Arc smiles slightly at Thia's words, riposting her quoted words with a set of his own, "Hold fast to dreams. For if dreams die, then life is like a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly."
Looking back to Tarian, Arc nods his head and gives a polite smile, "I thank you for the offer, but that'd be both rude to Corti, and troublesome for me and my family's opinion. And while I'm sure that Mr. Sparks is a grand and interesting fellow, the value of meeting him doesn't outweigh the cost of it. Currently at least." Looks to Corti and gives a more apologetic sigh, "....again, I am sorry for Uncle's behavior towards you. For what it's worth, I am of the belief that you are more than what you were made to be."
Arc just ignores Brandt. "It was a pleasure to meet you Lady Thia. Miss Tarian, Miss Corti, have a wonderful day." Arc then leaves the building and starts walking home, as he was likely left behind by his carriage and likely peeved Uncle.
After Arc left, Tarian immediately turned to Corti. “Look, Corti, I’m sorry. You’re a person, not a… a ‘unit,’ but I thought I’d have to talk like him to get him on our team. I’m not as good with people as you are, nor as clever as I gather Thia is. Maybe you two would’ve had better luck without me.” Tarian looked to Thia. “I mean, he seems to have taken special notice of you.” Tarian frowned. “Either that, or he just holds a special disdain for those who’ve picked up a sword more than a book.” She placed her hand on the pommel of her sword to illustrate to which of those groups she belonged.
“But the man does have a measure of skill, and might have a grain of humanity somewhere in there. I mean, that hand—” Tarian pointed to where Thia had the prototype prosthetic Arc had given her, “—I know who needs it, and how long it’s been since she lost her fingers. There hasn’t been a lot of time between now and then, and I didn’t get the impression he had anything like that just lying about. He must’ve gone without sleep to put that thing together. Maybe one day she’ll be able to paint again.”
She shook her head. “Either that or I’m reading too much into this. I have the tendency to do that.”
Tarian flexed and stretched, limbering stiffed limbs. “Anyway, no offense to you, Mister Brandt, Miss Colette, but this isn’t exactly the kind of establishment where I’d usually while away my free time.” She turned to Corti and Thia. “While I’m not as familiar with the Forge as I am the Docklands, I can at least get you safely where you need to go, if you need to go.”
Before leaving, Tarian exchanges information with Brandt on the locations of the Golden Gear and the Golden Rooster Inn.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.
Corti nods to Arc, "I appreciate the apology. And I'm glad that we can both agree on that."
As Tarian speaks up, Corti turns, surprised at the sudden speech. "Don't worry, Tarian, I know you didn't mean any harm." She puts her hand on Tarian's shoulder as she speaks, "And I think Arc has other things on his mind, I'm not sure if Thia and I would have made much of a difference on our own."
After Tarian's last offer, "I'd like to track down Bellows... but I'd also be happy to accompany any of you." she finishes with a smile.
Thia would just blink a few times, hanging in silence for a moment, recapping everything that just happened. "Tarian, I agree with Corti. Truthfully, I lean on your knowledge and wits for all of this political jargon." she'd wave her hand as if batting away an annoying fly at the last part of her sentence. "You both make it easier for me to navigate these waters.And, quite honestly, I have no idea how to interpret him. Sure we can speak study just fine, no different than our discussion on herbalism, Tarian" she'd shrug, "But I have been a little hung up on the 'Lady' prefix." Thia did in fact try her hardest not to react to it at all, but it didn't go unnoticed. It was very unusual to her. "I was starting to think I was reading too much into it."
"Though..." Thia would pull out the prosthetic hand again, "You know who this could have been meant for?" How could I be so dense to think it was just for research and study purposes?Her expression would harden and she'd let out a long drawn out sigh before looking up at Tarian. She doesn't have the heart to admit out loud that the medical field is still generations away from this insight... prosthetics like this currently only serve an aesthetic purpose. Admitting it out loud would have to mean she too may have to give up her resolve. Thia would put on the most encouraging smile she could, "Maybe one day. I would love to see it."
"Would any of you know where I can get my hands on some Silver Thread? I feel like I'll need to finish a project. Preferably tonight now..."
