[Mechanical Marvels] A Fitting Tribute (Private)

[Alistair deGrey]

30th of Spring, 510 AV It has been a few days since I was first introduced to Eyris through my research at the temple, and I have been thinking. Despite her magical nature, she continues to walk the lines between what one could consider to be "good" and "evil" if one appreciates hasty dichotomy. Magicians I have encountered have often been of a more, malicious nature. The catalyst that stole me away, forced me to this present state is clear. Rowan Cedany, may his soul be damned, is the epitome of everything I have despised for many years. So here I am, confronted with Eyris, a pure and nonjudgmental being. But I cannot help but see Cedany's madness etched behind my eyelids. It is difficult to wield the knife that cut you. I will never lift Cedany from my memories, but perhaps Eyris may help me learn why we do these things. This goes far past Cedany, no, this is about the nature of our societies. Why do we butcher each other? Why do we willingly delve into insanity? What gives us the right to mutilate everything around us? Why does nobody speak up? So for the hope of enlightenment, I present a small gift. Sincerely, Alistair deGrey Sun dawned, threw light across the courtyard, painted the it in shades of pink and orange. Alistair sat against the cold forge, his rear soaked in the grassy dew. The morning always smelled fresh, clean. This day, Alistair deGrey had risen before dawn and watched the sun rise above the distant mountains. He was sure that Syna was a painter, gifting Mizahar with a new piece of art every time the sun breached the horizon. In truth, the inventor knew nothing of Syna and was only mildly curious about her nature. Of course, Syna had her place on deGrey’s list of things to investigate, but she certainly did not occupy the top slot. He found it much more appealing to believe that it was science that brought about such wonderful things, for the time being at least. But Alistair could not disillusion himself, so he laid his head back and watched Syna throw her paint across Mechanical Marvel’s white masonry walls. Last night, Alistair had begun formulating a new invention. It was not for himself, or for any customer. It was instead a tribute, a gift, a way of saying "thank you". The image of a tall sheet of silver unfolded before Alistair, Eyris' symbol inlaid upon it in gold. Water trickled from the glistening sheet, like a small waterfall that had fallen into asleep. Delicious aromas wafted around the shop, released from the very water that slid down the silver. As a piece de resistance, liquid dripped from the top of the piece and onto a set of percussion instruments. It was complex, and utilized many of Alistair's skills. He thought it only fitting that this piece met if not stretched his knowledge, it was, after all, a tribute to the goddess of knowledge. Yesterday, the castle porters had delivered him a his ordered supplies. This season, deGrey would purchase what he needed in smaller increments so as not to overspend in the early days of Spring. An exception had been made to this rule when purchasing iron though, a shipment had recently arrived from the mines and Alistair was quoted an exceptional price on it. For most of the morning the list of delivered supplies sat on one his workshop tables, patiently awaiting its turn to be filed. Meanwhile the square bricks of iron, copper, and silver stood in stacks like short soldiers awaiting commands. deGrey looked over his supply list, 100 lbs of Iron – 50 gm 20 lbs of Silver – 30 gm 50 lbs of Copper – 25 gm Silver The metals he would use immediately jumped from the list to deGrey’s head. Without anymore planning, forethought, or consideration, he strode into his display room and began rearranging things. Within short order, all of the inventions on the wall immediately right of walking in the door had been transferred to various other positions around the shop. While deGrey contemplated the details of his gift, he collected a pair of tongs and began to pry the nails holding the shelves out of the walls. Without a small amount of effort, Alistair had the fifteen nails from the five shelves extracted and the shelves leaning against the far wall. Yes, this area would be ideal. Images of what would be sketched themselves across the wall in Alistair’s head, and he saw it. The towering silver, the water, the book and loop that signified Eyris. The workshop harbored several tall chairs for the work tables, one of which Alistair moved to the display room, and subsequently stood on. Falling from his hand was a length of string that dangled just above the ground,. Alistair pinched the spot where the string met the ceiling with his calloused fingers, and quickly jumped from the chair to run back to his workshop. A small cut from a knife yielded the inventor a length of string to the exact measurement of the ceiling. Next Alistair trotted back to the main room and divided the empty wall into thirds with a measuring rod. Alistair recorded the measure of the room on a parchment, 10 feet. Working frantically now for no other reason than his excitement at this unique project, Alistair padded out to the dewy courtyard with some flint and steel and proceeded to strike sparks in the hungry forge's black maw. I’ve been thinking on too small of a scale, believing that every device must be able to be immediately taken with the person. But why? Who is to say I cannot create stationary machines? Indeed, this will be the first of many. Not only a gift, but a foray. With the fire lit, deGrey began hauling square foot slabs of iron into his workshop. It would be far more ideal to do this in the courtyard, but the grass would prevent the surface from being even. As well, this way Alistair knew the iron slabs would be level due to the castle’s foundation. A row of ten iron sheets formed on the floor, and then a column of nine running up its side. deGrey spent the next fifteen minutes filling out the ten by nine square on his Workshop floor. After the entire square had been filled, there was scarcely enough open space for Alistair to move without stepping on it. Alistair checked the measurements again, ensured they were accurate, and looked through the door to the display roo- the door was not big enough. The petching door was too small. deGrey angrily punched the floor, his knuckles immediately protesting his idiocy. ”Damnit! Damnitall.” Alistair picked up one of the square foot iron bricks and threw it out into the courtyard, a loud thud coming to his ears as the corner penetrated the earth. An hour later, Alistair had relocated the nine by ten iron rectangle to the display room, rechecked the measurements, and was satisfied with them. It was all the inventor could do to light the forge before he shambled back to the living quarters within and collapsed upon the bed. It would be so nice to sleep one of these years.

