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In Scrimshaw Mount, all graves are shallow. Even on the Promontory, where Nature, through the permutations of the Pattern had placed soil on the otherwise nude basalt of the Mount, the bone white stone was never more than a few feet down, commonly less than one. As such, getting graves to the standard depth of eight feet was simply not practical for those interned in the Mount's public burying grounds. But those that lived their lives and died their deaths on the Mount didn't take overmuch umbrage at their shallow graves. For both the practical and pious among them understood full well that under the panopticonical Gaze of the Patternmaker Above … all things are shallow.

Your name is Chlotsuintha, and were you not so preoccupied, you might be kicking yourself right about now. After making a goodly bit of some promising headway on your investigation of one of the pair of Constructs responsible for the ongoing ranged-remediation cast that covers the entirety of Aldoin's house, you find yourself stuck between a rock and a Strange place – and to make matters worse, you are solely responsible for putting yourself there. Unlike preceding floors, the part of the Construct in this third floor chimney has – had – a security-surety that by some means targeted Wills within the vicinity of motion or movement that it perceived. It ran a damned tight ship as well – the thing was able to scare you nearly senseless through the door, from no more movement than just bumping into it with the bruised and tender crown of your head. After hemming and hawing, and half committing to other options, in a moment of uncharacteristic decisiveness you decided to cut to the chase and bring your Wand of Head-Knocking to bear on it, in a bid to take the security-surety out of commission long enough for you to win through the room, get a good look at the Construct – and if your luck ran white enough, successfully cover up the sensory Component in the room, preventing the security-surety from strickening you again.

Your luck didn't run white enough. In fact, it didn't run white at all. You actually ended up killing the security-surety; the smell of bloody charred meat is in the air, as well as clouds of shifting, rolling smoke – thick enough that even with your eyes beaming like twin shrouded lanterns from the aftermath of your abortive casting, you cannot peer nor squint your way through it to actually see the subject of your designs here. You are afraid that the shock has prematurely activated some of those Scriven wooden blocks embedded into the Conduit, and more of the Construct has or is being killed off by these Glyphs reaching completion. There is a further possibility of a cascading effect, where the death of more and more of the Construct activates Mitigating Glyphs that are even more distant, and so on, and so on until the greasy, sooty smoke clears and you are left with an equally greasy and sooty pile of ash.

Op is fag

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Stopping that would be straight-forward enough, it would just be a matter of plucking the blocks off of the Conduit. Of course, not getting Mitigated yourself in the process if the Glyphs had reached completion wouldn't be so straightforward ... and you did just Estrange yourself by using the wand. You would also have to account for the portions of the Construct that presumably wouldn't be able to participate in the intended end-of-life procedure after those blocks had been disconnected as well.

As bad as that is, the second explanation for the smoke would be even worse. If the smoke is from discharge by the Nine-Dozen that has been imbalanced or shorted, then that would be a lot more dangerous. There would still be a way to fix it - you'd be lying it you called it a 'good' way, but ... if you were to disconnect or otherwise throttle close the Nine-Dozen downstairs, then you would stop the corpse and the rest of the Construct from getting cooked allowing you to inspect the Construct without getting broiled in the process. With the exclusion of the Strangeness released by the death of the Construct, it would be perfectly safe to inspect with that Nine-Dozen out of commission temporarily. The only issue is seeing to it that it is just temporary. If you can pull the corpse, perhaps you can stop the discharge - but there will be no guarantee that the Construct resumes trade as typical when you throttle it open or reattach it again. It might not activate or throttle up at all without some procedure that you don't know or Implement that you don't have - and that is even if you are able to perfectly reverse whatever you do the Nodule. Headache after headache.

And regardless to what is causing the smoke, the death of the strickening striker will have released the Strangeness that was once sequestered away into the Sub-Assembly. It shouldn't be that much, considering the function of this Construct ... but even small non-communicable doses of the Strangeness in places where it was not accounted for can disrupt the function of complex Assemblies - and you would judge this bastard to be well beyond simply 'complex'. On that point, it would probably be to your benefit then - as well as the surviving Sub-Assemblies - to pull the remains of the strickening striker. Once out, the Construct would hopefully no longer attempt to dump Fuel into it - if that is what causing the smoke - but more importantly, the remains wouldn't dump any more of the Strangeness into the Construct. However … if the remains are connected to the rest of the Assembly with Conduit, instead of Sockets, then any removal is going to entail having to cutting - and even if the smoke isn't from discharge cooking the remains, it still wouldn't be particularly safe to cut into anything active. If it was just Socketed ... with a damaged Sub-Assembly, that would still be a risk. If you intended to see the pulling be completely safe, you'd have to disconnect or throttle close the Nodule.

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The smoke in the air finally gets to a point where it starts to make you cough, and as your chest is racked with fits, your attention and focus is drawn back to the moment. Once you recover yourself, you immediately go to close the distance between you and the chimney – but before you can get close enough to waft your way through the veil of smoke, a third starling crack emanates from the chimney, eliciting a unfortunate squeak from you and stopping you in your tracks once more. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Is it Fuel discharging itself across a short? Is it the Scrivened wood blocks activating or reaching completion? If it is the former, then approaching any further is dangerous, unless you disconnect the Nine-Dozen downstairs – which will bring about all sorts of new problems. If it is the latter, though, then closing the remaining distance should be safe – you Interpreted the Glyphs on the wooden blocks earlier, and assuming that these are the same, they require physical contact for the mitigation. You should be able to waft without touching them, right? To be sure, assuming that they are the same though is a reasonable assumption ... but it is still an assumption. And for that matter, so is assuming that there are actually Scrivened wooden blocks up here.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Whatever is causing the smoke, whatever the danger, you are still going to close the distance and waft as you intended. [Requires Rolling]
> Whatever is causing the smoke, you are not going to take needless and heedless risks here. Return to the second floor, and - quickly! - look into disconnecting or throttling close the Nine-Dozen.

> Previous thread: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5793943/
> Archive: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Eternal%20Rome

>>5851003
> Whatever is causing the smoke, you are not going to take needless and heedless risks here. Return to the second floor, and - quickly! - look into disconnecting or throttling close the Nine-Dozen.

>>5851003
>> Whatever is causing the smoke, you are not going to take needless and heedless risks here. Return to the second floor, and - quickly! - look into disconnecting or throttling close the Nine-Dozen.

>>5851003
> Whatever is causing the smoke, whatever the danger, you are still going to close the distance and waft as you intended. [Requires Rolling]

>>5851003
> Whatever is causing the smoke, whatever the danger, you are still going to close the distance and waft as you intended. [Requires Rolling]

>>5851003
> Whatever is causing the smoke, whatever the danger, you are still going to close the distance and waft as you intended. [Requires Rolling]

>>5851003
>Whatever is causing the smoke, you are not going to take needless and heedless risks here. Return to the second floor, and - quickly! - look into disconnecting or throttling close the Nine-Dozen.
Pattermaker's sake stop trying to get Chlot killed

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Deftness [Dodge] Test I:

> DC 30: Witchlet Chlotsuintha not Catfooted, making a Rudimentary Deftness [Dodge] Test Easy.

> + DC 9: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired II and is not as coordinated as she might be otherwise [Once and Half Again for Deftness]
> + DC 6 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained II, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does [Once and Half Again for Deftness]
> + DC 6 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is under the effect of slow-burn ranged remediation cast [Once and Half Again for Deftness]
> + DC 2 Confounding Smoke is almost adequately illuminated from the glow of Witchlet Chlotsuintha's eyes.
> + DC 2 Confounding Smoke is enough to occasionally elicit a racking cough, a potential complication for any physical endeavors.
> - DC 15 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is well aware of the danger here, and is moving with appropriate caution.
> - DC 25 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is not pressured into immediate action, allowing her to choose a moment she deems optimal.
> - DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha has long arms - and exceptionally long fingers - taken together, these make wafting actions easier.

> DC 12: Anything lower is a failure. [Re-rolls and auto-passes are available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: Alas for this Lass. Chlotsuintha completely misjudges her position and timing, and gets a good lick of discharged Fuel when she tries to waft. [Prompts rolls on the Injury Table]
> One Pass: Trying her Hand. Chlotsuintha completely misjudges her position, and smacks her hand against the fireplace. As she positions herself to try again, she notes that the smoke is starting to get worse. [Prompts Deftness [Dodge] II]
> Two Passes: Wafting Away. Chlotsuintha manages to get the position and timing right, and clears away just enough of the smoke to get a good look at the remains of the strickening striker. [Prompts Vote] NCF and CF nulled for Deftness Test II.
> Three Passes: Lifting the Pall. Chlotsuintha nails the position and timing, and is able to clear away nearly all of the smoke, allowing her a near-unimpeded view of the Construct. [Prompts Vote] NCF and CF nulled, Once and Half Again waived for Deftness Test II

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then Debilitating Outcomes are added to the Injury Table.
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll of 100 or 99) then the smoke and the cracking - whatever is causing it - abruptly abates.

> May I please have three rolls of 1d100?

>>5851323
This is what I get for thinking that I don't need to close 3-2 votes before spending 15 minutes getting the rolls figured out ...

>>5851329
No one roll - if you do, it won't be counted. We will wait for a tiebreaker.

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>5851335
It's fine Trash, just discard my vote. Or I'll annul it myself.

>>5851329

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>5851329
Well, if anon annuls his vote then there's no tie so let's get it.

Alright, we will roll for it then. As the vote was annulled before rolling, I will count the two rolls in the thread, so we just need one more.

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>5851329

Three passes, that will make things easier if you intend to cut out the corpse! Writing.

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Well ... in your dire straits, in these circumstances, with any and all sureties in short supply, there is quite simply nothing else for it - you are going to have to 'make the freight' with assumptions and prayer. However ... if you get closer, you will be able to see enough of the Construct through the smoke to figure out if wafting is going to be safe or not. That thought gins up something akin to courage, and almost before you even know it, you are softly padding your way down the final stretch to the fireplace. As you make you way, you offer up two silent prayers - one for your health, the other for the health of the bits of the Construct you have not yet managed to kill - and you cannot also avoid noticing that the light from your eyes is not illuminating your way as well as it was earlier. The difference is marginal enough that you are not immediately sure if it is the light from your eyes beginning to abate already, or it is a matter of the smoke thickening - but once you notice how the smell of smoke, and underneath it, more gristly redolences have sharpened, you tentatively decide that it is the latter. It is small solace, and any sense of relief is expelled rapidly when your footwrapped feet find the edge of the hearth before your eyes do. But even as you wince and cringe, your mind is all a-lather. Judging from how the Nine-Dozen was positioned, you should be more than close enough at this point to reach down and touch the Construct - if that is what you decide to do here - but from where you stand you cannot see anything of interest yet. The smoke, augmented by darkness and shadow, is simply too thick - quite thick, thick enough that it has since passed from the territory of 'annoyance', crossing the border into 'hindrance'. Having stopped moving though, you find that you can just barely make out a faint sizzling sound.

Now seeing that no finger will be place on any scale from this closer viewpoint, you take a deep, hopefully fortifying breath - and then lurch in towards the chimney and start making exaggerated, rapid movements, trying to waft the smoke up the chimney. Between the limited light and the obscuring nature of smoke and shadow, it is very hard to judge your progress ... but after a half-dozen seconds without anything to show for it, you conclude that you are not doing anything - and in a bolt of understanding, it occurs to just why this is. It must be blocked - by even more Construct! It had occurred to you as a possibility, to be sure - though the thought of a four-story Construct, no, of two four story Constructs seemed ... just so incredible that you discounted the idea - not to mention, the thought of this being the last of the Construct was obviously an appealing notion, considering just how much you intended to do tonight out on the Mount. Still, what might otherwise have been an overbitter draught is assuaged by the prospect of more opportunities to learn from father ...

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Ah, damn it all! Not the time to get weepy, you Moon-eyed Idiot! Even if you weren't taking real risks at this very moment. You resume wafting with vigor, no longer trying to usher the smoke up the chimney - simply clearing it away will be enough for you.

This new stratagem works well enough that progress is immediate and obvious; and finally, from underneath the pall of the smoke looms -a terrible, many-eyed animalistic head! For a shade of a second, Orge races through your head ... but then the smoke clears a little more, and you can now see that it was naught but a boar, repurposed into part of this Construct. Still, you will not fault yourself over your immediate impression - the head is far removed from Mundanity, to the point that even a farmer or Slaughterer probably wouldn't immediately recognize it. For a start, the eye sockets of the head have been hollowed clean, so that Conduit may run to all of the sighted Components that cover the head - and there are a lot of them ... more than a dozen, perhaps as many as sixteen. Unnervingly, they are pinned in place straight through the middle of each lens. All of them, blank and dim, staring listlessly ahead, in the opposite direction of their transfixing needle - a good three inches of metal remaining outside of the eye, and only the Patternmaker and father knows how deep they have been sunk. Unsettled, you very deliberately look elsewhere. There is not much to see from your current position though - save for the jaw. It appears if the jawbone was removed - specifically, just the jawbone. The jowls, and the rest of the skin that once covered the absent bone remains, as well as the lolling black mass of the tongue - and now that you look, you can see that there are these white, fleshy tendrils that sprout from the tongue and overhang the jowls and missing jaw to splay themselves on the polished stone below like many little fingers.

What you do not see is any wooden blocks that have Glyphs Scrivened onto them - or any Glyphs at all, for that matter. Have the Glyphs activated already, reached completion and burnt themselves? Is that why you cannot see any of them? Is that what you are smelling? You waft a little more - and have to stop yourself from gasping, lest you end up taking in more of this increasingly noxious smoke. There is quite a bit more to the Construct. The head of what was once a boar is sitting on the polished stone floor of the hearth in a fleshy puddle of its own jowls ... but the spine is still attached to the back of the head. At a nearly perpendicular angle, it rises up into the chimney, passing underneath the lintel. And the entire length of it is one great bulging bundle of Conduit and what are clearly repurposed brains. One thing is clear - you are standing in front of the Logic Organ, arguably the single most important part of the entire Assembly - and had things gone even worse with your cast, you might have ended up killing all of it, instead of just part of it.

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But for once, you don't allow yourself to drown in self-recrimination; for a start, you have to keep wafting to keep the smoke from covering up the Construct, and it is hard to go about in pity for yourself when you are flapping your arms like a loon. There is is also the concern about inhaling whatever black humors may lurk in this smoke - on top of getting in the way of some unconsumed Fuel as it discharges itself ... and on that point, you think you have found what is burning. Where the spine meets the head of the former boar, you can see scorching marks and the occasional lick of flame. More concerning, you can actually see smoke billowing out from the back of of the head, where the nape of the neck would be. Did ... did you ... vaporize the logic-Component of the security-surety? No, no it must be the discharge that is doing the vaporizing - obviously, it is still going on, and your wand is back in your pocket, where it cannot do any more unwanted damage.

