Blake and Kiran's Excellent Adventure

[9:01 PM] Swad: A couple more days have rolled by ever since you've woken up from your coma - allowing you to generally get caught back up on things - and settle onto whatever duties you may have selected. For Kiran, these have been a small measure of catching up to do with others, and handling a couple of unfinished matters - for Blake, it has involved the recovery of equipment within Sunken Ordonia, coupled with setting up the census. Which has actually gone well thusfar, to note - people are eager to see what they might be able to do for the steadily growing town - with former refugees transported outside of the dimension itself gradually coming back.
[9:03 PM] Swad: During this time, for whatever reason selected, Kiran has decided to make a return to Valveria - there would be two options regarding this trip - doing so in the normal traversal fashion would be possible - albeit it would take some time.  The another, quicker one, would be the utilization of teleportation, now that it is safe to do so once again. Commander Tharail has (reluctantly) agreed for the usage of said teleportation magic should Kiran and Blake decide to - with some of the available Sperans being able to perform it.
[9:04 PM] Swad: Still, given that the teleportation range wouldn't reach completely towards Valveria, there'd still be some minor bit of travelling to do. As such, we shall join back the duo as they are finishing their packing and preparations for their investigative trip. To note, each party member has been given an a proper house to rest in - as they did beforehand. Thank you, mass-produced dryad housing!
[9:05 PM] Jack: I assume that the teleporters have better things to do than to transport us? Judging by Tharail's reluctance.
[9:05 PM] Swad: No. Not at all. Kiran would be able to easily deduce that it is infact because Tharail is a Cimiquean elf.
[9:05 PM] Swad: They tend to not love magic.
[9:06 PM] Itchy At Work: Buncha cavemen
[9:06 PM] Jack: Racist.
[9:06 PM] Itchy At Work: They live in caves!
[9:06 PM] Swad: And eat BAGETTES
[9:06 PM] Itchy At Work: HON HON HON ANTI-MAGIC
[9:06 PM] Jack: At any rate, the work that we're doing in Lumo is too important to spend a long time travelling. I think Kiran would opt to teleport so that we can return relatively promptly.
[9:07 PM] Itchy At Work: Agreed, we don't know how much downtime we have, so it's best to spend it efficiently
[9:07 PM] Swad: This being the case, Kiran is aware that someone should be waiting them by the comand outpost to serve as their personal transporter. Lucky boy.
[9:08 PM] Itchy At Work: is at the command outpost already, awaiting Kiran. He's bringing his general equipment load, can't be too safe.
[9:10 PM] Jack: is travelling light, having stowed the necessary equipment and materials in his astral storage chest - but is in a fresh shirt and appears to have shined his shoes.
[9:10 PM] Jack: raises a hand in greeting as he approaches Blake and the transporter.
[9:11 PM] Itchy At Work: "Good day to you, Kiran. Are you ready to leave? Raphaela will be our transport for the day."
[9:11 PM] Itchy At Work: gestures to Raphaela
[9:11 PM] Swad: There's, perhaps amusingly, another elf standing by Kiran, in a set of mail.  She'd raise her hand slightly in a wave.
[9:12 PM] Jack: extends a hand to Raphaela as he reaches the pair.
[9:12 PM] Jack: "Hi both. Yeah - I'm all set."
[9:12 PM] Jack: "And thanks for agreeing to help, Raphaela."
[9:12 PM] Swad: "Oh - don't mention it. Glad to help you guys after what you did. Not...sure if you even remember me, really."
[9:13 PM] Jack: Should I be making some sort of check? I don't know who this is OOC.
[9:13 PM] Swad: Not really.
[9:13 PM] Itchy At Work: "Apologies again for not remembering your name, Raphaela. It's been a while since we met you at that caravan, a lot has happened since then."
[9:14 PM] Swad: "Well, you just dropped by that one time - and I'm sure you all had plenty more important things to worry about."
[9:14 PM] Swad: She'd nod towards Kiran. "That one wagon by the one road - Next to Lumberton? One of the goblins stole some food from it."
[9:15 PM] Jack: "Ah, right. It's good to see you again."
[9:15 PM] Itchy At Work: "So, Raphaela how far did you say you can get us to Valveria?"
[9:15 PM] Swad: "Right - yes. About that."
[9:16 PM] Swad: "I can bring you fairly close. This continent's fairly similar to the one back in my own world - so, from what I've looked, I can generally bring you at the edge of the Sacred Valley, the Gypsy Road, or a little past the Helyrothian Border."
[9:16 PM] Swad: "It should be half a day of travel of walking after that."
[9:17 PM] Jack: "I think that sounds perfectly reasonable."
[9:17 PM] Swad: "Furthermore - I don't want to intrude on anything. So, if you guys would prefer - once we've teleported, I can just hold position and set up camp for your return."
[9:17 PM] Itchy At Work: "Sounds good. The walk will do us good. I've been cooped up in the census office for the last two days, I need to stretch my legs."
[9:18 PM] Jack: "Thank you, Raphaela. It's... a bit of a personal journey. So I really appreciate the consideration."
[9:19 PM] Swad: "Don't worry about it. I'll get a fire and some food going when you both return, then."
[9:19 PM] Itchy At Work: "Which reminds me. If you need to be left alone at any point, to ruminate. Let me know and I'll keep some distance."
[9:19 PM] Jack: "Thank you."
[9:19 PM] Swad: "So - what route do you prefer?"
[9:19 PM] Itchy At Work: "I'd say the One Road personally. Just in case we run into anyone looking for a place to go."
[9:20 PM] Swad: "The one road has already been cleared, and that's actually fairly away from Valveria."
[9:20 PM] Jack: My OOC knowledge of the landscape isn't good enough to really know much about the route.
[9:20 PM] Swad: "You might be thinking about past the Helyrothian border?"
