Blossom 112 and 1/2: The Hidden Home
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 18:36:35 GMT -8
The ocean air was good for the lungs. The sensibilities. It was hard not be simultaneously relaxed and alert. In another life, perhaps he would’ve been a sailor. He came from the North, a place of snow and cold, blustery winds. Sailing in the northern sea, south still of Ivingard was something a man did when he wanted to be tested. Sailing here was something a man did when he wanted to relax. No wonder he wasn’t a sailor considering the point. Landfall was pleasant enough. The docks of Tyran were busy, trade and commerce something that remained in spite of war or disasters. The resilience of this land was legendary. Before he met a soul, or reached out to Jonathan he immediately got to work finding a temporary place to hang his head. He found it in a slum tenement. Most wouldn’t find it safe, but most weren’t into keeping his money close. He could've spent more gold on better accommodations, but what he would of spent for a week bought more than a month here. The place was ragged, wretched accommodations but with the purchase of a lock, some tinkering with his footlocker, and a little alteration it was secure enough. Most of his valuables he kept with Jonathan at his place, his safe being a more secure location than he had access too usually. For the first week he spent his time exploring, looking for the right place in town that he could secret away, and kept funneling a small bit of coin to the slumlord who owned the tenement. It was Monday on the second week, where he finally found the place he wanted to be. A little hidden apartment near the docks, stationed near a levee not far from a nearby baker. It had been used up until a few years back and the estate of the presumed owner was looking to rent it out with the option to even buy it. Finding the seller took more than few hours, but when he did he found the price to show that they knew the tactical advantages to having a more or less concealed residence. It was not cheap, that was for certain. He’d need a great payday to replace the amount of his savings he’d put in just to secure it for a year and make them amenable to sell.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 19:52:32 GMT -8
That’s where Jonathan came in. Jonathan owned a bar called the Rose’s Thorn, a restaurant of sorts that served food and alcohol with a dash of bloodshed. It was a fencing club. They hosted other kinds of fights, but the place was built for gentlemanly contests. It wasn’t struggling, but it wasn’t thriving either. People were committed. If you wanted a drink, you went to Wendy’s. If you wanted titillation you went to the Lifted Skirt. If you wanted bloodshed? In Tyran it had a way of finding you often.
Friday night he was scheduled to fight Alaro, an Aldori dueling master, a so called Swordlord. (Detailed in Hands and Feathers on the Private Board) It would take some doing, but between a few good bets, a good take from the fight itself and its purse, he might just make enough to put 1000 sovereigns to it, and still have enough gold to start working in earnest. He had a lead on a minor artifact, a Jug of Endless Water- among other little knick knacks and early works of a wizard long since departed.
The early odds had him earning a profit of over 1000 gold with just a conservative bet. He'd put in more, just to make sure he had enough to keep his gear top notch and prepare for some real work. From what he had been told, the place was perfect- an old thieve's lair of sorts. Hidden, kept secret, and generally out of the way. It'd take work. Carpentry, some metal work, even some tinkering. It'd take gold to bring it back to it's former glory. And while he could work there, he'd not want to sleep there until it was done.
Jack made it his first priority to secure the place. The work he coudl appraise after. It was worth the risk.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 19:53:14 GMT -8
The duel on Friday had made him flush enough with coin to make an offer- and take a guided tour of the place. The steps that lead down started at the end of an alley, curving to a hidden tunnel of ten yards which opened into a small slip near the levee. The levee was raised, and adjacent to the buildings which formed the entrance alley, and the foundation of the buildings was old. Ancient even, dating to Tyran's older days. The place had an archway that cloaked the door itself in shadow, the door made of wood perhaps wrapped or plated with a heavy steel sheet held and riveted by bands of iron.
The servant of the seller was a prim and proper lady who seemed to be careful where she stepped, despite the alley being well swept, and this hidden place near the outflow of water surprisingly protected from the elements. "You'll find, Mr. Mercer that few apartments can afford this kind of privacy for someone wanting discretion. The owner's friend once used it to slip in and out of town at the boat mooring there." she indicated.
Jack nodded thoughtfully as she turned the key to the internal lock, and seemed to work at two other locking mechanisms. Paranoid. His kind of place. "If you wish to rent it, it would take the deposit you are offering and one hundred gold pieces for three months. Many who rent it don't remain long."
