Madness, Meet Brilliance

Beyond the city of Rharne lies the Stormlands, which is home to a number of farms, forests, fields, Lake Lovalus, and the River Zynyx. This subforum also includes the Stormwastes to the south.

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Patrick
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Madness, Meet Brilliance

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Picture the Augustin residence from afar with a brilliant sun lazy in it's descent to the horizon, the very air already dryer than the season prior now that the season had finally began. After the apex of the day had passed and the heat managed to wane only slightly, it had quickly become the time to make an unscheduled appointment with a particular individual.

After a change in cooler attire for the skin to breathe better, a quick stroll had been made along the lakeside to shorten the time in approaching the homestead. One would think that the person in question had been the busy lady who resided there, when in fact it turned out to be her ever so mysterious husband only some had met.

Among those some was the Rharnian himself of course, his interest in Padraig only vague curiosity up until recently. He'd learned little by little of the man, mostly through the brief meetings which had occurred in the time Patrick visited. Knowing what little he did know the Rharnian wanted to investigate, only business kept him on his toes as time remained against him like always.

This didn't mean it was too late of course, to not only meet but discuss things with the man. Such as how exactly he came to not only create the tools at everyone's disposal, but where exactly could they locate the resources along the way as well. And so as the Rharnian approached the front door of the homestead, he did so nearly with a leisurely stroll now that the abode was in sight.

Immortals only knew how many times he'd be coming here, especially to make any new reports on his progress in Rharne. But thankfully to-trial wouldn't be anything of the sort, as the visit was more or less a means of minor education from a possibly brilliant source. If anything Patrick wanted to learn more of Padraig's own background, but of course there were a couple ideas he were sitting on as well.

He just hoped that what he had to inquire about made sense, and if it were even possible to make it then all the more reason to try. As he reached the front yard of the Augustin residence Patrick lifted his container, a bottle of whiskey which he'd been sipping throughout the Trial. Considering he was barely even inebriated upon arrival, he didn't think it anything rude of it to bring it along.

Thus he wiped the space above his brow with the back of his forearm, relieved to finally walk upon the doorstep of the place with a bit of shade; it'd be good to garner a bit of respite during his visit here after all. The Stormlands were never kind in the hotter parts of the Arc, as the weather tended to prove relentless once the heat swelled overhead. After he briefly checked to make sure his attire appeared fairly descent, the Rharnian raised his free hand up to knock upon the door.

Boy he couldn't wait to finally sit down with Padraig, as a one on one discussion had been a long time coming in his opinion.

"Patrick", "Follower", "Ri", "Lush", "NPC"
word count: 547
"Freedom is everything."


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Re: Madness, Meet Brilliance

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It was a rare trial when the house near the shores of Lake Lovalus was quiet, or as empty as it was when Patrick knocked on the door. Faith was out. Katie and Cyrus had taken the twins out to play on the shore. They'd wondered if he might have gone with them. But needing the time to unwind from all the chaos that was swirling around them lately, Padraig had instead retreated to his workshop in the turret, two stories up. In this case, regrouping was critical, even for each individual involved.

With breaks ahead of him on his own, the scholar had decided to spend some time grinding away at a new mirror for his telescope. It wasn't that he needed a new one, or couldn't have purchased one ready made if he had. It was that the work itself relaxed him. It was physical work, but also required a great deal of technique and focus. So when Patrick knocked on the door, Padraig was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't hear it. But Cosmo did. The black and white and blue collie was as always on alert, and the first to herald the arrival of strangers for all the world to hear. He'd barked all the way from the front door, to the top of the stairs and back again. Several times, and on the second round, Padraig followed him down.

He wore a pair of goggles pushed back on his forehead, and a leather apron covered in glass and mirror dust. But he thought nothing of his appearance when he opened the door. "Patrick?" he said curiously. For the life of him he couldn't remember whether the arrival of anyone had been arranged in advance, and he'd somehow managed to have forgotten. It wasn't unlikely, and their home had become something of a gathering point of late. He smiled, standing back from the threshold. An invitation to come in, without so much as saying so. "You'll have to forgive the delay getting to the door, and my state of dress. I was up in my workshop. Have I managed to forget a planned gathering?" he asked. "Can I get you something?"
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Re: Madness, Meet Brilliance

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The timing of the reaction with a dog wasn't expected so that led him to a startle, but afterwards the Rharnian simply crossed his arms with the bottle tucked into one of them. From the sound of the yelps it had to be somewhere between medium and large sized, a mongrel that certainly had the vocal range to alert anybody of the company present.

