Ongoing Games (In-Character)Play-by-post games are going on in this forum as we speak (well, read). All threads on this board are actual games, so please, only post on a thread if you are a player of that game.
Meanas
Sun is rising over the barren meadows of Meanas banishing the shadows from a a small town and a loose collection of outhouses and tents, poorly stitched together out of patches of leather and whatever sort of textile, one could lay their hands on such an Age, where herds would rely on constant migrations and crops would be entirely dependent on the scarce rainfall. Here, in the outskirts of a town of miners or the more fortunate peddlers of metal or natural gas, gather those that children would be best off avoiding; the scum of the earth, vagabonds, rogues, smugglers, drunkards, or even some nameless rapscallions and caricatures ever glancing over their shoulders as if weary of some dissonance in the winds and wastes.
Nada Meanas, Nada's tent
A tunnel...and then...darkness...and a machine with glass cannisters set in the granite deep in the bowels of some mountain...and a book with a moving image of some unknown island...and...sunlight? Someone calling your name? Something is wrong here...
It seems implausible. Well, it actually is. The voice becomes more persistent. You open your eyes and groggily look to the right to see a head poking through the entrance, bald and scraggly bearded. He seems unfazed by his obvious indiscretion and keeps calling still: "Ma'am, I am looking for miss Nada, is that you?"
Trenarios Meanas, encampment north perimeter
Well, this has not been the best of week. A conviction, a scrappy escape, and now this. This...filthy collection of crooks and bandits. But at least a shift from high treason and death row in your hometown to a theft charge in this little part of hell is not such horrible progress. And yesterday night, things started looking up again, there was this red-haired woman, wearing the strangest pair of goggles apparently carved out of some rare crystal. She had mentioned something about a job, one that could turn a pretty profit and not too shady in its dealings, at least not enough for the law to give a darn. What was her name again? Curse the drinks... At least you vaguely remember the directions to her tent.
Gadar
A towering building topped with a glass dome and surrounded with orchards, and beyond still a sea, endless and swarming with all sorts of fish and their winged predators. Obviously, Gadar had been intended as a place of study and reminiscence of wisdom past, and the Great Library, the crowning jewel for the Guild of Legislators. The adobe of scholars and the most ancient and dignified of D'ni families. Yet it has been over three centuries since any of this last mattered. Three centuries since the Guild had any sway and its name any value within the confines of the island and the Library's walls. Three centuries since word last arrived from Releeshan. And the memory of that time embedded and slumbering within the yellowish records, the non-functional devices, the very foundations of the Library. Truly forgetfulness and ennui were the worst enemies of the few hundred descendants of the Guild members, endlessly poring over the dusty tomes in that unlikely habitat.
Gareth Gadar, The Fissure's Lens (The hall under the glass dome)
Of course it had to be rain. That accursed sound keeps getting on your nerves, night after night in this endless autumn. And worst of all, the clouds kept hiding the stars, this last hope that escape was a feasible option. But, there was a note slipped under your door in the basements urging you to come here under cover of darkness, with words that rekindled some hope "I have discovered a way out. The way Dakrenn followed."
Dakrenn...that scoundrel great-uncle. He was always considered as the family's embarrassment, or so your parents had always said; and he has mysteriously disappeared more than a century ago, before you were even born. Not that such disappearances were uncommon. Many opted to take their chances at sea or would fling themselves from the cliff side never to be seen again.
And now a whisper was barely audible from the shadows as a shadowy figure took form.
"Have you come alone?"
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
Last edited by Rakmakallan : 09-17-2012 at 03:44 PM.
"What the hell, man! You don't wake people up like that," the woman growls, squinting down the barrel of the gun she has fluently pulled out from under her pillow and leveled on the intruder, even before her eyes were fully open. The click of a raised hammer underscores her disgruntled statement quite nicely.
She tries to shake the remnants of that crazy dream. Books with moving images... Yeah right. That would earn her a fortune alright...