Mercer laughed, "Well I'll break that trend. I'd like to buy it. I'll put one thousand to secure it and pay it off within the time that would earn me. Thirty months, so two and half years. No interest at the aforementioned rate. Would that be amenable?" He said with a sudden verbal pounce that put the administrator at alert.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 19:53:48 GMT -8
"I'll inquire. It is a... fair offer. You'll be inspected to pay monthly at the least." the door swung open. The tile floor was slanted in places to drain any water tracked in, while the place was appointed in old but well fashioned furniture. A work bench, a training dummy, a rack for weaponry, and several shelves boasting small lock boxes and chests. It reminded him of his crash pad in the undercity. Down a hall was a bath, a brass tub by the looks of it, and a complicated system to warm fresh water siphoned from a nearby well. Another secure room had mirrored lamps to better light it, perfect for fine detailed work, stairs lead to a loft that put them at the ground floor of the building above- an apartment however narrow where the sun could be seen- in one corner a hanging ream of crimson silk. Something about that room needed to be washed away. But he couldn't deny the possibilities.
"Is that amenable to you, Mr. Mercer?" The servant asked.
One of the posts in the bottom level was of stout enough wood it reminded him a ships mast. On it was carved initials. J.R. Musing at the sign of habitation he smiled. "Yes. " He said. "It is quite amenable."
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 20:01:53 GMT -8
By Sunday Jack had realized he was paying for the location, for the bones of the building. For secrecy. He wasn't paying for anything that bloody worked! The pipes for the water drawing were a disaster, the heating boxes needed new everything, and he'd need to fill the coal and fuel regularly for such a thing. The place would need upkeep, the upstairs section didn't have a bloody exit or entrance, literally built in between two townhouses. One room seemed to smell like rum all the way to the baseboards, and some child had carved stick fingers into the hardwood in the training room.
The place had been some badasses secret headquarters. Then apparently that badass ended up an alcoholic, or slept with one regularly, and probably had at least one kid. Who brings a kid to your secret lair? It was a damn mess. He was wrong. It was going to take more than weeks. It'd take months. First he'd need the copper and the piping. For that he'd need a damn gnome or a dwarf. Or gods be damned both. Why didn't he just move into a flat like every other bloke?
He made inquiries and found that a gnome by the name of Rigby Sprocket specialized in *steam mechanics* and plumbing apparatus. Most likely he'd walk away with nothing useful... but he made an appointment for Monday all the same. Maybe he could get Rigby to take the scrap as partial payment.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 20:22:29 GMT -8
The office and workshop of Rigby Sprocket was utterly chaotic despite the ordered way gears meshed with cogs, and conduits brought steam and heat just where it needed to be as machines whirled in constant motion. The place was loud, and Rigby was as well- no doubt hard of hearing.
" SO MERCER IS IT?" Rigby yelled over the continual ringing in his own ears.
"Yes, that's me I have some plumbing work- looks like old dwarven craft!" Jack said trying to match volume.
"Good good, Dwarven craft- good bones. I can do the repairs, but what are you looking for it to do? Drowning traps? Scalding steam for ye enemies? Maybe something that makes little cakes?" Rigby said excitedly perhaps marginally insane.
"No...I just want..." Jack began to say.
"What the hell do you want then? Just a hot bath? One of those showers they use among the deep roads?" Rigby said with a frown.
"Well, yes. Maybe a steam room, like the tribal lodges." Jack replied.
"I thought you'd be boring. Yeah, I'll help. 400 gold for materials, 200 for labor if you've got the talent to help me. Receptionist said your a tinkerer. I"ll meet you in the morning, before the sun."
Attachments:
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 20:33:53 GMT -8
The morning work was expensive as much as it was frustrating. The materials swelled in price when you added in the tile that wouldn't degrade from the heat and water, worse yet when the mason's bill came in, and even worse when it became evident that the whole damn water line needed something called a gravity pump. Something that had to be cranked for god's sake just to fill the reservoir.
Just like the undercity in Valmoria, this was going to take entirely too much work. Jack parted with his gold without too much complaint, but decided much of the work he'd be doing himself form here on out.
Rigby didn't mind. He did what he could in the time paid for, and even helped sketch and plan better airflow through the hideaway. In fact, Rigby came to enjoy the space so much he started making plenty of plans. No one was more surprised than Jack when he offered to come by the next day around 10, just to get a handle on the hearth and stove.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 20:52:54 GMT -8
By midweek the plumbing was done. That was a surprise only afforded by Rigby's work and Jack's willingness to rappel down the well in the middle of the night to fix the pump. Sure, they wouldn't take much water, as it drew from a mighty deep cistern. And while the original used a public well, that well was now private. Thanks to Rigby he even had clean drinking water, or a method to ensure of the cleanliness.
