Completed Terra Forming

A project at the Midnight Gem is underway.

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A lawless town of anarchists, built on the ruins of an ancient mining city. [Lore]

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Terra Forming

Postby Kynier on October 27th, 2018, 11:19 pm

Image

1st of Fall, 518 A.V.



After a few chimes Kynier cut off the flow of djed. As he did, he took a deep loud gasp of air like he had been holding his breath. The inlet was only a couple feet deep after couple days of effort. Kynier stepped inside of it and ran a hand over the surface of each wall. The stone was smooth to the touch and lacking the porous texture it had before. That was something that he could worry about later. For now, he was more concerned about the shape and design. But as he looked around the interior of the inlet, Kynier noticed a flaw in his approach. The whole process was being done by sight alone.

Kelski crafted gorgeous items from raw stones and pieces of scrap. A few times he had watched silently in a seat that was out of her way. It wasn’t a visual process alone for what she managed to accomplish. There were all sorts of calculations and measurements involved. Cursing himself internally, Kynier took several steps out of the inlet and looked at the width of the stairs. From a glance, he couldn’t clearly tell how much he still had to work with. The whole project was likely to end in disaster if he proceeded blindly through like this.

It would be best if he went out and got some tools to work with. Also something that would give him a better idea of what he was doing. A trip to the library seemed to be in order, to look for any books that may help. But before he could do that, Kynier needed to conceal his efforts from anyone that came down to the training room. They didn’t have a tarp or any sort of banner that he could use. So Kynier took a deep breath and turned his thoughts inward. Focusing all his mental effort the mage reached for his power and brought forth the djed to his hands.

There it turned into res again. Gaseous and translucent as it swirled above his hand. It drifted from the skin of his palm to the left side of the archway’s opening. Solidify. The res transmuted to stone of a slightly different color than that which the stairs were built upon. A thin two inch section of stone grew to fill the opening of the archway. By the time it completely closed off the inlet, Kynier was breathing hard. Though he was impressed with himself for not showing any signs of overgiving yet. That meant that his reserve was growing, or perhaps his usage was becoming much more efficient.

But Kynier was aware that he would need to refresh his supply of djed. That meant he needed to eat and drink something. So once the project had been sealed off from observation, Kynier went upstairs to the Great Room to snack on fruit.

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
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Terra Forming

Postby Kynier on October 27th, 2018, 11:21 pm

Image

The mage had brought his backpack of voiding with him. Often he preferred to use his regular pack, unless he intended to gather a lot of things or expected to run into trouble. Trouble usually had a lot of things for him to take when he was done. Today though, he had specific intensions for what he was planning. Kynier had already visited the markets and acquired a handyman’s toolkit. As well as some body building gear to add to the training room. Now he was roaming around the Library in Stumble Alley, looking for a book that would help him in bringing his own expansion to fruition.

For nearly two bells he perused through the shelves, looking at the titles on the spines. Nothing had really stood out to him. Rather than spend the entire day searching for something that could very well not be what he needed, Kynier sought out the slightly eccentric looking woman that offered making copies of books. Eventually he found the woman, Remmy, sitting in a chair with her feet kicked up on a table, and her nose in a book.

“Excuse me,” he said to get her attention. Remmy didn’t react in any way that he noticed. “Excuse…” she held up a single finger without taking her eyes from the pages before her. Kynier crossed his arms as he waited for her to be satisfied enough to actually answer him. After a chime she slapped the book shut and took her feet off the table.

“Ugh! I hate that!” she exclaimed. When she noticed his arched eyebrow she stood up. “I hate it when you finish a book only to find that it’s not actually done!” She sighed heavily and shook her hands in the air in front of her. When she was done doing that she looked up at him. “What can I help you with?”

“I’m looking for any sort of book that can tell me about architecture and building.” The woman looked at him as though he had just posed a serious challenge. “Do you have anything like that?”

Remmy smiled at him. “I do actually. This way,” she said beckoning him to follow with her hand. The woman had a surprisingly fast gait despite the legs that were shorter than his. She zipped between several shelves to an area of books Kynier wouldn’t have gotten to for several more bells if he hadn’t stopped to ask. When she finally stopped she scanned the shelves and pulled a book out. Compared to the others it was a little thicker. “This is the first one that comes to mind,” she said offering it to him.