"What do you want with 'Miss Nada'?" The muzzle of the gun does not waver, its black maw staring the man right in the face.
__________________
~*~
"I wanted to see the universe,
so I stole a Time Lord
and I ran away..."
Trenarios did not move. He thought he had heard something, something heavier than a bird, moving outside. He slowly rose, moving as slowly as possible, and rapidly climbed the tree nearby. He then threw a rock just behind the tent were Nada was, hitting the tent on the side. He hoped, this way, Nada would know he was watching, as always.
Trenarios then proceeded to acustom his eyes to his environement, and looked around to see if he could spot anyone close to the tents.
Gareth reached into his robes and casually fingered the hilt of his dagger. He had no illusions about the dangers of the Library, its territorial clans and the occasional wandering madman. Living in the basement—dank and mostly abandoned—had allowed him to avoid most encounters with such folk. But there had been times that his blade had seen use.
"Perhaps," Gareth replied cautiously to the voice in the darkness. He peered intently at the shape, trying to determine who (or what) it was.
Nada Meanas, Nada's tent
The man's eyes widen as an expression of utter horror cross his whitening face, while he answers in a stutter.
"I-I'm s-s-s-sorry ma'am. I d-d-d-didn't mean to intrude. I was sent by m-m-m-m-mister Al-kardan to d-deliver a letter. He s-said it's ab-b-bout the job. T-t-the chamber that had been uncovered at the mining site.
This is kind of a relief. Al-kardan might be the worst of crooks, a smuggler of artefacts, a double-crosser and who knows what else under the sun, but you have to admit that when a profitable job shows up, he will be the first to take notice, and if offered a paltry amount from the earnings, ensure safe passage and success.
The man slowly reaches for his pocket pulling out a folded sheet of paper and offering it to you with trembling hands. Meanwhile, someone appears to have thrown a small rock at the side of your tent, though nothing is visible.
Trenarios Meanas, outside Nada's tent
You notice the torso and legs of a man who has apparently stuck his head through the opening of the tent, speaking in the stuttering voice of someone whose life is under immediate threat. Judging from Nada's shout a few moments before, the poor fellow must have incurred the wrath of someone to be reckoned with, and she probably is aware of your rock. However, it's quite unlikely, if not impossible that any of the two has taken notice of you. The surrounding area also seems empty. Who in their right minds would roam around in plain sight so early in the morning, and if they had shady dealings, they would make sure to lay low.
Gareth Gadar, The Fissure's Lens
You squint your eyes trying to make out the characteristics of the man in the shadows, yet save for a vague silhouette, nothing is visible. Then again, your eyes might be deceiving you. However, the man takes a short step forward and his tall figure is now visible, concealed by a hooded cloak with a curly beard poking its way outwards.
There's only one man this stinky beard could belong to; among a few hundred people, he was one of the few who never paid grooming much attention. Some time ago, someone had told you that you were second cousins. Bah, nonsense, you a relative of this riff raff. The one and only Rovan, who would burn books during the winter and occasionally steal provisions. It is a wonder how he had not been caught yet.
"I have no time to play games, Gareth" he says. "What I have to show you, is meant for you alone. I would not trust anyone else with such knowledge."
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
Last edited by Rakmakallan : 09-23-2012 at 03:13 PM.
Nada sighs and relaxes just a bit, letting the pistol sink down. With her free hand, she takes the paper the messenger is offering with trembling hands.
"OK, then", she grumbles. "Just don't go around barging into peoples' tents like an ax murderer next time."
She motions him with the gun barrel to leave. Nada has heard the rock pelting against her tent. Good to know the kid's on his feet.
As soon as the messenger has left the tent, she stifles a yawn and puts the gun into its holster, hanging at the tent post. When the old man is out of earshot, she calls out: "It's alright, you can come in."
Nada contemplates the letter, wondering what that old badger Al-kardan might have stumbled upon now. It's usually well worth the while. She opens the grubby paper and reads what he has written. When Trenarios comes into the tent, she hands him the paper.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a job."
