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Post by Azuloth on Mar 22, 2016 11:45:25 GMT -5
Drought and Death
The city of Sorath's aging main water pump has broken down. As such the waterway system that provided water to thousands of citizens is no longer working. Sweltering heat and thirst have compounded this problem.
Hundreds are dead and it has been several days.
Date: Ausorid 28th, 200 ATD
Objectives: -Repair or replace the pump system.
Or
-Pay for the cost of the repairs.
Losing Condition: -Failure to fix or replace the pump within 3 game days.
Rewards +5 Stat points +2000 Ritz.
Weather conditions: -98 degrees Fahrenheit. (36.6 degrees C) -Humidity: 85%
Due to the weather stats are reduced by 10%.
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Post by Azuloth on Mar 22, 2016 11:50:36 GMT -5
Time Tracker
Ausoris 28th, 200ATD
Dawn Hour--: -Start!
Citizens: people are milling about in their homes. No one has left for work yet. Very few people are in the streets.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 15:34:03 GMT -5
"They said it's a drought." I explain as I walk with my wife down the abandoned dawn-time streets. The heat makes it impossible to don my cloak, but the remainder of my armor I keep regardless. It's hot—but Astris has had a difficult time getting me out of my new equipment as yet. "Something to do with the water main. The pump, I guess." I say. I didn't get much about it out of the man, when I'd gone into town before. He didn't seem to want to be out and about. In this heat, who could blame him?
"There's a reward, I think. Don't know why." I shrug. "And I don't know what's wrong with the pump either." I confronted my wife last night on this matter, asking her to come see if she could try anything to help with this problem. Using magic. She complained that she really rather had no idea if her particular kinds of magic could help the matter any. Eventually I managed to talk her into it. It was a slow going process.
"I don't know anything about the pump either. Might be Elkagr or something." I shrug again. "But it should be just past this street." I point forward. The street is intersected by another here, and beyond that buildings of more mercantile disposition sprout up on the edges of the street like weeds. The directions I received were succinct and direct. I had grilled the man for closer to a half an hour on the matter. 'I tend to get lost', I told him. He said he understood. 'But I won't get lost if I need to come back for directions', I told him. He swallowed. I guess I made him nervous. It wasn't my intention.
Abrasive Personality: -1 MP
HP: 360 SM: 63/64 MP: 109/110
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 15:46:13 GMT -5
He's about as subtle as a brick to the head. She had wrinkled her nose in disapproval as he had verbally browbeaten the poor man for directions. Still, she had no idea what he expected her to do about this blasted water main. She hadn't the foggiest idea about machinery. Honestly, it's like he had zero grasp over the details of her magic use and it's limits, even after grilling her about it last night.
Apparently to him, magic is magic. Gods but it's hot. I'd rather be rained on again.
She trots to keep up with Ikram's long, excited stride. She was tall for her gender, but honestly, she didn't expect anyone would be able to keep up with him when he got this way. She turned a corner just behind him, expecting broken machinery, or an obviously upset building. Or something. "Will you -slow down- you long-legged beast?" She inquired irritably. Heat, it appeared, made her cranky.
HP: 200/200 SM: 20/20 MP: 173/173 (Note: This display does not reflect the stat penalties—it can be edited upon request or at will. Moderator's choice.)
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Post by Azuloth on Mar 24, 2016 16:03:07 GMT -5
The building they would arrive at was a squat stone structure with two large wooden doors. It obviously could not house a large complex machine. If they opened the doors they'd find stone stairs that led down to a much larger room. This room was twenty meters deep by ten meters wide. Two long troughs were cut into the stone. It was obvious the water was suppose to be flowing to those. A large, complex machine was at the back of the room. On either side of it were doorways into the waterway. The waterway was a large underground complex that covered the entirety of the oldest parts of Sorath. There was High Cruic on a lot of the parts.
None of the wheels or pistons were moving. Just glancing at it there was no obvious damage.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 16:20:28 GMT -5
"This looks like magic." I say, dully. I really had no concept of it, and was more or less certain that Astris could take care of things. I couldn't read the High Cruic either, so I began heading down the stairs. I left my wife at the landing and say back up, "Hold up there for a moment." Without wasting any further time, I head to a door (the one on my right) and crack it open.
Abrasive Personality: -1 MP
HP: 360 SM: 62/64 MP: 108/110
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 17:16:52 GMT -5
Astris highly doubted there was a particular danger to the inner waterways. Ever since Ikram was attacked he's been more and more paranoid. She walked over to the nearest machinery and started inspecting the inscriptions. Perhaps it will give some further information regarding their use and function. Maybe. Maybe not. Damnit Ikram, I'm a healer not an engineer.
She reached out and brushes off the dust off one of the non-moving parts. Seriously, when was the last time someone was down here?
Actions: Read the Thing! Threshold - Literacy I (+5), High Cruic I (+5), Kn 10, Simple (+30) = 50
JwBoVZmC Success
She furrows her brow and starts trying to piece together how this whole thing functions and perhaps find out what the hell is wrong with it before she dies to death in this heat.
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Post by Azuloth on Mar 24, 2016 18:06:45 GMT -5
Ikram has no trouble getting through the threshold. There was nothing but darkness beyond the threshold however. He would be completely unable to see without a source of light if he proceeded any farther. There was the occasional drip that would be audible. The air was cooler down in waterway. Cool enough to put goosebumps on a man.
Astris had quite the bit of luck with the pump however. There were familiar words, but there were also unfamiliar ones.