"None taken. I didn't make my arrangements with the comfort of others in mind. At least not the comfort of you four in mind. I suggest if in the future you wish to meet people in places that bring you less discomfort that you give them some prior notice and not them down and meet them while they're conversing. Or else you'll end up in places like this and they might be doing more than just simply conversing, if you catch my drift."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Tarian’s nod and apathetic response betrayed her history: she had walked in on more than one bounty in the middle of the act at the White Maiden. However, knowing Tarian had seen him in such a state might make traveling together awkward for Brandt, so she figured it was something she should probably avoid, anyway.
Tarian lightly tapped her fist into her other palm as though she could jar a thought out that way. “Silver thread… Sounds like a specialty material to me. Not something I’ve ever shopped for. But anything I’ve ever needed I’ve always found in the Souk. If nothing else, I know someone down there who knows just about everything. Maybe he’ll know, if you don’t mind having a cup of tea.”
Tarian looked to Corti. “And last I’d seen Bellows, he was still at the Cannith forge. Don’t know if he’s still there, though. If he’s not, first I’d check would be Hammer and Ale, since that seems the place the Cannith’s strikers frequent.”
Tarian gestured toward the door. “If you’re ready, I can take you two wherever you’d like to go first.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
It would finally click in to Thia what everyone's been hinting about this establishment. She almost facepalms at her own naivety, I am dense. Chuckling to herself a little Of course Brandt would love this place. She'd take another look around with 'fresh eyes'. I suppose it's its own house of education. There's probably a few things one could learn here... Thia would look to Collette, making eye contact. Takes a strong, sharp-witted women to do what they do. She would nod with a polite smile before shrugging and moving on to the conversation.
Insight on Collette: 7
"Thank you Tarian, I definitely can keep that in mind." She'd appreciate the suggestion to stop in with Tarian to speak with someone she knows if push came to shove, tea sounds nice. "For now though, I'd be happy to tag along to meet this Bellows character." Thia would smile to Corti. "And if we happen to stumble upon some shops of interest along the way, that'd be bonus."
Thia would tuck the prosthetic hand back in her bag again as she gets up to follow Corti and Tarian out the door. She'd call out to Brandt, "Take it easy old man. See you later!"
I guess that 30 is old these days. "See ya, kid!" Brandt waves to the others as they exit before turning back to Collette. "Now, where were we before we were interrupted?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
As Thia locks eyes with Colette, she is surprised to see in her clear eyes not a coy seductress, but the steely gaze of a stone-cold survivor, a woman determined to make the best out of every situation, no matter how wrotten a situation it may be. She is taken aback, since just a moment later, the impression has past, and the facade is back, making her seem like nothing more than the other girls in the place, but for her tattoo on her face.
With that, Thia, Corti and Tarian get up to leave Brandt and Colette and get ready to make their last preparations. They agree to meet each other on the evening of the next day, at the Golden Rooster Inn, to talk with Sparks. Although it was evening already, the sun was basking the city in golden light, and the streets were brimming with activity, as people seemed wanting to make the most of the nice evening. Making their way to the Cannith Forge in hope of finding Bellows there, the three pass through the streets and past a few street vendors, offering skewered meats and fresh apples. Beyond that however, the stores and shops here seemed mostly just to be places to get food, or spend the night. Thia hoped she might find some silver thread closer to her place in Uptown, but it was getting late, and many of the shops would be closed... Maybe Tarian could show her the place she had in mind in the Souk? Thia wasn't sure what the normal hours of business for the Souk were, she hadn't spent much time there...