[9:20 PM] Swad: I can clarify
[9:20 PM] Swad: The Gypsy road is a direct road leaning onwards towards the North of VAlveria
[9:20 PM] Swad: The Helyrothian border should be a commercial road with likely some damage towards the west of Valveria
[9:21 PM] Swad: And the sacred valley, you've went through that already
[9:21 PM] Itchy At Work: "Ah, leave it to my northern geography skills. I'll defer to the most experienced among you."
[9:21 PM] Jack: "Has anyone checked on the planar tears in the Sacred Valley since the Void was defeated?"
[9:21 PM] Swad: "I looked into that a little , actually. Not the valley specially, but the tears."
[9:21 PM] Swad: "All the ones that we had previously observed have shut completely."
[9:22 PM] Swad: "The pin was put back on the cosmic sandwich, so to speak."
[9:22 PM] Jack: chuckles.
[9:22 PM] Jack: "In which case, let's go via the Helyrothian border."
[9:22 PM] Swad: "Sure thing! I'll have to see if I can make Helyrothian, then..."
[9:22 PM] Swad: "Join hands, please."
[9:22 PM] Itchy At Work: gets joining hands
[9:22 PM] Jack: does so as well.
[9:23 PM] Swad: A very brief incantation takes place - before, in a flash, you find yourselves being teleported through a considerable distance.
[9:25 PM] Swad: You find yourselves landing upon a slightly arid area - or at least, a dry one. Short grass - a distinctly sparse ammount of trees. The soil itself - being mostly brown with tinges of green - is cracked across it's breadth - with the rather damaged mountain chain of Helyrot being visible far, far in to the horizon.  You're right next to, indeed, a paved commercial road - obviously meant for the transportation of large wagons, carriages, and anything else that might be bearing goods.
[9:25 PM] Itchy At Work: gets his bearings after the brisk whisking across the continent "And there's the road. That's quite the pinpoint aim, Raphaela."
[9:26 PM] Swad: "What can I say? I'm used to travelling."
[9:26 PM] Swad: "Actually took this route a fair few times - but, no matter."
[9:27 PM] Swad: "If I'm not mistaken ,this should be the main road, then..."
[9:27 PM] Jack: "It's a nice spot. I'm assuming this is where you stop to rest?"
[9:27 PM] Swad: "Mmm. No rest stop in this world, though."
[9:27 PM] Swad: She gives a light shrug.
[9:27 PM] Jack: "There will be."
[9:27 PM] Jack: bounces on the balls of his feet.
[9:27 PM] Jack: "Right then."
[9:27 PM] Itchy At Work: "Right then, we're burning sunlight. Lets move."
[9:28 PM] Swad: "Would you like me to set up camp here?"
[9:28 PM] Jack: "If you're happy here, then please do."
[9:28 PM] Swad: "Hm - it should do. I'll scan the area a bit more, but it'll be around here."
[9:28 PM] Swad: "I brought supplies, so don't worry about it. Just do what you gotta do."
[9:28 PM] Itchy At Work: "Try and get some cover close by. Void might be gone, but with society collapsing, there may be bandit groups."
[9:29 PM] Swad: "Oh, I can handle those, trust me."
[9:29 PM] Jack: "Gods help them, then."
[9:29 PM] Jack: smiles and waves, beginning to walk.
[9:29 PM] Swad: She chuckles - waving back as the both of you leave.
[9:29 PM] Itchy At Work: walks along too, waving back
[9:30 PM] Itchy At Work: "I'll let you be the city guide. The only time I've been to Valveria was when it was invaded by the UFF. I'm sure a lot has changed."
[9:30 PM] Jack: "It's not quite how I remember it either, but the vast structure is the same."
[9:31 PM] Jack: chuckles.
[9:31 PM] Jack: "The ground swallowing up half the city will do that."
[9:31 PM] Itchy At Work: "That's going to be annoying to navigate around. Say, do you have an itinerary for the trip? About where we can look for clues around your vision, and the possible development of War?"
[9:32 PM] Itchy At Work: "You mentioned the Metallurgist's guild. I'd like to try there. Worst case scenario, we find some materials Lumo can benefit from."
[9:33 PM] Jack: "The council of metallurgists. They were based more centrally in the city, along with the other council chambers. We can certainly circle toward it. It should be en route to my family's home."
[9:34 PM] Itchy At Work: "Very well."
[9:34 PM] Jack: "Our first stop, if you wouldn't mind, will be at the graves I made for my parents. I'd like to fence it off and make sure it's respected. Then we can head for the council chamber to see what we can learn. From the direction we're approaching, I think it'll work just fine."
[9:35 PM] Itchy At Work: nods "Of course, take as much time as you need too. I'll stand vigil, or look around the area."
[9:35 PM] Itchy At Work: "Hm. Kiran?"
[9:35 PM] Jack: "Yes?"
[9:36 PM] Itchy At Work: "You know what strikes me odd about this trip?"
[9:36 PM] Itchy At Work: "I believe this is the first time we've spent together away from the rest of the group that doesn't involve sparring."
[9:36 PM] Jack: looks contemplative.
[9:36 PM] Swad: As you step along the road itself, you can have some relief in that it doesn't actually seem to have been damaged that much. Large scars still dot the land - great black gashs that clash with the scenario itself, albeit the rupturing of the earth seems to be more centered in the outskirts of the path ,instead. Occasionally - an empty, abandoned wagon can be seen.
[9:36 PM] Itchy At Work: puts his hand on his pommel
[9:36 PM] Jack: "You're right."
[9:37 PM] Jack: "Maybe we'll do that after we get back to camp?"
[9:37 PM] Itchy At Work: "Maybe."
[9:37 PM] Itchy At Work: "It's a nice change of pace, I'll admit."
