[ Last time on Otherworld, Gutenberg had just invented movable type, and the Magna carta was drawn up. ] [ Okay, not that long ago. But close. ] [ In 'reality' you accepted the hospitality of Maritza, the "King of Winter" (a title nobody but Maimun appeared to understand and, as is his wont, Maimun didn't say anything useful), and agreed, however lightly, to help her pet engineer win the Shipwright's Regatta. Thus you are staying at her manor near the top of Vanguard Hill. The lady herself saw you safely to your individual rooms, woke up before anyone was awake, and left on a business trip. So much for the host. ] [ The servants have given everyone fresh towels and indicated somewhere to bathe -- people on the Hill enjoy something approaching working plumbing -- and otherwise have indicated that you have the run of the estate until you either win the regatta or are crushed by falling orbital debris for all they care. ] [ Breakfast is being served in the large-windowed dining room continental: fruit and sweet breads, and clear well water. Looks like you've got time to do whatever you want. Which you should start doing nowish. ] (We alone in the room?) (Well, people are wherever they decide they are. I was just announcing breakfast. Servants are present if summoned but otherwise ninja, because it's their job to be unobtrusive.) * Theodore eats in the breakfest room. He has good table manners and has been somewhat quiet and looks like he's plotting soeting. * Khyra enters the room. Her hair is loose, falling to the bottoms of her shoulder blades, and is still slightly damp from washing. She is dressed in a cream-colored blouse and dark blue skirt, which is new, as she has yet to wear anything other than riding breeches while travelling (and not performing). She smiles pleasantly at whoever is present and goes to get something to eat. * Magellan is staggering into the dining room, awake only due to the salubrious effects of very cold water. His hair and beard are poorly dried, and hang dripping off his head. It's entirely too comical. He stumbles towards the sweetbreads and any coffee that might exist. * Mark headed down to wherever the engineer and his engine are being kept, as food and bathing are secondary and sleeping beforehand was a bit of a bother, but if any of the sevants make themselves and a deseire to keep the house orderly and clean smelling sending him back up to his room for a bath wouldn't be much of a hassile. (Is there coffee?) [ Mark is greeted at the boathouse by a locked door and no sounds of work. ] * Maimun walks into the room, wearing the robe and, possibly strangely, no facepaint and the hood is down, so you can actually see his face. He is wearing a slight smile as he enters. (There is tea. No coffee.) * Theodore seems to be clean, but also his hair is comparitively dry and shows not other signs of it. He probably got up early enough to let his trimmed hair dry off. * Mark walks around the boathouse looking for windows. * Khyra takes several pieces of fruit and a pastry, pours herself a cup of tea, and then carries her breakfast over to Theodore's table. "Good morning. Might I sit with you?" [ There are windows. Inside is mostly stuff covered in tarps, although there's a few familiar components of a standard steam engine scattered here and there, as well as some tool buckets and scrap metal. No occupants. ] * Magellan frowns at the lack of coffee, grabs an entire pot of tea and a handful of sweetbreads, and flops down in a chair next to Theo to devour them. * Theodore smiles up at Khyra. "I'd be pleased if you would." Thank you, then. * Theodore looks over to Magellan. "Looking forward to the engineering challenge?" * Mark tries the door again, and as the place is still locked reluctantly trudges back up to the house. * Khyra sets her food down, pulls out a chair, and has a seat. She nibbles on her food as Theodore and Magellan converse. At one point she looks back, sees that Maimun has entered, and waves to him. * Magellan nods as he wedges bread into his mouth. He swallows half of it, and speaks through the rest. "Aye, lad, te be sure. Nae often I get te have a challenge before these old bones and me daft mind." * Maimun nods at Khyra slightly and then goes to get himself food... which ends up mainly being fruit. * Theodore has a medium sized balanced breakfest for the record. * Theodore nods. "Why is that? Just haven't found problems that are up to the task, or haven't had the resources or motivation to pursue them?" * Maimun then goes over to the table and sits down.. next to Khyra, since Mags and Khyra double-teamed Theo. A wee bit o' both. Nae much ye can do when ye wander fer a livin'. No forge, no shop, nae but scraps. * Mark walks in the door to the dining room and looks around, but he doesn't seem to see what he's looking for. So he sighs and pushes his glasses and keeps walking to the table where the food is set up. * Khyra smiles at Maimun as he sits down. