The Royal Artificery Society - IC

[WindStruck]

Cirast Overhill's Abode

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

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

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

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

[Prehysterical]

The Esterwald estate

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

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

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

---

The Artificery Department

The next day, Bolten stops by Rufus Fallowhide's office with schematics in hand. He places them gently on the halfling's desk. "Here you are, sir, as promised! You will be pleased to know that the patient was greatly intrigued and optimistic about your control magics. He is looking forward to perfecting his movements and treating those legs like an extension of his own body. It just has a... steep learning curve."

[DeTess]

The Esterwald Estate
"An eminently reasonable price." The baron agrees. He carefully sits down in his seat again, then picks up a sheet of paper. He quickly writes down several things on it, then signs it and puts a wax seal with the crest of house Esterwald on it. "You can take this to the Goldrow bank. They'll issue you the requested amount." He hands the paper over to Bolten. "And once again, my thanks for this wonderful creation. If any issues or questions do come up, I'll make certain to send for you immediately, though I don't expect that to be necessary."

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

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

[WindStruck]

Cirast Overhill's Abode

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

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

[Prehysterical]

The Artificery Department

Bolten shakes his heads and shrugs his shoulders. "Not for the moment. If I do, however, I will be stopping by again. Thank you again for your help."

[DeTess]

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

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

[WindStruck]

Cirast Overhill's Abode

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

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

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

She asks, "Did you actually have an idea in mind? I'll have you know, my services are not free, nor cheap.."

[DeTess]

Cirast Overhill's Abode
Silas shakes his head. "I don't know enough about what is possible to really have any concrete ideas, though I do suppose there are two areas that I know could use the most improvement. A lot of our spirits need to spend somewhere in the region of months to years in casks to age. It's a fairly low-effort part of the process, but it does mean we cant easily adjust to demand. If there was some way to speed up the aging process, that'd be really helpful. A more major issue with our process lies in the various distillates we make. That requires really precise control of the temperature as we heat up the liquor, but that's nearly impossible to manage. Some part of the vat and the liquor within will always run a bit hotter or colder than needed, which affects the taste and the amount of alcohol present. If we make a 100 casks, maybe 5 or 6 will be of the best quality, and we can throw out another 15 casks as they're just straight up undrinkable. Those that remain are somewhere between barely drinkable and 'pretty good'. It's worth it because those 5 casks that do work out are really, really good, but it'd be nice if we could get it right more often."

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

[WindStruck]

Cirast Overhill's Abode

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

She shakes her head, as she was just having trouble actually imagining it. Especially difficult since she hardly knew anything about the profession. "Manipulating time, on the other hand.. magic is definitely the best way to go about that. I think it may be possible to enchant a certain chamber for all within to move on faster.. Perhaps not a good thing for living beings to be in that.. Though I assume the yeast would be fine."

"But like I said, magic isn't cheap. I'm not sure if it would even be worth it. Erm. What brewery did you work at, again?"

[DeTess]

Cirast Overhill's Abode

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

Spoiler: OOC: the Northgate Brewery concern

Show

The Northgate Brewery concern is one of the larger producers in the city, though they don't ship much to the wider empire. They focus mostly on distilled liquors and spirits, though they produce some wines as well. They cater to all layers of society, from the cheap spirits sold in dockside dives to thousand-gp-per-bottle whiskeys for the nobility.

[DeTess]

The morning of the first day of the harvest festival began with good news from the Stormdrains district, it had now been a full four days without any new infections, and the remaining cases in the hospitals slowly recovered and returned home. This lent an extra edge of relieved happiness to the festival, as the spectre of plague had turned away from the city.

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

Meanwhile, in warehouses and out of the way plaza's throughout the city the parades that would tour the city in the evening to welcome the spirit of the Harvest are being prepared. Clockwork animals are being wound up, large balloons are slowly filled with lighter-than-air gasses and the final decorations are placed on huge carriages. The most beautiful of these would come through the upper districts for the noble's amusement, while the parades coming through the poorest neighborhoods would be stacked wit gifts of food and small pouches of money as gift from the empire to those in need.

[WindStruck]

With the buzz of activity all throughout the city, Shandara dresses down a bit, in her sandals, skirts, light blouses, and silk cloak. All the walking around, masses of warm bodies, and revelry would certainly be tiring to the frail drow and make things hotter, for sure. Still, she seemed to swing between warm, pleasantly comfortable, and chilly erratically throughout all the days.

