Progress and Plight

[deathbyhokie]

I must concur with the lady. When the terms are on the table, I will be glad to make my choice. Until such a point, it would be ill-advised to decide one way or another.

[Kellus]

"The pursuit of knowledge is always worthwhile for its own sake." Anshar turns a somewhat unnerving gaze on Irrumatus. "I would be happy to be your torch in these... uncertain times."

[Pyroconstruct]

"Indeed, now, let us hear more about the darkened pathways whose illumination will be our task. After that, we can deal with the minor matter of discussing appropriate compensation," Aloysius said, politely. Despite his words, if he was annoyed by the mercenary attitudes displayed by the others, he didn't show it.

[Greyen]

Dentin

Dentin had followed along with the group, humming a small tune under his breath as he went. He was obviously in good spirits and watchful as ever as everyone followed the scribe.

With his trademark half-smile he says to the scribe What they mean is where's the contract and what does it say?

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Anyone watching us go with the scribe? Awareness - [roll]1d20+[/roll]

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

Several of the more hard-eyed acolytes are watching your discussion with Irrumatus, but they don't look hostile, exactly- more protective. Apparently the stammering scribe is mascot material.

"Well, as to where you're going, I'm...not really supposed to say before you accept..." he looks a bit pale at the prospect of denying a direct request.
"But I can tell you it's a fairly large town, across Truthley Fen, near the Rivemark. We set up a school there, but I haven't heard anything else about it. And, I'm not supposed to..give you the details. As I said."

He pulls an astonishingly large handkerchief- more of a small towel, really- out of a pocket concealed in his voluminous sleeves, and wipes his brow.
"It's these braziers, I just hate them...anyway. As to..er. Compensation- there's, somewhere..."
He bustles off and rummages in a scroll case off to the left, a construction of hexagonal cells like a very well-organized beehive. He pulls out one of the shabbier-looking documents there, squints dubiously at the smudged ink and broken seal, and hands the roll of vellum over.
It appears to be a contract, and reads thusly:

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WHEREAS:
The parties concerned in this contract agree, by their signature below, to serve the interests of the Branch Library located in the prime world of Ghalth.

THENCE:
They shall be granted the following resources by way of compensation for this service;
1. [One] thaumic vessel, flight-capable, for purposes of travel to their destination or destinations and investigation upon arrival thereat.
2. Comestibles, fresh water, and fuel sufficient to reach said destination.
3. Such repairs as may reasonably be required to said vessel.
4. Services of crew and personnel upon request, at present market rates less temple subsidy.
5. Such additional personal supplies as shall be needed at the temple subsidy rate.
6. Additional fuel and repair services at the temple subsidy rate.

In addition to the above, all signatories shall be granted an honorarium not less than the value of their efforts, or some few thousand crowns, upon the completion of their assigned task.

WHEREAS:
In order to receive compensation services as detailed above, the signatories must abide by the following;
1. Act not openly against the interests of the temple, nor intrigue on the behalf of her enemies.
2. Indulge not in excessive violence, nor give others cause to call for revenge against the faith.
3. Complete all tasks assigned in a timely and efficient manner, without excess resources or labor-hours incurred.

The above terms are negotiable under circumstances of duress, emergency, or martial hostilities, at the discretion of the signatories and the Legifex or Ferromach of Ghalth.

Below the text itself, a mess of wax seals and official-looking ribbons is affixed, along with several lines apparently intended for signatures. An elaborate, looping one- apparently Belgar's- is already present, and there's space for all of yours, although apparently other names were written there until the parchment was scraped clean- probably quite recently.

One wonders what happened to the last signatories.

[deathbyhokie]

Tod will listen to the scribe's words, trying to pick out any falsehoods.

