Notes on the Aether (Rae judging)
Boddynock
First Post
[sblock=Wik]OK, MW dwarven waraxe it is. Tarag'll make a start on it - having received a message to that effect. We'll do the paperwork for the craft points when Elthic takes delivery, and assume that it's worked out offstage at some later point (but we'll apply the cost to this transaction). Who knows, maybe Elthic's pulled some strings with a supplier? Tarag's been having trouble with the coal merchant.Wik said:
[/sblock]
Rae ArdGaoth
Explorer
You look in the forest surrounding the tower for some kind of hideout, and you don't have to look far. Concealed beneath some natural looking brush, you find the entrance to a long, thin tunnel. Upon further exploration, the thin tunnel widens out in a sort of small hovel, then thins again until suddenly it ends up against the foundation of the tower.
Against the solid stone block, you can see some blank pieces of parchment (possibly spent scrolls) and broken shards of medal. The foundation wall is undamaged. Back in the hovel are two cots, a meager supply of dried rations, and a backpack. Up against the wall is a strangely shaped shovel. Its handle is curved and twisted, perhaps to provide more leverage and make the act of digging more ergonomic. Also, branded on the handle is a complex seal of interweaving lines.
In the bag you find a few spare sets of clothes, a couple of mundane daggers, and a plain leather bound book with detailed maps and diagrams inside. Some of the maps look like professional blueprints of tunnels, others are quick hand drawn sketches. None of the maps are of familiar places, and the text, though present, is very specific and unhelpful. (Things like, "left, right, skip 2, left" on the sketches, and "8' diameter" or "grate control wheel" on the blueprints.)
Against the solid stone block, you can see some blank pieces of parchment (possibly spent scrolls) and broken shards of medal. The foundation wall is undamaged. Back in the hovel are two cots, a meager supply of dried rations, and a backpack. Up against the wall is a strangely shaped shovel. Its handle is curved and twisted, perhaps to provide more leverage and make the act of digging more ergonomic. Also, branded on the handle is a complex seal of interweaving lines.
In the bag you find a few spare sets of clothes, a couple of mundane daggers, and a plain leather bound book with detailed maps and diagrams inside. Some of the maps look like professional blueprints of tunnels, others are quick hand drawn sketches. None of the maps are of familiar places, and the text, though present, is very specific and unhelpful. (Things like, "left, right, skip 2, left" on the sketches, and "8' diameter" or "grate control wheel" on the blueprints.)
Trouvere
Explorer
"If we'd known this was here all along, we could have slept in style, instead of on tree roots," says Keldar sardonically. "They went to a lot of trouble to excavate it, for no useful outcome. How did they get into the tower in the end? Did Thyrin tell any of you?" he asks.
"Daggers, daggers... you can never have too many daggers.... Does anyone want these? I have eight. I'm running out of places to put them. If you don't have a dagger, make sure you take one. You'll regret it if you don't."
After the group's quick perusal of the book, Keldar decides to leave the first detailed examination to Tommy.
"Left, right, skip, skip, left?" he ponders out loud. "It sounds like a promising dance step. Rapture?"
"Daggers, daggers... you can never have too many daggers.... Does anyone want these? I have eight. I'm running out of places to put them. If you don't have a dagger, make sure you take one. You'll regret it if you don't."
After the group's quick perusal of the book, Keldar decides to leave the first detailed examination to Tommy.
"Left, right, skip, skip, left?" he ponders out loud. "It sounds like a promising dance step. Rapture?"
covaithe
Explorer
"Such an interesting design for something as mundane as a shovel," Tommy muses, turning the shovel over and peering at its markings intently. He sets it aside when Keldar starts flipping through the book, craning his head to see the diagrams over Keldar's shoulder, and quickly taking the book of offered.
ooc: Tommy will take a close look at the shovel to see if there are any indications that it might be magical. He won't Detect Magic on it just yet, but will plan on doing so before going to bed. He'll make whatever knowledge checks are appropriate on the blueprints, of course.
ooc: Tommy will take a close look at the shovel to see if there are any indications that it might be magical. He won't Detect Magic on it just yet, but will plan on doing so before going to bed. He'll make whatever knowledge checks are appropriate on the blueprints, of course.
Trouvere
Explorer
Keldar readily hands over the book. He pokes around the other items, shaking out the clothing and checking any pockets there might be.
"Let's get out of this smelly place," he says at last. "Thyrin's not going to like knowing it was dug under his very nose. He'll probably summon an earth elemental to collapse it or fill it in as soon as we tell him. Funny! Do you remember, Samina offered to cast a spell to detect secret passageways? We'd have found this hideout before ever we entered the tower. Well, well. Things might have gone differently, or they might not."
"Let's get out of this smelly place," he says at last. "Thyrin's not going to like knowing it was dug under his very nose. He'll probably summon an earth elemental to collapse it or fill it in as soon as we tell him. Funny! Do you remember, Samina offered to cast a spell to detect secret passageways? We'd have found this hideout before ever we entered the tower. Well, well. Things might have gone differently, or they might not."
Rae ArdGaoth
Explorer
Tommy peruses the book for a while, flipping through the maps and sketches. He has seen plenty of prints in the Academy's library, but those collected in this book are just all over the place. Notably, he recognizes the grid like maps to be sewer systems, some of the sketches are probably caves or cave networks. Also documented are mansions, a couple of towers (though none that are Thyrin's floorplan), and one massive public building, probably a court house. Tommy knows that Fallon must have an impressive water works to deal with the constant influx of water, but he has no idea what it looks like.