Kynier took the book and scrolled through the table of contents. The fact that it had one surprised him. When he got to the bottom of the list he was about to shake his head when he stopped himself. Everything listed seemed more advanced than what he was going for with his project. “Something more basic is what I had in mind.” Remmy looked at him quizzically.

“So what’re you doing? If I had an idea we wouldn’t waste time pulling out every book on architecture that I have.”

“I stared on an expansion in my basement. But I’ve never done anything like it before and would prefer to do it myself. So… designing halways, doors, rooms… that sort of information.” Remmy tapped her chin with a fingertip several times before turning back to the same shelves. Kynier watched for several chimes as she pulled books out and skimmed through them before putting them back. That was until she finally found one and kept it out. She handed that one to Kynier, who set it on top of the other one that he held and looked at the inside pages.

It also had a table of contents. And the concepts listed sounded much more appropriate to his level. “Do you have anything about designing secret passages?” She laughed at that, and not briefly. But she turned to the shelves and removed a book rather quickly. It was much smaller than the other two. Kynier quickly skimmed through the first few pages of that one as well. “How much for all three of these?” The woman nibbled on her lower lip.

“A hundred.”

“A hundred mizas?” he said disbelievingly. “For three books?”

The woman shrugged. “I made those copies myself. And architecture is not an easy read. So it’s thirty five per book. But they don’t sell, so I rounded down for you.”

Kynier shook his head. “Twenty per book.”

“Thirty.” Kynier stared at her for a moment. She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine, twenty five per book.” Kynier took out the coins due and gave them to Remmy before stowing them in his magical pack. A bell and a half later he was back in the basement of the Midnight Gem. He took out the body building gear and set them in a corner that was out of the way. Next he approached his hidden inlet and took several deep breaths.

The audible inhales and exhales were accompanied by res after a chime. The gaseous material drifted to the wall’s surface where it outlined the artificial stone. Thoughts on breaking down the stone until it disintegrated were focused into an intent. Remove. A sound similar to sharpening a blade on a whetstone, except drawn out in a long note, rang as the archway was reopened. After another chime, it was as though the wall had never been there. Kynier reached into his pack for the Handyman’s kit, and took out the measuring rope and a piece of chalk.

He set it in the corner of the inlet and marked the wall where the rope ended. Then placed the end of the rope flush with the chalk mark, just to make another at the other end. Three feet and eight inches. Kynier walked out and around to measure the width of the stairs. They were five feet wide. He stood up and thought about what he wanted to do.


Ledger Changes: :
  • Body Building Equipment: -34gm
  • Handyman's Kit: -20gm
  • 3 Average Books of Architecture: -75gm
Total Change: -129gm

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
Kynier
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Terra Forming

Postby Kynier on October 27th, 2018, 11:23 pm

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Sitting down on the last step, Kynier took out the book on the basics of architecture and began reading it. He skipped around the pages thinking he found what he needed to know, only to have to go back to another section that was being referenced. A few pages had schematics drawn out, but they may as well have been in a different language. For Kynier didn’t understand what the significance was of all the numbers and equations. Admitting defeat, he flipped through to the first page of the first chapter and began reading. At first the terminology was difficult to grasp. But Kynier persisted. Repeating the term and definition aloud several times to grind it into memory.

After a bell of reading and reciting, Kynier set the book down on the ground next to the bottom stair. The mage stood up and dusted off his hands as he walked into the inlet he had formed. Looking up, the ceiling inside was curved. What little he had read indicated that that was good for structural support. So he need not do anything to change that. But he had five feet of room under the stairs that he needed to fit a passage into. Six inches sounded like it would be enough stone work to support the stair case, but Kynier wanted to be cautious.

Nine inch walls. That would take up a foot and a half, which would leave a three and a half foot wide passage for someone to stand in. Not enough for two people to comfortably stand next to each other, but enough for a passage’s purpose. Kynier took the measuring stick and marked off the first nine inches from the edge of the archway with a small line. Then rotated the rope to be vertical in length and worked to extend the chalk line from the ground to the top. From there, he measure how much more room he had. Two feet and eleven inches was how deep the inlet currently was. So he needed to make another seven inches of space.