That is not reassuring by any means - vaporizing flesh, whether it is Mysterious flesh or Mundane flesh, is no mean feat. Are you comfortable with trying - Wait! Strange-Staining! Strange-Staining has yet to turn on; it ... you are definitely within range, and as shit as the light situation may be, you are comfortable saying that it is more than enough for it to activate. Or ... hmm. Well, at least, it is not activating on anything that you can see. But where does that leave you? Are you going to try to disassemble this Organ, looking for Strangeness? Before you consider that, perhaps you should settle on what you are going to do about the damage? That makes sense, certainly, but ... like most things, that is easier called than raised. It is just another important, pressing question without an obvious answer. So far, you have seen no evidence that any Scrivened wood blocks were activated and reached completion - in fact, you have still seen no sign of anything Glyph-bearing up here. That would point to the more dangerous explanation for the noise and smoke - imbalances and shorts. The little flames would support that too - but besides blowing them out, what could you do about it? Disconnecting the Nine-Dozen should stop everything in its tracks, but besides the Logic Component for the strickening striker, none of the damage seems to be dire enough to warrant something so drastic, especially without the spectre of unaccounted for Estrangement. Of course, that is just your preliminary assessment, that nothing is critical or even on the way there. Are you comfortable staking that much on what amounts to be an educated guess? Going ahead with removing the remains of the Logic Component from inside the skull of the boar should be a suitable compromise between doing nothing and pulling the Nodule - but 'opening' the balances of the Construct would still be dangerous, again, unless the Nine-Dozen was pulled.

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> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Return to the second floor, and - quickly! - look into disconnecting or throttling close the Nine-Dozen.
> Stay here and attempt to 'open' the balance of the Construct by removing the vaporizing remains of the strickening striker's Logic Component. [Requires Rolling]
> Stay here and commit to checking the Logic Organ much more closely. Though, that means you will have to decide just how 'close' is 'close'. [Prompts Vote]
> Stay here and commit to documenting everything you can about what is left of the Logic Organ; beyond that, you will leave it alone. [Requires Rolling]

>>5852073
> Stay here and commit to documenting everything you can about what is left of the Logic Organ; beyond that, you will leave it alone. [Requires Rolling]

Okay, cool, it's not going to yet explode or burn down the house. Fellas, I think that means we can leave

>>5852073
>> Return to the second floor, and - quickly! - look into disconnecting or throttling close the Nine-Dozen.

>>5852073
> Stay here and commit to documenting everything you can about what is left of the Logic Organ; beyond that, you will leave it alone. [Requires Rolling]

>>5852073
>> Return to the second floor, and - quickly! - look into disconnecting or throttling close the Nine-Dozen.

Throttle it, inspect and document, unthrottle, leave, easy?

>>5852073
>Return to the second floor, and - quickly! - look into disconnecting or throttling close the Nine-Dozen

Alright, consider this closed. I will get to writing as soon as I can.

>>5852097
No offense friend, but the fucking logic-component is literally on fire- that needs to be solved least the whole house burns down.

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If you are going to seriously consider pulling anything out of an active Construct, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't at least consider your options for disconnecting the Fuel. Which means taking another detour. Oh joy. You step clear of the hearth, and then beat a hasty but measured retreat out of the room. Once you are back in the hall, you swoop down to grab the 'stick, with its fresh candle burning brightly. You fish out your documentation journal, formerly the schedule and planting schematics for the basement, and flip through it. And of course, you are reminded straight-away just how frustrating - and dangerous - it was to work with the Nine-Dozen, to reach into it, to pull the Membrane off of it. Cooking the whole hog, so to speak, is going to be magnitudes more involved - and no doubt, more dangerous as well. To be sure, if you can save the rest of the Construct, then it will be time well spent ... right? Well, considering how there was no visible Estrangement by the time that you managed to get within range, perhaps this Construct is a bit more resilient than that. After all, father made it. And even if it was in a bad way, really, how long does the damned thing even have left, anyway? Probably just a matter of -

Ah, damn it. You are stalling again, aren't you?

Hoping that some movement will spur you on into a more decisive state , you decide right in the moment to go back down stairs and look at the Construct once again. 'Stick aloft - in your right hand - you retreat to the servant's stairs, go down a flight, and nearly smack yourself straight into the door when to your surprise it does not just swing open. Stopped dead in your tracks, you check the handle. Locked. You shift uncomfortably on the balls of your feel, trying to think. You are certain that you haven't been through this door before - it would certainly be cause for concern if you had - but have you been through this section of the house? You are so tired, and so turned around - you cannot even remember. Is this the first locked door you have come across inside the house? Damn it all, you are not even sure of -

Oh, what in the Heights of Hell are you doing? Move you idiot, move!

You would have run the rest of the way to the sitting room that contains the Nine-Dozen, if you didn't have to worry yourself with the 'stick. You slip inside the room, and take no little solace in that everything is as it was when you left. Yet it vexes you as well. The connection between the Conduit and the Nodule is not Socketed, but Woven. That is going to make things much harder on you, you know that for a surety - and little else, to be entirely honest. This is beyond anything that you have ever made, and attempting to interrupt, slave or disconnect something like this ... you know so little, you couldn't even judge which would be the safest way to do it.

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> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will attempt Reach into the Fuel Governor, and attempt to slave it to your Will. If successful, you will be able to throttle down or throttle close the supply of Fuel for this entire Construct, making it safe - or at least, safer - to cut out the remains of the strickening striker from the rest of the Logic Organ. [Requires Rolling]
> You will attempt to induce a greater and more immediate short in the balance of the Construct, by stabbing the Conduit leading away from the Nodule with a pin-stiletto, making it safe - or at least, safer - to cut out the remains of the strickening striker from the rest of the Logic Organ. [Requires Rolling]
> You will attempt to cut away the Nine-Dozen from the rest of the Construct, dooming it to 'starvation' - but effectively ensuring that there will not be any issues with discharges as you cut out the remains of the strickening striker from the rest of the Logic Organ. [Requires Rolling]
> You will attempt to cut away the Nine-Dozen from the rest of the Construct in such a way where the Nodule may survive for later use. Shouldn't be more dangerous - or at least much more dangerous - than the other options, but it would certainly take more time. But while the rest of the Construct may be doomed to 'starvation', you will effectively ensure that there will not be any issues with discharges as you cut out the remains of the strickening striker from the rest of the Logic Organ [Requires Rolling]
> You will not attempt any of these courses of action, as they are simply too much risk for too little reward. So it is you are back where you started, figuratively at least. Will you accept the danger of pulling the strickening striker

>>5853549
> You will attempt Reach into the Fuel Governor, and attempt to slave it to your Will. If successful, you will be able to throttle down or throttle close the supply of Fuel for this entire Construct, making it safe - or at least, safer - to cut out the remains of the strickening striker from the rest of the Logic Organ. [Requires Rolling]
I’m curious, though I would support keeping the Nine-Dozen if the will is there- lord knows that’s the real prize here mefeels.

>>5853549
>You will attempt Reach into the Fuel Governor, and attempt to slave it to your Will. If successful, you will be able to throttle down or throttle close the supply of Fuel for this entire Construct, making it safe - or at least, safer - to cut out the remains of the strickening striker from the rest of the Logic Organ. [Requires Rolling]

>>5853549
>> You will attempt to cut away the Nine-Dozen from the rest of the Construct, dooming it to 'starvation' - but effectively ensuring that there will not be any issues with discharges as you cut out the remains of the strickening striker from the rest of the Logic Organ. [Requires Rolling]

>>5853549
Did part of this post get cut off?

>>5854400
Good catch - the rest of it should read:
> with the Nodule still 'in line' or will you satisfy yourself with just documentation, forgoing any pruning at all, with the understanding that the Construct presumably does not have much time left either way. [Prompts Vote]

Just in case this ends up changing anyone's vote, I am going to leave this up overnight. I'll have the rolls ready (for either outcome that requires rolls) so I can start the run right when I wake up. Hopefully, there can be multiple updates, if the votes come in quick enough.

>>5854411
>> > You will not attempt any of these courses of action, as they are simply too much risk for too little reward. So it is you are back where you started, figuratively at least. Will you accept the danger of pulling the strickening striker with the Nodule still 'in line' or will you satisfy yourself with just documentation, forgoing any pruning at all, with the understanding that the Construct presumably does not have much time left either way. [Prompts Vote]

We can just document and leave it to burn? Seems like a decent path.

>>5853549
> You will not attempt any of these courses of action, as they are simply too much risk for too little reward. So it is you are back where you started, figuratively at least. Will you accept the danger of pulling the strickening striker with the Nodule still 'in line' or will you satisfy yourself with just documentation, forgoing any pruning at all, with the understanding that the Construct presumably does not have much time left either way. [Prompts Vote]

>>5854438
>>5854526
Can we at least not fuck over father’s plan with unintentionally sabotage? This Construct cost a month of Fleshweaving and a literal ton of flesh alone, not including the design, and he built TWO of these fuckers. You don’t do that on a whim, so clearly he had his reasons that probably lead back to us.

>>5854639
I don't think we can, like that we don't have the knowledge. We fucked it up and lack the capacity to fix it and I think trying to fix it will only enfucken us even more

>>5854639
If there was another boar head and we had the life loom... maybe but we don't.

Well, I guess there is nothing to do but wait for the tie-breaker. I'll check back in an hour or so.

>>5853549
>> You will not attempt any of these courses of action, as they are simply too much risk for too little reward. So it is you are back where you started, figuratively at least. Will you accept the danger of pulling the strickening striker with the Nodule still 'in line' or will you satisfy yourself with just documentation, forgoing any pruning at all, with the understanding that the Construct presumably does not have much time left either way. [Prompts Vote]

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> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Attempt to pull or separate out the remains of the strickening striker with the Nodule still 'in line' [Requires Rolling]
> Satisfy yourself with documenting the Logic Organ from (what you judge) to be a safe distance.
> Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - without undoing anything [Requires Rolling]
> Commit to an invasive documentation, unraveling and pulling away at points of interest - with the specifics to be decided [Prompts Vote]

>>5854786
Cutting out the malfunctioning logic nodule is well within our capabilities- we can’t let the head keep burning up and shorting out the rest of the head.

>>5854925
Don’t need another boat head- just need to fix the fire, and it will mitigate itself.

And by the way, I do think there’s a life-loom on the premises- ain’t no way father built two four story Constructs on our loom without us noticing anything.

>>5855211
> Attempt to pull or separate out the remains of the strickening striker with the Nodule still 'in line' [Requires Rolling]
Fine, we’ll fix this fucker the hard way

>>5855211
>Satisfy yourself with documenting the Logic Organ from (what you judge) to be a safe distance.

>>5855226
In this smoke? We probably get better information cutting the damn strickening striker off. This needs to be hands on or we get fuck all.

>>5855211
>Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - without undoing anything [Requires Rolling]

>>5855238
Anon I still have trauma from the last time Trash killed our MC for fiddling with something explosive.

>>5855309
Disarming the nuke is a world of difference than investigating a Construct- at worse, we get to wait a bit longer for our body to whittle away the Strangeness, and if we disarm the fuel-nodule, that already small danger cuts in half.

Besides, this is the last of Father’s work we’ll ever see- it should be investigated properly, if only to learn and appreciate our old man one final time.

>>5855211
> Satisfy yourself with documenting the Logic Organ from (what you judge) to be a safe distance.

>>5855342
I'm unclear on where we stand with father. I thought that these constructs and their activation were proof that father is alive and in town tonight. Is that not Jat Trash said?

>>5855384
That is the hope, and the fact that the Construct was activated after our coincidental(?) run in with this estranged house bares credence to that fact… but questions do remain, and frankly I don’t know if anons are staying the course to get outta the Mount or would be will to try and find him. I think treating this like this is the last of his influence that we’ll witness is the safest bet.

>>5855211
>Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - without undoing anything [Requires Rolling]

>>5855342
>>5855384
>>5855425
Chlotsuintha has concluded that her father has very recently placed the Constructs in Aldoin's house, and 'staged' the place (positioning the journal she snagged to explain the grass in the basement, presumably removing contraband and Strange/Mysterious articles). It has also occurred to her that as the Construct appears to posses the means to dispose of itself, her father would not ever need to return to the house - but she still considers the verdict out on that point.

>>5855629
If he ain’t coming back, then we need to fix the Construct before it fail to self-immolate

>>5855211
>> Attempt to pull or separate out the remains of the strickening striker with the Nodule still 'in line' [Requires Rolling]
Well, things are going great.
Time to do some flesh-PC repair.

>>5855211
>> Attempt to pull or separate out the remains of the strickening striker with the Nodule still 'in line' [Requires Rolling]

>>5855211
> Attempt to pull or separate out the remains of the strickening striker with the Nodule still 'in line' [Requires Rolling]

Lets see if we can't hotwire the self-destruct on this thing so it still goes off.

Alright, consider this closed. There is going to be a few sets of rolls, I'll get them up shortly.

I've been going back and forth on how I want to run this for the past thirty minutes now and I still don't feel like I have a good set of tests that reflect the difficulty of what is being attempted without being too harsh. I think I am going to have to sleep on this - apologies.

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> Deftness [Dodge] Test II-I:

> DC 30: Witchlet Chlotsuintha not Catfooted, making a Rudimentary Deftness [Dodge] Test Easy.

> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired II and is not as coordinated as she might be otherwise.
> + DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained II, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does.
> + DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is under the effect of slow-burn ranged remediation cast..
> + DC 10 Witchlet Chlotsuintha must position herself point-blank with the Logic Organ for the 'pruning'.
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha must contend with the continued presence of the Confounding Smoke while she works.
> + DC 4 Logic Organ is not entirely illuminated, complicating any movement around it.
> - DC 15 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is well aware of the danger here, and is moving with appropriate caution.
> - DC 5 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is well enough appraised of the manner of danger and the layout of the Logic Organ to move efficiently and effectively
> - DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha has long arms - and exceptionally long fingers - taken together, these make 'pruning' safer.

> DC 37: Anything lower is a failure. [Re-rolls and auto-passes are available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: Alas for this Lass. Chlotsuintha gets a dangerous jolt of discharged Fuel when attempting 'pruning' - enough to set the hem of her dress on fire [Prompts Deftness Test, Rolls on the Injury Table]
> One Pass: Where the Hearth Isn't. Chlotsuintha completely misjudges her position and timing, and gets a good lick of discharged Fuel when during 'pruning'. [Progress 1/5, Prompts rolls on the Injury Table]
> Two Passes: A Startled Spotted Cat. Chlotsuintha manages to make headway with the 'pruning' - without getting cracked by discharged Fuel! [Progress 2/5, NCF and CF nulled, Once and Half Again waived for Deftness Test II-I]
> Three Passes: Chirurgery in the Chimney. Chlotsuintha manages to make significant progress with the 'pruning'.- and finds that it is easier than she thought it might be [Progress 4/5, NCF and CF nulled, Once and Half Again waived for Deftness Test II-I]

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then nothing happens, as NCF and CF have been nulled for this test.
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll of 100 or 99) then the smoke and the cracking - whatever is causing it - abruptly abates, allowing her to finish 'pruning' safely.

> May I please have three rolls of 1d100?

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>5856410

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>5856410

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>5856410

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> Deftness [Dodge] Test II-II:

> DC 30: Witchlet Chlotsuintha not Catfooted, making a Rudimentary Deftness [Dodge] Test Easy.

> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired II and is not as coordinated as she might be otherwise.
> + DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained II, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does.
> + DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is under the effect of slow-burn ranged remediation cast..
> + DC 10 Witchlet Chlotsuintha must position herself point-blank with the Logic Organ for the 'pruning'.
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha must contend with the continued presence of the Confounding Smoke while she works.
> + DC 4 Logic Organ is not entirely illuminated, complicating any movement around it.
> - DC 15 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is well aware of the danger here, and is moving with appropriate caution.
> - DC 5 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is well enough appraised of the manner of danger and the layout of the Logic Organ to move efficiently and effectively
> - DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha has long arms - and exceptionally long fingers - taken together, these make 'pruning' safer.

> DC 37: Anything lower is a failure. [Re-rolls and auto-passes are available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: Alas for this Lass. Chlotsuintha gets a dangerous jolt of discharged Fuel when attempting 'pruning' - enough to set the hem of her dress on fire [Prompts Deftness Test, Rolls on the Injury Table]
> One Pass: Where the Hearth Isn't. Chlotsuintha completely misjudges her position and timing, and gets a good lick of discharged Fuel during 'pruning'. [Progress 5/5, Prompts rolls on the Injury Table]
> Two Passes: A Startled Spotted Cat. Chlotsuintha manages to make headway with the 'pruning' - without getting cracked by discharged Fuel! [Progress 5/5, Better Conclusion, NCF and CF nulled, Once and Half Again waived for Deftness Test III]
> Three Passes: Chirurgery in the Chimney. Chlotsuintha manages to make significant progress with the 'pruning'. [Progress 5/5, Superior Conclusion, NCF and CF nulled, Once and Half Again waived for Deftness Test III]

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then nothing happens, as NCF and CF have been nulled for this test.
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll of 100 or 99) then the smoke and the cracking - whatever is causing it - abruptly abates, allowing for the Best Possible Conclusion

> May I please have three rolls of 1d100?

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>5856664
May the Patternmaker bless these rolls white

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>5856664
Come on, no whammies.

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>5856664
May the Pattern weave our luck white

>>5856707

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>>5856707
>>5856710
Post fucked up for some reason, but this led to me witnessing a rebirth of another quest, so clearly this Pattern was intended, praise be!

Okay, Chlotsuintha - and the parts of the Construct that she didn't kill - are sitting pretty right now. I'm working on the update, should be soon.

You have a number of options here - and to tell it true, none of them are appealing. While you may be ignorant of how dangerous they could be relative to one another at least, you are well aware that they are all risks, in their own ways. The most obvious is the risk of Projecting yourself straight into the Nodule itself if you were to attempt to reach into the Fuel Governor - and if you were to guess, you'd say that this was probably the most dangerous option on the table, especially if enough things go wrong enough for long enough. And besides being dangerous, you have some lingering doubts if it would even be possible for you; you have never attempted to slave something before, let alone something with the complexity of the Fuel Governor. Yet your other relatively quick option, making a more immediate and larger short in the balance of the Construct, that too carries with it its own, different dangers - to both you and the Construct. For a start, it follows that making a larger short then the one caused by the death of the strickening striker would be more dangerous than simply 'pruning' the deceased parts of the Construct - and while 'pruning' would hopefully solve the short upstairs, and with it, the imbalance in the Construct, you wouldn't have any quick or particularly effective options for fixing the hypothetical short you made down here - and given the proximity to the Nodule itself, mucking about trying to pin or tie close any short you made would be just as dangerous as a proposition as making it. As for the swan song route ... well, cutting a Conduit is quicker than shorting it, and under the current circumstances, something that is quicker is going to be safer - and you wouldn't have to worry about the danger of what may happen as you reverse the short either ... but that comes at the cost of killing the entire Construct. Not immediately, but imminently. And now that you think about it ... could the Construct allow itself to starve and die without activating its end-of-life protocol?

Pattern's Perdition, you are so asleep on your feet you might as well be dreaming! If the Construct before you were to die without activating its Mitigation Glyphs, then you would be bent, well and truly. There would be the cast from the other Construct to take care of the Strangeness as this Construct died piecemeal - but that is just remediation! There would still be a fraying Construct left behind in the chimney! Now, all of this is just conjecture - you have no way of knowing what would actually happen if the Construct was to start to die before its time, and moreover, you know that your father is certainly capable of Weaving in some surety to make surety to make sure that the end-of-life protocol is followed through with, whenever exactly the end actually comes. But ... until you find proof of such a fail-safe, tangible Glyphic proof - you cannot seriously consider pulling the Nine-Dozen.

File: Broken Construct.webm (2.16 MB, 482x854)

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In fact ... this revelation has soured you on messing with the Nine-Dozen at all. As far as you can tell, you would be making and taking greater risks down here to ameliorate away lesser ones upstairs. You feel better, certainly, for figuring this out - as well as finally cluing in to why pulling the Nine-Dozen might be ill-advised - but you need to get a move on. You don't even want to think about how late it is now - and how much there is left to do in this house, and out on the Mount.

So it is you retrace your steps, down to the first floor, then up to the third - and once more you find yourself before the Logic Organ, and its stricken strickening striker. You had hoped that the smoke might have cleared a bit - you left the door open to the room on this account - but it is plain, clear and painful to see that it has gotten worse. Still nowhere near the Refinery, to be sure, but ... well, there is nothing for it but to fix the short. You approach the hearth for a second time, navigating the room and smoke much more assuredly. Once you are standing where you stood earlier, you set down the 'stick to light your work, and begin wafting the smoke clear. As the object of your attention is unveiled once more, you consider just how you are going to go about the 'pruning'. In better circumstances, with proper equipment and the ability to make replacement Conduit, you would open up the skull of the boar, pull the smoking remains of the Logic Component and then pin in a piece of Conduit to bridge the gap left by the removal, eliminating the short and preserving as much of the Construct as possible.

Your actual circumstances are much tighter and meaner. You have a chipped pin-stiletto, and even if you were to commit to breaking open the skull, which could cause damage both 'downstream' and 'upstream', you would be making the short larger by removing the Logic Component because you have nothing to pin in, unless you were going to sacrifice the Conduit from your Wand of Head Knocking's Socketing Needle. No, everything 'downstream' is going to have to be removed. You are fairly certain that it is all dead anyway, though you haven't had time to check - but now there is really no sense in doing so. Dead or alive, it simply has to go.

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With your wafting having uncovered the entirety of the Logic Organ once more, you fish out your knife, open it up and then resolve yourself to the work at hand Kneeling down, you get a good look at join between skull and spine - and after giving yourself a second to think it over, you start your cut as close to the skull while still removing the burnt and occasionally burning bits. The blade bites in readily to cartilage, nerve and Conduit – no doubt the chip in the blade helps in this regard. So it is for the first inch or so, you make excellent progress. The going gets a little tougher as you draw near to the halfway point – and when all your hairs start to stand on end, you bolt away, putting as much distance between you and the hearth as possible. Your back is turned for the actual discharge, but after a crack piercing enough to have been gun-fire, you turn abruptly around just in time to see embers or sparks falling free from your cutting area. More than that, there is steam or white smoke mixing in with the darker plumes issuing forth from the skull with what looks to be renewed vigor.

Keen to be done with this, you return to your work with as much caution and speed that can co-exist. The portion of the blade that was buried in the Conduit during the discharge looks to be glowing, but the handle is merely warm – and you find that the heat of the blade makes the remaining work go all the faster. Almost before you realize it, the blade lurches downward as you pass through the remainder.

The 'pruning' is done, with you and the rest of the Construct seemingly no worse for the wear. Even better, none of the Strangeness is being released by the now severed boar's head – proof positive that everything 'downstream' of the short had already died. And even setting aside the lack of the Strangeness, the end result is unexpectedly clean – there is no blood, no drippings of 'working fluids', nothing of the sort. Why, if it wasn't for the danger involved, this whole endeavor would have been as simple as cutting one of those sausages you absconded with from the basement.

There is, however, one complication – the 'prunings'. What do you do with a head that is so Strange, so uncanny that it could pass as that of an Ogre? There aren't Mitigation Glyphs on the head – nor any on the Logic Organ for that matter – but even if there were, as they would have been separated from the Logic Organ, they wouldn't 'fire' unless you activated them.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will deliberately Estrange and then Salt-Mitigate the head to ashes
> You will leave the head behind, hoping that whatever will Mitigate the Logic Organ destroys the head as well..
> You will take the head with you to leave next to the Nine-Dozen, where the process of Mitigation should take care of the head as well.
> You will take the head with you, keeping it as a subject of study or potential working material for your own Weaving on the Life-Loom.

>>5857447
> You will take the head with you to leave next to the Nine-Dozen, where the process of Mitigation should take care of the head as well.

To me, it seems clearest that the fuel nodule will be fully mitigated and whatever is left nearby will be likewise burnt to ash

>>5857447
> You will take the head with you, keeping it as a subject of study or potential working material for your own Weaving on the Life-Loom
It’s curious, but my main reading is that it’ll probably be best to dispose of this outside instead of chalking it up to the woven Pattern.

>>5857447
>You'll take it with you to leave in the sewers when you go to retrieve the cart. Sewer rats will make quick work of such a "treat," bones and all. They have till morning to at least render it unrecognizable, anyways. Oh, and what are the odds a leper would find it AND be fool enough to report it instead of turning a blind eye. Even then, its not IN Aldoin's house, right?

>>5857708
I'll accept this write-in, others may vote for it. Regardless, we still have a tie that needs to be broken.

>>5857708
I'll support this

>>5857447
>You will deliberately Estrange and then Salt-Mitigate the head to ashes

>>5857708
Seems such a shame- learning that terror spell would be well worth our time.

Alright, consider this closed. To expedite things a little bit, I'll bring the next votes forward as I start on the update.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Satisfy yourself with documenting the Logic Organ with your eyes alone - no touching beyond the little necessary to handle and move the Organ.
> Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - but going no further, undoing or unraveling nothing. [Requires Rolling]
> Commit to an invasive documentation, unraveling and pulling away at points of interest. You will have to decide how far you are - and are not - willing to go. [Prompts Vote]

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will head upstairs to the attic/conservatory, to look for the as of yet accounted for emitter Organ.
> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will head further into this floor, looking for the other Construct to compare Logic Organs. With any luck, the other one won't have Mitigation Glyphs either ...
> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will take a break from dealing with the Construct. Instead you will [write in, subject to QM approval]

>>5858233
>> Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - but going no further, undoing or unraveling nothing. [Requires Rolling]
> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will head upstairs to the attic/conservatory, to look for the as of yet accounted for emitter Organ.

>>5858233
> Satisfy yourself with documenting the Logic Organ with your eyes alone - no touching beyond the little necessary to handle and move the Organ.

> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will head upstairs to the attic/conservatory, to look for the as of yet accounted for emitter Organ.

>>5858233
>Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - but going no further, undoing or unraveling nothing. [Requires Rolling]
> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will take a break from dealing with the Construct. Instead you will [write in, subject to QM approval]
Leave

>>5858233
>Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - but going no further, undoing or unraveling nothing. [Requires Rolling]
> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will take a break from dealing with the Construct. Instead you will [write in, subject to QM approval]
>Leave

This seems wise. We came looking for Father. He isn't here. We're dawdling, though it has been pretty exciting.

>>5858233
> Commit to an invasive documentation, unraveling and pulling away at points of interest. You will have to decide how far you are - and are not - willing to go. [Prompts Vote]
Let’s go deeep! If you wanna expedite the vote, feel free to put me in the Hands On group Trash.

> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will head upstairs to the attic/conservatory, to look for the as of yet accounted for emitter Organ.

>>5858355
>>5858409
Ain’t leaving without looting the place first. Besides, we didn’t come looking for father, just investigating what went down here, which is still unclear.

>>5858233
>>5858319
I'd like to change my vote for the second portion to >Leave

>>5858233
> Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - but going no further, undoing or unraveling nothing. [Requires Rolling]
> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will head upstairs to the attic/conservatory, to look for the as of yet accounted for emitter Organ.

>>5858233
>> Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - but going no further, undoing or unraveling nothing. [Requires Rolling]

>Loot the house

>>5858233
> Satisfy yourself with documenting the Logic Organ with your eyes alone - no touching beyond the little necessary to handle and move the Organ.

>>5858233
> Commit to a hands-on documentation, poking and probing at points of interest - but going no further, undoing or unraveling nothing. [Requires Rolling]
> Assuming all goes well with the documentation, you will head upstairs to the attic/conservatory, to look for the as of yet accounted for emitter Organ.

Alright, chipping away at the update - but I figure that I should close the vote, so I can finish it without worrying about a last minute tie or upset.

Eyes Alone: >>5858319 >>5858881
Hands On: >>5858278 >>5858355 >>5858409 >>5858705 >>5858824 >>5859019
Invasive: >>5858444

Emitter Organ: >>5858278 >>5858444 >>5858705 >>5859019
Compare and Contrast:
Exit, Stage Right: >>5858355 >>5858409 >>5858501
Swiping Swag: >>5858824

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As fascinating of a specimen as the strickening striker's remains may be, you cannot allow yourself to forget that at this very moment, the Mount is absolutely lousy with Inquisitors - and Mitigators! If you were somehow caught with this, short of an actual act of Intersession ... well, you don't want to dwell on that. Perhaps if the Sub-Assembly was still alive, and it was much closer to a surety that you would be able to learn a cast from it - or if the thing had been Woven with some valuable, hens-tooth rare materials, then it might be worth the risk. But as things stand? You will document it like the rest of the Logic Organ, of course - then you will dispose of it. How exactly you are going to do that, however, remains to be seen. Considering the range-remediation cast, it is a very real possibility that there isn't enough of the Strangeness sequestered away in the head for a cast of Salt-Mitigation to destroy it without you deliberately Estranging it first - and setting aside the ways that could go wrong under typical circumstances, you can only hazard guesses as to what happens if you attempt deliberate Estrangements or casts of Salt-Mitigation inside the envelope of the ranged-remediation cast. You could always take it back downstairs, and stuff it underneath the Fuel Nodule, just like you did with the linen sheets you were using as rags ... but it seems that fabric would burn much easier than a head.

You suppose you could take the head off-premises and do the Estranging and Mitigating there, but that isn't going to be quick or easy - and you'd still be carrying the damned thing around with you. To be sure - the Ounce Nodules, the Wand of Head-Knocking, and now the documentation - if any of these were discovered on your person, then the outcome would be the same as if the strickening striker specimen was found on you. For a surety, for an absolute surety. But the thing is, the Nodules, the wand and the journal are much, much easier to conceal - and in the worst case scenario, overlook - than a fraying massive boar's head. Obviously, you'd wrap it up in one of the sheets, but still ... walking around with something so large, out in the open with naught but a thin sheet of linen between it and prying eyes ... it just feels like you'd be tempting the Pattern. Which for obvious reasons is not something you want to do. That doesn't really leave you with any good options for disposal - actually, it really doesn't leave you with any options.

Something is going to have to give, then. Damn it all to the Heights of Hell ...

So then ... of your current options, dealing with the specimen off-premises seems to be the best of the worst. You have doubts that you could Estrange and Salt-Mitigate on the premises safely, you have doubts that the Nine-Dozen Cleansing itself would be sufficient to deal with the remains, and you are unwilling to keep the head on your person long enough to get it back to the Belfry.