However the barks dulled to a muffle shortly after, and thus Patrick was left to stand at the door with a hint of uncertainty growing. It was easily possible that nobody was home by now, if the Rharnian recalled Faith and Padraig did have children... maybe they were busy out somewhere, since there was oft so many things to be done for the war effort.

He allowed a deep breath to cycle through during his stance, his patience surely tested as he grew more doubtful anyone was home. Thus he took the bottle and lifted it into a tilt, a couple of hearty gulps taken before the barks somehow returned. Was the dog going to continue this? He'd only be pestering the poor critter if he lingered, so maybe perhaps it would've been best if he...

The door started to click with a sure tell sign of activity on the other side, as the door cracked ajar to reveal just the man he'd come searching for. Rather immediately the Rharnian's lips curled into a soft grin at the sight, as the appearance of Padraig looked exactly like one would expect.

He certainly looked to be a tinkerer after all, and if he had the brains to come up with explosive bolts and containers? He certainly might've had the capacity to put together what Patrick developed an interest in. "Greetings Padraig." Pat reciprocated heartily once Padraig recognized him, admittedly induced a great sense of pleasure that he was even remembered at all.

"Oh no worries, I'd half a mind to come at a later time until you showed." The Rharnian shrugged modestly with a simple grin still plain on his expression. "Not quite, my visit's actually quite a bit spur of the moment honestly." He reassured the man with a slight tilt of his head, curious to get a glance at the dog he should be praising for fetching his owner.

"I've been meaning to find a chance to meet with you personally, as I'm quite fond if not curious about the things you're capable of creating." With a modest if not forward stare redirected at Padraig, Patrick's eyebrows rose as though a sudden episode of doubt welled in his mind. "I hope you don't mind? I certainly won't feel offended to come again later, if now isn't the best time for a sudden visit?"

"Patrick", "Follower", "Ri", "Lush", "NPC"
word count: 478
"Freedom is everything."


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Re: Madness, Meet Brilliance

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Even after Padraig had opened the door and reacted to a face he recognized, even if he didn't know them man particularly well...or at all really, the dog wasn't completely convinced. Ordinarily there were also two wolves in the home though they'd gone off with their charges that trial. But even when they were present, this dog didn't relinquish his own charge and he remained watchful. He wasn't a small dog by any means. But not a giant one either. With upright ears and a generally cheerful expression, the animal's wavy coat was white, black and scattered with splashes of brilliant technicolor blue. He looked a bit like a collie or shepherd.

"Don't mind him," Padraig said as he invited Patrick in. "His bark is generally bigger than his bite. It's the cat you need to look out for." He said no more on that particular topic, though if said cat at some point made an appearance, Patrick might appreciate being warned. "I apologize for the delay getting to the door. I was in my workshop three stories up, and usually there's someone else around to answer the door." So there wasn't a planned gathering that he'd managed to forget. It was a good thing, but not necessarily a rarity once he'd immersed himself in some interesting work.

"Oh?" the scholar said curiously when Patrick revealed his reasons for coming. It was unusual. Most of their visitors these trials were seeking out Faith, and for good reason. But the things he was capable of creating? "You mean the weapons?" he asked curiously, and frowned a little while giving a scratch behind his ear. He'd passed a number of them out, the explosives and bolts, to a select number of people. He thought he remembered Patrick being one of them.

All dangerous things to be sure. "To be honest, weaponry isn't my specialty of choice, and warfare not exactly my...thing. Those things were in honesty created during a time of dire necessity. My specialty, and preference, is to focus on things that may answer a number of life's great mysteries, and those of the universe as well. And I prefer whatever I learn, or sometimes create, to be attuned to progress. Making life better, not destroying it." But occasionally, he knew, needs must. And then he grinned a little and shrugged. "I do like to tinker a bit though in my spare time."