After about twenty minutes of following the streets and heading for the large smokestacks, the small group reaches the factory yard. They can hear the melancholy tune of a mandolin, and the chorus of several workers singing an old war song: "...and as the Dusker's shot rang out at night, the Legionnaires dropped or ran before their might! Though the day had been a great success, the war continued nonetheless! And many battles that still came, yet Cyre still fell in Flames. So many gone, so many that will never return, for Breland they fought, for peace they yearn..." As one of the workers sees Corti approaching, they open up the gates and welcome the three of them in. "Corty, how can we help ye?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
With the three of them gone, Colette returns to Brandt, giving him a questioning look: "I heard you were planning to go East? What's there for you that you can't find here? And I hope you were going to finish that weapon for me first, before you left the city..."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
"There's a job that those guys think I can help them with. It'll pay 50 gold, which does sound pretty good. I doubt that this job is going to take me out of town before I can finish your gun, but if it does, I'll just tell them that I have to sit this one out. I'm sure that they can do it without me and it's not like I signed a contract with them."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
"Well, thanks for your kind words, but I don't want to tie you down here, if you're looking to go out on adventure. I'd far rather have you part, wishing to come back to me soon, than to stay and grow tired of me." She adds the last part with a wink, before adding: "That swordwoman seems capable enough, but I doubt the rest of them will be up for much, should they really have to fight. You might be overestimating them by a lot. And by the sounds of it, they were planning to leave soon, are you sure you will have my gun finished by then?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
Brandt smiles and looks about the room for a moment. "Well, there's a lot worse places to be tied down to than here, I'll tell you that much." Brandt shrugs at the notion that he might be overestimating the lot of them. "Well one of them is a Warforged, so she saw action during the war, even if she doesn't act like it. The other girl seems like she's got a good brain between her ears, even if she's a bit young. At the very least, they can't be any worse than the guys I had to watch over during Sparks' presentation."
He sighs when she brings up the gun being ready. "No, it'll be a week. I'll probably be out of town by the time the parts are ready. But if you give the guy this and tell him that you're picking up an order for a Mister Brandt, you should probably be able to get them without much trouble." He gives her some money that should cover the cost of the parts and gives her directions to Krathgar's. "Actually, he works in a bad part of town, so maybe send someone else."
"I'll take the job and make sure that none of the kids get hurt. Just promise that you'll still be pretty when I get back, okay?" Brandt says, giving her a wink of his own.
Corti says her farewells to Brandt and Colette before they walk out.
Corti grins and takes her lute out at the sound of the song she hears. Folks of good taste, all of them. Picking up the melody as the three of them walk, she begins skipping ahead when they approach the gate pulling up fast and stopping her playing in front of the worker, “Hello there! I don’t suppose you’ve seen Mr. Bellows around have you?”
After a lot of walking, Arc eventually arrives home. Entering in through the front door, he takes but a second to make sure there's nothing to stop him from heading to his room, before doing just that. Once there, he doffs his gear and simply cleans up lightly before going back to his work bench, and getting started on the prosthetic hand/fingers, mk.2.
Arc knew that the bones and the articulations weren't any particular challenge. He understood the mechanics of the human hand well enough to craft those within a couple days' time. But beyond a nice letterweight, the articulated hand wouldn't serve a purpose, since it wouldn't be able to move. Somehow, he would need to imbue the prosthetic with a way to obey the wearer's mental commands, so as to being able to function as a normal hand. The answer needed to be permanent, and it couldn't be something that would cause the wearer pain in the long term, since no one would be willing to get a prosthetic, if it kept causing them pain, so that left out any attempts to link the prosthetic to the remaining muscle fibres and tendons in the hand.
No, the solution to the problem would be an arcane one, Arc could feel it. Throwing himself into his studies, he consulted multiple books on a plethora of arcane disciplines, trying to read broadly for inspiration. After several hours of this, he had managed to distil several alternatives that could serve as avenues of exploration:
There existed a spell that cast forth arcane hands that could obey commands for a while, the Magehand invocation, which he knew already. The problem with the spell was that the hand that was created wasn't strong enough and too large to be practical.The spell also didn't last nearly long enough to serve as a permanent prosthetic.
A second avenue might be provided by the shapechanging abilities of some druids, bards, and wizards, though he knew little of their spells to know exactly which might provide the most long term and best suited solution.
A third possibility would be to try and find a way to simply animate the prosthetic, and treat it like an object. He knew that artificers in the past had managed similar feats, but didn't know how permanent the spells would be, or hoow much concentration controlling the prosthetic would require.
The fourth option he saw was to make the prosthetic a special type of homunculus, which he could bind to the person that would be given the prosthetic. He wasn't sure how easily the prosthetic would obey commands however, and didn't know whether it would be strong and dextrous enough to be truly practical.
Fifithly, there were some powerful wizards that had managed to move objects telekinetically. If some of the magic of such spells could be included into the prosthetic, maybe it would allow the wearer to move the hand as if it was a normal limb.
While all of these possibilities might provide him with the right answer, he had already gleaned that many of the magics described where still far beyond his own understanding, and might take further years of study. On the other hand, if he had an object to work with, he might be able to imbue it with multiple incantations at the same time, in order to bolster effects and extend the duration of the magic long enough to become practical. Either way, he'd have to leave the books behind and start to experiment...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
I'm in my mid twenties... I'm not a kid... I'm just a little short...Thia would muse to herself as she leaves with the girls.
