A Stitch in Souragne - La Danse de Mort

[Guzrath]

Vincent follows, looking around at the place and at Molliana, in case of etye contact he smiles and winks.
He supresses his urge to for comments by focusing on other things around, touching a thing or two that look innocent.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

While Vincent looks around, one of the little devices produces a series of five musical notes, expels two jets of steam... and squirts cool, fresh water into a pewter cup. The smell of it fills the laboratory, cutting through the chemical stink for a precious moment. The machine whirs, fills the cup, then returns to ticking like a clock. Its brass and silver fittings gleam like jewels.

[Ken of Ghastria]

"Interesting," says Lucien, looking at the water curiously. "As transparent and cool as the man's disdain." He then proceeds to look around the room, determining the quickest way to exit in case of surprises.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

There are two roads of egress. First is the door by which you entered. Second is a smaller door which is in the wall opposite.

After a few minutes, the Doctor comes charging into the lab. Dressed in a pristine white smock, an apron, a skullcap and a facemask, he looks slightly intimidating but entirely professional. The scientist pulls on thick rubber gloves and, without saying a word to any of you, sets up some equipment on the work table: a big glass bowl, two vials that contain some unknown liquids, a series of glass rods and an actual microscope.

"Place your sample in the bowl," he orders in a peremptory tone of voice, "and stand back. I will be charging you sixty gold coins for this service, and I expect payment in cash. Given the circumstances, I will accept local coin instead of proper Lamordian Gluttons."

[steveflam]

Goren is fascinated by the machine that created water from thin air! It has possibilities to help the population in their time of need!

Souragnien "This machine can help people! Sir, is there possibility to create a bigger one?"

Forgetting the man spoke in Mordentish he repeats the same thing in Mordentish. "This machine good if bigger to help people of Souragne with water problem, sir. How much liquid it can make?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"This machine can cleanse roughly ten gallons of sea or swamp water per day and produce about eight gallons of potable water," Doctor Auschluss replies in lightly accented Souragnien. "Any more than that and we risk overheating and permanent damage. Yes, I can make a bigger version - as soon as my price has been met. One thousand Lamordian Gluttons for each mass-production device, cash, as I have told those nobles and the priests. Construction begins as soon as I have received the full sum."

[steveflam]

Goren nods. When they get back to the temple he would ask about the payment. This machine was important for the population.

[Ail]

Zumba nods.
"Yes, that would be interesting..."
He looks almost in a lost gaze, past the machine. He tries to remember if he had already heard rumours about this machine. Surely, if it were only a matter of money, the machine would be already done if the price could have been somehow met. How much would be a thousand gluttons worth?

[Ken of Ghastria]

"Place your sample in the bowl," he orders in a peremptory tone of voice, "and stand back. I will be charging you sixty gold coins for this service, and I expect payment in cash. Given the circumstances, I will accept local coin instead of proper Lamordian Gluttons."

Lucien steps forward and places one of the candles where directed. He looks at Doctor Auschluss levelly and says, "Twenty-five gold now..." He places a small bag on a nearby table. "...for the use of your supplies. The rest will vary on the level of satisfaction with your results, Herr Doktor. So far, your skills are championed by only a few ignorant locals. Demonstrate that our time isn't being wasted, and I swear that your skills will be championed in places of power across the Core."

____________________________________
Lucien will drop the empathy power to gain a +2 bonus on a Diplomacy check, as he's trying to lower the price.

[Higginz]

Nicolae slips into the room behind the others. He waits until the others have been adequately distracted with the activities of the doctor and then slips over towards the peculiar machine for a closer inspection.

OOC: If you want a roll for this I got Slight of Hand=13

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Doctor Auschluss snorts contemptuously at Lucien's words. "Young half-elf," he says in strident tones, "I am a graduate of the Universities of Neufurchtenburg and Dementlieu, the Brautslava Institute and several lesser institutions. If 'fame' were what I desired, I would have it already. My name would be a household word in the houses of the rich and foolish, and I would live in a grand palace, rather than this dismal land of swamps and superstition. I, however, am a Scientist. What I desire is what I have: a place to study where I do not have to worry about university politics distracting me from my work. Now observe the tools of true science!"

Without further ado, the Lamordian pours first the one clear liquid over the candles, then the other. The liquids hiss like startled serpents when they mix, and a biting vapour rises to the roof as the candles start to melt as if they had been thrown into a fire!

Vincent is the first to notice Molliana's return to the laboratory; the pretty girl slinks in as quiet as a mouse and half-hides behind him while watching the Doctor about his work. If he looks at her, she returns his gaze, smiles and winks, but her attention soon returns to the Lamordian plying his trade. One of her hands plucks at Vincent's sleeve in a distracted sort of way...

