"I learned the Halfling and Gnomish tongues for much the same reason. You'd be amazed how much sensitive information gets discussed out in the open where anyone can hear, just because they think nobody understands the language." Kotsi says, flashing a smile at Adran.
"I'd request accompanying you to Amprin Mechwerx 'Boss'. I'm very interested in what these Gnomes have to hide."
"It's more Ish-thrahcks-ah." he says offhandedly. As if used to people not knowing much about the infernal-derived language. "I'm not much of a talker, and I don't know gnomish. Obviously I'm security. I'll go where you think I'm needed."
Vim smiled as the group discussed their plan, noting the liveliness with which everyone interacted, posturing. This was one of the longer discussions the lot of them had all had together, and the dynamic was still fresh and unsettled— at least to Vim's trained eye, anyway.
"Diplomat, indeed" he tossed in, at a brief lull. "I'll have them believing whatever story we like, Cap'n," he continued.
"...hrm, now what face to wear..." he muttered, cycling through a few relatively boring looking faces via his Everyman power. "Half the trick is looking the part," he explained.
Glancing at Flann to see if he had anything to say, Connor declared "So it looks like all of us are going to Amprin Mechwerx. Three who can speak and read Gnomish, good. I've got natural linguist myself, but the last Gnome we talked to understood Common well enough."
"And Ishthraxa," Connor added, "don't sell yourself short. I've seen the - game? - you're crafting. We could have used a wood expert back in Bastra, months ago." Connor started walking to where the sunlight ran through the opening in the deck.
"All right. I'm going to present myself as a young but lucky Captain to the dock hands and city officials, followed by the seven of us getting stamped or trinketed for passage into the city. Tie your belt pouches down and lock your backpacks - I've never encountered a city without its' share of pickpockets, both independent and unionized. I'll be leaving the majority of 'Sanita's budget' here, in the strongbox, behind a psionic lock. We'll try to sell the clockwork to Amprin Mechwerx first." Connor jumped up to the deck through the hold's open doors.
Looking the ships over, they are no threat to Atalantia. These are strictly hot-air-balloon type ships. They appear to be used for ferrying of passengers and freight around the city. A rifle squad could sink them from long range. Most of them are not even armed.
As the ship heads into what looks like a dock, several angry looking gnomes head out onto the docking platform, and begin waving weapons at them. One of the gnomes holds up a large metal funnel and begins to shout into the smaller end. "THIS IS A PRIVATE DOCK! TAKE THAT PIECE OF JUNK SOMEWHERE ELSE OR WE'LL SHOOT YOU!" The sound of his voice is tinny but does carry to the ship. The weapons look like muzzle loaders.
"Helmsman! Hold position!" Connor ordered. He ran past the crew and Mates to the railing. Judging the distance between the Elephant and the docks, Connor wondered how much a sound-amplification like the ones on the dock had would cost. "I need a volunteer!" he called back to the crew and adventurers. "Somebody fast with their wings and who can ask for a berth with the foreign ships!" Connor would prefer Adran or Flann, due to their similar size to the city's citizens. The dock owners would expect a crewmember, not the captain of the ship, coming down to talk with them.
Flann is mostly content to follow orders. He's only ever read about this stuff in books.
When there's a commotion bellow, he follows Connor to the railing. "I can go see what they're going on about. I have been practicing my flight, and those trumpets they're swinging shouldn't pose a significant threat."
"Will your network reach back here? For telepathy." Connor asked. "Go!"
Flann is mostly content to follow orders. He's only ever read about this stuff in books.
When there's a commotion bellow, he follows Connor to the railing. "I can go see what they're going on about. I have been practicing my flight, and those trumpets they're swinging shouldn't pose a significant threat."
"A bullet's a bullet, no matter how primitive the gun. You should probably still be careful."
"About as far as I can shoot. 150-160 feet?" Flann salutes and hops into the air, wings extending.
He raises his hands and hovers for a moment over the deck before gliding slowly down toward the Gnomes with their rifles. He's tempted to manifest Vigor, now that he's face to face with the 'trumpets', but decides against it.
"Standing by with astral constructs. I really want fold space, but I've learned to not use the word 'wish' lately." Connor told Kotsi as he watched the Halvavian wing downwards.
"Why's that?"
"Standing by with astral constructs. I really want fold space, but I've learned to not use the word 'wish' lately." Connor told Kotsi as he watched the Halvavian wing downwards.
"You and me both," Vim says offhandedly, arcing his neck to get a good view of Flann, and standing ready to follow and retrieve him if things start going sideways.
As Flann drops down, he finds 3 Gnomes, one with a florid angry face that contrasts sharply with his pink hair. The other two, one with green hair and the other with blue, seem less angry.
