[Hopetoun] Framing Things

[Vega]

26th Trial
Ashan
Arc 721

She and Doran had not long ago finished checking out the area where the beacon would go and now, they were going to draw her blood - something she was not looking forward to - and also talk through exactly which abilities she needed to be using and him to be putting on things. But, one thing had become obvious.

I'm not gettin' my greenhouse any trial soon, am I?" She smiled at Doran as they sat down together. There were high-backed benches carved from wood which she'd made. "I got my cousins to go off an' get me a whole bunch of stuff, oh, must have been twenty trials ago now. I'd planned, once we'd finished the fences, to make some greenhouses." Shrugging slightly, she grinned. "An' they brought me back lots of glass an' some really good wood, what's all silvery an' shinin'. So, I reckon, we can do it. Ok. So, I've got ideas in my head, an' I can see it. Real clear in my mind's eye." She could, there was no doubt.

"A phoenix tree can grow up to two hundred foot tall. So, I want to grow it as much as we can. An' then, around it a circlin' spiral staircase, with a covered top. Made with this gemini wood what looks metallic. It'll be wrappin' around the tree, jus' like we saw in Desnind, Arlo an' I. An' I want to have a sort of sectioned canopy, the stairs. On the canopy bits, an' on the backs of each step, there'll be places to hang lanterns." Looking at him, she considered. "Then, at the top there'll be an observatory sort of thing. The Hope's Nest. Like the crow's nest on a ship. It'll have a dome roof, an' on top of that root at the apex, there'll be the beacon." It was a big plan, Vega knew. A big plan indeed. But that didn't matter. It didn't matter at all. "It needs to shine really bright, so I've been thinkin'"

Vega rummaged and pulled out some apparently silver wood "If we make the mirrors, usin' this silver wood, an' some of the glass, an' the glass is the stuff you said, the yellow sand? We've got that." They did indeed. "An' then, it's jus' about makin' it a beacon of hope."

There was no doubt to her that this was something she could - and should - throw herself into. She needed to, in fairness, and Vega would be the first to admit that her time here was helping. Really helping. "So, we could have a fire, or there's the Night Torch ability, which we've both got. It's well bright, an' it's beautiful. The thing is, I've got other abilities too, which work to light things up, but Night Torch it does this thing. Forgive me, I don't know how much you know about it, so I'm jus' goin' to say. As long as I'm not flingin' around abilities like a monkey flingin' nuts, then I'm able to keep it goin'. I don't know what alchemy does, as far as that's concerned, but I were wonderin' if you might be able to keep it on all the time? If not, well, could it come on at night only, or somethin'?" Ever hopeful that if she flung enough information at him something would make sense, Vega carried on. "But that one, the one I told you about what Empowered Sunsetcan heal? Well, that one is also really bright, too. There's another what's a blindin' light, but we don't want that, do we?"

"Once you've got my blood an' we know what we're doin'," she said, thoughtfully. "We can have somethin' to eat. Arlo's one of the chefs in the camp, an' he's amazin'. I want to get started on makin' steps, tonight. But Arlo said he'll set you up with a Safe Camp. It's your own space, a tent which has a warm fire an' a bed an' all the comforts of home really." Or, more than that as far as she was concerned. "What do you reckon, are we missin' anythin'?"

[Doran]

“Probably not“, Doran replied as he took a seat on the bench next to Vega (he sat with his back straight, but his posture was neither stiff nor unrelaxed). “But I can help you build your greenhouse when I visit Faldrass again – and bring you a few seeds, provided that you are interested”, he offered with a light smile. It was the least that he could do in return for her using the materials that her cousins had procured for their beacon. There was a war, and there was a conflict that had to be resolved before he would be able to return – the fate of Scalvoris and maybe even certain Immortals was at stake – but he decided to be hopeful rather than wondering about the worst-case scenario.

When Vega started to explain her ideas for the beacon to him, he turned his head towards her and listened, occasionally nodding as he did so. Vega Creede’s mind, he decided, was impressive. She had been able to come up with an idea for their beacon within a short amount of time. What she had planned was highly creative, and what more, it sounded as if it would work, and work well. For a moment, he thought about what would happen if she learned alchemy and what kind of wonders she would create then, but that, he decided was another thing that was best thought about in more detail after the war.

