The Royal Artificery Society - OOC II: electric boogaloo

[DeTess]

players:

Player	Character	Race
Prehysterical	Bolten Cogturner	Dwarf
Windstruck	Shandara	Drow
MrAbdiel	Aiden Sorveaux	Human

retired players:

Player	Character	Race
Armonia13	Xavier Trafalgar	Human
Sønderjye	Zacharias "Z" Volenta	Human
pi4t	Meredith Dockson	Human
Elbeyon	Symphony of "Zeal"	Warforged

Lore snippets:

Spoiler: Important people in the Society

Show

Lokhad Forgeheart, Master of the Facilities
Lokhad is an old dwarf, with a long greying beard and piercing blue eyes. He sued to be a talented smith, and still teaches theorethical courses on metallurgy, but his advanced age has robbed him of the strength to properly wield a forging hammer. Instead, he oversees the care and sue of the many workshops on the campus, and deals with misdemeanours of Society members while on campus grounds. He is known for being willing to go to significant lengths to help the members of the Society do their work, but if you purposefully mistreat the facilities or put parts of the campus in danger with reckless experiments he'll make you regret it.

Headmaster Owena Dey
Owena is half-elf, and the Headmaster of the academy housed in the campus. She's a district disciplinarian, and in a constant low-key war with the entertainment district near the campus. Though some might find her moralizing a bit tiresome, there's little doubt that she's got a great eye for talent among both students and prospective teaching staff, and her connections among the high nobility can be of great use to those she favors.

Cirast Overhill, Curator of Alchemy
Cirast is a middle-aged halfling of unusually large size in every dimension except height. He's known as connoisseur of fine dining and finer beverages, and his detractors scoff that his skill at alchemy is merely a side-effect of his desire to brew alcohol from every single fruit, vegetable and mushroom ever discovered. Nonetheless, it'd be a mistake to dismiss his skills. His knowledge of alchemical formulas is vast, and it's been said he can determine the full ingredient list of a potion from just the tiniest of sips.

Maria Escribano, Curator of Engineering
The humans of House Escribano earned its place among the high nobility on the battlefield's of the age of conquest. Their members where the very finest siege engineers in the Emperor's employ, and Maria is no different, though she applies her knowledge too less martial endeavours. She has had her hands in tons of designs, from the aqueducts that provide water throughout Vaungate and many other major cities, to the cranes that help unload ships in the harbor in record time, to the massive wind and watermills that process the empire's grain. Her workshops have produced many fine designs, and it's said that she never does something small.
The only thing that comes close to matching her intellect and creativity is her temper. Those that seek advice or favors from her know to be straight and to the point, as she cannot stand those that waste her time.

Jassin Iliran, Curator of Architecture
"Form and Function" is the motto of the Iliran stoneworks. No embellishment should be without function, but every design should be elegant nonetheless. Jassin considers it to be every Architect's calling to make the most practical building possible, while making the most beautiful building possible. Iliran has designed many of the grandest buildings in the capital, and the elf's style is emulated by many other architects. Apart from the aesthetics, one of the things that sets Iliran apart from their peers is the foresight involved in the elf's designs. The most clear example of this was the expansion of the Imperial theater, where the acoustics of the theater allowed shows to continue even while the work was happening, with none of the noise of construction penetrating into the great halls where performances where being held. This wasn't a happy accident, but a targeted effort by the elf to dampen noise coming from the most likely sites for expansion of the building.

The elf is rarely seen in public, preferring the peace of their offices. Nonetheless, they seem to have an uncanny ability to know exactly what's going on in the city, and where their services will be required.

Ralph Curnow, Curator of Biology
Curnow is the most respected doctor int eh empire. Though frequently called upon to attend the emperor and the high nobility, he makes a point of spending time to advice in the various hospitals and wards in the poorer districts as well. He helps who he can, irrespective of their social status, and treats everyone with the same firm but friendly way. He's dictated several books on best practices in medicine, including the importance of cleanliness to avoiding infections, and he has helped end many harmful practices based on what he considers 'counterfactual superstitions'.
However, he is only one man, and though many have sought to study under him, he has never made time to teach, referring those that would seek his mentorship to others, or to his books instead. There are also periods in which he becomes completely unavailable, something those closer to him attribute to his unwillingness tos top working until his body forces him to get rest.