Shandara had never really gotten to experience these harvest festivals before. When she first arrived to Vaungate, she must have just missed them. And later, when she was working under Heltzer Silverband, the miserly dwarf never made mention of the harvest festival and kept her working pretty much all through it. Of course, she heard the activity and caught glimpses of it, but didn't really know what was going on.

Now she found herself wandering the markets, perusing this and that. Much of it was.. pretty mundane, but she wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to learn something new. Maybe even experience something new, if it wasn't too wild. And yet, she still felt shy, reserved, and.. well, almost like she shouldn't be here. These were not celebrations she was used to, by far. Back home, well.. if there was ever a celebration as grand as this, surely an unlucky someone was about to be sacrificed.

So as much as Shandara did try to go out, tentatively leaving her shell, so to speak, she still felt a lot like a wall flower - unwilling or unable to fully engage with anyone...

Spoiler: ooc

Show

I'm open to random people/events coming Shandara's way.

And/or meeting with the other players! Both at the same time might be good too!

[Prehysterical]

After finalizing the deal with the Esterwalds and cleaning up the workshops, Bolten took a few days to recover before the festival arrived. Normally, he was in the camp of those who were happy to let the event go by and instead seclude themselves with a nice cup of tea. This time around, though, Bolten felt like he needed to be there. Perhaps there was the subconscious desire to see the old Baron walking around in his contraption and to hear the awed comments of onlookers. Maybe it was Bolten finally growing lonely and wanting to make a more intimate connection with people in the city. There was even the small chance that the unthinkable had happened: he needed to take a step away from clockwork and smell the roses... which he did, literally.

Although the crowds were unpleasant for the self-conscious dwarf to deal with, the sheer variety in sights and smells from the food, flowers, and drinks captivated his senses. Perhaps he would have some wares ready for the festival next year... Bolten remembered that there would be clockwork contraptions and toys showcased during the event. It would be nice to see what creative designs others had come up with.

In a moment of either intervening fate or sheer serendipity, a gap opened enough in the crowd for Bolten to see the hesitant figure of Shandara. If you had asked the dwarf a year ago if he would be happy to see a dark elf, he probably would have been skeptical. It seemed this young lady broke the mold in more ways than one... Bolten smiled and waved at Shandara to get her attention. His attire was far different than normal, consisting of a dark blue tunic with brown overalls and a pair of leather shoes. The typical tinker cap was left at home and replaced with a candle-topped mining helmet. Leather gloves completed the ensemble.

Walking over, Bolten greeted Shandara. "Well, hello there, dawri! I certainly didn't expect to see you in all this mess! Is this your first harvest festival? I've seen a few, but never wanted to take part myself. Oh, did the gems fit properly into the sword?" He knew it was probably a faux pas to discuss business during the celebration, but he wanted to be sure that Shandara was happy with his work.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I am also a fan of random shenanigans happening. Bolten needs a few curveballs thrown his way!

[WindStruck]

Shandara had just sampled a piece of cheese and was contemplating if she wanted to buy a small block of it. She notices Bolten waving and shyly waves back. "Hello, Bolten. I'm afraid it is my first festival.. and yes, the gems fit perfectly, of course." She managed to refrain from looking too bewildered at the dwarf from the question. She had brought the cut gems in for Bolten to look at first hand.. and she checked the work again when she came to pick up the sword many days ago. She figured he'd already have known they would fit. Maybe it was just some sort of banal small talk?

But what actually confused Shandara, complete with a raised eyebrow was one world. "Um.. 'Dawri'??" She thought she knew what the word meant, as she actually was pretty proficient with the Dwarven language. But still.

[Prehysterical]

In truth, the sword had given Bolten so much trouble that he had had unpleasant fantasies about the slots being just too loose and a gem slipping out during a critical juncture... like during Shandara's meeting with her client. Who in the world would have ever thought that designing a drilling machine from scratch would be easier than simply forging a blade?

Regardless, Bolten nods and smiles happily. "Glad to hear it. I hope that your client was pleased with the result." When she questioned his word choice, however, Bolten flinches a little under Shandara's gaze. "Oh... I'm sorry, a little too familiar? I understand. If you want to keep things professional, I will respect that."