[Alistair deGrey]

Here is to high hopes of a hateful world. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it this world the afterlife though, for we seem to be populated by ghosts. A world of the living populated by dead and dying souls of the lost. No wonder we cannot help but wreak destruction, we do not belong here. But enough of that, there is work to be done. Sincerely, Alistair deGrey For the better part of an hour Alistair lay on the bed, not quite dozing but not quite willing to move himself. The plan had ran through his head a thousand times and more, he knew exactly what to do. The mental confirmation was all he needed, and energy materialized from long forgotten recesses of Alistair’s body. He practically jumped off the bed and went to check the fire he had started before the doze. Unfortunately, nothing but embers and a meek flame remained of what must have at one point been a blaze to melt, well, silver. A few pieces of firewood would be all that was needed to reignite this old flame. Each piece released a small thud as it collided with its brothers in the forge. A bellow then added its hiss to the clamor as Alistair pumped on it three or four times. From beside the forge, deGrey pulled the smelting crucible that had come so conveniently with the shop. I would not have the slightest as to where I might find one of these. Although, it would be an interesting challenge I suppose. Silver was an interesting metal. It shined like diamonds when polished, and it smelted easily; although not as easily as gold. It was harder than gold, more resilient. However, there was always the small issue of tarnish. Alistair’s mind worked through different ideas to prevent the ever vexing tarnish on the silver, and he came to a grand conclusion. He would philter something. Before anything past the word “philter” could run through deGrey’s mind, he noticed the fire was ready. He quickly hauled the crucible into his living quarters where the recently acquired silver was stashed and set the heavy ceramic apparatus down. How much silver to use? Alistair left the crucible where it was and walked to his desk. There he began to write. Sheet = (2.7 meters long)(3 meters wide)(X meters deep) 1 ingot = (.3m long)(.3m wide)(.1m deep) Volume of 1 Ingot = .009 meters cubed Alistair estimated ten ingots would be enough, so he plugged it in. 10 ingots = .09 meters cubed .09 = (2.7)(3)(X) .09=8.1(x) = approximately 1 centimeter One centimeter was plenty thick for the sheet of silver; or rather, Alistair hoped it was. He abruptly stood and walked back to the living quarters where the crucible eagerly swallowed the ten ingots he fed it. The inventor hefted the tempered ceramic pot, which must have doubled in weight. Alistair huffed as he nearly ran back to the forge, eager to be rid of the weight. He quickly inserted the crucible into the blazing furnace, allowing it to hang above the glowering coals. Leaning on the side of the forge and huffing like a fish ripped from water, deGrey decided that he would one day make an easier way to transport that wretched thing quickly. It would take a while for the silver to melt, so deGrey leaned against the side of the store and waited. A half hour later, the silver was only soft and malleable. Alistair was thoroughly perplexed by this, it should have become at least partially liquefied at this point. I did not believe the melting temperature of silver to be quite that high… Regardless, Alistair collected some of the coal he saved from fires and threw it into the fire. There was a noticeable difference in the fire as the blackened wood conflagrated, heat veritably emanated from the furnace. deGrey manned the bellows, rhythmically inhaling and exhaling its load onto the fire, which jumped as if in surprise with each gust. Not fifteen minutes later, the silver was nearly liquefied. Another five minutes and the lethally hot liquid sloshed about, halfway to the crucible’s rim. deGrey slipped a thick iron rod between into two slots on the ceramic pot and gently lifted it from the furnace. The skin on his arms felt as if it was glowering from the heat of the forge, and the muscles beneath screamed their protest. Slowly this time, Alistair shuffled into the display room with the crucible of sloshing silver. deGrey watched the mercurial liquid roil around in the crucible, it reminded him of a Konti’s hair, or rather anything about a Konti. Silver was an exceptionally Konti color. But deGrey had no more time to consider Kontis and colors, he set the crucible on the iron square he had previous assembled and sprinted back into his workshop. There he grabbed a pair of heavy leather gloves, these would have been prudent a few minutes ago. and trotted back to his charge. Slowly, Alistair tipped the liquid silver onto the square and watched it spread like water over the dark iron. deGrey was sure that iron melted at a higher heat than silver, so he had no worries of the two fusing together. He watched the reflective silver slosh against the sides of his square as the two met, like passionate lovers reunited. However, the silver always runs. Within several minutes, his liquid metal had begun cooling into a reflective surface. Alistair sat and almost felt as if he could see the heat rising from the silver. It was not ten minutes before deGrey pulled up the silver sheet. The front was completely smooth the the touch, with nearly no flaws; however, the back side had many small eruptions where the liquid silver had seeped beneath the iron and cooled. Now this is interesting. deGrey looked at himself in this makeshift mirror, Perhaps I should break and bathe…. Later. deGrey stood the silver sheet up on its thin base, noticed that it did not quite reach the ceiling. No matter, this works better in any case.