“You mentioned hanging lanterns on the back of each step”, he remarked – he had to admit, he found their discussion inspiring, despite the urgency of the situation at hand. “Those lanterns could be imbued with a phosphorescent effect as well. They would be charged during the trial when the sun shines and emit light when it grows dark, and if more light is necessary, the effect could either be strengthened, or candles could be added”, he suggested. Since they would use a fire-resistant tree for the beacon, there would be no danger in that regard, but lanterns that did not have to be lit – or filled with new candles or fuel – was an idea that had some merit in his opinion, nevertheless. And besides, the lanterns could just be left where they were.

When Vega pointed out that the beacon needed to shine really bright and subsequently began to rummage, the son of Ziell raised a dark eyebrow fractionally before he looked at the wood that she had produced. “That’s Gemini Wood from the Crystal Forest on Ishallr, isn’t it?” he inquired in a calm tone of voice in order to make sure that he had indeed identified it correctly. He knew about a lot of different resources, in theory, but he had not seen all of them with his own eyes yet. “From what I know it is resistant to the elements. It will be perfect. And yes, I’ll use yellow sand and transfer what makes it glow to the glass”, he confirmed and inclined his head. He had considered glass made of yellow sand as well, but such was harder to come by; and besides, he would be able to fine-tune the effect if he imbued the glass himself and produce exactly the kind of glow that he needed.

“In my opinion, the fire, the mirrors and the alchemically enhanced glass should provide enough light”, he replied when Vega mentioned the Night Torch ability that they both shared. “But one or both of us could activate our Night Torches ourselves when the ship gets closer to the shore in order to send it signals. I considered using my fire flowers for that purpose, but Night Torches are faster, and they should burn longer”, he decided. Besides that, he realized, there was another issue with the fire flowers. He could use different colors for different signals, but how were they supposed to let the former slaves know what the individual colors and signals meant?

It was, he decided, best to keep things simple in that regard.

“What do you think?” he wanted to know. He was the alchemist, but she was much more familiar with the abilities that Xiur afforded his blessed, and thus he would listen to her advice.

“I can play the part of a monkey and fling around some abilities as well”, he pointed out in a tone of voice that was somewhere between dry and amused, his blue eyes twinkling slightly. “As for the duration of the alchemical effect, it is unfortunately not permanent. Ether is, by its nature, fleeting”, he explained, because understanding why Blood Magic was not permanent was important in his opinion. “That only constitutes a minor challenge at best though. I can add a trigger to our beacon so that the effect can be activated and deactivated at will, and it can be recharged by adding more blood”, he continued. Vega would likely not be particularly keen on someone sticking a needle into her arm repeatedly, but it was the only way he knew.

“And no, we don’t want to blind anyone”, he agreed. “I don’t think that the people on the ship would appreciate that very much”, he added in a dry tone of voice. “As for Empowered Sunset, earlier today you explained that you can put starlight into things with it, in order to repair or heal. How often can you use this ability? I’m just wondering if this is something that we need alchemy for, or if you could just use your ability on our beacon”, he explained. “So, I was thinking that I’ll definitely put your Word of HopeFulcrum of Fervour and Guiding LightGuiding Stars abilities into the beacon – or the mirrors that we use to focus the light, but I’m not entirely sure when it comes to how to best use the Empowered Sunset ability”, he admitted in a calm tone of voice and without hesitation. There was no shame in doing that in his opinion – he did not possess that particular ability and was thus not intricately familiar with it.

“I have to admit that I’m curious about your husband’s cooking now”, he remarked when she told him that Arlo was an amazing chef. His cook Elias who had stayed in Viden was talented, but this here promised to be quite an interesting experience, and one that he was looking forward to. That was something that he had not had for a while, he realized. There were people that had welcomed him in their midst, that shared their meals with him and offered him a place to sleep, just so, knowing that it had been him who had attacked Xiur at Treid’s Tomb. He had not thought that he needed such things. There was still a war, and an island and former slaves that had to be saved, but his life was better because of them, nevertheless, he realized.

“No, as far as I am concerned, we aren’t missing anything. We just need to start building our beacon now, and I need your blood so that I can start to work on the alchemical side of things”, he replied and added, hoping that she knew what it was that he meant, because it was nothing that should be taken for granted in his opinion, “Thank you.”