"What is it in particular you were interested in?" he asked. "The explosives?" The truth was, the things were far easier to create, and simpler in their function than most anyone realized. Which was a good thing. But on the other hand, Padraig's way of thinking was that of a physicist who'd studied for arcs and in truth, since he'd been a young boy. For him a hand tossed explosive was a straightforward thing. "Or the bolts?" Those were a bit more complicated.

But as he'd already mentioned, warfare and weapons weren't the things that necessarily interested him. And he'd resolved from the start not to make a business out of those things. He knew how he would use his creations and for what reason he'd do it. He couldn't guarantee the same for anyone else. This war against Ellasin had made sharing a bit, a necessity.


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Re: Madness, Meet Brilliance

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Truth be told Patrick had never thought himself much of an animal person at heart, sure they were generally good creatures save for... well those abominations were the only ones he didn't appreciate. His bias opinions on goats aside, he still tried to treat any other animal with a fair sense of individual respect; and then from there let that specific creature decide whether it'd be his friend or his foe. Nevertheless the Rharnian appreciated the dog's presence even at his distance, for he definitely looked to be the sort of loveable pet a family enjoyed having around.

"A cat huh? I think I can manage." He remarked almost comically while his thought trailed back to Lush the Lion, who thankfully wasn't as much of a house cat as he wanted to be at times. Patrick doubted he could afford to replace any scratched up furniture, or whatever else cats did that were often a pain in the ass. From the sound of it though nobody else was indeed home, which didn't come as a surprise since Pat knew the others were often kept busy. "Nah, no big deal. I would've tried a later time anyways, it's more so a bit of luck I just lingered to see if anyone here at all."

Had it been a few moments longer? He probably would've certainly considered the house empty and nobody home, so go figure that as soon as he felt certain it best to try again later; the man in question turned out to be at the door at the right time. But of course the visitation wasn't all just spur of the moment either, Patrick had been wanting to discuss the type of technology Padraig could come up with after all. For a while now it'd been somewhat of a lingering thought, moreso a curiosity fed by the chance to seize a moment at its best. However the man looked quickly dismissive of it, the weaponry in particular, as their production conflicted with his own moral interests at heart.

An understandable thing given the nature of these tools, Patrick knew good and well the dangers of black powder; and what could happen if it got into the wrong hands. "Truthfully I've found myself fond of both, though they're not the main reason why I wanted to seek you out." He admitted with a humble tone towards the tinkerer. "I daresay you probably went through a lot to get those crafted, and while they're a limited source I figured if anything I'd come back to those later." He then brushed the back of his head with a hand modestly, with a soft expression spared to Padraig as he felt a little imposing with such a request.

"I'm actually here to see if I could ask you to put together a different sort of tool, an interesting combination of things that could help make exploration easier." The Rharnian was no stranger to danger and had used a variety of tools before, namely the grapple which he brought as an attachment to his belt. When he lifted the dangling hook up with his left hand, more so to flash it as part of his concept, Patrick shrugged as he wondered if the idea bordered between feasible and farfetched. "I've done my share of climbing slopes and mountains, and these certainly make it easier at times of great need. But I've wondered about something, as I know I'm a pretty good shot with a crossbow also."

Hopefully he didn't have to go too far in depth to explain what his idea was, except Patrick needed to at least describe the basis of the concept he had in mind. "My biggest wonder is if you might be able to put together a crossbow, a grappling hook, and maybe a gauntlet or some kind? It'd sure be a useful tool if such a thing can be done." Indeed the more he thought about it over the past couple seasons, the better the appeal of the idea became within his mind. Crossbows were wicked powerful and could cover an incredible range, so when he imagined using the grappling hook with one; that naturally led him into this current meeting he had with Padraig right now.

"Patrick", "Follower", "Ri", "Lush", "NPC"
word count: 734
"Freedom is everything."


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Re: Madness, Meet Brilliance

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"Not your average house cat," Padraig said dryly, but with the slightest of grins when Patrick seemed skeptical. But when it came to the cat that roamed the halls of their home and slept at the foot of Cyrus' and Katie's bed, seeing was believing. Running afoul of the little beast's particular inclinations, was something else entirely.