Rigby and Jack parted company well enough friends, and Jack only lost some of his hearing. The tile, the other work? It required his attention and his alone.
The total project of the 'bath-house' meant an expansion of the room holding the tub which was replaced. Instead a tile lined bath was at floor level, almost like a hot tub, only slightly elevated to perhaps the level of a low stool. In the corner to the left was a shower of sorts, in which a pipe fed water to something similar to a colander and gravity did the rest. The latrine was his favorite thing oddly enough. Water washed the waste to sewers with steam pressure and a surprising flow of water. It kept things smelling far better than the era had a right to. He hung herbal strands from the rafter supports, to keep the place smelling fresh and put a cotton soft rug near the bath to meet feet before stepping on cool tile. Hanging racks for clothing wet and dry, and a dressing shade for a partition for guests- or simply because Jack was used to a certain level of decor, even in practical places such as this.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 21:11:58 GMT -8
By end week, Jack had finished the update to the ground floor apartment above. The loft rose all the way above the street, so he finished the loft's construction into the beginning of the next week. It took real labor to haul the materials down the alley, then through the hideaway, and up the stairs to the apartment between 112 Blossom and 113 Blossom Ave. 112 and 1/2 he'd call it. And did so with a small sign resting above the window on his new elevated loft. He put chairs their instead of a bed, large stuffed pieces of furniture where two could easily fit in one. A rug from Aldoranth was put on the floor, a gift from Alaro who surprisingly was not a sore loser.
He made a planters box in the window sill of the second floor, and the secret entrance to the hideaway below he put a false bookshelf to hide. The mechanism would require parts from Rigby, bought at a discount. He'd need books for it too...that'd take time. Until then he left the lever hidden under a vase.
The final piece was a bed in the corner of the hidden apartment, smaller than the one downstairs and covered with throws. This room was a place to greet the day, or watch the night. Only wise to have a place to surrender to sleep. The next project was the training room. It would take less work, but it would take all of Jack's attention.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 7, 2017 21:29:15 GMT -8
His training room at Greywall might of had more workable area than this whole property. It was built in an old storehouse within Greywall Keep, vault like- the ceiling was high enough to practice risky maneuvers on the bars he had bracketed into the walls and across the ceiling rafters. This room was perhaps a tenth that size, and while the ceilings were ten feet, it wasn't enough.
He put in the thick wooden bars, the metal bars, all the things he could for pull ups, for upper body- he even put in the salmon ladder, but he didn't have room for the normal size sparing area. He doubted he'd have the same aid in training as before. He was not as wealthy, and didn't have militia men to aid him. The blade dummy, the striking dummy, all of them were built and placed around the training room. Storage was built on the walls on the side of the entrance. Once it was done, Jack had to rest. He'd went a ten day on this- before he started on the work bench and the equipment room he needed to recover- get a few days of rest and decide what toys he needed to invest in. It was time to see the Artisan.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 8, 2017 7:01:12 GMT -8
The Artisan was a legendary figure in the Tyran underworld, among scoundrels, bounty hunters, adventurers- the Artisan could make sure a man had at least the equipment to bear a challenge. The Artisan took appointments only with the promise of gold for the consultation, and that was before she ever put quill to paper.
While Jack was a skilled enough tinkerer, he didn't have the breadth of knowledge the Artisan had. He knew what killed, what helped, what was necessary. He even devised several of his own particular aides, but that was without Tyran's resources or the magic often used to create even mundane equipment.
Jack made his way to the workshop, a small deceptively bland building in the smithy district, a place of tanned leather and the smell of molten iron. The inside of the building was quiet, restless and full of potential energy. A lot of thinking went on here, and the descended work space in the back. The Artisan was all angles and elbows, but had a kind of unique appearance with a shock of red hair mingled with brown. If not for that red streak she would of looked nearly mousy, demure even. She gave her client a half smile.
"So, you're Mercer? I heard you had quite the fight the other night. Looking to unload the coin? I don't really do dueling gear." She said before putting a finished metal bolt to her tongue wet before turning the bolt into the receiving end of something resembling a piston driver. Jack was familiar with the device. It was often used to internal locks or even to put holes in plaster walls, it was all cranks and pressure.
