Shenua squeezes Diego's hand, giving him a nod and with a confident smile. "We can do this." Then, turning to Iromae and noticing her initial hesitation, she reassures her, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. And correct me if I'm wrong, Grathna" the tiefling glances at the half-orc, making sure she isn’t mistaken, "no tools are needed to activate the failsafe, right? You only need to press the specific panel indicated in the blueprints and it should activate. But bear in mind: the failsafe isn’t meant for regular use. I wager it will require a hard push—nothing excessive, but certainly more strength than Vorenus and I will need for the gears."
Now facing the wizard, her expression turns serious, and she locks eyes with him as she says, "We need to be gentle with those gears, okay, Vorenus? Handle them carefully. Imagine..." Shenua pauses, searching for a good example. "Imagine holding a small bird in your hands—you need to grip it firmly enough that it doesn’t fly away, but gently enough not to hurt it. So remember, be gentle with the gears, alright?"
Finally, she turns to Grathna. "I have my own set of Thieves’ Tools and Smith’s Tools, but I think the Tinker’s would work best for something this delicate. Do you have any spares we could borrow? It would take me an hour to transform my tools, and I think time is of the essence."
(@ddp: as always, I'm inventing everything. If something I said doesn't match, just correct me!)
Iromae nods at Shenua's encouraging words. "Alright then. I'm ready unless Grathna has something to add." She also listens as Shenua starts to explain to Vorenus the need to be gentle. She grins a bit, thinking he does probably need the reminder but wondering how he will take it. At the last moment she adds in her own encouragement. "I'm sure you will be just perfect at the Vorenus. You know exactly what to do!"
@Fair: Don't worry; I'll speak up if anything goes too far. In the meantime, have fun with it!
Grathna listens intently, arms crossed as she surveys the group’s discussion. When Iromae asks about tools, she shakes her head.
“No tools needed for the failsafe. Just a solid push in the right spot. It’s designed as an emergency measure, so it’s not delicate work — though if the mechanism is stuck from disuse, it might take a bit of effort.” She eyes Iromae. “You look strong enough. Just don’t hesitate when the moment comes.”
At Shenua’s question about spare tinker’s tools, Grathna grunts thoughtfully before striding over to a nearby workstation. She rummages through a toolbox, muttering under her breath, before pulling out a well-worn but well-maintained set of tinker’s tools.
“Here. These should do the trick.” She hands them to Shenua, then levels a serious look at the tiefling and Vorenus. “And she’s right about the gears — too rough and you’ll strip the alignment, too soft and they won’t move into place. Balance is key. If the failsafe works, you’ll only have seconds to get it right.”
Grathna then looks over at Diego, smirking slightly. “Harmonic regulators, huh? We’ll see if your music’s got the magic touch.”
Finally, she scans the room, making sure everyone is prepared. “Alright. You’ve got a plan. If this works, great. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to rethink fast. No heroics — if something starts going wrong, call it out. Let’s get this done.”
"I'm ready," Iromae says. "If you all are." She moves over to the stabilizer, locating where Shenua had pointed out the failsafe. Assuming everyone is ready, she moves to press the correct spot. She didn't want to say anything, but she was a tiny bit worried. 'Surely I'm not the strongest of our group. I have never ever been told I look strong! What is that one thinking?' But she tries to ignore her doubts and just take care of the task at hand.
Shenua grabs a pair of tweezers from the tinker's tools pouch, hands one to Vorenus, and says, "Come on, let's see how those hands work."She coordinates with him on which gears each of them will arrange, and when they finish, she says, "I'm ready." Looking to Diego and Iromae, the tiefling adds, "Just say the word!"
Diego looks over his friends faces and smiles. Pulling his lute around he winks at Grathna and plucks the strings, Shall we my loves?
He starts into a tune of friendship, gently finger picking the notes, his voice soft, calm and reassuring...
Here's to that very first friend that I made. The one who said "yes" when I asked her to play. Whose name I'd repeat over and over again So astounded and grateful that she was my friend.