__________________
~*~
"I wanted to see the universe,
so I stole a Time Lord
and I ran away..."
It were barely some minutes waiting, when the person standing inside Nada's tent got out. Nada hadn't cried for help, nor made any sound, and the man didn't reek of blood or anything, so Trenarios assumed nothing bad had become her.
After a few minutes his premonitions got approved by Nada stepping outside her tent and calling out to him: "It's alright, you can come in" Trenarios saw Nada entering her tent again, and he silently chuckled to himself. He liked people not being able to perceive him; it was his forte.
He jumped down from the branch he was sitting on and entered the tent after having knocked on 'the door' of it. "Always be a gentleman" he reminded himself. Inside he found Nada, reading some kind of paper. He looked around in the tent, inspecting the mysterious artifacts she had collected over the course of time, untill she was done reading.
Maenas, Nada's Tent
"Looks like we've got ourselves a job." she said, handing the paper to Trenarios. He read it, and a smile showed up on his face. He didn't know if it would be easy -it almost never was- but he was excited to be on the move again. "Alright, Lady. We will be going tomorrow, then? For now I'd like to get some sleep."
He returned to his own tent, excusing himself from Nada, and took a good night's sleep.
Spoiler
May Trenarios know what was actually written in the letter?
The man bows clumsily before turning around and taking to his heels.
Spoiler
Taking a sleep? The sun has barely just risen.
Al-Kardan's letter
Spoiler
My dearest Nada,
I apologise in advance for any discomfort my "messenger" might have caused you and please rest assured that with the exception of his clumsiness he is a perfectly fine fellow. Although I have to admit that you might not even want to read even a word after our last escapade (about which I assure you yet again, it was none of my responsibility that the kamruth almost bit off your left arm), I am also confident that this time I have stumbled upon a literal treasure trove.
Two days ago, an associate of mine confided in me that during the drilling works for mine expansion, the slaves came to an area that had apparently suffered from a cave-in at some point in the past. When the debris was cleared, a stone door slab was revealed bearing letters in an unknown language, which you and I, being more educated about the history of this place, would promptly recognise as D'ni. At the moment, the issue is being discussed among the viziers of Pasha Hadi, current exploiter of the mining region, and a little bird told me that they have been unable to open the slab and now intend to blow it to smithereens. Since we know how adept you are at, let us say, gaining access, I have secured for you safe and undisturbed entry to the mines tonight, 4 hours before dawn, for about 1 hour. Afterwards the guard shifts will resume as normal. Make your way in, grab hold of whatever valuables you can find and make yourself scarce. I will contact you via the same source tomorrow afternoon to divide the spoils. Remember that our usual 60:40 agreement applies.
May the Lantern-bearers watch your step.
Al-kardan
Timeskip to the next night, a few hours before Al-kardan's marked time.
Spoiler
If you have made any preparations, mark them in your next post
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
"Oh. You." Gareth sniffed disdainfully and put away his dagger; Rovan may have been a foul-smelling little thief, but he wasn't dangerous that Gareth knew of. "Tell me, then: Why have you dragged me out of my cellar in the dead of night? And why the note slipped shyly under my door like a blushing girl would do? Did you call me here to confess your undying love, Rovan?"
Gareth's voice swelled with mocking apology. "I'm terribly flattered, but you're just too … aromatic for me." He clutched his chest dramatically. "Alas, our love can never be!"
Gareth Gadar, The Fissure's Lens
Rovan pulls his hood back to revealed a mane of dusty curly hair and an annoyed scowl on his face.
"Please, spare me the irony. I took whatever precautions I had to, and only because this is an issue best known by as few people as possible. Once you have heard me you will realise its importance and what an upheaval it would raise among the denizens of the library."
He reaches into the wide sleeves of his cloak, pulling out a small leather-bound book, with some unintelligible inscription on the cover. His expressions changes into a smug crooked grin.
"Some of us possess secrets most would covet. Such as...the way Dakrenn followed. I trust you have at least read about Ages and linking books."
