The Royal Artificery Society - IC II

[DeTess]

Shandara's home

Shandara's mending magic restored the seven wands to pristine condition, and did the same for the enchantments on five of the wands. The remaining two wands had been damage to such an extent that it would require a more in-depth intervention to fully restore functionality.

Her work on the spell to render wood invisible or see-through also went apace, and she had several approaches she could take. Depending on the exact method she reckoned she could have a working spell in a day or two at most.

OOC thread: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?656507-The-Royal-Artificery-Society-OOC-II-electric-boogaloo
Previous IC thread: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?625943-The-Royal-Artificery-Society-IC

[WindStruck]

Shandara realizes trying to base the spell off of something like the common "Invisibility" effect is too complex and actually does accomplish more than it should. So instead, she works on something in the divination school: a spell that affects the caster, who has the ability to see through touched wooden objects of a limited volume and weight. This is her first draft of the spell, so for the selected material to see through, she just needs to test it on a a very ordinary piece of wood. If that succeeds, she'll test the spell out on the spirit wood.

I'm interested in seeing how the spirit wood also reacts, if it does so at all. It might not, seeing as this is a divination spell that mainly affects the caster.

Some of the wands she tried to repair were also stubborn, so the following day she tries a use of Make Whole to see if she can get any improved results.

[DeTess]

The spell works fairly well. The wood does not become entirely invisible, but it does become translucent to Shandara's sight, allowing her to see straight through. The same test on the spirit wood is not quite as succesful however. Where the normal wood became translucent like a fine piece of glass, the spiritwood is more like an old windowpane. Still somewhat translucent, but foggy and a distorted. By narrowing the area if effect to only a portion of the log Shandara can get a significantly clearer view at the veins of crystal within however.

The attempt to repair the two remaining wands the next day with a more advanced spell has mixed results. One wand is restored, but the enchantment on the last remaining one remains stubbornly damaged.

[WindStruck]

Shandara is pleased with the results for the divination spell she was working on, until she had tried it on the spirit wood itself and found that it was quite muddled and unclear. Unsure of if this was simply because of a different composition in the wood, or perhaps countless imperceptible crystal veins, Shandara thinks she needs to perform some sort of material analysis so she can more accurately define what kind of material to make invisible/visible.

Well, I'm not really sure how to do this. Do I have to develop yet another divination spell to try to get an accurate composition for writing another spell, or can I simply do this with a knowledge roll of some kind? alchemy? nature? Do I need to seek an expert?

[WindStruck]

After a day or so more of tinkering with the spirit wood and her spellcraft, Shandara manages to develop a spell that has optimum potency on the spirit wood itself, but not on other types of woods. Then she tries casting Light on one of the veins again, tests her new divination spell out on the wood to REALLY see the lit up veins, and then, if she can manage the concentration, tries to observe the light magic ebbing from it with Detect Magic.

[DeTess]

Shandara's home
Shandara's new spell works without a hitch, and she can clearly see the lit up veins of crystal snaking their way through the wood. After some time the light and magic starts ebbing away again, though it does so very slowly.

The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux
While working on the harp, Aiden still had time to instruct Cliff and Markel on the finer points of boat restoration. Both kids learned fairly quickly, and they both looked noticeable better fed, likely thanks to the meals provided by Maria when the boys where working on the boat. The boys each had their own strong suits. Cliff was the stronger of the two and good at rough work and work requiring strength. He also must have learned about knots and ropes at some point, as he seemed to need little instruction for working on the boat's ropes and rigging. Markel had a bit of trouble with tasks that required raw strength, but was very good with detail-work. Under Aiden's direction they soon finished the work on the boat, and though it didn't look quite as new, it looked far more seaworthy than it had when Aiden first laid eyes on it.

[WindStruck]

(snipped from OOC)

Shandara is still busy trying to unravel the mysteries of how the spirit wood worked. Reconfirming that the light magic lingers for much longer while affecting the spirit wood, she decides she wants to test the theory out from a few other angles.

First she'll want to go out and see if she can find some scrolls of Lighten Object and Grease. She would choose these spells because first of all, she didn't want to do anything drastic to the wood that might damage it. And second, it could be argued that the Lighten Object spell would be much more improved either in effect, duration, or both seeing as the magic was supposed to encompass all of the wood, where as Grease would only affect the outside. Though Shandara could not really say for certain what would happen, which is why she wanted to experiment.

[WindStruck]

After further experimentation, Shandara concludes that magic that affects the crystalline structure of the wood simply lasts longer.

But now, of course, she had come to the part where she would be testing out the wand efficacy and crafting. And there was no getting around it.. she needed someone who was good at cutting wood. And she needed a few normal wand blanks as well.

lore wise, how are wands crafted? Is there something similar like in the Harry Potter books, where it wouldn't just be a plain piece of wood through and through but have some sort of magical material or conduit in the middle? Would be a great way to incorporate the spirit wood..

Also, now might be a time to bring MrAbdiel back into the fold and see if Aiden was still interested in getting paid to cut the wood for Shandara... though if MrAbdiel is very absent and infrequently posting, I think Shandara had better find a different artisan anyway.

[DeTess]

Bluefin's rest
The restaurant is fairly quiet when Shandra arrives. The midday rush is over and it's still a bit too early for an evening meal. A group of four, two men and two women, all human,a re sitting in the back. Based on the papers spread over the table they might be in some kind business meeting or similar.

Shortly after Shandara arrives she si approached by a blonde man in his early twenties. His white apron suggests he is onE of the servers in the restaurant. "Good afternoon, miss." He greets the Drow. "We are not quite ready yet to serve dinner, but if you're looking for a smaller meal or something to drink we have plenty of options." He offers her a menu.

[WindStruck]

"Ah, thank you," Shandara says, briefly glancing at the menu. "But actually.. I was wondering if anyone here knew where to find Ulrik? If I recall, I believe he said he had some family here."

[DeTess]

"Ulrik? Ah, right, give me a moment to check with the chef." The man disappears into the kitchen for a moment, before returning in short order. "You are miss Shandara, right? Ulrik is quite likely to be here this evening for a meal, so you could wait for him here. If you're in a great hurry, however, you can ask for him at the Streidekker and sons shipyard, though the chef told me he's quite busy, so no guarantees he has time to see you if you go there."

[WindStruck]

"Well.. it's not really urgent," Shandara says. She peers at the menu again, considering it. "I could certainly meet him here later this evening, though I would say I have.. certain obligations to attend to and would rather not tarry here for hours." And by that, she was referring to needing to meet Xavier so that he didn't think she had been kidnapped. And she also didn't want to waste time here munching on snacks and getting drunk. At least.. not all by her lonesome.

"If you do see Ulrik, tell him I'll be looking for him tonight. And perhaps I'll buy him a drink .. though, I imagine he might get some for free here anyway. Hm." She shrugs.

She forces an awkward smile toward the young blonde man briefly and leaves.

So she'll walk back home. Probably do a few chores, tidy up the place, make some tea, relax. Meet Xavier. Randomly take him out to eat. Same restaurant. Hopefully Ulrik will actually be there after sundown.

[DeTess]

When Shandara returns, the restaurant is a lot more livelier, with merchants, officers and shipbuilders enjoying their dinners. It does not take her long to make out Ulrik's sturdy frame. He is sitting at a table together with one of the women who had been engaged in a business meeting when Shandara dropped by earlier. Seeing the two of them beside one another some similarities between the two humans become apparent, with them sharing the same color hair and eyes, as well as some other subtle similarities. It could be that the woman, who seemed around the same age as Ulrik, was the sister he'd mentioned before. The two seemed to be involved in an animated conversation, and neither noticed Shandara when she entered the restaurant.

[WindStruck]

"I hope you like seafood," Shandara commented to Xavier.

- - -

Shandara picks out Ulrik easily enough. She tells the host they were meeting someone here. Suspecting the two at the table were brother and sister, it might not have felt so bad to interrupt their conversation. She quietly walks over, probably not noticed by either until she stops at their table. "Hello again," Shandara says. "I hope someone told you I was coming. Do you have a few moments, or would you like to have a meal together?"

[MrAbdiel]

The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux
While working on the harp, Aiden still had time to instruct Cliff and Markel on the finer points of boat restoration. Both kids learned fairly quickly, and they both looked noticeable better fed, likely thanks to the meals provided by Maria when the boys where working on the boat. The boys each had their own strong suits. Cliff was the stronger of the two and good at rough work and work requiring strength. He also must have learned about knots and ropes at some point, as he seemed to need little instruction for working on the boat's ropes and rigging. Markel had a bit of trouble with tasks that required raw strength, but was very good with detail-work. Under Aiden's direction they soon finished the work on the boat, and though it didn't look quite as new, it looked far more seaworthy than it had when Aiden first laid eyes on it.

The smell of the wax was strong in the air. A vessel is typically made of reasonably hydrophobic woods, but sealing was still required for good measure, and the craft that was once a ruin with a broken mast now looked ready to put to sea.

Aiden washed his hands in a basin as Cliff and Markel scampered about the resurrected vessel, plying the fictional seas of the barn while gleaming rodent eyes watched from high rafters.

"She's a good'un, as they say, lads. You can take her to sea now, but I recommend not chasing the horizon right away - you'll need to let the timbers swell with the water and lock up with each other, and it'll give you a chance to discover any leaks you need to patch. But I wouldn't go to sea without a name for her - that's just asking for trouble. But, ah... Well, lads, I've a proposition for you."

Aiden waited for them to gather to him, and he plunked down on a low crate. It wasn't comfortable sitting at all, but it put him much closer to eyeline with Cliff, and just above Markel.

"I know you've got your hearts set on going out, spreading your nets and living off the profits, but I wondered if you might both think about staying on here to learn a little more, and help me out. Let me pose it to you, and you tell me if it fits, alright?"

He gestures to the restored boat with one open hand. "A boat like this, well... A fresh one might sell for close to five hundred gold. But you'll put about a third of that into it in materials, and plenty of labor. But that's the trick of crafting - once you know how to do the labor, and if you love doing it, it's practically free. So how about this - you take your boat to sea a couple of days a week, catch fish to your heart's content. Bring the best ones back here to Maria, since she'll be feeding you at the end of the day anyway. I'll put up the money for materials to get started on a completely new boat. Maria will keep feeding you, and you can stay here as much as you like. You give the fish a few days respite from your assault, and put those days here into working on the new boat. I'll come through to help you if you have troubles or for the heavier and tricker bits, but I'll let you do most of this on your own. And when it's done, we'll sell it; I'll take back the cost of the materials, and you boys can split the rest how you see fit. If you bring any friends to help you out, you'll get it done faster, but you'll have to cut them in. I think you'll find selling boats is a little more profitable than selling fish, in the long run, though you'll have to use your profits from the fishing for a while to pay for a berth for this ship. We won't fit both in this barn! What do you think?"

Aiden has spontaneously developed a vision of a new project, the Stormdrains Arsenal - a combination Orphanage/Shipyard which offers shelter, community, work, and skills for young lads and lasses with nowhere to go, with an eventual goal of them getting a 'real' job in another shipyard when they age up. It would be a focus on small craft - rowboats, jolly-boats, and fishing boats that can be sold (or given away) at lower that market cost to people who couldn't otherwise afford it.

[DeTess]

Bluefin's Rest
Ulrik looked up as Shandara approached, some surprise on his face. "I don't think anyone..."

"Yes, they did, brother." The woman cuts him off. "You'll have to forgive my brother here, he has just received some very good news and I doubt he has registered anything non-ship related this evening."

"Ah, yes, sorry." Ulrik gives a sheepish grin, te expression seeming illa t home on his weathered face. "You might remember when we talked about our dream projects? Well, I've been asked to oversee something very much like it, so I might have been a little distracted today. Ehm, what did you need my help with? Or was it Just a social call?"

[DeTess]

The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux
Cliff and Markel exchanged a glance. "Ehm... 500 gold coins, but we lose a third to materials and then we split it is..." A look of concentration came voer Cliff's face as eh tried to doe the math in his head.

"166 gold pieces each, with some silvers and coppers left over." Markel had worked it out a lot quicker.

"That... sounds too good to be true." Cliff looked troubled. "How long would it take us to make a boat like that?"

[WindStruck]

"Could be a social call as well if you'd like," Shandara says with a small smile and a shrug. "I just wanted to ask you a little advice about something."

"Um. Would it be alright if we sat down with you?" she asks, also glancing over to Xavier. "This is Xavier, my bodyguard. It's.. perhaps a little awkward explaining why I feel the need to have one. But for the most part he's usually accompanied me in the Society's archives and not much has happened. Well, aside from that one time Bolten and I went out to test a little project of ours, and there was a bear..."

[MrAbdiel]

"How long? Well. Hmm. Well, let's think a minute. For a twenty footer, first we'd have to have you on the drawknives carving a keel..."


Assuming a fairly junior craftsman - one that has a total of +5 to their craft skill, which is proficiency plus two points of skill (go with me for a minute), they can take 10 for a 15, and 15 is about the DC for a boat (since it's a large but fairly simple type of boat, and DC20 examples are things like siege engines and firearms that require much more complex sciences).

It seems reasonable to me that both boys can work on one boat - some parts would be slower alone, some taxed a little by getting in each others way, roughly evening out. So with a DC15 and a 15 result from both boys, each week they will contribute 225SP towards this 5000SP project. At this rate, it'll be 11.11 weeks to complete a fully functional boat. They'll each make the equivalent of 15gp for each week they labor. That's pretty good - about half of what the average doctor makes, and with a hefty material investment cost.