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Compared to those, slipping into some secluded spot as quick as you can and just dealing with it - it certainly is more palatable. But perhaps there could be an even better way. Would it possible to rid yourself of this most uncanny piece of swag without resorting to Estranging and Salt-Mitigating it? Well ... as far as you can tell, none of the bone has been altered - so then, could burning it be sufficient?

It could ... but you would need to find some place suitable for a fairly significant fire. More than that, it would have to be somewhere it wouldn't be discovered once you left. That doesn't exactly give you a lot to work with. Yet ... what if you were to dump it in the sewers? The Cleaner Closet that you stashed your cart in had access, didn't it? The earliest that anyone would ever be down there would be next morning - surely the rats would have made mince out of the head by then. And in the worst case scenario, that it is still uncanny come the morning, and is found by a Leper, what are the odds that they report it straight-away? Or at all?

Relief washes over you - for a shadow of a second. Then you remember the condition that the Midden is in, and especially the Coroners. Guilt - and shame - subsumes you. You shake your head, as if it was something that could be physically dislodged, and when that does little and less to help, you pointedly turn your attention to the Logic Organ.

Documentation! Right, right. Now, after your ... eventual success with the Nine-Dozen, you feel that some poking, prodding and probing will likewise be worth it on the Logic Organ. Not to the extent that you did on the Nine-Dozen, to be sure, but still enough to qualify as 'hands on'.

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> Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-I

> DC 45: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Out of Her Element, making a Handling Test like this [Moderate]
> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired II and is not as perceptive as she might be otherwise
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained II, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does.
> + DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is under the effect of slow-burn ranged remediation cast.
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha must contend with the continued presence of the Confounding Smoke while she works.
> + DC 10 Logic Organ was not Woven or intended to be unwrapped in these circumstances.
> + DC 3 Logic Organ is awkwardly proportioned and heavy enough to complicate Handling
> - DC 15 Logic Organ is Well-Woven, and as such is rather resistant to tearing or other modes of damage.
> - DC 15 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is deliberately taking her time with the Handling of the Logic Organ
> - DC 25 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is prioritizing the integrity of the Logic Organ, slowing and in places precluding Handling, but otherwise making it more likely to succeed.
> - DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha knows enough about Constructs to assist in her Handling efforts here.

> DC 17. Anything lower is a failure. [Re-rolls and auto-passes are available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: A Bit Too Much to Think! Chlotsuintha doesn't know exactly what happened. One second she was gently probing on the bundles on the spine, then next she is regaining consciousness and lifting herself up off of the floor ... [Prompts Vote]
> One Pass: Close-Minded. Chlotsuintha's prodding and probing induce some sort of response from the Logic Organ. A discharge, different from the Nine-Dozen's discharge, starts to seep out from the bundles, hardening as it is exposed to air - forming armor around vulnerable spots. [Prompts Vote]
> Two Passes: For Someone's Consideration. Chlotsuintha manages to make some progress with her poking and proving of the Logic Organ, without any adverse effects. [Progress 1/?] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-I]
> Three Passes: A Lot on the Mind. Chlotsuintha manages to make serious headway with her examination and documentation of the Logic Organ, and starts to cultivate a knack for it. [Progress 2/?] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-I] [- 1 DC Boon Bestowed]

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then Chlotsuintha accidentally activates the Logic Organ's second security-surety ... in its most aggressive modality. [Requires Rolling]
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll 99 or 100) then Chlotsuintha learns about the Logic Organ's second security-surety - without endangering herself in the slightest!

> May I please have three rolls of 1d100?

Rolled 3 (1d3)

And to determine how much Progress will be required to finish the hands-on investigation.

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>5859502
May our Pattern be white!

Want me to roll again after 10 minutes or wait Trash?

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>5859502
Figured I’d give everyone else a chance by tripling the normal time. May our Pattern stay white!

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>5859502

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> Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-II

> DC 45: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Out of Her Element, making a Handling Test like this [Moderate]
> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired II and is not as perceptive as she might be otherwise
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained II, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does.
> + DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is under the effect of slow-burn ranged remediation cast.
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha must contend with the continued presence of the Confounding Smoke while she works.
> + DC 10 Logic Organ was not Woven or intended to be unwrapped in these circumstances.
> + DC 3 Logic Organ is awkwardly proportioned and heavy enough to complicate Handling
> - DC 15 Logic Organ is Well-Woven, and as such is rather resistant to tearing or other modes of damage.
> - DC 15 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is deliberately taking her time with the Handling of the Logic Organ
> - DC 25 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is prioritizing the integrity of the Logic Organ, slowing and in places precluding Handling, but otherwise making it more likely to succeed.
> - DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha knows enough about Constructs to assist in her Handling efforts here.
> - DC 1 Witchlet Chlotsuintha has begun to cultivate a knack for this particular Handling effort.

> DC 16. Anything lower is a failure. [Re-rolls and auto-passes are available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: A Bit Too Much to Think! Chlotsuintha doesn't know exactly what happened. One second she was gently probing on the bundles on the spine, then next she is regaining consciousness and lifting herself up off of the floor ... [Prompts Vote]
> One Pass: Close-Minded. Chlotsuintha's prodding and probing induce some sort of response from the Logic Organ. A discharge, different from the Nine-Dozen's discharge, starts to seep out from the bundles, hardening as it is exposed to air - forming armor around vulnerable spots. [Prompts Vote]
> Two Passes: For Someone's Consideration. Chlotsuintha manages to make some progress with her poking and proving of the Logic Organ, without any adverse effects. [Progress 3/8] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-III]
> Three Passes: A Lot on the Mind. Chlotsuintha manages to make serious headway with her examination and documentation of the Logic Organ, and starts to cultivate a knack for it. [Progress 4/8] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-III] [- 2 DC Boon Bestowed]

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then nothing happens, as CF and NCF have been nulled for this test.
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll 99 or 100) then Chlotsuintha learns about the Logic Organ's second security-surety - without endangering herself in the slightest!

> May I please have three rolls of 1d100?

>>5859530
>>5859515
Ten minutes should be alright - I've already drifted off once tonight, odds are if things stretch out too much, then I'll be out like a light until morning.

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>5859553

File: A640ECA4-EBE7-45D5-B621-2(...).jpg (134 KB, 494x703)

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Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>5859553
May our Pattern stay whi-

>>5859555

>>5859554
Might just want to set up the vote now- with any luck we can continue our investigation straight in the morning.

Man, what black luck ;_;

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>5859553
A mere formality, unless the Patternmaker intervenes

Hmm - there is a discharge seeping out of the bundles up and down the spine of the Organ, and whatever exactly this beige fluid is, it congeals and then hardens as it is exposed to air. The rapidly forming shell starts to cover up the bundles, sealing them off from sight and investigation. Chlotsuintha could accept that these bundles are now 'off-limits' - doing so reduces the Progress required to complete this test, but also reduces how much she'd learn from it. Alternatively, Chlotsuintha could attempt to keep the bundles from sealing up by trying to peel away the congealed fluid before
it becomes completely inflexible. Taking this route means that nothing is off limits, and she can still potentially learn everything there is to learn about the Logic Organ ... but it also means that she'd have to move quicker - making the test a little more difficult - and she'd risk damaging the Organ as well (Outcome of the One-Pass switched from the fluid armor response to potential damage to Organ). Of course, stepping back and reverting to visual-only inspection of the Organ is also an option.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Treat the hardening portions as if they were off-limits, and probe elsewhere.
> Attempt to outpace the hardening wherever it is possible to do so.
> Take a step back before anything else goes wrong and conclude your inspection visually.

>>5859557
No, black luck would have been rolling a 1 or a 2.

>>5859559
> Attempt to outpace the hardening wherever it is possible to do so.

>>5859559
> Treat the hardening portions as if they were off-limits, and probe elsewhere.

>>5859559
>> Treat the hardening portions as if they were off-limits, and probe elsewhere.

>>5859559
> Take a step back before anything else goes wrong and conclude your inspection visually.

>>5859559
>> Attempt to outpace the hardening wherever it is possible to do so.

>>5859559
> Attempt to outpace the hardening wherever it is possible to do so.
KNOWLEDGE

>>5859559
>Attempt to outpace the hardening wherever it is possible to do so.

>>5859559
>> Take a step back before anything else goes wrong and conclude your inspection visually.

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Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-III

> DC 45: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Out of Her Element, making a Handling Test like this [Moderate]
> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired II and is not as perceptive as she might be otherwise
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained II, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does.
> + DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is under the effect of slow-burn ranged remediation cast.
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha must contend with the continued presence of the Confounding Smoke while she works.
> + DC 10 Logic Organ was not Woven or intended to be unwrapped in these circumstances.
> + DC 3 Logic Organ is awkwardly proportioned and heavy enough to complicate Handling
> - DC 15 Logic Organ is Well-Woven, and as such is rather resistant to tearing or other modes of damage.
> - DC 8 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is taking as much time as she can, but her pace is now being set by the hardening.
> - DC 25 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is prioritizing the integrity of the Logic Organ, slowing and in places precluding Handling, but otherwise making it more likely to succeed.
> - DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha knows enough about Constructs to assist in her Handling efforts here.
> - DC 1 Witchlet Chlotsuintha has begun to cultivate a knack for this particular Handling effort.

> DC 23. Anything lower is a failure. [Re-rolls and auto-passes are available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: A Bit Too Much to Think! Chlotsuintha doesn't know exactly what happened. One second she was gently probing on the bundles on the spine, then next she is regaining consciousness and lifting herself up off of the floor ... [Prompts Vote]
> One Pass: Hard-Headed. Chlotsuintha's attempts to outpace the hardening take a turn for the worse when she pulls a little too hard on one of the bundles. [Progress 2/8] [-1 DC Boon Becomes +1 Impediment] [Prompts Vote]
> Two Passes: For Someone's Consideration. Chlotsuintha manages to make some progress with her poking and proving of the Logic Organ, without any adverse effects. [Progress 3/8] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-IV]
> Three Passes: A Lot on the Mind. Chlotsuintha manages to make serious headway with her examination and documentation of the Logic Organ, and starts to cultivate a knack for it. [Progress 5/8] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-IV] [- 1 DC Boon Becomes -2 DC Boon]

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then Chlotsuintha accidentally activates the Logic Organ's second security-surety ... in its most aggressive modality. [Requires Rolling]
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll 99 or 100) then Chlotsuintha learns about the Logic Organ's second security-surety - without endangering herself in the slightest!

> May I please have three rolls of 1d100?

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>5860216

Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>5860216
May the Patternmaker bless our luck white

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>5860216

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> Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-IV

> DC 45: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Out of Her Element, making a Handling Test like this [Moderate]
> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired II and is not as perceptive as she might be otherwise
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained II, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does.
> + DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is under the effect of slow-burn ranged remediation cast.
> + DC 4 Witchlet Chlotsuintha must contend with the continued presence of the Confounding Smoke while she works.
> + DC 10 Logic Organ was not Woven or intended to be unwrapped in these circumstances.
> + DC 3 Logic Organ is awkwardly proportioned and heavy enough to complicate Handling
> - DC 15 Logic Organ is Well-Woven, and as such is rather resistant to tearing or other modes of damage.
> - DC 8 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is taking as much time as she can, but her pace is now being set by the hardening.
> - DC 25 Witchlet Chlotsuintha is prioritizing the integrity of the Logic Organ, slowing and in places precluding Handling, but otherwise making it more likely to succeed.
> - DC 3 Witchlet Chlotsuintha knows enough about Constructs to assist in her Handling efforts here.
> - DC 2 Witchlet Chlotsuintha has begun to cultivate a knack for this particular Handling effort.

> DC 22. Anything lower is a failure. [Re-rolls and auto-passes are available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: A Bit Too Much to Think! Chlotsuintha doesn't know exactly what happened. One second she was gently probing on the bundles on the spine, then next she is regaining consciousness and lifting herself up off of the floor ... [Prompts Vote]
> One Pass: Hard-Headed. Chlotsuintha's attempts to outpace the hardening take a turn for the worse when she pulls a little too hard on one of the bundles. [Progress 5/8] [-2 DC Boon Becomes +1 Impediment] [Prompts Vote]
> Two Passes: For Someone's Consideration. Chlotsuintha manages to make some progress with her poking and proving of the Logic Organ, without any adverse effects. [Progress 6/8] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-V]
> Three Passes: A Lot on the Mind. Chlotsuintha manages to make serious headway with her examination and documentation of the Logic Organ, and continues to cultivate a knack for it. [Progress 7/8] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-V] [- 2 DC Boon Becomes -3 DC Boon]

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then nothing happens as CF and NCF have been nulled for this test.
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll 99 or 100) then Chlotsuintha learns about the Logic Organ's second security-surety - without endangering herself in the slightest!

> May I please have three rolls of 1d100?

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>5860278
Please keep our Pattern white Pattrrnmaker!

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>5860278

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>5860278

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> Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-V

> DC 45: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Out of Her Element, making a Handling Test like this [Moderate]
> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired II and is not as perceptive as she might be otherwise
> + DC 4: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained II, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does.
> + DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is under the effect of slow-burn ranged remediation cast.
> + DC 4: Witchlet Chlotsuintha must contend with the continued presence of the Confounding Smoke while she works.
> + DC 10: Logic Organ was not Woven or intended to be unwrapped in these circumstances.
> + DC 3: Logic Organ is awkwardly proportioned and heavy enough to complicate Handling
> - DC 15: Logic Organ is Well-Woven, and as such is rather resistant to tearing or other modes of damage.
> - DC 8: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is taking as much time as she can, but her pace is now being set by the hardening.
> - DC 25: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is prioritizing the integrity of the Logic Organ, slowing and in places precluding Handling, but otherwise making it more likely to succeed.
> - DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha knows enough about Constructs to assist in her Handling efforts here.
> - DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has begun to cultivate a knack for this particular Handling effort.

> DC 21. Anything lower is a failure. [Re-rolls and auto-passes are available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: A Bit Too Much to Think! Chlotsuintha doesn't know exactly what happened. One second she was gently probing on the bundles on the spine, then next she is regaining consciousness and lifting herself up off of the floor ... [Prompts Vote]
> One Pass: Hard-Headed. Chlotsuintha's attempts to outpace the hardening take a turn for the worse when she pulls a little too hard on one of the bundles. [Progress 6/8] [-3 DC Boon Becomes +1 Impediment] [Prompts Vote]
> Two Passes: For Someone's Consideration. Chlotsuintha manages to make some progress with her poking and proving of the Logic Organ, without any adverse effects. [Progress 7/8] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-VI]
> Three Passes: A Lot on the Mind. Chlotsuintha concludes her examination and documentation of the Logic Organ, uncovering one last secret right at the end. [Progress 8/8] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-VI]

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then nothing happens as CF and NCF have been nulled for this test.
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll 99 or 100) then Chlotsuintha learns about the Logic Organ's second security-surety - without endangering herself in the slightest!

> May I please have three rolls of 1d100?

Rolled 6 (1d100)

>>5860310
Whooo dice.

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>5860310

The Patternmaker isn't fond of me right now, huh.

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>5860310

>>5860315
>>5860316
>6
>66
Is a triple 6 a good sign or a bad sign in this faith?