As Corti skips and joins in to the tune, Thia couldn't help but bob her head side to side to the beat, enjoying the song as they approach. She'd stand silently behind Corti as she speaks.
"Bellows? He's 'ere, follow me". With that, the small gnome was leading the way to a toolshed at the back end of the factory yard, which currently also seemed to function as a temporary living quarter for the foremen. A set of short taps later, and the rickety door to the shed swung open, with the large form of the quarterorc filling out the small frame: "Oh, hello Corti, and ah... welcome Miss. Have we met?"
Tarian meanwhile, content to have brought the other two to their destination and wanting to get an early night to tackle a day full of activities, was heading off towards the docklands. Perhaps, she thought, she might drop by the White Maiden to see Grumm and talk to him about what happenend to Marcellus Riley, since she had left him in his care.
After about forty minutes of brisk marching through the city's streets, Tarian arrived in front of the White Maiden, smelling and hearing the establishment before actually rounding the corner and seeing it. By the sounds of it, a few ships must've recently landed in port, with the majority of their crews hoping to blow of some steam in the local cathouse. Chances were therefore good that Grumm would be around. Before she had to enter the establishment however, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. As she spun around, hand on the hilt of her sword, she saw the large half-orc throw up his hands, defensively. "It's me, don't kill. Sorry 'bout the man. Tried to get him out, but he ran. Didn't find him. Don't know who done 'im in. Mite have been one of tha locals, mite 'ave been a saelour."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
“Grumm,” Tarian started. Her mouth was dry. Everything Grumm-related recently hadn’t gone well: asking him to watch her back, asking him to smuggle Riley out, asking him for information on Riley’s death, even the Three-Dragon Ante game a week before also ended with Tarian losing money somehow despite winning almost every flight. “That man…” she clapped her left hand onto Grumm’s left shoulder, and had to step a pace closer to reach up to do so. “…Was an idiot. I knoh y’ wehd’ve got ‘im out. Best thin’ for y’ t’ do now is t’ not think on ‘im again. Ferget you or I ever saw th’ man.” Tarian sighed, and her hand slid off Grumm’s shoulder. “Thanks, tho’. I’d’a been in a real spot were y’ not hyurre fer me. Consider th’ dreamroot case closed.”
Tarian punched Grumm in the arm just hard enough for him to remember it for a while, and Grumm did the same to her. They both gave each other noncommittal grunts and walked away.
I know it’s possible he was lying, but there’s no point in questioning him further. He could’ve done Riley in himself, but to what end? He would’ve proudly told me the truth if he killed him just because I didn’t want him to die. And if the one who did kill Riley gave Grumm the order to say nothing, pressing Grumm might have gotten me something useful, but the value of the information wouldn’t have been worth the cost of what I’d have to do to Grumm. Riley’s body is sure to be gone and the crime scene cleaned up at this point, so there’s no sense asking where it happened.
Riley... you’re—you were—an idiot.
Tarian drew and exhaled a long, cleansing breath. The scents of the sea and the White Maiden blended uncomfortably; she could taste aromas on her palate that had no business on the tongue, and she knew it would linger well after she left the area.
I suppose while I’m in the neighborhood, I may as well at least check what ships have just come in. Cimber was supposed to be coming by sea; if he’s not here yet, I can at least see what’s on the ships coming in ahead of him. Then to Thorbek’s, to see if he knows where I can get some silver thread for Thia. Hopefully that’ll work as an apology for just leaving her and Corti at the forge.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Arc smiles slightly at Thia's words, riposting her quoted words with a set of his own, "Hold fast to dreams. For if dreams die, then life is like a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly."
Looking back to Tarian, Arc nods his head and gives a polite smile, "I thank you for the offer, but that'd be both rude to Corti, and troublesome for me and my family's opinion. And while I'm sure that Mr. Sparks is a grand and interesting fellow, the value of meeting him doesn't outweigh the cost of it. Currently at least." Looks to Corti and gives a more apologetic sigh, "....again, I am sorry for Uncle's behavior towards you. For what it's worth, I am of the belief that you are more than what you were made to be."