As for the assumption that they can even do this, I'm operating under the assumption that this process will empower them to be, effectively, level 1 Experts. Until they get there, Aiden is on hand to loosely supervise; set up tasks, help them they they are stumped, lend them luck, and loan them tools (he has a set of masterwork shipwright tools, and it'll buy the boys each a set of normal ones for 5GP each if they accept the offer, to spoil them with masterwork sets when they complete their training). Even if they can't take ten for a while, it's a good indicator of their likely progress. Aiden is going to be as hands-off as he can afford to be, so they do most of the work and gain the skills - learn, and earn.

So that's the answer! It's about...

"...So with all that, maybe ten, twelve weeks or so. You'll get a little faster as you get better, but like I always say - slow is smooth, smooth is fast. After we're a few weeks in, if you have any friends you trust to come in and spent some time on the tools, that might help a bit too. What do you think, boys?"

[DeTess]

Bluefin's Rest
"Yes, feel fre to take a seat." Ulrik looks Xavier over, but refrains from commenting on the bodyguard. "What did you need my advice on?"

The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux
"Right so over that time it'd be..." Cliff starts to do the math, but Markel once again beats him to it.

"About 15-ish gold pieces per week." the smaller boy declares the number with some confidence. "That's still a good amount..."

Cliff is silent for a moment, doing whatever balancing of the scales he learned from the streets. After a moment he speaks up again. "It's not too good to be true." He declares.

Markel let's out a sigh of relief. "So should we take the offer? I did like working on the boat. And the food miss Maria brings is nice too..."

Cliff considers for a moment. "I think we should give fishing a go first. Once we've done that for a bit we can settle on what we like more, you know?"

"Is that okay with you, Aiden?" Markel asks, a worried look on his face. "We could probably give you an answer in a couple weeks."

[WindStruck]

Shandara sits down and says, "Well, I was wondering if you happened to know of any skilled artisans that handle wood. I- I know you're a ship builder. I mean someone who is skilled at.. cutting the wood precisely and likely at small difficult angles within the wood. Then again, maybe for my little project, they don't have to be the best. I just need someone I can trust that won't mess up the explicit details that I ask of them..."

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden laughs his rich, warm laugh.

"Of course, of course. Boys, it's not an answer with a time limit. You deserve to enjoy all the work you've done on this young lady." He thumps the hull of the fishing boat. "We'll bring it down to the dock tomorrow, and organise a berth for it. You boys... both know how to swim, right? And how to handle the nets, out there? And... Well, how to sail? You're not just kicking out onto the water to figure it out, are you?"

[DeTess]

Bluefin's rest
"Hmmm." Ulrik considered Shandara's question. "Even what we consider fine detail work like figureheads tend to be somewhat rough by non-shipbuilding standards. Based on what you told me though, Feathers might be able to help you, but that's.... No, I might know another person who could be an even better match, but I've only seen their handiwork, so I'm not certain." Realizing that might need some further explanation, Ulrik elaborated.

"During the briefing for the project I was shown some beautifully made scale models. Whoever made them really knows fine woodwork. I'll meet them in about half a week for the project's kickoff so I can ask them then, or you could check with the Escribano workshop, as they provided the model, so should know who made it. If they don't work out, I can get you in touch with Feathers. He does detailwork like figureheads and other decorative woodcutting, so he might be able to help you."

The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux
Cliff nodded. "My old man was a fisherman back when.... Back when." Cliff bit down on whatever detail he wanted to add, though a sad look crossed his face. "I know the basics and I'll teach Markel. Already made certain he won't drown."

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden gives a shallow nod, and a faint smile of reassurance. Perhaps it had been the plague that took the boy's father. Perhaps some other misfortune of his life. But the boy did not offer it, so the country carpenter did not pick.

"Alright. I just ask because we can get a real old salt to give a lesson or two, I'm sure; but that's up to you boys. Cliff, if you say it's in hand, I trust you."

The offer hung in the air for a few seconds, waiting for the lads to consider it and take it up now, before the possibility they'd have to come back, pridesore, later. Truth be told, Aiden's sailing experience was entirely theoretical; and he never had much luck with the old hook-and-bobber at the creeks near his village. But how hard could it be to make a new friend who would be willing to teach the lads, if they needed it?

[WindStruck]

"Oh, I see," Shandara says with a nod. Then she asks, "So the project involves building a ship. Does it have a name?"

"Since you mentioned this was similar to the dreams you were talking about earlier, I would have to guess this is a very advanced ship that incorporates all sorts of.. hm. New innovations?"

[DeTess]

Bluefin's rest
"We haven't settled on a name yet, still a bit too early in the project to do so. But it's a real marvel!" Ulrik launches into the explanation with gusto. "It's a large rescue and salvage platform. The Imperial Navy has made the first order, though I hear some of the larger trading companies have some interest as well. It's this triple-hull design that can function as a dock to keep the stricken ship floating and packed with machinery like cranes and the like to do maintenance on another vessel. It also has a magic powered mechanical secondary propulsion system to help with precise maneuvering." Ulrik then launched into a detailed description of the challenges the shipyard would face putting the vessel together. It seemed he'd been given a lead role on the project, and he was very excited about everything it would entail.

The Fiddle and Saw - Home of Aiden Sorveaux
"You've already done so much..." "If you know someone you trust I wouldn't say no." Markel and Cliff spoke up at the same time. Perhaps surprisingly, it was Cliff that seemed mor receptive to the offer. After an exchange of glances the taller boy continued. "I'm pretty sure I know what I need to do to bring fish in, but my old man never got around to teaching me where the best fish can be caught and even if he did, things are probably different now. I also don't really know where best to go to sell the fish." Cliff explained. "If you know someone that could help explain all that I wouldn't say no. Otherwise it shouldn't take too long to figure that out ourselves."

[WindStruck]

Shandara does try to listen intently, at least as long as her attention span allows. The technical aspects sounded intriguing, though truthfully she was not much of an engineer, nor a ship builder.

"Almost seems like this is your first time being a supervisor," Shandara chuckles. "Or perhaps not. But obviously, with something of this scale ..."

She looks around to see if there was a menu. "Have you two eaten yet, by the way? I was thinking of having something here. And you're welcome to a dish as well, Xavier."

[MrAbdiel]

He gives the boys a judgement-free smile and nod. "I've an idea, maybe. Let's see what we see tomorrow. For now, you better figure out a name for this ship so we can paint it on and have it dry for tomorrow!"

This is a minor side project, but why not be precise? :D

The lads need to know:

- Where to catch fish
- Where to sell fish

Aiden's roundabout plan is to head back to the shipyard the next day (maybe while the boys are waiting in the boat with instructions to notice if there are any leaks for patching later, and bucket-bailing anything that gets in, still tied off at the dock).

There's probably a bit of cross-pollination between people working in the big military shipyard and people who know about fishing. A wonder-scenario would be if the fellow who was injured before and whom Aiden was asked to play for in his infirmity as a price for borrowing those tools happened to know, such things, but we can't promise anything. But any direction they can give us - say, to a fisherman's guild if there is such a thing, or to an old hand who is getting towards his retirement and wouldn't mind passing on some secrets to some young guns or something... You get it.

[DeTess]

Bluefin's rest
"I haven't eaten yet." Ulrik replies. "I'm having a party in a bit with a group of friends. You're welcome to join, of course."

[WindStruck]

"Oh.. I suppose..." Shandara says reluctantly. "Though I wouldn't want to impose on you." Then again, she also speculated about what kind of friends Ulrik had and if she would even be comfortable around all the rowdiness and bored of all the ship talk and whatnot.

Turning to his sister, Shandara says, "Oh, sorry, I don't believe I had gotten your name. Mine is Shandara."

[DeTess]

"I'm Elin." The woman introduced herself. "I run the fishing boats that keep this restaurant as well as several other places stocked. You worked with Ulrik during that festival competition, right? He talked quite a bit about it."

[WindStruck]

Shandara nods and smiles a bit. "Ah yes. The competition we won too.. along with a few others. It was quite a challenge, and a learning experience. Might be fun doing it again next year, though that is quite a ways off."

"A good team I must say. If we were missing any one person it would have never worked."

[DeTess]

Bluefin's rest
Elin nodded. "That's one of my brother's strengths. He knows how to ensure everyone is pulling their weight." At that moment several men entered the tavern, and Ulrik got up to greet them. They where similar in build to the shipbuilder, large strong men with weathered faces, clearly used to hard work on or near the water.

"Though he has his weaknesses too..." Elin added while her brother was otherwise engaged, and gave Shandara an appraising eye. "Such as not always being able to read the mood in social settings. I might be misreading you, but you seemed a bit wary at the idea of the party. You seem more the type to enjoy a quiet dinner with friends, not the rowdier affairs you can expect from folk of the sea."

the Royal Artificery Society archives
Bolten spend a day digging through the archives, and was rewarded with a wealth of knowledge on the art of teleportation. Quite a few tomes and papers had been written on the subject, as it was still very much an active field of research. Short-range teleportation, covering distances no longer than a few dozen feet was a mostly solved problem, though research was still being done in making the process more energy efficient for easier sue in enchantments. Mid-range teleportation, out to about a mile was a more difficult prospect, but still had a number of solutions that allowed for the feat, though it relied on enchanted objects to aid the caster.

The real holy grail of the field, long-distance teleportation of goods and people over hundreds if not thousands of miles was quite another matter. Based on the books Bolten found on the subject, achieving long distance humanoid teleportation had been consistently considered about 10 years away.... for the past 50 years or so. That's not to say no progress had been made whatsoever. According to a recent paper discussing the state of the art, a total of three sets of 'teleportation gates' had been established, each linking the capital to another major city in the empire, the furthest of which was almost a 1000 miles from the capital. However, operation these gates to allow even the passage of a single person required tremendous amounts of energy, enough that even powerful mages would need a full day recover before they could send another person. According to the paper, the gates where currently only used for experiments or emergencies, and the author suspected it would take at least another decade before the energy use would be optimized enough for more regular use.

During his research Bolten also encountered a book called 'Magical transportation for travellers in a hurry', which discussed a variety of means by which one could employ magic to travel long distances quickly. The book had a chapter on teleportation, but mostly dismissed it as a viable method at the time of writing ('though that could change within the next decade'), but it discussed several other methods as well. By far the quickest of these was a method referred to as 'extraplanar shortcuts', which seemed to involve travelling to a plane of existence close to the material plane, travelling some distance there, then travelling back to cover a far greater distance in the material plane. While moving back and forth between these planes still costs large amounts of magic, it was still a lot more doable to move a group of people and material this way than through teleportation gates, and with far more freedom regarding the start and end point. The main risk involved was that the two planes suitable for this method where both rather dangerous places. The author makes little mention of the exact dangers involved, but refers those interested to a group called the Fernhal courier association.

[WindStruck]

Shandara looks down and says, "Erm.. yes. I think that about sums it up. I don't think I'd fit in with that bunch."

"..and I suppose that's fine. It would not do to force other people into situations they aren't comfortable with."

[DeTess]

Bluefin's rest
"Don't worry, he won't take it badly if you turn down his offer for that reason." Elin gave Shandara a friendly smile, though the dark elf could detect a hint of relief in her bearing when Shandara confirmed she'd rather miss a party like that.


Shandara does not get any feeling of malice or deceit from Elin, but she does get the sense that the woman had another reason for wanting Shandara to miss out on the party.

[WindStruck]

Shandara could tell something was amiss, but couldn't put her finger on what. Suspicion flared as she ran through a bunch of petty reasons this woman could want her gone in her mind.. but ultimately they didn't seem that important, and Shandara didn't think she wanted to stay just to spite Elin.

"Well, I suppose I still feel like a meal, but if Ulrik and all his friends are coming here I think I had better find another table... Or would that just be awkward?"

Hm. Maybe if everyone stayed it would just be far too cramped with a bunch of big men sitting at one table. Shandara looked around and thought maybe she'd have to get up and talk to the host at the front again.

[DeTess]

"That shouldn't be an issue at all, I actually had a room in the back reserved to ensure the party doesn't spill over too much in the common room." Elin explained. "We were waiting out front to greet the guests, but will go there once more people arrive." She cast a glance in the direction of Ulrik, who was in the process of welcoming more acquaintances and friends who had arrived. "That would be right around now, I think. I'll let my husband know your meal is on us though, so enjoy your dinner!" Elin got up and joined Ulrik and his friends, gesturing towards a door set further back into the restaurant.

Ulrik and the others started heading there, though Ulrik took a moment to stop by Shandara's table. "Thanks for stopping by. Also my apologies for inviting you without considering it might not be your kind of party. Anyway, regarding the woodwork, how about we meet up here for dinner, four days from now? I'll invite along Feathers or the person from the Escribano workshop. Does that work for you?"

[WindStruck]

"Oh, in four days? Hm," Shandara says. "Well, I was going to try stopping by the Escribano workshop to inquire about who built that boat model. But I suppose I could come back regardless and tell you how it went."

[DeTess]

"Allright, I'll meet you then!" Ulrik hurried off to join his comrades, leaving Shandara to her meal.

[WindStruck]

Although Shandara was reluctant to admit it, when she had seen Aiden's name (albeit seemingly misspelled) on the commission for the boat model, perhaps, she thought, perhaps she might want to reconsider going through him for the work on the spirit wood. Was it a sign? Maybe. Although she doubted any of the gods would want to bother influencing her life, aside from maybe one who might do so for the worst...

One late afternoon, she arrives at the Fiddle and Saw with Xavier and a cloth-wrapped spirit wood in her possession. She raps on the front door of the shop, still thinking maybe she should reconsider. Though if anything, it may at least make Aiden happy to see the effects of the divination spell she had developed.

