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A person found guilty of entering or intending to enter al-Nasr or the depths below it, without the authorization of an officer of the Astronomers of Q'tolip, has committed Unauthorized Descent. Minor to Capital.

Minor: Knowingly possessing materials from, or for the purpose of committing, Unauthorized Descent.
Serious: Possessing keys for, or participating in, Unauthorized Descent.
Capital: Organising efforts to commit, or causing harm through, Unauthorized Descent.

Hello!

Here I have the old law, with some minor proofing due to the acts of some extremely ambitious members of the Banda Rossa.
Should it be reinstated, we might live our lives better assured of the safety of our Well and the effective collaboration of our efforts to understand it. Level of enforcement by the Fourth notwithstanding, of course.

I understand there may be compulsions within you to make alterations to this law, as Legatial creatures. Please understand that it has all been tried and it does not work. Allow us to maintain the gate properly, without exception or exclusion, in the interests of science and stability both.

If you have questions, summon me by bellows. I am sure I will find the time.
I hope it's quite straightforward, though.

Apothar Stern

Mirielle,

It occurs to me we ought to have a slightly more directed talk about election. Call for me?

Mae

[APOTHAR STERN]

Hello, Colmes!

I find myself puzzling over your intentions often, lately, but I must say you have not puzzled me more before than with the latest. So, I must ask: what gives? Perhaps Dante has aggravated you somewhere along the line, this I might understand, but I can only wonder what grudge you hold against Manos.

Drop the charges. They don't apply. "Bear it out in court", yes, I understand the whole spiel- we don't go about charging people with Murder in case they're guilty, though, do we? I can only hope this is some momentary lapse in your judgement. I was an ardent admirer of your earlier gambits, you know. Have you lost it?

If something else is bothering you, that I might be able to help with. You won't get anywhere waving that broad brush of yours, though.

So, please.
Put it away.

APOTHAR STERN

[APOTHAR STERN]

The supposed Grand Tutors of Arslan have arrived, and you are aware of the tendencies of Ephia's Well. I suggest we talk soon and make confirmations. If everything is satisfactory, then you may leave their mollification to me, leaving your relationships here none the worse.

APOTHAR STERN

[APOTHAR STERN]

I am busy this week, drawing up some plans for a personal project- man-portable Brewfire equipment- among other experiments. I should like to field test the first models breaking the siege of Got Valdhazr. I understand they could help a great deal of refugees.

Do let me know if I'll be able to.

APOTHAR STERN

[APOTHAR STERN]

Proposal A - Siren Polymura

Blood Horrors radiate Plague, Plague creates Blood Horrors. Plague = Horror. Light = Blood. Utilise Alternate Magnetism to create a vacuum of magical light that can act as a mobile Horror Mark against Clan fortifications.

[close]

Proposal B - Headtaker

Iakmes rod dominates the minds of people. Animatrons are without mind. Invest heavily in the rapid innovation of animatronic control and creation capabilities (seen in Tlonsiyya, primitive) to deal a blow to the head of the Thousand Clans should Iakmes ever expose himself, believing himself safe.

[close]

Proposal C - Bystander Involvement

Waylay Qa'im's airship on its return from Kha'esh, kidnapping and ransoming the High Programmer for Qa'immi animatronic technology and war participation, as well as potentially stealing and repairing a damaged strategic asset (the airship- many difficulties).

[close]

Proposal D - Crushing Trap

Repeat the events of Red Hill and leave the Thousand Clans unable to play both sides of a power struggle between two expansionist Horror clusters. Survive Clans, mediate Horror War to annihilation.

[close]

Proposal E - Acceleration

Create the necessity for the Thousand Clans to deal with the Blood themselves by utilising Plague weaponry. Radiation prisms, contaminant bombardment, supply poisoning.

[close]

Here are the proposals. Perhaps some of them catch your eye. These should all have a considerable force multiplier effect, rather than some measly addition to our assets, though Proposal B is perhaps lagging in the pack. Still, I think they are interesting.

If they don't suit, perhaps I can rack my brain further.