[Vega]

"That's well kind. I'll take you up on that, an' then some." Vega said. "Sounds like a plan to me, so it does." She was very impressed with Doran and felt comfortable with him. They'd known each other, albeit in dreams for a while, for years now. And he was - perhaps strangely - intrinsically part of her religion and worship of Xiur. When she had first spoken to Xiur about Doran, before they had met physically and when she had only just worked out that Doran was the man who had stabbed Xiur, the Immortal's response had taught her a lot. A lot about forgiveness and hope and about no one - no one - being hopeless. Vega was more than grateful for the lesson Xiur had given her, and she was (although she wouldn't admit it) awestruck at Doran's ability and willingness to take responsibility and then, to put it right. Vega admired action, not words, and actions were what Doran had committed.

"Those sound beautiful! Oh, can you really?" She looked at Doran with a hopeful expression and said, quietly. "I were hopin' I might learn some alchemy soon. If you're comin' around this way again, I'd be right happy if you'd consider teachin' me." She was quick to add, though. "I'm not clever. Not book-learnin' clever. I only learned to read an arc or so ago. But I work hard, an' I'm far from thick, so I guess that helps. An' if there's anythin' I can learn in preparation, or read or anythin', just let me know an' I'll do it" She didn't enjoy reading, was not naturally studious. Vega would never - never attend a university. But what she was, was practical. That practicality stood her in good stead and, if she had to knuckle down and read something, she would.

She grinned when he said that he could play the part of monkey. He was a professor and a serious man, she knew, but she liked that he had a sense of humour. It was subtle, unlike her, but it was most definitely there and she most certainly appreciated it. It was something of a shame that the alchemical wonders of the lanterns wouldn't be permanent, but he had a solution for that, and Vega nodded. "No worries, I don't mind addin' blood. Will any Xiur' marked be able to add to it, to recharge?" Vega asked. "Or will it need to be me specifically?" Either way was fine; while she was pregnant, Vega wasn't leaving Faldrass and she'd be sure to give Darius enough notice that he could get normal lights if it had to be her blood specifically. "Oh!" she said, as the memory hit her. "We also have some glowin' chickens. You seen those? Mad it is, what this island does. But yeah, that's the tree from Faldrass, an' we have magic sand glass from Egilrun, an' a glowin' chicken or two, too." With a grin, she considered it. "No wonder Arlo an' I like it here," she said.

"Once a trial," Vega said, of the ability. She frowned and thought about it a little. "I don't even know if this is possible," she said, thoughtfully. "An' forgive me if it sounds stupid. You said you can put a trigger in things, yeah? So, that ability mends things, or it puts a minor enchantment on them. Could you make it so that, if the structure is damaged, that triggers it to mend itself with that ability?" Was that a stupid idea, she thought. But she'd never know if she didn't ask. "Or if there's a real heavy pea-souper mist, where you can't see half a hand in front of your face, could it trigger the light to be brighter with the enchantment?" She shrugged slightly. "Jus' an' idea." She was very quick to add, though. "An' what you're sayin' there sounds great. I really think this might work don't you?"

He'd taste Arlo's cooking, she said, and he'd love it. "I'm biased, though. An' emotional. No one warned me about that." Pregnancy was making her more emotional than usual it had to be said. But that was what it was. "Right. So you drain my blood, an' then I'll get started buildin' an' you get started alchemificatin' glass?" And then, she held out her arm or did whatever he needed in order to get her blood taken.

[Doran]

When Vega told him that she was hoping that she might learn some alchemy soon, Doran raised an eyebrow slightly before he admitted, smiling, “I was actually just thinking about your becoming an alchemist. I would be honored to teach you when I come back, once the war is over”, he admitted. He has said ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ because he had decided to be optimistic even though the fate of Scalvoris was not certain at all. In his opinion wondering about all the things that could possibly go wrong would be counter-productive, even though he was of course a realist. Something bad could happen.

“Being book-learning clever is not important”, he told her in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Some of his colleagues, he realized, would likely argue, but in his opinion, it was far from the deciding factor. “What really matters is that you are creative, that you have good ideas – and your ideas are more than just good – and that you work hard”, he pointed out – he was again not humoring her, but merely stating what he considered to be a fact. He had known colleagues that had been able to recite entire passages of complicated alchemical tomes perfectly; their actual creations had been lacking though.