[MrAbdiel]

There's a pause before an answer, but the hurry of footsteps within forecasts his coming.

"It's okay, it's a storefront, you don't have to knock. You can just-"


The bell on the door's interior jingles merrily as the carpenter pulls it open, presenting him in much the same form as when Shandara has encountered him out and about or on planned visitations, with the exception of an extra seasoning of sawdust on his overalls and sleeves. A flash of confusion on his face is quickly dissolved into predictable glee.

"Shandara and Xavier! An unscheduled pleasure! Come though, come through, I'm just grooving up the flanks of this harp, come through..."

Past the array of display furniture and carved novelties they can see one of his several workbenches with the swooping neck of a harp held gently in a vice near set-town chisels. The pillar - the straight upright element of the harp - stands detached nearby, elaborately gouged along its length with eye catching channels awaiting sanding, staining, and sealing. In the flicker of self-consciousness, he takes a moment to brush some sawdust from his person.

For all this business, he seems to not have noticed the obvious shape of the spiritwood in its shroud; neither does he show any sign of lingering bad feeling about the clash over its fate previously. The man after that conflict is not perceptibly different to the one that existed before.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

[WindStruck]

"Ah, right," Shandara says regarding her entry. It seemed she seemed to conflate this place more as Aiden's home, which was more or less true, but also the bottom portion of the building was indeed a shop, and knocking wouldn't be necessary. She steps inside, peering around once more at his handiwork and current project.

"Well, I thought you might want to see the results of the spell I have developed, just so you can see how intricate all the crystal veins are," she says. She unfurls the object wrapped in cloth, revealing the chunk of spirit wood.

"Um, also. I did forget you may be quite busy with other projects. The harp was so that you might still have a chance at that major project to disassemble an entire tundra oak and bring it here? Were you still interested in making cuts into the spirit wood? Of course, I would pay you for your work, but I'd like the pieces cut as directed.."

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden seems pleased that Shandara has remembered his other project - he's still going to need help with preserving the disassembled tree if, when, his proposal is accepted. But he's also excited to be working with spirit wood again, the moment it comes up. Any more gaiety in his steps, and he'd be dancing as he crosses the floor in a hurry to clear one of his benches for the sample timber.

"Oh, certainly, certainly. Happy to help. But honestly, it's just a bit of cutting; unless it somehow turns into a long and hairy sort of job, I'm happy to help without a charge. Oh - that reminds me! I have something for you, here..."

He crosses the floor again to one bench, then another around the corner when that doesn't pan out. He calls out conversationally around the bend as he searches.

"Your transparency spell paid off, then? Good, good. I've been thinking..." A pause as something around the corner almost falls and is saved by a flurry of improvisational restacking... "...That cutting the spirit wood might be the wrong approach, in the first place. Since the crystal as far as I can tell grows along the grain, we might have more luck carefully splitting pieces off from a round instead of cutting them from a block. Let the natural wood fibres parrallel to the major veins do the hard work. The wands blanks will have a more organic shape, but that was going to happen anyway with the crystal..."

[WindStruck]

"Yes, it did," Shandara responds. "Well, I suppose you're the wood expert and all, and if you think trying to split the wood along the grain works, we could try it. But there's no telling how fragile the crystal veins are. Or if the small ones reinforce the wood somehow and make it more difficult to split. Perhaps you had better try an edge of the wood that isn't near a large vein..."

"Um, what did you want to show me?" she asks.

[MrAbdiel]

"Well, I think we have some reason to believe the Crystal is reasonably durable. Even uncommonly flexible, even. After all, a wood saw - the kind of saw used to cut up the tree in the first place - isn't a remarkably delicate instrument. If you'd, say, braced some glass with wood and cut them with a saw, the glass would crack and splinter even braced. And a tree, just as a part of the world, has a certain amount of sway and flex to it, what with the wind beating on it and wobbling it about. Given that the crystal in your piece here isn't cracked up to splinters just from the act of harvest, I'd say you've got good reason to expect it's got a the toughness of something more organic. Like the wood itself. Maybe bone. Ahah! Yes, here..."

Around he comes again, his quarry held in proud presentation in his palms, for Shandara to take - a smooth little cherrywood box about half the length of her forearm, with a simple brass clasp and hinge on the long edge. "Here. I made these for you."

...are a pair of spectacles nestled in a red velvet case. The frame for the circular lenses, and the arms that fold out on tiny concealed hinges, are light, and silvery. The lenses themselves are 'smoked' to a dark tint.

"I'd thought to make a set for you ever since I noticed you squinting in the sunlight by the job postings. I heard once of a fellow who suffered in the sun - born pale, and weak of eyes - who had smoked lenses. You're not of a condition, of course, but I figure they might make it a little easier to go about when it's clear and bright out. There's no magic to them - not yet, anyway. But that's just a fine silver-leaf set over a wooden frame I put together from the twigs and scraps of spirit wood good ol' Dunfen had left over when I went back looking for them. Just fragments, none big enough to make a wand or an arrow or anything much useful, but enough to work delicately together into a set of frames, I thought."

OOC: Mechanically they're just a set of glasses that do nothing right now. I was looking over Lenses of Darkness (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/h-l/lenses-of-darkness/) but they're insanely expensive for what they do... but if you ever decide to enchant them that way, they're made of spiritwood and I passed the roll to preserve the effectiveness of the discount to components Spiritwood grants. :)

https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIG3.u4mFCbmDNdiE9E1GbYvM?w=1024&h=1024&rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain

Maybe like that, I figure.

Aiden seems rather proud of them indeed. "I had to consult with Bolten to get hinges that small, for the arms. I can work in wood, glass, stone, leather, cloth and metal, but for tiny moving parts like that, he can't be beat."

[WindStruck]

"I'm.. not sure how flexible a live spirit wood tree is.. Perhaps you are right, but I still don't think we can be certain about all its properties," Shandara says.

Accepting the box, Shandara peers down at it curiously then opens it.

...

It took a moment to register what lied within, and to appreciate the thoughtfulness of the gift. "You.. you made this for me?" She didn't know what else to say. She was flabbergasted, even as Aiden kept letting loose more details, like how the frames were actually made of spirit wood underneath the silver, and how Bolten even helped. The amount of kindness displayed seemed unprecedented and undeserved. She didn't understand why Aiden would do this, especially after the whole incident of her "sharking" "his" spirit wood. Here she was thinking their relation had become awkward again, and then he went and did this. Did he want something? Did he intend to try to curry favor with her or manipulate her? Shandara blinked and dismissed such thoughts. Aiden, whether that be considered a positive or a negative, was simply incapable of doing such.

"I.. I... Thank you..." she says. There was something in the glint of the lenses that reminded her of something. Or maybe it wasn't the material object itself, but the epitome of an experience. She closes the box and gazes pensively at Aiden for a moment. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of this. She was ruthless and methodical. Cowardly and paranoid. Weak and sickly. Speaking of weak, as Shandara's eyes briefly began to tear up, she felt her vision going dark as, for whatever reason, overwhelmed with emotions and killed by kindness, she faints and hopefully falls back onto a nice couch. But this was mostly a display area or workshop. Maybe instead, Xavier might catch her...

[DeTess]

"Miss!" Xavier was at Shandara's side in the blink of an eye, catching her. He quickly checked her condition, then addressed the carpenter. "Mr. Sorveaux, do you have a couch or something for her to rest on?"

[MrAbdiel]

Oblivious as he is to many things, the difficulty Shandara seems to encounter with the gift. A degree of worry colours the warmth in his expression he watches the drowess content with something unseen. "Well, it's my pleasure, certainly..." comes the reply, almost apologetic in its reassurance ... but then she is slackening in front of him, bound for sawdusted floor. The carpenter's heart leaps into his throat as the adrenal shock demand he do some impossible feat and get behind the woman to catch her before she hit the ground - but Xavier is there, and Aiden is more than glad of it.

"Mr. Sorveaux, do you have a couch or something for her to rest on?"

Aiden looked at Xavier's face for a moment longer than was sensible to understand the plain words, then looked to the showroom. There was all sorts of furniture there; but it tended to range from the affordable to the sturdy for those in the district that could afford them. Padded and plush things did not move quickly in the Stormdrains. Not to mention it seemed disrespectful to the enchantress to lay her out on a couch in the middle of his store. The carpenter's eyes turn up to scan the ceiling as he considers the upper floor of the house, given over to living instead of working. There was Maria's bedroom, but that would be an imposition. There was his own bedroom, but that would be inappropriate. But there was...

"The prayer room; yes, it's just up here."

With Xavier doing the carrying, Aiden led the way two steps at a time up the corner stairs to the home above the store. A modest but comfortable place, whose wooden panelling and floors were fresh and clean and accented with framed art purchased from local artists of the stormdrains - much of it, frankly, rather amateur. The quality art is that he has mostly made himself - feature panels in wooden corner beams depicting heroic and fanciful scenes from legend and lore, and wooden instruments - most of them broken - set to the walls like conversation pieces. What there isn't is a room set aside for recreation, with couches and rugs and comfort as its function; but Aiden directs Xavier to a room unlike any other he has likely been in.

At the back of the room is a low altar of white granite draped in a cloth of green silk with gold embroidery in celestial lettering around its hem. The altar is topped with an idle incense bowl, oil flasks, a bare silver plate, a small clear vial of holy water - standard fare for shrines of the middle and upper classes. A well work leather cushion before the altar speaks of a habit of kneeling, and in the centre of the room is a low set, simple, padded recamier with a mildest suggestion of a headrest. This is far less worn than the kneeling cushion, but seems to have been placed with the purpose of meditative repose. But where the furnishings were rather simple, the walls were cluttered, swarming with points of attention.

Celestial figures - hundreds of them, perhaps thousands, carved from wood into likenesses about the size of a hand and fixed to the wall each by a single screw hidden behind an ankle, or an arm, so that they seem to be leaping gaily toward the interior of the room from beyond the wall's surface. Some are sweeping abstractions in loose evocative shapes, others are rendered in dazzling detail within the medium. Some are dark ebonies and mahoganies, others lighter and sweeter birch or cherrywood. All of them are excellent quality. No two are alike. Each seems to have been conjoured from imagination and placed with regard to the crowd of its fellows around it. There are Agathions of Elysium with animal features blended into their humanoid forms; Azatae of Nirvana with fey grace in their bodies and postures; Archons of Heaven in splendid purpose and panoply. Most of all, more than all the others combined, there are angels - devas, planetars, and solars - whose wings are leafed in fine foil of copper, silver, and gold.

All of these divine figures are posed as if drawn from the wall toward the altar, so the 'momentum' of the room is weighed there heavilly; but keen eyes can seen the anomaly in the heavenly host crowding the back wall. One of the angels is inverted - he is not leaping out from the wall upright, but descending head first, arms gently to his sides, head tilted back as if to see the ground rushing up. Inversion in a divine scene is typically ghastly or eerie, suggesting some wickedness in the subject of the scene; but this seems to be an especially tender descent. The figures around the 'falling' angel soften the departure with hands and fingertips. To either side, confederates of the departing one seem to bear away his possessions with reverence - one with a harp, one with a spear, and a pair each holding a wing that strikes the observer as less lost and more yielded for safe keeping. The ceiling features an inclined skylight with a closed exterior shutter, so the room is lit only by the lamp in the hallway behind. The metallic wings of the angels glister in with even this glow; they must shine indeed, when the skylight is opened for the noonday sun.

"There, now; softest bed in the house, there, Xavier. I'll get some tea going, for when this, ah.. dizzy spell passes."

Around the corner, he confers quickly with Maria to arrange two more plates for dinner later, but a pot of tea for now. The former he wasn't sure would be needed. The latter, he expected, would not go to waste.

[WindStruck]

Shandara's limp body is carried up the stairs, though by the time Xavier has cleared the landing and has begun making his way to this prayer room, Shandara has already begun stirring in his arms. He sets her down on the recamier as she begins to come to. Her eyes pop open and she takes a sharp inhale of breath, almost as if having awakened from a nightmare. Slowly managing to sit up, she takes in her new surroundings, and briefly wonders if she was dead.

Her head swivels around as she notices the countless carved celestial figures. She had never been in a modern day, typical prayer room used by those of the empire before. And frankly, her first experience felt awfully creepy and surreal. However, she notices Xavier hovering around her, come to check on her condition again. "Wha.. what happened? Where am I?"

Xavier explains that it seemed she had fainted for some reason. They are still at the fiddle and saw. He just carried her to a room upstairs.

"Are you alright, Miss?"

Shandara weakly nodded, her head slowly clearing, though she still felt awfully gloomy. "I suppose so.."

[MrAbdiel]

"You just... fainted dead away, there..." Aiden adds, returning to the conversation with a tray in his hands with a teapot and cups, carrying the collection with the unpractised over-caution of a recent adopter. "It was quite abrupt indeed - I'm no doctor, but I think you should have an extra spoonful of sugar in your tea for a while."

He uses the tray to nudge some space on the altar for the platter of tea and proceeds to pour three cups out with predictably amateurish focus on the task.

"Have you... been sleeping alright? Eating alright..?"

[WindStruck]

"Yes, it seems so..." Shandara says. She began recollecting what had happened before and why had she fainted. Oh yes, the glasses. And now Aiden was bringing tea and furthermore asking about her welfare.

Did someone say they were working on a harp? :smallbiggrin:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UiFodclPkw

Also, interesting prayer room...