[9:38 PM] Jack: "How'd the census go so far?"
[9:39 PM] Itchy At Work: "It's mostly been distribution and collection so far. I've not had much time to interpret the data yet. It's easier to do that when you have a larger pool to work with. I have to admit, it's nice helping people fill out the paperwork when they're unsure."
[9:39 PM] Jack: nods.
[9:40 PM] Jack: "I've got the schematics for the greenhouses ready for distribution, and Gemini is off to Vault 3. I believe they'll be activating the construct reconstruction units while there."
[9:40 PM] Itchy At Work: "You really have all this figured out, don't you. Excellent work, Kiran."
[9:41 PM] Jack: "Knowing who's able to support the reconstruction will be incredibly valuable, and I honestly would've never thought of it until I'd gotten well ahead of myself."
[9:41 PM] Swad: On a ligther note - as you continue along, there are a few (admittedly spare) glimpses of wildlife. Scant bird song - smaller animals scurrying about distant bushes, as the area gradually comes greener and more forested - albeit some particular areas seem to exhibit the curious phenomena of simply seeming...dead, almost colorless, still.
[9:42 PM] Jack: "I wonder."
[9:42 PM] Jack: "A detour?"
[9:42 PM] Jack: points toward the nearest grey area.
[9:42 PM] Itchy At Work: "An abberation."
[9:43 PM] Itchy At Work: "Lets investigate."
[9:43 PM] Jack: will orient himself toward the indicated area.
[9:44 PM] Swad: The nearest one, anyway. What makes it truly distinct is the shape of the discoloration - it is a narrow triangle - spreading out at around a width of fifteen feet at it's very base - and narrowing along the top. The pale green grass is visibly de-saturated across the area - with a nearby fallen tree exhibiting much of the same symptoms.
[9:44 PM] Swad: It's ultimately a fairly small area, but one nonetheless.
[9:45 PM] Jack: We saw something similar in... Lumberton, I think, right?
[9:45 PM] Itchy At Work: I wasn't there for that, so I'll defer to you
[9:45 PM] Itchy At Work: IC, I mean, wasn't there
[9:45 PM] Itchy At Work: "Curious..."
[9:45 PM] Itchy At Work: casting Detect Magic on the area
[9:45 PM] Swad: No magic detected.
[9:45 PM] Swad: And yes, Kiran.
[9:46 PM] Jack: "It's like Lumberton, back when we saw the Mimic."
[9:46 PM] Itchy At Work: "Hm, no magical signature to it."
[9:46 PM] Jack: squats down to the ground and presses a hand to the soil.
[9:46 PM] Itchy At Work: rips a few blades of grass from the greenery and tosses them into the triangle to observe
[9:47 PM] Swad: Stiff. The blades of grass seem severely dried up - cracking upon touch.
[9:47 PM] Swad: The blades of grass that actually strike the area...do not change color.
[9:47 PM] Swad: They stay the same.
[9:47 PM] Itchy At Work: "So we can infer this isn't an ongoing effect at least."
[9:47 PM] Jack: summons a mote of glimmer to his hand and observes if any change happens to the soil.
[9:48 PM] Jack: "I wonder what the Void took from this place to make it this way."
[9:48 PM] Swad: Oddly enough - yes. The soft yellow light gradually dissapears - and a measure of color does seem to return to the area - but not fully.
[9:48 PM] Jack: smiles down at the little patch of colour.
[9:48 PM] Jack: lifts his hand, revealing it to Blake.
[9:49 PM] Itchy At Work: "That's very interesting to know."
[9:49 PM] Itchy At Work: "Shame we don't have endless glimmer to re-colour the landscape with..."
[9:49 PM] Jack: "As hope returns to the world, I wonder if life will return to places like this."
[9:49 PM] Itchy At Work: places his palm to the colorless grass
[9:49 PM] Itchy At Work: using Plate Trick
[9:50 PM] Swad: It fixes the cracks done by any touching or trampling- but not the color itself.
[9:50 PM] Itchy At Work: "Hm."
[9:51 PM] Itchy At Work: stands back up, noting down the phenomena
[9:51 PM] Jack: "I'll keep an eye on this."
[9:51 PM] Jack: does the same.
[9:51 PM] Jack: "There's little we can do for now, sadly."
[9:52 PM] Itchy At Work: "Time heals a lot of things. Regardless, lets press on."
[9:53 PM] Jack: "Yes."
[9:53 PM] Jack: walks back toward the road.
[9:55 PM] Swad: It's going to take some hours of walking - no real way around it - but eventually, you find yourselves entering Valverian territory. It's preceeded by several smaller villages dotting the area, as the walls of the city itself become visible along the horizon. A few are obviously affected by gashes on the ground - some almost completely consumed. Everything does seem, however, to be completely abandoned.
[9:55 PM] Jack: pauses as the city comes into view and sighs.
[9:56 PM] Jack: "I'm glad so much is still standing."
[9:56 PM] Jack: continues walking.
[9:57 PM] Itchy At Work: continues to walk too "Honestly, I expected there to be nothing but a giant hole in the earth."
[9:58 PM] Jack: smiles as they pass through the walls.
[9:58 PM] Swad: Upon approach...the latter DOES prove to at least be somewhat right. The outskirts of the city - although damaged, are relatively intact. As you make your way past the wall, though? Not so much. The Kriendyh vault is still jutting from the earth - with extreme damage visible along it's outer shell due to the crashing (and subsequently explosion) of the ship.
[9:59 PM] Jack: "The walls have withstood so much. I think it'll inspire people to see them still standing."
[9:59 PM] Swad: The very center of the city has been completely devastated - with the surrounding areas not faring particularly better. Perhaps one of the most distressing things to observe is a distinct lack of corpses. You can spot dried marks of blood up along the roads now and there - but no bodies whatsoever.
