[The Library]To Build Knowledge

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on April 21st, 2019, 1:28 pm

32 Spring 519 (continued)

Heading away from Ixzo after their meeting, Crylon's mind was as usual churning. From that churn where ideas, duties, plans, steps, mixing and being ordered and reordered till something cohesive formed within his mind. His first step was to be able to write. If he was to do research, he would need a place to write. A book, a journal, to keep notes. To draw diagrams in. Paper, parchment, ink to write with, and a quill to hold that ink.

This, Crylon realized, meant he needed to first head to the market. His mind focused on that location within his memory, clarifying its location in proximity to where he was, and he sketched a hazy line from his current location to where he was going.

Hazy because chances were things had changed since he had last gone that way. Landmark spots fallen down, new places put up, "roads" as they were blocked by people setting up places without any order. Still he focused his mind on his destination, and where it was in relation to where he started, and soon enough his feet carried him there.

Once within the market, it was as usual a confusing mix of wares. People. Smells. Sounds. He kept his pack close on his back and within his personal awareness. Too many prying hands that might try to slip into a pocket or container and make off with something, for him to lower his guard.

But still he had to if nothing else scan the wares, in hopes of finding what he was looking for. For a moment he wished their was some type of index, a group ledger of what was where on a given day. But Crylon realized, looking at the half made stands that were little more than a few boards, it would change far too quickly for that. Some were proper spots, long time buildings up on stilts above the flood. But many more where one day apparatus, set up to sell something they had. Likely something stolen that day and so not to be offered the day before or after.

It took a bell of looking, but finally he found what he was looking for. A stand, a little more permanent but clearly moved daily out of reach of water, with wares spread across it. A guard looking tough but holding himself somewhat uncomfortably to Crylon's eye. Better than nothing though, and not having a guard for ones stand in Sunberth was asking to be robbed.

Peering closer in his passing, Crylon roved his eyes over the wares. Books, paper wrapped in leather. All appearing fine enough, clean, without tears or damage. The man had some other things as well, odd bits of metal Crylon did not recognize, which as a smith was saying something. But all seeming normal enough.

He picked one up to examine it, only for the guard to jerk and swing his sword out of his scabbard at his waist.

"Oye, cheese head! Only draw if they try to make off with it, not if they's just lookin! Gunna scare off custom!"

Somewhat abashed, the armed man-boy perhaps Crylon thought as he looked closer and realized how young he was- slowly put his blade back away. It took two tries to get it back in with the guard looking right at it, and the first time he tried he poked himself in the leg which caused him to let out a small gasp. Not the finest guard money could buy.

"You lookin tuh buy?"

Crylon looked up from where he held the book, not having flinched during the experience but casually staring at the human guard while he sorted himself. Now looking at the stallholder, it took Crylon a moment to pierce through his heavy and half spoken speech.

He responded with a simple nod, and the moved to check the pages. Quality of the paper. The stitching. Was the whole thing gonna fall apart with one reading?

And then he in his turning got to a blank spot. Literally blank, as in part of the book was missing. A large evenly shaped hole had been cut inside the books pages. Once you turned enough pages, it became visible.

He put the book down, and picked up another at random. Empty pages, empty pages, and then turning past that another gap without paper cut into a square shape where the last had been an oval.

“Why books have hole in? Need book for... Notes...”

The stallholder looked back, puzzled for a good half chime before he realized what Crylon meant.

WC: 764

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on April 21st, 2019, 1:29 pm

"Yah mean yah wanna write in it? Watcha wanna that for eh? Cannot keep it in yah noodle eh? Any man worth his salt, gonna keep his plans in his head. Not on paper, wheres anyone can find it. I guess you not got a good memory eh? All right, well each his own. Just don't go crying to me after you write out your plan, and someone goes and looks and reads it."

"As for the hole, they for carrying things innit? By stealth so you say. Looks like book, no one looks twice. But if look closer, gotta spot to hold things in. Already did the cutting for you. Much better that way, it takes skill it does, soes not to damage the book and how it holds. My ones, not gonna fall apart cus you cut too deep, or to close tother stichin. Nah, I'se got skills here. But if you'n wanna write, might have some not cut yet. Hold it a chime eh."

Crylon got less of this than usual, and had to play back the mans words a few times to get what he was getting out of it. Words seemed mashed together, some skipped, some reworded or sounded, making it rather confusing. But the general gist was the man knew his craft, hollowed out books for hiding things where people wouldn't look, and might have one he had not yet done so to.

After a chime digging under the stand in boxes, he came out with a single book. Flipping through it quickly he nodded to Crylon, and set it down. Crylon in turn picked it up, and carefully checked it.

A solid brown leather case. Stitching seemed tight, like the pages would not fall out. But then Crylon reasoned, it needed good stitching if the pages were to hold once bits were cut out and something put inside.