The shovel does not seem magical, though it is obviously well designed.
Keldar remembers that a huge network of sewer tunnels remains beneath Orussus from the creatures that originally built the city. But a quick glance from Tommy shows that the maps in the book are on too small of a scale to accommodate minotaurs, if the blueprint measurements are accurate.
You bring the book and shovel to the front door. Cassandra appears almost instantly. The book elevates out of Tommy's hands and hovers in the air before her. Pages flip before her eyes, and she hmmm...'s "Now this is quite a find. Look at these pages:" The book spins around and reveals some of the professional blueprints. These are of a five story tower, of similar diameter and shape to Thyrin's tower, but the floor layouts are completely different, and there's not a furnace. Of note, there is an additional floor beneath the first: a basement, as it were.
Cassandra chuckles and says, "Perhaps his wariness is not so misplaced as I thought. Come on, let's go talk to him." She brings you all upstairs to the library, where Thyrin is writing at his desk. You show him the book and the shovel, Cassandra mentions the pages she showed you all.
"Aha! You see, I told you that fellow was a scoundrel! Ah, you all are unaware of course. When I first built my tower, I commissioned a Fallonese architect living in Orussus to draw up the plans. He was a likable fellow, and supposedly had experience in designing some of the public buildings in Fallon, but something didn't smell right about him. I paid him and sat on the plans for a while, and then decided to scrap them and make my own plans. Took a lot of research, but I got it together, and even put a furnace on the second floor. I didn't feel confident enough to build a basement, however, so I just filled in a big foundation. Stone is cheap when you have living earth on your staff." He turns to Cassandra. "She thinks I'm crazy for having tossed those expensive blueprints, but I am vindicated! So they thought they could break into my tower through the basement... Ha!"
"These other prints, though, they don't ring a bell... Some of them look like sewer systems, though I certainly couldn't say which city. Doesn't Orussus have a sewer system? As for this, it is a rather odd shovel. I can't say I know anything about that either. There is a spell... it gleans information about obscure items, but it is beyond my abilities. Beyond the abilities of any wizard I have had the pleasure of meeting, actually. I've only read about it in books. But... perhaps a bard might be able to help! Grenton is rather short on bards, but I know of at least one famous fellow in Orussus. Val- eh... Valley Doll, or some such." Thyrin taps his chin for a moment.
"Tell you what. You folks find out about these bandits for me, and I'll compensate you for your trouble. No need to bring anybody to justice or anything, I'd just like to know who's after me and why. Will you do that for me?"
The shovel does not seem magical, though it is obviously well designed.
Keldar remembers that a huge network of sewer tunnels remains beneath Orussus from the creatures that originally built the city. But a quick glance from Tommy shows that the maps in the book are on too small of a scale to accommodate minotaurs, if the blueprint measurements are accurate.
You bring the book and shovel to the front door. Cassandra appears almost instantly. The book elevates out of Tommy's hands and hovers in the air before her. Pages flip before her eyes, and she hmmm...'s "Now this is quite a find. Look at these pages:" The book spins around and reveals some of the professional blueprints. These are of a five story tower, of similar diameter and shape to Thyrin's tower, but the floor layouts are completely different, and there's not a furnace. Of note, there is an additional floor beneath the first: a basement, as it were.
Cassandra chuckles and says, "Perhaps his wariness is not so misplaced as I thought. Come on, let's go talk to him." She brings you all upstairs to the library, where Thyrin is writing at his desk. You show him the book and the shovel, Cassandra mentions the pages she showed you all.
"Aha! You see, I told you that fellow was a scoundrel! Ah, you all are unaware of course. When I first built my tower, I commissioned a Fallonese architect living in Orussus to draw up the plans. He was a likable fellow, and supposedly had experience in designing some of the public buildings in Fallon, but something didn't smell right about him. I paid him and sat on the plans for a while, and then decided to scrap them and make my own plans. Took a lot of research, but I got it together, and even put a furnace on the second floor. I didn't feel confident enough to build a basement, however, so I just filled in a big foundation. Stone is cheap when you have living earth on your staff." He turns to Cassandra. "She thinks I'm crazy for having tossed those expensive blueprints, but I am vindicated! So they thought they could break into my tower through the basement... Ha!"
"These other prints, though, they don't ring a bell... Some of them look like sewer systems, though I certainly couldn't say which city. Doesn't Orussus have a sewer system? As for this, it is a rather odd shovel. I can't say I know anything about that either. There is a spell... it gleans information about obscure items, but it is beyond my abilities. Beyond the abilities of any wizard I have had the pleasure of meeting, actually. I've only read about it in books. But... perhaps a bard might be able to help! Grenton is rather short on bards, but I know of at least one famous fellow in Orussus. Val- eh... Valley Doll, or some such." Thyrin taps his chin for a moment.
"Tell you what. You folks find out about these bandits for me, and I'll compensate you for your trouble. No need to bring anybody to justice or anything, I'd just like to know who's after me and why. Will you do that for me?"
Last edited:
Trouvere
Explorer
Keldar's eyes open wide in protest for a moment.Rae ArdGaoth said:
Keldar looks to the others with the air of a man considering deeply. He nods. "I'd love to. But we'd better leave Galwynn behind," he says to the room at large. "Paladin of Halina, remember. He just lives for justice and bringing thereto. And midwifery, of course. He hears 'nuance', he thinks of sisters of first time parents. He hears 'circumspect', he thinks of unfortunate baby boys. He hears... no, I'm all out. I guess Galwynn can come."
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