[Alistair deGrey]

31st of Spring, 510 AV I dreamt last night, but like so many things, it slipped through the cracks in my memory. That happens far too often. Too many things fall through the grates of society, become lost among the shifting plates. Perhaps it is there, that places drained of light, beyond the reach of humanity, that I will find answers. The gift is progressing well. Sincerely, Alistair deGrey Morning struck, and before Alistair mounted the silver sheet, he needed to embed Eyris’ symbol into the sheet. It would the piece de resistance of the invention, the cup that flooded the creek. The forge unwillingly lit, and its meager flame nibbled at the wood deGrey threw, deciding whether or not it wanted to take. Hurry and heat, soon you will feed on gold. The ceramic crucible waited before him, and deGrey indulged the object and awkwardly lifted it from it’s the hooks inside the forge. Alistair was in the midst of sidling through the door when he decided it would be much more prudent to simply bring the gold to the smelter. The unwieldy pot swung slightly on its hooks as deGrey reattached it. In the very back of his, rather small, living quarters, Alistair found what he was looking for. Excellent. Last season he had purchase ten pounds of gold, and had allocated five pounds per season for special projects. It was incredibly easy to work with, but also expensive. Every time he used it, shivers ran down his spine at the thought of how many Mizas he was throwing away. But not this time, to Alistair’s senses, this was well worth the sacrifice. The clangor of gold striking the interior of the ceramic pot resounded across the courtyard, reintroducing deGrey’s sleepy ears with the concept of loud noise. The five remaining gold bricks would melt down eventually, as soon as the wood brought the fire up to temperature. If Alistair recalled correctly, a wood fire would heat well enough to melt gold. While the yellow metal liquefied, deGrey moved to his workshop and perused a selection of tools. For what he was doing, he would need hammers. Not just a hammer, but an array of hammers to create the level of detail he was searching for. These hammers would make him a book, as well a wonder of design. Mobius strip, renowned, if my memory serves, for its property in regards to travel. If one is to stand on a Mobius strip and proceed forward, one will have moved over every inch of the strip before returning to one’s starting position. Interesting piece of mathematics and engineering when applied. The established plan was to create Eyris’ symbols, a book and a mobius strip, on the silver mirror. deGrey stacked three pieces of iron underneath each corner of the silver sheet, and began to work. He gingerly began tapping the outline with a chisel; light enough to create a dent, but not to break through. First was the book, which was depicted as a large open tome. Wrapping around the entirety of the tome was a mobius strip, that ever curious design of Eyris. Each time his delicate hammer impacted the silver, an equally sensitive clank reached deGrey’s ears. After the entire outline was finished, the inventor simply went to town, lightly of course, on the inside of the design. This would not matter, as long as the depth equal throughout, or nearly equal, everything would work correctly. Within short order, because this particular part did not require much precision at all, the small basin was ready. Before Alistair retrieved the liquid gold though, his eyes scanned the workshop for a trowel. More often than not they were designed to smooth mortar, but the tool would work equally well for molten metal. Alistair found a battered old trowel in one of the cabinets in the back of the workshop and slipped it through his belt. As convenient as it was to have so many tools from the old proprietor, some of them were in admittedly terrible shape. The rough leather gloves slipped over Alistair’s hands, the iron rod slid through the crucible’s fixtures, and he lifted the molten gold from the fire. It was still horribly awkward, and potentially lethal, to remove the crucible while it was full of gold. While it had yet to occur to deGrey, he was sure that spilling five pounds of liquid metal on oneself was not the most prudent idea that could come to one’s mind. So he was careful, despite the difficulty, when bringing the liquid into the display room where the indented silver waited. What had not occurred to the inventor was that while he now had the liquid gold before him, he could not very well just tip it like he had with the silver. No, in order to get the gold in the specified slot, he would need to pick up the seven hundred degree crucible . Short bursts of contact with the almost seven hundred degree pot was fine with his thick leather gloves, but extension of said contact did not seem acceptable when considering one’s health. Alistair quickly hurried back to his study and grabbed the largest beaker he had, and nearly sprinted back. He gingerly dipped the beaker into the liquid gold, filling it to the halfway mark. He then poured the yellow liquid into the pounded out spots. The silver sheet sagged a little on its supports, as the gold filling in its center nearly equated to a quarter of its total weight. After the small indentations were filled, deGrey was left with half of the liquid gold remaining in the crucible, and a beaker with a layer of gold plating half its rim. That could have went so much better.

[Alistair deGrey]

Eyris, oh Eyris, what have you done to me? Forever yours, Alistair deGrey Later that day… In effect, Alistair was barely done with this project. Although it seemed to him as if he had been working on it for a month longer than he actually had. But consideration of the upcoming tasks noticeably rejuvenated the inventor. Soon would be the most fascinating part But first deGrey needed to smelt more silver. Earlier he had realized a fatal error in his design, there was nowhere for the water to go once it trickled down the plate. So now it was Alistair’s task to create a basin for the water to collect in, and be collected from. The forge had been exuding heat for the past forty five minutes, and was currently melting the last ten pounds of deGrey’s silver. The iron that had formed the first sheet was still in place, but the dimensions of the basin would have to be larger. In order to hold a sustainable amount of water, and minimize the distance the device will have to lift it, I will want the basin walls to be high. Let us shoot for two feet, cut almost a quarter of the vertical distance. So, if I need two feet on either side, and the vertical sheet is ten feet across, I will require the basin to be fourteen feet long. Alistair quickly began to rearrange the iron squares accordingly while the gears in his brain continued to churn. And given the space each lifting mechanism will require to lift the water the proper distance, I should probably aim for 3 spare feet behind the sheet. Then the two foot side height for the front and back. Therefore I would want it to be seven feet long. Seven, fourteen times… Ninety eight. Alistair jumped up and went to procure eight more iron tiles, dwindling his stock down to two of the blocks. The 7x14 blocks of iron, lined with their copper counterparts to prevent the liquid silver from seeping onto the floor, took up a majority of the display room once again. deGrey was exceptionally grateful for the large open space the room afforded him at this time. Donning his previous crucible equipment and this time a leather apron, Damnation, why did I not use this earlier?, deGrey pulled out the crucible once more. The familiar image of roiling silver greeted him, and the familiar weight pulled at him as he lifted the indubitably malignant weight. After Alistair deGrey managed to get haul the silver into the display room, he collapsed onto the floor and rolled away from it. The inventor’s muscles spasmed and gasped for air, protesting their continued abuse. Kneading the cramp in his right tricep, deGrey righted himself and tipped the molten konti hair into the sheet mold. After the crucible had regurgitated its load onto the iron, deGrey lay back against the wall and worked his arms while the silver set. In less than three minutes, deGrey took his hammer to the still warm and malleable silver, and began to form the basin. First he measured out two feet on each side and marked the position with a chunk of coal. Next the inventor, or lately it seemed metalsmith, folded the back and front sides to the specified mark, a pair of two foot borders. Now deGrey hammered up the other two sides, leaving the crease marks on the back, but hammering them in on the front where they would be visible. The final part of the basin assembly came with the insertion of the vertical silver sheet with the gold symbol. deGrey placed it where he desired, approximately one quarter of a foot back from the front of the basin, and hammered the sides in until the clamped tightly on one side. deGrey tossed his hammer to the other side, and gripped the sheet with two hands to keep it in place as he sidled to the other end. There he hammered that side as well, clamping that side as well. The front creases on the corners where he had hammered in stuck into the structure conspicuously, so Alistair tapped their sides until they met the silver sheet. A little protection from falling forward. At least a half of it was done.