As for the reason that Patrick had come, and what he was interested in, the physicist nodded thoughtfully. "It took a great deal of time to create as many as was needed," he said, referring to both the explosives and the custom bolts. And yet, he still wondered if it would be enough. It pleased him to know that those weapons weren't the focus of Patrick's interest however. Requests to recreate deadly weaponry tended to put him in the awkward position of needing to say no, particularly to people he liked. "There's a sense of responsibility for me that comes with creating weapons of war," Padraig said by way of elaborating. "should they be used in ways that are not as intended, or do more harm than good." Sometimes having scruples could feel inconvenient, but it was what it was.

But he was always interested in anything new, and though it was unlikely that Patrick was referring to the heavens, or science at all, when he talked of exploration, Padraig also considered himself to be an explorer of sorts. "A crossbow, grappling hook and gauntlet...Are you talking about all three combined into one?" he asked with a curious frown. "Or perhaps some mix?" That wasn't to say that it couldn't be done. There was nothing Padraig liked less than the the word impossible.

And apparently Patrick's desire was in fact a single device that would serve as all three. Padraig wasn't intimidated and in fact was intrigued. "I think it's possible." Everything was possible in his mind, until some cosmic school of hard knocks showed him otherwise. "Maybe draw something up, see what comes to mind," he suggested, and gesturing towards the stairs, he added, "My workshop is up in the turret. Three stories up." He led the way, leaving Cosmo at the foot of the stairs. The dog knew that the cat was up there somewhere, and having tangled with her earlier, would have preferred to leave her be.

On the second level of the home, Padraig led the way again up a steep spiral staircase into his workshop. The view of the landscape and the lake was impressive. That of the night sky was even better, from that vantage. There were work tables and shelves filled with all sorts of interesting things. There was a large telescope in the corner and on a table nearby was a large, thick disc of glass with a concave surface, which Padraig through a dust cloth over. "In my spare time, I'm grinding a new mirror for my telescope. I could buy one I suppose. But the monotony of the work clears the mind and I find it relaxing."

That said, he moved to a work table, offered Patrick a stool, and picked up parchment and a charcoal pencil. First he sketched out a quick gauntlet, and a spot from the inside of the wrist might be where a fitting for a small, collapsible grappling hook and reel type line might be, and from the top of the wrist, a fitting for firing small bolts. "The three most important things here would be strength, lightness and the ability to support a great deal of weight...Especially if you're going to be relying on it while repelling up and down cliffs."

So thinking on that a moment, he began to draw again. Meanwhile, the aforementioned cat slid silently in the room...And then spotted a stranger in her domain. She looked for the most part like an ordinary house cat, except for one little difference. The cat had four tails. And when she saw Patrick, her hackles raised, she hissed, growled and spat. But more concerning, arcs of blue energy began spiking off her hair, between whiskers and leaping from one tail to the next. "Be nice, Quattro," Padraig muttered without looking up. "Patrick comes in peace." To Patrick, he added, "Best not to stand in any puddles of water, or anything else, with her around. Bath time can get interesting to say the least."

At any rate, sitting back he considered the problems of this device being both lightweight and strong, while also being powerful enough to function as intended. "Steel is probably a good choice. It's relatively lightweight but also very strong. But because, for instance, the line for a grappling hook, in fact the hook itself would need to be fairly small...maybe not strong enough on it's own. A little applied alchemy might address that problem. But it would require me having a diamond I could grind into dust." Implication was, Padraig didn't keep a lot of quality diamonds on hand in his workshop. What Patrick was interested in, no matter who created it, wouldn't come cheaply.
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Patrick honestly felt speculative about the regard Pad merited with his cat, accepting enough to believe it yes but also rather testive of the matter. However knowing he'd been warned quite well, and how straightforward Padraig was, the Rharnian didn't feel all too inclined to cross a boundary that wasn't necessary. Sure enough if he were to see the animal soon, then he'd merely do as he normally would in any normal circumstance; feed only what little attention if said animal really wanted it.

"I can understand completely," he remarked in regards to the subject on explosives, "I'm a little leery about using them myself. I've seen firsthand what black powder can do, if the wrong people get their hands on it the devastation can be catastrophic." Now that he thought back on it he was rather lucky, not only did he survive the blast his group made on the river; but the blast in Southguard was also just as terrifying if not more.