And here's to that friend who grew up by my side, Who so graciously came along for the ride. Who was privy to all of my grand hopes and dreams And complicit in all of my hair-brained schemes.
All hail to that friend ever loyal and true, Who was just as naïve about what we should do. We were sisters who faced new adventures each day Testing the waters on our long wending way.
Praise to that friend who knew all of my pain, Who kept every secret silent and safe. The one who would hold me whenever I cried And then still made me laugh till it ached inside.
Grathna watches as the group moves into position, her sharp eyes scanning their faces, their movements, and the stabilizer itself. She crosses her arms and exhales heavily through her nose before speaking.
“You got the right idea,” she says, nodding at Shenua. “The failsafe’s not meant for everyday use, but it was built for emergencies — so it’s designed to override anything interfering with the stabilizer. If this enchantment is some kind of sabotage, then it should — should — clear it, at least for a moment.”
Her gaze flicks to Iromae. “You don’t need brute strength. Just put your weight into it and press firmly until you feel a click. If it fights back, don’t let up.” She tilts her head, considering. “Though if something does go wrong, I’d rather you back off than force it. This is delicate work. Better to regroup than break something we can’t fix.”
As Diego begins playing, her stern expression softens just a fraction. She listens, arms still crossed, one finger tapping against her bicep in time with the rhythm. When he finishes, she lets out a small huff that might be approval.
“Alright,” she says, nodding once. “You know the plan. You’re as ready as you’ll ever be.” She takes a step back. “Go for it.”
Iromae presses the failsafe panel, and she feels immediate resistance beneath her fingers. It’s stiff — clearly not designed for casual use — but with determination, she leans in and applies steady pressure. For a heartbeat, nothing happens. Then, with a deep click, the panel depresses fully.
The response is instantaneous. A faint hum vibrates through the stabilizer, and for a brief moment, the ever-present distortion in the air — caused by the lingering enchantment — flickers and wavers. It’s like a heat haze suddenly dissipating, revealing the true, undistorted flow of magic beneath.
“Now!” Grathna barks.
Shenua and Vorenus are already in motion, tweezers in hand. The gears, once misaligned and sluggish, now spin more freely. It’s still delicate work — any heavy-handed movement could throw them off again — but with their combined precision, they begin realigning the stabilizer’s intricate components. Shenua carefully adjusts the harmonic regulators, while Vorenus steadies the core assembly, ensuring nothing slips out of place.
Diego’s music fills the air, steady and calming. The rhythmic plucking of the lute keeps their hands steady, their minds focused.
The seconds stretch on, tense and delicate. Then —
Click. Whir.
The stabilizer shudders — just once — then settles. The gears engage properly, moving in smooth, synchronized motion. The planar energy, once erratic, stabilizes into a steady, controlled pulse.
It worked.
The enchantment flickers again, this time fully dissipating. The magic flow returns to normal. The faint strain in the air vanishes.
Grathna exhales a long breath, shaking her head in amazement. “Well, I’ll be snookered,” she mutters. “You actually pulled it off.” She looks at each of them in turn, then nods approvingly. “Nice work.”
The planar stabilizer is fixed. But that still leaves the lingering question — who tampered with it in the first place?
"It worked!" Iromae says, once the stabilizer seems to settle into a controlled pulse once again. "You guys did great!" she tells Shenua and Vorenus. "Quite the team. And you," she adds, turning to Diego. "That was a lovely song. I think you probably helped much more than I did!"
Shenua smiles widely when they finish the intervention and the planar stabilizer begins functioning normally again. "Great job, everyone!" she exclaims, looking at Iromare, Diego and Vorenus with pride in her eyes. Then, she walks up to Grathna and says, "Heh, of course we pulled it off! You surely wouldn’t think I’d bring along any second-rate magicians, would you? I only work with the best," she adds, winking at her companions.
"Anyway,"the tiefling's tone turns serious, "what should we do about whoever tampered with the device? Be it that they cast the spell unknowingly or that they really wanted to mess with it, we should try to find who did this. Someone in this guild must know something. Who has been working lately on the device, Grathna? Should we talk to them?"