There was, he realized, something quite extraordinary about his interaction with Vega Creede. He was comfortable in her presence – and she seemed to be comfortable in his presence – in spite of the fact that she knew what he had done, or maybe because of it, because she had known him – or at least of him - after the battle at Treid’s tomb, and because she knew him now.

“As long as the Xiur marked in question has the same ability, it should be sufficient”, he replied. “It might be different if I added a trigger so that the alchemical effect can only be activated with your blood. As for … glowing chickens?” he asked and raised an eyebrow very lightly. “I have heard of them, I think, but I haven’t seen them yet. I would very much like to take a look at them later on”, he decided. He had to admit that he was curious. He had never seen a chicken that glowed before, and besides, he couldn’t help but wonder about its use in alchemy.

“I could make it so that you only have to touch a spot on the structure in order to activate the enchantment and cause the structure to mind itself”, he decided. He did not think that it was even possible to even create a trigger that was so advanced that it detected damage and caused the item that it was attached to mend itself. “But a light-sensitive trigger”, he considered and stroke his chin as he considered how to go about creating such. “If the trigger were made of a substance that is sensitive to light, it would work”, he continued and nodded. Yes, he decided. Creating such a trigger should be possible.

“I agree”, he replied when she stated that she thought it might work. He was optimistic in that regard. He knew what he was capable of as an alchemist, and he had seen some of Vega’s work. Together, they would be able to do it. He had little to no doubt in that regard. A moment later, when she held her arm out to him, he shook his head very lightly and pointed at his domain bag before he removed his medical kit from it. There was a bottle with a liquid that he used to clean and disinfect his hands before he put on gloves.

“Left arm or right arm?” he asked – some people had a preference – before he told her, “I will look for a good vein now. That will help me pick the correct needle size, among other things”, he added. Since she might not have donated blood before, he considered it to be a good idea to explain the process to her. It might help make it less unpleasant. With that thought in mind, he turned to inspect her forearm and eventually decided on the medical cubital vein; it was, frequently, the easiest to puncture.

“I will apply the tourniquet now”, he continued which he did about five fingers above the site where he would puncture the vein and proceeded to examine the vein in question once more. It was easily visible, so he disinfected the site and finally grasped the needle that had a glass tube attached to it. “Make a fist, please”, he told her. “This may sting a little bit”, he added which it would only do for a trill at best, if it all. A moment later, he already filled the tube with Vega’s blood, released the tourniquet, carefully removed the needle and applied gentle pressure to the puncture site with a small gauze pad.

The entire procedure had only taken a few moments.

“I want you to hold this in place for a few bits now, with your arm extended and raised. If you bend your arm, it might cause a bruise to form”, he explained to her which was typically harmless and not something that required treatment, but nonetheless annoying. “Do you want to watch when I alchemificate the glass?” he asked as he took his gloves off and disinfected his hands once more, making use of the word that she had come up with a little earlier – he found it most convenient. “You can stop by for a few bits, or longer, depending on how your work goes”, he offered. She would likely be quite busy, but she might have a moment to spare here and there, nevertheless, and she had told him that she was interested in learning alchemy before.

[Vega]

Vega was more than pleased that he didn't think book learning was important. Though, in fairness, he had a lot of it, but as Doran explained what was really important, Vega grinned. He sounded, she thought, rather like Arlo who always told her things like that. Vega nodded. "That's a fair point. Thanks. Readin' is somethin' I've always struggled with," she didn't mind admitting that to Doran. She didn't tell many people, it was true, but there was something about their relationship that it seemed inordinately silly to be keeping secrets. "The letters never stay still, an' I have to catch them. I reckon it's from livin' on a boat, you know? But they're slippery little suckers what dance around, an' I jus' can't catch them." She didn't mind though, Arlo had taught her to read with infinite patience and some very bizarre teaching methods. So, all in all, she was happy.

He explained what sort of blood was needed, and Vega nodded. Then, he asked about the chickens and a wide smile lit her face. "Yeah. Glowin' chickens. Only Scalvoris, eh? Oh, also, I thought you might be interested in a few things, an' I don't know what you've already got." She gestured to a small box of supplies which she'd put out, in preparation. "These, these are etchwing feathers," they were bright, multi-coloured and beautiful. "The bird, when it's alive, is nearly impossible to see. But soon as it's dead, you can see that. I thought that might be int'restin' to you." She looked into the box. "There's the sands, of course. An' this is the gemini wood, which you know about. Oh, an' this." She pulled out what looked, at first glance, to be a ball of lava. "This is a faldrass potato. It's always warm, inside. Amazin' innit?"

