Mithradites

My word! Looks at the questions! The love! The hate! The comments! Some full of anger, some full of glee! Some show confusion justifiably! Interest, questions, most clever and curious, Does not leave this writer feeling at-all dubious! So now I shall give your comments my two-pence! (Except for yours Booklight, they were far too dense. ;-;) (But do not believe your words have no sway,) (I'll simply answer upon another day!) I've noticed a lot of questions like this (just using yours as an example, Leo. But your refusal to unquestioningly agree with me is taken utterly, utterly personal, you fiend.) which I am not sure I agree with. There is nothing stopping you from learning multiple schools of magic, what you -are- being stopped from doing is being a 'master' of each and every school. I knew this could impact people's current RP (I myself am multi-magic'd on my main character) and please, allow me to give my reasoning for this. I was originally interested in writing up this idea after I read a comment by the enigmatic Lagomorphia on this thread (https://www.lordofthecraft.net/topic/123075-bring-back-magic-apps-a-new-system/page-2) I won't put the little quotation box around it so it isn't confused with the rest of the quotes on this rather too-large post. "As for the Tiering, like any leveling system, it exists on a clock until such a time as everyone starts hitting T5." (Sorry if I am quoting you out of context or you aren't interested indirectly helping me, Lago) That is a very good point. All magic is essentially on a clock until ultimate power is reached. Then what? Everyone's brilliant, and then no-one is. Variation and dynamism is lost, and interest wanes. It's an Incredibles Syndrome argument (The character of 'Syndrome,' not an 'incredible syndrome')! The way I figured to stop the inevitable peaking of magic is to make the average/mediocre magic an attractive choice. Tier 3 good! It's an advanced magic-user! Tier 2 is the average, and it ought to be fine too! As a tier 3 you can learn an accompanying tier 2 school or two tier 1 schools. As a tier 2 school you can learn a second tier 2 school, and an extra tier 1 school, or three tier 1 schools! Tiers 4 and 5 are for people who wish to be specialised in their school, and be 'the very, very best,' because I wanted it to still be an option for those willing to dedicate themselves to that degree. And that's fine too! But they needed disadvantages to balance it out and make the average still attractive. I feel it makes a lot of sense, and I feel it justifies losing abilities characters have spread out over other schools. In such a case, consider what you might gain from following a single school as well. Maybe it'll dull the pain somewhat? As for the creativity argument, as in, this idea limiting you ability to perform creative magics in (alone or in conjunction with one-another), I completely disagree again. Firstly, to begin with a Sesame Street level argument, the only person limiting creativity is yourself (sorry). You'll still be able to do plenty of things yourself at mid-tier. As I didn't really put a definitive list of which abilities would accessible in which tier (purposely, I might add) there seems to be a fear that I'm going to limit you to worm-conjuration or tiny plume-of-flame-evocation. I am not trying to take away your toys. I personally want most things accessible at mid-tier, though you might not be able to perform to the same degree as you do now...? Does that sound like a condom-ad to you guys as well? Even if you're incapable of being your interpretation of creative, how often are you actually doing these creative things? Once a month? Or maybe I'm wrong. I dunno. Write some examples down here, and I'll try to calm your fears! :DD By that I assume you mean that the extra things I propose for that school can all be performed with alteration. I agree, they probably can. Doesn't anyone else think it's odd that to do most things in a subtype of magic, it requires you to have skill in another? Just me? I gave my reasoning for parts of this question previously. If you are a tier 5 mage and you are being attacked in close-quarters--Not having them charge at you from 20 metres away, but right at your throat--then you are likely going to lose unless you have back-up. This is how it's always been been, and should still be so now. As for elves being restricted being illogical, yes, I can completely understand the reasoning behind it. It does make sense, but in the spirit of fairness, I don't believe I should limit magical development based on race. Furthermore, I give a reason why elves are limited to the same constraints as humans in the fluff paragraph before the graph. Furtherly furthermore, a school contains more than one of the current subtypes, not like how it is currently. And also, thank you! :DD I answered the first statement before. To the first question, yes, more or less. Because they fit with my set out sorcery theme, and because most of them are essentially the same magic. As for the second statement, I am unsure. I don't recall that ever being a thing, but if it is a thing, I very much doubt I'd leave it like that in my version. I have never grouped the mind-magic and telekinesis subtypes myself, though I've never really considered a role for the protypical psychic dude. Though it's still possible to be so, just not at a masterful level. The reason I kept the five-tier idea is because it gives a little more wiggle-room in regards to setting out levels of skill. Changing it to a three-tier system likely won't have any effect, other than making the system less detailed. :P And why would we let everyone learn every skill to an average level? That means all mages will be able to know every arcane magic! Which kind of defeats the point of doing this in the first place. THANKS Obama!!1 Only because conjuration is so unique in arcane. It's also probably the most interesting subtype, in my opinion. I'm all for super-buffing this school to be in line with the others, don't worry! No tier-4 small bears for me! That sounds more in line with tier 2 in my brain, anyway. I tried to find the lore on Blood-magic, but I didn't manage to track it down. If you wouldn't mind throwing me a link, I'll see if I can tickle away those woe-frowns of yours! I am not seeing how either of those are borked, Kala. They both seem easily possible within my Wizardry school. If it's about combining something outside of it, and necessitating a singular individual knowing two vastly different magics to do it, and using more than a single person simply wouldn't work, then I suppose it is borked, yes. I didn't see anything like that, though, but do give me some examples, and I'll try to belay those fears! As for that "Bring Back the Magic App" thread, glancing through it, you appear to be the only person who was negative towards tiers. Most people didn't mention it, or seemed more interested in keeping away any form of application. Which I am not suggesting here. Golemancy is its own beast within magic, and not even within arcane. I wouldn't dare try to touch it. Seriously. There are attack-dogs chained to it and everything. I expected this comment from you, Kitten. :P I originally put arcane shielding/evocation in the Sorcery school because Arcane evocation is an evocation, and because I felt, since the sorcerers were very fighty-fighty, I'd give them a method to keep the sword-guys at bay with arcane shielding. My Wizardry school is themed around study, slow wisdom, and change, in which direct combat feels out of place. I mean, telekinesis can be used to fling stuff, but it doesn't feel like a battle-magic to me. I could be convinced to put arcane shielding into Wizardry, but I could never be convinced to have arcane evocation anywhere but sorcery. Sorry, dude. :( Sorcery sounds cool. Sorcerers are cool. Evocation sounds dumb. Evokers sound like a type of Slovakian shrub. That's pretty much my only reasoning. I hope my answers were at least semi-satisfactory, guys!!