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" But you prefer to wander? See the world rather than settle somewhere and work? * Magellan slurps some tea right from the pot, then pauses for a moment thoughtfully. "... aye, close enough." * Maimun begins peeling an orange and looks over at Khyra, replying, "It was comfortable enough. I'm much more pleased to wake up in a place where I can be slightly more relaxed, as opposed to our recent nerve- wracking journeys." I would definitely say that this is a change for the better. I do hope I didn't offend our host by retiring early last night. (A dagger flies out of the wall, killing Khyra instantly and answering her question.) (...well, that made it very simple.) * Mark grabs some bread and some fruit, and, after looking the room over again and still not seeing a third engineer, sits down at the only table with people at it, "G'morning I guess." * Maimun smiles, amused, "If you are not offended by her early need to leave today, I believe she would be as gracious." Ah... more complicated than that I'm guessing. Well, if your journeys take you to one of the many cities with Godspeed facilities, you'd be welcome to spend a few hours or days in one. I can arrange it so that paperwork isn't an obstacle. ::He then grins:: And I doubt your mind is so feable that you couldn't arrange a good deal for yourself. * Magellan grins. "Thank ye, laddie." He nudges Mark. "Why be ye so down, lad? Nae have it in ye te work today?" * Khyra waves idly to Mark as he sits, but keeps most of her attention on Maimun. "I would not pry into her business, so I will agree with you that is is a safe bet that she is not offended." She takes a sip of tea. "Have you any plans for the day?" * Theodore grins. "Quite welcome." He looks over to Mark. * Mark picks some of his bread, "Nobodys down there yet." Course not! What, did ye expect te find 'em up an' at it before coffee? * Magellan eyes the teapot. "Or ... gods forbid, their tea?" * Mark looks at Mags, "Stranger things have happened, I want to know how that engine works." * Mark then takes a bit out of the bread. * Theodore snickers, and feeling he's adequately tried to subvert one engineer he gets to work on the other. "Good morning Mark. Am I correct in remembering that you'd ultimately like such an engine for yourself?" Nothing in particular, I am afraid. I am still unsure what I can offer her to assist her in this. Perhaps I will simply look around. I have no doubt she owns many rare and beautiful things. Ye'll get yer chance. Enjoy th' food, lad, tis a sight better than many inns. * Mark chews and then looks at Theo, "My parents want it, I just want to know how it works." [ He's right. The bread is fresh and so is the fruit, though the latter is more startling than the former. ] * Maimun takes a bite of his peeled orange, then asks, "And you, Khyra?" Guess so. * Khyra takes another sip of tea. "I am also unsure how I can aid the engineers, unless they need to test how well the boat would hold up in a strong wind." She smiles. "If you would not mind, perhaps I might join you in your wanderings?" I am also curious about the city, as it's really my first time here. * Magellan guzzles more tea. Stupid plant water. (HAPPY TEA! SHANA'NA APPROVED! ^_______^) (Shanaa'na.) * Maimun pauses slightly in his chewing, then nods slightly and swallows. "By all means." * Theodore nods. "Well. Your objective should be achieved simply by working here. But, I think we could probably make an arrangement on getting one for your parents." * Mark nods back. "Yeah, have to find out if they'll sell it." * Mark then gets up and gets himself a cup. * Theodore nods and eats a bit, waiting for Mark to come back to the table. Ye'll probably have te settle fer the plans, lad. Nae likely they'd let ye take it once she becomes a winner. (And he's loud enough for Mark to hear.) * Mark gets a teacup and comes back to the table to pour the tea in, "Mhmmm, I'll have to ask." * Mark rubs stubble as he thinks about that. * Theodore has a definate smile after Mags comment. "Would you actually have the resources to buy such a thing even if they would sell it? The price would doubtless be astronomical." * Maimun mms and eats some more of his fruit before asking, "Was there any place in particular you were thinking about visiting... " a slight teasing smile, "...if it does not take days to explore this house alone?" (House actually not that big.) Me? Hell no, laddie, 'm naught but a poor old smith. (large by your peasant standards, though) (Heh. Yes.) * Mark looks up. "Uh... maybe. Depends on how much they want." * Theodore nods. "Well. If you find the price not to your liking, I could arrange for you to have the resources to make one of your own. A simple process I'd think, once you understood how it works." * Khyra finishes off a piece of bread. "Hmmm. Perhaps the theaters, or other performing arts venues." [ A servant walks by. His stealth camo must be on the fritz. ] * Magellan drains the dregs of the tea, stands up, and stretches. "Ye said nobody was there, aye, lad?" * Mark nods again. "Probibly." Then he ... not quite slurps tea. * Theodore nods and eats. He waits for the servant to wander off. Then we ought te go make some noise. I've had me plant water and some bread, I'm itchin' te have at that engine. [ The servant wanders by, takes a few now-empty plates, and places a covered dish on the table. He then leaves as quickly as he came. NINJA BUTLER VANISH. ] * Maimun nods at her. "That sounds reasonable." He glances over at the engineers and says, "This will probably be a while anyways, mmm?" ... or we wait te see if that be coffee. * Mark looks at Mags. "It's locked." Well keep it in mind. We'd happily provide you all the resources and man-power you'd need. We'd just want our own version of the machine and the know how to reproduce it. With appropriate royalties to all concerned, of course. * Magellan walks over to the covered dish and lifts the lid. [ It's an envelope! ] [ An unmarked envelope. ] * Mark blinks at Theo, "Uh... you'd have to talk to my parents about that." * Khyra raises an eyebrow. "Not quite what I was expecting." * Magellan 's face falls. "Damn. This boiled'd taste worse than tea." He opens it. Certainly. How can I reach them? [ Inside is a grue. ] (;_;) (Luckily, it's not dark! No eating today.) [ Actually, inside is a note. "Have gone home for parts. Key for boathouse enclosed. Please replace tarps. - Samuel Wainwright." Attached on a red ribbon is, in fact, a key. ] * Khyra looks almost disappointed. Stephen Aldersen of (Villiage I never got around to naming^^;). * Magellan grins again. Not quite as good as coffee, but close. "Mark! Hearken, ye daft lad!" He holds up the key. "The boathouse nae be locked for much longer." * Mark spins, "What? How?" * Khyra stifles a laugh. * Theodore takes out a notepad and jots a note down. He says a prefunctary "Thank you." Even though it's obvious Mark isn't paying attention. Trick of the trade, lad. I'll teach ye one o' these days. * Theodore finishes what remains of his breakfest. * Mark stands up, "What are we waiting for?" (I am playing an MMX game as Alia. It's absolutely ridiculous.) Anyone else. Are ye comin as well, Theo? * Maimun chuckles and says, "Should we take a look at what has brought us here, Khyra, before exploring?" * Khyra smiles. "Oh, why not?" * Theodore nods. "Certainly." He stands up. He then gives Mags an easy smile. "Although I go by Theodore to most, unless you want me to start thinking of you as my sister." (You're quite aware that likely fell on deaf ears, right? ^_~) Right! Then we be off. * Magellan bustles out of the room towards the boathouse. * Theodore shakes his head slightly and then walks towards the boathouse. * Mark hustles after him without a word. * Khyra gets up and follows at a far more sedate pace. [ You walk out of the house! In the meantime the entire city has been reduced to rubble in a post-apocalyptic hellscape. We are now "Mad Mark: Beyond Stromgardome." ] (... I feruse.) (I hate it when that happens!) * Maimun stores a few of the uneaten pieces of fruit in his robe before he gets up and follows. [ In reality the lawns are quite nice. The boathouse is on a lock of the Hill Canal, a series of manmade lakes and elevator locks that walks Vanguard Hill like an elaborate fountain. Theo at least realizes that despite the small size this estate must have cost a fortune: Canal-front property is expensive as part of the money goes to the city for its upkeep. ] * Theodore looks quite impressed. "Who is this King of Winter exactly Maimun?" He certainly can keep a lawn, aye? * Magellan laughs deeply, walking quickly but not outpacing the group. * Mark looks at the locks thoughtfully and looses speed. * Maimun frowns slightly. "It would be very smart of you not to mention that name too often. Or ever again, perhaps." * Khyra raises an eyebrow. "It's that dangerous?" * Theodore nods and adopts a more serious tone. "Then from this moment on I've never heard it before. Go on." * Maimun catches up a bit more before sasying, "'He' is a very powerful person, and, ah, does not maintain that power through lawful means. The name itself is somewhat legendary, from what little I know." * Theodore nods. "Trustworthy as such things go?" * Maimun smiles slightly. "I would not know. I just met him." Hmm. Do you think we're in any danger, then? * Theodore smiles. "Well, according to what little you know. Illegal often means untrustworthy, but some have a code of their own." * Maimun nods. "Yes, they do." * Magellan hums and seems to be thinking. * Maimun licks his lips. "It is a business transaction, as she mentioned. That, I'm sure, you will make turn out well." * Theodore nods. "Just so long as this person, who I of course do not believe would have illegal ties without seeing some evidence, is willing to follow trough on transactions." (Are we supposed to wait to reach the boathouse, or can we do so at any time?) * Khyra nods and seems reassured enough for the moment. * Mark shakes his head and then attempts to catch up to Magellan, "We don't need to make the boat go up here right?" (I didn't know if you'd stopped to talk or not.) [ The boathouse looms. It's not that big. It's as previously described, too, including the locked door. ] (I know Mags and Mark wouldn't have stopped) 'Go up?' What do ye mean, lad? (You said Mark suddenly slowed down.) * Magellan stops in front of the door, and slips the key inside the lock. (he did slow) * Mark points at the locks, "If we're supposed to make to go fast through thoese...." (Also, if you make Maimun habitually lick his lips like Kat does I will kill you.) (Ha! Nah. He doesn't need to. Just orange eating.) * Theodore waits to see what's inside. * Magellan unlocks the door and throws it open, bursting on in like he owns the place. * Mark follows only a few paces behind Mags and pulls his glasses back down as he does so. [ Tarps. Boxy things covered in tarps stained with grease and other such things. Tools and familiar pieces of engine parts. And nothing remotely recognizable as a boat. ] * Theodore frowns. "So, what do we have here?" * Mark starts pulling tarps off of things looking for the engine, "Where is it?" * Khyra waits until the engineers and Theo have gone in, then peers in herself. She is severely unimpressed. Calm down, lad, she'll be here. [ No she won't. There's no engine here. Under the tarps are boxes of tools, a small writing desk covered in paper, and something none of you recognize: a large, ribbed steel cylinder covered with black stains. ] * Magellan picks up the probably dropped tarps and folds them. "Keep yer werkspace tidy." While he says that, though, he's eagerly looking around. * Maimun peers in. "This is tidy?" * Theodore examines the cylinder. * Khyra wrinkles her nose slightly. "And you can make heads or tails of this?" * Magellan adjusts his glasses and eyes it. "... can this be it, lad?" * Mark looks at the cylinder and then at the other boxes just to see if he missed one, "I ... don't know... nobody ever heard about what it looked like..." [ The cylinder smells... not bad, but not good either. It's a weird smell, like you're happy to smell it but you don't know why, and feel like you don't want to. Were this a LARP, you'd recognize it as a barrel of refined petroleum. ] * Mark walks up to it and looks for something like a drive shaft. * Magellan frowns, and puts his hand on it. Don't remember a smell either. Nae. Not it. * Magellan pulls out a smaller wrench and taps on the side of it. [ The plans don't make a lick of sense to Khyra or Maimun, are... distantly familiar to Theo, like reading cognates in a foreign language you don't actually speak. Mark and Magellan note, not that they really understand it, the beginnings of an internal combustion engine on a very small scale. It's clearly excellent work, if... a little crazy. ] [ The barrel thuds when hit. Clearly it's filled with something. ] Huh, can you make sense of this? * Khyra taps a finger on the nearest surface, then looks over at Maimun. "Well, my curiosity is sufficiently satisfied. What of yours?" * Mark turns to look at Theo, "Of what?" * Magellan nods smartly, and wanders over to the desk with the plans next to Theo. "Aye, of what, lad?" * Maimun laughs and shakes his head. "I think I know enough to know I will never understand." * Mark follows Mags again. That's fair enough, I think. Shall we go exploring? * Magellan glances. "Ach! What the devil ... ?" * Mark looks at the plans, and then looks closer at the plans. "The valves are... Why?" * Maimun steps a little to the side and nods, gesturing towards the house as he says, to the three in the boathouse, "It seems we will leave you to it. Good luck." These plans. * Magellan looks up and around. "Nae a hint of anything like this in here, lad. Looks like we start from scratch." (We have to build an internal combustion engine from scratch. >_>;) (Which is why you should get crackin'!) (I remind you that the *designer* is absent.) (Good point.) (And no, I have more plans for you yet. I'm just waiting for someone to take a notice in the quest item. *cough*) * Magellan hmms. "Maybe we ought te study these and wait fer the guy, lads." * Mark seems entharrled by the plans, "Not enough force to... .... No... that not..." (Sadly, I am not an engineer in this world. ;p) (Hey, I missed it completely ^_~) * Theodore watches the engineers and listens. He gets out his notepad and occassional takes notes. * Magellan glances around the room again, paying more attention to the currently existing engine parts. [ The currently-existing stuff is just a disassembled small steam motor. Nothing groundbreaking. ] A filled metal cylinder, some plans, and a load of parts. I dinnae make the connection... * Mark is still over the plans, and now holding his hands out paralell to eachother and rotating them slowly in opposite directions. (You're all hopeless geeks.) (DId I mention that the type of barrel sitting there doesn't, uh, exist?) (Yes. And I say that as one in real life. ;p) (There's nothing in Mullenwald that would make metal storage a necessity.) (Well, metal storage on that scale.) (I was working towards it. ;_;) * Magellan wanders back over to the barrel, and crosses his arms in front of it. "Ach, Theo, what do ye think this be?" (Yes you did, Mark is trying to work out valve timing at the moment, large unmoving containers of liquid plot are far from his mind at the moment. ^^;) (Also, is this a two stroke or a four stroke engine? ^^;) * Theodore walks over and looks. He studies it carefully and examines the stains. "THeodore. Hmm..." (...oH! Okay.) (I wondered why he said his own name for a second there. And god, I don't know, Ben, I'm a communications scholar.) (I don't even change my own damn oil.) (Dude, it's a fucking primitive engine, it's prly two-cycle, if it even conforms to that kind of standard.) Theodore> Wonder how to get it open? Crowbar? (Cham, it's magic and probibly transdimensional we're lucky it doesn't have fuel injection) * Magellan nods. "Aye, I think ye be right." He snags a nearby crowbar and goes to town on the lid. [ The lid comes up! Inside is a portable hole! ] * Theodore calls out "Maimun!" His voice isn't urgent, but is loud. "There's something in Solarian here." [ Actually it's just a thick black reflective liquid. Made you look. ] (Hrm. Did we make it far enough away... eh, I can make it back.) (That's up to you, but it's a big lawn.) * Theodore looks outside to see if he can still catch Maimun. ... what the DEVIL be this? * Magellan dips a finger inside. * Maimun has walked a long way away! * Khyra is walking with Maimun, presumably chatting about this and that and planning where to go next. * Mark puts his hands down on the plans and is still oblivious to everything but the turning of a nonexisstant crankshaft. * Theodore rus after Maimun and calls out his name once he gets closer. * Magellan pulls out the finger, eyes the liquid, and sticks it in his mouth. Which is a bad idea, as it sets him to coughing, hacking, and spitting. THPPT. * Khyra gently taps Maimun on the arm, then turns around. A witch's brew! The devil's grog! What by all the gods IS that? * Maimun turns around as well and looks at Theo. And his running. "What is it?" [ Do not eat the oil. It, uh... well, CHam's eaten everything at least once, he knows what it tastes like. ] (Sadly he is correct.) (... ew.) * Theodore slows up. "Just some solarian we'd like you to read. Shouldn't hold you long." * Mark finaly looks up, "What's what?" Ye daft lad, pay attention and come taste this foul stuff. (I did not know that about Cham, but somehow it does not surprise me.) (HA.) ... No? Then smell it. I have never seen the like of it. * Maimun frowns slightly and says, "Okay..." It be like to grease, a bit, but only barely so. * Mark walks over to the now opened drum, "When'd?" (Thus proving once and for all that Easily distracted trums HA) (Well, Theo, um, do you have to lead me there? Or is it on a piece of paper?) * Theodore leads Maimun back to the workshop. (He didn't think to copy it down.) * Magellan practically pushes Mark's head into the barrel. "A deep whiff, lad!" * Khyra follows, because she'd rather have company when she actually starts exploring, and she's vaguely curious now. * Theodore points Maimun to the text on the oil drum. * Mark nearly gets pushed in. "Guyah! Hey!" * Maimun frowns and says, "Why would such a thing be from Solaria...?" * Khyra sees Magellan nearly shove Mark into the barrel. "What in the world is going on now?" * Mark also has to breath while he's there so... "Ugh, what IS this?" * Maimun rubs his nose and looks at the Solarian text. "I think they are trying to bathe in... this..." I have no idea. Nae, just smelling it. Nae so fresh, is it? No, not it's not. Can you let me up now? * Magellan blinks. "Ach, me apologies, lad." * Khyra wrinkles her nose again. "I don't think I'll ever understand these types of people. So what does it say?" * Maimun says a little oddly, taking a step back as he gets halfway through, "Earth's blood? This.. is a... container... of Earth's blood?" * Magellan blinks. * Maimun seems somewhat... okay, fairly disturbed. Earth's... blood? What the devil is that? The label be no help at all! * Theodore looks at Maimun. "What does that mean? Like ground water or something?" * Mark looks at the black liquid that's still a bit too close for comfort, "Rocks can blead?" It... it can sometimes be found when looking for water, yes... You know what it is, then? * Theodore nods and jots down a few notes. * Maimun shakes his head. "It is... Earth's blood. Blood of the earth. There is not... much more to say." He look over at Theo. "Is that all you wanted?" * Theodore shakes his head. "Not unless you know of anything it can be used for." (You don't.) * Khyra muses. "Earth's blood. I've never heard of such a thing." This requires more thinking, say I. * Mark finaly struggles upright, "It..." * Maimun shakes his head. "No... just that it is rare... as it should be. And if there is nothing else..." he looks over at Khyra. (Let's all take a smoke?) * Mark pushes his glasses up and hums. * Khyra shrugs briefly. * Maimun walks out of the place then. Enjoy your walk. Back to the plans, then, lad? Thank you. * Mark nods. "Maybe it's lubricant?" * Magellan wanders back to the plans, pulls up a box, and sits down. "Aye, like a new grease, perhaps." * Mark sits on the ground with his back to one of the crates of parts. Perhaps. Is friction what's holding back any current engine work? (I can't decide WHAT'S holding back current engine work. I'd say more sufficient power than friction.) (Well, go with power probably, to give us a clue. :P) * Mark shakes head, "It's ... power. Bigger an engine gets, more it weighs... harder it is to hold together." (Steam's powerful but time consuming to generate, inefficient, and usually very large.) Aye, more or less. So, could this somehow contribute to power? The one my parents built was always trying to blow itself apart. (Then compactness, probably.) (Steam isn't conducive to miniaturization.) (Which you sort of went with, so it's all good.) * Magellan pulls out his bird, picks up the plans, and furrows his brow. He's gone. * Mark rubs stubble again, "Maybe?" [ And so the engineers discovered oil. HA HA HA ahem. Meanwhile the druids went out into NATURE, although they're not going to find it inside the city walls of Stromgarde. ] [ Session end. ]