IC V Against the Current

[Admiral]

Shiny nods. "Let's find somewhere to spend the night. It sounds like we all have some errands- we can set out in the morning."

As the party walks towards the adventurer's quarter to find an inn, Shiny asks, "Have we decided where we're going first?"

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It is a few minutes after noon. The city of Marvell in the southern frontier is a week's journey by horse if that's where people want to go.

[achinca]

"I will go to whatever inn you guys choose and will ask if I can use the stables free of charges. If not, I can sleep in the street. It does not bother me. And I think we should follow the Minister's instructions and try to connect with the group before us."

[Cavelcade]

Kurt looks over and nods slowly in agreement. "We can see if there's anything that needs doing down there as well, one of the guilds must need something surely..."

[Athedia]

Mithril had watched the conversation, bemused by the words but heartened by Miriam's attempts to understand Natalia. Hearing that Miriam hoped to stay in the stables she interjected. "Would it not be cheaper to get one room for us." Gesturing toward the females of the group "And one for Shiny and Kurt. Even if not, I insist you stay with me, free of charge. Think of it as a thank you for Whisker's treats."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Please," says Natalia. "No streets needed. Free with us." She looks at the others and says, "I have appointment tonight...hopefully short."

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I'll edit and add more later when I'm home from my internship and can get to an actual computer, including a response to Miriam.

[Admiral]

"Sounds good," says Shiny. As they continue, he whispers out of the side of his mouth, "Smart, Mithril- stick Kurt with my leviathan-like snoring."

The party reaches a fairly nice inn, and are able to get two rooms for the night for a gold piece each, along with a small fee for storing the horses and Shiny's pony overnight.

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I don't have any shopping to do (Shiny is saving up a bit of gold), but if others have shopping or errands to do now's the time. Natalia can go to her appointment once she gets the chance.

Either tonight or tomorrow (IRL), depending on what people have to do here, we will be leaving town- sounds like consensus is to head to Marvell to find the previous group? Kurt is right that there will be plenty of work down there as well.

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Hey, Admiral, are there going to be guildwalkers here like in your other aborted campaign?

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Now, you don't really expect me to answer that, do you?

[achinca]

Miriam nods at Mithril "It cannot be a trade. I make holy water for Whiskers because I care about him. I do not expect any favors or thank you. I will accept your offer of lodging but will pray to St. Cuthbert that it is not a break of my vow."

She stops and before adding "Sleeping in the streets in not an insult nor below anyone. A lot of people are doing it because they have no choice. I choose to walk their path. For the same reason, my robe and sandals are used and show signs of wear and tears and ....."

EDIT: Miriam stops in mid-sentence "I am so sorry. I did not mean to preach. I am so sorry."

She lowers her eyes and looks at the mark on her right hand.

[Admiral]

Shiny shrugs. "Were you preaching? I could have sworn those were the first few lines of an old joke."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia says to Miriam, "Then gift from friends," before saying to the group, "Back soon, promise. Just errands. Won't leave again."

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(I want to try and do the appointment today, and I do plan to shop. Can I buy things through the guild? I'll be home in a couple hours and will be able to post properly then. And I do want to talk about my day ooc if I can. I don't want to take too much ic time though.)

[achinca]

Miriam gives a surprised look at Shiny "But Shiny Truthteller and Parttime Liar, you should know that stuck up priestesses like me have no sense of humor and do not know jokes."

Her left hand goes over her right hand, covering the mark.

[Admiral]

"That's nonsense," says Shiny. "Just last week, I remember you telling us the tale of the dwarf from Roandock, who was so short he could-" he scratches his head- "no, I guess it was me who told that one."

[Athedia]

"Not a trade, I am only looking out for myself here. If Whiskers notices his treat giver is missing then I am the one without sleep."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"And myself," says Natalia. "Help who heals me." Her lips twitch in a smile. In a way, she's kind of like Shiny now. Or at least his inverse, telling lies about herself to make others feel better. Because that's not why she wants Miriam to sleep indoors, not because she owes her.

Natalia hugs the rest of the group and says, "Back soon, by dinner. Promise. Please...wait, Stories to tell then, right?" before running off back to the guild. She has an appointment to keep.

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Okay, back from the internship. I want to do the appointment today before returning to the others, though if it takes too long we can cut it short. I don't want to drag. I also want to go shopping for Natalia and...actually, PM heading your way, Admiral.

EDIT: I think I have enough for a bag of holding!

[Cavelcade]

Kurt chuckles a little at Shiny's remarks. "Yes, I remember that well. You're lucky I'm tall for a dwarf, or I might've thought you were talking about me."

[CoffeeIncluded]

About halfway to the guild, Natalia suddenly realizes what the end to Shiny's story probably included. People probably turn and stare as she doubles over, snorting and holding back laughter.