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> Handling [Chirurgery] Test I-VI

> DC 45: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Out of Her Element, making a Handling Test like this [Moderate]
> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired II and is not as perceptive as she might be otherwise
> + DC 4: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained II, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does.
> + DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is under the effect of slow-burn ranged remediation cast.
> + DC 4: Witchlet Chlotsuintha must contend with the continued presence of the Confounding Smoke while she works.
> + DC 10: Logic Organ was not Woven or intended to be unwrapped in these circumstances.
> + DC 3: Logic Organ is awkwardly proportioned and heavy enough to complicate Handling
> - DC 15: Logic Organ is Well-Woven, and as such is rather resistant to tearing or other modes of damage.
> - DC 8: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is taking as much time as she can, but her pace is now being set by the hardening.
> - DC 25: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is prioritizing the integrity of the Logic Organ, slowing and in places precluding Handling, but otherwise making it more likely to succeed.
> - DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha knows enough about Constructs to assist in her Handling efforts here.
> - DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has begun to cultivate a knack for this particular Handling effort.

> DC 21. Anything lower is a failure. [Re-rolls and auto-passes are available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: A Bit Too Much to Think! Chlotsuintha doesn't know exactly what happened. One second she was gently probing on the bundles on the spine, then next she is regaining consciousness and lifting herself up off of the floor ... [Prompts Vote]
> One Pass: Head-Knocked. Chlotsuintha finishes her examination and documentation on a sour note when she accidentally degloves one of the bundles. [Progress 8/8] [Prompts Vote]
> Two Passes: For Someone's Consideration. Chlotsuintha manages to conclude her examination and documentation without making a mess or harming the Organ ... any more than she already has. [Progress 8/8] [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test II]
> Three Passes: A Lot on the Mind. Chlotsuintha concludes her examination and documentation of the Logic Organ, on a strong note. Not only does she manage to not make a mess or cause the Organ harm, she uncovers one last secret right at the bitter end. [NCF and CF nulled for Handling [Chirurgery] Test II]

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then nothing happens as CF and NCF have been nulled for this test.
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll 99 or 100) then Chlotsuintha finally puts the pieces together on the significance of something she saw in the house earlier ...

> May I please have three rolls of 1d100?

File: 1701916451553098m.jpg (50 KB, 530x356)

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Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>5860360
CHIM

Rolled 93 (1d100)

>>5860360

>>5860355
Considering certain numbers to be white or black luck is treated as a minor blasphemy or alien (as in foreign) superstition by mainline denominations. There is a reason for this, but Chlotsuintha isn't aware of the history.

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>5860360

Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>5860360
I pray the Pattern remains white

Alright, the examination and documentation is complete - and as far as Chlotsuintha can tell, the Logic Organ is no worse for the wear on her account.

The next step - as per >>5859222 - is to find the emitter Organ, presumably located in the attic/conservatory for a third round of documentation and examination. But while I write up the update for the Logic Organ, there is a simple question as to how Chlotsuintha is going to actually get up there. The servant's stairs is an option, it goes straight up there - but as she has more than enough candles to light her way, perhaps she'd be willing to give herself a breather from the Many Mysteries, and look for a proper flight of stairs ... as well as other objects of interest and remunerative value.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs immediately, by the most direct means you know - the servant's stairs.
> As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs - hopefully on a properly sized flight. If you don't find anything after a few minutes or so, then you can take the servant's stairs. Until then, you will look around - you've barely seen anything of this floor, and bedrooms are quite often honey-holts of all manner of potential swag.

>>5860426
>> As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs - hopefully on a properly sized flight. If you don't find anything after a few minutes or so, then you can take the servant's stairs. Until then, you will look around - you've barely seen anything of this floor, and bedrooms are quite often honey-holts of all manner of potential swag.

>>5860426

> As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs immediately, by the most direct means you know - the servant's stairs.

Tempting but unfortunately we cannot loot more time.

>>5860426
> As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs - hopefully on a properly sized flight. If you don't find anything after a few minutes or so, then you can take the servant's stairs. Until then, you will look around - you've barely seen anything of this floor, and bedrooms are quite often honey-holts of all manner of potential swag.
Two birds, one stone.

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>>5860436
…or can we? ;)

>>5860426
>> As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs - hopefully on a properly sized flight. If you don't find anything after a few minutes or so, then you can take the servant's stairs. Until then, you will look around - you've barely seen anything of this floor, and bedrooms are quite often honey-holts of all manner of potential swag.

>>5860426
> As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs immediately, by the most direct means you know - the servant's stairs.

>>5860426
>> As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs - hopefully on a properly sized flight. If you don't find anything after a few minutes or so, then you can take the servant's stairs. Until then, you will look around - you've barely seen anything of this floor, and bedrooms are quite often honey-holts of all manner of potential swag.

>>5860426
>As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs - hopefully on a properly sized flight. If you don't find anything after a few minutes or so, then you can take the servant's stairs. Until then, you will look around - you've barely seen anything of this floor, and bedrooms are quite often honey-holts of all manner of potential swag

>>5860426
Actually want to change my vote
>>5860436# from JUST this TO
> As soon as you are done with the documentation, you will head upstairs immediately, by the most direct means you know - the servant's stairs. Right after we go back to the room with the sausages and jars and false silvereware and grab some supplies, false silverware, and a jar to put this ink from this inkpot into before it empties into our rucksack.

An update on the update - I didn't have as much time as I thought I would to work on it today, so it isn't done yet unfortunately. I am going to consider the vote closed though, just to make sure that there isn't a last minute tie or upset after I get to writing that portion.

I do have an incidental, 'fluffy' overnight vote for you though - the eventual fate of the chipped pin-stiletto (once she has left the Mount and set herself up somewhere safe). With the laws (and enforcement of those laws) varying so widely on concealable blades, Chlotsuintha is understandably leery of trying to get such a weapon repaired professionally. Which leaves her with a few other options - that she won't act on until she has left the Mount, I want to be clear on that point.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> The blade was - no, is, still is - your father's. While the chip has certainly been useful, you know enough about blades to be aware that continued use of a chipped blade will eventually break it. The respectful thing to do would be to retire it, treat it as something to remember him by.
> The blade is your father's. While the chip has certainly been useful, you know enough about blades to be aware that continued use of a chipped blade will eventually break it. The right thing to do would be to set it aside until you can file out the crack, the returning it to regular use.
> The blade is a tool, and it should be treated as one. While it might no longer be suitable as a fighting knife, perhaps you could convert it to an oversized Socketing Needle or something like that. Presumably, it would need some high-grade Conduit to make something like that work.
> The blade is a weapon, and it should be treated as one. You are really out of your depth with Engraving, but perhaps with some Mysterious intervention, you could overcome this new defect in the blade and continue to use it as it was intended to. Or something in that vein ...
> The blade is junk. Father left it behind because it was junk. He took every weapon he owns with him - except this one, and other other stiletto, which is even less suitable as a fighting blade as this one. Honestly, this isn't anything worth getting sentimental or attached too.

>>5861859
> The blade was - no, is, still is - your father's. While the chip has certainly been useful, you know enough about blades to be aware that continued use of a chipped blade will eventually break it. The respectful thing to do would be to retire it, treat it as something to remember him by.
Probably not best for a first 'real' attempt at engraving. Maybe leave it until we're more confident.

>>5861859
> The blade was - no, is, still is - your father's. While the chip has certainly been useful, you know enough about blades to be aware that continued use of a chipped blade will eventually break it. The respectful thing to do would be to retire it, treat it as something to remember him by.

But might change once we find dad. We're going to find him Chlotsisters, he'll be back with those cigs soon

>>5861859
>The blade is your father's. While the chip has certainly been useful, you know enough about blades to be aware that continued use of a chipped blade will eventually break it. The right thing to do would be to set it aside until you can file out the crack, the returning it to regular use.
I need to be better about following this, fuck.

>>5861859
> The blade is your father's. While the chip has certainly been useful, you know enough about blades to be aware that continued use of a chipped blade will eventually break it. The right thing to do would be to set it aside until you can file out the crack, the returning it to regular use.
I just want to fix it- Father would’ve wanted it fixed

>>5861859
>> The blade is junk. Father left it behind because it was junk. He took every weapon he owns with him - except this one, and other other stiletto, which is even less suitable as a fighting blade as this one. Honestly, this isn't anything worth getting sentimental or attached too.

>>5861859
> The blade is your father's. While the chip has certainly been useful, you know enough about blades to be aware that continued use of a chipped blade will eventually break it. The right thing to do would be to set it aside until you can file out the crack, the returning it to regular use.
Big oof.

>>5861859
> The blade is your father's. While the chip has certainly been useful, you know enough about blades to be aware that continued use of a chipped blade will eventually break it. The right thing to do would be to set it aside until you can file out the crack, the returning it to regular use.

>>5861859
>The blade is a weapon, and it should be treated as one. You are really out of your depth with Engraving, but perhaps with some Mysterious intervention, you could overcome this new defect in the blade and continue to use it as it was intended to. Or something in that vein ...

>>5861859
> The blade is a weapon, and it should be treated as one. You are really out of your depth with Engraving, but perhaps with some Mysterious intervention, you could overcome this new defect in the blade and continue to use it as it was intended to. Or something in that vein ...
Magic blade is best!blade!

>>5861859
>> The blade was - no, is, still is - your father's. While the chip has certainly been useful, you know enough about blades to be aware that continued use of a chipped blade will eventually break it. The respectful thing to do would be to retire it, treat it as something to remember him by.
Even if he didn't attach any significance to it, it remains one of the only things she has of him

>>5861859
Actually, what do we know about Engraving Trash? I’m curious

>>5861859
>The blade is a weapon, and it should be treated as one. You are really out of your depth with Engraving, but perhaps with some Mysterious intervention, you could overcome this new defect in the blade and continue to use it as it was intended to. Or something in that vein ...

After beating a quick retreat out of the room to fetch your new-to-you rucksack, you return to the fireplace and fish out everything that you would need for your documentation work - the pen, the pot, the journal, and on the off-chance that you make half of the mess that you did with the Nine-Dozen, one of those linen sheets. Trying to think ahead, you pull out and use your pin-stiletto to cut a few squares out of it, so if you do end up needing to wipe your hands, you don't end up soiling an entire sheet as you did with the Fuel Nodule. With no other obvious preparations to make, you kneel down on the polished stone of the hearth, and after taking a deep breath while wafting away the smoke as best you can, you lean into towards the 'pruned' Logic Organ. Were air not so precious at the moment, you might be swearing under your breath right about now. While the smoke has since ceased to billow from the former boar's head after the 'pruning', it is still lingering all about the room - and of course, it is especially heavy around the chimney. Heavy enough that after a couple of moments of poking and gentle tugging at one of the bundles along the spine, you actually decide to give the smoke a little more time to win its way through the chimney or dissipate out into the hall.

You are not going to be sitting idly, though - no, instead you are going to start your documentation with the remains of the strickening striker, which you don't need to be right in the middle of all of this smoke to work with. For a start, you look at the back of the former boar's head, from where the smoke was issuing. There are a number of burn-holes around the circumference of the Conduit that was Woven out of the nerves that connect porcine skull to porcine spine - or at least replaced these nerves. You can also see evidence of further scorching and searing around these holes as well, especially on the Conduit itself. It seems that in death, the Logic Component of the strickening striker put on quite the show - the heat that must have done this would have been considerable. Which ... wait. Are you missing something here?

It is a certainty that there was smoke coming out of the former head up to and even for some time after the 'pruning'. But to tell it true, it is only an assumption that the Logic Component inside the head was vaporized, and that it became this confounding smoke that you are doing your best to not breathe in at the moment. To be sure, it is a solid assumption. The scorch marks, the heat that was enough to get your blade glowing, and most of all, the smoke - all of these support the assumption of a postmortem vaporization caused by discharging Fuel. What does not support the assumption, however, is a complete and utter lack of heat emanating from inside the skull. Think about it. To actually vaporize the gelatinous gristle of a Logic Component, a great deal of heat would be necessitated. Enough so that it would make its presence felt.

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And yet, you got right up close to the head - while smoke was billowing out of it - and you noticed no heat. That ... that doesn't make sense, now does it? Of course, there are casts and preparations that can absorb heat - Hell, there are things that can be done to conceal or sink heat without the Many Mysteries. But you certainly have seen no evidence of them here - and if you think about it, would it make sense to set up a heat-wicker on the strickening striker? Well ... perhaps as a safety feature. But then, wouldn't you have seen or otherwise perceived it working? You - ugh, what smells?

You turn away from the 'pruned' remains and back to the Logic Organ - just in time to see this beige liquid start to seep from inside the bundles to their outermost layer; and this is in all of the bundles, up and down the length of the Sub-Assembly. Choking and stifling a scream into a garbled half-gasp, half-squeak, you lunge back into the chimney, fears of black humors in the smoke all forgotten. You are not sure what exactly this substance is, but you find that it is already starting to congeal - much in the same way that fatty juices from meat might after being taken from heat, except much faster. Pattern's Perdition, is this what passes as blood for the Logic Organ? Did the 'pruning' hurt it after all? Is it dying? Outside of the unexpected presence of this liquid, you are aware of nothing that would suggest that the Logic Organ or the Construct is in anyway unwell. But ... at the same time, you weren't able to tell if everything 'downstream' of the short was alive or dead, either ...

Damn it, damn it, damn it! Alright, just ... just ... don't panic! Right, absolutely no panicking!

Thankfully, before overlong it occurs to you that regardless of what might be happening - or what already might have happened - it ultimately shouldn't make a difference. If the Logic Organ is hurt - or dead - then there is nothing that you can do about it. And if the Logic Organ has not been hurt, why, then there is nothing to do about it. Of course, you should have clued into this immediately, but you are running on what amounts to naps and snacks for ... what, two, three days now?

That is the last thought not about examining and documenting the Construct you allow yourself for quite some time. Your fingers are positively flying as you work your way through one of the bundles, managing to stay ahead of the congealing - and now hardening - beige discharge. There is a lot that remains unclear - what the repurposed brains were taken from, the functions of the different types of Conduit you come across, and of course, what exactly is the beige liquid and where exactly it is coming from - the repurposed brains, the spiderweb-like mesh of almost silken Conduit that wraps them, the thick red and raw Conduit that bands them just under the surface of the mesh, or from somewhere deeper within this morass.

And there are parts that are pretty deep, at relative to the rest of the Organ. Parts that are bundled so thickly that you have to assume that there is some sub-assembly underneath them.

Of course, even if you weren't trying to outpace this damn ... brain juice, you wouldn't be comfortable trying to pull this Organ apart. So that means that there were always going to be things that are off-limits, which in turn means you are going to have questions that don't get answers. Frustrating, to be sure - but quite honestly, you would be more frustrated if you actually caused the Organ to come to any more harm than you already have. And as you move on to a second, larger bundle - and immediately start to notice slight differences in the way the meshing, silken conduit sits - you start to question if the beige liquid - the brain juice - is in fact the byproduct of some inflicted trauma. Considering that as it hardens, it is making it harder and harder to work with the bundles, you now thinking that it is a security-surety, or at least some sort of fail-safe, in the same vein as how the Membrane jerkin of the Nine-Dozen would re-wrap itself while you tried to pull it apart.