Arc just ignores Brandt. "It was a pleasure to meet you Lady Thia. Miss Tarian, Miss Corti, have a wonderful day." Arc then leaves the building and starts walking home, as he was likely left behind by his carriage and likely peeved Uncle.
After Arc left, Tarian immediately turned to Corti. “Look, Corti, I’m sorry. You’re a person, not a… a ‘unit,’ but I thought I’d have to talk like him to get him on our team. I’m not as good with people as you are, nor as clever as I gather Thia is. Maybe you two would’ve had better luck without me.” Tarian looked to Thia. “I mean, he seems to have taken special notice of you.” Tarian frowned. “Either that, or he just holds a special disdain for those who’ve picked up a sword more than a book.” She placed her hand on the pommel of her sword to illustrate to which of those groups she belonged.
“But the man does have a measure of skill, and might have a grain of humanity somewhere in there. I mean, that hand—” Tarian pointed to where Thia had the prototype prosthetic Arc had given her, “—I know who needs it, and how long it’s been since she lost her fingers. There hasn’t been a lot of time between now and then, and I didn’t get the impression he had anything like that just lying about. He must’ve gone without sleep to put that thing together. Maybe one day she’ll be able to paint again.”
She shook her head. “Either that or I’m reading too much into this. I have the tendency to do that.”
Tarian flexed and stretched, limbering stiffed limbs. “Anyway, no offense to you, Mister Brandt, Miss Colette, but this isn’t exactly the kind of establishment where I’d usually while away my free time.” She turned to Corti and Thia. “While I’m not as familiar with the Forge as I am the Docklands, I can at least get you safely where you need to go, if you need to go.”
Before leaving, Tarian exchanges information with Brandt on the locations of the Golden Gear and the Golden Rooster Inn.
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.
Corti nods to Arc, "I appreciate the apology. And I'm glad that we can both agree on that."
As Tarian speaks up, Corti turns, surprised at the sudden speech. "Don't worry, Tarian, I know you didn't mean any harm." She puts her hand on Tarian's shoulder as she speaks, "And I think Arc has other things on his mind, I'm not sure if Thia and I would have made much of a difference on our own."
After Tarian's last offer, "I'd like to track down Bellows... but I'd also be happy to accompany any of you." she finishes with a smile.
I do both party and individual character commissions. PM me for info.
Corti- Warforged bard (Union!)
Hadar Jaffe- Half-elf Knowledge Domain Cleric (Nemo's Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun)
Thia would just blink a few times, hanging in silence for a moment, recapping everything that just happened. "Tarian, I agree with Corti. Truthfully, I lean on your knowledge and wits for all of this political jargon." she'd wave her hand as if batting away an annoying fly at the last part of her sentence. "You both make it easier for me to navigate these waters. And, quite honestly, I have no idea how to interpret him. Sure we can speak study just fine, no different than our discussion on herbalism, Tarian" she'd shrug, "But I have been a little hung up on the 'Lady' prefix." Thia did in fact try her hardest not to react to it at all, but it didn't go unnoticed. It was very unusual to her. "I was starting to think I was reading too much into it."
"Though..." Thia would pull out the prosthetic hand again, "You know who this could have been meant for?" How could I be so dense to think it was just for research and study purposes? Her expression would harden and she'd let out a long drawn out sigh before looking up at Tarian. She doesn't have the heart to admit out loud that the medical field is still generations away from this insight... prosthetics like this currently only serve an aesthetic purpose. Admitting it out loud would have to mean she too may have to give up her resolve. Thia would put on the most encouraging smile she could, "Maybe one day. I would love to see it."
"Would any of you know where I can get my hands on some Silver Thread? I feel like I'll need to finish a project. Preferably tonight now..."
just an unstable unicorn.
Does Corti know any merchants?
History: 4
edit: oop probably not then
I do both party and individual character commissions. PM me for info.
Corti- Warforged bard (Union!)
Hadar Jaffe- Half-elf Knowledge Domain Cleric (Nemo's Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun)
"None taken. I didn't make my arrangements with the comfort of others in mind. At least not the comfort of you four in mind. I suggest if in the future you wish to meet people in places that bring you less discomfort that you give them some prior notice and not them down and meet them while they're conversing. Or else you'll end up in places like this and they might be doing more than just simply conversing, if you catch my drift."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Tarian’s nod and apathetic response betrayed her history: she had walked in on more than one bounty in the middle of the act at the White Maiden. However, knowing Tarian had seen him in such a state might make traveling together awkward for Brandt, so she figured it was something she should probably avoid, anyway.
