The Collapse

From Tried's Mouth to the mysterious Tower, the waters around Scalvoris and the island itself hold a vast array of secrets, just ripe for discovery. Here are landmarks, jungles, mountains, forests and islands of note.

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Balthazar Black
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Posts: 2107
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:15 am
Race: Human
Profession: Leader of The Black Cats
Renown: 1815
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The Collapse


84 Ashan 722
The mage and the knight-less squire took the seats that Dean Wagstaff offered them inside his tent. Henri slowly pulled out his own chair from his desk and sat down as well. They were at the base of one of the mountains where the University had set up a small headquarters to begin mining the rare metal that had been discovered almost an arc ago. The 'headquarters' was really a series of large tents that they had set up to protect their equipment and themselves from the harsher weather in the mountains. Even at the base the weather was problematic for the academics. Balthazar had an easier time dealing with it due to his affinity with the elements and his forging but Balthazar had not come alone. Robin and the company would have the same trouble with the weather that the scholars would.

It was one of many reasons that Balthazar decided to negotiate with the University rather than to go in on his own. Whatever he learned with and through them now, he could use to pursue more of the metal in the future. Working with scholars would never come without a cost, but Balthazar was trying to look ahead. Give a little now, get a lot more later. He had some things on his side that he was hoping would help him persuade the Dean but he was a little concerned that Henri would ultimately try to defer to the Chancellor who was not there at the moment. A lot could go wrong, but a lot could go well.

"What sort of agreement did you have in mind, Mister Black?" Dean Wagstaff asked after a few trills of settling in behind his desk. He'd adjusted a few papers and moved a small rock sample on top of them to keep them down.

"I am going to be blunt, because I think it benefits us both to be honest." Balthazar said plainly. "I would like to come to an arrangement that guarantees a supply of the metal you're researching for Haven. The settlement has a research station set up by the University and is a closer to the mountains than Scalvoris Town so it would be easier to transport the ore there for refinement. I am willing to pay the university for any ingots I would need for personal study, though I would appreciate a discount for the help I would be offering you here."

The Dean held up a hand, indicating that he wished for Balthazar to stop without directly interrupting him. "I am familiar with the station in Haven. Indeed, they are closer but I was not aware they had the resources to process the ore?"

"I have recently commissioned a forge in Haven. It will have everything needed to process the metal and I know of individuals in the settlement who could help at the station if needed." Balthazar countered.

"But not for free." The Dean said, "We have the means and the University has no qualms about waiting a few more trials for the metal to arrive."

"Nothing is ever free but I will learn what I am curious about by helping you. And as I said, I would just like a better price for ingots of the metal that the Academy is willing to sell." Balthazar reminded Henri, "With my help you'll be able to find twice the metal you're find now- maybe more."

"What do you mean?" Dean Wagstaff gave very little away with his eyes and expression as he negotiated. It felt more like Balthazar was being questioned than negotiating. Balthazar didn't mind. He believed that logistically the best way to get and process the metal was to work with him through the research station in Haven. The University already had control over it so why should it have bothered them to move through it first?

"I have come with a company of men I trust to offer help in the mining process." Balthazar said, "My men don't know how to mine but they make good security. They could reinforce your guards, while I help you find and extract the metal from the earth."

"We have some of the best minds in Scalvoris looking into this. I don't mean to insult you, but what I was asking is what can you offer that they could not?" The Dean paused for a moment and added, "I'm aware of who you are. You were an Element. A recently fired Element at that. I'm not sure you have the expertise we are looking for."

"That's not necessarily true. I was fired because I broke rules, but every rule I broke revealed something the Elements would not have found out about otherwise. Sure, they didn't approve of how I got results, but I did get results. I was given the opportunity to train Elements because I'm a good leader. Guided by me, your miners will perform better than they have been. That isn't to imply your efforts haven't produced results. I'm sure you have good workers here- but you haven't seen what they can do when I'm in charge of them." Balthazar countered. "But apart from that I have three different sparks which can help me find the metal- and they work better than most books." Balthazar noticed that he seemed to catch the Dean's interest. Henri was a well educated man but he was the Dean of Science and not exactly Theory of Magic. "Defiance would allow me to search the earth at a depth none of your scientists would be able to. I might not be able to pull the metal out of the ground or guarantee it's the metal you're seeking, but if there is something other than earth where I commune with the elements I should be able to tell- and I'd be able to soften the earth for the miners. Attunement will allow me to locate more of the metal through dousing- it's a fairly simple spell. Probably more useful than Defiance in finding the metal. It'll also, along with Transmutation, help me figure out exactly what the metal does and I'm more than willing to let the research station know if I find anything they don't."

The Dean seemed intrigued but there was something holding back his decision. He knew and trusted science, not magic. He was educated enough to know that the magic Balthazar spoke about was real, but there was still an issue of control. He wasn't sure Balthazar could be trusted. He wasn't sure anyone who showed up with a company of armed men could be trusted. After a few trills he said, "You have made interesting points. I'll need the night to consider them and consult the professors in magical theory to ensure your claims are true. We don't have much space, but you and your company can spend the night in one of the spare tents."

