Workshop of Despair

Log Info

• Title: Workshop of Despair
• Emitter: Ashes
• Characters: Ashes, Gadget, Merek
• Place: A14: Artificer's Hall
• Time: Friday, September 04, 2020, 2:49 PM
• Summary: Ash comes to check in on Gadget and finds the gnome sorceress has fallen into despair, and Mr. Jinglewidget, her familiar is at loose ends trying to deal with that. Not, that Ashlee is much better, there is a reason she's called a mourner. Her counseling skills are centered around making people comfortable with death, and her usual method is to stare at them until they are distracted by feeling unsettled. So, she delivers her best "Don't be sad" and lists off some reasons for hope, which aren't enough. Merek wanders in, and attempts to console her as well, to no avail. He's at a loss for device or spells that would assist. Gadget reveals she has been considering baleful polymorph into a monkey, which doesn't seem to be too bad an idea. Ash has a smoke, which doesn't provide any answers, so she drifts off. Her departure pulls Merek away as well, leaving Gadget alone with her monkey and thoughts of disintegration.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--<* A14: Artificer's Hall *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

The Artificer's Hall rests slightly off the ground, supported on all sides by eight strong, if nonfunctional legs. The entire Hall is carved from an ancient automation of a giant arachnid. While at one time--many eons past--it may have been functional, today it is a hollowed-out shell of its former self, with rooms made for professors' offices and class rooms. The Hall itself may be accessed by a stairway that leads up, and up...and up through one of its many legs.

Once inside, its appearance is anything but a mechanical spider's guts. With ceilings of polished stone and artifice-metal, the Hall possesses the same, ominous acoustics as any grand cathedral. Twisting, jointed arches of metal reflect its true form--as a great, massive structure hosted within an arachnid's mechanical belly. Everything is dark and metallic, with seams barely visible where pieces have been welded together. The whole building pulses every so often with a hum of energy, powered by a kind of arcane force scarcely comprehended by the outside world. Yet, the energy seems almost gobber-chaotic.

The centre of the building is a great octagon, with eight, great halls leading away from its core. Decorating its core are stained glass windows. They add to the almost holy ambiance. Instead of leading to the outside world, each shadowbox displays life-sized figures enact scenes from Alexandria's past from the Artificer's perspective. They display feats of Building, Achievement, and Experimentation. Towards the north is one depicting the Forge of the World. It depicts what is thought to be a snapshot of the tower at the center of the World Engine, the god's planar home.

The whole of the complex includes dormitories and construction rooms, where artificers compare notes, ideas, and puzzle over the grand works of history. These buildings spawn from the Central Hall in an almost arachnid fashion, connected by walkways of dark steel and overseen by golem guardians.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

It's a new day, with fair clouds in a blue sky and a gusty wind. Ashlee enjoys the wind, it gives the sensation of progress without really moving. When walking, it's even better.

With the breeze at her back she's blown up the street from Goblintown to the Artificer's Hall, then she drifts inside. She silently arrives at Ruthie JingleHammer's workshop, a generally chill and unsettling feeling accompanying her. She looks around, staring, noting what has moved and what hasn't, then knocks on the frame.

"Gadget?"

Mr. Jinglewidget is there, sitting with a small thing in front of himself. It wasn't clear exactly what it had been before, but it was in pieces, now, and he was using a screwdriver on it, putting it back together. He looks up at Ashes from his spot in front of the baby buggy. The buggy's canopy was fully closed, looking like a pill bug all curled up on itself.

Ashlee drifts forward and slowly reaches out to touch Mr. Jinglewidget's head, attempting to stroke it if he doesn't pull away. One stroke. She stares at the buggy and the closed canopy. Her friend might be sleeping. Or the rat might have eaten her. The Arvek Nar dismisses that thought. Still, she stares silently for a time, listening, waiting. It's something she's done many times before.

Mr. Jinglewidget doesn't pull away. He puts down his screwdriver and gets up. He moves to get a marking implement and something to write on, then begins writing. He has fancy handwriting, but it isn't particularly skillfully done. Then again, he is a monkey.

She hasn't eaten or spoken all day. What do I do?

That gets her attention. Ashlee stares at the note, the writing is certainly better than some she's seen, grammatically correct and everything. She leans over and writes a reply.

I don't know. Let me think.

She waits a moment longer, then raps on the buggy canopy. "It's Ash." She states the obvious in monotone. She should say something encouraging next. "I've come to cheer you up."

Which surely is a bad sign.

Gadget does not respond from inside. After a moment of silence, Mr. Jinglewidget thrusts hands toward the buggy with an impotent expression on his face.

Ashlee looks over at Mr. Jinglewidget. She takes her satchel off and rests it on the worktable. Next she places her hand on the lid. It is rolled back in silence and she looks inside.

Gadget is in there, all the blankets over most of her, her hair shaken so it's over her face. She is very still, though there is breathing.

Ashlee brings her chair over so she can sit. Once close, she reaches in and gently brushes the hair out of Gadgett's face. She parts it to one side, then the other, revealing her. "You don't have to die for me to do your makeup."