“Fantastic! I knew we had it in us! Excellent work, all of you! Hah!” Vorenus seems like a proud papa as he stands with arms crossed, admiring the equipment. As that gnawing feeling comes after the deed is done, he begins to turn around, looking through the room again. “We should, we should Shenua, we need to find out who tampered with it so that it doesn’t happen again. And to know why.” He listens to hear Grathna’s response, as he’s doing so, he walks through the room, looking for any additional clues, bending down to the ground periodically, looking over any equipment, or signs of anything else that shouldn’t be there.
Perception : 14.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Diego slides his loot around to the back, my amazing friends! Wonderfully done. He hugs Iromae close, nonsense, it was by a touch from your delicate hand that set the whole plan into motion. he listens as Shenua and Vorenus mention finding the person responsible. Agreed, finding the who and why would be of paramount importance. Before we start, he turns his attention to Grethna, perhaps you can tell more about this device? Who's project it is or was and what was it's purpose? It's not every day you run across a planar gate just hanging out in a tinkerers workshop. Curiously, he looks back towards his friends, did any of you find any similarities between the enchantment and any of the spells haven been worked in our personal project?
Grathna folds her arms, her sharp eyes narrowing as she processes everything. “First off, you all did a fine job. That stabilizer’s been out of alignment for days, and I thought we’d need a full team of senior artificers to get it back on track. So … thanks for proving me wrong.”
She turns toward Diego as he asks about the device’s origins, exhaling through her nose. “This stabilizer was part of a research project — a collaboration between a few guild artificers and some scholars from the Academy. Its purpose is to reinforce barriers between planes, keeping minor rifts from forming. We’ve been testing it in small-scale applications, but if refined, it could be used for larger structures — maybe even cities — preventing unwanted incursions or leaks of extra-planar energy.”
Grathna gestures toward the stabilizer. “This one’s a prototype. It’s been in the shop for adjustments before being moved to a dedicated testing site.” Her frown deepens. “As for who’s been working on it … that’s where things get tricky. A handful of guild members have had access — mostly artificers, but a few visiting scholars, too. Normally, a tampering job like this would stand out in the logs, but whoever did this covered their tracks.”
She turns her attention to Vorenus as he combs the room, watching him thoughtfully. “You’re looking for clues, right? Good. Because if we can’t rely on records, we need to find another way to trace the culprit.”
Vorenus, as he searches, doesn’t find anything obviously out of place — no scattered tools or blatant signs of forced entry. However, near the base of the stabilizer, he notices something faintly off. A subtle, almost imperceptible scorch mark on the floor, like something discharged a small burst of energy. It’s old enough to have cooled but fresh enough that the scent of burnt metal still lingers if he inhales deeply.
Meanwhile, Grathna nods at Diego’s second question. “You asked if this felt familiar compared to your project? The magic interfering with the stabilizer wasn’t raw arcane energy — it was more controlled. Almost deliberate. If it had been a common malfunction, you wouldn’t have needed a failsafe to fix it. So yeah, if this sabotage is connected to your work, that’s a problem.”
She cracks her knuckles. “Now. How do you want to handle this? Ask around? Set a trap? Something else? Because if someone’s messing with planar stabilization tech, we need to put a stop to it before they cause real damage.”
Shenua ponders Grathna's question about how they could handle this situation. "Mmmm. We could spread the news that the stabilizer has been fixed and that we plan to test it tomorrow morning. This could attract the culprit tonight, who might try to tamper with it again before the test happens. I could set up an alarm around it and receive a silent alert if someone tries to touch it. We should also declare the room off-limits so everyone else stays out, and hopefully, only the culprit enters."
Grathna nods approvingly at Shenua’s suggestion. “That’s a solid plan. If the saboteur thinks their work was undone, they’ll likely want to interfere again before the test. Setting up an alarm should give us a heads-up before they even get started.”