"No...not just dueling gear. I've got schema if you want them. I need adventuring gear. Broadhead bolts laced with silver, balanced throwing blades with central mercury reservoir, I need metal weave inserts- the whole damn thing. I brought my rig across the sea, but I'll need to customize it for Tyran's unique challenges." Jack said without reservation. The Artisan arched a slightly bushy brow and smacked her lips. She liked this one.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 8, 2017 17:35:51 GMT -8
The Artisan took a moment to measure her tone. She could be abrupt, prickly even- and the man had intrigued her enough that she suddenly cared if she offended him. “When you say metal weave, are you talking about composite alloy? Steel, mythril? The weave process from across the sea?”
Jack nodded without much else, no smile, just casual admission. “The very same. Lines the weak spots in places. I need a supply of it, and further- I was wondering if you could assist in some new designs.” he pushed a wide leather ledger across the table after producing it from his bag. “The weave is less important than the rest of the order- but I figured it’d be a good gift to begin our working relationship. It’ll take us months to replicate the old formula, and it’ll take some doing to secure the supplies. If you’re game to supply at cost the other gear- I’ll pay you a retainer and share recovered supplies, my schema, and my aid.”
“That’s a ballsy offer.” she said, once more smacking her lips, once more falling into her overtly casual demeanor. “ You’re the guy aren’t you? Who made that fancy suit for the Iron Hounds or whatever? That armor is a hot commodity among duelists, thieves… anyone looking to have a light weight option that’ll stop a mace.”
“No, I’m not that guy. But I know a little bit about the gear.” He said with a small smirk. “The composite materials, the general weight distribution. Did some work for them a long time back.” Jack was suprised. He hadn’t expected the Artisan to recognize the gear. He didn’t know any of his men or women made it all the way out here. That was kind of unsettling.
“You’ve got a deal then, Mercer. What exactly are you looking for?”
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 8, 2017 17:36:10 GMT -8
He spent nearly four hours working out the details with the Artisan. Surprisingly the Artisan gave her real name, Faith. It was an ironic name considering the obvious godless and guileless way she carried herself. She had about as much tact as a titan’s maul. Faith agreed to planning the small work station he’d requested as a bonus, but materials would still come at full cost- even if his gear wouldn’t.
It was a fair agreement, and only a couple of days later he had the schematics for the station. He loved the crossbow station, a place full of concealed drawers of springs, wire, cross bars for fitting on a stock. He’d always enjoyed the feel of a crossbow, the precision they could attain with skill. The sharpening stone nearby would help him care for his blades- and he even had a bench where he could work on everything from climbing gear to fletching arrows or bolts. Best yet, they’d put sliding doors as part of the new wooden walls that seperated the work spaces from the rest of the room- a room he’d invite color to. He had noticed the man who lived here before, this J.R. must’ve been rather depressed. The place was so dark- so utilitarian.
The hideaway wasn’t for his shadows, as Feathers termed them to consume him. Nor the ghosts that haunted his thoughts in faraway moments. It was a foundation. Fortune was boring. But influence… That was something Jack could not deny he would seek again.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 8, 2017 17:36:39 GMT -8
The workstations were difficult enough to move in without attracting attention that they used the boat slip to deliver them. He got Jack the Lesser (otherwise known as Rabbit) to help in exchange for promising to train him at the Rose’s Thorn in the basement. When they finished, it was time to work on the bedroom. He needed to optimize the space and that took another shipment of lumber- fine wood and stains for it, hinges and hardware.
Pull out shelves and places for wardrobes lined either wall while a large bed marked the middle. Lighting was subdued, and a hearth was placed near the entrance, it’s chimney of sorts built into the thick outer wall to spill smoke into the air channel aiming out through a system of ventilation designed to disperse any exhaust among many ports. In the bedroom there wasn’t room for much more. Next was the kitchen- something the previous occupant didn’t care much for beyond a simple larder seemingly never stocked.
That wouldn’t do. It simply wouldn’t do. A good warrior needed good food- nutrition was the indulgence you had to have in peace so you were prepared for war. So he assembled a stove down below, mostly put together from cast asides from Rigby, he put in hanging racks for what food he’d store below, and using lumber himself he spent time building a table boasting two long benches.