Kou Maron, Curator of the Archives
When many people think of an Archivist, they imagine a stuffy and old librarian, constantly fussing over books. And this is true for quite a few of the archivists on the campus, but not for Kou. She's the youngest person to ever hold the title at only 27 years of age, and spends most of her time away from the archives. Instead she travels the empire and beyond, tracking down rare volumes and bringing them back. Her capacity for finding rare volumes is without peer, and she's found many books thought lost forever.
When she is in the capital, the young catfolk is visited by many researchers looking to convince her to track down a work they need next. She also spends time recovering works that have been lost in the labyrinthine depths of the archives themselves, as her near-perfect memory allow her to effortlessly track down every book currently in the collection.

Szid Dustmark, Curator of artifice
Little is known about Szid's history. The kobold arrived at the campus one day, walked into an artificer's workshop and casually corrected an incredibly complicated enchantment the artificer had been working on for weeks. Szid speaks very little, and spends most of his time holed up in his small office, working on the most wondrous designs, though many of them are too complicated for anyone else but him to implement, and he rarely turns his designs into reality. Nevertheless, many improvements in the field of artifice and enchantment have been made through decoding the diminutive kobold's designs, even if the full extend of his work is still beyond the understanding of most in his field.

Spoiler: The empire and Vaungate

Show

Raimel Tarian
Raimel is the current emperor, and like the rest of the Tarian dynasty he's a half-elf. He finished the unification of the empire in his youth after the death of his father in battle, and has ruled (mostly, there where a couple of rebellions in his early reign) in peace. He's well liked among the general populace as a fair and reasonably generous ruler, and he's respected among the Nobles as a just arbiter of conflicts, as well as feared for being a ferocious general. However, there are rumours at court that the now venerable emperor's mind is slowly starting to fail, and a variety of nobles are looking to try to take advantage of this.

Isalar Tarian
Isalar is the emperor's grand-daughter and heir. She grew up on the frontier, but has recently been called to the Empire's capital of Vaungate. She's still something of a wild-card at court, generally keeping to herself, but those that have had cause to deal with her talk about her cunning intellect and sharp wits.

The government
Though the emperor is of course the leader of the empire, he does very little direct governing. Most of this is handled by the layers of Dukes, earls and barons below him. The emperor primarily issues general orders and edicts that the nobles need to execute, and handles disputes between nobles. Though the dukes have estates in the capital and spend at least several months each year at the court themselves, most of the other nobles are spread across the empire, governing their land in accordance with the emperor's laws and wishes, but having a reasonable amount of freedom with regards to how they implement the emperor's will. Some rule alone and with an iron fist, while others have instituted councils of influential citizens to aid with their decision making. Some Nobles are well-liked, others are miniature tyrants only barely kept in check by the empire's laws.

Vaungate
Vaungate is the empire's capital, and a massive city with a population just in excess of 1 million citizens. Though many of its citizens are affluent, there are some poorer slums in the citys outskirts. The city itself houses many vaunted institutions, such as the Artificery Society, the Temple Conclave, the High Tribunal and the headquarters of the Ranger's guild (think a cross between an adventurer's guild and an empire-wide police force). And of course at the centre of the city lies the emperor's cout and the estates of the high Nobles that directly attend him.

The Artificery Society campus
The artificery society occupies a large campus on the city's outskirts. Within the campus are workshops, libraries, dormitories, observatories, lecture halls and all the other buildings needed to keep an institute of science and learning running. Technically outside of the campus, but considered part of it are the personal workshops and residences of the more influential members of the society. The campus is bustling and busy at all times of the day, alive with the hammering of forges, the trundling of waterwheels and the crackle of magical contraptions as the members of the society ply their trade.

Right outside the campus is a bustling entertainment district as well, where the students that come to study under the teachers of the society congregate during their free time.

The harbor district
The harbor district is home to one of the largest markets in the city, where exotic goods from all voer the empire and beyond are traded. Here one can find anything from fish to spices to exotic animals to rare metals. It is often said that if you cannot find it in this market, it does not exist. Clustered around the market are the offices of a number of 'acquisitions firms', Merchants specializing in finding rare and exotic goods for their clients, primarily Nobles, but also the occasional artificer.

races in the empire
Humans and half-humans (half-elves, half-orcs) make up a significant portion, with the other core races (Elves, dwarves, gnomes) having significant populations as well. Anything else is rarer. Though an attempt has been made and is being made to culturally integrate everyone, there are differences based on the area's people hail from, though differences based purely on race are rarer, as the various races often intermingled in the smaller kingdoms and fiefdoms before the current empire took over.

However, the dwarves in particular make up significant sub-cultures with their own set of habits and unspoken rules because most dwarven clans got integrated in the empire through rather favorable treaties, rather than conquest. Most emperors during the age of conquest had the wise response of 'Yeah, screw that' when confronted with the prospect of laying siege to a dwarven hold, while most dwarven clans understood that it'd be best to learn to live and deal with the sprawling empire that now surrounded their mountain homes.