You call it restriction, I call it 'attractive variance.' What is the end result of learning magic? To be the best, like no-one ever was? Arcane magic is an onwards trek to be super-awesome at everything you get your hands on. Something that's missing (and has always been missing) from arcane is the perpetual 'okay' magic user. In my proposal, these people are the types who want a lot of options, so they keep themselves to more basic levels of magic, and won't actually hobble themselves. On the other hand, you have a guy who wants to be amazing at everything, but realises he can't! So he builds his abilities in one school to crazy levels, and then joins up with a mage of crazy skill in another school to co-create his dreams! He can't do it alone anymore, which kind of sucks I guess, but it does get him out and about making friends! And I think that's the most important thing! Are you feeling me, man? Are you hip to my jive? Are you down with the sickness? D'y'know what I'm sayin'? I sure don't! And does it really kill a massive amount of creativity? You can still get powers in other branches of magic. You just can't have it all as a tier five. You might have to restrict yourself to lower tiers! You might not get to be the best! You might have to come up with creative solutions to your problems. Does it damage lore? I didn't think of anything game-breaking here when I was writing it, so I really would appreciate knowing what's broken. That's a very good point about the primordials. I suppose it would certainly be difficult for a Thaumaturge (I'll call them my names for now. Let me live my dream!) to do so without knowledge in sorcery, but who is to say he wouldn't? He could have tier three in Thaumaturgy and tier two in sorcery, and get them, but that's assuming they would have access to that ability at tier three, which is information I quite purposely left out of this. If they don't have enough knowledge to do so anymore, they could always invite a happy sorcerer around to help! And then create and bind the **** out of that primordial, man. The answer to the luxomancy question is really the same as the first. You can always limit yourselves to lower tiers (though again, I am not yet aware which skills will land in what tier) or you could become really good at it, and just never be seen at all! And hey, lack of popularity? Not a problem. That just means the ones who do go to the effort to learn it will feel darn special. And rightly so! 1. I quite purposely left the abilities of the magics more to the wayside, and instead concentrated on the plausibility of joining them together in general. Though you do raise valid points about lightning evocation, that's not really a question I feel needs to be answered at this draft-stage. :P Maybe if it gets a little further than that. 2. As far as I know, that's not strictly true. I am sure any clever enchanter can study fire to the point of enchanting things with it. If it is true, though, grab yourself a sorcerer! Friends in need are friends indeed! Hmhm! 3. I did! I made a handy-dandy chart that does that thing you said! (Merged them all together for you!)