[10:00 PM] Jack: gets quieter as they travel deeper into the city.
[10:01 PM] Jack: "We'll live on, in spite of all this."
[10:01 PM] Swad: There is similarly an abundance of abandoned materials scattered along - wagons, barrels - anything people may have been moving when the disaster hit. It's the image of a ghost town, in essence.
[10:01 PM] Itchy At Work: "Your work in Lumo is a testament to that."
[10:01 PM] Jack: "Not in spite of. That's... thinking of it wrong."
[10:02 PM] Jack: "Because of? In honour of those who aren't here?"
[10:02 PM] Itchy At Work: nods "I understand. Live to celebrate their lives."
[10:02 PM] Jack: frowns to himself, absentmindedly pausing to lift a box off of the main road.
[10:03 PM] Jack: "Yes. Exactly. We'll remember them. That's all you can do, really."
[10:04 PM] Swad: Of course - the walk's taken a while. If you had to guess- it's been around eight hours or so of trekking? Not quite half a day - but close enough. The sun's still up, though - so you certainly have plenty of time to look around before sundown.
[10:05 PM] Jack: "We must be getting close. The site isn't too far north from my workshop."
[10:07 PM] Itchy At Work: "Alright then, lead the way."
[10:08 PM] Swad: Overtime, you have to take more...creative routes. Hop large gaps - balance along fallen debris - or simply going around a massive gap. But you can eventually find yourselves back to the same area you briefly passed by when entering Valveria.
[10:08 PM] Swad: It, similarly, hasn't changed - an abandoned wagon at the south, the remnants of a two-story building further ahead.
[10:09 PM] Itchy At Work: "This is looking more familiar now."
[10:10 PM] Jack: motions at the building, smiling a little wanly.
[10:10 PM] Jack: "Bazal-Holt Fine Craftworks."
[10:10 PM] Jack: moves toward the wagon, squatting down to examine its load.
[10:11 PM] Swad: There's a couple small crates beneath the tarp itself - with the label of a what seems like a sea serpent. It reads "Flitzy's Personallized Firecrafts."
[10:11 PM] Jack: "It was a little workshop. Pretty stonework, with a neat little garden out the front. I was told that making it look more homely would help encourage people to come in."
[10:12 PM] Swad: A few others seem to be labelled as 2x4 metallic structures to erect temporary buildings.
[10:12 PM] Itchy At Work: "Those may be useful."
[10:12 PM] Jack: sighs quietly.
[10:12 PM] Jack: "Probably."
[10:13 PM] Jack: "It's funny how it all comes back around. This is the wagon I tried to help escape when the Void first attacked. And is the same wagon from the vision, whose driver my father paid to deliver fireworks and other materials to my workshop for my birthday."
[10:13 PM] Jack: "I never knew when I met him."
[10:14 PM] Itchy At Work: looks at Kiran "Then we have our first step to uncovering the meaning behind your vision..."
[10:14 PM] Jack: "We'll mark its location."
[10:14 PM] Jack: straightens up, and continues back toward the workshop.
[10:15 PM] Itchy At Work: heads towards the workshop "I take it the garden is where you made those graves?"
[10:16 PM] Swad: Most of the workshop itself has outright collapsed - with about a quarter of it clinging to the ground - the rest has fallen down one of the massive holes across the earth.
[10:16 PM] Jack: "No. Further north, toward the centre of town. Adalet and I fought through the Void first."
[10:16 PM] Jack: peers into the workshop through whatever holes there may be.
[10:16 PM] Itchy At Work: "Alright. Our first stop then."
[10:17 PM] Swad: Not much left, from what you can spot. An end table - half of a workbench. A few of the display casings with their items have survived.
[10:17 PM] Jack: Is there an easy way in?
[10:17 PM] Swad: Yes, you can just step through a massive gap in the wall.
[10:18 PM] Jack: Then I shall do that.
[10:18 PM] Jack: "Looks like there's a few things still standing."
[10:18 PM] Itchy At Work: takes a step through too "Mind if I inspect the place for paperwork?"
[10:19 PM] Jack: "By all means. I doubt there'll be much other than finance and materials, if anything. All of the orders and schematics are in my journal."
[10:19 PM] Itchy At Work: nods and gets looking "And we found Edith hiding behind a bookshelf. Stranger things have happened, Kiran."
[10:20 PM] Jack: "True. Have you stayed in touch with her?"
[10:20 PM] Jack: proceeds to check the cases for anything particularly useful.
[10:20 PM] Itchy At Work: "I haven't, we've been far too busy. I was thinking of taking a trip back to that dimension on our down-time, but helping re-build is far more important."
[10:21 PM] Swad: Well, they're your old display works. There's nothing outright impessive. A nonmagical mithral breastplate with engravings - a few similarly nonmagical magical weapons. One or two magical weapons.
[10:21 PM] Jack: "It's important to take time for the people you care about. Even I'm not working constantly."
[10:22 PM] Jack: looks at them all for a few moments, and then proceeds to remove them from their display cases.
[10:22 PM] Jack: "There's nothing too special here. But they will be better-used by people than they will if they're in these cases."
[10:22 PM] Itchy At Work: is continuing to root through paperwork and notes, through bookshelves
[10:23 PM] Swad: What are you looking for, to note, BLake?
[10:23 PM] Itchy At Work: "Between this and Ordonia, we're sure fit for salvage"
[10:23 PM] Itchy At Work: Anything that looks like it shouldn't be there
[10:23 PM] Swad: Well, give me a perception roll, why not?
[10:23 PM] Itchy At Work: /r 1d20+23
[10:23 PM] BOTSidekick: @Itchy At Work:  1d20+23  = (8)+23 = 31
[10:26 PM] Itchy At Work: "Nothing out of the ordinary here. Just some basic schematics, and financials."