IC thread: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ery-Society-IC
First OOC thread: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ry-Society-OOC

[DeTess]

@windstruck, how exactly where you planning to go about trying to send water back?

Regarding your experiments with the wood, the wood as a whole is slightly magical, but not in a way that is associated with any particular school. You also noticed that if you cast light directly at one of the crystal veins, it lights up and will remain lit for several hours before eventually fading. Ghost stound will cause the specific vein you cast it as to vibrate slightly for just a moment.

[MrAbdiel]

Hmm. How many weeks/months til Midwinter?

[WindStruck]

@windstruck, how exactly where you planning to go about trying to send water back?

So what Shandara is using are some metal rings, maybe aluminum, tin, or silver? Just needs to be something somewhat workable and not completely flimsy. Hopefully not too expensive too.

As in with her first experiments, one ring effectively summons the water within it, and it spews out. In order to try sending it back, first she'll want a large bucket and to suspend the first ring above it. The idea is the water collects in the bucket. Then when she activates the second ring, the idea is it's just a reversal of the first.

It would ideally be kind of like teleport or plane shift, though I can see how it's problematic and not so simple as "reversing" something. Whereas in the first case I'm attracting or pulling something, now we are pushing something.

The idea is, "take water from within this ring/area, send it to plane of water at xyzy15249 coordinates" or whatever. Normally this would be quite difficult as there would already be water there, but the idea is effectively replacing the water we are taking?

Also, please let me know of any further expenses on these experiments. I've already deducted the rental fee for the lab room.

[DeTess]

@mrabdiel, 7 weeks from now.

@windstruck, could you roll me a knowledge (the planes) and a knowledge (arcana)?

[WindStruck]

Oh boy, here we go!

planes: (1d20+9)[28]

And I'll use my casting of investigative mind for arcana.

arcana: (1d20+17)[20]

or (1d20+17)[26]

[DeTess]

Okay, so what you pretty quickly find out is that just reversing the process doesn't work. It is a bit like trying to pour water into a bucket that is already full. You can think of two ways to try and get around it. First is brute force, with enough energy you can force water to go against the flow. A more energy efficient, but difficult to execute on option would be to adapt the process so first some space is created you could then fill with water, turning the entire thing into a two-step process. Of course, if your only goal is to have a way to dump water somewhere it won't bother you, sending it to some other plane that is not full of water, like the elemental plane of fire, might be easier.

edit: it should be noted that if you sync up your taking and returning rings to operate at the same time from the same spot that would work, but the end result is no water created, and you'd pretty quickly start getting the same bit of water cycling between the two rings. Still, there might be something you could do with that process.

[WindStruck]

Okay, so what you pretty quickly find out is that just reversing the process doesn't work. It is a bit like trying to pour water into a bucket that is already full. You can think of two ways to try and get around it. First is brute force, with enough energy you can force water to go against the flow. A more energy efficient, but difficult to execute on option would be to adapt the process so first some space is created you could then fill with water, turning the entire thing into a two-step process. Of course, if your only goal is to have a way to dump water somewhere it won't bother you, sending it to some other plane that is not full of water, like the elemental plane of fire, might be easier.

edit: it should be noted that if you sync up your taking and returning rings to operate at the same time from the same spot that would work, but the end result is no water created, and you'd pretty quickly start getting the same bit of water cycling between the two rings. Still, there might be something you could do with that process.

Yes, that's the general idea for when we want to "recycle" water without being wasteful, as in... operating a decorative fountain, for instance. Perhaps, there could even be water mills operated in such a fashion! Almost like a perpetual motion machine! Except that really shouldn't be allowed to work. I'm sure the costs of magic energy and materials make up for it.

Now that you mention it, and I'm thinking about it more, perhaps this whole endeavor is simply ... stupid? My main concern was regarding unsustainable practices and trying to "put back" what was taken, but if I wanted to have something like a fountain... I could just have a SINGLE ring, pulling water from a designated reservoir on the same plane.

So.. I think maybe we should just scrap this idea.

[DeTess]

Yes, that's the general idea for when we want to "recycle" water without being wasteful, as in... operating a decorative fountain, for instance. Perhaps, there could even be water mills operated in such a fashion! Almost like a perpetual motion machine! Except that really shouldn't be allowed to work. I'm sure the costs of magic energy and materials make up for it.