Reorganizing Arcane Magic The Arcane school had never been so actively practiced in all of its long history. Those using it were proficient in many schools, and many mastered the deepest aspects of their chosen craft--summoning beasts of great power, conjuring plumes of fire with a thought, and pouring power into deadly enchantments. It truly was a time for Arcanists to flourish and reveal every mystery of the void. But little did they know that the void had secrets unknown to even the most studious mage. The great number of minds creating and pulling within infinity bore an unnatural weight to the realm of nothingness. The void was not a conscious thing, but it had a nature, much akin to the wind directing a cloud, or the changing in the ocean's tide. A change was coming--no, not a change really, but a tremor. A ripple that would shift all that was known about the arcane schools. The void had no mind, but it would adapt. Something I wanted to do near the end of my time in the MAT (and near the end of the MAT in general) was to reorganize/combine arcane subtypes, and also define the limits of void-based physical weakness. Now that arcane is basically free-for-all with everyone able to learn everything, I figured I'd try to put some easier, definable limitations on arcane, as well as making arcane more convenient to learn. Many of the arcane branches have very similar functions, and have no business being separate subtypes (looking at you, five fundamentally similar evocations). What I want to accomplish is to give a reasonable suggestion for a single, reformed archetype of Arcane, with four subtypes: Sorcery, Wizardry, Thaumaturgy, and luxamancy. I'd also like to add extra abilities for some schools that are a tad sparse, but we'll see how much support this 'mission statement' gets first before we make knitty-gritty decisions like that. Sorcery (http://nahelus.deviantart.com/) Those that seek raw, undulated power look to the many skills of the sorcerer. Though all arcane magii are studious, those within the schools of sorcery are less inclined to learn from grand, dusty tomes. They learn through hardship, experience and above all, the continuous application of their power. Fueling their array of destructive forces with chaotic emotions and overwhelming willpower, they are individuals to be treated with caution. More-so, when they are in great numbers. Current Subtypes Tossed into this School -Electrical Evocation -Fire Evocation -Water Evocation -Earth Evocation -Wind Evocation -Arcane Evocation -Arcane Shielding Possible Additions: -Group-based super-spells: E.g. creating Blizzards, tornadoes, lightning-storms etc. -Combination spells: Fiery boulders, electrified water etc Wizardry (http://tira-owl.deviantart.com/) The slow and contemplative sect of Arcanists, the wizard is a bulwark of knowledge and study. They are beings of learning, who would more likely be found deep in a cavernous library studying the deeper mysteries of their art, rather than adventuring through the lands. Their skills lie mostly in the manipulation of the world around them, rather than the more direct route taken by the others schools. Wisdom and intelligence define this school, and those who are proficient are afforded great respect. Current Subtypes Tossed into this School -Transfiguration (includes enchantments, transmutation, and wards) -Telekinesis -Void Translocation Possible Additions: -Group-based super-spells: Teleportation, enormous wards, etc -Combination spells (though already possible in lore, greater afforded fluidity): Floating towers, larger things lifted, etc. Thaumaturgy (Thaw-mah-ter-jee. Shut up, I liked the name!) (http://mysticaldonkey1.deviantart.com/) Though arguably as studious as a Wizard, the Thaumaturge can be seen, often unjustly, as more sinister. Skilled in the study of life, these fringe-magii focus not on destruction, change, or trickery, but on creation. Preferring quiet laboratories to explore the workings of living beasts, they use their considerable arcane power create their own. For what purpose they do so is unknown. Perhaps such is why they are feared? But more likely because others would not understand. Current Subtypes Tossed into this School: -Conjuration (including morphons, primordials, and perennials) Possible Additions: -Binding creations in existence with a permanent slice of mana taken away from the user (unless the creature is de-summoned) -Non-existent, custom-designed creatures for higher tiers (so long as their biology is logical) -Attracting and trapping spectres, then binding them to their will. -Group-based super-spells: creating larger creatures with the combined mana of multiple Thaumaturges, summoning void-creatures and binding them to this world. Luxamancy (http://shininmysticice.deviantart.com/) More secretive than even a Thaumaturge, the Luxamancer heralds the school of manipulation and trickery. The school itself has a poor reputation, if only due to the individuals who are attracted to it. A Luxamancer is not one to be kept in the confines of a library or laboratory, and actively seeks subjects to test their power upon. They are devious and manipulative by their nature, and will rarely tell the whole truth in any situation. They ought to be considered dangerous, but you wouldn't have seen one anyway. Unless, of course, they wanted you to. Current Subtypes Tossed into this School -Light Illusion -Mental Magic -Cognitism Possible Additions -Group-based Super-spells: Grand illusions, invisible houses, memory rewriting. All the things written in here (especially the expansions and group-abilities) are all up for debate, and are hypothetical along with all other suggestions, here. This entire concept is, after all, a rough draft, so don't get too upset about decisions I made! Another important note that you may have noticed is that I have left out a number of arcane subtypes, notably bardmancy, beardmancy and the two Fi’hiiran anti-magics. This is because I couldn't find a place to put them (and because some of them are too silly). And even if I did, they were too out of place with the other ones. Better in my opinion to keep them separate, or remove them entirely. I wouldn't be opposed to joining the two Fi’hiiran magics together, though. More importantly, the simplification of the subtypes allows for a more concise management of the main arcane weakness (That is, physical weakness) and also allows another weakness to balance out their power-boom. It furthermore makes arcane magic more convenient to learn--finding a teacher for four different fiddly evocations can be painful. As an Arcanist grows in power, they will inevitably find themselves drawn to the schools that interest them most. In many situations, of course, they will also delve into the studies of other arcane schools. Though the more advanced they become in their preferred school, the more other schools will feel... wrong. Mana doesn't flow as it should. Sometimes it is painful to use their secondary abilities, other times disastrous. These other schools in turn seem to stop mages from advancing further in their preferred school--those magics contradicting and prohibiting one-another. There are only two options for a mage at this time; to accept the limitations of their powers, or abandon these 'lesser' schools. There can no longer be total mastery of all magical schools. This means there will always be a varied number of 'average' mages, and also those of greater power. The two weaknesses can be summed up in this handy-dandy chart I threw together in MS Paint. Tiers are just a placeholder for whatever magical ability is measured with nowadays. (By the way, I didn't mention this before, but I feel that household magic ought to be the pre-beginner's magic. Just to have new folks ease into it, y'know? It's still non-combative) So, that's basically the rough draft of my idea. If you have any suggestions about implementation, or subtypes I have missed, or you're just a big complainer, or you dislike hamsters, or you think mince pies are delicious please comment, and throw you idea-pies in my face! You know you want me to! Remember that all names, combinations and abilities are not final! And there is no tl;dr you can bloody read it.