Tarian lightly tapped her fist into her other palm as though she could jar a thought out that way. “Silver thread… Sounds like a specialty material to me. Not something I’ve ever shopped for. But anything I’ve ever needed I’ve always found in the Souk. If nothing else, I know someone down there who knows just about everything. Maybe he’ll know, if you don’t mind having a cup of tea.”
Tarian looked to Corti. “And last I’d seen Bellows, he was still at the Cannith forge. Don’t know if he’s still there, though. If he’s not, first I’d check would be Hammer and Ale, since that seems the place the Cannith’s strikers frequent.”
Tarian gestured toward the door. “If you’re ready, I can take you two wherever you’d like to go first.”
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.
It would finally click in to Thia what everyone's been hinting about this establishment. She almost facepalms at her own naivety, I am dense. Chuckling to herself a little Of course Brandt would love this place. She'd take another look around with 'fresh eyes'. I suppose it's its own house of education. There's probably a few things one could learn here... Thia would look to Collette, making eye contact. Takes a strong, sharp-witted women to do what they do. She would nod with a polite smile before shrugging and moving on to the conversation.
Insight on Collette: 7
"Thank you Tarian, I definitely can keep that in mind." She'd appreciate the suggestion to stop in with Tarian to speak with someone she knows if push came to shove, tea sounds nice. "For now though, I'd be happy to tag along to meet this Bellows character." Thia would smile to Corti. "And if we happen to stumble upon some shops of interest along the way, that'd be bonus."
Thia would tuck the prosthetic hand back in her bag again as she gets up to follow Corti and Tarian out the door. She'd call out to Brandt, "Take it easy old man. See you later!"
just an unstable unicorn.
I guess that 30 is old these days. "See ya, kid!" Brandt waves to the others as they exit before turning back to Collette. "Now, where were we before we were interrupted?"
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
As Thia locks eyes with Colette, she is surprised to see in her clear eyes not a coy seductress, but the steely gaze of a stone-cold survivor, a woman determined to make the best out of every situation, no matter how wrotten a situation it may be. She is taken aback, since just a moment later, the impression has past, and the facade is back, making her seem like nothing more than the other girls in the place, but for her tattoo on her face.
With that, Thia, Corti and Tarian get up to leave Brandt and Colette and get ready to make their last preparations. They agree to meet each other on the evening of the next day, at the Golden Rooster Inn, to talk with Sparks. Although it was evening already, the sun was basking the city in golden light, and the streets were brimming with activity, as people seemed wanting to make the most of the nice evening. Making their way to the Cannith Forge in hope of finding Bellows there, the three pass through the streets and past a few street vendors, offering skewered meats and fresh apples. Beyond that however, the stores and shops here seemed mostly just to be places to get food, or spend the night. Thia hoped she might find some silver thread closer to her place in Uptown, but it was getting late, and many of the shops would be closed... Maybe Tarian could show her the place she had in mind in the Souk? Thia wasn't sure what the normal hours of business for the Souk were, she hadn't spent much time there...
After about twenty minutes of following the streets and heading for the large smokestacks, the small group reaches the factory yard. They can hear the melancholy tune of a mandolin, and the chorus of several workers singing an old war song: "...and as the Dusker's shot rang out at night, the Legionnaires dropped or ran before their might! Though the day had been a great success, the war continued nonetheless! And many battles that still came, yet Cyre still fell in Flames. So many gone, so many that will never return, for Breland they fought, for peace they yearn..."
As one of the workers sees Corti approaching, they open up the gates and welcome the three of them in. "Corty, how can we help ye?"
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
With the three of them gone, Colette returns to Brandt, giving him a questioning look: "I heard you were planning to go East? What's there for you that you can't find here? And I hope you were going to finish that weapon for me first, before you left the city..."