[Alistair deGrey]

32nd of Spring, 520 AV Eyris fills me with lucidity. Quietly opens my head and pours clarity in. It is as if I am awakening from a deep slumber, scaring the fog away with new eyes. What was contentment has become despair and hope. Hope for the enlightenment to come, despair for what has materialized from the darkness. It is a nightmare, humanity. Sincerely, Alistair deGrey The third great step forward in this device’s construction was arranging a mechanism that would lift the water to the sheets peak. To do this, deGrey reutilized one of his favorite concepts, gravity. His mind had worked over half a dozen ways to get water up, but this was by far the best. The main problem with using the traditional fountain method, which deGrey had severely considered, was that it involved pipes. Alistair did not want to do many things; one of the most prominent activities on this list was make pipes. Pipes were not pleasant to make, they were tedious and boring. So instead deGrey opted to use some of the dozens of gears he had lying about. It is undeniable, that every plan works best on paper. Alistair sat down and drew out this mechanism before he actually made it. It was a quick, dirty sketch, not worthy of any recognition beyond a spot in deGrey’s files. However, it was meaningful to him. The whittled piece of charcoal Alistair was drawing with crumbled over his gear trains, smudges became the legacy of these bits and pieces as the inventor wiped them away into their not so distant horizon. On the page could be seen four cylinders labeled “L”, for lifting. Sprouting from each of these was four cups attached to two foot rods. Those were wooden, but the rest was metal. Attached to each was a gear train that would lead up to the next lifting mechanism. He drew four lifting mechanisms in total: one to scoop water and take it two feet high, where it would drop the water into the next mechanism, which brought it two feet higher, and so on. When the water reached the fourth device, it tipped into a miniature copper basin at the top. Once in the basin, it would trip out of tiny holes spaced evenly across the width of the sheet, and water would proceed to drip from each hole. However, on either end of the miniature basin were fluted arms that reached around and clung to the silver sheet like a child. Both of them had holes punctured in them on the first half to allow water to drip through. As Alistair reached for the copper that would form his basin, something came to mind. The metal for this can be seen from the other side, that would ruin the facade… He cursed quietly and gave the last five pounds of silver he owned an anguished look. But this was the best option, so deGrey spent the next hour or so smelting and working the silver that would become the basin. He exposed the individual silver pieces to the fire until they were warm and malleable, and then merged two of the soft pieces together with his hammer and tongs. The intentions floating through Alistair’s head told him the top basin was to be thin, so two silver ingots would suffice. deGrey’s tongs bit down on the hunk of copper and thrust it into the furnace. When Alistair pulled the metal after a minute or so, the metal had that familiar sheen as it shed any oils it harbored. The sound of metal colliding with itself rung out around the courtyard and surrounding area, filling the early afternoon air with its lovely clangor. deGrey’s hammer veritably squished the copper beneath its resounding blows, flattening the copper. As soon as the metal had allowed itself to be conformed to the proper length, Alistair heavily tapped the edges to flute them upwards. Thrusting the left side of his small silver basin back into the fire to heat, afforded deGrey some time to think. Only two more additions after this, the drum and the lifting mechanism. deGrey was almost regretting the end of this project, almost. As much as he cringed from so much expenditure on a single project, he still found enjoyment from his task. It was interesting, due to the fact that Alistair usually hated metalworking. This was more than just an invention though, this was a tribute deGrey felt worthy to a goddess. He did not fall to his knees, did not ask aid of her, nor did not spout her gospel. No, Alistair had a different prayer. This prayer extended past the lives and minds of men, hopefully. Ah! No more time for contemplation. The silver had become so soft it was bending of its own volition. Out from the forge came the silver and the inventor immediately hammered on the end until It formed a long tail. Wasting less time with the other side, Alistair inserted it into the forge as he had the left side. In not forty five seconds deGrey retracted the sweating metal and began a carbon copy of the other side. When the small basin was finished, it resembled a long and shallow bowl with two half foot tails sprouting from either end. The front of the bowl was flat, while the back was fluted up like the container it closely resembled. However, before Alistair attached the basin to his sheet, he needed to make the appropriate holes for water to drip through. They did not need to be glamorous, so Alistair took a finely tipped chisel and hammer, and then proceeded to punch the holes into both the tails. However, because the drums would not be located in the front, half of each extension was left bare. The chair deGrey was using earlier to measure the ceiling found itself back out in the display room. There Alistair notated the eight foot mark and quickly jumped off the chair. Trotting into his workshop he slipped his leather gloves on again, tucked a hammer into his belt, and put on an apron. Before he retrieved the silver from the forge, Alistair snatched a copper rod he had hastily made earlier and leaned it against the backside of the vertical sheet. Then, quickly moving out to the forge, deGrey used his tongs to extract the glowering silver. He had left the metal in for too long, but Alistair supposed the overexposure would not harm it; as if he could do anything about it at this point anyway. Nearly running back to the Display room where the towering invention stood, Alistair clambered back onto the stool with his one free hand. Working frantically, Alistair braced the basin against the vertical sheet and hammered the right tail tightly around its side so it clamped to both front and back. Alistair jumped from the chair, keeping his hands stretched above his heads stretched high to support the other half while he hammered it, and sidled to the left side of the vertical sheet. There he took the hammer and, from such a strange angle, awkwardly clamped the other side as well. To keep the basin in place, Alistair wedged the copper rod between it and the bottom of the basin. Hopefully, that would prevent small disturbances from allowing the basin to shimmy down. The last thing that needed to be done was punch holes in the metal right above small basin. Taking the same fine tipped chisel, deGrey used his hammer and punched very fine holes at the level of the basin every ½ centimeter or so. The silver was smooth to the touch on the front. deGrey stood before the invention, which was half finished at this point. All that needed to be done was purchase drums, and install the lifting mechanism. Below deGrey’s eyes fell upon the silver basin, eager to house water. It had seemed like a lot of work for this metal frame. Well, now it was time to fill it in with actual parts.