Shandara sighed and looked down. "Aiden, that was most kind of you. Even for one so.. shall we say, hospitable, I never would have expected this..." It didn't seem she was going to answer about her food for sleeping habits.

"I don't know why I fainted just then. Perhaps it had something to do with what I was researching earlier. It dealt heavily with emotions. And I certainly felt a lot just then.. too many all at once I suppose..."

She continued to stare down at the floor, not wanting to look Aiden in the eyes, or at all the wooden figurines. "Aiden.. I'm sorry I've been such a terrible friend. After our disagreement with the spirit wood, I don't think I have any right to accept such a gift."

But what was she saying? After all the work he did, what else would he do with it? "But I suppose I'll have to, otherwise it will only insult you and disappoint you further."

"That's all I have done to you, haven't I?"

[MrAbdiel]

The carpenter is silent for a moment. A smile of sympathetic pain for Shandara's self deprecation goes unseen as the drowess fixes her eyes on the floor. Aiden kneels to pour the tea using the altar as a table - and as a pretext to lower himself to nearer the seated elf's eye level without condescending to her.

"Shandara... I'd been thinking about making those spectacles for you as soon as I noticed you might benefit from them. And I thought I'd used the spirit wood for them the moment we'd purchased the piece, and it looked like I'd be cutting it up for use with suitable offcuts to spare. Why, once we'd moved on to using the tundra oak for the ranger's violin, the reason I was anxious to get my hands on any spirit wood at all was to make them. But after we clashed about it, I put the rush on that project because I wanted to show you there were no hard feelings about it - none, not at all."

The whisper of a porcelain cup rocking gently in its saucer fills the quiet for a moment as he sets a presumptuous serving of tea on the recamier beside her.

"I was upset for a little, yes, but it was just a misunderstanding. We're from different worlds, you and I-", the statement pregnant with possible interpretations is quickly found to be meaning only its mildest, "- I'm country, and you're city. We come to things like that transaction with different assumptions and then there's misunderstandings. That's all it is. You're not a bad friend or a disappointment or anything like it. I'm glad to know you."

Ooh, classic Zelda harpery! Good scene music, too.

And it's a perfectly normal prayer room idontknowwhatyouretalkingabout

[WindStruck]

"To think that was your motivation.. I thought you just wanted to make instruments out of it," Shandara says with an almost sad, wry smile. "I suppose I should have asked."

She glances over at the tea at her side and says, "Two different worlds. It's more than simply country and city. I don't know if I can ever impress that enough upon you. But at the same time, I don't want to go into all the details."

"It's not that trying to explain to you would be a waste of time. Just that.. where I grew up, things were truly terrifying. You could never trust anyone. And most everyone worshiped a dark goddess, or at least, acted like it I imagine. Because to dissent from that was to be put to death."

A silence lingered in the air and Shandara glanced over at the cup of tea again. She didn't think she wanted to pick it up though. If she kept going how she thought she might keep going, she might not be welcome to finish it.

"Perhaps I could tell you a secret, Aiden. Something I've told no one since I arrived at the surface. Maybe then you might reconsider if you want to be my friend. If you really want to know me."

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden smiled faintly - he did that a lot - at the suggestion that he might have intended to make instruments of the spiritwood. "...Well. I might well have done that, too; there's a certain enchanted lyre I've been dreaming of crafting for a while, now. But I wouldn't have told you, if you had asked, about the glasses. Not to spoil the surprise, you see."

But when she speaks of the place she came from, the nadir of violence and suffering in the dark places where the sun's warmth has never touched down, he has no flippant commentary. He merely glances up as she speaks of secrets to Xavier's figure just outside the door professionally out of earshot, at these conspiratorial tones. He heard the weight of her words, the burden of the loneliness in them, and finally stopped fiddling with the tea tray, orphaning his own cup to refine his focus on the drowess.

"Well... I do want those things. Let me make it fair - if you trust me enough to share something so private, I'll tell you a secret of my own."

Simple and honorbound as he is, intuition would suggest he is definitely the kind that could keep a secret - though it may be hard to imagine he possesses any organic ones.

"What's your secret, Shandara?"

[WindStruck]

Shandara slowly turns and eyes her body guard at the door. "Xavier, could you give us some more distance for a moment?" She was asking the half-orc to not do his job, and he must have looked concerned about it. "Just.. two minutes. Or three. Rap on the wall when you are about to return."

She turns back, but only to gaze at the ground again. Or perhaps, the alter and the cushion before it.

"My mother was a slave trader, and I often had to help with some of her.. more menial duties." Finally she looks up at the sympathetic man before her and asks, "Do you have any idea what that entails?"

Surely Aiden isn't as clueless as he seems all the time. Especially with that bardic knowledge.

[MrAbdiel]

When Shandara looks up, having made such a bleak confession of participation in such an enterprise, into the trade of thinking and feeling beings, Aiden's expression is so open, neutral, and free of the moral disgust such things typically bring involuntarily to the eyes that it is difficult to believe he heard her at all. But he did; and he answers her question.

"...You had to... hurt them? The slaves? Break their spirits..?"

[WindStruck]

Shandara almost lies when she says, "Not.. not always..."

"Think of it like .. maintaining animals. Trapped in cages, locked in chains. People like you, your mother, your neighbors, Bolten, all fair game. So many were already broken. Oh, but the hopeful look in their eyes, sometimes..."

She murmurs on, musing to herself. "It feels like I hardly spoke a word.. at least at first. It went on long enough, somehow I picked up a number of languages. But I had to stop talking to them. So many yearned for freedom, for sweet release from their nightmare. But of course, I could do nothing. I could barely even leave that place myself."

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden listens. He can hardly do more. To be saddled with such a duty over such desperate souls sounds to him like a remarkable torture all of its own.

He listens; and discharges some weight of misery from the imagining with a soft sigh.

"...And now you see them all around, I suppose; people like me, and Bolten, and other kinds you were once responsible to treat in such a way. But you did leave, after all. Is... Xavier on your payroll for fear of those who would... try to take you back?"

[WindStruck]

Shandara nods slowly. "I .. still catch myself thinking things like that sometimes. Not as often as before. But of course, I know I mussn't. This is not.. 'our society'. It is 'yours'..."

"And I think I should add: it's a lot more favorable living here in most circumstances..."

When Aiden brings up Xavier, Shandara's face grimaces, almost a grim grin and she nods again. "Oh, they'd do worse than take me back.. perhaps if I was lucky, they'd merely kill me in my sleep, or broad daylight even."

[MrAbdiel]

He frowns at the implications, a tightness in his face as if holding his face in a non-smiling position was a considerably unnatural effort.

"That's... an unbelievable amount of threat and guilt to walk around under. Around other people, reminded of how things used to be; alone, afraid of how they might still be. I can't imagine it. How... How common is it, for a woman in a position like yours to risk so much to escape to the surface? There must be many thousands of drow, in the Underdark; but I've only ever seen you walking in the sun."

[WindStruck]

"I don't know how common it would be. But I suppose I couldn't be the only one," Shandara says.

"Perhaps they might go about under a guise of an illusion to hide their identity all the time. But surely that would be difficult and expensive. I'd think someone who was that skilled and well off might be content with their life and not bother trying to leave though..." she shrugs.

"That's the problem.. I was a failure and felt like I was in eminent danger. Even, even my mother.. tried to..." she chokes, holding back tears.

"Don't you see, Aiden? If I was stronger.. I probably would have stayed."

[MrAbdiel]

He considers Shandara’s words. Aiden is a simple sort of man; not possessed of bone-deep foolishness like some, but simple enough that he has been stripped of presumptions about his knowledge of complex matters. His language is built of seems-to-me and well-I-thought-maybe; and this tentativity is in his tone as he grapples with Shandara’s confession.

“Well… maybe so. It seems to me it depends on what one takes ‘stronger’ to entail. Down there, the strongest might be the one who… is least moved by suffering, and least fearful of pain. I’m not sure there’s much use for that kind of strength up here. But what’s true for certain, what you and I know to be the case, is that there are thousands of drow happy, or at least willing, to live and work in that awful business even with no shortage of threat to their lives. And only one I know who scrambled up into a world of… of suspicion and strangers and tries to make a life dealing fairly with the people she was raised to trade as livestock. Without presuming to minimise anything in your past, Shandara… it might be fair to cut yourself just a little slack. You’ve come a long way.”

[WindStruck]

Where normally Shandara would have felt fear about revealing the personal details about her past - fear of judgement and reprisal - in Aiden's presence, she felt guilt more than anything. But the man showed more compassion and tolerance than she thought any reasonable person would have. Shandara took his words in like a suffocating person receiving a breath of fresh air.

"You're right," she says, her gaze lifting upwards towards a myriad of carved figures in a corner of the room. "The past is what it is. For all the suffering I've caused, indirectly or not, whether it was under my control or not.. I know I still must have benefited people here as well. Perhaps one day it will balance out. Or more."

"And maybe I was weak there and strong here. But that.. all those notions - weak and strong - don't matter. What matters is.. is.. I don't know..." Shandara looks at Aiden again and says, "I'm just happy to be here." Though she still didn't really look all that happy, honestly. Perhaps more at peace if anything.

"Now then.. what was your secret you promised?" Finally, a small smile upon her lips betrays some inner solace.

[MrAbdiel]

The carpenter was silent, naturally, as Shandara found the grip she needed to begin working out her own salvation, or something near enough to it. He could hardly pronounce the answer to the question that trailed off - what matters now - but the fact that the enchantress had turned to ask it, and to seem comfortable now even in not having the answer immediately, was the best reflection he could have wanted for her.

Another delay hung in the air after her question - time to honor that small smile, perhaps the first of its kind he'd seen from her. Then his thoughts catch up to the question queued for him to answer, and his gaze slowly deflects left, to the walls with their myriad divine agents.

And then he tells her, just as promised, a secret he has told no one before.

"Aiden Sorveaux is not my name, Shandara. Or... It is; but it's my name because I gave it to myself when I was first ..."

His gaze deflects to his calloused fingertips, and he traces the pad of this thumb over them as he seems to contemplate the best language to describe the experience.

"...When I was first incarnated. I am not.. in disguise. This is not a false life; it's a genuine one. But my first nature is not human; it is Celestial. And my first name is not Aiden Sorveaux; it is Sorvariel."

His drawl, his languid country manner, doesn't go away during this 'confession', but it does soften some; the edges on his words sharpening up a little like a soldier's posture straightens instinctively at the trumpet call. Blue eyes glance up from his hand to Shandara again, hunting across her expression for reaction.

[WindStruck]

Shandara tilts her head somewhat and stares at Aiden with a scrutinizing half-squint. "A Celestial?" she murmurs curiously.

"How does that..? Uhm. Okay..."

Now she really wasn't sure what to think. But surely this secret wasn't as damning as hers, that was for sure.

"Why were you incarnated?" she asks. Though she wasn't sure if Aiden was making this up, or.. more likely was delusional in some way.

[MrAbdiel]

Confusion was a fair response to hearing such a thing, he decided. His smile flinched art the corner of his lips slightly, ambiguously,

"I am - was - " He pauses again, eyes glancing up as he sifts through language again. Am is not right. Was is not right. But there happens to be no tense within Common that corresponds to was, is not, will be - The Once and Future Perfect Tense. He settles for was, close enough.

"...I was an angel whose domain of care was joy, Shandara. For long and sacred ages, I hunted and fought in the outer planes against creatures and schemes that would intrude on the simple wonder of mortal joy. After a certain deed, my peers elected to reward me with a wish - and I asked to be given the opportunity to live a mortal life. Thus, I was permitted to put aside my nature and become incarnated for time. I wandered out of the forest into the village of Tantamere, relied on hospitality, and put myself to work serving the people there; first in their militia, where I met Ambrose, and then soon in crafting, and making music. Things I made eventually made their way to Vaungate, and I received an invitation to join the Royal Artificery Society soon after. That's my entire story. I have only had this life to enjoy for a handful of years. It's an explicit gift - I try to honour it as such. I know it's not a secret like yours, Shandara. I'm not sure what would happen if it were to get out. Perhaps I'd be treated like a harmless madman, or quietly expelled from the Society as an embarrassment. But I have only told you, and you are my friend, so I don't worry about such things."

The carpenter's eyes shine in the gloom with wetness; tears not quite shed, but held back. How long have they been there? Have they been forced up by Shandara's more harrowing tale, or shaken out of him by some unspoken aspect of his own bizarre confession? Like many things about the man, the answer is not clear. But he does smile, warmly and reliably, at the Drowess.

"I'm very glad that you and I are such friends."

[WindStruck]

Shandara listens, quite mystified by the whole explanation. "That is.. quite the tale.."

"So.. you still remember much of your past life, or past self, I assume?"

She looked around at all the countless wooden carvings in the prayer room and somehow, it all seemed to make sense. She wondered if Aiden was regretful of that decision to live a mortal life, or if he was just.. fixated on something.

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden squints a little, and gives a slow shake of the head; a negative gesture with a mild mitigation.