Setting the chalk and measuring stick down, Kynier shook out his shoulders and steadied his breathing pattern. Raising his hands before him, he emptied his mind of all thoughts and images. Forcing his heart to be stoic so emotion wouldn’t disturb his efforts. Bringing the djed forward to his hands it transmuted to a gas that fumed from his fingertips. The mist filled the edge of the archway that he faced. Mentally focusing on word he had associated with creating a passage, Tunnel, the res became hyper excited and started to break down the stone and transform it into air.

That grinding noise continued as inch by inch stone was converted to air. He hadn’t left any chalk marks on where his progress started from so it was difficult to determine how far his tunneling had progressed. When he thought he was a few inches deeper he ceased his tunneling intent and redirected the res to the left wall, which towards the bottom of the stairs. The res shifted to cover the entire wall up to the chalk like he had formed. Then he reapplied his intent and dug only a little bit into the wall. It took a long time, but after four inches or so he stopped. Kynier didn’t want to tunnel all the way through and leave a hole in the stairs.

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
Kynier
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Terra Forming

Postby Kynier on October 27th, 2018, 11:25 pm

Image

First, Kynier took the measuring rope to determine the new width of the inlet. Three feet and six inches. Two inches short of where he wanted to be. For future reference Kynier placed a chalk mark in the corner so that he could try to measure the distance while performing the geomancy and aeromancy combination. Next he measured the depth he added toward the bottom of the stairs. Five and three quarter inches. For now that seemed like it would be enough. After that he ran his hand along the walls opposite the archway and on its left. They were smooth and felt like they ran fairly evenly. Kynier gave it a satisfactory nod.

From there he stepped out of the inlet and set the measuring rope against the support wall. Six feet and ten inches. That’s how much distance there was before reaching the far back wall. In that direction there was nothing underneath the Midnight Gem. The well and water pump were off towards his right by a fair distance. Tunneling away from the bottom of the stairs would lead out to underneath the show room. And eventually out beyond the structure’s limits under the city. For the time being, his plans wouldn’t require that much room. Though, that idea sounded risky. Perhaps he should make a stairwell that leads further down.

Before tunneling out in that direction, Kynier figured it would be best to form the door to the archway first. Having to spend his djed on just forming and reforming the passage during this process would cause him to tire more quickly, and waste time. So the mage retrieved one of the other books from his pack. The one on secret passages and their construction. As ironic as it was that someone actually put the process down to paper. Kynier took a seat and began reading through the pages.

It was surprising that there were so many varieties of secret passage that were detailed within the pages of the book. Doors that slid open, pivoted on hinge, descended into the ground, or even ascended to the ceiling. The last two appeared to require some Gadgeteering, which was beyond what he could perform. Perhaps in a couple of years if he decided he needed to make some adjustments. So then he could form a door that swung open on a hinge, or one that would slid down the length of the wall. Faced with the option, Kynier stood up, keeping the book in hand.

The mage stood eight feet from the archway and looked at it with his imagination. Trying to picture either option in his mind’s eye. Both were a viable option. But as he stood there looking at it, a hidden door that swung open looked like a better idea than one that slid down the length of the wall. Not because of convenience, but more for stability. Kynier would prefer that the door feel more solid and immovable. It would most likely be much easier to fortify as well. So Kynier flipped through the pages to examine the more “standard” hidden door construction process.

After spending what seemed like bells examining the pages, Kynier went upstairs to retrieve a candle and brought it down to the Training area. Then he entered the inlet and set both the book and the candle down. Kynier drew several deep breaths and worked on clearing his thoughts. Hunger was beginning to settle and that took some time to push aside. Once he managed that there was no challenge in conjuring more res for his purposes. The smoky substance drifted to the floor and formed a circle on the ground, just off to the side of the archway.

Tunnel. The hazy substance dug into the ground to create a cylindrical hole about five inches in diameter. A bell later, once it was probably a foot deep, Kynier stopped the intent of tunneling and redirected the gaseous res to the ceiling of the inlet above the hole in the ground. With a deep breath the mage reinitiated the effort to convert stone to air. This hole was not half as deep as the other, worried he was going to completely burrow through the stairs. In all honesty, a hole that deep was probably unnecessary. So he took a step back and looked at the archway, as well as the two slots he made for the door’s pivot point to rest in. Trying to imagine what the product should look like at the end.