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This took way too long to do, but is it better? I think the grammar is better, though I can't do colored text. And Admiral, was Shiny getting into a man from Nantucket dirty joke that got cut off because of censors?

[Admiral]

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It's cut off in the interest of good taste. Anyway, what's funny about limericks isn't that they end with a dirty word- it's that by that point it has no other choice.

Natalia reaches the guild headquarters and navigates her way through the somewhat eccentric layout to find the room written on the piece of paper. She finds the door unlocked, and opens it to enter.

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DC 20 spot check. If failed, Reflex save DC 20.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia takes a good look around before opening the door. She's excited, but a bit disoriented and trying to reorient herself.

(d20+9)[24]
(d20+9)[16]

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I think those are the modifiers, but I can't check right now, could you please doublecheck? And sorry, but I can't check dice rolls in spoilers on my phone.

[Admiral]

Natalia pulls the door open and is about to step into the room- a dense workspace, with a few benches covered in tools and contraptions- when she spots suspicious below her. Bending down, she finds a tripwire reaching across the bottom of the entryway, about a foot and a half off the ground. Glancing to both sides, she notices the wire wrap around a few nails serving as makeshift pulleys before reaching- to her discomfort- a small crossbow mounted above the door. She pulls her head back, before noticing with relief that the head of the crossbow is covered by small lump of wax.

A voice comes from nearby, surprising her. "Finding the trap is the first step- necessary but not sufficient. How would you proceed?" The voice is young and tense, as if tightened by screws.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia bites her tongue, proud of her ability to find the trap. But then again, she's set things like this before. The rogue pauses, then says, trying to throw her voice to another distance, "In silence, warn friends. Then," she traces the distance with her finger, trying to find the way the wire runs, "find the rope. Cut the rope. Pull the thread, it all falls down. From a safe distance," she adds.

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Will add color when I get home, sorry. At least the grammar's good, though this takes forever.

[Admiral]

The voice returns- "Can you disable this one without setting it off?"

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Um..." she looks at the clutter, the way the wire's set up. Balancing in the mess and reaching the bolt are the two biggest problems. She takes out her tools. "Easier without clutter...I think so." (d20+13)[17] disable device

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I think that's my modifier. Let me guess, no taking 10 or 20? edit: Damn. I won't be laughed out of the building, am I?

[Admiral]

Natalia knows she has to cut into the wire while still holding on to it- the trap is probably set up to fire when the wire gets either tighter or goes slack. She squeezes her pliers on the wire to prevent it from moving, then puts her knife a few inches down and starts cutting. But she's nervous about being watched, and when the wire snaps she flinches. Her flinching hand pulls the wire just a bit too much, and the trap springs.

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Arrow attack against Natalia's AC 19 (incl trapsense): (1d20+10)[22]

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Oh fu-" Natali ducks down, desperately trying to get out of the way.

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No trapsense until next level; Natalia has the penetrating strike acf. Also, sorry but what's the attack roll? I cant see it in spoilers on my phone.

[Admiral]

Natalia tries to move out of the way, but the device was set on a very fast trigger that even her reflexes can't match. The wax-tipped dart hits her head with an anticlimactic bounce, before dropping to the floor harmlessly.

The trapmaker steps out from behind the bench, and Natalia is surprised to see an attractive, slender woman in her early 30s, with long black hair tied into a ponytail. From the tense voice it had been difficult to distinguish her gender, but when she speaks now she is relaxed, if a bit impersonal.

"Your approach was the right one, from what I could see. Some would have tried it along the wall, out of the way of the arrow, but that would have made it more difficult to hold on to the wire- and keeping the pulleys between you and the trap make it less sensitive to the tremors of your wrist. And it would have required stepping over the trap first- in practice, you might not know whether there was a second trap to be sprung." She speaks confidently and knowledgeably- it's clear Natalia is not the first to take the test, or to fail it. She steps over to the door and unspools a length of wire from a coil to reset the trap. She snaps the bolt back into place and ties the wire around an outstretched lever, then wraps it around the door frame- working quickly and efficiently.

"Your problem isn't your strategy or your precision- it's your nervousness. If you're afraid of a little test like this, how will you fare when the lives of yourself and your comrades depend on you?" She finishes resetting the trap, then turns towards Natalia with her first smile. "You must be Natalia. I'm Professor Sara Weldon, I research trap construction and neutralization."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia gulps when she sees the source of the voice. Her cheeks, already burning red with embarrassment at her slip-up, now flare a bit brighter, and for an entirely different reason.