She glances around the workshop, already running through the logistics. “I can put the word out that the room is restricted — make it sound like standard safety protocol after recalibrating a delicate device. That should keep curious guild members away without raising suspicion.”
She then folds her arms, looking at the group. “Now, do we want to stay nearby to catch them in the act, or rely on the alarm and confront them after the fact? If they know someone’s watching, they might not take the bait. But if we’re too far, they could do more damage before we stop them.”
"The alarm is a good idea Shenua," Iromae says. "Something that gives an alert before anyone touches it though. Maybe on a door or..." She takes a moment to look around the room. "Hmm, are there going to be too many entrances to cover? Well, we can figure out details later." She looks back again to the device. "I think we have to be here. Like really close by. Otherwise, we risk something really bad happening. But not in some way we'd scare a person away."
The half-elf spins to Grathna. "Are there any ways to get in here without being noticed? Somewhere just outside the room maybe we could secret ourselves?" She sighs. "I don't think any of my magic would really help. Vorenus." She turns to the man as she says his name. "Perhaps you know some spells for scrying or catching someone breaking in?"
"Hmm... there's really no limit to how many alarms I could set. I only need a bit of time with each to prepare the ritual. So I could put one on the door, a few around the device itself, and maybe on any windows too. The only real limits are that the alarms last for eight hours and that I need to stay within a mile. And yes, I think we should be nearby. We could pretend to leave but stay close. Is there anywhere nearby we could wait in the meantime? A library, a tavern... anything would do."
She taps her chin for a moment. "Since the alarms last for eight hours, we should let people know the test will happen sometime within that window after I’ve set up the spells," Shenua finishes.
Vorenus says “I think we should stay nearby, we may need to rush in to catch them in the act… and to be able to protect the equipment. I can stay invisible for a period of time, but only an hour or so. Where should we stay nearby where we could hear the alarm going off and rush in?” He keeps pacing as he’s talking, walking around the room and considering. He shows everyone the scorch mark that he found on the floor, a clue and sign of the prior sabotage.
"The alarm can produce a sound, or it can be silent and alert me mentally. I think the second is preferable. That way we can catch them red handed." Shenua says to Vorenus.
Regarding the scorch mark, she frowns and curses in Infernal. Who would want to mess with this beauty of a device?
Diego seems preoccupied in thought. As Iromae mentions library and tavern he snaps out of it, yes, a trap. I like the alarm idea. Surely we can hold up someplace close, the closer the better. Shenua what can we do to help?
"Perhaps you and Grathna could step outside and have a nice, loud conversation about how we fixed the stabilizer,"Shenua suggests. "You might mention that it was just a minor enchantment mishap—probably caused by a well-meaning but inexperienced junior member who's now too afraid to admit it. And, of course, you can talk about how we're heading out to celebrate with a round of beers before returning later to run the test. Meanwhile, I'll need about half an hour to set up a few alarms." She smirks and adds, "Feel free to embellish the tale, my most esteemed, unparalleled, grand maestro of storytelling. After all, no one spins a tale quite like you."
With that, Shenua begins preparing her enchantments. Turning to Iromae and Vorenus, she asks, "Since the culprit is a magic user, they likely don’t need to touch the device directly. They’ll probably have to see it, though, which means they’ll need to step inside the room. If you were trying to tamper with the planar stabilizer, where would you position yourself?" They discuss the possibilities until they identify a couple of optimal spots on the floor where someone might stand to cast a disruptive spell. Shenua marks those areas for two of her alarms, the third being right next to the entrance door.
Carefully, the tiefling traces runes with her lockpick in the selected places, the symbols glowing faintly for a moment before vanishing entirely—rendering the alarms invisible. As she finishes, she softly speaks the names: "Grathna. Vorenus. Iromae. Diego. Shenua." Only those five will be able to move freely without triggering the enchantments.
Satisfied, Shenua pockets the lockpick and gives a little clap. "All right, that’s done! Now… we wait for the alarms to go off. Hopefully." She then steps out of the room to join the others in their casual conversation, playing along as they happily discuss how the job is already finished.