She showed him a couple of glowing chicken feathers, and a glowing chicken egg. Some phoenix wood, and yellow dragon wood, those sorts of things. "I jus' wondered if you'd find any of it useful, really." She smiled and then, held out an arm. But he had all sorts of equipment and he asked her if she wanted him to take blood from her left or right arm. "I don't mind." Vega held out her right, but added the explanation that, "if there's a better vein on the other one, I'm happy." But he found a vein, after tying a tourniquet around her arm and she made a fist as he instructed. She didn't move or flinch as he drew her blood, simply watched with interest. "I can't tell you," she said, looking at the vial of silver blood, "how tempted I was to clutch my arm an' scream an' thrash about." She grinned at him. "But then, it might have really hurt, an' that seemed like a bad plan."

Obediently, she held her arm the way he told her, but when he offered to let her watch him, Vega nodded enthusiastically. "That's actually the best way I learn," she said. "Like what you jus' did with my arm. You told me what you were doin' an' why. I'll remember that. " It was a strange thing, she supposed, but it was how she learned. Always. She was more than happy to come along, and she would do so, very happily. But he was right, that she did indeed have a lot to do. "I'm gettin' as many of the community involved in this as I can, so I'll be around as soon as possible."

And that was exactly what she would do - get as many of the settlers involved as she could. Get them helping and working together. That sense of community was something Vega appreciated, more than she cared to admit. But, before she left, she smiled at Doran. "I'm not goin' to thank you for helpin'," she said. "Because Xiur asked us both. But I'm right glad that you're here, Doran." Which was, of course, about as emotional as Vega got.

With that, she solemnly handed him a glowing chicken feather and gave a cheery grin. "I'll see you in a bit. " And Vega wandered off, pleased to get started.

[Pig Boy]

!

Message from: Pig Boy

As per this mod note, Doran has acquired the following knowledges that have been acknowledged by me: Nalos: Night Torch: Can be used to imbue any item with a brilliant light. Nalos: Fulcrum of Fervour: A word can be chosen which becomes a battle cry, a word that spreads the feeling it invokes. Nalos: Fulcrum of Fervour: Lasts an entire trial. Nalos: Fulcrum of Fervour: Can spread hope. Nalos: Guiding Stars: The stars can be used in order to find one's way to safety. Nalos: Guiding Stars: Allows one to see the stars through murky conditions. Nalos: Guiding Stars: The stars show the blessed where they should go. Nalos: Empowered Sunset: Puts starlight into things, allowing the Nalos to repair or heal them. Nalos: Empowered Sunset: Can enchant things that aren't broken if used on them. In addition, during this thread he legitimately acquired the following knowledge: Nalos: Empowered Sunset: Its light is really bright. With these three knowledges, he should be okay to start working divine blood magic using the following Nalos abilities with Vega's blood: Empowered Sunset, Guiding Stars, and Fulcrum of Fervour.

[Doran]

When Vega showed him the things that were in her box, Doran leaned a little closer, a look of obvious curiosity on his face. “Did you hunt it?” he wanted to know when she showed him the etching feathers before he remarked, “They are beautiful.” They truly were, and besides that, he couldn’t help but wonder about their use in alchemy. One of his competitors, when he had taken part in a debate in which the next dean of the Institute of Sciences would be determined, had insisted that there was nothing to be gained from associating with other cities and other universities which was an attitude that he found hard to understand. How could anybody just ignore a place that was filled with such wonders?

When Vega pulled what looked like a ball of lava out of her box, he looked at it for a moment before he asked, “May I?” Provided that she allowed him to touch it, he would do so, carefully before he wanted to know, “Has anybody ever tried to cook something inside a Faldrass Potato?” He was not a cook, but that was the first thing that came to his mind. His servant, Elias, he decided would love those potatoes. He would bring him an entire bag so that he would be able to experiment to his heart’s content.

