to mean a loan. Much about her words around the topic, and around  him  around the topic, seem inexplicable to him. Needing no  distractions , planning  real  experimentation, the wood being  unsuitible  for crafting the instrument. Was his presense principally a distraction for her? Did she not think his efforts in examining the material previous were really valuable? Did she feel that expensive, functional magical materials were too important to be used for an artistic craft, instead of war-staves and wands?

More than anything, it's the judicious use of the word  fool  that nags at him. She does not call him a fool; she is very careful not to. She merely encourages him not to fool himself, and says that he is prone to it. Is she right?

Stalled in the street by her scolding, he removes his hat again to twist its strawy texture in his hands against his chest. His expression is tight, now; not browbeated and stunned like the first time they clashed on this, but full of things he would like to say or expression, but which he has either no means or inclination to release. Then he looks up at the sky, squinting into the sunlight; draws in a breath through his nostrils, and blows it out through his mouth; and all the consternation in his face drains away. It is not immediately replaced with mirth but  instead a much duller, monastic contentment.

 "Alright. Fine. Let's just..."  He gestures up the street with his hat, in the direction of the banking house, and sets off again. He has little else to say until they are there, with bills deposited and gold evened out to cover the expensive cost of magical components, and their partnership in the matter of the ranger's violin formally concluded.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: Banking 
Is banking just a story element in this game, or should I record somewhere how much gold I have in a bank and how much in coin, etcetera?
 
WindStruck
 From the Ranger's Guild, en route to the Goldrow Bank 

Shandara is relieved that Aiden decided to just drop the matter. Perhaps they were both right from their own perspectives, and this would have ended up being a battle of wills...

She was on the verge of lashing out, perhaps about to say something she would regret. It is not often she gets temperamental, and over a little piece of wood, of all things. But it wasn't  just  a piece of wood. This was her plans for the next week, at least. This was a golden opportunity to learn something about a rare and precious material which could have considerable use in the future. This was, probably, a pathway to fulfilling her dream. This was the future, and she couldn't just let it be chopped up haphazardly and glued back together.

So she just walked in silence, her thoughts to herself. Given how late in the afternoon it was, Xavier was also likely trudging behind them, also wordlessly - an awkward witness to the disagreement that had ensued.

At the Bank, Shandara almost deposits the whole note.. but instead decides to keep a hundred gold for future purchases. She probably needs that much just to scribe a spell on a scroll or in her book, and then some for other research materials.

 "Well then. I have a report I need to finish writing. And then.. then the wood..." 
 The Crown's Gate Guard Precinct 
 "...I think there's a couple people I could recommend. Although, since I have expressed interest in continuing the research, do you want those names?"  she asks hesitantly.
DeTess
 The Crown's Gate Guard Precinct 
"I would like to know the names, just in case you end up being completely unavailable when we can start the research." Captain Tar explains. "I hope that will not be the case, of course, but it's better to be safe."
WindStruck
Shandara nods slowly and says,  "I see." 
 "Well the first person I can think of goes by the name of Zacharias. Or he insists on the nickname, 'Z'... I can't quite recall his surname, but I do remember he was developing some kind of elixir that could 'contain memories'. Or at least, that's what he was attempting. But I think there was some success to the endeavors. It might be relevant."  Shandara shrugs.

 "Another prospective person...  Arud Erna. Quite a wizard at divination. And I suppose I mean that all in the literal sense as well. Just.."  Shandara frowns and her face darkens somewhat. She continues,  "If you do end up contacting him, don't mention my name, alright?" 
DeTess
Captain Tar noted down the names provided by Shandara. "My thanks. Once I have secured the funding necessary for this research I will contact you again, though it will be some time yet. Now, I believe that's all, unless you had any questions remaining for me?"
WindStruck
Shandara shakes her head. She had no questions about the research she just did, nor the prospective projects to come. If they did come. One thing was on her mind, which was Lieutenant Whitecliff, but she was very hesitant to even bring him up.

She looks just a little sullen, and says,  "No, sir.. No, I think everything is in order." 

She spares a glance at the cat, and reaches out a hand toward it, before changing her mind and retracting it.  "Please give Lieutenant Whitecliff my regards,"  she says and stands.
DeTess
The orange cat responds with an affirmative-sounding meow before turning around and heading out of the room. A low-ranking guardsman then escorts Shandara back to the entrance hall. When they pass the reception desk in the entrance hall a woman manning the desk calls out to her. "Excuse me, are you miss Shandara?" She asks. "A box was just left here for you." She picks up a simple cardboard box about the size of a shoe box from a shelf behind her and offers it to the drow.
MrAbdiel
The dour ending to the project partnership with Shandara had dampened his mood; but a walk through Vaungate's streets with old Ambrose in tow did a good deal to clear away the fragmentary clouds that managed to exist in the shearing optimism of his mind. It was obvious this was a very important piece of wood to Shandara. And perhaps, from time to time, he was capable of making a fool of himself indeed. Ruminating, he slowed down a little until Ambrose's head bumped into his back, causing him to totter forward and almost lose his hat. That made him laugh.