His final step was his den, which would yield to his office space as well. Then it was time to set aside the practical. The place despite his efforts was dreary. Too dreary for her to visit, he’d imagine. For the first time in the hurried process, he paused and wondered if this place was really something he wanted. It didn’t matter. For long reaching plans, he needed it- he’d have to remember that.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 8, 2017 18:03:50 GMT -8
He settled on tapestries to brighten the walls- framed maps of Tyran proper, some of the surrounding territories. And finally, a series of portraits of the old crew. Kriev the Dragonborn battlerager, an Anthro-dragon who had terrified battlefields time and time again- his portrait was on the left, while below him was the beautiful Clover Witherton an unlikely druid and an unlikely archdruid who lead the Great Circle of the Green. The other side boasted Alessa the Paladin of Lythellas, gone as she was- having picked a lost cause one too many times, Jack preferred to remember her as she was pictured. Triumphant. Below her, Charlotte Garer- a witch of no small power who had drug him into the adventuring life. In the center was an old portrait from the Rostenrohl revolution.
He had almost thrown it away. The oil painting had nearly been ruined along with the others on the ship ride, then he had sense enough to put them in the bag of holding. He was nervous about that thing...if he lost it so much would be lost!
The portrait was of a young man, hair shorn in close military style- wearing a unique set of armor fitted well to his physique. His eyes were cold but intense, set to purpose. But something about him was noble. Implaccable. He looked heroic. He looked all the same, burdened. Jack missed that life on occasion, but here- sitting at his new desk and looking at the wall to his left- he felt more free than he had in a long time. (Next post will be attachments of the previous adventuring party.)
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 8, 2017 18:11:33 GMT -8
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 8, 2017 18:13:11 GMT -8
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 9, 2017 6:12:48 GMT -8
A few days later, after paying the last invoices he decided the last two rooms- storage originally...would require some touching up. One needed to be a guest room, one stocked with all the bandages, poultices, ointments, potions, and general healing supplies he could afford and store easily. He called it a guest room because it was fatalistic to have an infirmary in your secret under a city block hideaway. The other room was reinforced with the most secure measures he coudl afford, and built in such away that as he could afford more- he would do so.
In short, it was the vault. His magical gear from his career- including Eldarath-the Law of Stars. It was a blade forged by the mythical eladrin- in some dialects it was also called the ‘Vengeance of the Stars.” With it, he and his party of friends had slain the elder evil Zarnthikar the Devourer of Stars. The whole thing seemed utterly ridiculous. The damn thing had been terrifying- he didn’t think an unknowable terror was literally unknowable. The sounds, the smells...everything about that battle was horrifying. But- Eldarath had saved him. Forged from the metal from three falling stars, the blade seemingly drank light only to exude a blue glow all the time. It was a rapier of sorts, and he’d yet to find a creature it couldn’t puncture. He had driven through plate, even through adamantine armor. He had used it to kill a death tyrant beholder. He had slain an undead green dragon, to say nothing of the red dragon. He had fought his rivals with this sword. He had used it so long it felt a part of him. But it wasn’t the kind of thing you carried around- magic swords were well… Magic obviously. Magic drew attention. Trouble. And it usually had a cost intrinsically paid.
That’s why it was in the vault, along with his adamantine warhammer, his magical gauntlets, and the fully enchanted suit of armor called the “Mercer Special”. That is to say nothing about his helm / mask- his dark vision goggles, and a few other odds and ends. He didn’t trust magic, but he had reached the point in his career that the right tool had to be used for certain jobs. For reasons such as that, the vault was lined with lead. It was a universal blocker, blocked divination, mental probing, clairvoyance of any kind commonly used. The locks he knew could be bypassed as many could, so a variety of fail safes were employed. He spent more on the security of that room than most of the hideaway so far. When the vault was finished he finally moved his things from Jonathan’s strong box and safe, and some of his gold was moved from the Merchant’s bank in the East District to his new ‘vault.’ With that out of the way, it was time to put finishing touches.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 9, 2017 17:06:27 GMT -8
Blossom Street, where he had built was a fine location- not so rich as to have too much attention, not so poor as to be slums. It was near the waterfront but not on, a levee cutting through the section of town that it was in. The banks of the levee were dotted with a variety of flowers- perhaps even colorful weeds and a rich green grass. Small boats often carried people down the waterway adding to the picturesque scene, save when those boats were trade barges, ugly, gaudy rafts who only floated due to the determination of commerce.
