The Royal Artificery Society - OOC

[Prehysterical]

Memories sound a little SOMA/Ghost in the Machine for my taste, but personality in clockwork sounds right up Bolten's alley. He still needs to make his sapient familiar.

When you put it like that, the idea is exciting. I have just been burned in the past by party members in other games (obviously nobody here) who completely hijack my character's subplot to serve their own and my guy/gal becomes a glorified NPC.

So long as the help goes both ways, I am all for it.

[Sønderjye]

I get being burned by something and being hyperaware of it. I can promise you that it's not my intention to hijack your subplot and ask that if you feel you to speak up if you feel that's the trajectory we're going. My motivation is just that I think it'll be fun to brainstorm together on something, I'm excited for this project, and I think there's enough to it that we can find an angle you/your characters would enjoy.

I'm also happy to just assist your character in figuring out how to make a construct with something like an artificial mind that can hold both a personality and the memories it forms, and use the knowledge Z gets from being part of that in the memory project.

[WindStruck]

My own two cents:

I'm always going to view it as your project. And Shandara will of course view it as Z's. While I guess it's a great excuse to get together and do something, and maybe we can trade favors, I don't want to make it her main focus.

Alchemy has always been a bit more of a hobby to her. Even moreso, when it comes to brewing drinks. The field of meddling with people's minds and memories seems pretty dangerous to her. It's intriguing, but she doesn't want to test this stuff on herself, nor be held liable if something goes wrong with another willing test subject.

What I'd like for Shandara to do one day is have her own little magic shop. To include you guys, she could maybe also sell some Clockwork products or other proven memory potions .. Anyway, having a magic shop has been one of the things I'd like her to accomplish.

Ultimately, I have liked how we have been able to work on our own things, and the whole thing with commissions. None of which are forced upon us. We voluntarily choose which one to pick, if any. I've really liked the more solo feel of this game. It's truly a sand box.

While I wish you luck with your own endeavors, I really can't guarantee any prolonged aid from Shandara. If you need some advice in the field of arcana, she can offer it. If you want her to do some serious research on a particular matter, there's a price.

[Sønderjye]

So to sum things up:
No to collaboration on the big memory project.
Yes to collaborating with Bolton on building a a sentient construct?
Yes to requesting a custom spell from Shandara? This far Z have been testing the memory stuff on himself but that probably won't be able to fly long term. I would rather like to avoid experimenting on volunteers or animals as it leaves a bad taste. Do you think Shandara could think of a spell that could let him make experiments without having to do that? Maybe a kind of divination spell that allows the user to get the information they would have gotten if they had done the experiment? Maybe something else? Based on the judges reaction Z will soon be swimming in coin have a few coppers to spare.

[WindStruck]

I'm not sure.. maybe something like a scrying pool? Or rather a bowl?

Pour the memory liquid in, perform the arcane ritual, and the memory unfolds around you, in an external sense such that you can experience it through your own senses and have your own mind process them, rather than have something pretty much implanted in your brain??

I'm not sure if I've even got what you want fully understood.

[Sønderjye]

Not quite. Z can already do that.

In the past memory transplants have made people insane because their mindscape have expanded beyond their capacity and snapped, resulting in a ruined mindscape with memories and connections in a mess. Z will eventually look at trying to do that without people going insane but he'll need to test his approaches to see if they work. And he would rather cause animals or people to go insane.

So maybe a spell could be made that could replace the experiment itself? Maybe we can cheat and have a divination spell that goes something like: if you have all of the stuff you'd need to do this particular experiment, what would the result be, thus getting the information from the experiment without actually doing it. Augury could kind of do that but the chance of getting a meaningful reply is too low and the results are too vague. Maybe something like that but more specialized?

Alternatively maybe one could create a simulation of a mind that isn't actually a mind but could be experimented on as if it's a mind? Idk how that would work out, just spitballing ideas.

[WindStruck]

Yeah... I have no idea if such a thing would work or would even be possible. imo it's probably a whole other knowledge branch that is not arcana...

But I think it should probably be discussed IC.

[DeTess]

Windstruck, if you're going to post about the big rush on Z's creations, what am I supposed to do? :P

But yeah, there's indeed quite the rush on Z's stores (though I also think the liquid memories aren't something you could easily mass-produce yet, so your stores'll dry up sooner rather than later). Are you just going to keep giving samples away, or will you start charging for it?

[Sønderjye]

We haven't really talked about the production rate of Impressions(liquid memories was something else), but sure let's say there is a limited supply. Z will keep some in spare in case the judges want a second or someone important needs to try it but won't charge anything. He considers it a long term investment to let people try it.

He'll take the time to talk to brewers about how it could hypothetically be used with their own merchandise.

[WindStruck]

Sorry DeTess.