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
"There's a job that those guys think I can help them with. It'll pay 50 gold, which does sound pretty good. I doubt that this job is going to take me out of town before I can finish your gun, but if it does, I'll just tell them that I have to sit this one out. I'm sure that they can do it without me and it's not like I signed a contract with them."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
"Well, thanks for your kind words, but I don't want to tie you down here, if you're looking to go out on adventure. I'd far rather have you part, wishing to come back to me soon, than to stay and grow tired of me." She adds the last part with a wink, before adding: "That swordwoman seems capable enough, but I doubt the rest of them will be up for much, should they really have to fight. You might be overestimating them by a lot. And by the sounds of it, they were planning to leave soon, are you sure you will have my gun finished by then?"
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
Brandt smiles and looks about the room for a moment. "Well, there's a lot worse places to be tied down to than here, I'll tell you that much." Brandt shrugs at the notion that he might be overestimating the lot of them. "Well one of them is a Warforged, so she saw action during the war, even if she doesn't act like it. The other girl seems like she's got a good brain between her ears, even if she's a bit young. At the very least, they can't be any worse than the guys I had to watch over during Sparks' presentation."
He sighs when she brings up the gun being ready. "No, it'll be a week. I'll probably be out of town by the time the parts are ready. But if you give the guy this and tell him that you're picking up an order for a Mister Brandt, you should probably be able to get them without much trouble." He gives her some money that should cover the cost of the parts and gives her directions to Krathgar's. "Actually, he works in a bad part of town, so maybe send someone else."
"I'll take the job and make sure that none of the kids get hurt. Just promise that you'll still be pretty when I get back, okay?" Brandt says, giving her a wink of his own.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Corti says her farewells to Brandt and Colette before they walk out.
Corti grins and takes her lute out at the sound of the song she hears. Folks of good taste, all of them. Picking up the melody as the three of them walk, she begins skipping ahead when they approach the gate pulling up fast and stopping her playing in front of the worker, “Hello there! I don’t suppose you’ve seen Mr. Bellows around have you?”
I do both party and individual character commissions. PM me for info.
Corti- Warforged bard (Union!)
Hadar Jaffe- Half-elf Knowledge Domain Cleric (Nemo's Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun)
After a lot of walking, Arc eventually arrives home. Entering in through the front door, he takes but a second to make sure there's nothing to stop him from heading to his room, before doing just that. Once there, he doffs his gear and simply cleans up lightly before going back to his work bench, and getting started on the prosthetic hand/fingers, mk.2.
Arc knew that the bones and the articulations weren't any particular challenge. He understood the mechanics of the human hand well enough to craft those within a couple days' time. But beyond a nice letterweight, the articulated hand wouldn't serve a purpose, since it wouldn't be able to move. Somehow, he would need to imbue the prosthetic with a way to obey the wearer's mental commands, so as to being able to function as a normal hand. The answer needed to be permanent, and it couldn't be something that would cause the wearer pain in the long term, since no one would be willing to get a prosthetic, if it kept causing them pain, so that left out any attempts to link the prosthetic to the remaining muscle fibres and tendons in the hand.
No, the solution to the problem would be an arcane one, Arc could feel it. Throwing himself into his studies, he consulted multiple books on a plethora of arcane disciplines, trying to read broadly for inspiration. After several hours of this, he had managed to distil several alternatives that could serve as avenues of exploration:
There existed a spell that cast forth arcane hands that could obey commands for a while, the Magehand invocation, which he knew already. The problem with the spell was that the hand that was created wasn't strong enough and too large to be practical.The spell also didn't last nearly long enough to serve as a permanent prosthetic.
A second avenue might be provided by the shapechanging abilities of some druids, bards, and wizards, though he knew little of their spells to know exactly which might provide the most long term and best suited solution.
A third possibility would be to try and find a way to simply animate the prosthetic, and treat it like an object. He knew that artificers in the past had managed similar feats, but didn't know how permanent the spells would be, or hoow much concentration controlling the prosthetic would require.
The fourth option he saw was to make the prosthetic a special type of homunculus, which he could bind to the person that would be given the prosthetic. He wasn't sure how easily the prosthetic would obey commands however, and didn't know whether it would be strong and dextrous enough to be truly practical.
Fifithly, there were some powerful wizards that had managed to move objects telekinetically. If some of the magic of such spells could be included into the prosthetic, maybe it would allow the wearer to move the hand as if it was a normal limb.