[10:26 PM] Itchy At Work: "Oh, and some... doodles, of flowers."
[10:27 PM] Jack: smiles and peers over Blake's shoulder.
[10:27 PM] Itchy At Work: "Are these yours?"
[10:27 PM] Jack: "Flowers aren't easy to make of metal. There's an art to making something appear delicate when it's made of indelicate materials."
[10:28 PM] Jack: "And yes. Early attempts at my first real project."
[10:29 PM] Itchy At Work: hands them over "There, some nostalgia for you. Something to hang on the wall."
[10:29 PM] Jack: "Thank you."
[10:29 PM] Jack: retrieves his journal and neatly slots them between the pages.
[10:29 PM] Itchy At Work: "Unfortunately no real clues here. Your vision didn't involve this building did it?"
[10:30 PM] Jack: "No. For that, we'll need my parents' home."
[10:30 PM] Jack: "Shall we continue?"
[10:30 PM] Itchy At Work: "Then I think we've exhausted our resources here. Lets go."
[10:30 PM] Jack: pauses briefly at the door and lays a hand on the doorway. Then continues.
[10:31 PM] Jack: points out a few landmarks as they go, and discusses a few experiences from when he met Adalet.
[10:32 PM] Jack: "And it turned out that no matter what I did, my sword went straight through this one Void. But I figured, since it stabbed me with its spear, I could probably hit the spear."
[10:32 PM] Jack: mimes disarming.
[10:33 PM] Jack: "And I was suddenly being accompanied by a huge guy made of lava, who knew what was going on despite the chaos. I think I would've died here if he hadn't been there."
[10:34 PM] Itchy At Work: "Good thing he showed up then. Do you think he knew you had the potential to become a beacon?"
[10:34 PM] Swad: It is a fairly short walk. It doesn't seem the simple graves haven't been disturbed at all, Kiran.  They're still placed by the improvised "overlook" right next to one of the massive holes upon the ground.
[10:34 PM] Jack: "He knew explicitly that I had potential to use glimmer."
[10:34 PM] Jack: "But Neviltis didn't know what kind I would be able to use."
[10:36 PM] Itchy At Work: "Interesting for Neviltis to take such a gamble. From what I saw in my vision, he seems calculated."
[10:36 PM] Jack: The gravestones are simple blocks of stone, with names carved into them in a neat, elegant script. Daniel Holt and Suvarna Bazal-Holt.
[10:36 PM] Jack: "I imagine that when he knew the world was being attacked, retrieving things of strategic value made sense to him."
[10:37 PM] Jack: opens his astral storage chest and retrieves a folding table, on which he weighs down a plan for a simple fence of white wood.
[10:38 PM] Jack: looks down at the plan, not looking directly at the stones, before turning around.
[10:38 PM] Jack: "Okay. This shouldn't take too long. Blake, would you mind hammering the posts into the ground at the indicated distances?"
[10:38 PM] Jack: motions to the plans.
[11:04 PM] Itchy At Work: "I'm still sorry for that."
[11:04 PM] Jack: shrugs.
[11:04 PM] Jack: "It wasn't Allyah's daughter."
[11:04 PM] Itchy At Work: "It thought it was though."
[11:05 PM] Jack: nods.
[11:05 PM] Jack: "And don't worry about it. Most of my friends have stabbed me at this point."
[11:05 PM] Jack: says this matter-of-factly.
[11:05 PM] Itchy At Work: "That's... worrisome."
[11:05 PM] Jack: "Right?"
[11:05 PM] Swad: [Rapid montage of Adalet, Blake and Reveno shanking Kiran]
[11:06 PM] Itchy At Work: "I'll stick to getting stabbed by the enemy."
[11:06 PM] Jack: "Though I suppose Raven put me in a grapple. And punched me. And Sandra nearly shot my leg off."
[11:06 PM] Jack: "I think Lous is the only one of you who's never actually hurt me."
[11:06 PM] Itchy At Work: "What about emotionally?"
[11:07 PM] Jack: thinks carefully.
[11:07 PM] Jack: "No, I don't think so."
[11:07 PM] Jack: points to a building ahead, with a faint dusky red tint to the brickwork.
[11:08 PM] Itchy At Work: "Good!"
[11:08 PM] Jack: "That's the one."
[11:08 PM] Itchy At Work: "There it is... Ready?"
[11:08 PM] Jack: "I have no idea how to begin answering that question."
[11:08 PM] Itchy At Work: "One step at a time."
[11:08 PM] Jack: "I'm as ready as I can reasonably be right now."
[11:10 PM] Swad: Blake - from what you can spot, it's indeed a large house - two stories, but fairly wide, aswell. There's also a small garden to this one - this section of the city in particular has seen some damage, but far less then the other ones. Apart from a few cracks along it's outer wall - it's intact.
[11:10 PM] Swad: The wooden door at the front appears to be slightly ajar.
[11:11 PM] Jack: "I can't believe it's so... untouched."
[11:11 PM] Itchy At Work: "Looks like it survived the worst of it."
[11:11 PM] Itchy At Work: "Good architecture perhaps."
[11:11 PM] Jack: "The best."
[11:12 PM] Jack: approaches the door, and carefully pushes it open.
[11:14 PM] Swad: Unsurprisingly - said door opens. It leads into a small corridor - with an open door towards a kitchen towards the left. Further ahead is a living room decorated with swirling patterns and painted tapestry work of the kind one would expect from Western Helyrot. A few papers are scattered along a circular coffee table at the side of the room itself - a mug of incredibly stale coffee still sits there. A set of stairs further ahead leads on towards the second floor, while a room to the side of the living room leads towards a workshop, it seems.
[11:15 PM] Jack: "Gods. It's just the same."