For a moment, he allowed himself to wonder what it would be like to just take a leave of absence and study all of Scalvoris’ wonders, once the war was over, and there were no more threats. He had never seen such an abundance of strange plants and strange creatures anywhere in Idalos, not in all of his four-hundred arcs. He suspected that much of what made Scalvoris unique was due to Fei’s Grand Fracture, her grave and the powers that emanated from it now, but that did not make it any less fascinating in his opinion.

“Those things would be very useful for an alchemist”, he remarked when she showed him even more. Of course, it was possible to acquire a lot of resources from Scalvoris in Viden, sometimes with a little difficulty, but how much more would he be able to create, how much more would he be able to invent if he were in Scalvoris instead?

“And I’m glad that you are here”, he remarked with a light smile. He was tempted to thank her for helping as well, because she had helped him, in more than one way, but she did have a point. Xiur had asked both of them. For that reason, he thanked her for the glowing chicken feather that she handed to him instead and raised his hand as she watched her wander off. For a moment, he stood there, holding up the feather and watching the way that it seemed to reflect the light before he left as well. It was time to get started.

~~~

The first thing that the son of Ziell did back at the camp was to unpack the alchemy kit that he had brought with him. It contained a small centrifug,e among other things, that he carefully set down on the table. Having done that, he put on a fresh pair of protective gloves, opened the tube that he had collected Vega’s blood in and poured the blood into three small glass vials, one for each ability that he would replicate and finally added the contents of the first vial to the centrifuge. Purifying the blood and isolating that which he needed was a rather monotonous and time-consuming procedure, but one that he carried out with the utmost focus and care, nevertheless.

He repeated the process for each vial of blood, cleaning the centrifuge thoroughly in between, and filled the purified blood into new vials that he stoppered as he would not use them immediately (He set the used ones aside; he would clean them and disinfect them later on.).

Once he had done that, he retrieved the Gemini Wood that would serve as the mirrors on the finished beacon and treated it with a primer, a type of substance that was necessary to prepare the target material for receiving the enchantment. In this particular case, the primer was a liquid mixed with resin, similar to what some painters used. He had found that it was not necessary to always use the rarest and most expensive reagents; straight-forward reagents worked just as well, if not even better, as there was a lower risk of unexpected side effects.

After he had put the Gemini Wood on a drying rack (with a tray that would catch any excess primer underneath), he turned to the next step – the creation of the alchemical solution.

When he crafted potions, at least potions that were meant to be consumed by adults, he often added a bit of alcohol to the solution in order to extend its shelf life; such would not be necessary here though. When he had experimented with Balthazar Black’s blood and imbued a blindfold with Omnivision he had used purified water, with a bit of salt, as the base of his alchemical solution. Such seemed to work well with Blood Magic reagents.

For that reason, he filled two tubs with purified water now, added a carefully measured amount of finely ground salt to each one (He had brought a small scale with him for that purpose.) and finally retrieved the binder, a type of liquid that was based on linseed oil. He put a carefully measured amount of binder into two bowls and added the blood that he would use for the “Fulcrum of Fervour” ability to the first bowl, and the blood for the “Guiding Stars” ability to the second bowl before he stirred the mixtures carefully in order to create uniform liquids and poured them into his tubs (one bowl of blood-and-binder mixture went into each tub.)

Finally, he submerged half of the Gemini Wood that had dried now in the first tub, and half of the Gemini Wood in the second tub where it would absorb the alchemical mixture.

Once the Gemini Wood had dried once more, he moved on to the last step, the addition of the trigger (without a trigger, an item would just expend all of the alchemical effect at once). To that end, he mixed a sealer with a triggering reagent. As far as sealers were concerned, anything that had a shell could be used. Some alchemists used turtle shells, such as the shell of the Ivorian Rock Turtle, but that did not seem right to him at all – Saoire was the Immortal of Turtles, after all. Instead, he decided to use finely ground sea shells. The triggering reagent on the other hand was simply the burnt remains of a flower.

The combination of the sealer and the triggering reagent would seal the first step, but still allow for triggering. Once he had infused that mixture into the Gemini Wood, he infused another batch of sealer into every part of the wood apart from the spot where the trigger would be attached. Said trigger was a small, square piece of steel (he had picked steel because it would not rust as easily; the beacon would be exposed to the elements) that he treated with the triggering reagent and carefully attached to the side of each Gemini Wood mirror.

The only thing that was left to do now was to let the newly enchanted Gemini Wood mirrors rest for approximately a break - and wait for Vega to bring him the wood that he would use the remaining vial of blood on in order to imbue it with her “Empowered Sunset” ability.

[Vega]