As he gets closer, the man with the funnel lowers it. "Hoy, get that thing out of here! I got ships incoming, and I'm not going to have my schedules messed up by your worthless bucket of nails and scrap wood! If my ships get off schedule, it'll be my hide, and I'll take it out of yours!"
"A bullet's a bullet, no matter how primitive the gun. You should probably still be careful."
As the little Vitalist shrinks from view, Kotsi receives a sending wrought with doubt. ~I trust you'll ensure my epitaph reads: danced to the tune of too many trumpets, and plummeted to a premature passing.~
"Terribly sorry, we'll get out of your way just as soon as we know where to set down. Is there a port around here for foreign tradesfolk?"
~Says we're holding up a line. I think this is a scheduled freight port.~
"No, there isn't. Nobody comes in with trade on ships, they all come in on caravans, and usually hit one of the train stations at the border towns and transfer the cargo there." He responds, huffily, pulling out a stop watch. "If you want to talk to someone, you can do so, but first get your ship out of the way. I've got the 4:10 passenger line inbound and due in 112 seconds. If you're not gone in time, I'll have the watch on you!" He motions with the funnel toward an airship a few blocks away, coming in toward the docking station that the Elephant is hovering over. "Ship gone, then you can talk!"
"Because I have an unused wish!" Connor said to Kotsi, in a low voice. "Tell you later."
"Flann, ask them where to find Amprin Mechwerx, a fine manufacturer whose renown has reached beyond the Continent and brought us here to spend coin." Connor said out loud and through the Vitalist's network. He grinned ruthlessly. Turning back to the upper deck, Connor called out "Helmsman! Gain altitude, two hundred feet, half-speed, and beware incoming ships! All lookouts, sound off!"
Flann motions to the ship, and it appears to rise immediately. "Sorry about all this. Where might we find Amprin Mechwerx, a fine manufacturer whose renown has reached beyond the Continent and brought us here to spend coin? We will have to make some arrangements..." Flann's gaze is fixated a few inches above the shouty gnome's eyeline, admiring his hair. "Also, do you use a pomade, or a wax, or does your hair naturally grow like that?" The vitalist gestures with his hands to indicate the way the gnome's hair sticks straight out from his head in a sculpted spray.
As the Elephant rises, the Network snaps.
Adran holds position in the nest as the others negotiate where we may sit down.
As the ship rises, the florid faced man harumphs, and the weapons are lowered. "My wife waxes it weekly. As to Amprin Mechwerx..." He motions to the north. "Look for a building with two giant wrenches and a gear the size of your ship's cross-section on the roof. Everything within a block of that is Amprin Mechwerx."
Flann bows obsequiously, and ascends to rejoin the crew.
"Dock manager says Mechwerx has a giant gear and a pair of wrenches on the roof of their central building. He didn't say what direction. Shouldn't be too hard to spot, he said it was as big as the ship. Do want a large ground party, some folks to shadow... I get your story, Connor, but what's ours? Would you like to present as a merchant, a translator, and a bodyguard, or a merchant and handful of heavily armed delinquents- is that fair? -delinquents?" Flann isn't sure why he turns to Adran for approval. "N-nobody's offended by that, right? That's just an observation. We could efficiently murder a room full of people, and that's not counting what they can't see." He points meaningfully up above his head. "I've stripped down to Nettle here-" The halvavian flashes a letter opener before returning it to a pocket. "-but I'm not sure what the security will be like on the ground."
"All right, this place is not like other cities." Connor concluded at the end of Flann's explanation. "But let's stay all on the ship until we get to Amprin Mechwerx. And we have specialists, not delinquents, Flann. You'll be a translator."
He turned to the helmsmen in back and the crew all over the skyship. "Helm, quarter-speed across the city, north-by-northeast, then search pattern. Lookouts, call out if you see a building with a giant gear and a pair of wrenches on top!" Connor himself went to the bow of the Elephant.
"Dock manager says Mechwerx has a giant gear and a pair of wrenches on the roof of their central building. He didn't say what direction. ..."
"My wife waxes it weekly. As to Amprin Mechwerx..." He motions to the north.
Heading northish, for 20 minutes, the building comes into view. It's 8 stories tall, and on the top is a massive gear with two crossed wrenches over it. The words 'Amprin' and 'Mechwerx' are spelled out on the gear, with Amprin along the top rim, and Mechwerx along the bottom rim.
There is a dock on a building next to it, a large squat 5 story building, but there's ship being constructed in the cradle, with gnomes swarming over it making tons of noise.
"Specialist? I like to think I bring more than one thing to the table." he opines, "but I suppose if the alternative is Delinquent, then I can do that."