Those were difficult times though, both incidents completely separate yet somehow spanning in a single season. "Sure, lead the way ser." Patrick agreed as the chance to see what his workshop arose. "Now that I think about it, Etzos is pretty popular with the stuff. They must have a means of refining it in large quantities." The Rharnian couldn't help but mutter in lieu of following Padraig.

"The black powder I mean, there were two instances in which I came across it. If those in Etzos have a means of making so much of it, then that can't be too good of a thing to think about." He didn't wish to instill suspicion of course, so he quickly shrugged it off as they neared the top of the stairs they climbed together. "It's probably nothing to worry over though."

Once the time came to see the inside of Pad's workshop however, inquisitive eyes became more aloof with dreamy curiosity at best. Somehow even if he never had the intellect or patience, Patrick admired the talents of someone like Padraig because of one particular reason; all the neat shit one could possess in a place such as the workshop! It took every ounce of willpower in the Rharnian not to go astray, since he'd come here with the sole purpose of picking Pad's brain.

Yet to see all the fascinating gizmos and whatever else resided in his shop, Patrick felt like one lost boy in a candy store once he set foot inside. "Why buy something in good quality when you can probably make one better. Right?" He remarked in regards to the telescope, although grinding a mirror sounded like a lot of work. Mirrors... It was amazing how easy things reminded him of the past, even if they weren't obstacles for him to face now; they still reminded Patrick of the fact they once were.

At the offering of a stool near his work table, Patrick took a seat nearby with a slight crane of his head; more so to sit in an angle relative to Padraig's point of view. Seeing the man so quickly sketch what the Rharnian took time into thinking, it really amazed him to see the handyman in how own element. As he watched however he noticed movement at the door, and when his gaze shifted there he quickly saw what came to join them.

Their 'feline' pet mentioned prior to his entry had revealed itself, which resulted in an utter sense of dreaded awe at the sight of her. Such a beautiful creature and yet, quick to warn him that he intruded into her territory! At the first sign of electricity cackling off her fur, Patrick's sense of wonder was met with a short-lived chuckle of amusement. Quattro? That's a hell of a name... Then again... four tails, which is what quattro was meant to mean right? "No kidding!" He had to agree about the water and bathtime situation, a quick glance down at his hands as he wondered how the creature might react.

"Does she like getting zapped any?" He would've figured that probably wasn't the case, even if it were a means of bonding with the animal; he certainly didn't expect her owner to approve. "I mean, not that I make it a habit to. I just never have reason to use it." At the implication a couple sparks cracked at his fingertips, as he quickly closed his hands to fold them into his arms when he focused back on the drawing. From the looks of it Pad had everything already planned out, and with a bit of consideration into what materials could serve purpose with it's creation.

Steel, alchemy, and a diamond? He wasn't a businessman yet but Patrick could see the look already, where this was going wouldn't be cheap for either of them. Which meant if he wanted to see this idea come to life, then he'd certainly have to find a means of getting that diamond for Padraig. "Diamonds can't be that hard to get, expensive sure but I'm sure I can figure one out." He figured with a thoughtful look down at the parchment.

"So in terms of the reel, I'd expect that to work kind of like a fisherman's rod right? What's the highest amount of distance this thing would be able to cover?" With a crossbow component added it'd already be able to send the grappling hook far, but sure enough it's distance would also rely on the amount of line the gauntlet had to feed it as well. In close call situations like what Pat's been in before, especially up in the Scalvoris mountains, then he'd certainly be better off knowing first hand it's range beforehand.

"Patrick", "Follower", "Ri", "Lush", "NPC"
word count: 995
"Freedom is everything."


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"Large amounts of black powder in the hands of those whose character or ambitions are less than wholesome, is always a concern," Padraig had remarked, in response to Patrick's revelations about Etzos. "It's not at all difficult to make, however, and a first arc physicist or chemist, or even a seasoned gardener could whip some up in a pinch. I'd be more concerned about the collective intellect of mortality on Idalos," the scholar added drily, "should no one else have been able to manage it till now." He'd pointed that very thing out recently to a member of Rharne's military, who'd been concerned about his explosive pots falling into the wrong hands and subsequently 'figured out'. "Sometimes the most destructive elements are also the simplest ones."