Gadget's blindfold is wet as Ashlee reveals it. There's still no response from Gadget. Mr. Jinglewidget stands at the foot of the buggy and looks over all the blankets at her. She turns her face away from Ashlee. Finally, Gadget speaks, albeit quietly, "Close it," she says. "People shouldn't have to see me."

"I'm sorry the TarRaCe didn't go well." Ashlee says. She looks around, finding a clean rag and casting a quick cantrip to dampen it. She wipes at Gadget's face. "There's no one ot see except me and Mr. Jinglewidget."

After a moment she asks, "Did someone say something?"

Merek begins coming from the skies next to the Hall of the Guild, while he takes a moment to tuck in those golden-black wings of his on the back, shifting them while he begins to walk into the place, his gaze taking in the place while he seems to be looking for anyone he might know in the place. He seems to be wearing the usual black attire with the beltcape along the cargo pants.

Mr. Jinglewidget is nothing if not obedient, and he moves to the canopy and begins to close it over Gadget once more. The monkey puts his little hand on Ashes arm and shrugs silently.

Ashlee withdraws her hand so the lid can close. She puts both of them in her lap, and stares at the buggy. Conversation is not one of her skills, the ghosts usually speak to her, and the bodies don't. It's all one sided and she's rather comfortable with it being that way. Still, she should say something.

"Um..."

Merek walks up to one of the people that attend in the place, nodding a bit, while exchanging words. Well, he asks about a monkey, then begins making a way to find Gadget. He does not know Ashlee is about, and knocks on the door of that room, "It's me, Gadget around?" If permitted, he will walk in, with two of the golden-black wings upon the man's back, the monkey along with Ashlee might note, though Gadget might note a little breeze while they shift along.

Gadget can note nothing of the sort, buggy canopy enclosed over her as it is. Merek hasn't made the strongest impression on the monkey, and Mr. Jinglewidget interposes between Merek and the buggy, ready to try to defend Gadget to his last breath if need be.

The ashen Arvec stands as Merek walks in, she moves out of his way. Her stare crosses from him to his wings, and lingers there. She gestures towards the buggy, and bluntly states the obvious, "Hi Mer-mer. Gadget is here. She's not happy."

"It's Ok. Mr. Jinglewidget. He's a good man." Ash provides some reassurances.

Merek looks to the monkey, and offers a little bit of a sigh, while nodding a bit to Ash, "From what I gathered he didn't like me when first we met." He peeks to the monkey, then he nods a bit, speaking to Gadget, "Right. Gadget... I'm trying my best to work on something to assist your situation, even though the Guild was being a little bit, you know, about prices. What has made you upset?" he asks.

Mr. Jinglewidget takes the writing thing and the paper and writes again. He scribbles out some rather eloquent calligraphy like a six year old who was just taught how. He then holds it up to Ashes, though Merek would be able to see, too.

I think she's lost hope.

"She's lost hope." Ashlee reads the note aloud to Merek. She nods to Mr. Jinglewidget, then stares at Merek. The majority of her counselling experience is telling dead people they're dead, which wouldn't be helpful right now. At all. She sifts through things she might say, tries to imagine it as looking for bugs beneath rocks.

Her familiar, the centipede, uncoils from around her neck and crawls up her face.

Halfway up, pausing so he's stretched over one of her eyes and down to her mouth. She doesn't react to this at all. In a monotone, she lists off things the could be considered positive, that might reassure the gnome.

"You live. You have a wonderful monkey that cares about you. You have a project in place that will resolve your problem. You have friends helping you. It's dark, but it will get better. It takes time."

Merek looks then to Ashlee while she begins to reiterate all said, nodding a bit. The man turns attention to Gadget's buggy along with Mr. Jinglewidget. "It's important to note things take time, you have friends doing all that they are able, to bring you assistance. When I lost my arm, before it was rebuilt, it was pretty... Well, it was a lot to deal with."

Mr. Jinglewidget looks helpless as he gestures at the silent buggy. He was clearly at a loss, and it's really hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel without eyes. However, she does speak. "I know you guys are trying to cheer me up, but I've been fighting and fighting and fighting to stay positive in this dark and powerless void. I don't have anything left."

Ashlee sits on the worktable, pushing herself back and letting her legs dangle. An unusual thing for her to do, typically she stands there. She picks up one of the screwdrivers, toying with it and pushing the blade against one of her fingers.

Her head lifts, she stares at Merek, "Would your arm work for her, so she could touch some things around the workshop?"

Merek looks over to Ashlee, then to Gadget, "I suppose it would with a few adjustments for a little bit, but it's mostly built for me. She'd need to hand it back after," he muses, then he offers a roll of shoulders, "I wonder. I know a lot of magic, there are ways of offering a little bit of sight, though it would all be magic." He inhales, then nods.

Gadget says nothing, but Mr. Jinglewidget scribbles on the paper. He holds it up to Merek.

No eyes. Can you make her see?

