escordvi | Are gondolas the new stepladder now?

Entry tags:

Are gondolas the new stepladder now?

Who: Emet-Selch
Status: Open
Where: Around doing MANTA things
What: Exploring underwater ruins, arguing about gondolas/ladders, and catching thieves
Warnings: None

1. Underwater Ruins (Special 12pts)

a) Octopus wrangling
On his previous visits, he had managed to befriend a few of the skittish creatures. Taking advantage of his underwater travel form which transforms his lower half into an octopus, he tries to ingratiate himself further with them. A few are willing to emerge from their hiding spot to cling to his tentacles. But the moment someone new intrudes, or a bright light is shone at them, they jet away quickly and leave behind that annoying ink.

"Now look what you've done," he grouses at whoever has come up to him. "You've frightened them off again."

b) Mirrors
"I believe we need to arrange them in the shape of something. I suspect the stars. I've managed to bring references based on word from the natives."

He brings out a small, translucent crystal and feeds a little magic into it. A spherical image projects above it, dotted with various constellations of the leviathans.

"I can adjust the mirrors closer to the ceiling."

Emet-Selch is all business-like. There's a mystery they may be on the cusp of solving, but he'll chat if there are questions.

2. Schrodinger's Gondola (General 4pts)

"What does it matter whether it is a seafaring vessel or a skyfaring one?" he asks irritably. He's inspecting the craft from the outside but he can see nothing terribly...special about it.

"This is akin to asking whether something is a ladder or a step-ladder. They're both ladders!"

3. Five Finger Discount-inued (Paladin 4pts)

Emet-Selch has seen the notice sent out to Paladins but hasn't the time to actively hunt for troublemakers. However, he's perfectly capable of spotting a would-be thief as he's strolling past on his way to the Forge.

One will find his hand suddenly clamping down hard on your wrist. A stern voice speaks up a moment later:

"I wouldn't, if I were you."

4. Wildcard

For anything else. Feel free to DM me if you've got other ideas!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Really? You're telling me you of all people can't see the value of a craft that can float and fly?

(Hey, it's the weird person who helped with the generators for the Adamantine Forge! They're giving you their most skeptical look, Emet-Selch.

Actual gondolas don't fly, but whatever. Also, they already know it's a fake, this is just funny to them. They are a shit.)

[ Emet-Selch gestures irritably at the gondola. ]

Is that the point of the argument? As it stands, this thing can do neither. It can float on water for now but it certainly cannot fly, and I have a feeling it would sink if you did try to sail it.

You sure about that? Could be magic. Did you look inside?

(How long til he catches on, they wonder?)

[ He tosses an irritable look at them. ]

There's no magic in there. Even a blind novice could see that.

[ Emet-Selch is fairly sure whoever posted about this idiotic thing was trying to waste people's time. ]

(They're doing their best not to smirk and give things away, even if it's pretty clear he already knows it's bullshit.)

So you can see magic then? Or is that just an assumption based off what a magical device would look like in your world?

I can see aether, [ he says irritably. He's returned to glaring at the gondola. ] I can see this world's magic just fine. It seems like it is analogous with aether. Which is why I say this is a perfectly mundane, perfectly idiotic thing to argue over. 'Tis obviously nothing more than a poor attempt at confusing the masses with a homonym.

[ Yeah, he knew it was BS as well. Emet-Selch hates things that waste people's time. ]

(They snort, shaking their head.)

Yeah, it's total bullshit. Thing's empty on the inside. Though I think Sherlock was hiding in there for a bit.

(They look thoughtful.)

A flying craft could just soar over the water anyway. Now if they were making a flying machine that could double as a submarine...

Seaplanes are not a novel concept.

[ Oh, wait, but they probably are here, aren't they? He throws up his hands. ]

Creating something able to switch beteeen being light enough to fly and yet heavy enough to sink is a monstrous task. The logistics alone would be a nightmare.

I think airplanes in my world are pretty heavy, actually. Though you're right about it being hard to make them sink.

(The planes that do sink tend to do so because they've filled up with water... which wouldn't work for a submarine, considering that the passengers generally need to breathe air.

It's an interesting thought exercise...)

Could have a compartment that seals off and fills with water when it needs to sink...