The list of words are as follows:
Karsky Bros. Magitech Waterway Pump -Model 43 -Manufactured at Karsky Bros. Foundry in Rosterford, 1182 A.J. -Pressure release Valve, turn to relieve pressure lock. -Manual pump lever, if pump is off and possesses charge, use to start pump. -Magitech Battery Housing (Takes 1 Cordite/Copper/Garnet 30/30/40 Magitech Battery, Dodecahedron-14 Cut), DANGER OF MAGIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN WHILE PUMP IS ON. -Error Panel
The Error panel was blank, there were no other words on it. Many of the components appeared to be rusted shut.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 18:17:32 GMT -5
Astris blinked and tilted her head a bit. Well. That's pretty...straightforward actually. Do not open while the pump is on...Well...that's not a problem. The pump -isn't- on. Her eyes dart over to the 'pressure lock'. "Ikram..come here." She waved him over, pointing it out. "It says this is a pressure lock. I think this needs to be turned, this valve here. It's rusted though."
She examined the whole thing again as she looked at it. "That'd relieve pressure, which I think is a good thing. Then we need to open this box. There's a battery inside, it says what it needs I think, hopefully it's self-explanatory." Maybe it still has a charge. She looked over at the 'Manual Lever'. "Actually, try that lever first." She pointed the rusted lever out to Ikram.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 18:30:13 GMT -5
I cock an eyebrow to my wife. I understood that the round thing needed turned and the lever needed... tried. Pulled, most likely. This was an odd set of mechanisms that I'd never encountered before.
I stepped to the lever and looked it over. "This is rusted badly." I say. I give my wife another look. This... doesn't seem like it will work, but I trust her. I thought. I pulled the lever.
Abrasive Personality: -1 MP
HP: 360 SM: 61/64 MP: 107/110
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Post by Azuloth on Mar 24, 2016 18:56:43 GMT -5
The lever failed to budge very far. Instead it made a screeching noise as he tried to exert his strength and will upon it. It did not move enough for it to perform any of its intended function. That lever would either need more force, or for the rust to be removed from it for it to work as it was intended.
There was the sound of a door opening and closing, then footsteps on the stairs. A grizzled older man came into the room just after Ikram had tried the lever. He had a lamp with him. It was lit. His voice quaked as he spoke, from some unseen ailment. His hair was all grey, his skin was leathery, and his eyesight was bad.
"Hey there, ho there. Is the pump broken? Damn thing. Machines eh? Left overs like this from before the chaos war thing are all that keep society from going back to the darker times. You fixing to fix it? Look like you're dressed for battle."
He held the lamp up, bathing the room in light. The little sunlight that was coming from the street was gone, but the lamplight did a better job.
"Sorry bout the door. Don't need no kids stumbling down the stairs breaking a leg now. Last time this thing broke down was... well I was a boy. Don't know how they fixed it though. Looks worse for wear. We used to play down here in the waterway til we grew up."
Strength Test -- Ikram 1D100 => 37 (Threshold 18)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 19:05:44 GMT -5
"It's rusted." I tap the lever with the toe of my boot. "Did they leave anything in the waterways that might be aught of use?" I ask.
The lack of movement of the lever was certainly disheartening, but I had been hoping that Astris might be able to use magic to... well, do something. This man has certainly diminished the likelihood of that, however. Damn, what if he asks why we didn't have a light with us? the concern springs to mind. I calm myself, thinking I'll just tell him that we had intended to use the light from the doorway... what children would even be playing around here in a time like this? Noisesome old botherer.
Abrasive Personality: -1 MP
HP: 360 SM: 61/64 MP: 107/110
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 19:08:10 GMT -5
Astris looked at the elderly man. Her heart went out to him. May her days be long and blissfully uneventful should she get to that age. "Yes hello. Thank you for the light. We were just trying to see what we could do to manage it. It seems...straightforward enough, according to the directions, but the mechanisms could use some care. They're rusted tight."
She looks over at Ikram. "Perhaps some oil? I have no idea what it would need to be truthful." She stopped and looked over at the elderly man again. "Excuse me, might we borrow some of your oil? I believe it may be of use. From your lamp, sir."
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Post by Azuloth on Mar 24, 2016 19:30:37 GMT -5
"Oh no problem, miss. Mmmm. Oil could work. Could help lube up the metal bits there. You trying to push that lever down right? Things supposed to operate smoothly. I remember when I was a kid, stupid Sorathi kid haircut and everything. You know they still use the same damn haircut to show what's between the kid's legs these days? One side girl, other side, boy. Stupid right? Don't know why it was necessary when they started doing that. Been doing that forever. Anyway, it moves back and forth easily. Supposed to anyway. So does that circular turny thing. Or it's supposed to. Nothing in the waterway but some bones and the occasional rat on the filth side. Left side is the filth side, the out so to speak. The right side is the clean side. It's supposed to pull in from the Tesiak. Don't know where it puts the filth. Somewhere else I hope. Oh! Lamp oil! Here maybe it'll help."
The old man brought the lamp over the lever and poured some of it. He waited a moment and then rubbed it around to make sure it made it into the gears and such below the lever itself.
"Try it now. My old bones and muscles won't do anything."
Threshold for lever increased by 15.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 19:35:29 GMT -5
That explains the odd hair-stylings I'd seen around town. Bizarre. This man's understanding of this machine seems to be at about the level of my own, as well. I felt at first bolstered by knowing that someone else didn't figure this machine out like my prodigal wife did just glancing at it—then ashamed that I found comradery with a peasant for our lacking mentalities.
I yanked the lever.
JLGbTSGl Threshold 33 Abrasive Personality: -1 MP
HP: 360 SM: 61/64 MP: 107/110
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