APOTHAR STERN

[APOTHAR STERN]

To Director Gildebrand, or a representative thereof:

I am Apothar Stern of the Astronomers of Q'tolip, and I have gladly awaited your company's presence in Ephia's Well since I first heard of it. I understand that you have a penchant for breaking through outdated obfuscations and orthodoxy that stands in the way of progress: and what progress you have made, dragging society, kicking and screaming as it may be, into a greater age. Where one hand can serve a thousandfold more than it could before.

Ephia's Well is not Baz'eel. Here, your business need not be weighed upon by the accumulation of ages and their decrepit interests. Here, there is freedom of thought, and of innovation. I invite you and your company to take this opportunity to not simply produce what you may in the present, but what you will in the future.

I will provide a short list of promising studies that you could perform with our cooperation, all capable of greatly expanding your business or providing unique competitive advantages:

- baublium energy transfer
    - baublium weaponry
    - baublium forges
    - baublium loom motor cells
    - mundane-use magic devices
- mechanical motion studies
    - organic motion replication
    - versatile units
    - existing product improvements
- celestial energies
    - "anima forge" construct creation
    - fuelless engines
- brewfire & volatiles experimentation
    - il modan bombard production, improvement, miniaturisation, or modification
    - compound discovery
    - domestic/industrial or military application (Ephia's Well - potential major military buyer)
- various strategic solutions for Ephia's Well and Baz'eel

There is a wealth of expertise to draw on, not to mention access to various new elements and materials that can be shared and provided.
Should you wish to join purposes in advancing the state of the Disc, or have any questions inclusive or exclusive from correspondence, I am reached at the Eagle's Mount.

APOTHAR STERN

[APOTHAR STERN]

Brooking: A person found guilty of entering negotiations with or attempting to bind otherworldly spirits, monstrosities or horrors has committed the crime of Brooking. Capital.

Brooking: A person found guilty of conjuring or binding djinns, otherworldly spirits, monstrosities, or horrors, has committed the crime of Brooking. Capital.

The new and latter form does not account for instances wherein djinn approach citizens to make deals: it is quite rare, really, that any brooking that causes widespread issues includes "conjuring or binding" as a significant or initial component. The djinn that are real threats perform this incidentally, as a totally willing brooker would slow them down if they required one. I believe no alteration to this law should be made: it has performed admirably thus far, and we do not wish to open the doors to our citizens having happily-made deals with djinn and who knows what else.

APOTHAR STERN

[Mae]

Alterations? This is untenable. The situation must be checked and he will see it to rampant chaos. I don't know what you think you are doing, but you must stop. I cannot finish Oscar's work if I must fight charlatans to extract scant pearls of truth. I need control.

Mae

The back of the short note is covered in various symbols, each believed by one of a broad scattering of cultures to cause varying degrees of bad luck. The collection is punctuated by an exclamation mark to the right.

[Sergeant Reyer]

Sergeant Reyer,

I'd like to talk with you on some matters of our happy cooperation, and legal preparations that should be made. Let me know when you have the time, or bellow for me.

Feel free to, similarly, think of anything we can do for you. I would not like to see us as unequal partners.

Perhaps we can talk current affairs, while we have the occasion: the election, principally.

APOTHAR STERN

[Mae]

Hypatia,

I am off to see the depths of the world tomorrow, and I cannot tell if I will see any of it the day after.
Would that she were here. The vision, all that time ago, was well made.
Would that she were here, too. But this is what we have.

Come, you, wearing that face.
That's my request. I don't understand it better than you.

Mae

[APOTHAR STERN]

Dear Deputy to the Chief Scribe Aaisha,

Your most diligently kept records of archaeology license holders would be appreciated at the Tower as per the directive of the Legates.

My thanks in advance,
APOTHAR STERN

[Nadiri Mae Stern]

I have spoken with Justin Rosedew pursuant to Brooking case. The suit confiscated by halfling Janissary (presumed now-deceased Arlos Tenvale) provided to him by a djinn is requested for examination by the Astronomers if still held. Please notify if it is held in evidence or lost, if I or another Nadiri may come to appraise it, and when.

Your cooperation is much appreciated,
Nadiri Mae Stern

It's covered in stars. It seems like it fits the theme. I leave it up to the whims of balance since I'm sure DMs don't want too much +astronomy running around, but the stars on it seem to actually be magical.