[11:16 PM] Itchy At Work: "Your house is huge."
[11:16 PM] Itchy At Work: "I'm pretty sure your living room is the size of my entire home."
[11:16 PM] Itchy At Work: "Where do you want to begin?"
[11:16 PM] Jack: "I was very lucky in how I grew up."
[11:17 PM] Jack: looks across the room.
[11:17 PM] Jack: "Kitchen, hallway, coffee table, workshop, upstairs."
[11:17 PM] Jack: begins moving toward the kitchen.
[11:17 PM] Itchy At Work: "How about your vision. What room was that?"
[11:18 PM] Jack: "The living room."
[11:19 PM] Itchy At Work: "Alright. I suggest you retrace the steps of your vision, and tell me if anything looks different in the room compared to how it was in the vision."
[11:20 PM] Swad: There's...a bit of a foul smell on the kitchen. It's readily available why, as a sack of utterly moldy bread sits right next to a counter. A few used igredients and pots sit by a sink - with a bowl of something by now long rotten sitting atop of an elementally-powered stove.
[11:20 PM] Jack: looks forlornly at it.
[11:20 PM] Jack: "I'll come back and clean. Soon."
[11:21 PM] Jack: Presumably nothing of interest in there.
[11:21 PM] Swad: You don't think so.
[11:21 PM] Jack: will return to the hallway, then living room. He will then cast his mind back to his vision, as Blake suggested.
[11:21 PM] Itchy At Work: returns to the living room too
[11:22 PM] Itchy At Work: "Try to focus, eyes on your surroundings. Point out anything that doesn't match"
[11:22 PM] Jack: walks to the table and examines the papers.
[11:23 PM] Jack: "Only the papers and coffee..."
[11:23 PM] Jack: slides the coffee further out of the way.
[11:23 PM] Itchy At Work: "How about the walls, bookshelves?"
[11:24 PM] Swad: They seem to be documents related to one of the union of craftsmen in Valveria - nothing from Kiran's parents, specifically. Directed complains regarding what is described  as "unecessary expenditure". Complaints regarding raw materials having been diverged towards a prospecting initiative in the city.
[11:25 PM] Jack: will glance up at the walls and bookshelves.
[11:25 PM] Swad: Nothing you can pick up from the walls, no. Thee's a single bookshelf on the farther end of the room, and it seems untouched.
[11:25 PM] Swad: Only thing that was taken away from it is a book by a couch of Helyrothian recipes.
[11:26 PM] Jack: looks at the book, expression clouding.
[11:26 PM] Jack: "The recipe book only. There was also... prospecting happening in the city limits?"
[11:26 PM] Jack: Do the papers say where?
[11:26 PM] Itchy At Work: "Prospecting? That's interesting."
[11:27 PM] Swad: Yes, actually. They're direct complaints, likely meant to be forward towards the city center.
[11:28 PM] Swad: They mention that there are no indications of mineral oil beneath Valveria, and prospecting for it is waste of resources, and doing so also hampers some movement across the city.
[11:28 PM] Swad: You can roll (Local) ,if you'd like, Kiran.
[11:28 PM] Jack: Oh wow, I actually have that
[11:28 PM] Jack: 1d20+9
[11:28 PM] Itchy At Work: ponders "Any reason they might prospect in the city?"
[11:28 PM] Jack: roll 1d20+9
[11:28 PM] Itchy At Work: gotta /r
[11:28 PM] Swad: Third time's thecharm.
[11:29 PM] Jack: /roll 1d20+9
[11:29 PM] BOTSidekick: @Jack:  1d20+9  = (4)+9 = 13
[11:29 PM] Jack: DICKS
[11:29 PM] Itchy At Work: using Agent of Chance
[11:29 PM] Itchy At Work: re-roll
[11:29 PM] Jack: /roll 1d20+9
[11:29 PM] BOTSidekick: @Jack:  1d20+9  = (14)+9 = 23
[11:29 PM] Jack: Blake casually giving Kiran +10
[11:29 PM] Jack: "People are talking about there being no evidence of mineral oil, but..."
[11:31 PM] Itchy At Work: "Precious metals? Gemstones perhaps?"
[11:31 PM] Jack: "Hm. If I remember right, there were a few locations that someone wanted to mine because he claimed there was a vast untapped volume of oil beneath the city. But it got blocked by the councils, since there was no evidence for it, and exploratory work would've damaged the city too much."
[11:32 PM] Jack: "Might be worth checking out the locations, in case it was a feint to mine for something else."
[11:32 PM] Itchy At Work: "Good idea, hopefully some of the locations are still standing amongst the wreckage."
[11:32 PM] Jack: nods.

[11:33 PM] Itchy At Work: "Do you want to check the workshop while I check your Father's study for documents?"
[11:33 PM] Jack: "Alright."
[11:33 PM] Itchy At Work: "...where will I find that. Upstairs?"
[11:34 PM] Jack: "There's- that's where the bedrooms are. Maybe hold off - I think... I think one of my birthday gifts may still be up there."
[11:34 PM] Itchy At Work: "Workshop it is then."
[11:34 PM] Jack: [enter workshop]
[11:36 PM] Swad: Obviously set up for mechanical work. Currently, it doesn't seem like Kiran's father was working on anything during the disaster itself - albeit it's tooling is still well-organized and laid out. A small stack of papers sits off towards the very edge of the work table itself - likely orders of some kind. A fancy coffee mixer - a few boxes with raw materials and parts to the side.
[11:37 PM] Itchy At Work: gets to checking the stack
[11:37 PM] Jack: will examine the tools and materials for anything that would be immediately useful.
[11:38 PM] Swad: Masterwork tools, steel - plenty of bronze and gold. A few small crystals of multiple colors - for elemental infusions.