[Alistair deGrey]

Being awake hurts sometimes. It would be so much easier to always sleep, but then again, sleeping men can't see the sunrise. Or the sunset for that matter. Sincerely, Alistair deGrey Alistair was certain he had enough gears with a two foot diameter, but he would have to create the wheels himself. While the first design called for four, deGrey realized that he only in fact needed three wheels to reach the top basin. Alistair sat down and redid his math quickly, and eliminated one of the lifting gears. Silently, the inventor berated himself for his clumsy mathematics, but quickly shoved his error to the side and progressed with the project. Three wooden wheels and twelve of the arms, plus a cup for each arm. Alistair sighed, woodworking. In his study was the last of his wood from last season, some soft exotic woods he had been bent on saving for a special occasion. Well, said occasion had never actually come, and now was as good a time as ever. Hopefully only one of these precious, and expensive, pieces of lumber would be used. deGrey traced three circles on the flat side of the exotic board with a compass that was, quite frankly, in horrible condition. The first time he had found it, the circle compass was sitting nearly crushed beneath a set of hammers in the back of his cupboards. Regardless, it had only taken a few hits with the same set of hammers that had bent it in the first place to put the compass back into reasonable condition. Regardless, now that the three circles were in place, Alistair simple had to saw them out. deGrey’s favored saw blade was not the sharpest, nor the newest, but it would definitely work on a soft wood like this. Alistair pursed his lips as he carefully cut on the lines he had drawn; the more precise he was originally, the less correction he would need to make later. Soon all three circles had been extracted from the board, which now looked woefully mangled. deGrey pulled a file from his apron. It was always convenient to carry small tools in the pockets of an apron, however, since deGrey rarely wore his apron, this principle rarely applied to him. Small shavings of wood joined the sawdust already on the floor as deGrey shaved off the deformities present on his circles. Yes, these would do nicely, and what more, they were quick to create. An auger. Augers were always excellent tools. Wood was more difficult to make parts with than metal because it often involved imprecise actions. Yes a compass, measure, and in this case a good auger could minimize the ambiguity, but there would still be a certain amount of whittling or carving involved when a piece turned out too bulky. You would have to eye it. Of course when creating metal things that could not be molded, there would be a level of imprecision similar to that of woodworking. However when metalsmithing, there was one major option available to virtually eliminate the human subjectivity inherent in woodworking, molds. deGrey took his auger and drilled five holes in each wheel: one in the center, and yet another in opposite positions. Alistair gently set these three wheels aside, and began drawing on the expensive wood once more with his charcoal. Twelve lines, twelve more circles about half the size of the first three, and deGrey had each part he needed outlined. His saw worked at the lines, cutting a dozen rods out. For the circles a more delicate saw was used to accommodate the curves. With these pieces extricated from their wooden prison, Alistair took a small auger and bored a hole in each of the small circles. He tried fitting the wooden rods into the recently cut holes, cut each was too large. This is why I detest woodworking. A short, small knife was taken from Alistair’s desk, and began to cut shavings from each of the rods until they were each a fraction smaller and would fit through the hole. With the rods fitting properly, Alistair began to hollow out each of the cylinders, forming a large cup cup within each. For this he used the largest auger he could find in his shop and bored a majority of the way through it. Then he proceeded to take his knife and scrape the sides thin, releasing even more wood shavings onto his previously clean floor. Another reason to hate woodcarving. Later he would regret carving these cups indoors as he swept every single eighth ounce of wood into the courtyard. But for now Alistair was still working, that would come later. The dowels had the same problem fitting into the center wheel as they did fitting into the cups. But in this situation deGrey took a mallet and whalloped each one a few times to wedge it into the opening as tightly as possible. The pieces seemed to assemble themselves as Alistair’s hands autonomously worked the carved wood. It had always been something interesting to deGrey, learning and observing familiar things through new means. The inventor closed his eyes as he began to attach the rods. His dexterous hands ran over the wood, which was smooth even in an unprocessed form. He held the square tip of a dowel with his hand as he reached for the mallet and began to lightly tap it into the wheel. The light wood seemed to creak as it gave way to the workings of deGrey’s well trained hands and slipped into its allotted slot. He continued the blind work, nerves feeding him everything he needed to know. Electric impulses raced through his cord like muscles and fed his brain the information he craved so much. His eyes opened. The light that flooded his vision caused Alistair to blink rapidly as he reoriented himself to the world about him. Before him were the three wheels and their lifting arms. A few slight adjustments were needed to reorient the cups wedged onto the end of each rod, as they were slightly askew. deGrey grasped one of the gears by the hole bored in its center, and spun it about the organic axle. The cups whizzed past Alistair’s face as they wheeled about the axis, catching air as surely as they would soon catch water. deGrey was sure that some of the water that the cups caught would leak out or spill, but the way Alistair had the system aligned in his mind, the loss would not throw rust upon his gears. A myriad of dowels rested patiently in the corner of Alistair’s workshop, each waiting their turn to be chosen. The inventor commonly used said rods for the equally diverse machines he would create. Whether they’re used for vertical supports, or horizontal axes, these humble copper rods proved to be exceptionally versatile. On one end of most of these was a half ring that Alistair could set another dowel on; which would allow it to work like an axis. Now, the dowels served the purpose of being both an axis and a support. Inevitably, any device that moved vertically would require supports to counter gravity, and any wheel would need an axis to spin about. So now Alistair stood before his selection of copper rods, shorter ones leaning against the taller specimens. He had created about half a dozen at varying lengths, One foot, two feet, three feet. Each increment was useful for different tasks, but for this one Alistair only needed a pair of four feet rods, a pair of six foot rods, and then a pair of eight foot rods for his supports. Spanning between each set of supports would be the axis that held the special gears and their standard accompaniments. It was not an hour before the simple lifting device was assembled. To an unpolished eye the array of dowels and gears might seem daunting at first, but Alistair was sure that even a commoner could decipher how this device worked. There were three tiers to the mechanism: The top, middle, and bottom. The different levels were oriented differently, with the top and bottom running parallel to the vertical sheet, and the middle being perpendicular. Each tier had both a lifting wheel and a gear with a 1 foot radius. The normal gear met with the one on the next tier, spanning the two foot distance to the next. What powered the device was a weight tied to a wheel on the top tier’s axle. So when the weight was released, gravity would take its toll and pull it to the earth where it belonged. The wheel would spin as the weight forced tugged on it, which would in turn cause the axle to spin. Due to the property of gears that entailed the reversal of directions, each tier would spin the oppositely: the top and bottom counter clockwise, and middle clockwise. On the bottom tier was the first lifting device, which would scoop water from the basin and then deposit it into the next lifting device’s cups, which were synchronized accordingly. At the top, the last wheel would deposit its liquid load into the top basin, where it would trickle out and down the front of the sheet.