"I remember... enough to know what I was. What my part in the tapestry of things was. But much, most, of my recall was surrendered to make the incarnation possible. There is a relationship between knowledge and power that is clearer from that side; and I know I had persisted for many ages, seen many places, fought in many battles. Those things were functions of what I was, more than... anything I had earned, or made of myself. And a mortal - a mortal life is a mixture of that which you are handed, and that which you grasp for yourself, in various proportion, isn't it? I could hardly live a genuine life if I... remembered how to do my miracles, for example. I could hardly live as a man if I remembered what it was like to watch the gods groove out the mountains, and weep to make the rivers, and call men, and elves, and dwarves up from the clay and the wind and stars. And the flaw that pervades many celestials is the inability to appreciate creation in its particulars, rather than its wholeness. Aiden Sorveaux knows that the boys I met, Cliff and Markel, are right now in the barn behind the house painting the name on the boat I helped them fix, thinking about the fish they're going to catch; and that Maria is in the next room preparing dinner, conscious about how she might look when when you or Xavier meets her. Aiden Sorveaux gets to dream about the next instrument to make, or whether or not I should try to make a dress like the one that Lady Orlof wore, since it was so striking to me, and what store might sell it on my behalf. Sorvariel could not commit himself to those thoughts and dreams - not with all he can see about the evil in the hearts of men, and the need to do this or that for my cause and kindred. I don't remember most of it; but I remember enough. I remember that I remembered. It's like having a...." He touches his temple lightly with two fingertips, tracing them there in a half-moon. "As if there is a door within me, behind which is a vault which I know contains the rest of me. It's not locked, but I know to open it will be the end of Aiden Sorveaux. But I remember some of it - enough not to... spoil me, maybe. Some of the sublime places. The music. The faces I knew. Does that... Make sense? If I knew less, then my life would be... more dishonest than it ought to be. I might make promises or commitments that I would not be able to fulfil. If I knew more, I could hardly be said to have lived a man's life at all."

[WindStruck]

"It's like having a ..." Aiden said.

'Delusion?' Shandara thought. Hrm.

When he's done, she says, "I really don't know what to think, Aiden. It seems.. very far fetched, if I'm honest..." Maybe he really used to be an angel. Maybe he was just a bit crazy. If it was the latter, why was it that she seemed to be attracted to the crazy ones? She sighs to herself, and makes a mental note about this 'Tantamere'. Maybe one day she might find this village and ask people about him.

"Maybe the truth of it doesn't matter either. Though it goes without saying.. none of these secrets should leave the room. And if we're lucky, they won't have any bearing on our daily lives in Vaungate."

A rap on the wall near the door frame indicated that Xavier had returned, or was just about to.

[MrAbdiel]

He makes a little puff of an unvocalized chuckle.

"Of course. I know what it sounds like... But all the same, it feels good to tell someone."

When Xavier makes himself known, Aiden lets the conversation round off into silence. He wonders, just for a moment, if he has made a mistake. Trading one secret for another struck him as the best way to honor Shandara's vulnerability. Now he wondered if she found his words so incredulous it burned away some value from his reception in the first place. No matter. The drowess had composed herself, and perhaps equipped herself better to confront the things that haunted her next time. That would be enough for him.

"Well, you're both welcome to stay for dinner. Or... Breakfast, as it might be. It's still a half-hour away. If you're feeling steady, we could try our luck just a little on that spiritwood for you while we wait."

[WindStruck]

Shandara looked behind her as Xavier approached again. "Ah, of course.. that sounds.. lovely," she says, turning again to almost knock over her forgotten teacup. She now picks up the cooling implement and gives it a sip.

"Hm, where did I leave that thing? Downstairs?"

[MrAbdiel]

He puffs an nonvocalized laugh as he rocks to his feet... and quickly downs his tea in one draw of the cooling beverage.

"Yes, indeed. Let's see what a little creative magic and a little elbow grease might produce..." He offers the drowess a hand to rise from the recamier, and to leave the strange prayer room behind; the secrets spoken there in the care of the mute divinities whose multitudes attend the altar.

Alrighty, DeTess. Looks like Shandara and Xavier are staying for Dinner/DrowBreakfast, and spending a little time either side of it in the workshop with Aiden poking at the spiritwood. With the transparency spell, and with his modicum of experience playing with the tiny pieces of wood and preserving their crystal integrity, Aiden's planning to try splitting off lengths of the wood along the grain as an alternative to cutting. If that doesn't seem to work, he's forced to try cutting/carving. Shall I hurl dice at you?

[WindStruck]

Shandara goes back downstairs to retrieve their neglected belongings. Luckily, it seemed no one had dropped by the store for the time being to pilfer the spirit wood. Though even if someone did arrive, it would be unlikely they would know what the chunk of wood was or how much value it had.

When Aiden is ready, Shandara says, "Remember, we'll try to preserve the most prominent crystal veins in full. But for now, see what you think of this." She will cast the divination spell on Aiden and bemusedly watch him as he manipulates an object that has become mostly invisible to himself.

[MrAbdiel]

"Oh, wow... That's so interesting. I've never..."

Aiden fusses and goggles offer the transparent wood with that kind of ultrafocused, preconscious obsession that professional specialists sometimes get. He runs his fingers along the top of the now invisible wooden block while his eyes track the curls and and twists of crystal within.

"It's... So interesting. This pieces is from a limb near where it joined the trunk, probably. You see that all the major veins of crystal run top to bottom, and curl away a little to one side? That's... Well, I'll bet that's them curving toward the ground. Or... more likely, they start in the rootbulb and then a new line of crystal slowly pushes up into the wood, following the line of the other veins until it finds a limb to grow into. It might be easier to think of the wood as a host creature and the crystal growth as another thing entirely. Wow. Because there's nowhere in the piece where the major up and down veins jumble and merge, see? They twist by each other sometimes, but they're like... well... veins. They're all coming out from a central location and branching and bundling. I'll bed in the stump of each spiritwood tree there's some kind of... of big, crystal nugget, or... organism, or source. Maybe a cavity where a spirit lives, and the crystal is just the corporeal bleed, you know? But they don't merge. And they don't... seem to knot, terribly. That's good for us."

He fiddles in a draw and produces a block of chalk, grinds it a few times against a strip of sandpaper, and scatters the chalkdust on the top of the invisible wood so the powdery layer reveals a ghostly map of its texture. Then he grabs a nice, polished, quarter inch chisel and wooden mallet, and begins speculatively tracing the chisel's tip over the wood. More than a score of times, he lets the edge of the chisel fall into a groove of the grain, presses it in ever so slightly, gives it a wiggle... and seems unsatisfied with whatever tiny fragment of tactile information this gives him. Then, on the twenty second try, his eyes light up. Without even tapping with the mallet, he gives the chisel a little bit of downward force, and a a faint woody 'pop' sounds in the air.

He has never looked more like a praised dog, wide eyed and grinning. "Watch this..."

And it is possible to watch it because the wood is no visual barrier. Without even the mallet to strike, the chisel sinks with minimal force, slowly and smoothly, until three inches of steel are imbedded in the wood. And with one hand on the block, one on the chisel's handle, careful not to damage tool or medium, the country carpenter applies a little lateral leverage, and part of the spirit wood pops free with a spritely clatter across the tabletop. It quickly becomes visible, alienated from the core of the spell; a length of wood peeled off from the side of the block, with a counter clockwise curl. At the top and bottom of the rod, on its flat little sawn off ends, are the visible terminations of the primary vein within. Down its length, speckling the pale golden rough wood's interior side, are the spotty little clusters where smaller crystal capillaries have detached necessarily.

He gives it a quick once over with some medium sandpaper, wipes it clean, and offers this first spiritwood wand blank to Shandara.

[WindStruck]

Shandara picks up the piece of wood that was split off and examines it. She wonders just how much crystal is in this particular piece of wood...

[DeTess]

A thick vein of crystal seemed to run down the centre of the piece of wood, perfect as base for a powerful wand.

[WindStruck]

"Ah, this is most excellent! I think this particular piece is quite suitable for a wand indeed. All we need - er, I mean you, I suppose - all you need to do now is sand it smooth. But I'll worry about this piece later," Shandara says.

"Try getting some more pieces, and splitting the spirit wood however you can while the spell lasts. Personally, I would not mind wood without prominent veins either. I think all the pieces could be potentially useful. Although.. I suppose I wouldn't mind if you had other ideas..."

[Prehysterical]

The Royal Artificery Society Archives

It all made Bolten's head spin... Ironically, he'd tried to stay as far away from this sort of magic as possible. There always seemed to be the potential to go wrong... but what other choice do they have? The timetable Aiden describes is more akin to a deathmarch than a deadline! The very books he has been reading showed the folly of mortal schemes done within a season's breath.

The idea of extraplanar travel seems interesting... Potentially dangerous, but interesting nonetheless. His mind imagines a tunnel being opened in the stone wall separating this reality from others and using that to transport their precious cargo. Of course, this would be the one time they would want to collapse the mineshaft behind them... Gods only know what might follow!

That said, one needed familiarity with the local stonework to excavate safely... All right, I'm letting this whole mining analogy get away with me, Bolten muses. Returning the books to their proper shelves, Bolten makes for the Fernhal Courier Association. Perhaps if his stubby legs move quickly, he can find their house of operations before they close for the day.

They need all the information they can get. Bolten wouldn't send Aiden somewhere he wouldn't go himself.

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden chuckles a little. "I think I've made the item I most wanted to. I thought about making tools - there's a lot of tools that are very useful, but very expensive to enchant, see - but that fell apart on me. The Ironwood spell they use to make wooden armor and weapons works to add strength, weight, and fire resistance to wood; but metal tools need a certain amount of flex, and to hold a finer edge and to be sharpened simply, and a deal of properties in metal that just aren't in wood; and not in super-hard woods, like Ironwood or our friend Tundra Oak. No, there's some things you just need metal for and that's that. So let's see how many blanks we can get from this thing..."

Aiden will split and cut the wood into as many blanks as that 51 buys us for Shandara's use. Later, during the sanding, he'll make a little jaw of the sawdust with its wood and crystal mixture and keep that for her as well. Priority is wand blanks, then leftovers (probably with only minor veins), then dust.

[WindStruck]

Shandara shook her head. "I don't think you would get much value trying to make this wood into tools either. Seems like something this size would be best off being more decorative, or perhaps.. given the size of this piece, bolts for one of those small crossbows that fit in a single hand..."

"But yes, it so happens that the dimensions of this piece of wood would be perfect for wands, actually. Speaking of what to do with the wood.. our promise to Mr. Dunfen was.. hmm. He wanted to 'advise' his clients on how to work with it. Well.." Shandara chuckles.

"Seems your wood splitting technique works quite well, as I'm sure it would with most types of wood, and I'm sure many experienced woodworkers know of it. However, the little trick with actually seeing the veins surely helps. We could.. say that generally, one wants to keep the crystals intact, and split the wood around them accordingly. But I'm afraid actual use of this spell goes quite a bit beyond the mere friendly sharing of knowledge."

"I could make mention of that spell. But you have to understand, I cannot simply cast it for free for everybody. Often a wizard's services command a price far more than a commoner could make in a month. Although.." she thinks again about the man in the glass shop that helped her free of charge, "There could always be some exceptions."

[DeTess]

the Fernhal Courier compound
Bolten's carriage took him a short distance out of the city. The ride was smooth, the journey taking them over a well-paved main road. Eventually the carriage stopped, and Bolten got out. In front of him was a cluster of buildings, surrounded by a 2 meter high wooden palisade. An open and unguarded gate was in front of him, with a large wooden sign on top with the words "Fernhal Courier Guild" carved in elegant letters.

Within the palisade where several buildings. There was a large, three-story building, that seemed like a living space or main office, and around it were several workshops, storage sheds and other auxiliary buildings. There was also a large stone-walled enclosure, about twenty meters on a side. The enclosure had a closed and sturdy looking gate, facing towards the gate Bolten had just come in through. The stone walls where wide enough for people to walk around on top, and Bolten spotted several people who liked like guards. Curiously enough they were all looking into the enclosure, not out onto the rest of the compound.

The compound was a hive of activity. All manner of artisans hurried back and forth, working on a large carriage parked inside one of the sheds. The carriage was easily twice as large as the one Bolten had come in, with no fewer than eight sturdy wheels. Its sides where armoured in thick wood and steel, and something resembling a ballista was mounted on the carriage's roof, with copious clockwork on the mount and weapon itself suggesting some kind of automated loading system. At another shed several more standard carts where being unloaded of crates. As bolten looked around he saw a richly dressed man, likely a rich merchant or noble, surrounded by what might be bodyguards, leave the main building and head towards the gate. From somewhere behind the main building cam an odd, hooting cry, not unlike that of an owl, but the volume suggested it had to be coming from a creature far larger than any bird Bolten had ever seen. The merchant seemed momentarily startled, but none of the workers of the Fernhal Courier Guild paid it much heed.

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden's smile widens as Shandara chuckles. He doesn't say it, but the observation is clear in the flash of his eyes - he has never heard her laugh before. But he lets it pass without making a song and dance about it.

And he could make a song and dance about it.

"The way I see it, that transparency trick is yours anyway. It seems fair at least to share that keeping the greater veins intact helps. Maybe you can end up doing quick commissions tracking the veins, and marking on the ends of each length where vein 'a' corresponds to vein 'a' at the other end, or something like it. But that's up to you; it may hardly be worth the time. I ought to tell Victor at least about the splitting, at least. Share what you will, according to your judgement. No one could ask more."

Dinner, when served, is a good quality meal - Aiden explains with some pride that Maria, his housekeeper and cook, worked for a very monied family indeed, and he feels particularly chuffed to have her around. It's the setting for the eating that's unusual. The upper floor of the house is smaller than the lower floor, but divided up as it is into bedrooms, bathroom, living space, worship space, and a number of other closed rooms that were not part of the impromptu tour, there's no space given over for a drawing room. The kitchen has a bench suitible for two or three people to sit and eat comfortably enough, but with two apprentices coming in from the barn, two visitors, Aiden himself, and Maria if she was feeling brave enough to join them, the space simply didn't exist. It wasn't the first time this problem came up, however, and a solution had been born from Aiden's creativity.