Ivy crept up garden walls, and the stone used on the first floor of each of the charming townhouses that made the corner block. Jack had designs to one day own the whole block. To create a place where adventurers and soldiers of fortune found peace, freedom, and family. Those were stupid dreams from the outside looking in at his own thoughts, but it had worked before. The Iron Hounds- men and women committed to be more than dogs of war. Pursuing not just excellence and profit, but change. A force of order and stability at the fringe- but still men and women comfortable in the fringe, on the edge.
This city would make a fine launching point into the darker places, the wild places some far and abroad, and others just next door. What he’d need to do is be content. Be patient. Start connecting with people. As he took that afternoon to rest on the roof of 112 Blossom and know somewhere beneath him laid 112 and ½ Blossom… he smiled. He had forgotten what that feeling felt like. A feeling of beginning something- instead of waiting for it to end.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 9, 2017 17:07:03 GMT -8
That Friday he found out that heavy rain swept mud and grime from the upper alley, down the stairs and to the walkway that lead to his door. The muck was thick, mud and silt that had the scent of rot after being left there for a couple of days. (He was still preparing to move in permanently.)
He imagined this J.R. didn’t care about this- but it wouldn’t do. He had to call Rigby, get one of his boring machines- drill lines for a drain. Diverting the water was going to be a chore- and another task that took his own gold, his own muscle, and his own labor. He was beginning to think he would’ve been better at a different location. Hell, much more and he could of bought the building that hid this place!
The task took two days, but soon enough he had enough diverting of water that would keep the entrance and exit dry and the hide away as well. It was a relief to have it done and when he finished he spent his first real night in the upper loft, asleep in a plush leather chair against his intent.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 9, 2017 17:07:32 GMT -8
The place had a kind of solitude that didn’t offend. He realized in those moments sitting at his desk, working over maps and lore, looking for mysteries to unravel, that he enjoyed the fact that he didn’t have the party of friends whose portraits lined the wall to his right.
Don’t misunderstand, Jack missed them. Well, most of them. But he didn’t miss the crowding, the sensation that all accomplishments were shared, that all labor was the fruit of many. It was a new sensation to truly be alone in your pursuits. It wasn’t something he wanted to stick with, he did not view such independence to be a consistent virtue or strength. But it was nice..
Reading the maps by mirrored lamps and lanterns, the oil burning low- Jack reached for a glass of whiskey in the late afternoon. When the oil went dry and the lamp went out he swore.
That wouldn’t do.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 9, 2017 17:30:41 GMT -8
The Everburning Torch. It was a minor magical item, sold often among the bazaars of places that had what he termed a ‘magic economy.’ Here he could probably find it, all of it the product of a spell Charlotte had once told him was ‘continual flame’, it shed no heat but light similar to anything as small as a candle and as large as a torch. Such minor magic that the lowliest hedge wizard could engineer the artifice.
In the Grand Hall of Graywall it was always lit with those continual flames, housed in glass spheres and wrapped with fine metal wire to create shadows cast upon the ceiling. He remembered marveling at it every time he entered the room for the first month. Things were different there, with Aramil as court wizard, and allies who performed such magic, Jack had less ties in a land suffused with the stuff (magic) than he did in the more mundane lands of Izmanth, Eastmarch, and Arenia.
After realizing just how much oil he’d need in a place short on natural light, he decided he needed to find someone to aid in that. Going rate for one of those things in Eastmarch had been one hundred a globe, while in Tyran he imagined he just needed to find the right wizard to get the right price. Jack set out to find a hedge wizard, enchantress, anyone who may enjoy a potential partnership. Eventually he may need something more than lights….
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 9, 2017 17:37:02 GMT -8
It took awhile to find the network to reach out to wizards and the like. They all bought things, components form some of the same places, so he left a small flyer at a few of them with the address of the Rose’s Thorn, as he’d no doubt be at the bar during his working hours. It was a simple enough ad.
****
Experienced adventurer seeking aid from magician. Needs to be comfortable making utilitarian items for both practical and efficient uses. Currently looking for continual light.
Contact Jack Mercer at the Rose’s Thorn.
***
Jack was there nearly every morning between 7 and 10, training fencers in the basement or upstairs at the aisle. He could enjoy this- besides the Rose’s Thorn wasn’t far from his own place, part of the territory he’d one day claim as his.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 11, 2017 5:39:16 GMT -8
He hadn't expected Rigby to be so frustrated that he went outside of their arrangement to find an enchanter. Rigby had a man to do the work in house, and while Jack was still going to look for a suitable magician to ally with as fabrication required- he found that Rigby's lad, a gnomish enchanter specializing in magical household items was more the sufficient for his needs. Apparently, he'd seen the enchanter's work already in Zenna's bathtub.