Spoiler
Knowledge (D'ni history): Linking books are books with linking panels that can be used to create secondary links to Ages. D'ni society preferred to use them instead of descriptive books as use over a prolonged period of time could damage the book. They were also much smaller than descriptive books which made them more portable, and multiple linking books could exist for one descriptive book. When changes were made to a descriptive book, its linking books would shift to link to the altered Age, and upon the destruction of a descriptive book, its linking books ceased to work.
The Great Library itself is a Guild Age, and even though most, if not all linking books to it have been destroyed, hence the fact that no one has entered the age in the last centuries, apparently the descriptive book lies intact somewhere.
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
It was as though Gareth had been slapped; the show of derisive melodrama vanished in an instant, replaced with a very real emotion: surprise. It lasted only a moment before he composed himself, reverting to his usual expression of annoyed indifference.
"Of course I know of Ages and linking books. Not all of us are illiterate savages like the family clans," Gareth snapped. He licked his lips, however—the only indication of his true interest in the book held in Rovan's hand. I must be very careful here. Very careful indeed.
He leveled an accusatory finger at the bearded man, his voice quiet and tired. "I've searched. Searched the stacks for years and years. I've inspected thousands of records, and read the Maker knows how many tedious protocols. There's nothing, no records of any shelved linking books. They're all missing or destroyed, otherwise we'd have all gotten off this godforsaken rock long ago. So please, Rovan, enlighten me: How did you come by your so-called linking book, if that's what I'm to believe it is?"
A smile plays around Nada's lips as she reads Al-Kardan's letter. The old fox surely knows how to treat a lady. The offer, however, sounds promising. An undisturbed vault... And with her and Tren's knack for doors, one hour will be quite sufficient. If this shapes up as it's promising to, Al-Kardan will have well earned his 40 percent.
"Had a rough night?", she calls after Trenarios leaving the tent. "Again? Kid, you need to learn how to know when the party stops. Don't be late."
She then proceeds to burn the letter and decides to use the day for gathering some innocuous information about this digging site.
Spoiler
Nada will wander about the camp and see what she can find out about the new mine. Who's digging it, who knows what has been found, if anyone else might have taken notice, etc. She'll use her charm to do it delicately, though, feigning casual disinterest, talking much more about other matters as to have her own interest not be taken notice of.
She returns after nightfall, packing her gear as she always does for undertakings like this. Nada is used to traveling light. She'll then go to the mine entrance and lie low, waiting for Trenarios to give her one of his customary signs that he's nearby. She just hopes he won't be late...
__________________
~*~
"I wanted to see the universe,
so I stole a Time Lord
and I ran away..."
Trenarios stood low, completely hidden in shadows. He had been standing there for almost an hour now, trying to detect any person nearby who may be spying on him, Nada or the mine. Preparation was everything, is the first thing Trenarios learned of his lonely crimes. If you managed to know a building from the inside out, and the people that were guarding you from it, theoretically, nothing could go wrong. The only time when that happened was the time that the place had a counterspy, to prey on him while he preyed on their treasure...
Nada had come, finally. He still hadn't forgotten what she'd said before he went to sleep: "Again? Kid, you need to learn how to know when the party stops. Don't be late."
It wasn't his fault that there was an afterparty!
Or an after-afterparty!
He just liked chatting up some nice people and get invited to drink coffee at their house!
Trenarios cupped his hands and let out a small deep whistle, like an owl-sound as to let Nada know he was there. She would recognize the sound. He then waited for her to go in the cave before following in himself.
Negotiate roll to gather information, Lie roll to avoid any suspicion.
You manage to learn from a band of drunkard miners and taskmasters that the gate was discovered while following clues for a possible deposit of explosive gases. That specific section of the mines is currently under the financial control of Pasha Hadi, old prospector, rumoured warmonger and afficionado of ancient artefacts, known to have an immense collection of salvaged D'ni items.