How can your character be three different alignments? They cancel each other out. I mean, he could be just insane and evil so his personality tends to jump all over the place, but wouldn't that just make him chaotic evil? Or, if he's totally insane, wouldn't he just be chaotic neutral?

A steadfast golem of iron, puffing steam as it walks, slowly and methodically places small, printed documents upon any of the notice it sees. The machine itself appears freshly polished, though still stained black in places from thick smoke pouring from its back. Each of the documents appear curiously identical despite their number, and the golem disappears from the area once its deed is performed. The documents read as thus-- "An unpleasant sight it is, to see evil proclaimed due to a closed door. Equally so, for it to be proclaimed with so little merit in its arguments. Firstly, let us examine a plausible scenario this document likely reacts towards. A reasonable assumption would be that the gates were closed upon Mr Dwarf's arrival. Seeing this, he obviously demanded entry. The guard would have announced, as is the right of any declared guardsman of a state, that as an outsider it would be preferred he remain outside. Irked, Mr Dwarf left the area in a rage, due to the state's inclusive policies not meeting his idealised standards. He goes on to speak upon the dangerous circumstances of the road travel--it being the only defense for his irritation. The document becomes troubling when Mr Dwarf believes that the apparent lie of an all-inclusive society merits the town's immediate destruction. Furthermore, he declines to perform decent and respectable research into the circumstances under which this policy was suspended. One is lead to deduce four possibilities as to why this document was written and distributed: Oem- Mr Dwarf has a woeful mental instability in which he continuously bounds between multiple emotional plateaus for no discernible reason. Niut- Mr Dwarf is highly irritable, and partially Orcish, whom desires destruction in the face of an obstruction. Hael- A Mali'ame bullied him during his childhood, and he has never been able to overcome his feeling of impotence among his fellow dwarves. Vailu- Chancellor Artimec accidentally trampled Mr Dwarf's dog while upon his horse. One hopes Mr Dwarf was able to work through his anger, and return as a stronger, more independent individual." No room appears to have been left for the signature, due to the blocky letters being too large.