Aye, you could, but there is the size and weight to consider. Since you'll need to build compartments into the vehicle to take on water when it needs to submerge, one would need to consider the ratio of such space versus that taken up by what is needed to put the thing into the air. Aircraft usually want to minimise weight as much as possible to maximise lift.

[ He gestures as he speaks, irritable but...actually taking it seriously. ]

Wings are a hindrance underwater, but stabilisers are needed for flight. It isn't impossible; the technology simply does not exist here yet.

Yeah. It's a fun thought experiment though. In my world it'd be less about whether we have the technology and more about keeping the submarine from being destroyed by the laser dolphins.

(This isn't a joke: most people in Sidestep's universe think the laser dolphins are just a really dumb myth but Sidestep knows they're real because Sidestep has touched their minds.

...They might be telling Emet-Selch about them to get a reaction though.)

[ He gives Sidestep an exasperated look. ]

The laser dolphins? Why do your dolphins possess lasers?

(They shrug.)

I don't know. Escaped government project, probably. They destroy a lot of ships though.

[ This sounds like something that the scientists of Allag would invent and release haphazardly into the wild. He can't help but heave an exasperated sigh. ]

You live in a more technologically-developed world then?

Yeah.

(They say it casually.

They did build and test out prototype power generators to help find the optimal solution for the Adamantine Forge's power needs. And explained DVD players, though he might not realize that was them.)

[ He rolls his eyes upwards and mutters: ]

Laser dolphins... Good grief...

[ Fed up with his inspection of the gondola, he steps away from it. Just a ridiculous joke. ]

Well, if your government wanted a live weapon they got what they wanted. If you say the creatures sunk ships, that makes them successful, aye?

Don't think the government wanted them sinking trade ships. (Especially considering this is off the coast of the Free Economic Zone. It's bad for business in a country that's entirely run by corporations.

Then again, maybe reducing the trade to a few approved vessels that can defend themselves is exactly what the corporate overlords wanted. Reduce competition so that they can control the market.)

I've heard rumors that there's a sentient submarine out there too, though unlike the dolphins I don't have any proof of that one.

(This is entirely true, and there is, in fact, a not only sentient but fully sapient and deeply malicious submarine living out in the oceans of the Fallen Hero universe. Sidestep just isn't as sure about that one as the dolphins, because they don't sense its mind.)

Well, if your sentient submarines also exist, sinking trade ships are in fact an ideal target if you wish to sabotage another country.

[ What would a sentient submarine even look like, he wonders. Do they mean sentient as in artificial intelligence? ]

Does your world regularly alter wildlife?

Pretty sure the submarine doesn't listen to anyone.

(It's out of control according to what little they've heard.)

I wouldn't say regularly... but I have rescued an experimental boosted animal or two.

(A lot of their experimentation is done on humans... and Re-Genes.)

Edited 2024-11-06 13:54 (UTC)

And how would you know if you have never encountered that submarine before?

[ He crosses his arms, eyebrow raised. ]

Letting genetically modified animals run rampant seems an unwise decision.

You think a government that lets boosted animals run rampant is going to be able to control a submarine? Rumors say it's running free, and it's not hard to believe them.

(The government is corrupt, greedy, and corporate run. Sidestep doesn't have much faith in it.)

Edited 2024-11-09 21:53 (UTC)

[ He shrugs languidly. ]

A lack of care doesn't automatically infer a lack of ability. But 'tis a moot point without the thing in question here before us, I suppose.

[ Maybe the government they speak of deliberately lets creatures run wild. Who can say? ]

If it were me, I would loose them to keep the population frightened and obedient.

That might work if there were enough animals to actually scare people. As it is now, most don't even believe they really exist.

(Also, the government has other ways of keeping the populace in control. Sidestep used to be one of those ways.)

Oh. So they're simply incompetent.

[ Well, that's disappointing. Bored, Emet-Selch starts tracing a faintly glowing spell in the air. A snap of his fingers sends it against the gondola. The gondola slowly levitates above the water and hovers a few ilms above the surface. ]

Basically.

(Sidestep has an extremely poor opinion of the government. Can anyone really blame them though?

They watch as Emet-Selch makes the gondola float.)

Huh. So you do have magic.

Edited 2024-11-20 13:04 (UTC)

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