You did not cause any suspicion during your enquiries.
A few moments after you approach the mine entrance, semi-confident that your maps should be able to guide to the excavation site, you hear a bird call from behind a small pile of rubble. That definitely seems wrong, birds in this area, but when you see Trenarios emerging from behind, any concerns are proven unnecessary. The mine is dimly lit by lanterns every few tens of meters and no guards are in sight.
Nada & Trenarios Meanas, D'ni Gate
After a few minutes of sneaking in the lantern light, attempting to lay as silent and low as possible, you come upon a newly excavated region of the mine, marked by walls of a silvery-white ore and debris lining both sides of the tunnel. Blocking the tunnel, is a stone door slab, and on its top four cylindrical stone chamber, each bearing a protrusion resembling a lever. There seems to be a writing in some foreign language on the side of the door.
Spoiler
Please tell what you wish to examine or manipulate every time, so that I can give clues for the puzzle according to your Practices and Talents
Gareth Gadar, The Fissure's Lens
Rovan's grin grew toothier and wider, clear proof that he is genuinely amused by your reaction.
"Apparently you did not search well enough, or not in the right places. Then again, Dakrenn might have just been very careful in covering his tracks. You should know how tricky using unknown linking books can be."
Spoiler
Knowledge (D'ni history): There had been cases of people getting lost while linking due to books with missing pages, or times in the past when trap books, identical to normal linking books had been used extensively
"If it is any consolation, I have been looking for a way out myself for almost twenty years. Two decades, trying to restore broken machinery, scouring the coastline for any "hidden niches", going over the records time and again. Lemme tell you, these things now are good for little more than tinder. It was an accidental discovery really. You wouldn't really believe, he would actually place the book back in the shelves, did you? The book was right here, in this very room, or very close by in a sense. Do you think what you see above you is the stars, the night sky of this Age? Well, it is partly, but it's much more. The name of this place, though we do not realise it, is quite literal. What you see above you, is the Star Fissure, and I seriously doubt its existence here is intentional. The rift is still small, large enough to hide a book inconspicuously, but the fact remains that this Age is dying."
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
Nada isn't really surprised at Pasha Hadi's involvement, though it might make things a bit... complicated. They had butted heads a few times before over some precious trinkets, and by no means had their last encounter ended amiably...
Ah well, hopefully (and if Al-Kardan stays true to his word) they'll be out before he's ever the wiser. Maybe they can even close the vault up again, making it look as it it had been empty all along. Nada suppresses a slight grin imagining Hadi's face when they blast it open.
She turns her attention to the door, taking notice of the levers and their exact dispositions.
Spoiler
Just to clarify: The Gate's a stone slab with four cylinders just lined up on top of it like, say, soup cans for marksman practice? With levers sticking out of each one them? Do I have the right picture in my head?
So, some questions:
Which position are the levers in? E.g. straight up? Or leaning towards us? Or any other noteworthy position?
Are there visible gears or pipes leading away from them?
Is there a lock to be seen on the door's sides, where it fuses with the surrounding rock?
She then looks at the inscription on the side, taking some time to puzzle through the strange language she has never heard spoken.
Spoiler
Nada can read D'ni: so what's written there?
"So, what do you think?", she softly asks Trenarios, squinting at the minuscule cryptic letters in the flickering light of the lantern.
__________________
~*~
"I wanted to see the universe,
so I stole a Time Lord
and I ran away..."
((Double post because of new info in the OC thread...))
Meanas, D'ni Gate
Nada runs her gloved fingertips around the cylinders and eyes the levers. "I'm guessing those in the right constellation will open the door", she quietly remarks to Trenarios, asking his opinion.
She squints at the inscription, murmuring the words as she translates them: "Where once we walked... there's always a way home... That sounds intriguing..." There could be a whole D'ni city behind here for all she knows. Now that would be great, but surely not as manageable profit-wise as, say, an artifact. Still... Nada feels a stab of excitement about probably seeing more of this world that up until now only gave away centuries-old glimpses.
