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Character Sheet
Xernon Montgomery Huxley, artificer (44M)
Inventory:
Shock baton1
Binding ward2
Light stone3
Salvaged artificer toolkit4
Depleted power-cell5
Outer City access chit6
Threadbare longcoat7
32 Union marks8
Strange sarithal component9
Conditions:
“Wait!” You shrink back with hands raised. “You don’t need to do that. If you bring me some materials I can just deactivate the scry-mark.”
Volkir hesitates and glances back at Veyra. She frowns. “You can do that?”
“Of course.”
“And you haven’t already because?”
“Because I need moonsteel and harish flower. Not the easiest things to find.”
“And you think we can find them?”
“I know you can.”
She studies you for a moment, then nods to Volkir. Disappointment flashes across his face as he steps back and sheaths his knife.
“What do you need?”
You breathe out an audible sigh. “A sheet of moonsteel, about the size of my forearm, two grams of powdered harish flower, a copper diode, and a vial of liquid pewter. And…er… I could do with a new quartz-tipped stylus. Mine is so worn it’s practically useless.”
Jerrim whistles. “Expensive taste,” he whispers.
You glare at him. “Quality artifice isn’t cheap.”
For a moment no one speaks. The silence stretches out. You try to avoid Veyra’s eye.
“Very well,” Veyra says at last. “Jerrim, come with me. Volkir, stay here and make sure he doesn’t go anywhere.”
Then without another word, she turns and leaves. Jerrim hurries after her. He pauses at the threshold, glances back at you, then disappears through the door.
Only you and Volkir remain. He leans against the door, arms crossed, watching you.
You try to smile. He does not smile back.
“So, er, Volkir. How’s it going? Been a while, aye?”
He nods.
“Still Veyra’s enforcer? That's alright?”
He shrugs.
“Yeah, great…um…” You clear your throat. “Yeah…”
You check your timepiece. Hopefully the others don’t take too long.
***
After almost an hour of sitting in silence with nothing but your own thoughts to occupy yourself, the door creaks open.
Jerrim enters with a canvas satchel slung over his shoulder. Veyra steps in behind him, followed closely by a lithe young man with a smug grin and slicked-back hair. Judging by the way his long overcoat moves as he walks, its pockets must be leaden.
“Huxster,” Veyra says. “This is Tommith.”
He smiles, revealing a gap in his front teeth. “So you’re the famous, Huxster? I’ve heard all about you.”
“Nice to meet you, Tommith.”
He saunters over to you and offers his hand. “Please call me Tommi.”
You nod and shake. His hand is loose and limp in yours.
Jerrim places the satchel on top of row of crates by the wall and flips the top open. Everything you requested is inside, all in double quantities.
“Tommith’s also had a run in with the Watch recently,” Veyra says.
Tommith winks and rolls up his sleeve to reveal a scry-mark of his own.
“You will deactivate his scry-mark as well,” Veyra continues. “Provided you can actually pull this off.”
“No problem,” you say. “I can do them both at the same time.”
You lay out the materials on the cratetop, careful not to bend the paperthin moonsteel. The stylus they’ve provided you with is brand new and Guild issued. Top of the line and obviously stolen.
Item obtained:
Guild issued quartz-stylus
You spend a moment studying the materials, then you and Tommith’s scry-marks, going through the deactivation procedure in your head. It’s been a while since you’ve done anything like this but you’re pretty sure you remember how.
Everyone is watching you. Veyra’s leaning against the wall with her arms folded, drumming her fingers against her arm. The rhythm cuts through your mind.
This would be alot easier if they’d just leave the room, or even look away. But most of all, if they’d just keep quiet.
Why does Jerrim have to breathe so loudly?
“Well?” Veyra asks.
You glance at her, then pick up the stylus and a sheet of moonsteel, and set to work.
What do you do?
Focus: Take your time to perform the deactivation as precisely as possible. It will probably take about two hours.
Hurry: Perform the glyphwork as quickly as possible. You don’t have time to waste.
Bold: “I can’t concentrate with all of you watching me. Everyone, get out!”
Performative: Over explain the procedure using as much technical jargon as possible. Maybe you’ll be able to impress Veyra with your arcane knowledge.
Subversive: Attempt to modify Tommith’s glyph so you’ll be able to track him instead. Then tell the others it was deactivated of course.
Thank you for your time and attention.
A collapsible steel rod with a power-cell on one end and a series of lightning-glyphs on the other. Illegal to carry without a permit, which you don’t have.
A small glyph-worked pad which when primed will briefly blind and paralyse the next person who touches it. Single use, although a clever artificer might be able to salvage it.
A fist-sized sarithal which, when activated, will produce a steady white light and hover just above your head. Good for about twenty-four hours of continuous light.
A battered collection of tools, pieced together from scrap yards, abandoned Guild depots, and trash bins. Barely functional but well-loved.
Still warm to the touch. You keep telling yourself it could be recharged or bartered with, but maybe it’s just weighing you down.
A Union ID modified to provide you with access through all Outer City checkpoints free of charge. It works most of the time.
Patched, frayed, and splitting at the seams, this coat has been keeping you warm for well on a decade now. Lined with hidden pockets, and reinforced with flexible but heavy chitinous plates.
A sad collection of coins and credit chits. Enough for a hot meal or two and a ride on the train.
Humming and inscribed with a mode of Siris Script with which you’re not familiar. You don’t know what it does and you can’t remember where you got it.
You hurt your knee almost six months ago and it never seems to get any better. Getting old is no joke.
Unless you’re in a null-zone, Zal Kerrith will know where you are and what you’re doing.
Seventy hours remain.
Huxster seems to be getting some of his confidence back.
Performative was tempting, would be nice to see Huxster flex his knowledge but I don’t see this ending well for him unless he makes sure to get rid of the tracker