Now that you mention it, and I'm thinking about it more, perhaps this whole endeavor is simply ... stupid? My main concern was regarding unsustainable practices and trying to "put back" what was taken, but if I wanted to have something like a fountain... I could just have a SINGLE ring, pulling water from a designated reservoir on the same plane.

So.. I think maybe we should just scrap this idea.

There might still be useful things to this process. Plus, the Artificery society does do research for the sake of it as well, so if nothing else you can write a paper about your findings as you planned.

[WindStruck]

Hello, just checking in. Not sure where to go from here. It seems there won't be much challenge (aside from spending plain time and effort) into finishing up the report that Shandara wants to write up. And that will probably not take but a day or two more to finish and polish off.

So, will there be any special events or interactions that happen when finishing this?

Or if not, maybe the next thing to do is waiting to meet up with Aiden again?

[DeTess]

Sorry, health has been a bit all over the place last week, so I had little energy left for the game.

@windstruck, if you have no further experiments left to do you can finish your write-up in a day or two without any issues.

@prehysterical, could you roll me a craft (clockwork) or similar?

@mrambdiel, can you roll me a craft (woodwork) for the violin prototype? I assume you're using the fancier woods you got, and since those aren't generally used for musical instruments you can't take 10.

[MrAbdiel]

Cooly cool. Well, I think by the time he gets home, it's more than halfway through the day; and he might just put that time into the boat with the lads and daydreaming about his art project for the Archduchess. But the next day he'll get to it.

He's fascinated by the new wood but expects that might take him a little slower, more careful effort to pull off. So his plan is to make a regular violin in the style he intends to make the later masterwork one from the special wood; the masterwork coming in the form more present in particular resonance qualities and such things that are unlikely to radically change through the process. That way, Shandara can get to work imagining how she will get to enchant the thing.

I'll mark off the 1gp,6sp,7cp it costs for the raw mats for a regular violin; but I'll roll even though he's using normal wood. He's trying to make this one with enchanting in mind, with a few of the insights he gleaned from briefly borrowing Shandara's enchanting skill, after all.

I think I'll hold off using that day's +8 luck bonus because... it's starting to feel a tad cheesy to lean on it when we're working in this timescale. A 'little' roll like this doesn't quite deserve it!

Luthiersmanship - (1d20+22)[34]. No need to accelerate the creation, so the DC for a high complexity item is typically 20.

34*20=680sp worth of woodwork in a week, or 97sp 1cp in a day's work. ~9GP is clobbers the base cost of 5GP for the normal quality instrument, though I'll naturally yield to suggestions that it takes more time because of enchanting considerations etc. But under normal conditions he should crank it out the following day and deliver it to Shandara that evening. Then he's free to start doing some small experimentation on the Tundra Oak and Bogwood. If there's anything he can do to increase his odds of successfully completing the product, sort of practical research on the materials in his workshop, he'd be keen to do some of that.

[WindStruck]

If need be, Shandara does have spells like Crafter's Fortune which could help with a project like this. But it seems Aiden has this.

[MrAbdiel]

Awesome spell. I can only apply the highest bonus between it, and his Inexplicable Luck; but I would feel less dishonest using the spell sometimes instead of exploiting the timescale of the game to use the feat for every roll!

[DeTess]

34*20=680sp worth of woodwork in a week, or 97sp 1cp in a day's work. ~9GP is clobbers the base cost of 5GP for the normal quality instrument, though I'll naturally yield to suggestions that it takes more time because of enchanting considerations etc. But under normal conditions he should crank it out the following day and deliver it to Shandara that evening. Then he's free to start doing some small experimentation on the Tundra Oak and Bogwood. If there's anything he can do to increase his odds of successfully completing the product, sort of practical research on the materials in his workshop, he'd be keen to do some of that.

Yeah, you can have it ready on the next day.

Regarding experiments you could do, for the bog wood the main concern is its acoustic properties. It is very soft and porous, almost spongy, s you could make a simpler instrument to experiment with that (maybe a basic flute). For the Tundra Oak the acoustic properties are also a bit off a concern, but the main trouble will be working it in a precise way due to how hard it is. You could just practice a little in that regard, or look into the specific methods used to shape it to see if there is anything you could learn from that.

[WindStruck]

For porous wood, maybe you could coat it in a thin layer of wax?

[DeTess]

@mrabdiel, I feel like +3000 gp is a bit much for a tool set made of adamantine, but I also established that the price of adamantine is currently higher than normal due to a shortage, so let's just go with that price for the current situation.

[MrAbdiel]

For porous wood, maybe you could coat it in a thin layer of wax?