Stepping out of the kitchen window onto the sturdy shingles of the roof, the carpenter opens a locker bolted to the chimney. Inside are a number of simple but comfortable chairs with legs collapsing on scissor hinge so they can be packed flat away into the locker. Folded put, a comfortable canvas seat awaits a willing rump; but oddly, the back legs of these chairs seem to be much shorter than the front, and the feet of both cut at a slope. The mystery is quickly solved; they set nicely against the sloped roof, flush up to small wooden rail that prevents them from ever risking a slide down the slope. Thus, dinner at the Fiddle and Saw is an open air affair; sitting on armchairs on the roof beneath the early evening sky, with the surussus of life in the district and the calling of the night birds. Elevated from the street itself, some of the 'denser' smells of this less affluent district are abated, and most of the time it's clear, cool evening air and the smell of the meat and vegetables on the serving trays cut to sit across the lap of those watching the Stormdrains wind its way into the night hours.

I'm fulfilled with this scene! Thought I'd give that little capper because Aiden's lack of a dining room was kicking around in my brain, though. Aiden will sand up those wand blanks for Shandara, too - seconding Cliff and Markel to the work, it shouldn't take terribly long and the enchantress will be free to enact the next step in her plan for the wands!

[WindStruck]

The Fiddle and Saw

Shandara nods and says, "That works. Would you be able to tell him all about how to work with the wood, being a wood expert and all? And I suppose you could drop my name again too, saying I developed a spell to help clearly see the veins..."

The dinner meal was nice and all, but the seating arrangements were... not optimal, to say the least. Shandara, being a timid scaredy cat and all, declines to sit on the roof, especially with the setting sun glaring at her. Even with those glasses Aiden gave her, it just made looking somewhere bright barely tolerable, and her skin would still burn. But most of all, she also just didn't trust herself not to be clumsy and fall off. Shandara does, however, try to sit near the window. A compromise of sorts, though still awkward as people had to turn their necks a lot and raise their voices to interact with each other.

"Next time we have a personal dinner together, I think I'll be the one hosting it," Shandara says bemusedly.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Twenty-eight wand blanks was huge, though. Shandara imagined that they wouldn't really need any other magical manipulation or insertion of special ingredients and whatnot. Aiden just needed to smooth them down. She asks if he can do that. She doesn't care if they are a uniform shape or not, just get them pretty smooth and splinter-free. And of course, Shandara does offer to pay Aiden again, or asks what she can do for him as a favor.

Sanding down all the wands won't be done by the end of that evening, but Shandara is more than happy to get them tomorrow or a few days from now. In the mean time, she tries a bit of experimentation creating a standard wand first.

Let's say we create a wand and give it 3 charges of Feather Fall.

Might take her one or two days. Does it cost anything beyond like 75 gp?

[Prehysterical]

the Fernhal Courier compound
Bolten's carriage took him a short distance out of the city. The ride was smooth, the journey taking them over a well-paved main road. Eventually the carriage stopped, and Bolten got out. In front of him was a cluster of buildings, surrounded by a 2 meter high wooden palisade. An open and unguarded gate was in front of him, with a large wooden sign on top with the words "Fernhal Courier Guild" carved in elegant letters.

Within the palisade where several buildings. There was a large, three-story building, that seemed like a living space or main office, and around it were several workshops, storage sheds and other auxiliary buildings. There was also a large stone-walled enclosure, about twenty meters on a side. The enclosure had a closed and sturdy looking gate, facing towards the gate Bolten had just come in through. The stone walls where wide enough for people to walk around on top, and Bolten spotted several people who liked like guards. Curiously enough they were all looking into the enclosure, not out onto the rest of the compound.

The compound was a hive of activity. All manner of artisans hurried back and forth, working on a large carriage parked inside one of the sheds. The carriage was easily twice as large as the one Bolten had come in, with no fewer than eight sturdy wheels. Its sides where armoured in thick wood and steel, and something resembling a ballista was mounted on the carriage's roof, with copious clockwork on the mount and weapon itself suggesting some kind of automated loading system. At another shed several more standard carts where being unloaded of crates. As bolten looked around he saw a richly dressed man, likely a rich merchant or noble, surrounded by what might be bodyguards, leave the main building and head towards the gate. From somewhere behind the main building cam an odd, hooting cry, not unlike that of an owl, but the volume suggested it had to be coming from a creature far larger than any bird Bolten had ever seen. The merchant seemed momentarily startled, but none of the workers of the Fernhal Courier Guild paid it much heed.
The dwarf wasn't the greatest fan of carriages, but the half-hour journey seemed to fly by in no time at all. He made sure to pay his driver the full three gold pieces for the fare. There was no telling how long this might take and Bolten didn't fancy walking all the way back...

Whatever Bolten had been expecting, it wasn't this. He also winced slightly at the sound of the unknown beast. Something told him that he was probably better off not investigating the source of the noise. As unfamiliar with his surroundings as he was, Bolten still made the assumption that the merchant was not a member of the guild. Before approaching the main building, however, Bolten's curious mind won't leave well enough alone. He steps closer toward the reinforced carriage, focusing on the siege weapon and its chassis.
[roll0]

[DeTess]

the Fernhal Courier compound
From his position next to the carriage Bolten could not make out much more of the ballista's function. There were iron rungs set in the side of the carriage that would allow the dwarf to climb up to the carriage's top, but before he had the chance to do so he was addressed by a dwarf. The dwarf appeared about middle-aged, and was dressed as a smith. a badge on his apron showed the symbol of a carriage wheel with a thorny vine wrapped around it, the insignia of the Fernhal courier guild. The dwarf carried with him a klong metal rack filled with large bolts, likely meant for the ballista Bolten had been admiring. "Can I help you with anything?" the dwarf asked. He did not sound unfriendly exactly, but Bolten did get the feeling from the blacksmith's tone he might be getting in the way of his work.

Streidekker and Sons shipyard
Several days later Aiden once again found himself in the same meeting room where he had held his presentation a month ago. Albert and Mieveur where there as well, as was an older woman wearing a similar uniform tot eh two engineers, though the material quality and fit was clearly a cut above theirs. Her stern face was framed by short, greying hair and her storm-grey eyes had swept across the room, taking in every detail before settling on the blackboard at one end. Albert had quietly informed Aiden that she was none other than Maria Escribano herself, and the two engineers seemed quite intimidated by her presence.

From the shipyards, the elder Streidekker himself was present, as were the designer, Eduardo, and the woman from the calculations department, Emilie. Accompanying them was another man. He was a big and heavily muscled, had a bushy brown beard, and wore a nice-looking short-sleeved shirt, the length of the sleeves seemingly intended to allow the man two show off a particular tattoo on his upper left arm, which consisted of two bands encircling his arm, with three anchors set between them. Unlike the other three he had the look of someone doing the actual work of building a ship, rather than just being involved in the design and paperwork.

Mr. Streidekker introduced his companions. The large man Aiden hadn't met before was called Ulrik, and according to mr. Streidekker he was an expert shipwright.

"Well then, let's get down to business." mr. Streidekker announced after the introductions were done. "This probably won't come as too much as a surprise given the people I brought along, but we have received an order for the Hexfold Recovery System. From the navy, to be exact. So far it's just a single order, but I know several of the larger merchant companies are interested as well. We intend to start construction as soon as possible, but there is of course the matter of recompense to be handled first." He gestured towards Emilie, who took over.

"Our standing agreement with the Escribano workshop for designs like this would be a 5000 gold piece reward, plus contracting the designers in advisory roles, and contracting the workshop for production of any relevant components. Mr. Streidekker is sufficiently impressed by the work that he indicated the reward should de increased to 6000 gold pieces. Is this acceptable?" Emilie looked at the the owner of the workshop who, with a small gesture of her hand, passed the question on to her engineers and Aiden.

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden looks his best for the meeting: his flannel shirt is pressed, its wooden toggles polished, and his whole ensemble fit to present him well. All of this does not stop him from looking a little out of place - his rural sense of 'formal' cannot pass muster in city environments, though the effort he puts in might be enough to invite endearment that forgives the shortfall. He stays close to Albert and Mieveur as they lay out the players for him (those he did not meet at the demonstration), nodding along, feeding back their excitement.

He shakes hands with characteristic enthusiasm, especially when meeting new people - Ulrik has the build to absorb his best, though he restrains himself when it comes to Maria Escribano (if she turns out to be interested in a handshake at all!)

When Mr. Streidekker announces that the navy has put in an order for the Hexfold Recovery System, Aiden has to use all his discipline not to throw his arms in the air and whoop. This was a very important project for Albert and Mieveur, and now their innovations would start to see production. His too. Perhaps more importantly, there were sailors and vessels that would otherwise plunge to the bottom of the ocean that would endure for another day, which had been the sparking drive for the system in the first place.

Oh, and there would be money.

When the sum of payment was offered, Aiden's face may have betrayed an easy sell. He was the kind of man that might have accepted a low ball - but with standard rates to Escribano Workship, with Maria Escribano right there and not interested in being taken for a ride, and with Albert and Mieveur there to confer with briefly to make sure they didn't have any objections, the negotiation would be brief indeed.

"Well, that's incredible. That's just fantastic. I know it's a fiddly design and it'll require some real professional work to fit and float, but the way I figured it, once you've saved one frigate from going under and sent a crew back to the barracks instead of the seafloor, well, it's paid for its own construction just in... ah..." He catches his ramble at that point, and addresses the actual question. "We'll... confer for just a moment, if you'll permit, of course..."

Aside with Albert and Mieveur, in suppressed tones, he gushes for them. "This is grand news. I'm certain Ulrik there will have people capable of handling the basic wrighting of the vessels, but you'll both likely enjoy consultation opportunities for the cranes and engines. I'm more than happy. And six thousand - well, it sounds like a lot to me, and it splits three ways easily. What do you say?"

[WindStruck]

Shandara spends one day crafting one standard wand with three charges. She has to buy a blank but otherwise the materials were covered by the crafter.

The next day she tries enchanting one of her lesser spirit wood wands with the same amount of effort. Experimenting with both wands by casting them on an object and casting it, she finds the first wand has three uses (obviously) but the spirit wood wand casts up to twenty-five times. Amazing! Unfortunately it gets quite burnt out and somehow unusable. But she does think the spirit wood wands are far better for making recharging wands.

These past few days Shandara doesn't really leave her home as it's one of the few times she hasn't prepared windy step or alarm...

After that, though, she plans to meet up with Ulrik once again at the designated place and time.

[DeTess]

Streidekker and Sons shipyard
"I see no issues with the reward or splitting it evenly, but..." Mieveur gave Albert a glance. "That solution with the twinning enchantment for the power source might be the most revolutionary part of the design by a significant margin, not to knock Aiden's or my own work, of course."

Albert smiled at his colleagues consideration, but then shook his head. "I already discussed that invention with the curator, so don't worry about giving me a larger share of the pie for that invention. I'll get another payout for that one straight from the workshop."

"It seems we are in agreement then." Mieveur announced.

A quick round of contracts and paperwork followed. Aiden was provided with a contract stating that he would release building rights of the ship design to the shipyard in return for hiss hare of the reward, 2000 gold pieces, to be send either to a bank Aiden had an account with, or directly to his home if he so desired. The contract had some complicated passages pertaining to exactly what was included in the design, but if he asked about it, he was explained that that had to do with the rights on production of some specific parts of the mechanical propulsion being retained by the Escribano workshop. Everything else in the contract was easily understood and entirely aboveboard.

[MrAbdiel]

A deal is struck, and all are pleased. Aiden is especially pleased to hear Albert will be compensated above and beyond what they have done so far - his work deserves it. Aiden is happy to take a writ of order for the money he is owed to the bank himself, after the meeting; but in the immediate aftermath, while everyone remains in the room discussing the outcome, Aiden finds a moment to speak to Ulrik aside.

"Mister Ulrik, sir, I was hoping you'd spare a minute for me for a matter of fish. See, I'm a man of the wood and hearth more than the wave and sand, most often. And there's these lads I've been helping..."

What follows is another long, winsome ramble about Cliff and Markel; their difficult lot and their ambition to turn the abandoned and busted fishing boat into a revived thing; the process of doing so, and his hopes to steer them, if willing, into a career in ship building if they don't decide to stick to fishing.

"...And they're great lads, see. If they end up making and selling boats like the one we fixed up, they'll do more than just fine, but for now it turns out they don't know a great deal exactly about where to fish, or how to do it. They're just sort of... going after it with good nature and pluck. I wonder if you could give me some advice on where they might cast nets. Do you know a thing about that, I wonder?"

[DeTess]

It was easy enough to pull Ulrik aside. It seemed the man had something to discuss with Aiden as well. "Hmm, I don't know too much about the actual fishing part of fishing myself, but my sister does. She runs a small fishing fleet, so she or one of her people could give these kids some advice. I'm going to stop by the restaurant her husband runs once we're entirely done here, and I can do the introductions if she's there. I happen to also be meeting a friend there who is looking for a woodworker specialized in very precise work, and I was thinking you might be able to help her out, given the excellent work you did on the scale models."

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden laughs. "Well, then, I'd love to meet her and ask her about the angling, if you don't mind me following along. And goodness, I wouldn't mind if some other time I could ask you some things about seacraft just more generally - I'm delighted this first foray has gone so well, but I'm sure I can learn a lot from someone so learned. And I'll certainly help your friend as best I can - I have some work coming up already, but I've found I can squeeze other projects in if I try!"

