Day 104: Moonday the 31st, Kuthona, 4707
The Night of the Pale started out like a fairly normal day. The fact that the Holiday coincided with the day that the Market would be having the Farmer's market meant that the morning was full of bustling farmers trying to get their wares sold as quickly as possible. Savah got me up a little earlier than I would have liked with a request for a big breakfast. I got up and fired off the unseen servants to start cooking up coffee and all manner of breakfast food while I went in to help as well. The larder was in good condition, but I remembered that Faunra and Dame Rebekah had asked for us to get all of the supplies for the overland trip. I didn't know exactly how long that was going to take so I brought the problem to Savah, with her food when it was ready.
Savah smiled and noted that the Farmer's Market was indeed in town, and that while there might not be a lot of foodstuffs left, a lot of the crafts that the farmer's children and other members of the farm might have made, and more of the slaughtered animals that might have been determined to not be of the best nature to survive the winter. Mostly, a lot of them had come to town for the feast that traditionally happens on this day. I got myself dressed and resolved to include a climate control system for my armor. If only to ensure that it keeps me able to react even during the heat, but also the cold. I had some plans that I had worked on for a t-shirt that would work as a cooling/warming unit, and with magic and alchemy, it made it even more functional.
Savah said that she would like the same kind of unit for her armor as well. I guess that I was mumbling my plans out loud. I told her that I would add it to the list, and we both got ready to head out for the day. Savah asked if there was anything that I could make that would work against ghosts. I thought for a second back to the paranormal physics books that I had read, and told Savah that some of the things I had read back where I was from had some hints of things that might help, but I never tried them out, obviously. Savah told me that if we could figure some things out, we could sell them in the shop for next year.
I realized at that point that I really did need to work on getting a survival kit set up for here, as the changes and the possibilities really were vastly different. I mean, back on Earth, I would need knives ad sharpeners and such. Here, I could get one knife that would almost never need to be sharpened, and creating a fire was as simple as the prestidigitation effect that I could bring up. Honestly, I needed a complete revamp of what was a real survival kit and what was needed for one here. It is going to have to be a pet project from here on.
Savah and I hopped on my bike to head out to get supplies while I sent a thought to The Twins, Niddler, and War-Bringer declaring what we were doing. Apparently Savah did the same to Bailey, and we both got confirmations back from the various homunculi affirming what was said. Veronica sent me a thought about picking up some last minute things for the sidecars, and I mentioned such to Savah while we took off. Savah said that we could get a lot of it at Wheen's Wagons, so we decided to head there first.
Bilivar was just opening up his shop when we got there. He always seemed to be appreciative of the bike when I came up. Bilivar greeted us and thanked us again for our contribution to the town. Savah shushed him and noted that we needed a few things so that I could make some upgrades for the bikes. Bilivar started writing down a list of what all was needed and it was ending up to be a bit more than the bike could handle, even with the trailer that was being pulled behind it. Bilivar offered to take it directly over to the house and drop it off, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Even with that he gave us an absolutely insane deal. The fifteen hundred that would have cost in parts was coming in at roughly half of what Veronica had quoted.
Savah paid him from the bag of coins that Dame Rebekah had given me last night, and Bilivar rushed forth to get the things together and deliver them. I asked Savah how she does it, and she looked at me like I had grown a second head and told me that the fact that I had done so much for the town and still do so much engenders a LOT of good will, and the various little gadgets that the twins are whipping up for people to make their lives easier are selling REALLY well.
That made me think about how I was really taking for granted all of the technology that I had access to that just had not been codified into existence yet here, and how the school was likely going to end up leapfrogging the technology level of this area of Varisia, and possibly further. If I get a telegraph system set up between Sandpoint and Magnimar, we could have near instantaneous communication without the need for magic. News and information could be spread quickly, and reinforcements called for without leaving the city. Maybe it can be an add on to the road work. I just need to figure out how much it will cost.
Savah cleared her throat and noted that while she liked looking at me normally, we did have things to do. I started the bike and we headed to the market. We made our way there quickly, and encountered a lot of farmers who were selling freshly slaughtered pigs and the trade goods that their families had made. There were also root vegetables, some smatterings of greens including broccoli and kale, and even some acorn and butternut squashes. There wasn't much in the way of preserved goods, as I expected that the farmsteads themselves would need them for the winter ahead of them. There was all manner of cookies baked into j's there as well.
Well, I took them for J's. What they really were intended to look like were shepherd's crooks, for easy hanging. Savah was wheeling and dealing and was totally in her element. I was so entranced by her that I didn't even notice Faunra walking up behind me until she had her hands over my eyes and asking me to guess who. I, of course, guessed wrongly, and she informed who it actually was. Faunra stood next to me and watched Savah wheel and deal through the market for the best supplies and goods. After a minute, Faunra told me that we needed to talk.
