I'm sticking with 1 project per performance, but since posting on RPoL is slow compared to actual table top role playing, I'm going to change the time from 1 week to every 3 days.

Is there anything special anyone wishes to do? If not, I will update the day.

It looks like the group at the ship are ready for things to move on. We're just waiting for the scrying to be done.

Got it. Was trying to give Amara options. I just didn't want to assume.

Sorry... still dealing with healing complications... I think I have a surgical adhesion, but the Dr seems to not want to give any opinion... I'm beyond annoyed... But am often ending up too exhausted after what needs to get done in a day to consider doing anything else...

Anyway, I hope everyone in the path of the total eclipse got a chance to watch it! It was pretty awesome! You could see a giant solar flare from where we are :)

In reply to Amara (msg # 104):

We traveled a bit, but got a great view!
We may have seen the solar flare, depending on what it looked like

We set up a pin-hole system with a board which allowed us to watch in safety.  In our area about 85% of the sun was covered and the light was noticeably dimmer.  But it's quite amazing just how much 'daylight' the remaining 15% was capable of. Seemed more like an ordinary overcast day, even if it did come on and leave a bit quicker.

It looked even better from the desert. I used my welding helmet to look at it, but once you've seen one, you've seen them all.

I guess we're just waiting for the ship to return from its flight testings?

Can somebody help me out with the name of that item?

Would that be sending stones?

Magic Item Compendium pg. 184

The problem with sending stones is that they only come in pairs and can only be used once a day.

The Farspeaker Amulet (Magic Item Compendium Page 99) is more expensive at 6000gp but more useful.

One person has the master stone, and up to four other people have axillary stones.  Three times per day the stones can be activated for up to 10 minutes, allowing all five people to be able to communicate with each other.

Just looked it up and Nolan can make that. It will take him several days to complete, though.

Oh that one does sound much better. It was very hard to keep up with all the different magic items in 3.5

Tell me about it! LOL

OK, I looked up the item and Nolan can build it, but it's going to take some time:

5 days 236 xp 2,400 gold

If Nolan wishes to build this item, what is the party going to do for 5 days?

I'd be building the item. *Laughs*. As for the rest of the group, I'd hope they would be making plans. We still need a way to get all those people on board the ship and we also need a way to get inside the mines without everyone in the area knowing about it.

OK, do you guys want a boring 5 days, or do you plan on doing things for 5 days?

Aliana doesn't mind a short vacation, but will join the others if they get ambitious

Scrying as much as possible - the outside of the mound looking for another way in, the area looking for a good place for the ship to rest, etc.

I'll talk to Timber about additional work on the ship that can be done over the next five days.

1) Gangway that can be extended/retracted from the ship.

2) Shields that can be temporarily fitted along the sides to give any guards we have a little extra protection.

3) Assessment of the spars, masts, and other wooden parts of the rigging to see what needs to be replaced.  Actually, why does a ship that flies on magic even have rigging?

4) Get an estimate (price and time) for a cargo crane to move cargo (and giant metal crabs) to and from the ship.

#2 I hope after the mission is completed.
#3 Probably to make it look less suspicious? I don't know
#4 Cargo cranes on the ship? I don't think it will fit and it might decrease the max speed of the ship.

Installing some shields is to give our people something to hide behind while they're protecting the ship during the raid. Even a +1 to AC is a 5% better chance not to get hit. Depending on how many of our friends volunteer, we can install a few brackets along the sides that we can slip a tower shield into. Certainly not movable and not something we'd want permanently.

I've seen small cranes on ships (real world and fantasy). They're to help get things into and out of the hold.  They don't need to be able to handle really heavy loads, hopefully the port will have a large crane if that's necessary. But smaller places ... or questionable places might not have anything and I don't want to be lifting thousands of pounds of weight on my back while climbing a ladder if I don't have to.  I'll see what Timber has to say about how realistic it might be.  This is definitely something for after the mission, if at all.

just letting people know that i am still here. i've had a difficult year so far with the death of a dear friend, my wife crashing her car (She's ok, just the car is written off).

My plan is to try catch up on posts on the weekend and then i'll be back posting by next week

So sorry to hear about that, Kalliyan!