[DeTess]

Once the final formalities were handled the sun was already setting as afternoon turned to evening. Ulrik led the way to the restaurant he'd mentioned before. It was a large wooden building near the waterfront. A large sign above the door proclaimed the place's name to be 'Bluefin's Rest'.


the Bluefin's rest
When Aiden and Ulrik entered the restaurant business was already picking up with the dinner crowd. The clientele seemed to consist of merchants, ship officers and well-off craftsmen and women, and the restaurant was rapidly filling up. Ulrik got the two of them a table near the door, underneath a wooden carving depicting a three masted ship made from driftwood.

"I'll check if my sister is around once the firs rush fot eh evening is done. For now, order whatever you want, it's my treat." Ulrik explained. "And once the friend I mentioned arrives... Ah, speak of the devil." Ulrik waved over a familiar looking Drow that had just entered the restaurant.

"Aiden, this is Shandara, an enchantress with the Royal artificer society. Shandara, this is Aiden Sorveaux, the expert woodworker I had mentioned before." Ulrik handled the introductions, quite unaware that the two knew each other already.

[WindStruck]

"Oh.. I didn't know you'd be bringing someone else along," Shandara said, a bit confused at first. Though Aiden's name WAS on the design for the model, so...

"Pleasure to meet you Aiden," she says, daintily extending a hand and attempting to mask a smile.

She turns to Ulrik and says, "Well, perhaps you'll be happy to know I've already found someone who could take care of my little problem. He's quite good. In fact, he's already sitting next to you."

Shandara has a flurry of emotions, all expressed by an awkward laugh, and sighing and looking down. "Truthfully, I have already met Aiden and was aware of his skill. At first, I just wanted a different wood worker for.. silly reasons I suppose. But when you had mentioned the person who made the model, I went and found out who it was. And strangely enough, it was Aiden again." She shrugs sheepishly. "Sometimes it feels like a small world, huh?"

[MrAbdiel]

It is, quite possibly, the funniest situation Aiden has ever been a part of. He laughs, and the only reason it is a moderate laugh and not an uproarious one is because of a great deal of restraint that leaves his face red with the effort. Unable to compose himself to speak, he makes vaguely agreeing hand gestures toward the much more poised Shandara. The idea that she had been seeking out an alternative woodworker during their brief collegial dysfunction had already been declawed, and its revelation now didn't seem to bother him. Indeed, if anything, the fact seemed to enhance its quality as an anecdote he would tell for years to come.

Once Ulrik is emancipated from the situation to seek after his brother-in-law and sister, and Aiden has settled to a periodic flutter of chuckles, he sags into a chair and sighs contentedly. "It does seem that way sometimes. I suppose it's a reminder that so few people can work and create at the level we can; how much of a privilege it is to be a member of this society at all. You saw the model for the Hexfold Recovery System? The navy just picked it up for production, and we're all just tickled pink. Oh! But on the subject of boats... That transparency enchantment you developed - can I ask how long it lasts? What the expense of casting it happens to be, and so forth? My head's spinning with another idea launching off it, but I want to make sure I understand it a little better."

[Prehysterical]

the Fernhal Courier compound
From his position next to the carriage Bolten could not make out much more of the ballista's function. There were iron rungs set in the side of the carriage that would allow the dwarf to climb up to the carriage's top, but before he had the chance to do so he was addressed by a dwarf. The dwarf appeared about middle-aged, and was dressed as a smith. a badge on his apron showed the symbol of a carriage wheel with a thorny vine wrapped around it, the insignia of the Fernhal courier guild. The dwarf carried with him a klong metal rack filled with large bolts, likely meant for the ballista Bolten had been admiring. "Can I help you with anything?" the dwarf asked. He did not sound unfriendly exactly, but Bolten did get the feeling from the blacksmith's tone he might be getting in the way of his work.
Not missing the other dwarf's tone, Bolten backs away from the contraption. "Oh, er, I apologize! Didn't mean to get in the way of the operations! I was just admiring the automated loading system on the ballista here. Quite handy, I am sure.

Anyway, to the point... I was referred here by a book from the Artificer Society Archives. It made some mention of 'extraplanar shortcuts' and cited your organization as something of a reference. I'm trying to help a fri- an acquaintance with a project of his. He's on a bit of a time crunch and we were hoping that one of these shortcuts would help us cheat some time. I just... don't know exactly who I should be talking to, kinsman."

[DeTess]

the Fernhal Courier compound
"You could talk to the guildmaster." The dwarf nodded in the direction of the large central building. "But a word of warning. If one of your questions would be asking how much we charge, it means you can't afford us." The dwarf added that matter of-factly, no arrogance to his voice whatsoever. "If you wonder why we would charge that much, you should go up there." He gestured towards the stone-walled enclosure. "Just tell them Farsmith said you could observe, and stay out of everyone's way. Things should pop off in half an hour or so."

[WindStruck]

Once Ulrik is emancipated from the situation to seek after his brother-in-law and sister, and Aiden has settled to a periodic flutter of chuckles, he sags into a chair and sighs contentedly. "It does seem that way sometimes. I suppose it's a reminder that so few people can work and create at the level we can; how much of a privilege it is to be a member of this society at all. You saw the model for the Hexfold Recovery System? The navy just picked it up for production, and we're all just tickled pink. Oh! But on the subject of boats... That transparency enchantment you developed - can I ask how long it lasts? What the expense of casting it happens to be, and so forth? My head's spinning with another idea launching off it, but I want to make sure I understand it a little better."

"I did see the model," Shandara says. "Can't say I understood much of what I saw at first glance, but as always, the wood work was impeccable."

Shandara hmms a bit and then says, "Well, it would depend on the skill of the caster, but I believe I could cast it on someone else and it lasts for about two minutes. It would be considered a.. spell of complexity one, and so the cost of putting a charge in a potion or wand would be around fifty gold pieces. Or perhaps, much cheaper, were you able to find a person willing to cast it." The drow smiles faintly at Aiden, with a smug impishness.

Then she sighs. "Alright, let's hear it. What is this idea of yours?"

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden pulled a face that suggested a mixture of surprise at the cost of a single casting - and some amused self reproach and being unfamiliar with how expensive even simple castings can be. Honestly, money and its value had never been the most pronounced element of his learning.

"Well, nothing too serious. I mean... Well, if it's remarkably cheaper to make wood transparent than to make objects genuinely invisible, there's all kinds of applications. My thought was to install a nice, solid panel in the bottom of this boat the lads are fixing. If they could toggle transparency on and off, why... They'd be able to see when they were right over the fish, for the casting of the net, without all the watershimmer or the waterblur and trouble of sticking your head under. But you could make windows that don't expose a building to intruders or weather; or some kind of... semi-permanent structures to be deployed into the sea, for observation of the creatures down there, without the fear of a glass porthole cracking and bursting inward. I'm sure there's many military applications, though admittedly my mind for those things is less sharp. But a shield that permits a soldier to shelter from arrows without peeking around the edges.. or even an ironwood helm with no vulnerable eyeslot. Things like that."

And then, with a burst of excitement, he adds again.

"You could grow flowers in a box, with the sun still nourishing them, without ever worrying that the grasshoppers would get at them!"

[WindStruck]

Shandara gives Aiden that look again. Not spiteful, scornful, or dismissive. Just a bit weary.

"Hrm, well... if you're surprised about the costs for a single casting of the spell, I suppose I'll need to impress upon you how much vastly more expensive such a thing would cost if the enchantment is made permanent. This is not to mention the extra complexity involved with making the effect suppressible, and certain volume and weight limitations..."

"Also bear in mind, that it is a divination spell: which means although you might be able to see within the contents of a wooden box protecting a plant, the plant is still very much confined in darkness."

"All fun and interesting ideas, but they either don't work or likely have far too much cost that outweigh any potential benefits. Hm, that helmet idea, though. That might be something. The Ranger's Guild does seem to have deep pockets that might spare large expense for a marginal benefit. But this isn't an idea I would try pitching to them. I would rather try to solve problems people currently have or fill existing needs, rather than create some wondrous item and then scrabble around trying to find someone who actually wants it."

[MrAbdiel]

"Well, it would need to be permanent, but not necessarily suppressible. I'm sure a mechanical shutter would do in most situations, just like with a glass window..."

It's a minor defense and he offers a sheepish smile. He knows the kind of dream-headed craftsman he is; how much better he is, for having a more concretely focused friend like this.

"Wait... if the divination doesn't allow real light through, then how..."

What follows is short exchange justifying the nature of divination in the face of an understanding of how light is required for sight. The specifics are less important than where Aiden lands, at the end.

"Well, that's fair enough. It was just a curiosity. But all the same, if I could bring over a wooden panel of a certain size and grain and leave it with you, could you - in an off moment when you've nothing better to do - compose a quote on what it would cost me to make it functionally transparent permanently? Even if just for a novelty project. If it's not a wild number, I'll commission you. I'd consider it a favor."

[WindStruck]

Shandara blinks and asks, "Is there some reason glass wouldn't work?"

Sheepishly, she turns to Ulrik with an awkward smile. "Well, what do you think of all this? Also, should we get an appetizer? Hm, what's good..."

craving calamari!

[DeTess]

Ulrik had returned sometime during the conversation, and had quietly informed Aiden that his sister would be stopping by the restaurant later that evening.

He mulled over Shandara's question for a moment, before answering her second question first. "For appetizers the squid is good this time of year. They come down from the north as the temperature drops, so they're far fresher. My brother-in-law fries strips of the creatures up in a light batter which makes the whole very tasty." Ulrik took a quick glance over the menu to refresh his memory. "Soup of the day is probably something salty this time of year. As a main I'd recommend Tuna or Crab."

Having finished the recommendation the shipwright turned back to the initial topic. "I can think of a few applications in shipbuilding where transparent wood could be useful, provided it isn't too costly. We avoid using glass because of its fragility, but you have to use it for some situations, and then you need to design around it, probably include heavy shutters or budget for enchantments. If transparent wood is cheaper than magically reinforced glass it could see quite a bit of use in my line of work."

[WindStruck]

"Divination simply imparts knowledge onto the affected creature or person directly. You can see something no one else can, or through a solid object for instance.. but that does not change the physical state of the world in any way. It's the same with illusions. They will trick a creature or another person into perceiving this or that, but they don't actually alter the state of the world. And so, a plant confined in such a box would wither and die without sunlight, even though we may be able to see it perfectly fine. This is also why I suggested glass, as that is a fine deterrent for keeping insects out," Shandara says.

"As for the much more intensive boat applications, I wouldn't think there's anything wrong with a bit of magically reinforced glass, plus a cover.. for instance on a small portion of the bottom of a boat. It is, of course, far less sturdy than normal wood still, but you wouldn't want to take such a boat into dangerous applications like navy battles, navigating areas with dangerous hazards, and the like..."

She continues, "Now, I probably could give an estimation on enchanting a sizeable slab of wood in such a way, but do keep in mind that what I am thinking of, with the current spell I have developed, it only affects one person at a time. In other words, only one person could see through the wood at any given time. But, in order to let it affect more than one person, that makes it significantly more expensive, to the point where permanent invisibility is likely a superior option. And that would probably cost, oh.. say.. at least six thousand gold pieces?"


arcana: [roll0]
appraise: [roll1]

let me know if there's some tweaks I could make to what Shandara says

[Prehysterical]

the Fernhal Courier compound
"You could talk to the guildmaster." The dwarf nodded in the direction of the large central building. "But a word of warning. If one of your questions would be asking how much we charge, it means you can't afford us." The dwarf added that matter of-factly, no arrogance to his voice whatsoever. "If you wonder why we would charge that much, you should go up there." He gestured towards the stone-walled enclosure. "Just tell them Farsmith said you could observe, and stay out of everyone's way. Things should pop off in half an hour or so."
Bolten struggles to keep a polite expression in the face of such pride. Such a sentiment would have been considered the height of rudeness back home! Instead, Bolten bows his head to excuse himself and heads toward the walled compound. He's already paid for the carriage to wait and come out all this way. Might as well see what the literal fuss is about.

Upon finding one of the sentries, Bolten informs him of Farsmith's instructions. The dwarf then finds a place where he can get comfortable for the wait.

[DeTess]

Within the enclosure was a flat area paved evenly with large slabs of stone. Large sections of the ground and wall had soot and scorchmarks on them, but apart from those there was nothing remarkable in there at all. The guards patrolling the wall kept an eye on the yard nonetheless, but they seemed quite unworried.

All that changed when, about 15 minutes after Bolten ascended the wall, a loud bell rang across the compound. It tolled twice, then fell silent again, though the silence spread over the entire compound, as all activity seemed to halt for a moment. The silence only lasted for a second, before the noise resumed, though there seemed to be a greater urgency to it now.

The few watchers on the wall became more alert, and soon enough more guards carrying heavy looking bows and crossbows joined them, as well as several men and women carrying staves and other spellcasting implements. Bolten could hear the enclosure's one gate being opened, and a large metal portcullis was winched up, dropped down with the pull of a lever and then winched up again. Farsmith and several of his colleagues made a circuit of the wall, handing glowing bolts and arrows to the guards, and then setting up five magical contraptions, one at each corner of the enclosure, and the fifth above the gate. Each consisted of a long metal staff and a tri-pod to hold it up. After setting them all up, the ones at the corners started glowing red, and the one at the gate started glowing green.

Several minutes later the bell rang again, this time tolling three times. A hush settled over the guards on the wall, all of them looking into the enclosure. Several moments later an elderly human in flowing purple robes arrived on the wall, flanked by two more guards carrying shields. The man held two staves in his hands, one made from black metal, the other carved from grey wood in a twisted shape.