By the time that you have finished inspected everything that you can on the Logic Organ, you are ready to take that as a surety. Where you weren't able to interrupt the congealing and hardening of the liquid, it has cured and set into an almost chitin-like armor. There are no two ways about this - it simply has to be deliberate. More of the liquid is still seeping through, but at this point, you are content to let it. You have pulled, poked, probed and prodded to your hearts content - and seen everything of the Organ that you could without cutting into or otherwise causing great harm to the bundles, which is something that you never were going to do anyway. You even managed to find a Mitigating Glyph, buried in that obscuring mesh on the back-side of the spine - and what a relief that is, no longer having to worry that the Organ might have lost the means to implement its end-of-life protocols because of your ... failings with the Wand of Head-Knocking. You also found a protuberance in one of the bundles - deliberate, clearly, not a defect - that had those white fleshy tendrils that were also present on the strickening striker. The only difference is that the ones on the protuberance weren't ... um, flaccid. Hopefully you can think of a better way to describe it when you actually write it down - as it is, you are blushing just thinking about it.

Back on topic, given the placement of these tendrils on the striker - forward, and pointing outward into the room - you now believe that these are emitter Components. But you have no idea why there might be a second emitter on the Organ. Your first thought was that it was intended as a reserve - but then why bury it? Why not have it closer to the strickening striker, and why have it point in all directions, instead of just out into the room?

It is possible that the Construct, the entire Assembly is able to communicate - or at least ... coordinate - with the other Assembly in other chimney through this little Component? That doesn't seem sensible either, which by your count just leaves one possibility; that buried underneath the protuberance is another Sub-Assembly; possibly another security-surety for the Construct. Potentially to target those in the immediate vicinity of the Logic Organ.

As to what it does to those targeted? Well ... considering that you would either have to Reach into the Logic Organ - which with your total lack of skill in Projection would effectively be attempting suicide - or somehow trigger the Sub-Assembly to find out, you are quite comfortable in your ignorance. Your business inside the fireplace concluded, you waddle backwards on your knees until you are sure that you can clear the lintel, then you stand up - on to bend over again to pick up one of the rags that you cut to clean your hands. Your mind is already running ahead of itself - already, you are thinking of what you will do once you have finished the documentation. You know yourself well enough that if you don't decide this now, you are liable to drive yourself to distraction while you are trying to describe and depict the Logic Organ, even if you wish that you were a little more ... mentally constant.

To put the matter to bed, you decide that you will head upstairs. The continued presence of smoke in the room attests to the fact that there is more Construct in the chimney - and while you have found emitter Components, you have not found an emitter Organ. Come to think of it, there is some sense in putting the emitter at the highest point of the house, isn't there?

Anyway, to give yourself a bit of a needed breather - figuratively, and after all this smoke, physically - you will look for a main stair somewhere on the third floor. With the lights all out, you have barely seen anything of this floor - and of course, bedrooms are often honey-holts of all manner of potential swag. If you don't turn up a staircase in a few minutes, then you will just retrace your steps and take the servant's stairs up. You are reaching for your purloined quill, thinking that you have preempted all potentially nagging questions - when one you didn't think of pops right into your head. Should you bother casing this room? It is a silly little question, but you better answer it before it drives you distraction!

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Father clearly spent more time in this room than most, so it follows that anything of interest or value would already have been taken. Skip this room.
> Father was clearly here for some time, but that doesn't mean that he took everything that he saw - and it also doesn't mean that he saw everything. Start with this room.

>>5862828
> Father was clearly here for some time, but that doesn't mean that he took everything that he saw - and it also doesn't mean that he saw everything. Start with this room.
Still didn’t get a response on the Engraving question Trash

>>5862828
>> Father clearly spent more time in this room than most, so it follows that anything of interest or value would already have been taken. Skip this room.

>>5862828

> Father was clearly here for some time, but that doesn't mean that he took everything that he saw - and it also doesn't mean that he saw everything. Start with this room.

>>5862828
> Father clearly spent more time in this room than most, so it follows that anything of interest or value would already have been taken. Skip this room.

>>5862828
>> Father was clearly here for some time, but that doesn't mean that he took everything that he saw - and it also doesn't mean that he saw everything. Start with this room.
A quick once-over wouldn't hurt.
Shame he didn't leave the documentation, we need some tech support with this thing.

>>5862828
>Father clearly spent more time in this room than most, so it follows that anything of interest or value would already have been taken. Skip this room.

>>5862828
>> Father clearly spent more time in this room than most, so it follows that anything of interest or value would already have been taken. Skip this room.

Alright - we will be moving on, starting our search outside of this room. Can I get five rolls of 1d20 and one roll of 1d6? As usual, higher is better.

>>5862922
I'm sorry, I don't know how I missed it. Succinctly - very little. Chlotsuintha can Interpret Glyphs, but actually Scrivening or Engraving them is something that she has effectively no experience in.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>5863800

>>5863800
And I might add, while Scrivening and Engraving have been used interchangeably there is a distinction between them; A Scrivened Glyph consumes some Pigment, Ink, Preparation (Chlotsuintha doesn't know anything about these, they typically aren't used by Imperial Witches) or the Bearer of the Glyph as a source of Fuel (and Catalysts and whatever other inputs that the Glyph needs to operate), while an Engraved Glyph has a separate source of Fuel (and other inputs). Engraved Glyphs are considered by many to be a lost School, though Chlotsuintha's father is studying them - presumably, there are notes and texts about them amongst his papers, if only Chlotsuintha can translate the languages and decrypt his cyphers.

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>5863800
Behold, a 20.

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Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>5863800

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>5863800
May our Pattern be white

>>5863821
Sounds like a fun little project- chalk me up for learning Engraving

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>5863800
May our Pattern remain white

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5863800
And maybe a white 6 on this roll, if you don’t mind Patternmaker

>>5863808 a roll of 13; sundries and clothes
>>5863831 a roll of 12; toiletries, perfumes and other sundries
>>5863835 a roll of 1; stubbed toe
>>5863846 a roll of 18; an article of minor interest!
>>5863859 a roll of 4; nothing

>>5863870 a roll of 6; staircase found!

All told, this took about ten minutes - with little more than cursory glances and occasionally opening of drawers and such. I'll get the proper update written tomorrow, but until then - should Chlotsuintha extend this little detour of hers? There is a lot more of the third floor that she has yet to see - or she could go go back to the rooms that she was already in, and really give them a proper look over. Or should she just ascend the stairs and find the emitter Organ she has been looking for?

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Continue poking through the third floor, for another ten minutes or so, then head upstairs.
> Spend some more time in the rooms with articles of interest or value, looking for others.
> Make a note of what you found where - then head straight upstairs. It is time you saw this emitter Organ.

>>5863962
> Continue poking through the third floor, for another ten minutes or so, then head upstairs.

>>5863962
> Make a note of what you found where - then head straight upstairs. It is time you saw this emitter Organ.

>>5863962
>> Spend some more time in the rooms with articles of interest or value, looking for others.

>>5863962
>> Continue poking through the third floor, for another ten minutes or so, then head upstairs.

>>5863962
> Make a note of what you found where - then head straight upstairs. It is time you saw this emitter Organ

>>5863962
> Spend some more time in the rooms with articles of interest or value, looking for others.
My 18 got me curious now, being the only high roll around

>>5863962
>Make a note of what you found where - then head straight upstairs. It is time you saw this emitter Organ

Alright, we have our tie-breaker finally. I've been chipping away at the update - look for it later today.

For those of you still in the thread, here is a not so fluffy vote for the overnight (or at this point, the interim) - what makes the object of interest so interesting?

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> The object of interest is a clue as to what happened here - and elsewhere on the Mount.
> The object of interest is a clue as to the depths and direction of Aldoin's delving into the Many Mysteries.
> The object of interest is something that would be of use to Witch - or Witchlet - and is also not particularly suspect.
> The object of interest is a specimen taken from Mysterious fauna, overlooked amongst similar looking specimens from mundane animals.

>>5864932
> The object of interest is a clue as to what happened here - and elsewhere on the Mount.

Can I buy a vowel?

>>5864932
>> The object of interest is something that would be of use to Witch - or Witchlet - and is also not particularly suspect.

>>5864932
> The object of interest is something that would be of use to Witch - or Witchlet - and is also not particularly suspect.

>>5864932
>The object of interest is a clue as to what happened here - and elsewhere on the Mount.

Sorry about the continued delays on the update, I simply didn't have the time to write today that I thought I would. I'm fading fast - and as there is still a tie, I'm going to go to bed early instead of pushing through to finish the update tomorrow, For Sure ™.

>>5865111
Heh heh heh.

>>5864932
>> The object of interest is something that would be of use to Witch - or Witchlet - and is also not particularly suspect.

>>5864932
> The object of interest is something that would be of use to Witch - or Witchlet - and is also not particularly suspect.

Alright, consider this vote now closed.

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After hemming and hawing for longer than you should have, you decide that as your father clearly spent serious time in this room, setting up the Construct - so it follows that he would have already seen and purloined or disposed of anything of interest or value. To be sure, you cannot take this as a surety - but with time so tight, and what with you already playing the spendthrift with your minutes and second by allowing yourself this little 'breather ... no, you simply cannot justify taking the extra time to clear a cleared room. And with no new nagging questions forthcoming to replace it, you are now able to turn your undivided attention to the work of documentation. On account of the smoke still present in the room - which is still enough to be frustrating, at least that of it in the immediate vicinity of the chimney - you elect to retreat away from the hearth, though you make a deliberate point of leaving your 'stick behind to illuminate your subject. You don't allow yourself to stray to far though, as you want to still be able to see the Logic Organ while you work. Upon finding a suitable spot, you sit down cross-legged, and after freshening the ink on your quill, you resume sketching and scribbling in the margins of the journal of the basement plantings.

To be sure, you would not go so far as to say that this is relaxing - what with how concerned you are about recalling, describing and depicting every detail in as much accuracy as you can muster - but even so, the work of documentation is much less demanding the work of examination ... which in turn is less harrowing than 'pruning' a dead Sub-Assembly 'downstream' of an inordinately powerful Fuel Nodule. Continuing with your stratagem of writing down and sketching everything that comes into your head - even if you think that you have already documented it once or twice - means that this work takes a fair bit longer than it might have. But with your head seeming at times to be in a fog thicker and more confounding than the smoke around you, the appeal of redundancy is plainly obvious. So it is that even though more than a few minutes have run their course by the time that you jot down your last observation on the slight differences in bundling and finish your last profile sketch of the former boar's head, you are nonetheless satisfied that it was all time well-spent. But, not so satisfied that you can stomach the thought of tarrying, though! You fetch a purloined linen sheet from your similarly purloined haversack, then you hazard the smoke one last time to retrieve the remains of the strickening striker, once you confirm anew that there is no blood, nor any manner of discharges from the former boar's head.

And it so happens that there is no blood or discharges forthcoming - in fact, you cannot so much as see or feel any moisture; an absence unexpected enough that as you wrap and fold the linen around the head into an improvised sack, you straight-away settle upon recording this fact in the journal. Happily though, you are not so taken aback or otherwise distracted that the need to check the hearth one last time eludes you - and after accomplishing this and seeing that you have left nothing behind on the polished stone, you take up the 'stick and turn your back on the Logic Organ. Moreover, once you return to your journal and jot down this last observation about the former boar's head, you take up all of your belongings that remain in this room, after allowing yourself one last look around the place you quit the room entirely, closing the door behind you.

You have seen the 'legs', the 'heart' and now the 'brain' of this Construct - and after this little divagation to explore the third floor and hopefully treat this outing like a real knock-down - you will get to see the ... um ... oh, Maker's Mercy, what would you even call the emitter Organ? The 'arms' of the Construct? They are certainly doing the work, but it seems odd to refer to something that works without touching the target or subject as an 'arm'. You ponder this as you get all your possessions reunited and situated in the darkness of the third floor halls. In short order, you get everything stowed away where it is convenient; either in the pockets of your apron or in the pouches of the naturalist's rucksack. The two exceptions are the 'stick - which you will carry in your right hand for now, to give your battered left arm a break - and the remains of the strickening striker, which is just a little too large to comfortably fit inside the haversack. You could make it work, but you'd be hard pressed to get anything more in there. Instead, you tie up the linen you have bundled it in, and then tie it to one of the straps of the sack. It swings freely as you walk, which means that every few strides, you can feel the jawless jowls or the cold snout or even the flat 'tails' of the needles pressing through the sheet into your legs - which is far from pleasant. Or decent, come to think of it. But you need to keep the remains with you, and with the way that your luck has been running lately, if you kept the thing inside the haversack, it would probably pick the worst possible moment to start bleeding or oozing or making a mess. You aren't sure how or why it would, but you can just see it happening.

Looking to take your mind off of this, you throw yourself into your divagation. And it quickly proves to be worth your while!

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The first room you check is a bathroom - with a piped bath, of course - and the privy looks to be water-closet as well. By the Heights, even the washbasins have pipes! It is a shame then, that you cannot steal any of it. Even if you had the time and the means - which you definitely don't - doing so would leave a mess of water and questions behind. Instead, you content yourself with smaller fish; linen towels to match your sheets, straight-razors, grooming equipment, hand-mirrors, toiletries, perfumes, powders - and even make-up! You don't take all of it; to make sure that you time here remains unnoticed when the household returns ... and because you cannot fit it all, and there might be even better elsewhere.

Your 'stick lighting the way, you head further down the hall before you check another door at random - to find one of those inexplicably empty rooms. Undeterred, you continue your wandering for a little longer, until you find yourself in another hallway. You pick a door at random - and find another bedroom. As the room has no fireplace or windows you have to assume that this room was prepared for one of the bereaved, come to visit. The presence of a half-unpacked travel trunk supports this idea. You are tempted to dig through it, but you stop yourself, as it would be obvious that it was rifled through to its owner. Instead, you satisfy yourself with pilfering the spare candles and a second snap-sparker from the nightstand; their absence will be much easier to hand-wave away. Further larceny is cut short when you stub your footwrapped toes on a misplaced boot while casing the rest of the room. You take that as a sign to move on - though you might be back ... those clothes look really expensive, and perhaps if you just took one ...

You resume your wandering, and shortly find yourself in front of a third hallway. On a whim, you head to the first door to your left - and find to your surprise that it is a staircase! Not a main stair, as it doesn't go down - only up. But nestled between the switchback of the stairs is a dumbwaiter, which does go down - and when you peek inside, you find eight or so leaded glass decanters, alongside more than two dozen glasses. All empty. Presumably drunk during some remembrance for Aldoin amongst his plants. Regardless, you snatch up the decanters greedily, wrapping them up as best you can in your purloined sheets. You then continue up the stairs - only to stop dead in your tracks as Strange-Staining activates! The Strangeness blankets the steps and the walls ahead. You creep towards it, hoping to see the end of it - to no avail.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will check the Degree of the Strangeness here. If it is only First, then you will continue on ahead.
> You will check the servant's stairs, to see if the Strangeness is there as well before continuing up.
> You will find something else to do, hoping that the Construct will Cleanse this away for you quickly. [Prompts Vote]

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I don't know what the Hell happened, but I thought I posted >>5867291 last night. I'm very sorry that I kept you all waiting. Have a lucky tenth-talent, good for one re-roll.