Doran's sense of fascination at the things she'd put together pleased her enormously. She nodded as he asked if she'd hunted the etchwing. "Yeah. Arlo an' I have hunted for our food as long as we've been together. It's a tricky beast, but worthwhile, I think." When he asked if he could examine them, Vega smiled and urged him to do just that. "I put it together for you, go ahead." Had anyone cooked anything in a Faldrass Potato? "Yeah, Arlo were well excited, so he was. I don't know for sure though, what exactly, so might be better to ask him." After he'd finished examining the box though, and she put the chicken feather in his hand, Vega left him with his box of curiosities and she moved off to get started on her own part of this

It was, therefore, some time later when Vega returned but, when she did she was pushing a wheelbarrow-cart affair, which was filled with finished pieces of wood from various stages of the building process. Usually, of course, she'd just carry this lot - something she was more than capable of. But, Vega was cautious because of her pregnancy and she believed most firmly that hope was all well and good but, in order to get what you hoped for you had to work for it too. So, she pushed a cart and that was that.

It was a few breaks later and she looked around with a raised eyebrow. "You've been busy" she said, her voice betraying just how impressed she was by him and his work. "So, I've brought you steps for the stairs, an' the first few bits of frame for the railin's." Putting down the wood carefully - and careful not to disturb anything he'd already done, she gestured to the cart which was still half-full of gemini wood. "Is there any other bit what would be better? The very top of the beacon, or part of the roof?" She had them there.

"I'm right sorry I didn't get the chance to call back in an' talk to you about it," she said, quietly. "I were hopin' to, but I figured it was important to get the template pieces made. One of each piece what needs doin' an' then people who aren't as good at woodworkin' as me can make the base shapes an' pieces, an' I can finish them." She chuckled slightly and tapped her head. "Up here for thinkin', an'" pointing to her feet, she added. "Down there for dancin'." She would have liked to have seen him alchemificating the beacon, but she knew that time was of the essence for them.

"Also, Sir Chip has started growin' the tree." She was happy about that, more than happy. "An' I was talkin' with him. I'd like to make the observatory-thingie a place where we make jams an' pickles an' preserves. An' I'd like it to be called Nella's Kitchen, that place. Nella were Arlo's mama, an' she died. I'd like to make it somethin' what celebrates her an' her jam-makin'." She smiled at Doran and asked, most genuinely. "Is that alright with you? It's our thing so I don't want to make no decisions without us both bein' happy."

If he was happy with the name, Vega would be genuinely delighted. But, if not, then frankly they could come up with something else. But jam making? That would be great, as far as she thought. "I thought we could make jams an' chutneys an' all sorts of things." She smiled. "Maybe even somethin' with them Faldrass potatoes. That's a good idea, I think. " Beaming with pleasure at the thought of doing this thing, Vega asked Doran honestly. "What do you reckon?"

[Doran]

“I have“, Doran confirmed with a nod and a light smile when Vega visited him, pushing a wheelbarrow-cart that was filled with various pieces of wood and remarked that he had been busy. Once she had put the things that she had brought for him down, he gestured for her to sit with him while they talked. “In my opinion, using the frame would be best since we decided on using a trigger for your Empowered Sunset ability as well. If I enchanted the stairs, someone could trigger the enchantment by accident, and the roof would be harder to reach and more exposed to the elements”, he told her before he took one of the pieces of wood that would be used for the frame and examined it closely, carefully letting a finger run across its surface as he did so.

“And I think that it would be best to use a touch-activated trigger again, after all”, he continued and looked up again. “I could make a light-activated trigger, but when it comes to triggers that are not activated by touch, there is always a risk of the enchantment activating when you don’t really need it. The risk could be minimized by fine-tuning the enchantment, of course, but that would take time. It would be best to go for something that is simple and reliable. I expect someone to be near the beacon anyway, especially when a ship, such as the one that Xiur told us about, is about to arrive”, he told her, wondering what she was thinking of that.

“And no problem”, he remarked, smiling lightly once more when she apologized for no talking to him about it. “I just thought I’d offer in case you are interested. You are right, it’s more important to get the pieces made, and besides, there is always the possibility of more alchemification in the future”, he added, referring to his return after the war that was something that he was looking forward to a great deal.

“That’s wonderful”, he remarked when she informed him that Sir Chip had already started growing the tree. It really was, in his opinion – he only used words such as “wonderful” when there was a reason to. He had not thought that they would get things done so quickly. “As for your idea, of course I’m alright with it. It would turn the beacon into more than just a beacon, a place of community and companionship, and remembrance. I like the name”, he decided, impressed by her creativity once more. Once upon a time, before Oscillus, he had not cared about such things as much – that was an attitude that he found impossible to understand now – but nowadays, they appealed to him, and he returned the smile, although his smile was a bit lighter than hers.

“Let’s do it”, he told her.