[11:39 PM] Swad: The orders themselves appear rather innocuous in nature, Blake. Fancy frames for magical lamps - likely for some nobleman's party or abode. Construction of a carved wooden prothesis, a winged helmet.
[11:41 PM] Itchy At Work: "Huh, winged helmet. I found one of those salvaging. I wonder if your dad was the Valkyrie's armor-smith?."
[11:41 PM] Jack: carefully stows a set of masterwork tools into a small case, before placing them in a pouch.
[11:41 PM] Itchy At Work: "Nothing particular noteworthy here, I'm afraid."
[11:41 PM] Jack: "I have no idea. Does it look really similar?"
[11:42 PM] Jack: "And nothing of immediate use here."
[11:42 PM] Jack: steps back toward the door to the room, and heads for the stairs.
[11:42 PM] Itchy At Work: shrugs "Not really. Guess I'm just seeing threads that aren't there."
[11:43 PM] Itchy At Work: follows along "At least you've gotten some tools out of this venture"
[11:43 PM] Jack: "They were my father's. I thought that- yes. I wanted them with me."
[11:43 PM] Jack: ascends the stairs.
[11:44 PM] Swad: The second floor hosts a bathroom - a large  bedroom - and two sets of smaller, guest bedrooms.
[11:44 PM] Swad: Once again - things appear untouched. The only indication regarding the disaster is a crack running along the breadth of one of the walls.
[11:45 PM] Jack: runs a hand along the crack as they walk.
[11:45 PM] Jack: "I... imagine that what I'm looking for will be in my parents' bedroom."
[11:45 PM] Itchy At Work: "Do you want me to... stay outside?"
[11:45 PM] Itchy At Work: "Feels like a private moment."
[11:46 PM] Jack: "No. It's okay."
[11:46 PM] Jack: pushes the door open.
[11:48 PM] Swad: A few magographs are placed atop of a dresser to the side of the room - accompanied by a wardrobe on one side - and another on the opposing one. Atop the large bed at the back-center of the room is a relatively long and narrow grey package, wrapped with red string. Really rather wrapped with red string. It looks as if it was hand-wrapped in a specific pattern that repeats a few losenges at thecenter. The problem is that unwrapping said string would probably be a pain.
[11:49 PM] Jack: moves to the dresser and picks up the magographs.
[11:50 PM] Jack: then returns to the bed.
[11:50 PM] Jack: "This must be it."
[11:50 PM] Itchy At Work: stays standing in the doorframe
[11:51 PM] Jack: runs a hand down it.
[11:51 PM] Jack: "It seems a shame to open it."
[11:51 PM] Jack: carefully lifts it up, and looks to figure out how to unwrap it.
[11:52 PM] Swad: Ah - at the back. One would but need to untie knots there.
[11:53 PM] Jack: takes a moment to memorise what it looks like, then undoes the knots.
[11:53 PM] Swad: It takes a few minutes to fully do so - but eventually, you manage to unwrap the red strings, allowing you to open the box at your leusire.
[11:54 PM] Jack: lifts the lid.
[11:55 PM] Swad: Within, cradled within the a black frame is...a scabbard, it seems. Deep red - the frame itself seems to be made out of some form of polished metal - maybe tinted. Engravings of jet black and gold swirl across it's shape - forming both abstract, curved patterns, and floral shapes. K.B-H is engraved in red-pinksih gold upon the throat of the scabbard.
[11:56 PM] Jack: smiles down at it, eyes a little watery.
[11:57 PM] Jack: "It's beautiful. Thank you, mum."
[11:58 PM] Jack: draws his sword and carefully sheaths it in the new scabbard.
[11:58 PM] Itchy At Work: "It looks good."
[11:58 PM] Itchy At Work: "Excellent craftsmanship, as expected."
[11:59 PM] Jack: exchanges it with his old scabbard, and places it and the box into his storage chest.
[11:59 PM] Jack: smooths the bed.
[12:00 AM] Jack: "Alright. I think that is... probably all we'll find here."
[12:00 AM] Itchy At Work: nods "Where to next then?"
[12:01 AM] Jack: "We had wanted to check out the council chambers. And I think we can visit the prospecting sites en route there and back to the city limits."
[12:02 AM] Itchy At Work: "Excellent. Onwards then."
[12:02 AM] Swad: Right! Since we're running slightly short on time, let's expedite this a bit, shall we?
[12:03 AM] Jack: Sure.
[12:03 AM] Jack: Apologies for the lengthiness.
[12:03 AM] Swad: Oh no, I don't mind!
[12:03 AM] Swad: I just don't want to go over YOUR guys time.
[12:03 AM] Swad: Remind me - what do you mean by council chamberS?
[12:03 AM] Itchy At Work: The metalurgists. Check for any War details.
[12:03 AM] Jack: Basically the city hall would have council chambers per each Valverian council - metallurgy, commerce, etc.
[12:04 AM] Swad: Aaah. Understood.
[12:05 AM] Swad: The council itself would've  been placed somewhere higher in the city - thankfully, it has not been at it's actual center - meaning that it still stands...if greatly damaged. It takes several minutes trekking along the streets - but the building is easy enough to spot. It boasts four stories total - with a large set of steps leading up towards it, bearing images of Essati on the side - actually rather similar to the steps you fought against the UFF, back at the previous dimension you've been in.
[12:06 AM] Swad: The entire east wing of the building - which has a slight inwards curve - appears to have collapsed entirely into a pit, albeit the west sector appears (relatively) intact.
[12:06 AM] Swad: It doesn't seem like the council of metallurgy was affected by it, at least - albeit international relations and agriculture were not as lucky.
[12:07 AM] Itchy At Work: "We've been getting lucky with these finds, haven't we?"
[12:07 AM] Jack: "One of the domains of Mother Essati is luck."