"Can you make an artifice device with Alter Self for her?" Ash stares at Merek, taking some time to look him over properly. The arm, the eyes, the wings, he's changed a lot since she knew him. She keeps staring, "Or one that gives sight? I don't know what you can make anymore."

Merek seems to think about it a little bit, "I don't know, all I can do, would be to try." The man inhales, then nods a bit to Ashlee, "I'm trying. I know it might take a bit for you to get artifice you need," he offers.

Gadget is quiet for a bit, then says, "There is no help. I don't even know if Polymorphing me will be a sure thing, at this point. Baleful Polymorph is something we've actually looked into as a potential solution to this. Mr. Jinglewidget and I would just both be artificing monkeys. Boom. Done."

Ash straightens up a little at that. She considers the possibility of being a centipede. Chippen, still covering one of her eyes, senses her considering that and runs up on top of her head and does a little dance. It's a very convincing dance. Ash, is not convinced.

"That's an interesting idea." She comments. "I can't cast that, nor polymorph anything. A scroll is a couple thousand gold."

"For a scroll we could buy a lot of things that might assist, though no matter what we buy it's mostly a bit temporary," Merek admits, then looks to the two in thought. "We will do all we can."

"Baleful polymorph is permanent," Gadget offers from inside the hidey hole. "As long as I dodge the mind-warping second stage, it's still good. I could do whatever I wanted and when I'm ready to go back, remove curse. Bam. Curse lifted." She sighs audibly from inside the buggy. "Unless it polymorphs me without limbs," she adds.

Ash listens, pondering the options. It's clear Gadget is desperate and Mr. Jinglewidget quite worried. She doesn't have anything reassuring to say. Well, there is one thing she hasn't tried. She's only supposed to use it with the bereaved. It's guaranteed to always work, that's what her training has taught her.

Still, it's a bit of a lie. She doesn't want to lie to her gnome friend. There is a second option. "I need to smoke. Will this place blow up if I light a cigarello?"

"You can smoke," Merek mentions, while he nods a bit, "Most of the machines are safe unless you notice them in work," he admits. Then he takes a look to Gadget's buggy, "I will pay for any scroll you might need, it's no issue, just name the spell in mind generally."

"Disintegrate," Gadget suggests. Mr. Jinglewidget makes angry monkey noises at the buggy.

Ash pauses, she hasn't lit her cigarello. She intones, "The answer to that is Woe."

Sighing, she ponders a good question to use an Augury with. While she does so, she lights her stick. A small tendril of smoke curls upwards. She inhales, the tip glowing, holding the breath of smoke, then exhales. Her centipede retreats a little on her head, not wanting to be in the stream of it.

She's thinking and watching the smoke curl. Her questions are always too vague, 'is this a good idea', a little too unrefined for a yes, no, maybe nothing result. Another puff, another blank.

"No, we will not be buying you that," Merek then offers along to Gadget, while he takes a moment to think about it. "We can wait for your Artifice, we can purchase spells to assist in temporary sight, and... We can Regenerate new eyes, that's about it," he admits.

The ashen Arvec continues to smoke and hope for inspiration to strike. She doesn't inhale often, her cigarello is held like a large incense stick as much as it is a thing to puff. She's drawing it down though, as the time drags on.

Finally, she speaks aloud in monotone, "Would a bath, food and going outside make Gadget feel better, Gadget?" This is followed by a long exhale where she watches the patterns of smoke as it curls upwards.

GAME: Merek rolls craft/artifice: (10)+12: 22
GAME: Merek rolls spellcraft: (2)+22: 24

Merek takes a moment to look to Ashlee, then to Gadget. He waits for the woman to answer, while he takes a scroll, and begins writing upon it, the pen inking what looks to be runes along with sketching.

Ash exhales a cloud of smoke. She stares at Merek. "There are no simple answers. I can't think of a good question."

She stares at the buggy, "You aren't dead, Gadget. You're a survivor. If you give up, it will hurt Mr. Jinglewidget. He loves you. A monkey isn't the worst thing to be."

She slides off the worktable, picks up her satchel. She takes out two apples and a small covered bowl of Gunpowder Chili. She places them beside the monkey. "It might be the best idea yet."

She drifts out silently, trailing smoke.

Merek nods a bit to Ashlee, while he takes a moment to consider, his wings adjusting a little bit. "You take care." He then looks to Gadget, "We'll do all we can."

Mr. Jinglewidget hasn't tried the chili, nor has Gadget, however, the smell of the slight residue on the outside alone is enough to make him think twice about opening it or even touching it. Gadget, meanwhile, huffs. "Merek," she says, "I have had dozens of people tell me they want to help me. I will believe you that things will get better when things get better; I will believe you that you will do things to help me when those things are done." Mr. Jinglewidget nods with the nod of unfortunate truth.

Merek inhales, then nods a bit to Gadget, while he takes a moment to look about the place. "Alright, you take care, will see you about likely," he mentions, waving.

Leaving Gadget alone...

She's still sleeping cuddled up to a monkey in a baby-buggy in a noisy artifice workshop. The only offered solution likely to be delivered is the one to be made up to look like a corpse. And still struggling with her circumstance.