Shenua squeezes Diego's hand, giving him a nod and with a confident smile. "We can do this." Then, turning to Iromae and noticing her initial hesitation, she reassures her, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. And correct me if I'm wrong, Grathna" the tiefling glances at the half-orc, making sure she isn’t mistaken, "no tools are needed to activate the failsafe, right? You only need to press the specific panel indicated in the blueprints and it should activate. But bear in mind: the failsafe isn’t meant for regular use. I wager it will require a hard push—nothing excessive, but certainly more strength than Vorenus and I will need for the gears."
Now facing the wizard, her expression turns serious, and she locks eyes with him as she says, "We need to be gentle with those gears, okay, Vorenus? Handle them carefully. Imagine..." Shenua pauses, searching for a good example. "Imagine holding a small bird in your hands—you need to grip it firmly enough that it doesn’t fly away, but gently enough not to hurt it. So remember, be gentle with the gears, alright?"
Finally, she turns to Grathna. "I have my own set of Thieves’ Tools and Smith’s Tools, but I think the Tinker’s would work best for something this delicate. Do you have any spares we could borrow? It would take me an hour to transform my tools, and I think time is of the essence."
(@ddp: as always, I'm inventing everything. If something I said doesn't match, just correct me!)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Iromae nods at Shenua's encouraging words. "Alright then. I'm ready unless Grathna has something to add." She also listens as Shenua starts to explain to Vorenus the need to be gentle. She grins a bit, thinking he does probably need the reminder but wondering how he will take it. At the last moment she adds in her own encouragement. "I'm sure you will be just perfect at the Vorenus. You know exactly what to do!"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
@Fair: Don't worry; I'll speak up if anything goes too far. In the meantime, have fun with it!
Grathna listens intently, arms crossed as she surveys the group’s discussion. When Iromae asks about tools, she shakes her head.
“No tools needed for the failsafe. Just a solid push in the right spot. It’s designed as an emergency measure, so it’s not delicate work — though if the mechanism is stuck from disuse, it might take a bit of effort.” She eyes Iromae. “You look strong enough. Just don’t hesitate when the moment comes.”
At Shenua’s question about spare tinker’s tools, Grathna grunts thoughtfully before striding over to a nearby workstation. She rummages through a toolbox, muttering under her breath, before pulling out a well-worn but well-maintained set of tinker’s tools.
“Here. These should do the trick.” She hands them to Shenua, then levels a serious look at the tiefling and Vorenus. “And she’s right about the gears — too rough and you’ll strip the alignment, too soft and they won’t move into place. Balance is key. If the failsafe works, you’ll only have seconds to get it right.”
Grathna then looks over at Diego, smirking slightly. “Harmonic regulators, huh? We’ll see if your music’s got the magic touch.”
Finally, she scans the room, making sure everyone is prepared. “Alright. You’ve got a plan. If this works, great. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to rethink fast. No heroics — if something starts going wrong, call it out. Let’s get this done.”
"I'm ready," Iromae says. "If you all are." She moves over to the stabilizer, locating where Shenua had pointed out the failsafe. Assuming everyone is ready, she moves to press the correct spot. She didn't want to say anything, but she was a tiny bit worried. 'Surely I'm not the strongest of our group. I have never ever been told I look strong! What is that one thinking?' But she tries to ignore her doubts and just take care of the task at hand.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Shenua grabs a pair of tweezers from the tinker's tools pouch, hands one to Vorenus, and says, "Come on, let's see how those hands work." She coordinates with him on which gears each of them will arrange, and when they finish, she says, "I'm ready." Looking to Diego and Iromae, the tiefling adds, "Just say the word!"
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Diego looks over his friends faces and smiles. Pulling his lute around he winks at Grathna and plucks the strings, Shall we my loves?
He starts into a tune of friendship, gently finger picking the notes, his voice soft, calm and reassuring...
Here's to that very first friend that I made.
The one who said "yes" when I asked her to play.
Whose name I'd repeat over and over again
So astounded and grateful that she was my friend.