[12:09 AM] Swad: Now - as previously stated, the council building is rather large indeed - as such, I would like checks for either : Perception, Local, or any form of Profession that may have involvment with Bureaucracy.
[12:09 AM] Swad: I hope you invested in Profession (Secretary)
[12:09 AM] Itchy At Work: I'll percept
[12:09 AM] Itchy At Work: /r 1d20+23
[12:09 AM] BOTSidekick: @Itchy At Work:  1d20+23  = (3)+23 = 26
[12:09 AM] Jack: Given it's the council of metallurgists, may I roll Profession (Arcane Smith)?
[12:10 AM] Swad: What would be your reasoning for that, precisely?
[12:10 AM] Jack: Having been examined by the council as part of being awarded his craftsman cog pins.
[12:11 AM] Jack: Otherwise, I'm happy to try Local.
[12:11 AM] Swad: It's a relatively limp answer, to be frank. I'll allow it, but at a -12 penalty.
[12:11 AM] Jack: Local it is
[12:11 AM] Jack: /roll 1d20+9
[12:11 AM] BOTSidekick: @Jack:  1d20+9  = (10)+9 = 19
[12:11 AM] Swad: You - unfortunately, do take some time looking up information.. The council simply is rather vast, and you've too much to sort through. A few hours pass by - but you eventually manage to amass a decent ammount of paperwork.
[12:12 AM] Swad: Firstly...no. You've looked up and down across it, Blake. There's zero hint of anything like War being produced or requested in any records. The thing that really strikes you is that the design of the sword itself - bearing three small circles up along the base of it's fuller, with distinct symbols within each - is far too distinctive - and as such, would be easy to pick up. No such luck.
[12:13 AM] Swad: However, the pair of you do find repeated mentions across mettalurgy and commerce regarding the digs themselves. Formal complaints about companies illegally performing prospecting - legal action taken towards it, and direct accusations of resources from metallurgy being diverged towards it.
[12:13 AM] Itchy At Work: "I'm afraid I'm not seeing anything through this mountain of paperwork. Considering the distinctiveness of the design of the blade, it shouldn't be too hard to spot, but, no, nothing."
[12:14 AM] Swad: It looks like this investor managed to swindle and convince a fair few to go with the project regardless - albeit none of the digs managed to proceed particularly far.
[12:14 AM] Swad: You also manage to recover a plan of the city itself, listing these self-same sites. All close along towards the center of the city.
[12:14 AM] Itchy At Work: "There's some information about the digs though. Mostly legal actions and notes on bribery for progress. Found a map though of the sites."
[12:14 AM] Swad: And from what you can gather - none have survived - because the center of the city has taken the worst of it. The ACTUAL center of the city, that is.
[12:15 AM] Itchy At Work: shows Kiran the maps
[12:15 AM] Itchy At Work: "I guess they're done for though. Right at the epicentre."
[12:15 AM] Swad: Furthermore, this investor bears no official identification whatsoever.
[12:15 AM] Jack: "I see that. I wonder who it was."
[12:15 AM] Swad: Unknown factor with ridiculous ammount of money and charisma.
[12:16 AM] Itchy At Work: "Someone rich and influential, other than that, nothing."
[12:16 AM] Itchy At Work: "I wonder how wealthy Adalet is."
[12:16 AM] Jack: "I had just been wondering the same."
[12:16 AM] Jack: "I imagine the answer is 'ludicrously'."
[12:17 AM] Swad: Buried within the reports themselves - you...do find a report filed directly towards the police. Again, no name - but physical identification.
[12:17 AM] Swad: Male of old age - wispy, whitened hair, glasses. Black vast, faded green coat.
[12:18 AM] Swad: Relatively short - between five-seven and five-ten.
[12:18 AM] Itchy At Work: "A police report of a physical description. Take a look, recognise any of the details?"
[12:18 AM] Jack: reads them over.
[12:19 AM] Jack: /roll 1d20
[12:19 AM] BOTSidekick: @Jack:  1d20  = (3) = 3
[12:19 AM] Jack: "I don't."
[12:19 AM] Jack: "But we should take this with us."
[12:20 AM] Itchy At Work: stows it away "Perhaps we can ask around. I'll work on a sketch once we're back."
[12:21 AM] Jack: "Good plan."
[12:21 AM] Jack: "Alright then. If we can't go examine the dig sites, I imagine it's time to go back."
[12:23 AM] Itchy At Work: straightens up "Alright then. It took us eight hours to get here. Might want to camp out and head back in the morning, unless you're up for another trek."
[12:25 AM] Jack: "That's probably a good idea. I hope Raphaela doesn't worry."
[12:25 AM] Itchy At Work: "Want to set up at your home?"
[12:26 AM] Jack: "I had been considering that. There are guest rooms, and it's as good a place as any."
[12:26 AM] Jack: "I suppose it's mine now anyway."
[12:26 AM] Itchy At Work: "Good. I was going to ask if you had guest rooms."
[12:26 AM] Itchy At Work: "It'll be nice to have a functioning kitchen to work with too. I'll see if I can put something together."
[12:27 AM] Jack: "By all means. I'll help clean it."
[12:27 AM] Itchy At Work: "Think you'll live there once everything is all done?"
[12:28 AM] Jack: "Maybe. I haven't considered where I'll settle. If I settle."
[12:28 AM] Itchy At Work: "There's a certain something to the mobile life, I get it."
[12:28 AM] Jack: "Though having somewhere that's home..."
[12:29 AM] Jack: "Maybe I could do both."
[12:29 AM] Itchy At Work: "Sounds like a base of operations. Travel the world, see what you find, then come back to rest."
[12:29 AM] Itchy At Work: "Admirable."
[12:30 AM] Itchy At Work: starts to leave the building "Before it gets dark, off we go."