Flipping through he found no cut out bits. It all seemed quite decent shape of goods for Sunberth, even if the cover was slightly scuffed in a few places. But only aesthetic, nothing Crylon felt would hamper it in its duties.

Crylon nodded to the man, who then started and began digging under the table. After a few chimes he came out with a few decent if not pristine quills, one of a black feather and one of a grey hue, along with a vial of ink.

"I'll give you the blank book, the ink, and two quills, for five gold mizas."

Crylon shook his head, following the mans logic but not his pricing. He would after all need ink and quills for writing, so that additional made sense. And a backup quill made sense as well. But the price seemed a bit high by his measure, though he did not have too much comparison in pricing.

“Three gold mizas, and do not need second quill.”

The man, clearly trying to sell as much as possible wrinkled his brow in consideration of a counter offer.

"Tell you what, give it to you for 4 gold and 1 silver. Book, ink, and quills. How is that, eh?"

Crylon considered for a moment, before in the end relenting.

“Is deal.”

Digging into his pack, Crylon focused and pulled out the required money, handing it over to the man. Depositing his new purchases carefully into his pack, Crylon gave one last nod to the stall keeper, another to the guard, and then left.

His pre-purchases made, Crylon then made all haste to the library to begin his research.

WC: 590

purchases :

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on April 21st, 2019, 11:32 pm

Having found the library before, it was not too difficult to find it again. Heading inside the somewhat run down building, Crylon looked about shortly. It was as he recalled from before.

Packed with books. Cramped, particularly for a human. Small spaces were one way Isur were better positioned for situations, being able to move more comfortably in a setting which to a human would be overly tight. Of course, upper shelves were still a problem, Crylon reminded himself. But still, he was much better off than a human trying to jam into such a tight space.

He was looking for anything that might him help the kelvic build her temple in the shape of a gazebo or such. And as she wanted stone bound together, that meant learning of the process of doing so. Masonry, mortar. How to make the latter, to apply to the first. Any type of stone blocks in general needed something to bind them together.

He understood the concept, in theory. But in practice, how it was done, he acknowledged that he was woefully uninformed.

Picking about the library Crylon tried to find some rhyme to it. Some reason. Grabbing a book off a shelf, he began to peruse it. However he quickly realized it was filled oddly enough with nothing but a list of birds, interspersed with curse words in rapid succession. Or at least, the ones he looked at. He did not bother to look much further, before putting the book on the shelf where he had found it and going on for another.

Walking across to another shelf, Crylon pulled out another book to look it over. This at least seemed to have something to do with building. Paging through a paragraph caught his interest.

“Went into the basement, boss builder sent me down. Said there was a smell, and wanted me to take care of it. Job's to fix the floor, which iz the roof to the basement. Why we lookin at'n differen floor? Ehh, so I's go ands look. Whatta find? Dang body, half buried. Lookin like some rat or sumpin, came by. Dug at it. Boss man came back within me. Said go dump it'n inna river, put in dere. Said go clean it up, make floor all better. Said come back tomorrow. Sounds fishy. So I'se put this here, case I not come back, someone knows I done been knocked off. All fer doing muh job. Inna right? Or maybe I jus forgot where I put the petchin book, and when I came before for it couldn't find it. Who knows. Maybe i'ze just made it up, who'n yuse anyways, going trustin stuff just cus it written down, big egg head!”

Slamming the book closed, Crylon pondered what he had just read. And whether or not to trust it. An idea of someone to make a joke? A cry for help? Crylon was not sure. At first he thought something serious had been going on, then that perhaps the write had been killed for finding something, and then that the writer simply had an odd and dark sense of humour and was trying to get a jab in at people reading books.

But then, if he had written, Crylon realized, then he knew how to read and write... So then was not the jab as much at himself? Crylon gave up trying to wrap his head around such a persons reasoning, and instead passed on to another book. This time though, he was more cautious in listening to its contents for fear of finding another such joker.

WC: 599

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on April 22nd, 2019, 11:38 pm

Continuing on in his research, Crylon tried another book on another shelf. If there was any method to their being placed it was lost on him, and so he found himself left grabbing books at random to peruse them.

The next he picked up seemed to be filled with half written words, or words people only half knew how to spell. Which was not clear, but most of the contents seem unintelligible to Crylon.

It took awhile before Crylon found anything half way on topic. Grasping on some actual writing and notes related to building, Crylon quickly began to peruse its contents.

“Building house today. Took two men liftin beams, but gottem up. Started putting frame together, hoisted up. Ground gave in, cave in. Lookin tunnel beneath. Two men buried. Piled rubble atop hole, and flattened. Built building over spot. Made sure someone else went firsh after, before go walking on stuff when placed.”