And here's to that friend who grew up by my side,
Who so graciously came along for the ride.
Who was privy to all of my grand hopes and dreams
And complicit in all of my hair-brained schemes.
All hail to that friend ever loyal and true,
Who was just as naïve about what we should do.
We were sisters who faced new adventures each day
Testing the waters on our long wending way.
Praise to that friend who knew all of my pain,
Who kept every secret silent and safe.
The one who would hold me whenever I cried
And then still made me laugh till it ached inside.
Grathna watches as the group moves into position, her sharp eyes scanning their faces, their movements, and the stabilizer itself. She crosses her arms and exhales heavily through her nose before speaking.
“You got the right idea,” she says, nodding at Shenua. “The failsafe’s not meant for everyday use, but it was built for emergencies — so it’s designed to override anything interfering with the stabilizer. If this enchantment is some kind of sabotage, then it should — should — clear it, at least for a moment.”
Her gaze flicks to Iromae. “You don’t need brute strength. Just put your weight into it and press firmly until you feel a click. If it fights back, don’t let up.” She tilts her head, considering. “Though if something does go wrong, I’d rather you back off than force it. This is delicate work. Better to regroup than break something we can’t fix.”
As Diego begins playing, her stern expression softens just a fraction. She listens, arms still crossed, one finger tapping against her bicep in time with the rhythm. When he finishes, she lets out a small huff that might be approval.
“Alright,” she says, nodding once. “You know the plan. You’re as ready as you’ll ever be.” She takes a step back. “Go for it.”
Iromae presses the failsafe panel, and she feels immediate resistance beneath her fingers. It’s stiff — clearly not designed for casual use — but with determination, she leans in and applies steady pressure. For a heartbeat, nothing happens. Then, with a deep click, the panel depresses fully.
The response is instantaneous. A faint hum vibrates through the stabilizer, and for a brief moment, the ever-present distortion in the air — caused by the lingering enchantment — flickers and wavers. It’s like a heat haze suddenly dissipating, revealing the true, undistorted flow of magic beneath.
“Now!” Grathna barks.
Shenua and Vorenus are already in motion, tweezers in hand. The gears, once misaligned and sluggish, now spin more freely. It’s still delicate work — any heavy-handed movement could throw them off again — but with their combined precision, they begin realigning the stabilizer’s intricate components. Shenua carefully adjusts the harmonic regulators, while Vorenus steadies the core assembly, ensuring nothing slips out of place.
Diego’s music fills the air, steady and calming. The rhythmic plucking of the lute keeps their hands steady, their minds focused.
The seconds stretch on, tense and delicate. Then —
Click. Whir.
The stabilizer shudders — just once — then settles. The gears engage properly, moving in smooth, synchronized motion. The planar energy, once erratic, stabilizes into a steady, controlled pulse.
It worked.
The enchantment flickers again, this time fully dissipating. The magic flow returns to normal. The faint strain in the air vanishes.
Grathna exhales a long breath, shaking her head in amazement. “Well, I’ll be snookered,” she mutters. “You actually pulled it off.” She looks at each of them in turn, then nods approvingly. “Nice work.”
The planar stabilizer is fixed. But that still leaves the lingering question — who tampered with it in the first place?
"It worked!" Iromae says, once the stabilizer seems to settle into a controlled pulse once again. "You guys did great!" she tells Shenua and Vorenus. "Quite the team. And you," she adds, turning to Diego. "That was a lovely song. I think you probably helped much more than I did!"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Shenua smiles widely when they finish the intervention and the planar stabilizer begins functioning normally again. "Great job, everyone!" she exclaims, looking at Iromare, Diego and Vorenus with pride in her eyes. Then, she walks up to Grathna and says, "Heh, of course we pulled it off! You surely wouldn’t think I’d bring along any second-rate magicians, would you? I only work with the best," she adds, winking at her companions.
"Anyway," the tiefling's tone turns serious, "what should we do about whoever tampered with the device? Be it that they cast the spell unknowingly or that they really wanted to mess with it, we should try to find who did this. Someone in this guild must know something. Who has been working lately on the device, Grathna? Should we talk to them?"