>>5867291
Hmmmmm
> You will check the Degree of the Strangeness here. If it is only First, then you will continue on ahead.

>>5867291
>> You will check the Degree of the Strangeness here. If it is only First, then you will continue on ahead.

>>5867291
> You will check the Degree of the Strangeness here. If it is only First, then you will continue on ahead.
We could cover our feet with a towel-booties if need be

>>5867291
> You will check the Degree of the Strangeness here. If it is only First, then you will continue on ahead.

>>5867702
I second this idea

>>5867291
>> You will check the Degree of the Strangeness here. If it is only First, then you will continue on ahead.

>>5867291
>You will check the Degree of the Strangeness here. If it is only First, then you will continue on ahead.

Closed and writing.

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Well ... shit. Were you not being so tightly kept by the keeper, you would never ever consider doing something as rash as this … but you cannot bear to put off the emitter Organ any longer than you already have. So, then …if by the Mercy of the Maker, this patch of the Strangeness is just in the First Degree – that is to say, if it is not in a communicable state – then you will have to try to win your way through it to the Organ. Of course, you are going to have to contend with the near-surety of a gradient. Simply put, it is very rare that the Strangeness is spread this widely in a non-communicable state. If you were to find the Breaching Point – or with a cast like this, the Breaching Field more like – the Strangeness present there and in the immediate surroundings of the Breach will almost certainly be at a higher Degree than the Strangeness furthest from the Breach. Enough of the Strangeness in the Second Degree can spread the Strangeness in the First Degree quite far – just as enough of the Strangeness in the Third Degree can spread the Strangeness in the Second Degree, and so on.

And your Strange-Staining Scarification Glyph doesn't distinguish between Degrees of the Strangeness … well, sometimes the Strangeness at higher Degrees shifts color and swirls faster – but not always, and even when it does, the changes can be so gradual you cannot immediately determine where the First Degree ends and the Second Degree begins. Your father did teach you a trick, where you can approximate the location of a Breach – and therefore, where the Strangeness is more likely to be in a higher Degree – based off of the geometry of the patch of the Strangeness, as the Strangeness will almost always spread itself radially. But … there are serious limitations to that method. For a start, this patch is massive. You cannot see the end of it, in fact, from where you stand on the stairs, you cannot even see evidence of a curve. Beyond that, you need to consider that this might have been from more than one Breach, caused by more than one cast – that sort of thing can quickly warp the geometry of the spread in unpredictable ways, especially if one of the Breaches released the Strangeness at a higher Degree than the other or others. And finally, you cannot forget that there is a ranged-remediation cast operating right now. Who can possibly know what that may have done to the spread?

This is going to be a real headache, isn't it? For all you know, this entire patch might be in the Second Degree, and it is only being held steady by the presence of the ranged-remediation cast. Silently praying that this isn't the case, you unsling your haversack, and then you fish out one of the rags that you cut previously to deal with the Logic Organ. You allow yourself just enough time to finish the prayer, then you wad up the rag and through onto one of the Estranged steps in front of you.

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It limply unfurls when it lands, then remains as still as the grave, awash in a sea of shifting white-gray-black-gray-white Stains. Still, you watch it like a hawk, not daring to blink. When a dozen seconds pass with no signs of Estrangement, you are encouraged. At two dozen seconds, you find yourself asking how long it will take before you are satisfied … just as the Strangeness starts to creep onto the rag. Oh, cry fie and fray it all!

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Well, at this point, it would be negligent to not check the servant's stairs, to see if they were clean, right?
> You will find something else to do, hoping that the Construct will Cleanse this away for you quickly. [Prompts Vote]
> Twenty-four, no, more like twenty-eight seconds before any signs of Estrangement appeared. It may be Second Degree, but it is a very restive Second Degree. Perhaps restive enough that you could attempt to run through it? Assuming of course, that the entire fourth floor isn't completely covered. On the hope that it isn't, use those linen sheets and towels to augment your footwraps – make them thicker.
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval.

>>5868372
> Well, at this point, it would be negligent to not check the servant's stairs, to see if they were clean, right?

>>5868374
>> Well, at this point, it would be negligent to not check the servant's stairs, to see if they were clean, right?

She needs sleep. She needs to be carried to bed. She needs to be tucked in and gently hugged.

>>5868374
>Well, at this point, it would be negligent to not check the servant's stairs, to see if they were clean, right?
Not risking running through what's basically a nuclear spill zone when our geiger counter is on the fritz.

>>5868374
> Twenty-four, no, more like twenty-eight seconds before any signs of Estrangement appeared. It may be Second Degree, but it is a very restive Second Degree. Perhaps restive enough that you could attempt to run through it? Assuming of course, that the entire fourth floor isn't completely covered. On the hope that it isn't, use those linen sheets and towels to augment your footwraps – make them thicker.
If it’s still Second Degree Strange even after all the remediation, chances are Dad didn’t prune the area due to the contamination. I imagine the swag both valuable and insightful.

>>5868392
Agreed- poor Chlot

>>5868374
>> Well, at this point, it would be negligent to not check the servant's stairs, to see if they were clean, right?

>>5868392
>She needs sleep. She needs to be carried to bed. She needs to be tucked in and gently hugged.
Well anon how are we going to find a man to do that?

Alright, closed and writing!

>>5868473
Soon

Well, the update is ready to go, but the internet is out.

Basically, Chlotosuintha finds that there is the Strangeness on the servant's stairs as well, but the portion she tests is not communicable, which means that there could be two separate Breach points, or just one with a lopsided gradient.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Wrap the footwraps thicker and proceed in, testing for communicability as you go.
> Do something else and hope that more of the Strangeness is dealt with by the time you are done [Prompts Vote]
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval

>>5869067
> Wrap the footwraps thicker and proceed in, testing for communicability as you go.

>>5869067
>> Wrap the footwraps thicker and proceed in, testing for communicability as you go.

>>5869067
>> Wrap the footwraps thicker and proceed in, testing for communicability as you go.

>>5869067
> Do something else and hope that more of the Strangeness is dealt with by the time you are done [Prompts Vote]

>>5869067
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval
>>WRITE IN: "Just leave. It is very disappointing to not find the emitter organ, but you doubt anything up there is worth being badly enstranged, you are sure nothing is worth being enstranged in the proximity of the mitigation cast, and you are DOUBLE SURE nothing is worth being found enstranged by the Inquisition"

>>5869067
>Return to the nine dozen fuel module to examine the glyphs further.

Okay, my internet is back finally. Consider this vote closed - I'll add to the update I already have, and then post the whole thing once it is done.

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If you didn't have your temper so well in check – and if you only had something more substantial than ragged footwraps on your feet - you would be sorely tempted to kick something right about now. But as you find yourself so well-equipped with temperament and so underequipped with footwear, you have to satisfy yourself by seething silently while you clench and unclench your fists. These indulgences are impotent at slaking your frustrations; to tell it true, your head is only leveled again by the necessity of focusing on reappraising your situation and bearing. Chief among this reappraisal is the fact that from the introduction to the Strangeness to the point where the rag became Estranged enough to active your Strange-Staining Glyph, there was a count of two-dozen, of twenty-four seconds. No, actually, it was more - perhaps as many as twenty-eight seconds. The thing is ... and it feels reckless to even think this - but the exact duration isn't really that important here; it is obvious that a moving set of footwraps - and through them, you - are going to be a lot harder to Estrange than a thin rag that is lying more or less flat against against the patch. The important thing to take away here is that while this swath may be in the Second Degree, it is a very restive Second Degree. Aye, restive enough that you are not immediately dismissing out of hand the utterly and all-around heedless notion of attempting to out-run the Strangeness.

It can be done - though, of course, that doesn't mean it follows that it should be. Still ... if you were to make a point of adding bulk and mass to your footwraps by bundling them in the linen sheets and towels you have pinched, that would slow down the already slow Estrangement - and if you were diligent about your footfalls, running on your toes only for a bit, then switching to a step that favors your heel, then back again to the toes, you would be able to delay any Estrangement even further. You are tempted - just as sorely as you were to kick something a moment ago - but in the end, the risk is simply too much for you to stomach. For a start, this entire endeavor is predicated on two notions - the first being that there is an end to this patch; that is to say, that the entire fourth floor isn't in a communicable state, and the second is that the Strangeness throughout the patch is as restive or moreso than the portion that you have just tested here. The former is a blind gamble - right now you have no way of knowing if it is true or not. The latter, on the other hand, is worse than a blind gamble - considering the extent of the patch, it seems rather unlikely that all of the Strangeness comprising it is this restive.

At the same time, you are not going to be put off the emitter Organ so easily. After all, there is a second way onto the fourth floor that you know of - and if it is free and clear, then that certainly alters the arithmetic.

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So it is after all of this that you find yourself turning on your heel and retracing your steps through the unlit halls of the third floor, all the way back to the servant's stair – swearing under your breath the entire way. However, as you surmount the final flight, Strange-Staining activates again – and you stop swearing underneath your breath, so that you may begin swearing over it. But before you can completely indulge yourself with impotent conniptions, you notice that while this swath does stretch to the limit of your Glyph, it is not total. Here and there, there are sizable patches of mundanity inside the Strangeness. Hoping that your hopes haven't been dashed away entirely, you fish out another rag from your haversack, and after repeating the same silent prayer as earlier, you conduct the same experiment by tossing it into the patch.

A dozen seconds pass in silence, the shifting monochrome Stains slowly dancing around the stark white scrap. Another dozen seconds pass, and you realize that you are holding your breath – but you can't breathe, not yet. The count reaches twenty-eight, and you lean in towards the rag, looking for any signs of Estrangement. When the count reaches thirty-six, you consider blowing on the rag, to flip it over so you may check on the underside – then you realize that by causing a break in contact you would be fouling your experiment with unnecessary dross. At four-dozen seconds – and no further developments on this rag – it finally occurs to you that you just left the other rag sitting on the stairs. It is enough to make you wince, but you catch yourself before you can do anything that might break your vigil or otherwise divert your attention. It is just a damned rag, and it will Cleansed with the rest of the stairs – there is nothing to do, and certainly nothing to worry about.

But you worry still.

In fact, you continue to worry – about the misplaced rag, and about your prospects for getting on the fourth floor without Estrangement – up until a full minute runs its course, at which point you start to take a small bit of heart – though it takes the expiry of a second before you are confident enough to seriously consider 'wading'. While you mull it over, you decide that you might as well temporarily thicken your footwraps with the purloined linens anyway – even if you don't commit here, having the little bit of extra protection against Estrangement couldn't possibly hurt. As you do what you can to tie the sheets and towels to your feet, you consider your options. Say – for the sake of an argument that is becoming less and less hypothetical the longer you look at the still-mundane rag – that you were going to 'wade' up to and through the fourth floor, to find the chimneys. You'd want to test as you go; that could be done easily enough – simply stop, and check the bottoms of your feet.

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However … those patches of mundanity present you an option beyond just taking it 'as the crow flies' as fast as you can – you could try to 'hop' between them, as a stratagem to limit your exposure. But will that actually work? For a start, you are working on the assumption that these patches of mundanity exist throughout the fourth floor – and considering that you didn't see any on the other staircase, you could consider that a disproof. Then again, the Strangeness here is not communicable, so perhaps it should just be taken as proof that the conditions are different around the two stairs. Really, for all you know, the rest of the floor could be clean, and it might just be the area around the stairs that got Estranged.

That … no, you aren't going to count on that. Just – just assume that the entire fourth floor is Estranged, but that there are enough patches for you to 'hop' within striking distance of the chimney. Now, is that going to be your best course of action? Sticking to the clean patches would allow you to run tests with rags – as opposed to just checking your footwraps periodically to see if they had the Strangeness or not. There are no two ways to cut that – that is a real boon. They'd also allow you the time to look things over properly; were you to just to bull-rush your way in, your casing of the place would just be glancing back and forth, and it follows that you would be more likely to overlook things. And documentation that … actually, that raises another question. If there was a patch of mundanity that was in striking distance of the chimney, would you want to do the documentation there, where you could have the emitter Organ on hand for reference, or would you rather do it somewhere you can spread out, and get proper light while you write, like on one of the clean steps of this flight of stairs. Well … actually, that is sort of a separate issue, isn't it?

Back to the issue at hand. The only problem with 'hopping' that you can think of is that inevitably, you are going to be taking more steps in a more circuitous route through the floor. If there is no physical evidence to the location of the Breach points or the Breaching fields, then it follows that taking more steps over a wider portion of the floor would inevitability increase your likelihood of stumbling into a patch of the Strangeness that was in a communicable state. The testing might assuage some of that risk – but certainly not all.

On some level, it is almost frustrating that you have multiple options; because so long as you have choices, you are going to agonize, delay, dissemble – and then seemingly always get it wrong anyway!

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> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will take it 'as the crow flies', as fast as you can, checking the bottoms of your footwraps when practical – though you will look for a swath of mundanity near the emitter Organ to 'land on' while you perform the preliminary examination.
> You will 'hop' your way to the emitter Organ, taking whatever path is – or appears to be – the safest. You will be able to test for the Strangeness without risking your own footwraps, and have more time to take in your surroundings … though more footfalls on the fourth floor could translate to higher odds of stepping in something communicable.
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will perform your documentation as close to the emitter Organ as possible.
> You will perform your documentation in more suitable conditions, out of sight of the emitter Organ.
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval.

>>5870290
>You will 'hop' your way to the emitter Organ, taking whatever path is – or appears to be – the safest. You will be able to test for the Strangeness without risking your own footwraps, and have more time to take in your surroundings … though more footfalls on the fourth floor could translate to higher odds of stepping in something communicable.
> You will perform your documentation in more suitable conditions, out of sight of the emitter Organ.

>>5870290
> You will take it 'as the crow flies', as fast as you can, checking the bottoms of your footwraps when practical – though you will look for a swath of mundanity near the emitter Organ to 'land on' while you perform the preliminary examination.
> You will perform your documentation as close to the emitter Organ as possible.

>>5870290
>> You will take it 'as the crow flies', as fast as you can, checking the bottoms of your footwraps when practical – though you will look for a swath of mundanity near the emitter Organ to 'land on' while you perform the preliminary examination.
> You will perform your documentation as close to the emitter Organ as possible.

>>5870290
Can strangeness spread into leaded glass?

>>5870730
Yes - but it would take something dangerously Estranged to do it. You would be looking at the Fourth or Fifth Degree, potentially higher for glass blown with more lead than typical in the crystal - it wouldn't be quick, either. And to actually get the glass in a communicable state, it would require something require something in the Fifth or Sixth Degree as a bare minimum. When something (in this case, the contents of the glass) gets that Estranged though, there are other more imminent concerns - inconvenient spontaneous transmutations, Breach feedback, and local destabilizations of reality, so it is quite possible that the glass gets broken before it can be Estranged under these circumstances.

>>5870771
Thanks for the info Trash. This is a tough spot.

>>5870290
I mirror this anons sentiment
>>5869669
>Just leave

>>5870290
>Just leave

I'm ready to write, but it seems we have a tie here.

>>5870998
>>5870968
Just to be clear, do you mean to leave the servant's stair, or to leave the house?