Patrick's reaction to the workshop crowded with all sorts of wonders, was typical, but as always it brought a grin to Padraig's face. "I knew an old man back when I was a kid. Lived down the path a bit and he was an alchemist and tinkerer. The superstitious old women who shared their gossip at market, were sure that he was a warlock instead," he said before he began sketching out the plan that had already formed in his mind. The arcing of energy between Patrick's fingers did not go unnoticed, but while the scholar quirked a brow, he didn't reveal that he'd seen it. "Best not to," he said when asked about Quattro's preferences. "I've always wondered what might occur, was she to meet one of her own kind and engage in a tangle."

"Electromagnetic energy, you know," he explained while he worked. "Positives, negatives...One would wonder if all of her kind were on the same frequency. But I've experimented only with rats, not house pets," he said with a grin. It wouldn't go over well with all those who were fond of the cat, after all. Including himself. And especially Quattro, he thought. Meanwhile, while she was still suspicious of Patrick, said cat had leaped onto a high shelf where she settled. All the better from a high vantage to keep an eye on the interloper into her domain.

"It needn't be an expensive, high quality diamond or even a particularly large one," he said, in case Patrick was worried about the costs. "It's the hardness that matters, not the color, clarity or even size. Just a trace of it ground to dust is all it would take." As for Patrick's next question, Padraig nodded as he put down his pencil and straightened again. "Just like a fisherman's reel," he confirmed. "So to the question of distance, the answer would be, how far can you cast a line? And how large the reel?" The line, he added in pursuit of clarity, made of steel and enhanced with diamond dust, would need be no thicker than a fishing line."[/b]

But since it was to be a sort of two in one device, "you can't be walking around with a grappling hook or bolt attached to your glove. It will already have a modified sort of reel. I can create a collapsible grappling hook made of the same materials, so it can be very small. The same for modified bolts. I can fashion a mechanism at the leading edge of the line which would allow for quick attachment and changes." However, he added, "for obvious reasons you can cast a grappling hook, but a cast bolt wouldn't be very effective. Considering that, the reel mechanism will need to be spring loaded, both for firing and reeling the line back in."

The real challenge, he explained, was fashioning a glove that when used for repelling, could support Patrick's weight without sliding right off from his wrist or hand as a result. "Weight bearing, weight distribution, that sort of thing," he said.




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Patrick had to remember what useful information he'd be able to take away with to-trial. There was much to consider with the various topics they'd cover here, such as the fact that black powder somehow proved an easy thing to produce. Could it truly be that simple? The Rharnian was no special gardner, but the implication that even one of those could make some made him wonder. It wasn't that he want to make some of his own at a later date, even if it were a useful substance to possess, but the fact it seemed such a trivial thing when he always thought it invariably rare. When the short story came along of Padraig knowing this individual, one of similar interests who became referred to as a warlock by the gossipers.

It was no surprise to Patrick of course, since not many who came from Rharne were highly into superstition. Everyone who didn't consider exploring or even understanding such concepts usually did that; hell even Patrick himself was associated with those types of people before leaving Rharne. Slowly but surely his eyes were opened though, and while he still didn't appreciate magic for what it was; he couldn't deny it had its purpose within Idalos. At the chance of seeing if the electrically charged feline would accept his gesture, the Rharnian couldn't help but curiously watch the cat in question after the response he'd gotten. He talked of frequencies and electromagnetic energy, concepts that lingered outside his realm of personal knowledge.

It didn't help that his upbringing in Rharne's Dust Quarter limited his knowledge of the world, and yet even now he seemed able to manage and even adapt in new territories. Of course he was never really afraid of treading into the unknown most of the time, which tended to be the quality of his curiously investigative spirit in truth. Back on the main subject as to why he was here, it sounded as though any actual diamond would work; and it didn't have to be anything impressive either. "Interesting... so it's only the properties of the diamond he needs." He could see how many would consider the trade that of a warlock's now, since Padraig seemed to indicate what exact necessities were required. "Oh me? I never really fish so I couldn't say off hand." He remarked with a curled finger and thumb under his chin. "The grappling hook I normally carried with me however normally used a ten foot rope, that said if it worked much like the crossbow I could learn to use it for farther distances."