People tend to kill them for that, these days. :( And that sucks about the gate, dude. But keep trying! Timezones can be a pain!

Very true! Supremacy tends to spam our Skype chats with all his threads. :P You should see what it's like during an election!

One is known as Sullas - Lucion, to those who would speak to me informally, and this is my Lord of the Craft. I am a scientist by trade, and a pure high elf by blood. I came to my people with nothing, and rose to our highest offices through my works. It was with pleasure that I served as a leader and cultural bulwark of the Mali'aheral citizenry, and due to poor decisions - my poor decisions - I became a liability. I was born in Aegis within the human city of Al'Khazar. My upbringing was undeniably harsh, but it is not relevant. I arrived alone in Asulon and learned to survive. I lived in the wilds east of Malinor, until I found Haelun'or--my true home. I rose to the council and advanced my people through the sciences while presiding over the first iteration of glorious collection of knowledge, the Eternal Library. Dangers came, horrors destroyed world after world, and my influence waned amongst my people. Younger officials turned to popular, more expedient policies to meet our aims. Time after time I was too slow to act, and what decisions I did make ended in disaster. My final, awful act was to dissuade our people from violently ejecting our client-elves from our lands, and in turn, our clients rose up and sent us all into exile. I ran from their onslaught, as there could be no victory even if we repelled them. I hide alone from their sight and the sight of my people. I have proven to be useless and will be forgotten, but I am content with this. In my exile and solitude, I study, and I build. I am a patient elf with boundless capacity for knowledge and a seething, burning hatred for those that I brought under us. Whether it be tomorrow, or in a century, I will have vengeance. For it is a patient elf that strangles his enemy's children.

Watching the speeches and individuals spruiking their abilities and desires, Lucion scratches his chin with a clenched jaw. "Lliran, this is not the time for speeches. The time has come for a meeting of the council. And it will take place imminently. I invite Iatrilemar to attend. Until then, cease with your pontifications."

Arseholes for a reason! Don't forget that!

Everything in the spoiler has to do with the high elves. I don't believe this discussion is appropriate for this thread, but I just wanted to say a lot of things.

To Mr Haterin To my ignorance, I have never been informed of this 'palaeontology' field that you posit. Despite this, I am still intrigued by your wide range of skills. I will be most glad to accept you into this Consortium. Regards etc etc, Maheral L. Sullas "To Ms Linath. No. Absolutely not. I will never allow a friend to both necromaners and shades into this organisation. Your answer of 'probably' to the final question furthermore fills me with a curious sense of dread. And lastly, of course, I would never allow an individual into this consortium, based on the practice of a pseudo-science. I recall the last Mali'aheral to explore your 'field' was a Mr Kolyat Alfakyn, and it still holds an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I am sure your services are beloved in that hall of mediocrity and impurity they call the 'Mage's Guild,' but not here. No regards in any form, Maheral L. Sullas"

As you walk through the central square of Annil'sul, a figure stands pontificating upon the fountain ledge. He paces around upon it with his arms firmly clasped behind his back. As you pass, you only seem to catch a snippet of his speech. "... mostly unjustifiable, due to the continued demands upon outside entities with consent from neither the council, or even the general citizenry. These demands are always erratic, confusing, and often devoid of basic logical concepts. As a citizen and your Maheral, I find such actions to be counter to the maehr'sae hylun'ehya. With the land in a sudden era of peace and silence, these disruptions are not appreciated by myself, nor any of the citizens. As such, I am declaring myself a contender for the leadership of our city. It is time our people concentrated on research, art, and construction, rather than the continued milling-about in the city square. Reason must always trump violence and slothfulness in all circumstances. Furthermore, were we to go deeper into the issues presented, I would..." Being a most busy elf, you simply wander past on your way. Though, it seems an election may be on the horizon.

((Time changed to tomorrow, Tuesday 7pm EST 9am Australia.)) ((Buggers better come this time!))