Spoiler: Dawri

Show

"A friend almost as good as a dwarf."

Due to their clannish and isolationist nature, dwarves believe that no one can look for someone's interest like another dwarf. People of other races who prove to be competent or steadfast friends of dwarves are rewarded this title as a sign of trust. Many regard it as a back-handed compliment, but it is typically a term of endearment and never used sarcastically.

Spotting the cheese that Shandara is sampling, Bolten tries to change the subject. "So, what kind of cheese is that, then? Debating whether or not to take something home today."

[WindStruck]

"Oh, she was very pleased," Shandara replied. Truthfully, Shandara had her own fears about the blade not working as intended. Who knew if these Deathless kings would be even more prepared than before and nullify all the magic, or if the captain got taken out, or if gods forbid, even the magic Shandara placed upon it was faulty? A lot could go wrong, perhaps some of that even being her fault, and she could only hope she'd hear good news about this latest Deathless King being put to rest.

Flushing a bit, though it was imperceptible due to her dark skin tone, she stammers, "Well, I um, I haven't exactly heard that word often, but I can only assume it is something.. good?" Shandara really shouldn't have said anything, but she almost thought she was being called by the wrong name..

Glad to have the subject being changed to something as dull as cheese, she says, "It's, uh.." she looks over at the dairy farmer blankly, trying to jog her memory, "Griswald Cheese."

Spoiler: Griswald Cheese

Show

Many cheeses are named by who made them or where they were made. In this case there's a region called Griswald, which is known for its forests that appear ashen grey from a distance.

The cheese itself is mundane. Soft; slight aroma; and mild with a pleasing aftertaste.

[DeTess]

As Shandara and Bolten where discussing the merchant's wares, a sudden loud explosion cracks through the air from the direction of a nearby alleyway, followed by the metallic sounds of springs suddenly snapping free. Several large gears come rolling into the crowd, and the sound of cursing can be heard from the direction the explosion came from.

[WindStruck]

Shandara jumps, or rather twitches a bit at the loud explosion, but after realizing what is going on, she looks down at Bolten. "Sounds like someone's had a mechanical mishap..."

Turning back to the stall she asks, "How much for the cheese?"

She quickly buys some cheese, roughly about the size of two fists, and after stowing it in her bag, she picks up a gear that was slowly spinning to a stop. Shandara felt mildly optimistic, curious, and.. oddly enough, helpful. Though she still erred on the side of caution. She slowly approached the alley to see what exactly was the cause of the incident.

[DeTess]

The alleyway is fairly short, and opens up into a small square surrounded by houses. In the square itself half a dozen large mechanical animals have been set up, and it appears a small group of engineers had been working on assembling and preparing the beasts. Most look to be in fine state, but one of them, a majestic lion, has a gaping hole in it's back from which all kinds of gears and springs are sticking. Right now the crew that had been working on them are all gathered around two of their number, a gnome and a Goliath. On of the engineers is busy binding a wound on the Goliath's arm.

"You told me to give it a good twist, so that's what I did." The Goliath rumbles, apparently in response to a question by the gnome. "If it wasn't build to withstand that, why did you tell me to do so?"

"One of my twists you big Oaf, one of my twists!" The gnome responds, his voice rising even higher than normal in anger. "Of course it isn't build to withstand the amount of muscle you've got, just about nothing is!"

[WindStruck]

Shandara had been gingerly approaching through the alleyway, after being certain nothing else was going to explode. Though the conversation, or rather the gnome's berating of the goliath did give her pause. She felt rather shy and didn't want to interrupt. And some other thoughts crossed her mind as well.

Goliaths were.. prized, to say the least. She remembered her mother complained about wanting to own one, among other rare and unique races, of course. They were a very strong people, but not as dim-witted as ogres, by far. As rare and difficult as this race was to find, they were even harder to break. Or at least, that seemed to be the consensus where she was from. She had no personal or indirect experience in the matter.

But in any case, Shandara's thoughts were wandering where they should not go again. She really did have to be on her best behavior, at all times, didn't she? It made her feel more self-conscious, and.. she really just shouldn't be standing there silently the whole time, should she? Soon enough, she worked up the nerve to speak. She figured attention might be on her sooner or later anyway.