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Sense Motive
(1d20+0)[19]

Assuming he finds no falsehood, Tod will grab the nearest available quill (wheter the scribe proffers it, or he snags it from a nearby desk), and sign the contract. In contrast to the hat (which Tod never took off), his signature contains very little flamboyance. The only excess line is a bit of extra flair when crossing the T. Otherwise, it's crisp, clean, and to the point.

I see no particular reason to bicker about the details. I came out here looking for a job, and now that it's here, I might as well get on with it.

[Greyen]

Dentin

Looking around for a moment and walking over to one of the scribes Dentin asks May I borrow your pen? Thanks. I'll bring it right back. Snatching the pen before the scribe can say anything and returning to the side of the others. Umm, looks good to me. Whats a 'thaumic'? He says as he scribbles a looping signature.

After finishing he glances over at the desk of the scribe he stole the pen from and with a flick of the wrist he sends the pen like a dart at the desk. The pen sticks into the side of the desk with a thunk. Dentin frowns, and says with a bob of his head at the scribe, Aparently not made for throwin'.

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

The scribes are apparently well-used to sudden pen-theft; each draws a new quill from their robes without comment.

Irrumatus speaks up, momentarily:
"Thaumic? It means it's a pure arcanum vessel, not an air-ship; no sails or elemental, just a helm for power and the inductor spine for drive....they're quite rare. I suppose because they're hard to work with..." he trails off.

He coughs and leans in, whispering.
"Honestly, I don't think we want to keep it very much."

[Greyen]

Dentin

Well, at least you'll be supplying a crew, an stuff then eh? What's the 'temple subsidy rate'? Although still gregarious Dentin's words carry their meaning as he gathers details from Irrumatus, he is working the business deal and figuring its limitations.

After giving the scroll one final look over he'll step away to make room for the others to sign.

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

"Sixty percent what it would be on the open market. And you'd have to pay them by the day...."
He laughs nervously.

"You...haven't seen it, have you? You might end up...er. Crewing it yourselves. It's not hard, mind you! You should do fine. Just fine."

[Greyen]

Dentin

Well how big is this 'thaumic vessel' then? Cause if its a row boat then we may have some issues. Dentin carries on smiling I mean, where would we put everything? Mr. Tod here can fit under the seat, but I think that my associate Ms. Silence would be a little peeved if there wasn't room for her to sit.

[Pyroconstruct]

Aloysius read the contract over carefully, asking questions about some of the finer legal points. He wasn't too well-versed in legal matters, but he hoped to be able to see through Irrumatus if there was trickery involved.

Tech: Sense Motive (1d20+15)[16]

[OOC: Assuming Aloysius doesn't pick up anything bad from Sense Motive]:

After he was satisfied there were no holes in the agreement, Aloysius picked up a pen and signed "Aloysius Focht" with a flourish.

OOC: Also: does Aloysius know more about what a "Thaumic" vessel is with Knowledge: Arcana (1d20+13)[14]?

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

Those of you sensing motives; Irrumatus appears to be telling the truth, as he perceives it.

"No, it's certainly not a rowboat."
He looks at you as if he were glancing over some spectacles, somewhat ruined by the fact he's not wearing any.
"If it were a sailing vessel, it'd have three or so masts at least; it's warship-size. And I've heard there's room for ten aboard it, at least."

Aloysius; you know the following:
A thaumic vessel is any of a number of possible ships powered by non-mundane means and capable of taking to the skies- the waterborne equivalent would be a theurgeme. A thaumic vessel is capable of deriving its power from any source its creator desires; it has the ability to convert life, psionic energy, or even shadow magics into the potence it requires.
Thaumic vessels generally utilize an 'induction spine' for thrust. These devices create a pathway of magically charged atmosphere along which the energized vessel is driven.
Thaumic ships, while comparatively rare in the present time due to the prevalence of spelljamming helms, were a popular design among wizardly travelers for much of the previous century.
The exact means by which a thaumic vessel is powered, controlled, and affected by conditions varies so widely between ships that no generalization is possible beyond the above.