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
“Fantastic! I knew we had it in us! Excellent work, all of you! Hah!” Vorenus seems like a proud papa as he stands with arms crossed, admiring the equipment. As that gnawing feeling comes after the deed is done, he begins to turn around, looking through the room again. “We should, we should Shenua, we need to find out who tampered with it so that it doesn’t happen again. And to know why.” He listens to hear Grathna’s response, as he’s doing so, he walks through the room, looking for any additional clues, bending down to the ground periodically, looking over any equipment, or signs of anything else that shouldn’t be there.
Perception : 14.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Diego slides his loot around to the back, my amazing friends! Wonderfully done. He hugs Iromae close, nonsense, it was by a touch from your delicate hand that set the whole plan into motion. he listens as Shenua and Vorenus mention finding the person responsible. Agreed, finding the who and why would be of paramount importance. Before we start, he turns his attention to Grethna, perhaps you can tell more about this device? Who's project it is or was and what was it's purpose? It's not every day you run across a planar gate just hanging out in a tinkerers workshop. Curiously, he looks back towards his friends, did any of you find any similarities between the enchantment and any of the spells haven been worked in our personal project?
Grathna folds her arms, her sharp eyes narrowing as she processes everything. “First off, you all did a fine job. That stabilizer’s been out of alignment for days, and I thought we’d need a full team of senior artificers to get it back on track. So … thanks for proving me wrong.”
She turns toward Diego as he asks about the device’s origins, exhaling through her nose. “This stabilizer was part of a research project — a collaboration between a few guild artificers and some scholars from the Academy. Its purpose is to reinforce barriers between planes, keeping minor rifts from forming. We’ve been testing it in small-scale applications, but if refined, it could be used for larger structures — maybe even cities — preventing unwanted incursions or leaks of extra-planar energy.”
Grathna gestures toward the stabilizer. “This one’s a prototype. It’s been in the shop for adjustments before being moved to a dedicated testing site.” Her frown deepens. “As for who’s been working on it … that’s where things get tricky. A handful of guild members have had access — mostly artificers, but a few visiting scholars, too. Normally, a tampering job like this would stand out in the logs, but whoever did this covered their tracks.”
She turns her attention to Vorenus as he combs the room, watching him thoughtfully. “You’re looking for clues, right? Good. Because if we can’t rely on records, we need to find another way to trace the culprit.”
Vorenus, as he searches, doesn’t find anything obviously out of place — no scattered tools or blatant signs of forced entry. However, near the base of the stabilizer, he notices something faintly off. A subtle, almost imperceptible scorch mark on the floor, like something discharged a small burst of energy. It’s old enough to have cooled but fresh enough that the scent of burnt metal still lingers if he inhales deeply.
Meanwhile, Grathna nods at Diego’s second question. “You asked if this felt familiar compared to your project? The magic interfering with the stabilizer wasn’t raw arcane energy — it was more controlled. Almost deliberate. If it had been a common malfunction, you wouldn’t have needed a failsafe to fix it. So yeah, if this sabotage is connected to your work, that’s a problem.”
She cracks her knuckles. “Now. How do you want to handle this? Ask around? Set a trap? Something else? Because if someone’s messing with planar stabilization tech, we need to put a stop to it before they cause real damage.”
Shenua ponders Grathna's question about how they could handle this situation. "Mmmm. We could spread the news that the stabilizer has been fixed and that we plan to test it tomorrow morning. This could attract the culprit tonight, who might try to tamper with it again before the test happens. I could set up an alarm around it and receive a silent alert if someone tries to touch it. We should also declare the room off-limits so everyone else stays out, and hopefully, only the culprit enters."
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Grathna nods approvingly at Shenua’s suggestion. “That’s a solid plan. If the saboteur thinks their work was undone, they’ll likely want to interfere again before the test. Setting up an alarm should give us a heads-up before they even get started.”