A good plan to avoid it taking on water - a bit of the old wax and varnish! But the softness of it makes me think it'll make a bad violin based on the tension element (see IC post for rambling!) So I think we're going with the hardwood... if I can soften it temporarilly. I feel like using Shape Wood is cheating, though...

@mrabdiel, I feel like +3000 gp is a bit much for a tool set made of adamantine, but I also established that the price of adamantine is currently higher than normal due to a shortage, so let's just go with that price for the current situation.

Excellent.

Also, prohibitively expensive! Aiden will have to do everything else first; and then perhaps use a single adamantine chisel he borrows or something, and take a penalty!

[Prehysterical]

Certainly.

Bolten will be casting Crafter's Fortune before the check.

Craft (Clockwork): (1d20+22)[37]

[DeTess]

No issues with realizing your design. In fact, you can add another minor feature to it as you work without any further rolls if you want.

[WindStruck]

I am wondering if the society has a workshop with tools he can borrow? That would be a lot more sensible than shelling out 3000 gp for some tools you probably only use for one job. Also 3000 gp you don't have.

[MrAbdiel]

Yeah... Getting some magic super tools is high on my OOC priority list; but IC my priorities are making little overalls for rats and helping orphans repair boats and building a big fancy house and donating my busking money to charity.

When I make the masterpiece for the Winter Ball, I'll use my commission money to get some better tools.. but for now, gotta figure a way to brute force through this Tundra Oak problem if we wanna make some simoleans helping the ranger out!

[DeTess]

I am wondering if the society has a workshop with tools he can borrow? That would be a lot more sensible than shelling out 3000 gp for some tools you probably only use for one job. Also 3000 gp you don't have.

That is an option, though for adamantine tools there might be a bit of a waiting list involved. But Aiden could definitely check with the facilities office to see if there is something available to hire.

[MrAbdiel]

That is an option, though for adamantine tools there might be a bit of a waiting list involved. But Aiden could definitely check with the facilities office to see if there is something available to hire.

Then he will do so when I next post!

Also:

There was just one thing that was bothering Shandara. If she warded the violin against the sonic energy type, would it have difficulty or be impossible to play music with it? She wasn't about to waste resources testing out a permanent enchantment to find out. Instead, she would seek out someone who could cast a spell temporarily on the object.

That's... fascinating, actually. Imagine the implications.

"Ah, the Deafness spell? Yes, in fact it's actually a sort of variation of Endure Elements, 'protecting' the subject against 'environmental' sonic effects... like those which routinely vibrate the eardrum."

[Prehysterical]

No issues with realizing your design. In fact, you can add another minor feature to it as you work without any further rolls if you want.

Can Bolten come up with an ink tray reload system that will minimize mess and increase the amount of printing per load?

[WindStruck]

I think I've progressed another day or two. If it's too hard to carve some rune markings into the wood (because Shandara's not actually a carpenter) I think simply marking/inking them will work for now.

She should also be in the process of actually writing up a paper, preparing to publish it.

For now, though, I just need to find someone I can pay to cast resist elements (sonic) on the violin.

[DeTess]

Can Bolten come up with an ink tray reload system that will minimize mess and increase the amount of printing per load?

Sure, that should be fine.

For now, though, I just need to find someone I can pay to cast resist elements (sonic) on the violin.

How did you want to go about that? You could post a notice somewhere, or just try asking around on the campus, or some other approach I didn't immediately think off.

[WindStruck]

How did you want to go about that? You could post a notice somewhere, or just try asking around on the campus, or some other approach I didn't immediately think off.

I'm not really sure on the specifics of the details, but in a big city like this, game rules would state that it's generally possible to simply buy this service from someone or somewhere. So I don't think going through the lengths of posting a notice is needed, but there should probably be several likely places I could try asking.. like shops that sell magic items, or perhaps there are some known sorcerers or wizards around here.

[DeTess]

I'm not really sure on the specifics of the details, but in a big city like this, game rules would state that it's generally possible to simply buy this service from someone or somewhere. So I don't think going through the lengths of posting a notice is needed, but there should probably be several likely places I could try asking.. like shops that sell magic items, or perhaps there are some known sorcerers or wizards around here.

Oh, yeah, there is little doubt that you'll be able to find someone, but the way you go about it might influence who you find. And within the artificery society every third person or so can cast some sort of spell. The spell you're looking for is a 2nd level one so the amount of people that could actually cast it is a bit more limited than that of course, but if you're just going to ask around I can run with that. I'll try to post sometime tomorrow or the day after that with who you managed to find.

[WindStruck]

I think the most convenient thing would be asking around at some known magic shops. Shandara can also wait a day or two for them to prepare the spell on a following day.