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
Kynier
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Posts: 851
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Terra Forming

Postby Kynier on October 27th, 2018, 11:26 pm

Image

With his eyes closed and no one else around, the inside of the inlet was a very peaceful place to be. Though being underground had no real appeal to him, being someplace that could encompass him in darkness was a pleasant notion. Kynier took a deep breath and relaxed his mind and body. From the very little had been able to accomplish today he was feeling tired. Once the door was in place he would rest and come back tomorrow to begin forming the passage way. For what he expected to be the last time today, Kynier summoned his Djed and felt its warming presence fill his body.

The mage’s preferences with res were to form either a gaseous or liquid state. Not this time. This time he took a step forward and set his hands on the ground. Djed transmuted itself to into res that took a solid form. Solid being a loose definition. The consistency was more like clay, which was what he had wanted. For several chimes he built up the solid res until it was large enough to cover the archway. Then he added more for it to reach into the two holes. It was much more draining mentally than it was on his Djed reserve. The will he was applying to keep the older res from breaking down was starting to cause a headache.

Once enough res had been made he waited on changing it into stone with geomancy. Kynier manipulate it with his hands to form a small bend in the wall on the interior side and formed a handle to grip. At last, with the final pieces of res in place he set his focus on the mystic material, Solidify. The viscous res darkened and changed to stone before him. After a chime he relaxed his intent and examined the door before him. It was three inches thick and had a smooth surface. Kynier sighed deeply before wiping the sweat developing on his brow.

Kynier leaned forward and placed the palms of both hands against the wall. Leaning into it, he pushed against the stone and the door started grinding across the floor. Though it was not very thick, it was still very heavy. It was loud and would not suffice for a secret entrance. He stopped after it had shifted a few inches and rested his weight against the door. Delving into the recesses of his own soul, he called upon more Djed to create a Shield weave. The weave itself wrapped around the edges of the stone door. Kynier bit down on his finger painfully until he tasted blood. When he smeared a little across the surface of the weave he focused on the idea of silence. Then he finished piecing together the Shield and allowed it to settle in place. The faint glow of the Shield was brief before it was gone from sight completely. Setting his hands on the door again, Kynier pushed with his body weight and the door slowly moved across the floor in unusual silence.

The door closed and left him in complete darkness. Kynier looked around for any cracks that let in any light. There were none that he could see, which caused him to smile in the dark.

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
Kynier
Player
 
Posts: 851
Words: 1156083
Joined roleplay: May 13th, 2018, 3:14 am
Location: Sunberth
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Journal
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Medals: 7
Featured Contributor (1) Featured Thread (1)
Overlored (1) One Million Words! (1)
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Terra Forming

Postby Kynier on October 27th, 2018, 11:32 pm

Grades!


Skill Rewards
  • Architecture +5
  • Body Building +1
  • Construction +5
  • Deduction +1
  • Logic +4
  • Mathematics +3
  • Meditation +2
  • Negotiation +1
  • Planning +2
  • Reimancy +5
  • Research +3
  • Shielding +1
  • Socialization +1

Lores Learned
  • Architecture: Archways make for strong structural support
  • Architecture: Types of secret doors
  • Meditation: Focusing on a mental image
  • Reimancy: Making an archway with geomancy
  • Reimancy: Closing an archway with geomancy
  • Reimancy: Redirecting unused res
  • Reimancy: Making a door with geomancy
  • Research: Going to a library for a book
  • Research: Skimming through a book for illustrations
  • Shielding: Tasking a Shield with silence


Rewards
  • Book of Architecture: Basics of Architecture
  • Book of Architecture: Secret Passage Design
  • Book of Architecture: Designing a Building
Kynier
Player
 
Posts: 851
Words: 1156083
Joined roleplay: May 13th, 2018, 3:14 am
Location: Sunberth
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 7
Featured Contributor (1) Featured Thread (1)
Overlored (1) One Million Words! (1)
Sunberth Seasonal Challenge (1) 2018 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)
2018 Top NaNo Word Count (1)


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