This seemed at least somewhat related to building, though more of a diary than anything else. It however unlike some of the other things he had found was somewhat intelligible, if hard to read and requiring him to go back over things a few times in spots.

The tales though seemed taken matter of factly, and clearly had been written by someone building in Sunberth. Or at least, highlighting the bad days of doing so.

Reading on, Crylon perused another spot, still trying to find something related to his topic. Masonry. Mortar. Mixing, stone, things of the sort that would be useful for his task at hand.

“Diggin out basement. Gotten to close to river. Started wearing in. Water flooded, place fell under. Got it, not all so lucky. Next time, dig further from river. Or maybe reinforce wall, for river, before get too deep or wide.”

It seemed to Crylon's eyes to be one such failure after another. But then, if he could learn from another persons failure, he we was still learning. Learning what not to do, what to do to avoid such a thing, but still learning.

As he continued on Crylon found a crude drawing, which seemed to be depicting a odd grid. He had to read a good bit of the paragraph below to realize this was a simple depiction of stacked bricks.

“Stacking bricks. Learn, not put all same. Put at odds, overlap, so is stronger. Put layer, put down on ground. Put next layer, but start on middle of brick. Keep going, so half on each of bricks below. Seemin hold better en if just stack high. Overlap, like fingers clasped, make stronger. Next day, storm came, knocked down whole wall. Forgotten to do sumpin to keep together. Need something stickin it all together. Fur now, pick up bricks, do better next time. Tryin make sumpin standing. Least ways, long enough till someone buys the place, then is there problem nos mine.”

While Crylon did not agree with the mans sentiment at the end, the rest seemed somewhat sensible. Stacking blocks, brick, the like, at odds so they lay half on each below. Like a bundle of twigs woven together, this overlapping it seemed would strengthen it rather than if one put stacks vertically of one stone, since it would not be aided by those on either side. A sensible bit, within the morass of the journal. Something Crylon could work with, as he dug further into the writing. Not quite where he wanted to go, but getting there.

WC: 580

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on April 23rd, 2019, 12:06 am

Reading onward, Crylon skimmed until he found another bit that looked promising. This time there was no image painfully drawn intimating detail, but some words caught his eye. Stone. Mortar. Mix. Sand... Numbers.

“Stacking stones, found needing mortar. Keep it all together, holds it in place. Put down brick, put down prepared mortar. Put brick atop, stick in place. Seem easy, but tricky. But also, good. Mortar, make all flat. If brick not same, if missing bits, just add in mortar, make all even out. Then flatten, make new top. Make flat place to put on. But also, when dry, make hold together. Too much, not dry good. Too little, not hold good. Not fill in spots good. Need just nough.”

This, Crylon realized, was just what he was looking for. Someone new to the art, someone marveling over what it could do. Someone not skipping bits a beginner needed to know. Someone like Crylon figuring things out.

Further down was the numbers, and some simple instructions related to attempts at mixing and making mortar.

“Learn when making, not make all at once. Make with lime. Sand. Water. More one in other. Mix proper mix to use. Get good and mixed, till all one thing. Add in water. But not add in water to all at once. Keep some aside, dry, in case add too much water and need to make thicker. Easy to add water. Harder take out. So keep some on side, dry mixed, to add in later.”

“Try few mixes. Buckets of lime. Buckets of sand. Clean good sand. Try one bucket of lime, to two bucket sand. Mixed. Also try, one bucket lime, to three buckets sand. Seem use more, better, but maybe just for what doing, more sand to lime in mix.”

Taking out his notebook, Crylon copied these last few paragraphs down, more or less verbatim. He could dissect them later, but did not want to change any wording for “clarity” if it might do the opposite. Better the original text, unchanged, which he could newly turn in his mind into Isurian from common, than over multiple times. With his own notes he would write in Isur, but for direct copies he would use the language he was copying from. This seemed the best method to retain the most meaning.

Continuing onward, he also copied the next paragraphs about water.

“Water, not all same. Depends on what doin, what want. How wet. Usually first try, each bucket of sand use, add one quart of water. More later, till get good mix. Try till works good. Not add all water at once, add in bits. Mix in. Not wantin soup. More stuff than water. Bricks, usually make bit wetter. Top, flat bit, maybe drier.”

As Crylon continued down the page, he noticed a small line near the bottom. The rest seemed more or less random things, notes taken through work about other people he was working with. He did not like some guy whose name he could not recall. He copied down that last line, before turning the page to find the rest blank.

“Mortar not like cold. Make sure give season to set, before freeze come.”

Finishing his notes, Crylon packed up and left for the day. He had learned a good bit, though more theory than anything else. But he felt if nothing else he knew how to go about things when he started. And he had taken a few initial notes for his new journal. Even if he had found little but a few pages of useful material in the bells he worked.

WC: 601