"..excuse me. I believe this belongs to you," she says, raising up the large cog a few more inches.

[Prehysterical]

Before Bolten even sees what happens, his ears tell a horrifying story. He knows the sound of tortured clockwork finally giving up the ghost. The sound twists his own face in sympathetic pain, knowing that someone else is having a very bad day right now. While Shandara pays for her cheese, Bolten runs after one of the rolling cogs like a parent trying to corral a precocious child. When Shandara picks up her own cog, they make for the alleyway.

The delight that would normally come from seeing the clockwork animals on display is dashed by the sorry sight of the lion's back. It also seems like the big fellow (goodness, what even is he?) was cut by the flying shrapnel. Bolten winces from the verbal lashing that the gnome is giving out, not even a recipient of the engineer's ire.

Looking to see if Shandara is likewise uncomfortable, Bolten sees that she looks as uncomfortable as he feels, but Bolten sees... something else. Her eyes seem to linger on the strange man with an almost analytical gaze, her attention on him longer than strictly necessary.

What on earth would that be all abou- Oh. Oh. Bolten looks away in slight embarrassment as he reads the situation wrong. Shandara's taste in men is not any of his business, but he certainly had not expected her to be a fan of particularly tall and muscular men. Something to keep in mind for the future...

When Shandara breaks from her reverie, the two of them approach the gnome and present the displaced cogs. Bolten pipes up after Shandara, "Aye, seems like you've got a right mess here. Would you be wanting some help?" The dwarf gives the gnome a hopeful smile, like a farmer's son asking to go to town.

[DeTess]

"Yes, yes, I suppose that belongs to us, though it won't do us any good now." The gnome responds to Shandara's question. "As for help, unless you two know... wait..." He focuses on Bolten now. "Haven't I seen you around the Artificery Society campus?" he asks.

Before Bolten gets the chance to respond they're interrupted by a string of angry sounding words in a language neither he nor Shandara is familiar with. The Goliath had gotten up and returned to the Lion, and has now retrieved a fist-sized piece of crystal from the hole in the Lion's back. A very noticeable crack is running down the middle of it.

"Ah, damn." The gnome mutters, his earlier agitation apparently having cooled quite a bit, then turns back to Shandara and Bolten. "Sorry, where are my manners. I'm Banbas Coalburner, that's my business partner Vaigr Hyrsson." He nods towards the Goliath, who has taken the crystal to a tool box and is now looking it over using a magnifying glass, showing a care that belies his large stature. "We specialize in creating lifelike clockwork creatures. I do the clockwork, and Vaigr provides them with a semblance of life. And it seems like in addition to losing the clockwork, we might have actually lost the spark of life for this creation." The mood in the little square has turned a lot quieter now, almost mournful, as Banbas' and Vaigr's staff are now all looking at the Goliath, quietly awaiting some kind of verdict.

"Well..." The gnome sighs. "If either of you is good with clockwork, you're welcome to help me with assessing the damage, but if we just lost its soul, I'm afraid there won't be much we can do to get it moving again."

[WindStruck]

"Its soul...?" Shandara asks. She looks over curiously at the crystal. "You mean to say these creations are not only controlled by the crystals, but they actually contain a soul?"

Either way, she seemed to be assessing the whole situation.

Spoiler: rolls

Show

knowledge (engineering): (1d20+8)[13]
craft (jewelry): (1d20+13)[15]
knowledge (arcana): (1d20+17)[21]
knowledge (planes): (1d20+8)[24]
knowledge (religion): (1d20+8)[26]

Last two might be informative on "souls" if an actual soul or spirit of some kind could be in them?

And also, good job coming up with something both of our character can actually do.

After a pause, she remembers to introduce herself back. "I am Shandara. And this is Bolten Cogturner. We are both of The Society." She nods to Bolten, but then looks at him with a bit more concern. She actually wasn't sure if it was polite to introduce someone else around here. She especially wasn't sure for Dwarven culture. Well, all she could really do now was hope he went along with it amiably.

[Prehysterical]

Before Bolten can think to answer the gnome's question, he pulls his mining helmet down on his head as the larger man swears at some misfortune. When things settle down, Bolten extends his hand to shake in greeting. "I am a fan of your work, if you don't mind my saying so." If Bolten takes any offense to being introduced, he certainly doesn't show it. He does hope that the gem isn't actually being powered by a soul, however. For that reason alone, he would never get into golem-crafting.