Letters are sent out to the members of the Consortium. https://www.lordofthecraft.net/topic/116291-monthly-consortium-meeting-announced/

Ornate letters are delivered to the accepted members of the Haelun'or Scientific Consortium by a rather irate-looking messenger. This messenger appears disinterested in speaking to any of the recipients, and quickly marches on her way with multiple terse grumbles. After delivering the final letter, she trudges herself back to the inn, and, as always, drinks a cup of tea that must have been rather hot before being abruptly left alone. She leans back in her chair, and looks towards the ceiling--contemplating the reasoning behind her blind obedience to Lucion's petty whims. Why was it she felt compelled to deliver his mail on such a regular basis? Was it out of respect? No, of course not. It must be something deeper. Could it be... love? Of course, you wouldn't know any of this beyond receiving the letter, as you had no reason to follow her. The message reads as thus-- To my venerable associates. The time has come for us to convene in a meeting to discuss our discoveries, our successes, and our failures. Those who have seen themselves named into our consortium are obliged to speak, and learn, before their colleagues. Any and all research of a non/light magical nature is welcome for discussion and understanding, provided it does not contradict the rules of the Consortium. I await you answers, and your continued interest in the field of true-science. ​Diligence in the face of ignorance, lliran. Regards etc etc, Maheral L. Sullas. Maehr'sae hiylun'ehya. ((10pm EST today, Midday, Australia))

With a nod, Lucion gathers up his coins in an old bucket, and drags them towards the bank. "Finally! I have an excuse to rid myself of these worthless coins."

Lucion scratches the bridge of his nose as he shakes his head. "He will always retain his title as the least-subtle Mali'aheral in all the land. I should legislate a law that makes it illegal for him to write public notifications."

Seeing the newest government hopeful, and speaks loudly through the other gathered elves. "Not that I wish to be presumptuous, llir, but do you intend to tax us at any point in the future?"

As you walk towards the entrance of Annil'sul, you notice a small box upon a simple wooden table. Beside the box is a number of leaflets, all with a singular, massive exclamation marks upon them. Looking upon the opposite side of the paper, there are a few short sentences written. ! Please direct your attention to the left. Naturally you turn to your left, and see a tree that stands out quite distinctly from the others. Having taken note of the tree, you read the next sentence. In no less than twenty words, please explain why/why not this tree is aesthetically pleasing in your subjective view. You take note of the ample space beneath the final sentence, along with the pencils beside the leaflets. Someone has obviously gone to some effort in order to gather opinions upon this tree.

Gathering yet another bundle of papers, and a large tea-kettle from the tea-house's pantry, he begins to write back responses to his applicants in his usual manner. However this time with herbal tea, rather than his usual Earl Grey. Dear Mr Kaelthes. I admire your delving into the marvels of anatomy. I myself was quite the surgeon in my early days of citizenship. Some of my more fascinating discoveries within the 'living machine' lead me to my sub-lightning experiments that still continue to this day. I wish you luck in your pursuits, and welcome you to this consortium. Regards etc etc, L. Sullas "Dear Mr Kalameet My thanks for your interest in this organisation. However, it seems you have overlooked one of the more important statutes of this consortium--primarily that this society is one based upon the study of the sciences, and not that of the outer realms. While some level of magical involvement is acceptable for the sake of furthering study, projects entirely involving the magical arts have no place within this society. I am sure there are numerous other prestigious institutions that will appreciate your extensive knowledge. My apologies. Regards etc etc, L. Sullas"

A surly high elven messenger walked through Norithel, grumbling all the way. The Maheral often forced her to march through all kinds of overgrown landscape without so much as a days notice. It was always "Good llir, I have need of you!" or "Do be a dear and take this to someone for me." or even "I'd very much appreciate if you'd inform Kalenz that he is a simpering ninny." And, once more, she was told to march out to the middle of nowhere and hand a letter to "Dwyn of Norithel." Impossible, obviously, that he would get out from behind his desk and walk there himself. No! Send this one instead! She wasn't doing anything important! She grumbles once more, before spotting the elf described as "Dwyn" by a local. Walking up to him, she places the letter in his hand without another word, before grumpily trudging off. Her tea was likely cold by now. If Dwyn were to open the letter, it would read as thus-- "To Mr Dwyn/Signus or what-have-you. As Maheral, I take an interest in many subjects, mainly that of the natural philosophy of science. The true-world intrigues me far more than the workings of magic or the doldrums of political flim-flam. It is both my passion, and my vocation. So thus I come to you with a request. I desire to construct a large crane-like device within your quaint little village. Likely in the location I have illustrated (rather well, might I add)-- Upon it will be suspended my newest attempt at a submersible vessel. I will not require too much room, but your settlement is the only one with enough deep water for my experiment to be performed without continuous difficulty. I would ask your permission for such a project to begin, however that would give you the illusion of choice in the matter. I will be bringing around supplies for its construction in the next few elven weeks. Worry not about the actual assembly. My Consortium and I will handle such matters. Regards etc etc, L. Sullas, Maheral."