[Pyroconstruct]

"What means does this particular thaumic vessel use to power itself and accept control? It won't do us much good if it's creator made it to accept only some form of thaumaturgy none of us possess."

OOC: Just to make sure I'm interpreting it right, a particular thaumic vessel would have some sources of power it accepts, but not all thaumic vessels accept all power sources, ie, there might be a thaumic vessel that only accept PP as fuel? If that's what you meant, the above question is sensible, if not it might be nonsense.

[Kellus]

Anshar adds nothing further, but signs his name neatly on the contract.

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

Irrumatus pauses for a moment, rummages in his sleeves, and pulls out a sheaf of roughly bound notes- in his own hand, you suspect from the shaky, ranging script.

"Well, as far as I can tell...I've studied it, I had to, part of the preparations for your arrival, although it was very dark and not terribly....well. It seems the ship has a somewhat adaptive power supply...it responds to Arcanum, Mysterium Tenebrum, and Sanguinum, and perhaps to others I wasn't able to test. The default drive is a highly efficient Sanguinum, and the ship carries enough..er...motive fuel for a considerable distance under that mode."

He wipes his brow once again, but he seems to be excited rather than nervous- apparently he's glad to discuss his own work.
"I honestly don't know if there's anything the ship wouldn't accept...it's cobbled-together, like the castle, seems to be a little of this and that."
He shrugs.
"As I said, you shouldn't have any trouble."

[Greyen]

Dentin

Dentin looks around the area for a moment and leans on a desk next to Anshar he says quietly Mr. Anshar, since I don't know you at all, and it looks like we're going to be working together for a spell, you mind if I ask a few questions? How do you prefer to be called anyway?

He also looks at Silence and says wryly Ms. Silence, in some ways I had hoped not to be seeing you again. But here we are, its odd sometimes how the winds of fate carry people back into contact. How's the worlds been treating you? You ever get paid for that job back on Kule?

[Fax Celestis]

Silence smiles slowly. "No, I never got paid for it. It's too bad, really: that one was a healthy purse," she says as she looks over the contract¹. "But it's good to know I'll be working with competent folk rather than inept loons."

If she finds nothing to her distaste, she casts her liquid night mystery and signs her name with her fingertip in a shadowy, red-black ink seemingly conjured from nothing. She'll also shadow the signature for a moment with her hands to ensure that the text glows, as it should, in the dark.

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¹ Using my comprehend languages effect to understand bureaucrat-ese and see what the document really means. She'll sign it unless it puts her or her finances in direct, immediate danger.

[Kellus]

Anshar smiles slightly at Dentin. "Just 'Anshar' is fine, Mr. Ness. I rarely stand on ceremony. My story is nothing special. I'm a kind of... student, you might say. How about yourself? I'm sure a man with such a fine collection of trophies and trinkets as yourself must have a hundred and one fascinating stories of the beasts they came from."

The dark selkie pauses as Silence creates her ink. He leans in, watching her closely, with a bemused look on his face.

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As per the rules on pages 138-139 of Tome of Magic, Anshar will attempt to detect Silence as a shadow magic user.

Awareness check to spot her shadow moving seperately [DC 15]: Automatic success [Awareness +16]

Knowledge (arcana/the Planes) [Whispers] check to interpret her as a shadow magic user [DC 15]: (1d20+11)[20]

[Fax Celestis]

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Both succeed, though you also recognize that her mysteries aren't exactly typical.

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

Silence, the contract appears to promise you a ship and the necessary supplies to complete your mission, and the possibility of a healthy payment in cash as well; the language isn't that unclear, after all.

You find nothing that puts your finances in danger.