Astronomy is the one that made me notice they were missing, but it would be nice to have the crafting skills, athletics, sailing, etc. all able to go onto clothes.

It's a 5th circle spell, and lost its unique, major functionality in favour of ultravision, an already existing, 2nd circle spell.

It's the cleric's only seeing option without certain domains, but even wormsight is just a circle higher, instead of 3 circles higher.

I think it would be worth its spell slot if it was hour/lvl, or at least 2 turns/lvl.

As it stands, it's just flashy see invis, and is actually worse for GSF:Diviners, because it doesn't have the double duration of See Invisibility.

Using the Knowledge Domain Turns, Scholarly Pursuits and Drain Understanding seem to not be working.

Scholarly Pursuits gives 2dLEVEL lore and 1dLEVEL concentration. As a pure cleric, using Scholarly Pursuits has only ever given me 2 lore and 1 concentration.

Drain Understanding gives the user INT, WIS and CHA equal to the amount drained, up to 4 or 1dLEVEL, whichever is lower. As a pure cleric, using Drain Understanding on a crowd of low-will enemies has only ever given me 1 INT, WIS and CHA.

Pretty sure that whatever it is that is doing dLEVEL is busted and returning 1 for my level.

While they're a balancing aspect of alchemy's risk/reward, they are maybe too extreme when casting implosion first round on anyone that enters LoS, such as poor unfortunates that wander into the lab hours after the alchemist has fled and condemned the place. It's probably for the best that slags teleport home after a short while stood idle, otherwise, every alchemy lab has to be designed to not allow slags to see or move to the transition that leads to them if you want to prevent DC27 death-ward-bypassing instant death spells hitting players who just came to the explorable for a good time.

Some lonely elves have found themselves in the Peerage Ward, claiming nobility from the outrings, and that a patron star of their bloodline, Yvaine, guided them here. The brothers Cal Yvaine, the scion Theleon and his guardian Maeth, long exiled, settle here.  Moreover, it appears that they have draped the great stone woman Eda Hamer in their black and gold livery.  Now they invite all those who would stand beside them, for their claim, for the Count, and against the changeling, to seek them for retainership. Questionable are the grounds on which they offer this, and what weight it holds in the Ward as an unrecognised, non-human house, but they offer it nonetheless, and proudly.

Recommended Alignment: Non-Good, Non-Chaotic
Recommended Class: Non-Paladin, Non-Druid
Recommended Race:  Elf, other nonhuman, human. All accepted, though lead by a pair of elves.

The Banner Cal Yvaine is a PC initiative to build and be recognised as a non-human House in the Peerage Ward in these times of uncertainty, to side with the Count against the King, and provide nonhumans an angle into Peerage politics.  They have a strong stance against changelings, anarchists, and the inhabitants of the Ponds in general and seek to see civilisation ordered and flourishing under the Count, of whom they regularly speak praises despite the fear and condemnation he has earned from many. Evident is their difference in opinion from the vast majority of their race as strong-willed, sharp-tongued elves seeking to join the Peerage Ward, rather than avoid it.

An elven cleric of the Triune, wracked with self-hatred, seeking a place in the society they venerate.

A dwarven rogue spymaster with a grim comportment and a noble manner, looking for somewhere to play politics.

A retired elven warrior and ringrunner, jaded and pessimistic, seeking to make a change in the world.

A human wizard seeking to redeem their craft by wielding it against changelings, seeking to push the house to more frequent and open conflicts.

An elven peasant tired of working the plough, eager to be something more.

A dutiful halfling bard, eager to pen the annals of the would-be noble house.

An elven monk, drawn to the rhetoric of order espoused by the house, eager to put it into action.

...and more. If you want to make a PC to join the Banner, contact BigCook on Discord if you want to bounce ideas and see what's suitable.

Nobody likes playing tetris, especially when it happens mid-EfU.  If either searching someone's pack or yanking someone's pack created a catalogue just like a merchant's stall, except containing all their items (and in the case of yank pack, allowing items to be taken through the catalogue?) it would certainly make getting beat up feel more like a story moment and less like a surprise minigame, while still allowing the winners to take their spoils.