She glances around the workshop, already running through the logistics. “I can put the word out that the room is restricted — make it sound like standard safety protocol after recalibrating a delicate device. That should keep curious guild members away without raising suspicion.”
She then folds her arms, looking at the group. “Now, do we want to stay nearby to catch them in the act, or rely on the alarm and confront them after the fact? If they know someone’s watching, they might not take the bait. But if we’re too far, they could do more damage before we stop them.”
"The alarm is a good idea Shenua," Iromae says. "Something that gives an alert before anyone touches it though. Maybe on a door or..." She takes a moment to look around the room. "Hmm, are there going to be too many entrances to cover? Well, we can figure out details later." She looks back again to the device. "I think we have to be here. Like really close by. Otherwise, we risk something really bad happening. But not in some way we'd scare a person away."
The half-elf spins to Grathna. "Are there any ways to get in here without being noticed? Somewhere just outside the room maybe we could secret ourselves?" She sighs. "I don't think any of my magic would really help. Vorenus." She turns to the man as she says his name. "Perhaps you know some spells for scrying or catching someone breaking in?"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
"Hmm... there's really no limit to how many alarms I could set. I only need a bit of time with each to prepare the ritual. So I could put one on the door, a few around the device itself, and maybe on any windows too. The only real limits are that the alarms last for eight hours and that I need to stay within a mile. And yes, I think we should be nearby. We could pretend to leave but stay close. Is there anywhere nearby we could wait in the meantime? A library, a tavern... anything would do."
She taps her chin for a moment. "Since the alarms last for eight hours, we should let people know the test will happen sometime within that window after I’ve set up the spells," Shenua finishes.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Vorenus says “I think we should stay nearby, we may need to rush in to catch them in the act… and to be able to protect the equipment. I can stay invisible for a period of time, but only an hour or so. Where should we stay nearby where we could hear the alarm going off and rush in?” He keeps pacing as he’s talking, walking around the room and considering. He shows everyone the scorch mark that he found on the floor, a clue and sign of the prior sabotage.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"The alarm can produce a sound, or it can be silent and alert me mentally. I think the second is preferable. That way we can catch them red handed." Shenua says to Vorenus.
Regarding the scorch mark, she frowns and curses in Infernal. Who would want to mess with this beauty of a device?
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Diego seems preoccupied in thought. As Iromae mentions library and tavern he snaps out of it, yes, a trap. I like the alarm idea. Surely we can hold up someplace close, the closer the better. Shenua what can we do to help?
"Perhaps you and Grathna could step outside and have a nice, loud conversation about how we fixed the stabilizer," Shenua suggests. "You might mention that it was just a minor enchantment mishap—probably caused by a well-meaning but inexperienced junior member who's now too afraid to admit it. And, of course, you can talk about how we're heading out to celebrate with a round of beers before returning later to run the test. Meanwhile, I'll need about half an hour to set up a few alarms." She smirks and adds, "Feel free to embellish the tale, my most esteemed, unparalleled, grand maestro of storytelling. After all, no one spins a tale quite like you."
With that, Shenua begins preparing her enchantments. Turning to Iromae and Vorenus, she asks, "Since the culprit is a magic user, they likely don’t need to touch the device directly. They’ll probably have to see it, though, which means they’ll need to step inside the room. If you were trying to tamper with the planar stabilizer, where would you position yourself?" They discuss the possibilities until they identify a couple of optimal spots on the floor where someone might stand to cast a disruptive spell. Shenua marks those areas for two of her alarms, the third being right next to the entrance door.
Carefully, the tiefling traces runes with her lockpick in the selected places, the symbols glowing faintly for a moment before vanishing entirely—rendering the alarms invisible. As she finishes, she softly speaks the names: "Grathna. Vorenus. Iromae. Diego. Shenua." Only those five will be able to move freely without triggering the enchantments.
Satisfied, Shenua pockets the lockpick and gives a little clap. "All right, that’s done! Now… we wait for the alarms to go off. Hopefully." She then steps out of the room to join the others in their casual conversation, playing along as they happily discuss how the job is already finished.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra