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[flabort]

Aha! Exciting things happened while I was camping.

Harry: I would also try boiling the oily substance to find out what it becomes. Find out what properties it has as a solid or gas, depending on whether it boils down to a salt.

PGamer: Whoohoo! Awesome, you've got a working product. Sure, it's a might bit expensive to produce, as you need to harvest two different plants and import the salt, not to mention the work of getting the ratios right and extracting the oils, but it's a working product!
Perhaps if my suspicions of Harry's oil is correct, you could boil that down into a salty-crystally powder instead of importing it from Koriscove, and have two sources of a salt to powder your toxin's oils.
Oh, and you can even just throw it in a guy's face. Ease of use, you can charge even more for it.

IcyTea: You haven't had as much activity while I was away, but that's definitely progress. Awesome! Crystal plates on their way, and galvanized pipes ready. You should just need to assemble and test it after this, right?

Divide: I'd recommend showing some of those teeth and a crystal. Those teeth may, however, be considered weapons, so they may be confiscated, but if you say you intend to extract substances from them if they do turn out to be weapons quality, you should be able to keep them; However, since the crystals are your real prize, only show him the medium-sized crystal. The one that fits in your palm.

[IcyTea31]

You should just need to assemble and test it after this, right?

((There's little else I can do as my resources dwindle than try to shoot the moon; hopefully there won't be any more complications. If I do succeed and get the power hammers standardized, though, I've pretty much won the game for my part, having completed my ultimate goal. Only time will tell.))

[_DivideByZero_]

Bane stepped back for a moment. Politics was not his thing. He had expected, honestly, to go down fighting, or at least sustain some injury. To him, this would have been a far better death than to perish in a conflict that would result from his adventures.

Clearing his throat, he spoke:
"What is important to note, here, is that the Mages have no experience in fishing, let alone fighting giant beasts. They have no idea how to keep a ship together. So if there is any sort of partnership between us and them in order to hunt more of these creatures, it is almost certain we will be the ones in control of the catch."

He fumbled around in his bag, removing the palm-sized crystal from the iron shillings rustling about, making sure to create extra noise with his fingers as to hide the presence of the larger one.
Holding it out in front of him, he explained that it was some sort of crystal, similar to that of the boulders, and continued.
"If we convince them that the crystals are the most valuable good from the beasts, for their research or whatever, they will be distracted. Each beast only has a very small quantity of the stuff, so they will depend heavily on our own infrastructure to cut the beasts up and remove the crystals. If we treat the scales like trash that must be sheared away from the corpse, they won't get suspicious and we'll be able to keep most of the carcasses for ourselves, perhaps providing them bones and the like for display purposes."

He then moved over to the cabinet where he hid the teeth. Creaking the door open very slightly, he removed a set of teeth and suggested that the guild run some experiments to see if the teeth are sharp enough to be used as a weapon against the scales.

[Harry Baldman]

I'd like to give this a bit of a bump, considering how much I enjoy the game.

[flabort]

I'd like to give this a bit of a bump, considering how much I enjoy the game.

I second this notion.

[DreamerGhost]

I'd like to give this a bit of a bump, considering how much I enjoy the game.

I second this notion.

+1

[Playergamer]

I'd like to give this a bit of a bump, considering how much I enjoy the game.

I second this notion.

+1

+1

[_DivideByZero_]

I'd like to give this a bit of a bump, considering how much I enjoy the game.

I second this notion.

+1

+1

+1

[Samarkand]

I'd like to give this a bit of a bump, considering how much I enjoy the game.

I second this notion.

+1

+1

+1

A) Thank you so much for your support!
B) I promise I'll have an update tomorrow, and then I'll try to get back into a regular rhythm.
C) Thank you again!!

[Samarkand]

Turn 27: Taste's Like… Sand

Iktaka Modri
[Moar Money?: Luck=9] The Circle seemed willing to support further research. Modri was one of the most active investigators at the moment, and her project was showing lots of results. This approval came in the form of seventy shillings.

[Better lens?: Luck=11] Modri was also able to acquire a better lens. Or more correctly Farrek was. He said one of his old dissection colleagues owed him a favor, and they had used rather powerful lenses for examining some specimens.

Spoiler: Test 18 Rolls (click to show/hide)

• Leaves: Moderate = 7
• Roots: Moderate= 10
• Branches: Moderate= 6
• CC Network: Moderate= 7
• Collect Curious Sap: Simple= 5
• Taste Test: Moderate= 7
• Boil: Simple= 7
• Mix with water?: Simple= 8

The leaves showed no obvious external differences, but at the base of each stem was a bulb that was just barely noticeable, and seemed to hold that strange sap. It was easiest to see when the leaf was held to the sun; there was a small region where the petiole met the blade that lacked green pigmentation, making it let much more light through. The roots also contained the phloem alterations found in the rest of the tree, but were otherwise unremarkable. In some of the smaller branches the overall ratio between phloem area to the total cross-sectional area was dramatically increased by the structures, but it was again merely repeating the motif found in the trunk: macroscopic structures within the phloem which appeared to transport a new sap. The pigs were unaffected by the liquid, though they did not appear to enjoy it. All present agreed that it felt oily, but also a little grainy, a weird combination that was hard to place. It's taste was mildly unpleasant, but unremarkable; the texture was the noteworthy bit. Boiling the liquid off left behind a granular coating almost like a very fine sand. When vigorously shook with water the liquid would form small bubbles which would cloud the solution, but eventually separate out. It was noted that the water would gain a slightly yellow coloration to it, but if any of the new liquid was soluble it was only a very very small amount, found by measuring the volume before and after mixing, admittedly a suboptimal measurement.

[Farrek Recovered?: Luck=5] Farrek wasn't quite ready to get back to work yet, but he was looking better. He should be ready by the time they reached Paludan.

Spoiler: Research Notes (click to show/hide)

Abbreviations: Crystal Embedded Tree (CET), Unresponsive Crystal Embedded Tree (UCET)

Test 1, Tree Survivability:CET will move canopy to allow light to reach it, CET will react to perceived threats and push them away, trunk grows around crystal to rapidly enclose it, crystals should be kept safely away from the area where the trees can push, or at least be in a closed container

Test 2, Now With Less Danger, Hopefully!: Dead wood is unreactive to crystal insertion

Test 3, Let’s Appear Like We’re Doing Something Important: CET will draw water uphill to their roots, CET react slowly to thrown object, CET react to noise, some trees do not show any reaction to crystal embedding (UCET)

Test 4, The Fruits of our Labors: CET fruit appear to be larger

Test 5, Deprivation: Removal of crystals from CET returns tree to inert state, dense vascular growth occurs around crystal

Test 6, Preliminary Infection Test: CET can repel insects, no apparent effect on disease or mechanical damage

Test 7, Apple Examination: No apparent crystal formation in fruit of CET, no observed crystal sickness in pigs from eating CET fruit

Test 8, Escalation:Addition of crystals to UCET does not appear to generate response. It is the advice of this researcher that two crystals be applied in most cases, and no more.

Test 9, Location: Branches are particularly difficult to work with, focal point of magic dissociates from inserted crystal, horizontal slits for insertion appear easier on tree and researcher.

Test 10, Reintroduction: UCET remain unreactive under the removal and reintroduction of crystals, there is no obvious external signs of difference between UCET and CET

Test 11, Deadwood: Crystals will not repel termites if inserted into deadwood

Test 12, Transformation: There appears to be macroscopic structure of vascular tissue in reactive versus unreactive trees, this observation made after embedding of crystals, no data collected before crystal embedding on potentially reactive or unreactive trees

Test 13, Uppery: Each crystal allows for an additional simultaneous pushing or pulling action by the tree

Test 14, Stumped: Live stumps of trees with grow to envelop crystals, this is not enough to keep a trunk alive

Test 15, Prediction: Trees with highly ordered vascular structure will use embedded crystals, trees with disordered vascular structure will not

Test 16, What’s Inside: oily film on crystals, tubes forming around them, similar to an enclosure of any other object. Appropriate vascular structures are spaced evenly similar to the ring of primary meristems in the average dicot. Also happens in the extremely thin layer of phloem, evidently.

Test 17, The Alterations:

Test 18, Mysteries of the CC Tissue!:

+ 70 shillings

Spoiler: Assets (click to show/hide)

Farrek
75 iron shillings
Vast supply of scrapwood
16  live trees
6 CET
3 UCET
1 Deprived Tree
Small Crate of Shards (270)
3 Apple Trees
2 CET (Apple)
2 Pigs
Apples
Crystal Tree Apples
1 Embedded Insect Infested Tree
Small Bowyer Favor
Tree Corer
Magnifying Glass

George Thain
George was having an adventure!

Spoiler: Items (click to show/hide)

Force crystal
200 iron shillings

Bane Willedhelm
"A crystal! Great! Mages'll give anything for new crystals. This should hook them for at least a few of the beasts. They'll ask more questions eventually, but we'll have a short stretch of peaceful fishing. Hey, we've got ourselves a mage right here! Porridge, what does this one do?"

Bane neglected to mention the other two crystals. Don't give away the whole catch indeed. He did proffer up the a few teeth for testing against the scales. [Testing: Luck=4] The teeth could only penetrate after repeated strikes. Either this thing was the top of the food chain, or there were some very sharp-teethed creatures out there looking for a giant sized meal…

Spoiler:  Assets (click to show/hide)

10 iron shillings
Podri
Titanic Organs, Bones, and Meat
Large, Medium ,and Small Crystals in Flesh
Pile of Teeth

Herman Tongs
[Give le money: Simple=5] 70 shillings changed hands and the merchants were off, promising to return soon. But for now, Herman had free time.

- 70 shillings, 1 Turn till delivery

Spoiler:  Assets (click to show/hide)

Access to bronze, iron, and sea silver
Wax for casting
81 iron shillings
Sketch of Hand-Crank Hammer

• Hammer
• Two Mechanisms
• Metal Frame
• Spring
• Crank

Intricate Sketch of Powered Hammer

• Columnar Hammer (Must be Iron)(Check: Great)
• Large Anvil (Must be Iron) (Check: Fine)
• Metal Frame (Check: Great)
• Four Mechanisms (Check: 2 Perfect, 2 Great)

Intricate Sketch of Magical Water Power Source

• 3 Rust-Proof Pipe (Check: Great, Well-Made, Fine)
• Rust-Proof Reservoir (Check: Perfect)
• Rust-Proof Corkscrew Rod (Difficult)(Check: Great)
• Mechanism (Check: Great)
• 4 inch diameter Crystal Plate

Great Hand-Crank Hammer
Casting Basin
Fair Pipes
Powdered Sea Silver

Wol Fann
[Show it to Grandmaster: Luck=11] ”Now that is what you had been promising!This is actually marketable. And better yet, I don't even have to trust your word on its effectiveness, there's a slew of people who been vending their wares in the market who can attest to the success of your product. Thanks you for your service to the Guild, new products like this might just keep this Guild afloat. How can we reward you?"

You've completed your goal. Would you like to retire, or pursue new research, or do you have something else in mind?

Spoiler:  Assets (click to show/hide)

Access to gardens and swamp
Workbench with mortar, pestle, and alembic
15 Guild credits
33 iron shillings
Cowbane
Red Vine
Sage
White Crown
Untrained Recovered Rat (Cowbane/White Crown)
Untrained Recovered Rat (Red Vine/White Crown)
Trained Recovered Rat (Red Vine/White Crown)
2 Unpoisoned Trained Rats
Toxicologist   
Recovered Trained Pig
Pig
Dog
Human Volunteer
Red Vine/Sage Extract
Chalky Salt (1Use Remaining)
Red Vine/Sage Powder

[_DivideByZero_]

Very well.

Arrange the teeth out on the floor, dividing them between piles based on size. How big are the smallest? See if I can make a necklace out of the smallest ones if they are small enough. If not, make a necklace out of some individual scales. Then look for advice as to selling the teeth, looking for museums or collectors if there are any.

Also, Have Podri try rolling the crystal around on the table if he feels that it is safe. Try to stand somewhat in front of him, just to shield part of his body in case it explodes.

[Playergamer]

Hmm...How about a easily stored, easily transported mix that, when spread over a wound, nullifies pain and speeds up the healing process?

(Basically Bacta.)

[IcyTea31]

Find/make a good spot for the machine, considering it's quite large and I probably won't be able to move it again without disassembling it.

[Harry Baldman]

Spoiler: Research Notes (click to show/hide)

Abbreviations: Crystal Embedded Tree (CET), Unresponsive Crystal Embedded Tree (UCET), Crystal-Compatible (CC), Crystal Sap (CS)

Test 1, Tree Survivability: CET will move canopy to allow light to reach it, CET will react to perceived threats and push them away, trunk grows around crystal to rapidly enclose it, crystals should be kept safely away from the area where the trees can push, or at least be in a closed container

Test 2, Now With Less Danger, Hopefully!: Dead wood is unreactive to crystal insertion

Test 3, Let’s Appear Like We’re Doing Something Important: CET will draw water uphill to their roots, CET react slowly to thrown object, CET react to noise, some trees do not show any reaction to crystal embedding (UCET)

Test 4, The Fruits of our Labors: CET fruit appear to be larger

Test 5, Deprivation: Removal of crystals from CET returns tree to inert state, dense vascular growth occurs around crystal

Test 6, Preliminary Infection Test: CET can repel insects, no apparent effect on disease or mechanical damage

Test 7, Apple Examination: No apparent crystal formation in fruit of CET, no observed crystal sickness in pigs from eating CET fruit

Test 8, Escalation: Addition of crystals to UCET does not appear to generate response. It is the advice of this researcher that two crystals be applied in most cases, and no more.

Test 9, Location: Branches are particularly difficult to work with, focal point of magic dissociates from inserted crystal, horizontal slits for insertion appear easier on tree and researcher.

Test 10, Reintroduction: UCET remain unreactive under the removal and reintroduction of crystals, there is no obvious external signs of difference between UCET and CET

Test 11, Deadwood: Crystals will not repel termites if inserted into deadwood

Test 12, Transformation: There appears to be macroscopic structure of vascular tissue in reactive versus unreactive trees, this observation made after embedding of crystals, no data collected before crystal embedding on potentially reactive or unreactive trees

Test 13, Uppery: Each crystal allows for an additional simultaneous pushing or pulling action by the tree

Test 14, Stumped: Live stumps of trees with grow to envelop crystals, this is not enough to keep a trunk alive

Test 15, Prediction: Trees with highly ordered vascular structure will use embedded crystals, trees with disordered vascular structure will not

Test 16, What’s Inside: Oily film on crystals, tubes forming around them, similar to an enclosure of any other object. Appropriate vascular structures are spaced evenly similar to the ring of primary meristems in the average dicot. Also happens in the extremely thin layer of phloem, evidently.

Test 17, The Alterations: Sap from CC tissue, from here on in called CS, seems different from regular sap on quick examination. Magical conductivity test inconclusive. Seemingly CS only occurs in CETs, and CC tissue is empty there. Rest of phloem works normally.

Test 18, Mysteries of the CC Tissue!: leaves show evidence of CS being present at a small bulb at the base of the leaf, best seen when leaf is held up to the sun in a small, more transparent area near the petiole. CC tissue is found in roots and branches as well, seemingly ubiquitous in the plant. CS is oily, yet grainy, and seems to not be poisonous - does not appear to contain any sugars. CS appears to be a suspension (hence its grainy texture) of some kind, though this requires further testing. Boiling leaves residue in the form of a very fine powder resembling sand. CS does not dissolve in water, it seems, or dissolves very sparingly. Further investigation of this is needed.

To the Traitor Bean! Engage in Test 20 once there! Hope Farrek rests adequately - make sure to give him plenty of space and help him recover. Have to take good care of my good friends, yes?

Spoiler: Test 20: Inheritance (click to show/hide)

Check if a tree in a single grove is CC or not CC by tissue examination with the aid of a tree corer.

If yes, check if all the trees (a random sampling of them, anyway) have CC tissue in common or not.

If not, check if all of them are not CC instead.

Then do the same for two other groves, hoping for adequate representation.

Make sure to take along that powder I got from the CS, and try Test 19 on the way.

Spoiler: Test 19: the Basic Nature of CS (click to show/hide)

This is a quickie, so not much in terms of elaborate things to do here:

Firstly, what color is the powder?

Secondly, try dissolving part of it in water.

Thirdly, try dissolving part of it in molten wax or lard.

Observe results.

[Samarkand]

Turn 28: What does this crystal do? *Poke

Iktaka Modri
[Farrek, you up?: Luck=10] Farrek is more than ready to get back to work. While he enjoyed his time off, and it was good for him, he feels much more himself when he is analyzing living things.

Spoiler: Test 19 Rolls (click to show/hide)

• Color: Simple = 10
• Water Soluble: Simple= 9
• Oil Soluble: Simple=5

Along the way to Paludan the team got started testing the powder. The color was white, though it wasn’t, as Farrek termed it, color by pigment, rather it was color by disruption. He said that he had met a man who studied how color worked, and he said white was tricky. White things were white, and clear things were clear, but only if they were large and flat. If they got small and irregular they both looked white, and Farrek suspected that’s what had happened here. The powder didn’t dissolve in water; it’s mass remained the same before being passed through water and after. With oil it’s mass appeared to increase. Modri knew that oil solubility was more challenging to measure; latent water would evaporate while latent oil would remain and increase the mass, particularly for light sample of fine substances, exactly like they were using. So they couldn’t say if some might have dissolved, but they knew that most all of it had not.

Spoiler: Test 20 Rolls (click to show/hide)

• This one CC?: Simple = 8, 6, 10
• All CC?: Simple= 8, 7, 11

Taking samples and analyzing them was becoming downright pedestrian, especially with Farrek and Modri both looking at them. In only one tree was it questionable, and after some discussion they determined that it was not CC, and the structure Farrek thought he saw was an artefact. The first grove they visited was all CC, the second was all not, and the third was all CC, this having been determined by sampling sizes of 7, 6, and 8 trees at the groves, respectively.

Spoiler: Research Notes (click to show/hide)

Abbreviations: Crystal Embedded Tree (CET), Unresponsive Crystal Embedded Tree (UCET)

Test 1, Tree Survivability:CET will move canopy to allow light to reach it, CET will react to perceived threats and push them away, trunk grows around crystal to rapidly enclose it, crystals should be kept safely away from the area where the trees can push, or at least be in a closed container

Test 2, Now With Less Danger, Hopefully!: Dead wood is unreactive to crystal insertion

Test 3, Let’s Appear Like We’re Doing Something Important: CET will draw water uphill to their roots, CET react slowly to thrown object, CET react to noise, some trees do not show any reaction to crystal embedding (UCET)

Test 4, The Fruits of our Labors: CET fruit appear to be larger

Test 5, Deprivation: Removal of crystals from CET returns tree to inert state, dense vascular growth occurs around crystal

Test 6, Preliminary Infection Test: CET can repel insects, no apparent effect on disease or mechanical damage

Test 7, Apple Examination: No apparent crystal formation in fruit of CET, no observed crystal sickness in pigs from eating CET fruit

Test 8, Escalation:Addition of crystals to UCET does not appear to generate response. It is the advice of this researcher that two crystals be applied in most cases, and no more.

Test 9, Location: Branches are particularly difficult to work with, focal point of magic dissociates from inserted crystal, horizontal slits for insertion appear easier on tree and researcher.

Test 10, Reintroduction: UCET remain unreactive under the removal and reintroduction of crystals, there is no obvious external signs of difference between UCET and CET

Test 11, Deadwood: Crystals will not repel termites if inserted into deadwood

Test 12, Transformation: There appears to be macroscopic structure of vascular tissue in reactive versus unreactive trees, this observation made after embedding of crystals, no data collected before crystal embedding on potentially reactive or unreactive trees

Test 13, Uppery: Each crystal allows for an additional simultaneous pushing or pulling action by the tree

Test 14, Stumped: Live stumps of trees with grow to envelop crystals, this is not enough to keep a trunk alive

Test 15, Prediction: Trees with highly ordered vascular structure will use embedded crystals, trees with disordered vascular structure will not

Test 16, What’s Inside: oily film on crystals, tubes forming around them, similar to an enclosure of any other object. Appropriate vascular structures are spaced evenly similar to the ring of primary meristems in the average dicot. Also happens in the extremely thin layer of phloem, evidently.

Test 17, The Alterations:

Test 18, Mysteries of the CC Tissue!:

+ 70 shillings

Spoiler: Assets (click to show/hide)

Farrek
75 iron shillings
Vast supply of scrapwood
16  live trees
6 CET
3 UCET
1 Deprived Tree
Small Crate of Shards (270)
3 Apple Trees
2 CET (Apple)
2 Pigs
Apples
Crystal Tree Apples
1 Embedded Insect Infested Tree
Small Bowyer Favor
Tree Corer
Magnifying Glass

George Thain
George was having an adventure!

Spoiler: Items (click to show/hide)

Force crystal
200 iron shillings

Bane Willedhelm
[Piles of teeth: Luck=7] Bane began to divide the teeth into rough categories based off of their size. The smallest category had teeth that were the size of the last joint of his pinky finger. [Necklace Make: Moderate=8] Bane was no jeweler, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make a necklace. Some string and some teeth, put them together, and voila, a necklace. He was even smart enough to vary the size, so slightly larger teeth were placed at the bottom of the necklace. He thought they looked quite nice, and he was sure they could sell well; especially if word had gotten out that he had hauled a behemoth in.

[Test Crystals: Moderate=6, 5, 12] None of the crystals moved. But that was maybe good, Podri said. If they’d moved they probably would have been the same type. The small and medium crystals had no apparent function when Podri pushed energy straight into them. The large crystal resulted in some sort of wave of energy that knocked all of the men down and caused their ears to ring. Not quite an explosion, but still a boom, it seemed to be a compression wave that radiated from the crystal.

Spoiler:  Assets (click to show/hide)

10 iron shillings
Podri
Titanic Organs, Bones, and Meat
Large, Medium ,and Small Crystals in Flesh
Pile of Teeth

Herman Tongs
[Find a place to put my stuff: Simple=5] It took some looking, but eventually Herman found a room that was planned to be used for future workshops and had proper ventilation.  Shortly after he cleaned up this space and moved everything into it the merchants arrived back, bearing a beautiful crystal disk. It somehow made the project feel much more real, despite it being the only part Herman didn’t fully understand. He now had everything necessary to assemble his novel contraption.

+Crystal Disk

Spoiler:  Assets (click to show/hide)

Access to bronze, iron, and sea silver
Wax for casting
11 iron shillings
Sketch of Hand-Crank Hammer

• Hammer
• Two Mechanisms
• Metal Frame
• Spring
• Crank

Intricate Sketch of Powered Hammer

• Columnar Hammer (Must be Iron)(Check: Great)
• Large Anvil (Must be Iron) (Check: Fine)
• Metal Frame (Check: Great)
• Four Mechanisms (Check: 2 Perfect, 2 Great)

Intricate Sketch of Magical Water Power Source

• 3 Rust-Proof Pipe (Check: Great, Well-Made, Fine)
• Rust-Proof Reservoir (Check: Perfect)
• Rust-Proof Corkscrew Rod (Difficult)(Check: Great)
• Mechanism (Check: Great)
• 4 inch diameter Crystal Plate (Check)

Great Hand-Crank Hammer
Casting Basin
Fair Pipes
Powdered Sea Silver

Wol Fann
You’ve been given your starting resources in addition to what you had left over. Please purge your inventory of items you will no longer use.

Wol decided the next great need was for a salve that could be used to treat wounds as they occurred, meaning it had to numb pain, be easy to transport, and not expire quickly. He had little enough experience in the field, but his previous success had emboldened him.

+ 50 Guild credits, + 40 iron shillings, Character Sheet Update

Spoiler: Character Sheet (click to show/hide)

Name: Wol Fann
Gender: Male
Guild: Herbalists
Specialty: Non-lethal Neurotoxins
Notable Characteristics: Reclusive, and a little paranoid.
Proposal: Hmm...How about a easily stored, easily transported mix that, when spread over a wound, nullifies pain and speeds up the healing process?
Accomplishments: Created a powder which knocks the target out and creates amnesia regarding the event

Spoiler:  Assets (click to show/hide)

Access to gardens and swamp
Workbench with mortar, pestle, and alembic
65 Guild credits
73 iron shillings
Cowbane
Red Vine
Sage
White Crown
Untrained Recovered Rat (Cowbane/White Crown)
Untrained Recovered Rat (Red Vine/White Crown)
Trained Recovered Rat (Red Vine/White Crown)
2 Unpoisoned Trained Rats
Toxicologist   
Recovered Trained Pig
Pig
Dog
Human Volunteer
Red Vine/Sage Extract
Chalky Salt (1Use Remaining)
Red Vine/Sage Powder