"You were supposed to boil them? That's the first I heard about that part of the equation. The only books I had on me where gaming books. Changeling the lost and Pathfinder.

OOC: I'd rather have that conversation ic about the phones even if it's on the discord as banter while we do other things :P

"Boiling is needed to break down the cell walls a bit. It allows for free flow of electrons. In any case, that does lead to the question of what we'd use for electrodes. I haven't exactly seen any zinc around here. Actually, we don't need to resort to potatoes. I've made several ferromagnets already. Given some time away from other projects I can use those to make a portable electric generator. Something we can hand crank to produce a decent voltage."

"Unfortunately, without cell towers, they're of limited use. I do have a two way radio app on my phone called Two Way, but unless someone else..." I tap my chin, "Wait a minute, anyone know how to transfer android apps manually? I seem to recall it being possible, but have never had reason to actually look it up. If we can get a couple of phones up and running with that, we could communicate out to a fair distance."

  " That's actually a good idea.  We do need some sort of communication device. I feel that magic would be easier to  utilize than technology in the long run though.   It's already here and some of us possess it.  All we need is sending or a telepathic link and we are set   Sending isn't a high level spell by any means.  " I shrug.  " Just my opinion. " 

"If you share WiFi anchor from any phone, you can then communicate between the phones on that private network without any special changes. We'd still have to already have the same VOIP program to do that, though, which isn't likely. As far as electrodes, any two dissimilar metals will work, some better than others, and they do have copper and silver. May need some purification, but again requires time."

"As far as Android sharing apps goes, if you've rootkitted your phone I can set it up to copy apps to other rooted phones, I think. I wonder sometimes if the intent is as good as the deed when using magic. If I know how cell communication works in a general sense, could we magic a device to act as a pseudo tower or maybe a hi-gain WiFi hotspot? Like an electronic form of Comprehend Languages?"

Travis, weighs in on the conversation about the mobile (cell) phones. "That all sounds very interesting, I can give you mine its an iphone XR if that's any help, battery is flat though. You may be able to salvage something from it. Its no good to me on this world," He says.

Travis, continues to drink the red wine and enjoys the hospitality at the Inn before retiring for the evening.

"Thank you Travis, but go ahead and keep it for now. I'd rather have a clear idea of what we're going to do with such things before taking them apart. It is after all going to be rather difficult to find replacements."

"While we're on the subject though, if anyone finds themselves alone and in a bind, there are a couple of things that can be done with those phones in a pinch. The circuit boards within can be broken and sharpened into a cutting tool or even a spear head, quite fragile though, so be cautious. There is also a high quality mirror just behind the screen. A good signaling device among other things. And of course, if we manage to get the things recharged, that battery is great for starting fires."

"As to using magic to substitute for a cellphone carrier, I don't see why it couldn't work. There certainly are spells that serve a similar function. We might want to look into that. Of course, on the other hand, Rachel is right, by the time we get that figured out, it would probably be easier and faster to use magic for the whole process rather than jury rig technology into it."

I make a the Hmmph sound and say, "Well, as a not magic user I'm not really thinking along those lines. To me a tin can and string is technology worth revisiting and good sleight of hand is magic." I grin. "I think Rachel has a point though, we came all the way back here, enjoy your time cause we should head back out sooner rather than later."

Travis is able to spend the day at the inn drinking all day and if he wishes he can have one of the rooms for the night.  His cost for the room is 1 gold his cost fro the drinks ll day will be 15 gold.  The rest of you have filtered out of the inn after breakfast.  Rachel and Caesar spend some time in the inn after breakfast as Caesar eats a bit more food.  Vickie of course stays in the inn making sure all is in order as Kelvin is still guarding the Lord.  She will make sure Travis has a full cup of wine as he drinks all day. 

Any other specifics let me know but we can forward this to the next day. 

"So, is Ceasar a companion of Rachel's or,...?"

He seems to follow Rachel's commands so if you wish to know if he is her companion you would have to ask her directly.

"In any event, we're apparently not going to have the time to get some of this other stuff going, so oh well. But rest up and prepare, we resume hob hunting shortly. But enough about that for now, this is a happy occasion, lets enjoy ourselves."

I make sure to toast and congratulate the happy couple as we continue to enjoy the inn's official opening. That evening I focus on continuing making Ping's replacement.

After putting up my breakfast plate I ask, "So, what has to be done before we head back out?"

I shrug, "The usual mostly, make sure things are in order and supplies are topped off. Those who lost their horses need to claim a replacement and get acclimated. I checked with the stables, they do have enough replacements free for our use, but not many more after that. We also won't have time to armor the steeds unfortunately as I'd hoped. Hopefully this batch fare better than the last."

"We'll need to adjust our strategy a bit to account for Lady Vickie staying behind as well, though I don't see that being a major problem."

The next couple days have passed quietly as the inn seems to be a nice place to relax and unwind some.  Plus with added rooms on the second and third level you can have a different place to sleep if you wish.  The morning of the third day you have been back around the stronghold you are gathering for breakfast once again in the common room of the Inn.

Packed and ready to go, back on Echo, I double check my growing inventory of magical aids. Pulling out a pair of boots, I pass them over to Jonathan, saying "Here's the boots I promised. Just like mine. You may want to get used to the accelleration and enhancement though - it's pretty unnerving to move like Usain Bolt without the training."

OOC - I have the materials to make the rest as we travel, but the Boots would be done by the time we leave.

I show up with my own gear in tow, and with a familiar looking flying squirrel on my shoulder. Ping's new body is sleeker than the old one, I did a slightly better job of molding it to a realistic shape.

After putting my gear into the saddlebags and checking Morgenstern's girth, I look around to the others, "Is everyone ready to go? If we can, I want to cripple these hobs on this run, one way or another. We have other things to move on to. That dragon threw us for a loop last time, that couldn't be avoided. But this time, lets keep it tight and focused, and get the job done."

  I ride up to the inn on Bella.  My gear is arranged in my saddlebags. Caesar walks up right behind me   He is eating a huge bunch of grapes.  He looks over the rest of the group with a discerning eye.  " This feels really strange heading out without Vickie. " I go silent upon hearing Daishain.  " Im tired of these hobs too. Lets finish the job.  Caesar is eager to do his part.  " He looks at me  and keeps eating grapes.   

  " Caesar doesnt have the speed that Ghost does.  He cant keep up with the horses.  While i used to scout out ahead on Ghost i suppose it makes more sense now to bring up the rear.  Caesar will make a great rear guard.   He is quite fierce in combat. " Caesar begins tossing grapes up in the air and catching them in his mouth.  

Soon you are all headed north across the small river and the nice large lake that is stil forming from the sinkhole.  Just before the bridge across the small river you can see that your building is still taking shape and that the first floor will soon be done and the second floor will be started soon.  As you enter the woods once again you can feel the peacfulness of a nice quiet forest as the birds and other wildlife keep you company with their voices.

Sighing as I once again need to settle into the role of being a professional paranoid, I look around and listen hard for anything untoward, even this close to home. 

Spot - 18 Listen - 5