He didn't need a stronger recommendation. He made the purchases, had the items installed with Rigby's help, and with some time the results were more impressive than he had originally thought possible.
They had crafted a nice tube of transparent material, almost like glass but stronger. They had called glassteel and that it alone was the significant driver of costs. The tubes were placed center wall in various sections of the wall. They were enchanted not just with the continual light they needed, the light was in gradients of yellow, white, and various other hues all changed by a curved 'switch' of sorts.
The switch was half an orb obtruding from the side of a few walls for lighting. It was smooth made of black stone, enchantments tying the switch to the magical lights. Frosted globes hung on small fixtures away from the wall lights, they to controlled by the switch stone. With a switch stone in each room, they put one by Jack's bed- and one built to be moved, currently placed on the right side of his desk.
To address the stone one need only say "Fiat Lux." Then with physical contact the stone would interpret just what it was that you wished from the lightning. It took time to enchant it all and while it was being finished Jack looked at his accounts and decided that this was enough. Now, the hearths were mostly unnecessary, so they'd use burning brazers for heat in most of the rooms. Remodeling he could do at another time. It was finished.
|
|
Initiate
gender: Male
status: offline
Alias: John Raines, John Mercer
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
|
Post by Jack Mercer on Jun 11, 2017 5:55:53 GMT -8
All in all, he'd spent 7,500 gold pieces or more (concerning the expenses he did not track) on the hide away. Much of the materials he had, and much of the gold made the voyage from Eastmarch where it was ravaged by the money changers and traded for Tyranian coin. That is to say nothing of paying his agreed cost to the owner of this place, who agreed to compensate him significantly for bringing it beyond it's former glory.
Repeated lessons given at the Rose's Thorn had given him enough coin to live on with consideration to daily expenses and then some, while his duels at the Thorn currently happened three times monthly leading to an income of roughly three thousand gold monthly between gambling, his take, and his investment in the Thorn. As he moved through his concealed home, looking for finishing touches before his first guest the math haunted him.
If he was going to make moves on the rest of the block, it was time to hire someone more adept at growing wealth. Jack was a social creature, skilled at getting the most out of people. That translated to his previous position. He wasn't so good at building wealth. Charlotte had always aided in that, and even more so Jenna Waters. He missed his old aide, but knowing she was safe in her retirement, well taken care of- it alleviated his concern over his goals and finances.
It was lucky that he knew someone else who could make these kinds of deals, and find out the price to buy out the building above. Oddly enough, his opinion of Zenna Whiterose was based in more than there personal connection. He could think of no one better to include in the next phase of building.
All the same... for now, it was time to rest in the knowledge that he was back. Established. Now there that he had a home base to work out of, it would soon be time to leave it.
|
|
|
welcome
Tyrannights is a free-form play by post RPG with a medieval fantasy setting. It was formed in 1997 by Shawn and Doreen with many different owners and versions over the years. Its current version is Tyran: Tales of Legends owned by Sinead and Laelia.
Tales of Legends is world and character building focused with and original setting. There are no forced character aps or registration, so come stay in Wendy's Tavern for a drink. Have you character serve one of two Tyran gods. Rule a city of your own, or serve Tyran's Queen. There are limitless possibilities for your character's story... so what are you waiting for?
Tyran is PG 13 and LGBT friendly.
site updates (dd/mm/yy)
13/11/18 - THERE ARE NEW GODS! please check out the temple folders for more details!
29/11/18 - Both temples have staff positions open for those interested in joining the temples
29/11/18 - We are currently editing our achievements and adding more! Please be patient as we fix this.
current events
TBA
Time: Ongoing
Where: TBA
Host: TBA
staff
|
|
|
|
|
|
---
Amika
x_Tempest_D
SW_Hotaru_SD
|
---
(Username may varry)
Joshua
Shelzi
Storyteller/Trent
Wulv
|
credits
Tyrannights/VampPub was originally created by Shawn and Doreen. Tyran: Tales of Legends remake is currently owned by Sinead and Laelia Content is copyrighted to Tyran unless otherwise stated. The skin is created by Wolf of Gangnam Style. The board and thread remodel is by Kagney.
Banner Image was created by Karnage82.
|