The candles have soon turned into puddles of white goo. Using the glass rods, Doctor Auschluss nimbly plucks the wicks out of the white gloop and places them in the microscope. Muttering under his breath, the Lamordian gazes through the eyepiece. "I see no contaminants, other than wax, so it is safe to assume no one soaked these wicks in poison before dipping them in wax. I have seen such things done; usually it is a mild concoction meant to scent the air or deter small vermin, but some people have used poisoned candles for murder. I could tell you stories..."

Next, the Doctor adds several chemicals to the white sludge slopping around the glass bowl. "We should see a distinct colour change if any caustic or otherwise harmful substances have been added," he assures you. When the contents of the bowl turn pale blue, he waves this away. "A response to the solvent, I'm afraid. It is a most vigorous substance, somewhat inimical to biological life. But the wax does not appear to contain any chemicals. One final test..."

The Doctor scoops up a spoonful of liquid wax, sprinkles a rust-coloured powder over it and holds the spoon over an open flame. The liquid turns clear and slowly starts to evaporate, watched the whole time by the Doctor's icy blue eye. Finally, the Lamordian shakes his head. "Nein. No biological venom or toxin, either.

In conclusion: these candles contain no mineral, chemical, plant- or animal-based poison. They are nothing but wax and wick. That will be sixty gold, if you do not mind."

[Guzrath]

While Vincent looks around, one of the little devices produces a series of five musical notes, expels two jets of steam... and squirts cool, fresh water into a pewter cup. The smell of it fills the laboratory, cutting through the chemical stink for a precious moment. The machine whirs, fills the cup, then returns to ticking like a clock. Its brass and silver fittings gleam like jewels.

"Fascinating" he says, his hand reaching for the cup and risking a gulp of fresh water. "That feels good".
He puts the cup down back in place and simply watches, letting Lucien handle this doctor. Not really following what's being said.

Halfway through the chemical proces Vincent whispers something in Molliana's ear.

[Ail]

Zumba sighs relieved when the Doctor gives his verdict. Then the urgency of other tasks lines in his head: put the innkeeper at ease, look for a decent Voodan, try to understand what else has caused their dreams. It could still have been the fumes only of the candles in their rooms. If not that, then can they be attacked every night without warning?

[Ken of Ghastria]

Lucien feels annoyance build within him, first at Doctor Auschluss' arrogance and second at the disappointing results of the test. He looks at Zumba and he can tell that the Souragnian is thinking the same thing that he is.

He turns back to Auschluss and says, "Thank you, Herr Doktor. It is not the result I expected, as it raises more questions to conclude an already-difficult day. Please take the twenty-five gold pieces in the bag. The remainder of my funds are secured safely at the inn, and I shall pay you the remaining 35 gold in the morning. This late visit was not planned ahead of time, and you will understand my reluctance to casually walk around late at night with large sums of money.

"As a man of science, though, you must have opinions as to what has been occurring in this land, and I'm sure that you do not attribute the drought to the acts of angry 'loa.' What do you believe has happened?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Angry loah, no," Doctor Auschluss agrees with a casual shrug. "I should charge you for this information, but..." He shrugs again. "No one else has bothered to ask for my opinion on the matter, so why not? If you spread the news of my discovery, perhaps those petty nobles will try to scrape up the cash to have me construct a countermeasure."

The Lamordian walks to one of the cabinets and retrieves two maps of Souragne, one of which he spreads out on the worktable. Several patterns have been drawn on the map in brightly-coloured inks. "The normal weather patterns," Doctor Auschluss explains. "As you can see, there is a rhythm to the influx of cold and hot air from the Mists, accompanied by moist or dry air as appropriate to the season. This influx mixes with the outgoing currents caused by the swamp's own heat and humidity, creating the seasons with all their aspects."

The Doctor spreads out the second map on top of the first one. In contrast to the previous map, which showed a complex, interlocking pattern of lines, this one has a single, forceful design; a great spiral turning inwards.

"According to my personal research and the testimonials of the few people willing to brave the swamp, this is the weather pattern now. All the influx is being drawn into the swamp, with nothing escaping therefrom except heat. The result is the current lack of rain. Give this phenomenon enough time, maybe as much as a year, maybe as little as a week, and sweating will no longer be so much of an issue; the ambient humidity in the air will begin to be drawn away, leaving only a dry heat. And incidentally lauding in the end days of Souragne.

The crops and edible plants and fungi will finally start to die off, various animal and insect species will die, causing a chain effect in the local ecology that will cause mass extinction. Humanity will die out because of this, either through starvation as food becomes more and more scarce as plants and animals they relied on become unavailable, or through pestilence due to the mass of rotting meat which will no doubt be provided by all the dead and dying fauna and flora."

Doctor Auschluss looks you directly in the eye, his single orb an icy blue. "As for the reason for this... What else? I believe it must be some magical contrivance. Nothing else makes sense; the loah are so tightly connected to the Land that performing a deed such as this is unthinkable. For the same reason, no Voodan would dare initiate such a catastrophy. All that remains is arcane magic."