Flann looks properly ashamed. "Just sayin' what I'd be thinking if a half dozen armed folk came pouring into my spa unannounced."
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"Exactly right, Flann. Subtlety is invaluable. Not that there's anything wrong with caring swords bigger than oneself, but they don't get you invited to many parties."
Vim twirled his dan-bong across his hand before carefully stowing it inside his vest, keeping the short stick free from view. "And the worst people are always at the best parties..." he said, trailing off, his implications clear.
"Here's your second chance." Connor opined, leaning over the rail to get a better look. He turned and glanced over his shoulder at the sails. "Adran! You awake up there? We've got a new location!" Connor called in a jesting tone.
"Get down there and ask for Altina Gearloose, she'll remember you." Connor told Flann. "Just request a place to dock, for now. You can tell them we're here to take Altina up on her offer of new engines, but I'd like for the rest of us to be there for the actual negotiations. I'd drop us closer, but not with that other ship already in the drydock."
Connor had First Mate Braden call to the helmsman to hover again.
"uh yeah boss, only dock is that one were the ship is being built. We can maybe squeeze in."
Adran notices that there are half a dozen gnomes on the top of the building with the gear that are now looking at the Elephant, and most of the gnomes working on the other ship have stopped and are looking up at the Elephant as well.
He relays the info down.
Flann hops into the air and uses the momentum of the now-decelerating ship to propel himself toward the gnomes at the dock, watching those on top of the central building for signs of drawn weapons.
A couple of people on the building top who are wearing what looks like uniforms of some sort, do draw rather advanced looking pistols with long barrels, but they just keep them at the ready, not pointed directly at Flann.
When Flann gets within hailing distance, an elderly male gnome with a nearly balding head and expensive looking clothes steps forth. "Well now, haven't seen an Atalantian ship around here in nigh on a hunnert years, boyo. What's your reason for hovering so menacingly over my company's work compound?" He asks, sounding not at all intimidated. "I hope it's a peaceful purpose, I'd hate to have to shoot that ship out of the air and have it crash on my property."
Seeing the quality threads on the elderly gnome, Flann adjusts a few of his rings, glad he opted for a fresh set of clothes. "Ah, your property. Mr Gearloose, I presume? An absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Redd Fritillary, cultural attache. You may be glad to hear Altina has brought you some rather exclusive business. We're here to take her up on an offer to retrofit some new engines. Is there someplace we might dock while we negotiate final terms?"
Flann is careful to gauge the elder Gearloose for his reaction, especially to Altina's name.
The elderly gnome rubs his chin. "I see. Well, that's different. Altina you say?"
Next to the older man, a female gnome with golden hair and a rather impressive looking hammer (and with grease stains on her cheek) coughs. "I think he means Little Alti, grandfather."
The older gnome shakes his head. "Can't be, she's just a baby, Selvina."
The gold haired gnome shakes her head. "No grandfather, she's 43 now."
The old gnome turns, and looks annoyed. "No, really?"
The golden haired gnome nods. "I promise."
"Well well, will wonders never cease." He turns back to Flann. "See what happens, you spend a few days dealing with snooty elves and paranoid dwarves, and your great granddaughters grow up and go off on adventures when you're not looking." He waves a hand at Flann's ship. "Selvi, take care of the young man's boat problems. And find me Alti. I want to see her all grown up myself."
The blonde gnome nods. "Yes Grandfather." She turns to Flann. "We don't have a drydock for it. If you can anchor it to the building here for a few days, we can build another drydock on building 7." She motions to a squat building off to one side. "Assuming we can come to an agreement of course, on price."
Flann, who reminds himself he has deftly assumed the pseudonym Redd, nods along with Selvi. "Yes, I can't make any promises, but I believe we can afford to anchor while we negotiate terms."
Flann attempts to relay the information faithfully through his network.
"You're asking the Elephant to precision-hover for several days." Connor concluded dubiously. He looked at Kotsi beside him, Ishthraxa across the deck, and the other Mates on duty. "Time to see if the elementals have the stamina in the engines." he said, thinking out loud. "First Mate Braden, dock us at this 'Building 7'. If the roof doesn't have mooring cleats, look for anything structurally sound; we don't want to rip off their rooftop. Use anchor standards, seven to ten times our distance from the building, which will be twice our keel height. Make sure the Elephant can rotate around the building in bad weather and not hit anything, like another building."
"Once we're secure," Connor stated, turning back to Flann, "the ship's Captain, the diplomat from Mintakan Shipping, and our translators and specialists will be flying down." Connor sighed. "I regret you using an alias already, 'Redd'. But now we know about the train stations for cargo. We'll have to offer the clockwork exclusively to Mechwerx, and take what they give us."