He looked a little more assured to Pad after his moment of contemplation. "I don't think I'd need a line longer than twenty feet though, otherwise learning to manage distance with height would be difficult mid-flight." He'd definitely remembered the close call he had on one of the Scalvoris Mountains, then again it was his own stupidity which led him to tumble off the side and into a ravine. From the sound of what Pad had to say, bolts were likely the more ineffective aspect of this gauntlet. Which to Patrick sounded rather fine since he would've much rather used his actual crossbow, but the idea of using bolts to get around did sound efficient also. "I'd like to think we can worry about bolts and whatever other attachments we could add can come later, since getting around with just a grappling hook is mainly the focus for now." He felt the need to remark just before another question came up, which was more or less how he'd keep it on during use.

He hadn't even thought about that... But it did make sense now that he did, such a thing wouldn't normally hold together under such strain. His weight alone would've broken the tool, and if that happened while he was in the middle of jumping a large gap or ravine... well he'd definitely hit the ground a lot harder than planned. "This may sound silly but is it possible to secure the gauntlet with straps? Something that latches the gauntlet to the forearm in a snug manner? I'm a pretty big guy I know, so I wouldn't want to damage the gauntlet itself while using it."

"Patrick", "Follower", "Ri", "Lush", "NPC"
word count: 743
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Padraig
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Re: Madness, Meet Brilliance

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Had Padraig been able to read the thoughts racing round in Patrick's head, then the scholar would have added a word of caution to his previous thoughts regarding homespun black powder. The bottom line was, that unless someone knew exactly what they were doing, then they were as likely to blow themselves to bits as to create something useful. The same relative statistics applied to said 'home gardener' in his own backyard shed. Sometimes, however, Padraig was simply forced to rely on others having an abundance of something akin to common sense. As for him, he could avoid any culpability or self-recrimination by virtue of not having provided the recipe itself.

As for magic. It was fairly well known among those who were familiar with him. Didn't like it. Never would. In a sense, he considered it to be a lazy shortcut for things that could be accomplished in a similar vein, with a little knowledge, ingenuity and elbow grease. "Correct. The diamond dust is what's important. Quality stuff to be sure," he added in order to clarify. "The hardness of the diamond is critical, the clarity is not." Meanwhile, he remained bent over his work surface while sketching out a design, altering it here and there as the details of what Patrick wanted became clearer.

"A length of twenty feet is doable, even thirty with a line that thin, without compromising the rest of the design. You don't want a bulky reel embedded in any kind of glove that would get in the way of hand or wrist flexibility." As for the grappling hook itself, "If made from the same materials as the line, then it can be quite small. On top of being much smaller when compared to other grappling hooks, I can devise a collapsible design. Spring triggered so that you're not walking around with a fully extended claw beneath your wrist."

It would hold, and then some, Padraig reassured him. The trick was keeping the glove or armband in place and not sliding off under pressure. "A hook and line that stay fixed wouldn't do you much good if the glove or band slides off and leaves you plummeting into the nearest gorge," he said dryly, though that much ought to be obvious. "If you're holding tight to the line with a non slip glove, then that will relieve a great deal of strain on the the mechanism. It's in the event that you lose your grip. We want the glove gauntlet to remain in place. But yes," he confirmed, "I can design an assembly that will keep the gauntlet secured to the forearm. I'll also install a quick release mechanism that can't easily be triggered by mistake...In case you're needing to cut yourself loose in a hurry. Of course, keep in mind I'm a physicist and while the physics and alchemy of the thing are well within my purview, I'll be having one of my engineer friends at the university look over and approving it before forging ahead. "

What that meant of course, was that the final product could possibly look slightly different than the plan he had drawn. But only so much as an actual engineer had added input and improved the design.

Ultimately, so long as Patrick was content with the plan and design, Padraig could certainly produce such a thing within a ten trial. "I have suppliers lined up that could get me a suitable diamond. So unless you have a connection with a better price, I can get it myself and figure the expenditure into the final cost." It was Patrick's choice, of course. If Padraig was to source a diamond, he could predict that it would be a ten trial out when the thing was finished. If Patrick preferred to purchase the diamond itself, the time it took him to do that would be added on to the original wait time.
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