>>5871191
The majority want to investigate the emitter organ Trash, just use the Hop vote as the tiebreaker for right now

>>5871199
That is a fair point. Still ... I've never used another vote like that like in a tie-breaker, so just changing the rules out of hand seems kind of unfair and rail-roady. If the anon who voted for the 'hopping' changed their vote, then that would be a different story though.

I'll give this another few hours, and if there is still a tie, then I'll reconsider my position here.

>>5870290
Write-in: Build "platform shoes" using ripped up sheets as cordage and the least communicable material available like wood from support boards running crosswise under the bedframes then 'take it as the crow flies'.

Okay, we still don't have any clarification from the two votes for leave - so I don't know if they want to leave the house or just leave the servant's stair. Moreover, with that write in, there is now a third vote for taking it 'as the crow flies', which also in a more general sense works out to be four votes for continuing on, against two votes for either abandoning the fourth floor, or abandoning the house entirely. I'm not particularly comfortable about it ... but for the sake of moving things along, I am going to call this vote closed. I'll get to writing as soon as I can.

>>5871529
I'll vote for 'hopping'

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You are not sure when exactly you decided to 'wade' – but it is clear that somewhere along the winding road you resolved yourself. To tell it true, you are beset on all side, besieged by doubts. There is enough that could go wrong with this that at some basal level, you wish you could … just be satisfied with what you have, and what you have done. But how could you? This is the most complex, most advanced Construct that you have ever – well, no, you haven't seen this Construct, not entirely. That is the fraying problem! You cannot walk away, not when you haven't laid eyes on the emitter Organ, which has to be the most integral part of a ranged-remediator – and if that wasn't enough, of the four major Sub-Assemblies that this Construct has; the locomotion, the Logic, the Fuel and the emitter, you know the least about the emitter. How could you, or any Witchlet, ever just … turn your back on this, right at the very end?

You certainly don't know.

After a moment or two spent poking and picking at the wrap job you did with the linens, and another moment checking the seat of the candle in the 'stick, you feel … well enough about your prospects here to proceed. When one last check of everything turns up nothing out of place, you take a deep breath and start up the stairs. Within three strides, you have set foot in the patch and begun the harrowing process of 'wading' your way through the Strangeness. You keep your gait relatively measured, not going much faster than you would typically go up stairs – at least until you close the distance to where you threw the testing rag. This is going to be one mistake that you refuse to make twice!

To deal with it safely, you are going to need to stop briefly, very briefly – but to save time, you elect against picking it up, instead brushing it backwards, out of the patch with your foot, so you make collect it later, at your convenience. You look back just long enough to make sure that the scrap of linen did in fact clear the Strangeness, then you are face front once more, advancing up the stairs. You are moving faster this time, but while your footfalls might be steady, you certainly don't feel that way. The aches, the pains, the flushes and flashes of heat – all things that had faded damned near to the point of obscurity – are incrementally returning. Each step, each second, you feel just a little bit worse. At the moment, it is nothing, easily overlooked … but if whatever you experienced in the presence of the other chimney's ashbox is the upper bound, well, then this steadily creeping affliction is cause for concern.

It also occurs to you that it might not have been the smartest idea to use your foot to get the rag clear – considering that you are wearing improvised footwraps over your used footwraps, and you only have an educated guess on how to actually wrap a footwrap, based off of the creases in the former. You could have loosened the entire thing! Damn it all, you should have waited until you were on your way back, that way if something had – stop it, just stop it. Nothing happened, stop dwelling on it!

But even as you try to focus, you cannot help but notice how few and far between the spots of mundanity are, how most of the ones that you can see are on the walls and ceiling, where they are of no use to you – beyond, of course, just giving a possible hint as to the Degree of the Strangeness surrounding them. Without even really intending to, you put on more speed just as you surmount the landing. As you come up to the door, you start to bring your right arm to bear – only to remember that you switched the hand that you were holding the 'stick with. Sloppy! So fraying sloppy!

Yet, in spite of your continued failings, you are able to alight upon the handle to wrench the door open without too much delay. You push inside, eyes forward and downcast. Still, you are able to get an impression of the room from your nose – judging by the faint redolence of fertilizer and alchemical compounds, this place must be set aside as a storage room for the conservatory. Glancing upward briefly, you seek to confirm your guess. From what you can see, you are right – but you can see much less than you would like; the only source of light in the room is your 'stick, and as you are moving so quickly, the shadows cast by the candle are dancing – and when these fall on the Stains, the display is nothing short of dizzying. Of course, much of the room is outside of the range of Strange-Staining … but at that distance your light is not steady nor bright enough to illuminate you to the entirety of the place. Still, under the circumstances, you are able to make out enough to satisfy you. There are implements for planting and pruning, stacks of pots in different sizes, more of those tripod lamps that you found in the basement. Much of the floor is taken up by trestle tables, and there is a veritable forest of light fixtures – all of them dark – that hang low from the ceiling over these baby trestles.

More important than your surroundings however is a thoroughly unexpected development; the incremental increases to the induced malaise seems to have tapered off. There hasn't been a reversal; you still feel like shit. But you aren't feeling shittier and shittier with every step anymore. Which … is a problem, as you have no idea why it is no longer behaving predictably. Is – is it possible that you are just too distracted to notice, and if you were to stop, you'd be able to feel the difference again?

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When you glance up, you see that you are going to get a chance to test that theory out. At this very moment, you are closing in on what was the far side of the room – and dead ahead is a vestibule, no doubt to control temperature between this room and the conservatory. You close the distance, then you come to a stop. You do your best to get your feet up and in the light so you can check your wraps without leaning or bracing yourself against something, but balancing yourself, the 'stick, and the haversack on your back is no mean feat, and after a pair of abortive attempts, you relent and use your
elbow to brace yourself against the door while you check.

Both come up clean, as does your dress when you check the elbow. But beyond what can be attributed to nerves, you don't feel any worse than you did when you entered the room, even though you must be within spitting distance of the emitter Organ by now. That, paired with the observation that there are fewer and fewer islands of mundanity visible, is enough to put you in a nervous disposition as you pass through the vestibule, even if you are no worse for the wear so far.

Once you pass through the vestibule, you find yourself in the glass garden, just as you had predicted. Looking up through the glass roof, you can see … stars! Oh, Maker's Mercy, what time is it? You level your gaze, suppress Strange-Staining and look out into the city – and your stomach sinks like a stone. Streetlamps! There are streetlamps that are lit! To be sure, this isn't the Lower Boardwalk, but still … it must be well past the twentieth hour! For a moment, you tell yourself that perhaps you are just seeing private lamps, but your eyes see the truth of it. There are simply too many lights; lights in the distance, gleaming down from on top of the Promontory, lights up and down the streets, lights on the wharves and quays beyond those streets, lights out in the harbor … lights above the harbor? What -

Mitigators.

You don't know how it managed to do so, but your stomach – already sunken – sinks again. You cannot deny it, there is a brace of bright white lights that are moving out in the harbor, twenty-feet or so above the water, beaming down onto it. There really isn't anything else that it could be; and you know for a fact that there are Mitigators present on the Mount. They must be … a third of a new mile away, perhaps more. They are well away from Oiler's Wharf though, so they must be looking for debris from the explosion. At least you know for a fact that this house has to be outside of their detection range, otherwise this place would be -

With a yelp, you suddenly realize that you have just been standing stock still in this morass of the Strangeness. Strange-Staining unsuppresses as your focus breaks, and you have to suppress it again to look for the chimney. You find it, and without a care for the integrity of the wrapping, you sprint straight over to it. At some point, Strange-Staining unspressess again, and as you close the distance, you can see that there is clean patch just outside of an arm's length from the hearth. You actually jump onto it - almost overshooting your mark in the process, forcing you to balance yourself as best you can while you utter terrible oaths at your mistakes, your stupidity, your clumsiness, and most of all, yourself. But before long and without issue, you are able to recover enough that you don't feel to be at risk of pitching or keeling over, so you turn yourself so that you are facing towards the firebox, and you bring your 'stick to bear on the darkness inside of it, to reveal ... Conduit. Conduit, leading into the flue. More to the point, Conduit - and no emitter Organ. You stare at it, struck deaf and dumb ... until you notice the side of the chimney. Overlooked in your mad dash, there are steel rungs embedded and mortared into the bricks of the chimney, which lead all the way to a metal hatch in the glass roof.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof- even if there weren't Mitigators about. But if you move quickly, you might still be able to accomplish what you set out to do here without anymore additional complications. Find the other chimney, perhaps the emitter Organ of that Construct will be in the firebox instead.
> You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof - even if there weren't Mitigators about. In fact, you aren't thrilled about standing in the middle of a morass of the Strangeness while there are Mitigators about either. You can decide what you will do next once you have put a solid wall between you and them.
> You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof ... but you have come this far, and you have no reason to believe that these handles are any more Estranged than the rest of this room. Use some of the linen scraps to protect your hands, and then climb up to look at the emitter Organ. And the Mitigators! Look at the Mitigators - with any luck, this will be the closest you ever get to one, so you mustn't waste this opportunity to observe and learn!

>>5871807
> You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof ... but you have come this far, and you have no reason to believe that these handles are any more Estranged than the rest of this room. Use some of the linen scraps to protect your hands, and then climb up to look at the emitter Organ. And the Mitigators! Look at the Mitigators - with any luck, this will be the closest you ever get to one, so you mustn't waste this opportunity to observe and learn!
We are outside of their detection range, and they aren’t focused on us, nor do they have any reason to- best chance we’re gonna get to study them before we meet them on a hunt. Besides, I’m curious about how they illuminate the water enough to see? Magnifying goggles? A cone-like mirrors? Tinfoil hat and glasses?

>>5871807
>> You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof- even if there weren't Mitigators about. But if you move quickly, you might still be able to accomplish what you set out to do here without anymore additional complications. Find the other chimney, perhaps the emitter Organ of that Construct will be in the firebox instead.
Nigga it's time to gtfo

>>5871807
>Leave the house now. The airborne forces they may be employing for reconnisiance are not worth braving and you've spent too much time here already. Get your scrap of cloth on the way out, arrange your loot, and get back to the cart.

>>5871807
>You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof - even if there weren't Mitigators about. In fact, you aren't thrilled about standing in the middle of a morass of the Strangeness while there are Mitigators about either. You can decide what you will do next once you have put a solid wall between you and them.

>>5871807
>> You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof - even if there weren't Mitigators about. In fact, you aren't thrilled about standing in the middle of a morass of the Strangeness while there are Mitigators about either. You can decide what you will do next once you have put a solid wall between you and them.

>>5871807
>> You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof ... but you have come this far, and you have no reason to believe that these handles are any more Estranged than the rest of this room. Use some of the linen scraps to protect your hands, and then climb up to look at the emitter Organ. And the Mitigators! Look at the Mitigators - with any luck, this will be the closest you ever get to one, so you mustn't waste this opportunity to observe and learn!

>>5871807
>Gather all the loot we can carry and leave

>>5871807
> You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof - even if there weren't Mitigators about. In fact, you aren't thrilled about standing in the middle of a morass of the Strangeness while there are Mitigators about either. You can decide what you will do next once you have put a solid wall between you and them.

>>5871807
>> You are not keen on the thought of climbing up to and then out on to a glass roof - even if there weren't Mitigators about. In fact, you aren't thrilled about standing in the middle of a morass of the Strangeness while there are Mitigators about either. You can decide what you will do next once you have put a solid wall between you and them.

Alright, consider this closed. I will get to writing as soon as I can.

Between the presence of Mitigators, and the absence of the emitter Organ, it feels as if half your brain is missing and the other half has been knocked into a cocked hat. But even if your head did feel hale and whole, figuring out what in the Heights of Hell to do next would be best done with a solid wall between you and them. So it is that you beat a retreat from the Conservatory, intent on finding a suitably safe spot in the storeroom - or failing that, to head back to the stairs. As you do, you belatedly make an observation about the Conservatory - while there are prepared beds of earth all around you, sitting on solidly constructed tables, some with glass domes over the soil, or others with these odd-looking glass bulbs with metal stakes running down into the dirt, the one thing that you cannot see is plants. Of course, this is only a portion of the Conservatory, and your 'stick is only able to throw off so much light. Not to mention, that you are quite nearly running and with the way that the beds are made, there are sides to the beds - so it is not to hard to believe that this is just a matter of you not being able to see them ... but you cannot help but feel your father's hand in this.

Without further complications or realizations, you slip inside the storeroom and within a few strides find yourself standing in a comfortably sized plot of mundanity. You allow yourself just enough time to catch your breath, then you focus the whole of your attention on the newest question before you; should you continue on looking for the emitter-Organ under these ... increasingly adverse circumstances? You have never seen a live and active emitter Organ or Component before - in fact, before you laid eyes on the deceased strickening striker, you had no idea what such an Organ or Component would even look like. But is it worth it? How much help could your scribbling and sketching actually be in Weaving your own emitter? Well ... perhaps you are being too harsh; that documentation would be of some use, for a surety. But enough use to risk the roof? Or to proceed further into the Conservatory, towards the portion that you know for a fact is at a higher Degree?

That thought is enough to remind you to check your footwraps - and while they are coming lose, and the linen is looking worse for the wear already, you cannot see any Strange-Stains on them, even after straightening them out and getting them to sit flat as you can. Under the burden of your well-laden rucksack, your shoulders slump as you sigh in relief - but even in this moment of respite, you cannot consider yourself to be out of the woods. No, either you stay the course, or you take a new heading - a decision must be made, promptly!

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You have come this far, and yet you don't have a living, working emitter Organ to show for it. Continue on to the roof.
> You have come this far, and yet you don't have a living, working emitter Organ to show for it. Continue on to the other chimney.
> You have come this far ... but so long as the fourth floor is Estranged and there are Mitigators about, you will go no further. You are done with documentation for the night - now is the time for reconnoitering and requisitioning!
> You have come this far ... but so long as the fourth floor is Estranged and there are Mitigators about, you will hold off. Focus now on reconnoitering and requisitioning - if the situation up here changes for the better, resume documentation later.
> You have come this far ... but so long as the fourth floor is Estranged and there are Mitigators about, you will go no further. You are done with the house - now is the time to move on to safer climes!
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> As it is a real possibility that you will not be seeing a living, working emitter Organ tonight, you are no longer going to dispose of the strickening striker, as it has what you presume to be an emitter Component.
> Though there is a real possibility that you will not be seeing a living, working emitter Organ tonight, you are still going to dispose of the strickening striker as planned. Even wrapped up is simply too big and too suspicious to carry around.
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval

Just a heads up; updates are probably going to be a bit more irregular than usual through Christmas.

>>5872950
>You have come this far ... but so long as the fourth floor is Estranged and there are Mitigators about, you will go no further. You are done with documentation for the night - now is the time for reconnoitering and requisitioning!
> Though there is a real possibility that you will not be seeing a living, working emitter Organ tonight, you are still going to dispose of the strickening striker as planned. Even wrapped up is simply too big and too suspicious to carry around.

>>5872950
> You have come this far, and yet you don't have a living, working emitter Organ to show for it. Continue on to the roof.
This is the most important part lads- just imagine the projection capabilities this baby has. Well worth our while.

> As it is a real possibility that you will not be seeing a living, working emitter Organ tonight, you are no longer going to dispose of the strickening striker, as it has what you presume to be an emitter Component.
A redundant failsafe is wise.