Displaying uncommon confidence, Bolten fishes out his any-tool and reshapes it into a wrench and marches over to the disemboweled lion. "Well, in the meantime, let's just see what can be done, shall we?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Bolten will cast Crafter's Fortune to gain a +5 bonus on the roll. His Traveler's Any-Tool morphs into a masterwork set of tools to help with the clockwork.
Craft (Clockwork): (1d20+24)[33]

Would Craft Construct offer any bonuses to fix the lion on the spot? Bolten has the dwarf wizard favored class bonus toward that feat.

[DeTess]

"You'd have to ask Vaigr." Banbas responds to Shandara's question. "I do the clockwork, he provides the more mystical component. I'm afraid that in many ways I'm almost as clueless to the inner workings of his contributions as he tends to be to mine."

Spoiler: Shandara's knowledge

Show

Shandara has seen a crystal like this once before. There's a collection in the Society archives of mystical objects found with the various cultures the empire has conquered. One of these items is a crystal much like what Vaigr is looking over now, though the one Vaigr holds is only about half the size of the one in the Archive collection. The crystal is known as a 'beast-hold' according to the information on it in the archives. Apparently it and other crystals like it where used by the shamans of a number of primitive clans out in the eastern reaches of the empire. The shamans supposedly used these as foci to call on powerful ancestor spirits. However, they took the exact mechanics of these summoning with them to their graves, and no one in the society has succeeded at 'waking up' the various crystals that had been recovered.

The members of these clans themselves tended towards humans, with giant, goliath and orcish blood mixed in to some extend, though some of the clans that lived higher up in the mountains consisted of (mostly) pure-blooded goliaths.

The damage to the clockwork lion was extensive, but Bolten's practiced eye could easily determine what exactly had gone wrong. The creature seemed to have been powered using a slowly unwinding spring, the remains of which where present at the bottom of the gaping hole in the lion's back. It seems the spring had woudn up too tightly, causing it to snap. It must have been enchanted to hold more energy than was put in, or it wouldn't have caused quite as much damage as it unwound explosively. The smell and scorchmarks near the top of the hole suggested that the spring hit a tank of oil on its way out, generating enough of a spark to cause a minor explosion.

Most of the gearwork that was broken was rather large and rough, meant to transfer energy from the spring to the rest of the creation, but something that was probably the cradle of the crystal Vaigr retrieved was also clipped by the explosion. An intricate connection of thin steel cables run from that cradle to the front half of the creature, and the remains of a similar network go towards the rear half, though all those lines have been cut. Repairing the lion isn't impossible, though it'd probably take several days, which is likely too long if these where meant for the festival parades coming up in the evening. If the crystal could be repaired, and a new power source inserted, it'd probably only take two hours of work to get the front half of the Lion working again, but far more work would have to be done to restore the rear half to the way it was.

"Bolten Cogturner, now where have I heard that name before..."Banbas had joined Cogturner at the remains of the lion. "You're the one that designed that new drilling machine, aren't you?"

[WindStruck]

Shandara nods to Banbas and gingerly approaches Vaigr, though still giving the large humanoid plenty of space.

She doesn't interrupt the Goliath as he inspects the crystal.

All she knew was one thing: Stones and gems just couldn't be made whole again by mundane means. Sure, you could use things like mortars, epoxies, and try to glue them back into a cohesive piece. But the actual bonds that made the stone would never be one again.

Thankfully, application of magic could change this and make a stone whole. But Shandara also knew that a magic artifact sufficiently damaged lost its magic. It unwinds and comes apart at the seams, evaporating into the ether with all the other ambient magical energies. Perhaps she could offer to cast a cantrip in order to repair the stone. But if the magic was gone, there would be little point.

She waits intently, pretty much like all the other assistants waiting for a verdict, though understandably she was not so emotionally attached as everyone else.

[DeTess]

Vaigr continues his careful observations of the crystal, then suddenly lunges for a nearby toolbox scattering it's contents as he pulls out a small padded bag. He reaches in and pull out a thumbnail sized pearl, which sheds a mild light. He holds it next to the crystal and mutters several words in a guttural language. The light in the pearl winks out , and the crystal in his hand starts to glow a bit, with it alternatingly becoming slightly brighter and slightly dimmer, in a way that reminds Shandara of a heartbeat. The light slowly becomes fainter with each successive 'beat', however.