She watches as Sara resets the trap, carefully observing the exact procedure. Her confidence returns slightly as Sara applauds her technique and it dawns on Natalia that she isn't going to be instantly kicked out for her failure. When Sara discusses her problems, Natalia starts to say, "Then me alone, others behind. If only me, and others safe, then--"

But Natalia stops. She remembers what happened when she woke up in the medical tent, how she heard Mithril's voice somewhere in the dark, and woke to them all embracing her, nearly giddy with relief. How could she say she's disposable to them?

She tries again. "I...Want to learn. Traps, machines. Keep friends safe, myself safe. Slacken nerves, so they don't...cut."

[Admiral]

"The most foolish thing a trapsmith can say is that she's expendable," says Sara matter-of-factly. "She has two tasks- to neutralize the threat, and to keep herself breathing to take care of the next one. Deep in a crypt, she might be the only reason anyone gets out alive."

Sara steps over to her workbench. "My own days of searching dungeons are over. The pay was good, but the challenges were too few and far between. In research, I face a new challenge every morning. Here, let me show you what I'm working on now-"

She steps over to a contraption on top of one of the benches, featuring what appears to be a thin drumskin spread across a hoop. Sara puts her finger to her lips, then flips a lever into a locked position. She then walks back a couple of paces, measuring her steps carefully. Once she's five steps away, she gives a single deliberate clap- and the lever snaps forward in response. She grins in a brief moment of satisfaction, before jotting something down in a notebook.

"Tripwires, plates, pits- they're tactile, so they can be discovered and avoided. But traps that can hear you coming- that's a new generation of security. Still not ready for production, though." Her attention returns to Natalia. "So- tell me about some of your experience and ideas about traps, and what you would like to learn."

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Let's finish it up efficiently- one or maybe two posts more from each of us, could be summary-style

[CoffeeIncluded]

"And...matter to others," Natalia says, quietly. They really do care.

"That," Natalia says when she sees Sara's newest design, unable to keep the grin off her face. "Magic without the magic. Machines, technology replacing, or integrating. Work with lightning, maybe...traps on traps--" Natalia continues as best she can, sharing some of her history, mentioning her brief time being tutored by Torin and Karik, her interest in lightning, how she helped her parents bake bread more efficiently, discussing the traps she set to keep herself and her friends safe, how she's realizing that she needs to improve her combat skills as well, but doesn't want to lose sight of her dreams, ever.

Natalia then remembers something important, and pulls out the adamantine dagger. She talks about the unstable enchantment, how it, "Turned on me. Strong blow, back on me, back on it. Cracks here--" she points out the weakened structure, "Numb arm, cold arm. Fine now, but...what if again? Afraid. Afraid it'll take me, friends...with it." She shakes her head and presents the dagger to Sara. "Tainted magic, bad magic maybe, but...don't know what, or why? Can the Institute?" Still, she's a bit nervous about leaving herself defenseless, so... "Lend to discover, but...please, something lent back...to be safe?"

[Admiral]

Sara listens as Natalia describes her history in her usual cadence. When Natalia starts describing the dagger Sara shakes her head. "I've learned a handful of spells that are useful in the trade, but I don't know anything about magic weapons. You'll want to head over to Magical Artifice- it's in the North wing."

"Now, it sounds like you've had your share of adventure. I'm more familiar with designing and disablig traps to protect unmanned areas, but there is also a way to use similar mechanisms in combat- it's cruder, but effective. You should consider where your interests are."

Natalia and Sara spend the remainder of their time together discussing some of the basics of trap design- Natalia hadn't realized how much she had to learn. Finally Sara pulls out a piece of paper and writes down the names of a few books.

"This oughtta do it- on your way out, stop by the store and pick these up. With some study, they'll give you a good grounding of the principles." She pats Natalia on the hand with a smile. "I hope you continue your work. You show some real talent!"

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Thank you," Natalia says, beaming inside and out with pride. Maybe this was worth it. There's so much to learn here, so much to do. And...and spells? Magic of her own?

Natalia then goes to the magical artifice department and repeats her problem with the dagger, wondering if she can loan it in for study and get something safe and good in exchange for the time being.

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I'm going to get the books and maybe the bag of holding/haversack in the next post (assuming I can get both in the same shop) since if I can't get a good weapon in this exchange then I'll buy one in the shop, and that's got a higher priority over the bag; I want to wait and see before spending my money. Is that okay?

Also, would I be able to test both Trapsmith and Combat Trapsmith before settling on one?

[Admiral]

Natalia gets a chance to explain her offer to a clerk in the Magical Artifice department, who brings in an elderly gnome artificer to examine the dagger. He seems more amused than dismayed by Natalia's story about the dagger's instability- "That's Alabaster for you- they still teach about him, you know-" and after performing a few preliminary divinations on the dagger, he agrees to take a closer look, and finds a a magic dagger they have on hand as collateral.

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(1d100)[81]