Just then, the child-like scrawl on the side catches her eye. "Hey, what's this? That doesn't belong to the rest... Sirrus... It's all just gas... What the hell does that mean!?" Nada frowns, her hand resting on the scribbles. "Probably something with gas pressure? Hmmm... Well, guess we'd hear that as soon as we depress a lever. If it still works, that is."
She straightens back up and grins at Tren. "So, kid - wanna see how many possible positions these levers have got?"
__________________
~*~
"I wanted to see the universe,
so I stole a Time Lord
and I ran away..."
"Hmm" was the only thing Trenarios could manage to say in these circumstances. He still kept inspecting the levers and their workings without touching anything. The info Nada gave him wasn't that useful either, only the gas mattered.
"I guess we'll have to move them." he mentions to Nada. He then does a quick calculus in his head and continues: "If we assume that these levers can only be on the top position and the lower position we have 16 different possibilities to open this door. 1 is already shown, so 15 remain."
"Still, we have to proceed cautiously, because it could be a trap. What if we-" he fastly shuts his mouth. He got all caught up in this adventure and was blabbering too much. Talking is dangerous, he had taught himself, and although he trusted Nada the most of all people, he still didn't fully trust her.
Trenarios & Nada Meanas, D'ni gate
As you pull the first lever from the right just one notch, it locks in position, though it's apparent it could move further down. Then there is a sound of a mechanism sliding somewhere between the first and second cylinder and the sound of something being sucked in from the former and into the latter with a loud thud.
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
"The Star Fissure …" Gareth said, trailing off. He stared up at the dome above him, and the darkness of the sky beyond. Could it be that Rovan was telling the truth?
"I must confess, I'm not terribly well-read on the phenomenon," Gareth admitted. "Can a Star Fissure be used to … pass beyond?" His eyes then narrowed in suspicion. "And more importantly, Rovan: Why are you telling me any of this?"
Gareth Gadar, The Fissure's Lens
Maybe it could be true... A minuscule rift just under the dome; you'd have to see it to believe it. Then again, Rovan seems to possess a genuine linking book and he now shrugs at your question.
"Maybe. The Fissure is not the Void. There might be shortcuts between Ages through it, or by linking books having been forgotten in its expanses. Then again, I would not risk wandering off blindly and the rift that has opened here is still too small. Won't probably be even noticed for a few more years. The reason I am trying to explain all this is that I need your co-operation. You are one of the few, if any, people I trust in this hellhole and the only one I could rely on at this moment. See, I need to get out of here as much as you do, and though I suspect Dakrenn made it through by means of this book, I am not so desperate enough so as to risk it. What if a page is torn? What if the Age is under destruction or inhabitable? What if there is no way further or back? "
He flashes a sly smile and continues,
"However, judging by your reactions so far, you would be desperate enough to try, and inform me of safe ground, whether by returning yourself, or by finding any abandoned crystal viewer, like the one kept in the basements."
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
"So you want me to be your guinea pig, then? And as for the crystal viewers, I have no idea how to operate them, nor what they even do. Hypothetically speaking, if I were to do this, how would I use a viewer to communicate with you from a different Age?"
Gareth peered at the book in Rovan's hands. "Is the book even powered? Can you see anything in the book-window?"
"Did you hear that?", Nada asks excitedly. "It still works!" She eyes the mechanism, trying to gauge what kind of machine it could be.
Spoiler
Could the Prodigy practice help me with this?
"Hmmm, I wonder...", she muses, in turn pulling the second lever from the right down a notch. If nothing happens, she will give it another notch, putting it to one position lower than the first.
__________________
~*~
"I wanted to see the universe,
so I stole a Time Lord
and I ran away..."
Yep, it applies as a mechanism from "a different technological level", if you notice, when you manipulate things, I might give you more info than to Trenarios.
*Pulling the second lever to first position*
A mechanism can be heard sliding back into place between the first and second cylinders, but this time there is no flow. Apparently, you just closed what Trenarios previously opened.