I asked her if it needed to be in private and she told me no, but that it needed my focus. I said that I understood and got Savah's attention when she was done with a purchase. Savah came over and bade good morning to Faunra and asked what was up. Faunra told Savah that she needed to borrow my attention for some deeply personal matters, right here in public. She accomplished that all straight faced, with a wink at the end. Savah sighed dramatically, and noted that she just knew it was going to be a wispy elf lass that swept me away from her, but that she would soldier on in the hopes that I could pry myself away from the glories of Elven-kind while she shopped. They both ended up laughing and Savah went back to another stall to talk to yet another merchant, offering what I thought was fat-back.
Now that Faunra had my attention, she told me what was on her mind. She told me that she was worrying that I was getting entranced by magic, and that if I did, I would end up losing my edge in this world. I asked her what she meant by that, and she told me that there are a lot of things in this world that are more vulnerable to magical attacks than non-magical attacks. She added that there are just as many things that are strong against magical spells, and can even resist them without effect. Faunra noted that my skills with technology was not something that should be forsaken. I asked her what I should do, try to stifle the magic that I was showing myself to be capable of, and Faunra told me no, but that I needed to find some way to harness the both of them together.
Faunra sighed, took a look around the market, and continued. Faunra indicated that she was worried that there were extremely powerful users of magic in our future, either divine or arcane, or even both, and that my skill with technology might be something that they were unprepared for. Faunra claimed that she had seen it in the way that the stars had shined in the past few nights, that magic of both varieties were to be adversarial to us in the near future, and even more in the further future. I told her that I would try to plot a course that maximized the technology that I had access to or could bring back, but that I couldn't really produce the same kinds of effects as instantly as magic could. Faunra nodded and said that she could understand, but that she needed to emphasize that the science cannot fall behind the magic.
I told her that I would keep this in mind. Faunra hugged me and yelled to Savah that she can have me back, before telling me that I might feel something mentally odd in a few minutes, before flying off as she was wont to do. I looked back at Savah and we both shrugged. I guess I'd look into some way of merging my new skills with my old. I realized that I should have been a bit more careful about this when it first came up. Oh well, nothing to do now but focus on the upcoming mission.
Savah was back with a few people who were loading up the cart by the time I dropped out of my reverie. Savah told me that we just needed to head over to Two Knights to get the drink situation sorted out before we could head back, and jumped on the bike. I started it up and we road back down to the Brewery. Savah took her opportunity to go get what she needed to get, telling me that she would be back shortly. I took the time to think through the napkin math of getting wire routed from Sandpoint to Magnimar. It wasn't cheap in any way. Not even in my old world. I then started to look into other options. A satellite was the best way to do this, but to get something into geosynchronous orbit was stupidly expensive, and that was with all of the modern technology. Maybe Faunra was on to something with the fusion of technology and magic.
By the time I had come to this conclusion, I felt a rush of aggression come over me. I didn't know the source, so I tried to tamp it down as best I could. Niddler asked me what was wrong, and I sent to him that I didn't know why I was so angry, but that I thought that I had it underhand. Niddler noted that War-Bringer had just taken the potion from Faunra, and that Oren was taking the next one. I thought to him that it must be due to the feedback from losing the link to War-Bringer, and that it should pass. Niddler noted that he would pass what happened along to Faunra discreetly when he had the chance.
I thanked him and told him that I had been warned, and that this was why I was probably handing it as well as I was, and to add my thanks to Faunra for the warning. Niddler agreed to do so. Savah came out with a few of Deverin's workers carrying hand casks, loading them in to the cart. Savah hopped behind me on the bike and we thanked the workers and headed off to drop the goods off at the house. When we showed up, Oren and War-Bringer were there, going through the motions of getting more acclimated to each other. Savah and I greeted them and they greeted us back.
All three of us unloaded the supplies into the dumbwaiter in the garage and lifted it up. Oren pulled the both of us aside and asked if it would be too much of an issue if next year, we helped him clear out an area to start building a house for him and Arika. I smiled and told him to go ahead and take the gloves and the e-tool and find a good place and start as soon as he feels it is proper. Savah told him that it would be nice if he could find out what Arika might like and set the house up secretly without her knowing.
Oren nodded and thanked us for the advice, before saying that he had to check in with the two giants in the cave. Savah wished him well, and we finished up packing up the supplies for tomorrow before Faunra came over apologizing for the backlash that I had encountered. She added that it must have meant that I had sequestered a lot of the aggression and warlike behavior into War-Bringer's personality. I nodded and thought that it was likely that this the case. Faunra gave us both a hug and said that she'd catch up with us at the feast.
