The Chaos of Cannith [3.5] - Page 8

Jade_Tarem · 07-08-2008, 07:33 PM

Konnor grins, puts the dead spider tracker into a belt pouch, gears up, and heads out to Galdin's, asking directions if necessary.

Minstrel Wyrm · 07-09-2008, 10:45 AM

When the sound of thunder dies away, Kamiel rises from the sketches he has drawn overnight and walks over to the window. Taking note of the gathering people on the street, he watches them awhile to discern whether they are gathering as a crowd, or whether it is the usual morning bustle of a city.

Then he returns to his chair, tucks away the sketches, and takes out his leather-bound spellbook. Carefully leafing through the parchment pages, he remembers the fragment of leather armour he had dropped into one of his satchels. A quick search unearthes it, and Kamiel meticulously returns it to the spell component pouch on his belt. Then he takes up his spellbook again and begins to memorize two spells.

Afterwards, Kamiel gathers his possessions and walks down to leave the Ivory Dreamer. As he had discussed with Sir Soren, he goes alone, knowing that this inn would serve as potential meeting place.

Stepping out on the street, he looks around to check the weather, and to see what mood the people on the streets seem to be in.

@ Mongler:

Spoiler

Jade_Tarem · 07-09-2008, 10:56 AM

Spoiler

Iron Mongler · 07-09-2008, 06:57 PM

Konnor and Marsh make their way to the Seventh Towers district in Menthis Plateau, which is just beside the University District. It takes you both about 2 hours to get there via skybridges, and as you go along you notice (especially in Central Plateau, for Marsh) that there's a lot of discussion going on about the death of the lord mayor, who fell all the way to the lower wards of Sharn and was quite swiftly torn apart by goblins, some say just so they can sell his body on the black market.

As for Seventh Towers: Stores, restaurants, hotels, and a few townhomes in this prosperous neighborhood appear high-priced and lavish. It is one of the finest shopping districts in Sharn, and has a number of rare book dealers and antiquities to set it apart from Platinum Heights in Upper Central. At the top of Seventh Tower lies Galdin's Garden. A garden of exotic and fragrant flowers, particularly orchids and roses, surrounds this establishment. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available, and some of the tables offers distant views of the ocean to the south on (the relatively rare) clear days. The menu consists of spicy Brelish offerings, while the wine list includes the best vintages from the Eldeen Reaches and Aundair.

Marsh sees Konnor in front of the building as she arrives.

---

Kamiel notices there's some unrest as he leaves the inn, and many people are troubled by the death of the mayor. Not all though. Some seem to be even celebrating.

Spoiler

Meek · 07-09-2008, 07:08 PM

Marsh approaches and gives Konnor a provocative little grin, carrying herself in a very delicate way. "Well, hello there," She says in a coquettish voice. "Good morning! Glad you could make it to our little outing."

Hah, I love playing the femme fatale too much for my own good – except I dress purple instead of red.

Jade_Tarem · 07-09-2008, 08:13 PM

Konnor looks over. "Mornin' yourself." He says, grinning back, if only a little. "You seem cheerful enough."

Remember, back in character now.

Meek · 07-09-2008, 11:02 PM

"I always am," Marsh says, "I don't have anything much to be sad about. So, let's go in then. I promised to pay, I believe."

She struts girlishly inside to solicit a table. Preferably one far enough away from others, on a corner or somesuch.

Jade_Tarem · 07-10-2008, 07:28 AM

Lucky you. Konnor thinks glumly as they head inside. His mood is quickly brightened, however, when he gets his first good look around inside Galdins. He finds himself staring like an idiot. Five Kingdoms! I don't think even the top brass at the tinkerer's union had it this good. Konnor follows Marsh's lead in terms of getting a table.

OOC:

Spoiler

Iron Mongler · 07-10-2008, 09:43 AM

You grab a table in the corner, and soon a young waiter comes by and gives you the menus.

Meek · 07-10-2008, 11:51 PM

Spoiler

"I'll just have whatever's on special," Marsh says, "Surprise me."

Jade_Tarem · 07-11-2008, 06:58 AM

Konnor scans over the huge array of possible dishes, before saying, "Um, same here." He'll wait for the waiter to go before talking business.

Iron Mongler · 07-11-2008, 07:10 AM

He takes the menus and walks off, leaving you quite alone.

Meek · 07-20-2008, 12:20 PM

Marsh settles back on her seat. "Alright then. I would say to give a moment of silence for the mayor, but I don't want to wait much." She says, "So let's talk. Everything you know, then everything I know."

Jade_Tarem · 07-20-2008, 12:54 PM

After a protracted pause, Konnor sits back and pulls out his note sheet. He tells her of his exploits the night before (but not that morning), and finishes with:

"So that's the end of it. The 'weapon' is some modification to, or alteration of, or has to be mounted on or deployed from, a House Lyrandar airship. The Tyrants are involved, somehow, as is House Lyrandar, and they're already hiring thugs and assassins to mess with people."

He pulls out the limp tracker and places it on the table. "And finally, those tracker spider things? They're really, really small."

He gives Marsh an evaluative look. "What all that means is anyone's guess."