[Greyen]

Dentin

Looking at Anshar and watching his curiosity with Silences actions he says Well, there are a few stories to be told thats for sure. Please just call me Dentin, or Dent, or Tin, or Doink, or Sh--bucket, whatever really. He chuckles at his joke at his own expense. I'm just a hunter, been 'touched' by the Great Hunt and it's a fever for me almost. I love to hunt, be it alive or not. As for trophies, I collect a few teeth he says fingering a necklace heavy with a variety of teeth, most notable are a pair of large sabre tooth tiger fangs that hang by his collar bones, but not too much more than that.

He turns his head to Silence Aye, I got stiffed on that one too. Looks like this little crew will be interesting to travel with, that's for sure. seeing that everyone has signed he pops up and looks at Irrumatus with a big smile.

Where to now? A briefing room or the ship itself?

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

Just as you all finish signing the contract, you hear a heavy knock on the library door, as of a mailed fist attempting to strike gently.

A clerk bustles over, opens it a crack, then pales and strides over to Irrumatus, whispering in his ear. He, in turn, stutters to you, all the while rolling up and tucking away the document.

"The...the Ferromach would like to see you, before you depart."

[Greyen]

Dentin

The grand tour then, he looks at the others we get to meet all the big wigs today. He looks at Irrumatus next Who is this Ferromach person any way?

[Pyroconstruct]

Dentin

The grand tour then, he looks at the others we get to meet all the big wigs today. He looks at Irrumatus next Who is this Ferromach person any way?

"The Ferromach would be an officer of the more militant branch of the Yuran faith, as compared to the scholarly branch presently employing us," Aloysius replied to Dentin.

"Anyhow, let's see what the Ferromach wants."

[deathbyhokie]

Tod will quietly follow along to meet the Ferromach. At the first opportunity, he'll quietly slip the hat into his Haversack

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Larceny to conceal the putting away of the hat. I understand the effect will be obvious, but much like magic tricks, Tod wishes to conceal the mechanics.
(1d20+14)[23]

[Greyen]

Dentin

Well ok then, i guess we should be off to his holiness. Never really did pay much attention to who was who in the churches. Dentin falls in with the rest of the crew headed for the Ferromach.

His head and eyes never stop moving as they move through the halls.

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Dentin will try to make sure that he can find his way back out from where they have been sent.

Watching for anything unsavory too. Awwareness - (1d20+13)[16]

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

The guard sent to fetch you, armored in shiny, but dented, vambrace and greaves, looks a bit put-upon underneath his chain coif.

He nods as you emerge; Tod, you successfully conceal your methodology, and his eyebrow lifts.
He leads you along the hall, after briefly, even curtly, introducing himself as Dantony. Unlike the Legifex' blond-curled crew, he's got a map of scars under a mop of brown hair, and a bit of a limp- as of an old injury. The over-sized pick he carries looks to have seen fairly heavy use.

He turns, after a while of moving down mosaic-laden passageways (some obscene, some apparently scientific, some just horrifying- is that a six-legged lion?) and speaks, surprisingly, like a good student of the lecturer-legifex.

"The Ferromach did want to see you somewhat....earlier. But it seems you're in the employ of the library rather than the Bronze now, and that can't be helped. But he'll want your assistance, still; I suggest you grant it."
He pauses, and his mouth twists in a wry smile, scars dragging at his lip.
"He's got good reasons, if he bothers asking at all."

The above occurs, unless any of you elect to stay behind or something; anyone who does gets stared at uncomfortably.

Dentin, you detect nothing beyond the unnerving frescoes; there are occasional guards, but they nod to your escort and wave you along. You think you could find your way back, but probably not in a hurry.
Nothing untoward jumps out at you.

[Greyen]

Dentin

Dentin follows along watching everything. He'll nod affably to the guards and at one of the frescoes he pauses for a moment making a face I think I actaully may have hunted one of those things before. Nasty bugger, smelled like an old soldiers feet gone fungal.What? Oh sorry, I'm coming. Dentin hurries to catch up, trying not to be too distracted by the passing frescoes.

[Pyroconstruct]

Aloysius follows along, observing the frescoes with a mixture of amusement and puzzlement.