[Alistair deGrey]

33rd of Spring, 510 AV Today I went to see Sina, quite possibly one of the most radiantly happy people in Syliras if not Mizahar. I find myself wondering if she ever stops beaming. I also ask myself, is it from ignorance, or contentment? Probably both. Nobody should ever be enlightened and content. The two do not mix well, it is like pointing out a chair once the room is empty. Some people will think you mad. Sincerely, Alistair deGrey The original plan for deGrey was to create the percussion instruments for the musical aspect himself. However, now he looked at the expensive dark wood before him with distaste. I am sure it is not proper for drums in any case. Truthfully, Alistair did not want to cut into another piece of his expensive lumber. The price for percussion instruments at the closest proprietorship was not insignificant, but it would be well worth it. As if I could make an instrument. Alistair slipped on his overcoat and departed his store, listening for the click of a lock on the way out. Continued here, [Syliras Location] Wildwood Music Upon return.. deGrey laid the bongos on the floor and the violin on the counter, wondering how exactly he would mount the former on his tribute. The first thought that came to his mind was to smith a hook that might hang on the basin's rim while supporting the bongos. This idea, upon second inspection, appealed immensely to Alistair. With this arrangement, he could angle the bongos however he desired. The concept played through Alistair's head, Water drips from the basin, plummets for six or so feet, and strikes the bongo. However, due to the angle, most of said liquid will slide back into the basin. Inevitably, some would be lost; however Alistair's primary concern at this point was the intensity of the sound. In thirty or so minutes the forge was belching out heat waves, as if Alistair had created a small sun. While the time whittled away, deGrey had taken measurements of the drums, carving them into the stone that was his memory. These parts would be copper, as he was running out of silver. So he thrust the copper into the furnace, for once actually wearing his apron when the project began. He thrust the copper into the forge, waiting until the metal was fairly glowering with heat. When the radiant metal emerged, Alistair swiftly bent the metal into a U shape. Then he took a hammer and hit the point at which the parabola switched directions, turning the ends of the U into a hook. The last step involved flipping the figure over and hitting the beginning of the parabola some more. After it was done, the metal loosely resembled a disfigured Z. It took deGrey an inconsiderable amount of time to replicate the work a second time. The newly forged pieces hooked a little awkwardly onto the basin, but they would easily slide across the rim if needed. deGrey set the bongos on them, one on each side, and slid them directly under the holes he had created in the top basin. All that was for this day was to fill it with water, a task which would inevitably devour deGrey's next few hours. Alistair procured a pair of ash buckets and commenced the small journey from the basin to the castle’s closest fountain. It was, as is usually the case, never getting there that is the problem. It is in fact, getting back. One or two inane hours later… Forty three. Forty three was the number of trips Alistair made to fill the basin, and forty three was the number of hours he would like to sleep as a dead man.

[Alistair deGrey]

35th of Spring, 510 AV Yesterday gave me a glimpse of forever. Or rather, a portion of forever. If I'm lucky, today will reveal a small portion of eternity as well. How nice it would be to see the entire thing. I have thought about the Eyris and enlightenment far too much, so today I try to not think of them, though it seems as if I just failed my task. Sincerely, Alistair deGrey The glass apparatus’ that lay cluttered on Alistair’s writing desk was finally going to get some use. A thick book entitled “Introductory Philtering” dropped onto the bed with the inventor. This moment was momentous, it would be the first time he had philtered something since he had attended the Zeltivan University. Quite frankly, deGrey had always loved philtering but found it to be quite a bit less logical than machines. He considered it to be his more emotional and intuitive side, although he knew philtering was more or less an exacting science. Regardless, Alistair was unable to reason out the logic behind the mixtures used in philtering. At least, for now. Dust was caked on the creases in the book, a testimony to its foul treatment in Undeniable Interest. Alistair had taken pains to clean the book as best he could, but it was irreparably, even if mildly, damaged by its imprisonment. But this was only a minor concern for the inventor turned philterer as his eyes perused the pages of the tome. As cryptic and mysterious as the book appeared, it was riddled with recipes for simple things such as temporary dyes, philters to keep the sun from damaging fabrics or skin, a mild acid for cleaning, and all manner of mundane recipes for household use. However, this was all Alistair wanted or needed; as he soon realized when he came upon the page he was looking for. “General Aromatics” was a recipe designed to give a liquid, any liquid really, a scent. The recipe called for allowing the cocktail to sit in darkness for two weeks, and be shaken every day. It labeled itself as versatile, but there were certain ingredients that would produce noxious fumes instead of a desirable scent. As well, the philter’s scent was exceptionally long lasting, and depending on the ingredient you mix into it, pungent. However, the book required that the philter be kept in a glass container so as to prevent the scent’s diffusion. If one desired the use of this formula with solids, one would be instructed to soak the solid in the cocktail for the two weeks. The recipe was exceedingly simple, calling for only three ingredients: an aromatic, water or some similar liquid, and highly concentrated alcohol. Alistair laid his head against the wall and thought for a few seconds, do I really need it to last that long? I suppose not, a day or so is fine. In any case, he did not want to venture out to find the unnecessary ingredient. However, Alistair certainly had apples and water. Both were cheap and in abundant supply in Syliras. Quite frankly, deGrey did not drink. He detested the loss of control, the inevitable failure of one’s perceptions. Much safer was the harsh grip of his failures or the elation of success. However, now was a time where Alistair would need alcohol. Quite a bit of it at that. He jumped up from the bed and slipped on his boots. The metronome of the two clocks he always kept running suddenly ceased as he veritably slammed the swollen door of his proprietorship closed. Winter had not been kind. [Syliras Location] The Rearing Stallion Upon return... Rummaging around his living quarters produced a few apples and Alistair’s water skin. The process was exceedingly simple. Finely chop the aromatic substance. Alistair took one of his largest knives and chopped the apples in half on one of his workshop tables. His blade began to work the crisp flesh of the fruit, dividing the apples into many small pieces. They grew so small that his knife was cutting seven or eight pieces at a time. The decimated apple released its strong ester, perfuming a small area with its scent. Purify the water deGrey chose a large beaker on his desk and uncorked his water skin. The water sloshed about inside the skin as it emptied into the glassware. The fire burned Alistair’s hand a bit as he placed the water beside it to boil. Ale Concentrate the alcohol. This step would take longer, as deGrey suspected most of the alcohol was water. Not profitable to get customers drunk too quickly. One of the alembics he had purchased at Inner Fire Glassworks suited nicely for this task, and deGrey poured his ale into it. The water had began to steam and bubble, and the inventor ran into his workshop for a pair of tongs. Returning, the water was ready to be taken off, and Alistair switched the water and alcohol. He then carefully paced into his work area and placed the beaker of clean water on the table by the apples, making a hissing noise as the hot beaker touched the damp area where the apple’s juice had gotten onto the surface. Oh damn, I had not considered that. Alistair had not even remotely thought of the liquid inside of an apple. That would throw off the ratios given by the book. He guessed that the apple’s liquid was mainly water, so Alistair would have to compensate somehow. Thinking for a second, deGrey came to a solution as abruptly as dry hay lit up when taken to the torch. There has got to be a scale here somewhere. It was an entirely loud affair, digging through the lesser used equipment. Anything Alistair used frequently was neatly in its place, within reach and clean. However, much of the equipment that was often unneeded had not been touched since he opened the shop. A few more clangs and the clamor ceased, Alistair pulled a small scale tucked away in the workshop’s corner. It was a horrible scale, not having the units marked, even though Alistair was sure it was in pounds. But that was irrelevant as far as Alistair was concerned. deGrey placed the mass of chopped apples upon the scale, noting its weight on a paper, Fresh Apples – Approximately one half pound. Now deGrey gathered up the diced apples in his cupped hands and placed them on the hot stone of his fireplace. Close enough that the heat would hopefully dehydrate them, but far enough away that they would not burn. Another ten minutes had passed before the alcohol had separated from the other ingredients, losing all of its rich golden color. In one bulb of the alembic was a clear, pungent liquid, and in the original bulb a rich golden morass remained. There was a little less than half of the original liquid in the bulb with clear liquid, and Alistair found his early suspicions regarding the nature of brewers confirmed. A broad smile played on Alistair’s face as he removed the clear alcohol and placed it with the purified water on the table, another hiss reminding him of his apples. The smile fled and he hurried back to the fireplace, checking his fruit components. Frankly, deGrey did not have the foggiest as to how long the apples would take to dehydrate, but they were not done yet. Alistair quickly found himself flipping through the pages of the philtering book, reading the various recipes, for the next twenty minutes. Each was as fascinating as the last in their simple obscurity. Halfway through the book, Alistair found a recipe for “Metallic Shine”, and then recalled his previous goal of preventing tarnish. Ahh, I knew something like this would be in here. Excellent. Before reading further, deGrey threw the apples over on the fireplace a glance, they appear to be dry to me. Alistair slipped on his heavy leather gloves and pulled the dehydrated apples away from the heat, and scooped them up in his hand. Back at the table with the alcohol and water, deGrey poured the apples into a mason jar. After pouring the alcohol and water into the jar, the inventor mildly expected something impressive to occur. However, no such luck. All that Alistair was rewarded with was a few apples lazily floating through the concoction. Now I wait two weeks. deGrey closed the mason jar tightly, and gingerly placed the philtered scent into a cupboard. Now he only needed to shake it every day for two weeks, and he would have his scent.

[Alistair deGrey]

Its ironic, how the concept that I have so disdained for my entire life has suddenly snared me like a rabbit. I've never needed a deity before. But now I crave Eyris and what she brings, as a dying man tries to hoard his last few seconds. It is a curse I say, I have been bewitched. But some enchantments are not willingly broken. Sincerely, Alistair deGrey In the book, the recipe for “Metallic Shine” was as simple as the scent formula, and called for: boiling water, salt, and baking soda. It was designed to return a metallic object, particularly silver or brass, to its previous splendor. While this recipe was exceedingly simple, it was also exceedingly useful because one did not need to touch the metal to polish it. This meant that all deGrey had to do to clean his silver sheet was to once every few weeks allow it to stop running, and then pour the polish oover it. Alistair knew he had water, and was sure that he had purchased both of the other two ingredients with his food supplies last season. Finally found a use for them at least, I do not recall having any competence in regards to baking in any case. deGrey dug through the two barrels of dry goods he kept for on hand.. One was nearly empty, but fortunately so, for the salt rested neatly tucked away in the bottom of it. Alistair snatched the tiny crystals and tossed them onto his bed. No sign of baking soda was apparent in the depleted barrel, so Alistair began filling it with food from the full one. About halfway through, Alistair found a large sack with white powder. Perhaps, but… deGrey opened the sack and tasted the white powder. Definitely not baking soda. He tossed what must have been flour into the filling barrel, and rummaged through the emptying one some more. Like dog throwing dirt behind it whilst it dug soft earth, Alistair threw a myriad of ingredients he had never before used into the barrel. There we are! A small sack with white powder seeping through revealed itself to deGrey underneath a bag of rice. He pulled the small sack up, put his finger to the white powder and then his tongue, and grimaced. Definitely baking soda. Alistair tossed that bag onto the bed by the salt, leaving a dusting of its fine powder on the blanket when it hit. From his desk top, Alistair deGrey pulled a large mason jar and poured the proper 4:2:1 ratio of water to baking soda to salt into it. The foul powdery substance turned out to be a limiting reagent, as he quickly discovered he only had enough baking soda to fill one third of the jar. Regardless, he made as much as he was able to and then poured the still cool water in with the salt and baking soda. It mixed powdery at first, but then slowly dissolved into the water. Since he would only be using this anti-tarnish substance once a week or so, he decided it best to create a concentrated form and for storage, and mix it with the hot water right before he applied it. So Alistair took the Mason jar and placed it near the fire with his tongs. It was not five minutes before the water boiled and only fifteen minutes had passed and a fifth of the water was depleted. However, the Mason jar could not get too hot, or else it would inevitably shatter from the heat, or at least Alistair assumed as such. He knew that metal expanded when it was heated, so assumed glass would expand as well. The difference was, glass shatters much more easily. Thusly the novice philterer grasped the jar with his tongs and pulled it from the heat. It took about four more runs before the liquid had boiled down almost entirely, and what was left was a highly concentrated, milky white substance about one seventh the original volume. Alistair hoped that exposing the substance to heat would help, because otherwise he could have just used this amount of water. Perhaps I should have considered that earlier. Regardless, what was done was done. The polish would not be needed yet, so deGrey tightened the lid and placed it in the nondescript cupboard with the scent. He walked from his bright workshop where red light flooded in from the evening sky, to the display room where the silver sheet and effigy of Eyris denied the crimsons and pinks, throwing them against the opposite wall. Only two weeks, fourteen days, three hundred and thirty six hours, or two thousand, two hundred and sixty minutes until it is finished. Alistair was excited.

[Dusk]

XP Award! Alistair deGrey XP Award Mathematics: 2 XP Metalsmithing: 4 XP Carving: 1 XP Bodybuilding: 1 XP Drawing: 1 XP Carpentry: 1 XP Gadgeteering: 1 XP Philtering: 2 XP Additional Note Great training thread! The fountain itself is successful, and will work as he intended. The philtering is successful, and after two weeks he'll have something to scent the water with. The water and scent will need to be changed each season. The bongos will be a problem. Running water over leather-and-wood will cause severe damage to them. The wooden outsides will swell and crack within a few days. If the water is turned off at night, the leather will crack once it's soaked and dried again. If the water runs continuously, it will stretch and warp the sound within two days, and will mold by the end of the first week. He will likely be extremely satisfied when turned on, but he'll need to find another solution once he realizes what happens when leather and wood are saturated. Make sure you tally up your money on your ledger for the purchase at the shops, and good job!