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/showthre...ctric-boogaloo
Previous IC thread: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ery-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.

Spoiler: ooc

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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.

Spoiler: ooc

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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.

Spoiler: ooc

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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?"

Spoiler: OOC: New Character Goal

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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..."

Spoiler: OOC: Child Labor Statistics

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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!"

Spoiler: OOC:

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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."