~~~

Provided that Vega agreed with his decision not to use a light-activated trigger, after all, Doran would eventually turn to his alchemification again (That word deserved to be in wide-spread use one trial in his opinion). Since he had already purified the third vial of blood that he would use for the Empowered Sunset ability before, the process would be a little less time-consuming than it had been the first time. He was able to skip that step.

This time, he started by treating the wood that would be used for the frame with the priming liquid. Once he had put it on the drying rack, he mixed the contents of the last vial of blood with a carefully measured amount of binder before he added it to a tub filled with purified water and a bit of salt. Once the wood had absorbed the alchemical liquid and dried, he treated it with a mixture of a sealer and the triggering reagent, just like before.

And just like before, he covered the wood with a second layer of sealer, apart from where the trigger would be before he attached said trigger, another small piece of metal, that he had treated with the triggering reagent before. He followed all the same safety measures as before – he wore gloves, and he made sure that his tools were clean, among other things.

He did not let Vega know that he was finished immediately though, but took a few moment to check each of the items that he had enchanted in order to make sure that everything was as it should be. Only then did he put his things away, tidy up the camp (he was a guest here, and thus he would make sure to return the camp to the condition that it had been in before he had started to alchemificate) and finally step out of the door.

He had to admit, he was looking forward to showing Vega his finished work, and to the meal that she had said her husband would cook, and to jams and chutneys in Nella’s Kitchen.

[Pig Boy]

Player Name: Doran

Points awarded: 15
Magic xp: none

Knowledge:

Nalos: Empowered Sunset: Its light is really bright.
Nalos: Night Torch: x 2
Alchemy: x 4
Chemistry: x 2


Renown: 10 for discovering a new invention, a beacon of hope.
Loot: A functioning beacon of hope for Hope's Point. Enchanted with Empowered Sunset, Guiding Light, and Fulcrum of Fervor.

Also gain the next power in Nalos:

Fog Bank The Blessed can generate a concealing fog to aid an innocent or threatened person to escape harm. If the target is instead genuinely guilty of some wrong, for which he was being pursued, the fog will instead leave trail behind him; as well as a revealing nimbus around him for a number of breaks equal to the Blessed's Etiquette skill. The target will have to run through the fog bank to activate this trail. During this time, placing this fog a second time will immediately dispel the current one.

Injuries/Overstepping: None
Wealth Points: None
Consequences: None

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level

Player Name: Vega

Points awarded: 15
Magic xp: none

Knowledge:

Alchemy: x 2
Endurance: x 5
Meditation: x 2

Renown: 10 for discovering a new invention, a beacon of hope.
Loot: A functioning beacon of hope for Hope's Point. Enchanted with Empowered Sunset, Guiding Light, and Fulcrum of Fervor
Injuries/Overstepping: Some mild wooziness, nothing Vega can't handle.
Wealth Points: none
Consequences: None.

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level

Notes: Well this was quite the educational thread about the wonders of alchemy. I wonder though if blood is the only way to replenish the beacon? Perhaps there'd be another way to supply it with the ether it needs? We'll see!

Doran was insightful and has a great bedside manner in this. It's easy to forget, with all of how much he teaches and performs alchemical experiments, that Doran is also a supremely gifted doctor. Still, it's worth mentioning here, as he treats Vega with the utmost professionalism and care.

Vega is of course bringing herself, which is more than enough, but of course she's not satisfied to lie still. So having him draw blood from her must have been quite the challenge for Vega, as someone who prefers to move around, and isn't accustomed to letting people stab her. All the same she knows its for a good cause even if it's' thoroughly unpleasant for her, she overcomes it. Wonderfully written.

Enjoy the rewards.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!