Savah and I both went upstairs to get attired in our enchanted formal clothes and activated them to be the appropriate thing for this event. Surprisingly, it seemed to be fairly a set of fairly nice work outfits, but the high quality of them came through in the material that they were made from and the stitching was basically on modern levels. I could swear that I saw a label that said Patagonia on mine and Lululemon on Savah's shirt.
We both ensured that the house was locked down and we headed over to the marketplace for the town feast. The Mayor, the Town Council, and everyone were there. We got there a little late for Father Zantus' speech, and the Mayor's was just a note that it was in everyone's best interest that they stay locked indoors after dark, but that if anyone needed help, they should make every possible attempt to reach out. Savah and I took our places at the table with the rest of our intrepid group and were welcomed. All that remained was for the Mayor to announce that the feast was beginning and people dug in.
Jonathan's barbecue bear was clearly well liked, but the other meals that had been prepared were not being ignored. I saw that Ameiko's band were at their own table, eating before their performance was scheduled to start. Many of the townsfolk were enjoying their meals with a bit of a hurry as well. I imagine that the farmers would have far to travel to get back before nightfall. The feast was a big success, at least from my viewpoint, and the concert after was nice as well. Before long, the farmers were leaving. They had the farthest to go, and Oren and Arika got on their bikes to provide them with an escort.
Slowly as the festival died down and the townsfolk left to head for home it was just us and the Town Council. The Valdemar and Scarnetti clans having long since went to where they were staying for this auspicious occasion, and most everyone else was looking to do the same gave us the opportunity to check for updates. Everything was set up for tomorrow morning for the start of the trip to Magnimar. The Sheriff and The Mayor, along with the Town Council had all talked and determined that the best course of action was to get Titus to flip too get rid of the Bunyip gang's current leader. He could be talked into receiving a reduced sentence (exile or jail instead of death) in return for knowledge on how to dismantle the rest of his gang, and this would all be set to go down tomorrow.
I nodded as I took all of that in, secretly hoping that we could finagle Titus into getting some kind of charge, but realizing that we likely would not be able to do so. Mayor Deverin noted that with Titus knowing that he was "caught" he'd have to be more secretive, and it would mean that the only recourses that he would have would be to use the town council against those who wish to open up another mill. I nodded and said that if he decided to hire disreputable people again, he'd have to go further than in town. Sheriff Hemlock nodded in response to that. Mayor Deverin added that it would be a lot more difficult for him to seek the title of Mayor after this, even having been "found innocent".
Dame Rebekah noted that in her mind, it would be best if she approached Titus on the trip, to try to get him behind the move, since she might seem a bit less cantankerous from previous exposure. I was the first to agree, saying that she offered an olive branch in the way that she could reasonably be expected to be more law aligned with the focus of her deity. Dame Rebekah nodded with a smile. Jonathan asked if the supplies for the long trip were already gotten. Savah piped up and said that we had just gotten them today, and what couldn't be gotten today, was coming from our larder and was scheduled to be replaced.
Dame Rebekah asked if there was any other business to bring up. I noted that we would be looking to speed up our travel when it came to heading to Jorgenfist, but that this didn't really apply for the first Magnimar trip. Mayor Deverin asked how long it takes us to get to Magnimar now on these bikes. Sheriff Hemlock tried to say a few hours, and I told them that if I was heading alone at top speed, we could get there in under three hours. Sheriff Hemlock looked at me with astonishment, and I told him that I keep tinkering with the bike to improve the speed and performance, but that it requires someone to keep working on it. Some of his people might end up learning to do the same by working on their own bikes, over time.
Mayor Deverin just shook her head and said that this would be an interesting time if this got enhanced to the point that more people were using these vehicles and such. I noted that the Sheriff had requested a vehicle capable of carrying much more than just the one that the bikes can do. The Sheriff nodded and I told them that I would be working on this when all of this nonsense was over, but that keeping the town safe was the most important priority. Mayor Deverin politely asked if we could be available to help if there are any issues with the unquiet dead. Dame Rebekah looked to the rest of us and we all nodded.
Dame Rebekah told the Mayor and the Sheriff that we would be available, and that if we are needed, just page us over the radios. They agreed to do so, and the feast ended with a benediction from Father Zantus, and everyone took home leftovers for anyone who couldn't make it or those who just wanted to have some. We were not the first to pick up leftovers in any way, but there were still a lot left. Enough for leftovers for the giants, if they wanted any, and even enough for the trip tomorrow. We packed up our stuff and we all headed back to the farm.
We had all agreed to stay the night at our farm so that we can head to any problems that might come up. We even got Vaeren and Erika to volunteer to do night watch for the brief period of time when Jonathan, Faunra, and Shalelu needed to do their individual rests. Savah and I headed to bed with the thought that we might be called up for anything, and decided to rest as best we could with that in mind.