Post by Naylor on Jan 7, 2021 17:03:00 GMT 10
//OOC: The events below take place over a couple of weeks/months. Reactions or questions from other characters (or NPCs) are very welcome, as long as they’re not derailing. This thread has been Team Approved™
She is aided by a throng of trade apprentices – stonemasons, blacksmiths, carpenters, horologists, and more – who joke and laugh as they work to Lumina’s odd requests. Some days they are joined by young apprentices from Highforge, who are brought in on a special caravan. Morale is high. Lumina’s introduction of more formalised and uniform, education for apprentices (on top of previous reforms) was met with some concern from some of the “older masters”, but in practice it has been a wide success among the booming young population. Cruelty under the guise of “they have to learn” is a thing of the past, and now the timid, and those less physically able, have been able to find their way into a world of craft that was impassable to them in the old days. People are able to spend 3 months “trying” a trade, not locked in by contract or worse. The masters are being compensated for the hours put in by their apprentices, and for the youth, it is a chance to make friends with those in different fields, friends from a different culture, as well as getting to talk to The Speaker. If you were to ask a random apprentice what they thought of the project, they’d say that despite Lumina’s exacting expectations and the oddness of the task, Lumina encouraged conversation, teamwork, and even joking on site (as long as it was kept just to words and not when attention was needed). It was “a good kind of weird” that they could ask the “lady-knight-archmage-gnome” questions like they could in school, even though she was running the town. They are, reportedly, a little disappointed at how easy it is for their jokes to go over Lumina’s head though.
In the south of Threshold, into the sewers, Lumina has been building.
It has been a good time for the Militia too. Grudges with the KDF still exist, and the Militia are fiercely proud of “their” land. But work and time are easing the wounds of the past. With the KDF pulling a lot of duty in the North of Threshold, the Militia have been able to consolidate. The relative peace (internally and externally) has seen a small increase in numbers. While deaths still happen in the sewers, on escort missions, and especially in the mines, they are fewer, and final deaths are fewer still. There is no illusion that these good times will last forever. Nassus has been through (and read about) too many cycles to believe anything but the fact that this is a calm before the storm. Lumina came to him asking for Militia members for “small, fast moving, non-exclusively terrestrial target practice”. What this meant was shifts of men and women shooting rats, bats, stirges, and other vermin in the southern sewers. It seemed crazy at first, but, given who was making the request, maybe there was something to it. And it turns out there was. Most of the Militia had gotten too used to shooting goblins. The way they move, how fast they were… even some of the better shots among the men seemed far sloppier on these tiny, fast moving targets. A few rounds with his heavy crossbow showed Nassus he was no more immune than anyone else. And despite the smell, a competitive streak had risen up through the Militia, with teams of 3 racking up “points” on a shift. Amusing squad-names, banter, and The Speaker even offering minor defensive magical items for those who have done well. And during the whole course of events, not a single apprentice got a rat bite, sting, or anything else related to vermin attacks.
In the south of Threshold, in Frin’s Fripperies, Lumina is preparing.
Those in Frin’s Fripperies are used to crafting small. After all, Hin children are quite tiny compared to their human kin. But this request was a challenge perhaps better suited to a doll maker? A leather catsuit “like the one Archmage Lorien wears, yes it needs to be water resistant like hers too”. But made small enough for a pixie, still allowing flight. Resistance to heat, especially steam, will be key. Dame Lumina suggests that enchantments would be refined by herself and Lady Niss, but the basics should be applied during construction. Importantly, it has to be something that a certain person isn’t going to try tearing off after 5 minutes.
In the south of Threshold, Lumina is despairing.
The Little Sister has always been an odd sort. Despite her strange proclivities, she has only been involved in a single major inter-baronial incident that has largely been kept under wraps. Only one, so far. Yes, she has apparently engaged in psychological warfare against members of the town in he past, and yes it is concerning how focused she is on stabbing things, wanting to be eaten by things, and wanting to be a goth when she “grows up”, but… uh… she really likes animals? By all accounts Little Sister is reasonably well liked or tolerated by the adventuring community. She has been known to accompany people on adventures due to her enjoyment of combat and “breaking locks and traps”. Given she usually demands nothing more than a light spell or other magic enchantment as payment, this is usually profitable for the group. As she can’t die in any meaningful way (outside of a few scenarios) she isn’t too much of a risk to have along.
The problem is, however, when a mission relies on her. And this time there is no Wumbus to keep her focused.
A whole miniature dungeon/obstacle course has been built to try to train LS for an important mission: infiltrating The Steamworks. And so far progress has gotten as far as “getting mostly dressed”. The catsuit was a big hit. LS seems to like Archmage Lorien and her “pointy teefs” (always said with fingers in her mouth to represent extended canines). The issue is that, in order to not set off security features, LS’ suit needs to have a Y shaped magical energy cell affixed to the front of it. LS wants to open and consume the contents, explaining “I would also like to be powerful”. Even after letting her actually pry one open, once she was reformed, she seemed to think that maybe the next one would be drinkable. Swapping the powercell out for something actual drinkable is met with a “HA! PRANK DETECTED!”. It seems she can tell when the high energy powercell is fraudulent.