"I understand. Just remember that there is a difference between theory and practice. I've lived with magic for a long time. I didn't just study it. I'll give you the night, but I do need an answer tomorrow." Balthazar said, "I have a wedding come up and I can't stay forever. I'd like to be as much use as I can while I'm here. Whether or not we come to an arrangement, I'd like to help and I'm going to look for the metal. It would be a shame to have wasted the trip. I'd prefer to work together."
word count: 1292

Visible Mutations/ Marks

Mutations
Defiance: Skin always glows faintly and he is warm to the touch. His is also the center of a field of static electricity so people get shocked touching him on occasion.
Rupturing: Orange etheric cracks spider-web up his arms to his elbows. His eyes and the glowing cracks going down his cheeks glow dark blue.
Transmutation: He has a series of emerald, glowing cracks on his right pectoral.
Marks
Bellinos: His fingernails are always black. The color fades into his fingers.
Celarion: A dim glowing ring surrounds his left forearm.
Palenon: A silver lightning shaped mark about the size of a hand stretching up towards his torso.

Scars

  • Oops, Oops, Ouch: Balthazar Black has twenty scars across his back from a lashing as well as scars on his hands and arms from jagged rocks on Faldrass. There are two scars on the sides of his abdomen from being stabbed and a slash across his back which blends in with the whip scars.
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Balthazar Black
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Posts: 2107
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:15 am
Race: Human
Profession: Leader of The Black Cats
Renown: 1815
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Re: The Collapse


84 Ashan 722
The company took the news rather well, given that nothing was guaranteed for them. They were shown to the spare tent where they would be waiting by a few of the researchers working at the site and while the company settled into the rather cramped space, Balthazar took Robin outside to talk. They had put some pressure on the Dean by asking he make his decision quickly but pressure could have easily lead to their help being refused. It wouldn't stop them but it would be a considerable setback. Balthazar and Robin moved a good distance from the University's base camp to speak where they would not be overheard. Balthazar kept his eyes peeled for anyone who might have been trying to spy on them and when he was certain they were alone, he began.

"If we can't come to an agreement with them, we are going to have to approach this differently." Balthazar said in an admittedly low voice. Robin seemed to already be thinking the same thing as Balthazar but it called into question how honorable they would be. Robin had squired for many knights who swore by honor and they were all dead now. He was young. He could still be convinced it didn't matter so long as you got the result.

"Do you mean to steal it from them?" Robin asked. He didn't have any judgement in his tone.

"No! No." Balthazar assured his friend. "I wouldn't need to steal it from them. I just need to see it and we can proceed on our own. We'd need our own mining team though. That could be a problem- at least for this trip."

"Is it really worth it?" Robin asked, "We don't even know what the metal does. If we wait, the university will figure it out and then you can just buy it for the forge."

"Robin," Balthazar said, "I can't deny that we are taking a gamble here. We don't need to be involved now that we know the University is actually doing something but if the reports are true and the metal deposits are getting harder to find- they need someone like me. At the very least, my Attunement would give them a way to find more of the metal that they don't have now. If they don't realize that, I will do what I must."

word count: 408

Visible Mutations/ Marks

Mutations
Defiance: Skin always glows faintly and he is warm to the touch. His is also the center of a field of static electricity so people get shocked touching him on occasion.
Rupturing: Orange etheric cracks spider-web up his arms to his elbows. His eyes and the glowing cracks going down his cheeks glow dark blue.
Transmutation: He has a series of emerald, glowing cracks on his right pectoral.
Marks
Bellinos: His fingernails are always black. The color fades into his fingers.
Celarion: A dim glowing ring surrounds his left forearm.
Palenon: A silver lightning shaped mark about the size of a hand stretching up towards his torso.

Scars

  • Oops, Oops, Ouch: Balthazar Black has twenty scars across his back from a lashing as well as scars on his hands and arms from jagged rocks on Faldrass. There are two scars on the sides of his abdomen from being stabbed and a slash across his back which blends in with the whip scars.
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Doran
Peer Reviewer
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Posts: 3567
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:43 am
Race: Mortal Born
Profession: Alchemist
Renown: 1162
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Wealth Tier: Tier 10

Re: The Collapse

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Balthazar:

Knowledge: -
Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 10

- - -
Comments: Balthazar definitely worked hard to convince the Dean of the agreement that he has in mind. He provides a few good arguments, makes Dean Wagstaff aware of his leadership skills and even explains how his different sparks might be able to help them find the metal. I also appreciate that you didn’t have the Dean say “yes” right away, but wants Balthazar to give him a night to think about his proposal and consult a few professors.

I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this series!

With that being said, in order to negotiate a significant discount, you’d need a capstone (There are precedents for that.). Balthazar “only” has Master Socialization though. And what more, the metal hasn’t been developed yet (Feel free to do that!), so it’s unclear in which regard magic can help here. Finally, the last discovery of new materials happened during the “mapping the ice caves” expedition. Items from that weren’t available for a full arc as the university wanted to study things.

Keep that in mind going forward.

For that reasons mentioned above, I’ve decided to give you the following consequence:

Consequence: The following trial, Dean Wagstaff meets with Balthazar again. He tells him that he thought about his proposal. He will not give Balthazar a discount, but he is willing to pay him for his work. Furthermore, Balthazar will of course be able to acquire ingots at the same price as everybody else – when the new metal is available to everybody else. The university wants to study it first and won’t release it until they know that it’s safe to handle.

Enjoy your rewards!

P.S.: You can also find the XP and the Renown for this thread in your UCP.
word count: 315

Mutations

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Blessings

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Worn Items

Ring of Reversal
Ring of Immunity
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