He looks around the room. "Just how long does it take for them to fill our order? It feels like we've been waiting for days."

Iron Mongler · 07-20-2008, 02:02 PM

You see a new person come by with your orders.

"Apologies, madam and monsieur. This place needed a new server, but it should be run faster than ever now.

Meek · 07-20-2008, 02:36 PM

"I see," Marsh replies, "Well, I hope the new server can handle the workload. This is a popular and busy place. But I have faith in you."

She begins eating delicately, pausing to reply to Konnor (once the person is gone), with what she learned from the Mayor about Cerveth D'Cannith. However, she tells him that she received this from a reliable source close to her family, rather than...well, the whole sundry murder story.

"This is far larger than I imagined." Marsh says, "I hold some apprehension to bringing any more people into this, but I guess it'd be difficult on our own. Also, personally, I don't want this thing returned to Cannith." She leans closer. "I don't trust them. I think we should expose this machine to the public if we get it. The scrutiny of millions should make it impossible for it to go on without being destroyed."

Spoiler

Jade_Tarem · 07-20-2008, 04:44 PM

OOC:

Spoiler

The public? That depends on what it really is...

Konnor stops eating after Marsh finishes. Oddly, Konnor's table manners aren't bad, either.

"Well, of course we don't want it returned to Cannith. They'd just sell it again."

Konnor frowns. "Um, it really comes down to not lettin' the wrong people get it. And the only *real* way to make sure that the wrong people don't get it is to make sure no one gets it."

He leans forward a bit, but his head tilts back and his gaze glazes over as he stares off into space. He stops dropping consonants, and any traces of his accent vanish. "But Cannith probably didn't lose the plans to it, or the knowledge or how to build it, when the prototype was stolen. One has to guess - no, assume - that they could build more at any time, and House Lyrandar isn't short of airships."

He lowers his head but still stares at nothing. "Menya D'Cannith said that it would revolutionize warfare forever, and I don't think she was exaggerating. I can't think of any kind of improvement to existing weaponry that would accomodate that."

He finally stops thinking out loud. His speech does not return to how it was. It was a dumb idea, exaggerating the tone like that, and she probably won't notice anyway. "I dunno. What do you think?"

Meek · 07-20-2008, 05:52 PM

"Revolutionize warfare, well, here goes my train of thought."

She clears her throat lightly, and steeples her fingers on the table. She speaks, being mindful of the surroundings and changing her tone and leaning or backing away when necessary.

"The first revolution of warfare was the change from melee weaponry to superior long-range weaponry. But the basic problem with this system was that you still needed infantry to take any enemy territory you entered, because Archers or Magicians are ill-equipped for the task alone. Therefore you still needed those guys with the big metal sticks. Therefore we have the Warforged, an invention wherein one can mass-produce intelligent soldiers who are capable of reason. Now, what more do you need beyond that? You have the ultimate soldier, doesn't sleep, never tires, you can make more of them when they're scrapped. Looking at this from a completely results-standpoint, no morality, no rules of war. You have the perfect melee soldier, you can easily have the perfect ranged soldier with a few tweaks. With airships you can fly over a city and bombard it. The logistical problems of warfare are gone, right?"

Her voice is oddly cold and logical.

"Wrong. There is still the problem that while you can bombard a city into rubble with an airship, it is a large, vulnerable target in the sky. Shooting up isn't that much more difficult than shooting down. Soldiers, even Warforged, are still vulnerable to land-mounted weapons. I could roll a boulder over a Warforged regiment or pour hot oil on them, and it would still hurt."

"I think the Cannith super weapon project is to produce a giant, walking soldier. A mostly land-bound, or perhaps hybrid machine that can be deployed over a city, and when it lands, it is large enough and powerful enough to handle static defenses, with enough power to tear through conventional soldiers. Rather than dropping a payload, an Airship would drop these soldiers, and retreat. Though they are machines like, say, a Warforged Titan, they are not self-propelled. A Warforged Titan is powerful but near totally brain-dead. Same with a golem. This machine I'm talking about would be run by actual soldiers, so one could say, they are the brain in the machine. This machine can take and hold enemy land, manage any territory, and defend the conventional soldier from the hazards of warfare."

"It is an armor...no, not merely that. It is a mare, a mount for the modern knight."

Marsh sits back. She wonders if it will sound of character that she considered it this much, but she doesn't really care. She is a Cannith, after all. Machines and warfare are supposed to be her genetic strong suit. The tactician in her is all too gleeful, the genius mind so happy to finally be let shine through the feminine exterior. She can only hope that Cannith was genius enough they considered this too. If this sort of machine is what they made, she would love to ride it...to ride it right over Merrix and Cerveth's corpses.

Jade_Tarem · 07-20-2008, 07:03 PM

Konnor smiles somewhat crookedly and leans back. It has been a while since he's discussed the details of general warfare. A Cannith himself, he's eager to apply his mind to the task, and willing to go a bit out of character himself.

It's been a while since I discussed war over breakfast. She's remarkably good at this for a Leblanche servant girl.