Lumina is at a loss as to how to get LS to wear the getup and actually attempt the obstacle course and begin the much-needed training.
//OOC: Players are welcome to provide their IC suggestions here. Replies will be based on how much time and energy I have. If I move on to the next scene, consider the moment passed and maybe you can contribute to another scene. Please specify OOC in your post if your character is just reacting to something or if they are trying to help with LS
In the south of Threshold, in the out of the way raise section above the southern gates, Lumina has been building.
She is aided by a throng of trade apprentices – stonemasons, blacksmiths, carpenters, horologists, and more – who joke and laugh as they work to Lumina’s odd requests. Some days they are joined by young apprentices from Highforge, who are brought in on a special caravan. Morale is high. Lumina’s introduction of more formalised and uniform, education for apprentices (on top of previous reforms) was met with some concern from some of the “older masters”, but in practice it has been a wide success among the booming young population. Cruelty under the guise of “they have to learn” is a thing of the past, and now the timid, and those less physically able, have been able to find their way into a world of craft that was impassable to them in the old days. People are able to spend 3 months “trying” a trade, not locked in by contract or worse. The masters are being compensated for the hours put in by their apprentices, and for the youth, it is a chance to make friends with those in different fields, friends from a different culture, as well as getting to talk to The Speaker. If you were to ask a random apprentice what they thought of the project, they’d say that despite Lumina’s exacting expectations and the oddness of the task, Lumina encouraged conversation, teamwork, and even joking on site (as long as it was kept just to words and not when attention was needed). It was “a good kind of weird” that they could ask the “lady-knight-archmage-gnome” questions like they could in school, even though she was running the town. They are, reportedly, a little disappointed at how easy it is for their jokes to go over Lumina’s head though.
It has been a good time for the Militia too. Grudges with the KDF still exist, and the Militia are fiercely proud of “their” land. But work and time are easing the wounds of the past. With the KDF pulling a lot of duty in the North of Threshold, the Militia have been able to consolidate. The relative peace (internally and externally) has seen a small increase in numbers. While deaths still happen in the sewers, on escort missions, and especially in the mines, they are fewer, and final deaths are fewer still. There is no illusion that these good times will last forever. Nassus has been through (and read about) too many cycles to believe anything but the fact that this is a calm before the storm. Lumina came to him asking for Militia members for “small, fast moving, non-exclusively terrestrial target practice”. What this meant was shifts of men and women shooting rats, bats, stirges, and other vermin in the southern sewers. It seemed crazy at first, but, given who was making the request, maybe there was something to it. And it turns out there was. Most of the Militia had gotten too used to shooting goblins. The way they move, how fast they were… even some of the better shots among the men seemed far sloppier on these tiny, fast moving targets. A few rounds with his heavy crossbow showed Nassus he was no more immune than anyone else. And despite the smell, a competitive streak had risen up through the Militia, with teams of 3 racking up “points” on a shift. Amusing squad-names, banter, and The Speaker even offering minor defensive magical items for those who have done well. And during the whole course of events, not a single apprentice got a rat bite, sting, or anything else related to vermin attacks.
In the south of Threshold, in Frin’s Fripperies, Lumina is preparing.
Those in Frin’s Fripperies are used to crafting small. After all, Hin children are quite tiny compared to their human kin. But this request was a challenge perhaps better suited to a doll maker? A leather catsuit “like the one Archmage Lorien wears, yes it needs to be water resistant like hers too”. But made small enough for a pixie, still allowing flight. Resistance to heat, especially steam, will be key. Dame Lumina suggests that enchantments would be refined by herself and Lady Niss, but the basics should be applied during construction. Importantly, it has to be something that a certain person isn’t going to try tearing off after 5 minutes.
The Little Sister has always been an odd sort. Despite her strange proclivities, she has only been involved in a single major inter-baronial incident that has largely been kept under wraps. Only one, so far. Yes, she has apparently engaged in psychological warfare against members of the town in he past, and yes it is concerning how focused she is on stabbing things, wanting to be eaten by things, and wanting to be a goth when she “grows up”, but… uh… she really likes animals? By all accounts Little Sister is reasonably well liked or tolerated by the adventuring community. She has been known to accompany people on adventures due to her enjoyment of combat and “breaking locks and traps”. Given she usually demands nothing more than a light spell or other magic enchantment as payment, this is usually profitable for the group. As she can’t die in any meaningful way (outside of a few scenarios) she isn’t too much of a risk to have along.
//OOC: Players are welcome to provide their IC suggestions here. Replies will be based on how much time and energy I have. If I move on to the next scene, consider the moment passed and maybe you can contribute to another scene. Please specify OOC in your post if your character is just reacting to something or if they are trying to help with LS