The laughing fit that followed was tremendous; all the discomfort of before morphing into laughter to flee through that giggly vector as he staggered to lay an arm on the horse's side and continue through a cascade of chortles and chuckles, perhaps to the bewilderment of onlookers. By the time he had gotten control of himself, he barely had any sense of why he was upset in the first place.

Stopping by the Dunfen woodyards, Aiden greens Richard, Rickard and Victor with his normal enthusiasm and waffles about his experience manipulating the Tundra Oak. He does love to talk shop.

 "...So after some work and trial and borrowing of tools and such, our ranger friend is running around with, as far as I know, the first violin made of Tundra Oak. How about that? Ha ha!" 

He does get to his purpose, eventually.
 
"As for that spiritwood, Lady Shandara has something in mind, so she's got it from here. I went to cut it but hedged off because I didn't want to break any of the major crystal veins in the thing. But I was hoping, perhaps foolishly, that you might have a scrap or two left of the stuff somewhere; perhaps an offcut or a nice stick that broke from the lumber when unloading, or something like that. I've a small project I'd like to tinker with - but I know how rare it is, so if there's nothing like that in store, that's fine, and I can check back when you get your next shipments, whenever that may be." 
DeTess
"There were a couple twigs left." Victor confirms after a moment's consideration. "I kept them aside as I believed them of little value beyond serving as a keepsake. One moment."

Mister Dunfen heads off in the direction of his family's living quarters, and returns several moments later with three small branches, each maybe half a foot long and maybe half an inch wide at the thickets point. Their shapes are somewhat irregular, but not to the point of being useless for Aiden's purpose. Even in these small branches, tiny veins of colorful crystal can be seen running this way and that.

"Would this serve your purpose?" Victor asks.
MrAbdiel
With animation, he looks over the spindly remnants of the spiritwood stock.

 "Yes! Yes, these would work quite well, my friend. Though I hate to deprive you of a keepsake, if you'd like one... How much would you like, to part with these?"  As always, Aiden is the easiest sale Victor Dunfen ever has; already rummaging for his coinpurse.
DeTess
Victor looked over the pieces again, a look of concentration passing over his face as he weighed the size of the pieces, the value of the wood and his relationship with Aiden to come to an appropriate price. "Let's settle on 18 gold pieces for the three of them." He said after a moment.
MrAbdiel
 "A pleasure as always, Victor!"  He counts out the coins on the countertop, shakes the man's hand, and bundles up the branches to go.  "See you next time!" 

Then it's home, and on to a new project; however brief.

 
 Spoiler: DM Eyes Only 
Sneaky secrets. I do want to get that harp done soon, but that's a full week of work. I'd like to make these spectacles first because Aiden is pretty keen to smooth things over with Shandara and let her know there are no hard feelings.

Eyeglasses cost 5GP in the SRD, so we'll start with that. I'll pay an extra one gold to cover the cost of materials specifically for the smoked lenses. But Aiden can comfortably knock out 137SP of work in a day taking tens; and half of that can do those glass is a half day all the way up to a difficulty of DC32.

If, because we're working with spirit wood for the first time (even though it's non magical, simplistic work) you'd like a roll, I'll use my daily inexplicable luck.   MakeThoseGlasses  - (1d20+30)[ 32 ] .  But I think it's a simple enough project Aiden can bust them out in one evening of work and have them on hand to give to Shandara at his next convenience. Let me know if that's not the case!

After that, I'm lined up for about a week of rolls to make that harp.

EDIT: Damn, whenenver I roll and use my inexplicable luck, the dice tries to destroy me and is only saved by that luck. Hahaha.
 
WindStruck
 "Oh?"  Shandara says.  "Did any other message come with it it?"  she asks.
DeTess
The woman shakes her head. "I'm sorry, nothing else. The box was left here by an elf with Lieutenant's insignia, but he didn't stop to chat, and I'm new to this precinct, so I didn't recognize him."
WindStruck
 "I see. Thank you,"  Shandara says.

She debates whether or not she wants to open it. If it's easy enough to open, she'll take it to the side and discreetly peek inside. Otherwise she'll just take it home and open it there.
DeTess
The box is easy enough to open, and inside is a set of 7 wands. Shandara recognizes their designs as being the same as the wands holding the standard investigation spells she'd seen in Whitecliff's lab. All 7 wands looked incredibly worn though, covered in scratches, cracks and other surface damage. Shandara's experience as an enchanter told her this would mean the wands weren't exactly reliable anymore. Still, they would be salvageable to someone of her skill, if she so chose.
WindStruck
Shandara takes the box home and studies the wands a bit more closely. She would try some mending spells to see if she can improve the condition of the wands, but otherwise sets them aside for now. She had some spirit wood to work with...

Although first, she looks into the possibility of a spell that makes wood material invisible, and leaves all other matter alone.

spellcraft:  (1d20+16)[ 20 ]  or  (1d20+16)[ 34 ] 
DeTess
New IC thread:  https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...2#post25970392 