"You may be on the right track, but the soldier suit bit seems a bit superfluous to me, not to mention slow, dangerous, and inefficient. While having those capabilities would be nice, it would be much more effective and safe to simply mount the relevant equipment and armor on the airship itself. What you're describing is a super soldier that gets towed into place by a normal airship and dropped, but for the entire trip, the airship and the suit or suits that it carries are vulnerable to conventional attack. Assuming that the suits were already manned, and could survive the attack and the drop from a dying airship to the ground or ocean, the construct still has to walk to its destination from there. That could be hundreds of miles and a very long time."

"On the other hand, an armed and armored airship of the same variety would be a weapons platform that was safe before, during, and after any trip or assault. Not to mention that it would be at least as psychologically intimidating. Also, even if they kill it, it falls on the target and causes even more damage. The only thing a land based mechanical warrior has on that is the ability to go underground."

Konnor loses the smile. "But maybe we're off track. Menya said they're revolutionizing warfare, but the only things we can think of are similar to existing military tech, but bigger and better."

He sits upright and signals the waiter so that they can pay, picking up the deceased tracker and putting it into a vest pouch. "We need to begin gathering data. And making friends. I have someone I want you to meet - he should be waiting for us at the university's library, and hopefully he found some friends."

Meek · 07-20-2008, 07:31 PM

Marsh feels a little miffed. Who does this guy think he is? We can already make a fat armored airship, that's not revolutionary. Maybe he misunderstood my idea of a super soldier. With the proper magic the suit can fly or run overland and get to its destination alone anyway. How dare he question my ideas? Guess pedestrians can't understand true genius. If he turns out to be right I might have to blow him up alongside Merrix for this affront. Oh what am I thinking...focus on the goal at hand.

"Right," Marsh says, though it takes her a good bit of effort to point out any agreement with that opinion, "I'm not averse to that.

She waits for the waiter to take the pay, as well.

Iron Mongler · 07-20-2008, 08:23 PM

The waiter gives you your bills (5 silver each), and takes the plates away quickly. You leave and begin making your way to the University District once again, hailing down a skycoach to facilitate the process. It takes a half hour but you arrive back at Morgrave safe and sound.

Meek · 07-20-2008, 08:37 PM

Can't help but wonder who our new mayor will be, Marsh thinks along the trip, as something to keep her occupied. Once they are out, she tells Konnor, "Lead the way then."

Jade_Tarem · 07-21-2008, 01:03 AM

Konnor nods. "Right this way."

As they head across the courtyard, Konnor casually asks, "This has been bugging me... about the super soldier... what is it, exactly, that makes it harder to kill than a warforged titan? Size and weapons alone don't cover it. You would need all new weapons and armor tech, working from different principles than what is generally understood now. If you can make something out of that, then we may have been talking about two versions of the same thing."

OOC:

Spoiler

Iron Mongler · 07-21-2008, 09:59 AM

You head into the courtyard but don't catch sight of anyone just yet.

Spoiler

Meek · 07-21-2008, 11:02 AM

"A Warforged Titan is a big brain-dead machine, that is why it is easily killed by the proper force. Barely maneuverable, mostly unable to reason. What I'm talking about is a near-total extension of the human body. With the proper magic it can become harder to kill than a Titan, but its main draw would be maneuverability and intellect. It would be a machine you would climb into to assume a macro-sized version of human functions. The ultimate mobile artillery and armored infantry, depending on what it is loaded with. It will be able to think and adapt to situations individually since it is controlled by a reasonable intellect. But I would rather not talk about this." She adds.

Especially not with you, peasant.

Jade_Tarem · 07-21-2008, 11:33 AM

"Ah." Konnor adds. "What is it, exactly, that you do for a living?"

He approaches the library doors; when he gets there he stops and looks around the interior of the library.

Meek · 07-21-2008, 11:55 AM

"I'm an all-purpose servant to the Leblanche family." Marsh says. "Depending on what they need I can be anything from cleaning lady, to entertainer, to party hostess. That is why, if you'll notice, my name is not Marsh Leblanche, but Marsh OF Leblanche. I'm not a relative. I'm just very skilled labor."

Marsh looks around herself. She never did study in this academy, though she probably would have liked it. But past circumstances prevented that.

Jade_Tarem · 07-21-2008, 12:52 PM

"I can imagine."

Konnor continues to search the library until he finds Kamiel.

OOC:

Spoiler

Minstrel Wyrm · 07-22-2008, 01:26 PM

The search for Kamiel doesn't take too long: The large construct is standing in front of a bookshelf, occasionally pulling out a book to leaf through it before returning it to the shelf. As before, parts of a blue robe are attached to his body, covering all but the massive torso. Apparently he hasn't noticed Konnor and his companion yet; his attention is riveted to the books.

Spoiler

Jade_Tarem · 07-22-2008, 02:04 PM

Spoiler

"There he is." Konnor nods towards Kamiel. "You're gonna like him, I think."

Spoiler

Assuming Marsh doesn't interject, Konnor heads toward Kamiel, hopefully with Marsh in tow. After getting to a reasonable distance for conversation, Konnor says, "I see you've kept busy."