Vaigr curses, then reaches for the small bag and retrieves a second pearl, feeding it's power into the crystal as well. The crystal lights up a bit more, but the light then continues to fade. The Goliath let's out another guttural curse, then jumps to his feet. "Assama!" He addresses one of his assistants, a female half-orc. "Start drawing the circle for the ritual of hibernation, as I taught you." The half-orc rushes to obey him, while the rest all turn away. Shandara can hear several muttered curses ans sighs coming from them. Whatever this command signifies, it wasn't good news.

The goliath then turns to Shandara. "I heard you say that you are with the Artificery Society. Please, if you've got any knowledge of enchantment and magic, you've got to help me." There's a pleading tone to his voice. "The explosion cracked the crystal, and now the power inside is leaking out, and I'm not sure how I can repair this. If it empties in its entirety, the spirit inside dies."

[WindStruck]

Shandara asks, "If I were to use magic to try to mend the crystal, would that help?"

This was a course of action she was already thinking of making. However, it was only a matter of timing, and knowing if this was something that was wanted, or helpful.

If he agrees, Shandara casts, Mending on the crystal, restoring (1d4)[2] hp to it.

[Prehysterical]

The good news is that the lion is salvageable. The other news would no doubt upset the gnomish inventor. Bolten's musings are interrupted by Banbas's question. "Hm? Oh, er, yes, that's me!" He turns to give his opinion to Banbas.

"Well, if you can get the power source running again, the front half of the lion could be fixed in time for the parade tonight. I am afraid that the situation posterior to the point of damage is a rough job, though..." Bolten stops and strokes his beard thoughtfully. "Forgive me if this sounds, well, inane, but... perhaps you would be better served by not repairing the rear portion at all! Perhaps, instead, the rear portion of the lion could be replaced by some form of cart or... what is the word... 'rickshaw'? The front half of the lion could walk like normal and pull the cart behind it! Depending on the weight tolerances, perhaps children could even ride in it!"

What initially started as a sort of half-measure to salvage the machine gets Bolten excited with the possibilities. He holds up his fists to his chest in child-like glee as his eyes light up. "You wouldn't even have to mention anything about a malfunction! Just pass it off as an experimental test model that you were attempting all along!"

[DeTess]

"You could try, but..." Vaigr shakes his head. "I tried, and almost immediately lost the spell."

The initial casting of mending goes off without a hitch, but as soon as the spell starts working on the crystal it threatens to unravel. It takes all of Shandara's expertise and will-power to stop the spell from dissipating, but eventually she manages to complete the casting. The crack is filled up with crystal, though the color isn't quite the same. The crystal is still slowly draining energy, but it goes a lot slower now than it did before.

Vaigr frowns, then gets out his magnifying glass again. He spends a few moments looking over the crack, then a slight smile crosses his face, disappearing just as quickly. "Luka, Baston run to the workshop and get the remaining Pearls. And hurry!" He orders a pair of assistants on their way, before turning back to Shandara.

"Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do that myself." He points at the now-filled in crack in the crystal. "What you've done is akin to growing a scab on a wound. He'll still need more energy to fully recover, but he'll live."

Mean while, at the Lion, Banbas thinks Bolten's idea over. "Hmmm... having children ride it is probably not to good an idea, but replacing the hindquarters with some form of wheels could work. It'll have to look good though, not just for the parade, but to convince its soul as well. They tend to be a bit picky, or so Vaigr tells me, anyway." Banbas walks over to a nearby box of tools and gets out a sheet of parchment and a piece of charcoal and starts making a number of rough sketches. After a couple of minutes he shows one to Bolten.

"I'd like a second opinion on this one before I show it to Vaigr." The sketch shows the creature with the front half of the Lions till in place. It's rear half isn't exactly like a cart though, instead showing a single large wheel that's be in-line with the center of mass. "I reckon I could make it look like a fusion of the old and the really new, going for a single wheel instead of the two you'd see on a cart. Balance would normally be an issue, but that's the nice thing with these spirit-friends of Vaigr, they can adapt for a lot of that on the fly."