*Pulling the second lever to second position*
This time two mechanisms slide, between the first and second and between the second and third cylinders. The flow can be heard going both ways, this time half as loud as before.
Trenarios
Spoiler
Play by Ear practice: What was in the cylinders got split. One of the variables here is definitely quantity, but so far there has only been flow to and fro cylinders directly connected in line. Probably, if they were not, the flow would lose some speed.
Gareth Gadar, The Fissure's Lens
He makes a mocking gesture of pretended embarassment.
"Gosh, does this offend you? I thought you wanted a way out, and now that I'm offering you one, you are focusing on details. Worst case, you end up at an Age in its death throes and get spat out to the Fissure. This will happen if you stay here for some more, remember?
Now, about the crystal viewer. They used to be tools for viewing other Ages. At some point before the attempt at Restoration, they were improved to such an extent that they could be used to communicate between Ages, and they were installed in various locations. The one in the Library was abandoned after all communication with Releeshan ceased. They are very easy to use, though if you feel so ill-at-ease, I suppose I could write down some rudimentary instructions.
And lastly...since you asked, let me demonstrate the book."
He points the book forward, the words "The Tide" scribbled on its leather cover, and opens it. Through pages, a moving image is finally visible, of an rocky island with wooden homesteads, forests and a lighthouse, under a clear blue sky. And further still, the sea, perhaps with many more islands out of sight. The image finally stabilises on a cobblestone with the base of a statue visible in the distance.
"So, is it time for a heartfelt farewell?"
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
"Did you hear that?" Trenarios mentions to Nada, hearing the flow in the cylinders change. The flow however, seems to have diminished in comparison to the first one. Furthermore, between the second and the third a path has been established, but the first is cut of from them. "The objective here is to connect all containers, I think. The second and the third are now connected, but hte flow is much slower than when the first and the second were connected, which, by the way are cut off from each other now." Trenarios mentions. His hand is now sliding between the levers and thinking hard about how this mechanism works.
Assuming the first one is the initial, big container, they needed to get the gas to the fourth one, and the third and second were now connected.
"How about..." Trenarios ponders and immediatly executes: He pulls the first lever farther down. He stops at every step and listens on which of the spots the first conatiner connects with the second one, finally leaving it at the (seemingly) best spot.
Gareth couldn't breathe. It's real. By God, it's real. For as long as he could remember he had been searching, searching for a way out, and now the object of his pursuit was only a few feet away.
In the hands of an ass.
"Instructions shouldn't be necessary, if it's as simple as you say," Gareth said, his eyes never leaving the tiny image of the island and lighthouse. Such colors—the sky was a dream-blast of blue, so unlike the rain-swollen grey skies of Gadar.
His voice dropped to a whisper. "It looks … safe, doesn't it? Stable?" He thought briefly of his room in the basement of the Library. There was nothing there he needed; what few important belongings he owned, he always carried with him. And more to the point: there was nothing in Gadar for him now, except perhaps a terrifying death as the Age crumbled to dust and fell into the growing Fissure.
Rovan was right: it wasn't a choice at all.
"I'll do it," Gareth heard himself say as if from far away. "Is there anything else I should know before I … before I go?"
The first one was closed at Nada's first pull and reopened at the second one. Content is split equally between first and third, and the paths 1-2 and 2-3 are open.
As you slide the lever down, there doesn't seem to be an intermediate position. However, as soon as you slow down at the second position, the sounds start anew. Sliding between the first and second (closing), and somewhere in the back, a new fainter sliding between the first and third cylinders, and the the flow. The entire content of the first cylinder moving to the third, but it's too faint, even for the lessened quantity, as if the flow is taking an indirect, slower route.
Gareth Gadar, The Fissure's Lens
"I think it is. At the time of the Restoration, the Tide was visited again at times, even by a few surface-dwellers. There hasn't been any indication that it was decaying at that time. Leave it up to the Grower's father to write a stable Age. Anyhow, this is no matter."