While all of these possibilities might provide him with the right answer, he had already gleaned that many of the magics described where still far beyond his own understanding, and might take further years of study. On the other hand, if he had an object to work with, he might be able to imbue it with multiple incantations at the same time, in order to bolster effects and extend the duration of the magic long enough to become practical. Either way, he'd have to leave the books behind and start to experiment...
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
I'm in my mid twenties... I'm not a kid... I'm just a little short... Thia would muse to herself as she leaves with the girls.
As Corti skips and joins in to the tune, Thia couldn't help but bob her head side to side to the beat, enjoying the song as they approach. She'd stand silently behind Corti as she speaks.
just an unstable unicorn.
"Bellows? He's 'ere, follow me". With that, the small gnome was leading the way to a toolshed at the back end of the factory yard, which currently also seemed to function as a temporary living quarter for the foremen. A set of short taps later, and the rickety door to the shed swung open, with the large form of the quarterorc filling out the small frame: "Oh, hello Corti, and ah... welcome Miss. Have we met?"
Tarian meanwhile, content to have brought the other two to their destination and wanting to get an early night to tackle a day full of activities, was heading off towards the docklands. Perhaps, she thought, she might drop by the White Maiden to see Grumm and talk to him about what happenend to Marcellus Riley, since she had left him in his care.
After about forty minutes of brisk marching through the city's streets, Tarian arrived in front of the White Maiden, smelling and hearing the establishment before actually rounding the corner and seeing it. By the sounds of it, a few ships must've recently landed in port, with the majority of their crews hoping to blow of some steam in the local cathouse. Chances were therefore good that Grumm would be around. Before she had to enter the establishment however, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. As she spun around, hand on the hilt of her sword, she saw the large half-orc throw up his hands, defensively. "It's me, don't kill. Sorry 'bout the man. Tried to get him out, but he ran. Didn't find him. Don't know who done 'im in. Mite have been one of tha locals, mite 'ave been a saelour."
Union!- Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Embers in the Dark - Errydha (Homebrew) Setting
Welcome to the Jungle- Far Realms
Citadel of the Unsleeping Sun - Erathis (Grim Hollow) Setting
Yevelda the Mutt- 3rd Level Half-Orc Battlemaster Fighter- Far Realms
Rehgys- 5th Level Satyr Bard of Eloquence- Far Realms
“Grumm,” Tarian started. Her mouth was dry. Everything Grumm-related recently hadn’t gone well: asking him to watch her back, asking him to smuggle Riley out, asking him for information on Riley’s death, even the Three-Dragon Ante game a week before also ended with Tarian losing money somehow despite winning almost every flight. “That man…” she clapped her left hand onto Grumm’s left shoulder, and had to step a pace closer to reach up to do so. “…Was an idiot. I knoh y’ wehd’ve got ‘im out. Best thin’ for y’ t’ do now is t’ not think on ‘im again. Ferget you or I ever saw th’ man.” Tarian sighed, and her hand slid off Grumm’s shoulder. “Thanks, tho’. I’d’a been in a real spot were y’ not hyurre fer me. Consider th’ dreamroot case closed.”
Tarian punched Grumm in the arm just hard enough for him to remember it for a while, and Grumm did the same to her. They both gave each other noncommittal grunts and walked away.
I know it’s possible he was lying, but there’s no point in questioning him further. He could’ve done Riley in himself, but to what end? He would’ve proudly told me the truth if he killed him just because I didn’t want him to die. And if the one who did kill Riley gave Grumm the order to say nothing, pressing Grumm might have gotten me something useful, but the value of the information wouldn’t have been worth the cost of what I’d have to do to Grumm. Riley’s body is sure to be gone and the crime scene cleaned up at this point, so there’s no sense asking where it happened.
Riley... you’re—you were—an idiot.
Tarian drew and exhaled a long, cleansing breath. The scents of the sea and the White Maiden blended uncomfortably; she could taste aromas on her palate that had no business on the tongue, and she knew it would linger well after she left the area.
I suppose while I’m in the neighborhood, I may as well at least check what ships have just come in. Cimber was supposed to be coming by sea; if he’s not here yet, I can at least see what’s on the ships coming in ahead of him. Then to Thorbek’s, to see if he knows where I can get some silver thread for Thia. Hopefully that’ll work as an apology for just leaving her and Corti at the forge.
"On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy." --Kevin Flynn, Tron (1982)
Out of context, also applicable to Dungeons & Dragons.