I guess you could still elaborate on that a bit more? lol

[Sønderjye]

To keep the ball rolling. Want to do a time skip? For Z I am seeing a possible later scene in which he talks to the Curator or makes a pitch to Bolton and/or Shandara for projects.

[DeTess]

To keep the ball rolling. Want to do a time skip? For Z I am seeing a possible later scene in which he talks to the Curator or makes a pitch to Bolton and/or Shandara for projects.

The curator won't really be available until after the festival.

Unless people still want to do things this day I'll skip forward to the evening festivities a bit later this week (probably Thursday or friday)

[Prehysterical]

I'm fine with skipping ahead to the evening activities.

[WindStruck]

Yeah I guess we can skip to evening.

[Sønderjye]

Sounds good to me

[Sønderjye]

I can't think of much to comment on in the current IC aside from how it all looks nice.

We could have the players talk business over a meal or we could skip to something else?

[DeTess]

I can't think of much to comment on in the current IC aside from how it all looks nice.

We could have the players talk business over a meal or we could skip to something else?

Yeah, you could do something like that, or for those interested in clockwork the aprades could be itnersting.

I'm probably going to post a schedule fro the rest of the festival sometime soon (though I'm affraid it'll be towards thrusday/friday), so you all can indicate what bits your character would be particularly interested in.

[DeTess]

@prehysterical, could you roll me a craft(clockwork) or similar to see how much you can figure out based on what you see? Either way,a t some point during the evening yous tumble across the parade containing Banbas' creations. While you'd a;ready figured out that they where well made from your look at them earlier, seeing them moving is something else entirely, given just how incredibly lifelike they move, down to the smallest details, like the way the shoulders on the lion move as it walks, or the way the tail on a large bull swishes back and forth arithmically.

[Prehysterical]

Sure, let's see...

(1d20+17)[24]

[Sønderjye]

I guess we're not doing that then. In that case Z will look for some of the people who did the perception changing potions.

[DeTess]

@prehysterical, you see a lot of tiny little tricks and innovations that you might be able to use in your future designs, but you don't spot anything that you could use to truly jump your own craft forward. Still, a lot of little ideas could still be of use in the future. On your next project you'll get a +1 bonus to all craft(clockwork) rolls.

[Prehysterical]

I guess we're not doing that then. In that case Z will look for some of the people who did the perception changing potions.

We can still do that. It's just that trying to get Bolten away from the clockwork constructs is like trying to take a steak from the jaws of a hungry lion.

I'll post something tomorrow, but we can either have Z meet up with them to go someplace or have them stumble into him at whatever restaurant they choose.

[DeTess]

@sonderjye, could you roll me a gather information or a survival for trakcing people down? if you happen to have the urban tracking skill that's very relevant.

the schedule for the next three days of activities:
day 2: Carnival and games. There'll be shows showing off all kinds of daring stunts and exotic animals, as well as both casual carnival games, and more serious contests of athletic skill.
Night 2: general festivities (drinking, eating, having fun)
Day 3: Guild contests:Guilds all over the cities hold contests to show off the skills of their members. the artificery society also holds a set of public contests as well, which involve artificers of a variety of disciplines being given a task to create a solution fro a problem within a day (the contest starts at sunrise and ends at sundown) withe limited resources (imagine a scrapyard challenge). There's a small monetary prize, but the contest is mostly meant in good fun.
Night 3: the commoners ball: a large ball is held in the herdsman's market, free for any and all to attend.
Day 4:Day four is more for general festivities. there's a market, though smaller than on the first day. However, on this day the emperor and higher nobles also hold an open court for all to attend and bring forward requests for judgement or aid.
Night 4: closing festivities and the large fireworks show. The show itself is legendary, the product of a year's work of alchemists and artisans from all over the empire.

[Prehysterical]

...Are we having Junkyard Wars in our game? Awwwww, yeah!

[WindStruck]

Oh, very interesting! But.. we're still on day 1, right?

[DeTess]

Oh, very interesting! But.. we're still on day 1, right?

Yes, we are

[Sønderjye]

@DeTess, Sure (1d20+2)[22]

@Prehysterical, no preference on what resaurant to use. Feel up for choosing one?

[DeTess]

@Sonderjye,

After some asking around, Z finds out that Melvin Garret and Polina Avar ar both senior members of a student society that frequents bar near the Artificery society campus called the 'Brass kettle'. They'll probably be there most evenings, and if they aren't, someone there will know where to find them.

If you want, i can set up the scene for the brass kettle right now, but you'll be able to find them there another day as well if you're going to meet up with Bolten and Shandara.

[WindStruck]

Haha, all the references to RL restaurants are great...

Shall the I move us over to The Mushroom Garden, or should I wait for DeTess?

[Prehysterical]

Give it a bit longer in case Z decides to tag along on our way over.