It seems as if a saddened look clouds his face for a second.
"I know what you think, that I'm a scoundrel and a vagabond. Be assured that as soon as I confirm the passage is safe, I will give the book to the rest of the Library, move them all out safely. Then again, I wonder why Dakrenn did not give any life signs.
Never mind. There's nothing else you need to know right now. Just leave, and...well...keep in touch?"
He laughs a hoarse laughter at his own joke as he extends the open book towards you.
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
Nada gives a delighted little laugh as Trenarios pulls the first lever farther down. These parts always are her favorites. Well, not counting pay-off, that is.
"You closed the passage between 1 and 2, but seem to have diverted it all to 3! There's pipes beyond that wall!" She thinks for a moment, then pulls out a piece of paper. She jots down the positions that they have tried so far with the effect they seem to have.
Spoiler
0000 - all closed
0001 - 1 to 2 > all gas in 2
0011 - all closed > all gas in 2
0021 - 1 to 2, 2 to 3 > gas half in 1, half in 3
0022 - 1 to 3, 2 to 3 > all gas in 3
((Rakmakallan: Is that about right?))
"So these are all the positions that we've tried up until now", she muses. "And the third cylinder now holds all of the gas, right? Should we divert it into the fourth and see what happens? Or do you want to try and open all the valves up? I'm guessing that this would entail putting them all into consecutive positions. 1 in the first, 2 in the second, 3 in the third, 4 in the fourth. Assuming there are more possible positions, though. Let's see that first, shall we?"
She gingerly takes the first lever to see how many possible positions there are in full. Or is it already on its lowest position and can't go further? Time to find out.
__________________
~*~
"I wanted to see the universe,
so I stole a Time Lord
and I ran away..."
And again, in an eyeblink your surroundings materialised again from nothingness. A cobblestone path, one end disappearing over a short hill among cottages, and the other leading towards towards a square, with a statue visible in the distance. For some reason, you have a weird feeling, that at the moment you touched the book there was not only Rovan examining you with a curious look, but also another set of eyes. Or it could just be some residual byproduct from linking. Never mind for now...
There is a commotion rising from the square ahead, shouts, and scared screams of women. Someone calling for a doctor. What a perfect moment to arrive in an unfamiliar Age.
Nada Meanas, D'ni Gate
Spoiler
Yes, this seems correct
With a first pull, the first lever ends up in a lower third position and three mechanisms slide into place, between first and second, first and third, first and fourth, but without flow this time. This would mean that 1 to 4 and 1 to 2 are now open, while 1 to 3 closed, and all the gas is in the third cylinder. But it seems there is one more position, because, as you pull the lever further down, there is a sliding between 1 to 4 and 1 to 2, while the lever raises itself to its original position. Probably the fourth position is some sort of reset mechanism.
__________________
Divinely masterful avatar by Ceika. The Four Voices of Esto.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung, as tears unshed.
"Would you look at that", Nada murmurs and resumes scribbling furiously.
Spoiler
0000 - all closed > all gas in 1
0001 - 1 to 2 > all gas in 2
0011 - all closed > all gas in 2
0021 - 1 to 2, 2 to 3 > gas half in 1, half in 3
0022 - 1 to 3, 2 to 3 > all gas in 3
0023 - 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 1 to 4 > all gas in 3 (no flow)
0024 - 2 to 3, resets to 0020 > all gas in 3 (no flow)
0020 - 2 to 3 > all gas in 3 (no flow)
"So it seems that in case of 1, every consecutive position opens the valves to a cylinder further away. And up until now, only lower cylinders can link to higher ones. So, do we divert all gas to the left or do we open all the valves, see what happens? I think, all to the left would be easier to try, though..."
She points to the third lever (second from the left). "If we put that in position 3, it should open a valve to the last cylinder. If I'm right, that is. Wanna try?"
__________________
~*~
"I wanted to see the universe,
so I stole a Time Lord
and I ran away..."
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