Two minutes of silence passed, as everyone in the wall stared fixedly at the enclosure. Then someone called out as a tiny purple mote of light appeared near the wall opposite the gate. It grew in radiance and size, then with a tearing noise a large rent in the fabric of reality opened up, bleeding a purple radiance.

Moments later a large creature came running through the rent. It was the size and general shape of a bear, but its body was covered in feathers and it had the head of an owl. It was covered in armor and four sturdy ropes stretched back from the armor and disappeared behind it into the rift. It was quickly followed by a second, third and fourth specimen, all running towards the open gate, and moments later a large carriage of the same model Bolten had seen before was dragged out of the tear by the ropes leading back to the owlbears. The carriage was heavily damaged, several of its eight wheels where missing, and great gouges were torn in the amor plating on the carriage's side. There was no sign of the ballista Bolten had seen on the other carriage. At the front of the carriage was a sorceress holding a staff shining a purple light ahead of her and a harried looking coachman holding the reins of the owlbears, and several guards where hanging on to the sides of the carriage of the carriage as they fought of a number of long-limbed, eyeless, grey-skinned creatures that were clinging to the back of the carriage.

A horde of the grey-skinned creatures started pouring out of the tear in space and chased after the carriage, but the purple robed wizard on the wall slammed his iron staff against the ground while shouting a phrase in a language unknow to the dwarf, and a wall of fire sprung up, bisecting the courtyard and halting the monster's advance. The carriage quickly disappeared through the gate, and moments later the portcullis came down, locking the monsters in.

The guards, meanwhile, had started firing their bows and crossbows at the creatures below. First came a volley of enchanted bolts, the arrowheads exploding on impact in gouts of fire and bursts of electricity. These where followed by mundane arrows, as well as spells from the spellcaster on the wall. The purple-robed wizard continued chanting and brandished his wooden staff. Green strands of energy leapt forth from the staff, twisting themselves around the tear in the air and slowly closing it up, even as more monsters tried to claw their way through, straight into a hail of bolts, arrows and spells.

[MrAbdiel]

"Now, I probably could give an estimation on enchanting a sizeable slab of wood in such a way, but do keep in mind that what I am thinking of, with the current spell I have developed, it only affects one person at a time. In other words, only one person could see through the wood at any given time. But, in order to let it affect more than one person, that makes it significantly more expensive, to the point where permanent invisibility is likely a superior option. And that would probably cost, oh.. say.. at least six thousand gold pieces?"

Aiden whistles a low, swooping note as his eyebrows shoot up.

"That's a pricey window. I think you might be right. Better off getting a... a rod that can cast it a couple of times per day. Or a wand of Detect Fish! Haha! But like Ulrik says, it may end up with some value in a military shipbuilding field. Indeed, especially the divination instead of the invisibility - perhaps you want to be able to see out, but not be seen in."

He profits from Ulrik's dining recommendation, and orders the soup to begin and the crab to follow (after a brief misunderstanding about 'crab soup', and revelation that he might never have been in a circumstance where a two-course meal was standard). Theoretically, he's mostly waiting for Ulrik's sister to arrive to pick her brain about fishing, but in the time between he tries to steer the conversation towards novel enchantments in the field of shipbuilding, and then sits back and lets the expertise radiating off the other two wash through him.

[WindStruck]

Shandara gets the squid appetizer and the tuna main course. And she shrugs noncommittally at Aiden's comments.

"So what is going on with you two? Seems you're going to be overseeing an important job pretty soon," she says to Ulrik.

And then turning to Aiden she says, "And apparently you had a hand in that as well. You're trying to help two boys fish and.. you're still working on that harp, right?"

[MrAbdiel]

"My harp, yes - proof of skill as part of my submission to the Archduchess's call. I hope it's good enough - what an opportunity that would be..." His eyes shine with imagination for a moment, before he grounds himself. "But more immediately, yes - Cliff and Markel, you met them briefly at the house - have been fixing up their boat in my barn. I've been helping them, and it's done; but they haven't done much fishing, so the plan to support themselves by fishing has that hole in it. Ulrik's got a sister who I'm told is something of a expert to ask."

As far as an important project goes, he swings his eyes to Ulrik to let the shipwright tell as much, or as little, as he would to about it.

[DeTess]

"Yes, a new design courtesy of the Escribano workshop and Aiden here." Ulrik eyes sine as he starts to explain. "It's a salvage and support vessel meant for the navy, two twin triple-hull designs with middle sections that can operate independently while the outer hulls lock together to form a dock for any stricken vessel. Add in a hybrid power system with sails and a magical drive and you've got an enormously challenging project. But if we can pull this off future designs will use elements of our work for years, if not decades to come." Ulrik seemed ready to launch into a lengthy explanation of the ship's appeal again, but caught himself. "Sorry, I shouldn't be acting as giddy about a project at my age, but this job really has me excited."

Ulrik seemed to spot someone from the corner for his eye and excused himself for a moment. He returned a minute later, accompanied by a woman just a little shorter than he was. The two shared hair and eye colors, and the woman seemed to be of a similar age to Ulrik. "Aiden, this is Elin, my sister. Elin, this is Aiden, one of the artificer's behind the ship proposal. He wanted to speak with you regarding a fishing related matter he's been involved in." Ulrik handled the introductions, but left explaining the details of the matter to the carpenter.

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden is just as excited - though his part in it is mostly done, now - but the idea of the project going into production was certainly thrilling, and even more so that Ulrik's forthrightness had disabused him of any notion it was somehow hush-hush. It looks as if he's about to egg Ulrik on and the two of them would box Shandara in with shop-talk until Elin arrives, and after introductions, he gives Ulrik and Shandara a polite excusing smile and pares off a side conversation with the lady angler.

"I really am pleased to meet you, Elin. To get to the heart of it, a couple of lads without much to their names came across a wrecked fishing boat and filled their own heads with dreams of fixing it up and making a living fishing off of it. I helped them fix it up and taught them what I could - I hope they consider making and selling small watercraft instead of subsistence fishing now that they have the skill, but that's for them to decide. But for now they have the boat they worked so hard on, but actually remarkably little knowledge about fishing, and especially where to fish. And I suspect they've not thought for a moment about how crowding in on other fisherfolk's spots will cause frictions. I wondered if you might be able to give me a clue - or even better, maybe join Cliff, Markel and I some day to look over the vessel and give them a lesson yourself."

[DeTess]

The woman considered Aiden's proposal for a moment. "I understand from my brother that you're a skilled artisan where wood is concerned. How would you rate the abilities of your two wards in that regard?"

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden's brow creases just for a moment. Elin didn't radiate the same gregariousness as Ulrik did... But she was his sister, and he had vouched for her, and that was good enough for the country carpenter. The sceptical notion that had wiggled its way into his forebrain was seized by the elbows and frogmarched back out again, leaving him blissfully trusting once more.

"Well, they've proven to be apt apprentices at least with small craft. If they came to me tomorrow and said they wanted to apprentice more formally under me to become shipwrights or luthiers, I'd hire them without a second thought and get them on the tools immediately. There's a thing with apprentices where... well, there's a period when they just begin where they cost you more than they make, because you're giving up your time to supervise and instruct instead of fabricating. But at this point they're skilled enough that I'd trust them with simple work without supervision, and reasonably complex work while I'm at hand to check in. But they're so young, you see - I'd love to see them put these skills to use making a living, but right now, it's important they get a chance to fish off the boat they rebuilt. It's a chance to see the thing they dreamed about completed by their own hands, you know? That's something they can put in their pocket and carry around with them for the rest of their lives no matter what they put their hands to - the knowledge that they can, if they try."

[DeTess]

Whether it was Aiden's assessment of their skills or his earnest plea, it seemed whatever mental calculus Elin was working out came up in the boy's favor.

"One moment." She scribbled a note and handed it to Aiden. It contained an adress, but also a remarkably detailed map of the docks with a location marked with an arrow and a sketch of an emblem to look out for. "Tell your wards to be here with their boat, two days from now, no later than the crack of dawn. I'll ask one of my people to show them the ropes in their boat for a couple days, and if they bring in any decent fish I'll buy it off them for market price as well."

"Though these days fishing for more than just subsistence is a matter of scale, and not something two kids in a small boat can handle on their own." Elin warned. "But if they show interest and aptitude I could bring them on as apprentices on one of my boats. Experience with woodwork is definitely a mark in their favor."

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden claps, then hoists his hands in purely instinctive appeal to the sky.

"Incredible! Oh, that's wonderful Elin. That's really wonderful, the boys will be so pleased. I'll let them know; they'll be there bright eyed and bushy tailed. Thank you so much, Elin, really. I owe you a favor." He tries to extract one of his hand-over-hand handshakes from the woman. "It'll be great for them. Maybe they'll get the itch and sign on. If they do, and there's any forward cost for... for their own nets, or tools or anything, I'll front it. Just let me know."

Hooray, total success as far as I know! I think that might be all Aiden's looking to squeeze out of the scene. Though naturally if Shandara, Ulrik, or Elin have something more, we can keep it going!

[Prehysterical]

As Bolten watched their preparations, he began to despair.

If you have to ask, you can't afford us.

These men seemed to be preparing for a siege from inside of the compound... or was it an exorcism? Either way, Bolten didn't know the half of it.

At first, Bolten thought that the owlbear was the source of all the trouble. Upon seeing them fleeing and attached to a half-destroyed battlewagon, Bolten felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. Nothing could have prepared him for the horde of screeching monstrosities that surged through the gate.

Everything was chaos. Bolten began hyperventilating. Even in his relative safety, being close to so much violence triggered unhappy memories long buried. Blast it, why couldn't he have known?! Today had been just another day, so Bolten hadn't prepared any combat spells! There was nothing he could do to help!

Looking at the guard nearest to him, Bolten remembered one thing he could do. While the mercenary was reloading, Bolten taps his finger against his weapon and gave it a weaponsmith's blessing. Hopefully, that would help, because that was really all Bolten had to offer.

While the others fight frantically against the tide, Bolten wracks his brain trying to remember anything resembling these horrible invaders.
Bolten casts Magic Weapon on the mercenary closest to him. It will last for two minutes (20 rounds).

Knowledge (Arcana) about creatures: [roll0]
Knowledge (Planes): [roll1]

[DeTess]

the Bluefin's rest
Elin shook her head at Aiden's offer. "If they meet my standards and wish to sign on with my fleet I'll make all necessary investments myself. Anything less and I wouldn't deserve my current position."

the Fernhal courier compound
The guard gave Bolten a nod, but wasted no breath on verbal thanks, keeping up the onslaught of arrows.

The atmosphere was tense, yet Bolten would notice after a moment that the guards did not receive any orders after the initial command to fire. If any of the monsters attempted to climb the walls they were immediately shot down, without any calls needed to alert the guards to the risks, as they worked together like a well oiled machine.

With a crack of thunder the tear in reality closed up, and moments later the creatures were all felled. Though the monster's onslaught had been fierce, the guards' superior position and preparation had allowed them to fell the horde without any climbing over the wall or breaching the gate.

As silence settled over the enclosure, the guard Bolten had helped turned to him. "Thanks for the spell. It mad this all a little easier than usual. You might want to get down now though. This next bit will stink like hell." He gestured towards the gate, where Farsmith and several other artisans were hauling up large wooden caskets. The guards took the caskets, and poured the contents, a viscous liquid that looked like lamp oil to Bolten, into the enclosure below.

[MrAbdiel]

Taking Elin's underlined stipulation in the most positive possible way - as an expectation of excellence, rather than hedge against failure - Aiden winks his understanding and salutes with his winecup, only to sip overly boldly and cough a little, barely fending off a spatter and dribble scenario, ending with merely a breathless chuckle and watering eyes.

"Hoo. I reckon there's alcohol in that, tell you what."

Aiden's all set for this scene, I think!

[WindStruck]

Shandara is content to let the conversation between Elin and Aiden unfold. She was rather glad to have the spotlight turned away from herself, and not having to "talk shop" incessantly over what she felt was going to be a more casual dinner gathering.

Once Elin agrees to help the boys, and Aiden is done celebrating, Shandara nods and says, "I would have suggested hiring the boys as part of your fleet as well. Assuming they are bright and can follow simple directions, even their small boat and hands would add that much more volume to your operations. And perhaps, they might discover a new calling later."

Taking a sip of tea, which seemed pleasantly sweet with the addition of a fruit juice, she adds, "If I am reading you correctly, your operations have no trouble finding hands on a deck and fishermen, but perhaps you might need someone who is both skilled with working with wood, and can fish and sail?"

[DeTess]

"That's right." Elin replies to Shandara. "Finding someone who can do one or the other is not that hard, and training the fisherman to do basic maintenance is not that hard either. But finding someone with an interest in both fishing and woodwork, and training in the latter is a lot rarer."

[WindStruck]

Shandara looks between the two and bemusedly says, "It sounds like if you really want to help them, you'll continue to give them lessons in carpentry."

[MrAbdiel]

"That's up to them," he says, covering his mouth with one hand as he catches up to the fact that he hasn't quite finished his mouthful.

"Nothing would make me happier. But otherwise Elin, if you end up with a damaged vessel and you want to set up a kind of... short-run workshop option for some of your guys to learn a thing or two, I'd be happy to come out and make a weekend consultation of it, or something like that."

[WindStruck]

After thinking about Ulrik's project some more and mulling some thoughts over in her mind (as well as some fish and potatoes in her mouth) Shandara asks, "Hm. So the new ship you will be working on will be able to repair ships, and even salvage them out on the open waters... what happens if this ship gets damaged, though? I suppose it would have its own special dock for that sort of thing? Assuming it makes it that far?"