"Adventurers, load up! First Mate, you have the crews." Connor ordered as Captain.
Adran comes down.
"Ready when you are boss."
The first mate begins yelling orders, and in short fashion, the ship heels over and makes for the indicated building. All the sails are taken down, and the anchor ropes are released, and crew members tie the ropes off to support structures on the building in question. The engines are set to idle, and the ship as a whole begins to gently move about in the afternoon breeze, taking up the slack in the ropes and then giving a light shudder as the ropes go taut. The engines idle slightly higher, and then the ship becomes stable again, maintaining height.
As the ship is getting settled in, the blonde gnome comes zooming up to the ship, wearing a truly bizarre looking contraption that seems to be working rather well despite it's appearance, giving her what appears to be similar speed and dexterity to a halvavian. She lands lightly on the deck, her hammer hooked against her hip, the handle folded up to make it smaller, and a clipboard in her hand.
She looks around. "Who's the ship's captain?" She asks in common, taking a stylus out of behind her ear and tapping it on the clipboard. "I'm Selvi Gearloose, Senior Research Specialist, and Trouble-hammerer."
"That would be myself." Connor stated, walking across the deck. He already had his backpack on, his psicrystal staff with Hero on top clamped to one side. "Connor of Reville, Captain of the Wandering Elephant, straight from the Atalantian islands." Connor gave a slight bow, half-unfolding his white-feathered wings, showing an easy smile to the female.
Ishthraxa will watch the gnome fly in. Though his face doesn't show it, inside he's of mixed emotion. Fascination at the clever flying device as well as pity for the need. It was sad seeing a whole race of cripples.
Still, he moves down to the deck into position to be ready for the trip. And to cover the captain.
Vim fluttered his wings a bit, moving forward from behind Connor, and offered a much deeper, grandiose bow.
"Vim tel'Gossamer, if you please. Master of Accountancy and Tradecraft aboard Captain Connor's Elephant. I handle the diplomatic formalities, and so forth. Lovely to make your acquaintance," he offers, speaking just a bit slower than normal and with soothing, dulcet tones, in a subtle effort to endear himself to her.
"And research, you say? If it's anything like the wings you wear now, I must say: I am intrigued."
Selvi raises an eyebrow, and begins jotting down information. "I'm afraid R&D is highly restricted. You know the old saw, I could tell you, but then I'd have to have you drawn and quartered and raised as an undead skeleton so nobody can talk to your spirit or bring you back to life, and then put your undead skeleton into the foundation pour for one of our buildings." Despite the way she says it as a semi-joke, there's the feeling suddenly that the foundations of the buildings may have quite a few skeletons in them, literally...
"Now then, Mr. tel'Gossamer, what exactly is it that Altina promised you? Do be aware we will confirm with her before signing paperwork."
Flann re-establishes his collective. ~Feel free to collaborate your responses.~
<"Altina offered to buy the Elephant's engines from you outright on your last excursion, didn't she? And we're back now with clockwork components that we with might entice them; have I missed anything?"> Vim asks though the network.
Connor studied the newcomer gnome's flying contraption as he thought quickly.
That's how I would start, with the engines, and then the clockwork. Connor confirmed over Flann's network. Stay as honestly bland as possible. Go for speed. State how we do import/export from the Surface to the islands, and how we need to outrun pirates, since we cannot outshoot them. Our company considers us a "long shot" for Surface imports.
Don't offer all 100,000 gp in jewels up-front, of course. Ask for options and types. And we need an inn for the crew. The more we save, the better, obviously.
"Ah, fear not Selvi, we haven't been promised anything by Altina except the interest your family has in what we're able to offer. It's our confidence that we'll reach an equitable agreement that brings us here, and nothing more."
"We've a decent selection of Atalantian gearwork that we hope piques your interest, and we're still, of course, interested in what you can offer in the way of engine upgrades. We travel fairly dangerous skies you see, but we prefer to outrun rather than out-gun, as it were. Ideally we can find a happy middle ground: the gearwork, and some beautifully sparklely things to balance it out, against the work on the Elephant, a place for our crew to stay while it happens, and anything else tradeworthy you think might interest you. Perhaps a look over our ship is in order, such that you can quote the job in the first place? I'm sure our Captain here wouldn't mind hearing exactly what his money can buy, after all..."
Selvi makes clacking noises on her clipboard with a stylus. "I see, well, we'll probably want her involved, it may take a day or three to track her down, she's off yelling at dwarves because they aren't selling us the ores we need." Selvi remarks with a wave of the sytlus in the generally southern direction. "I can have the grunts go over your ship and do the initial examination, so we can get you a quote. In the meantime, if you've got things to sell, I can take a quick look at them."