The old man reached-in with metal fingers and uncorked a bind in the line.

And just like that the entire thing unwound into the perfection of the dying of the sun over the horizon!

You actually got it on the first try, Irinus. L1 difficulty + 1 inability - 1 plan - 1 effort = a L0 task!

"Mostly we have been stocking water reserves alongside the buildings the residents reside in. So far we have only come up with a little less than a few days' worth per household. Now let me see if we can find any cyphers that might help your cause. Detlun should be able to determine what we have throughout the town."

Over the course of the week while the installation is being created, Etra has the townsfolk round up what cyphers there may be about town, with Detlun's help in discerning what are viable cyphers.

Detlun returns in a couple of days with a report for Zijan:

"I'm not sure you would be able to make use of what we have. I found five cyphers about town; a spatial distorter to help make a person harder to see during an attack, a device that can instantly create damaging  balls of hail, a cypher that creates a wall of complex fluid to defend against out of phase attackers, an item that causes extreme nausea, and an oculus that helps target an enemy more effectively. I'm sorry I wasn't able to find anything that would be more useful."

On the morning of the third day, Fraksel stood at the base of the Beanstalk, hands behind back, watching as the yellows and reds of dawn slowly - sloowly - blazed their way down the titanic structure.

Next to him, on a small table dragged there just for that, rested the completed Chatton of Inquiry...

Irinus rose early, likewise watched the sunrise, eager to see the device she helped create function. She still felt a bit embarrassed over the misstep, but likewise felt pride in helping the nano wizard build a concept to reality. She was eager to explore this new horizon with those three who helped her.

Speaking of new horizons: “The Game of Possibilities.” Fraksel suddenly declared before dramatically lifting a squarish finger: "How - do - these boulders - fly...?"

He then explained the rules to the two newcomers: One guess or theory per person; your guess should be as different from what came before as possible. Whoever ends up guessing closest wins a favor of his or her choosing.

“Zijan guessed some energy from the Beanstalk sustains them. While *I* have bet it all on ‘they are laced with counter-gravity ore’!" A pause... "Hunter-girl?”


Or Xeno should he happen to answer first, of course :)

The hulk that was Xeno turns to fraksels inquiry.

"How might the rocks fly? or rather float? Hm. it could be achieved via a mechanical and scientific engine inside the boulder itself creating a field of null gravity. or there could be some mechanism higher up creating a reverse gravity field but maintaining the stationary placement at a certain height depending upon the size of the rocks. something could be deteriating or have malfunctioned causing this said rock to slowly lose its place."

“Only one guess per person, Hulk,” tutted the whiskered old man, before brightening. “Meaning you get the Rock Engine theory. I rather *like* that one! Much easier to ziim and zom about with our own little built-in levitator... Tentacle girl?”

She seemed lost in thought, really trying to think of how this mountain of a boulder might float. A flash of inspiration comes to her candidly enough at the second prompting with an audible gasp.

“She thinks this probably is supported by synthesis—while the stone may be laden or charged naturally with gravity-based properties....So, too, must the Beanstalk. Irinus believes they are conjunctive; they play off each other’s fields, likely by some Numenera, an amplifier or maybe, an energy-field tether? My guess is Ore *plus* Device equals Levitation.”

“So synergy it is for our fourth! Hu... So nobody went for temporal stasis or multi-dimensional anchoring, hm?” puzzled Fraksel, rubbing into his whitish beard. “Surprising, really... And now, comrades! Who wants to claim the honor of the very first shot?” He reverently picked up their Chatton and presented it on both mechanical palms.

Irinus fights her glee back a bit as she reaches out for the weapon.

“Let our Voidsong entwine then.”

She rests on her haunches for a moment, peering at the spot Fraksel estimated was ideal for the shot. Her tendrils writhed about the Chatton’s stock, searching for the energy she laid to rest within it. With aggressive confidence, she squares up, focusing on nothing but the shot, maximizing the effort of her huntsman training.


16:57, Today: Irinus rolled 20 using 1d20

Fraksel watched as the projectile slammed directly into the boulder and seemed to just stick there, fully embedded…

Closing his open mouth with a snap, the old man grumbled: “Yes. Well. That… Well shot, girl. I suppose - Uhum - A fine reference point for Deltun’s observations, that’s for sure. *But* we wanted to know if the space around our little mountain had any distortions, didn't we? Try again. (Above, below and to the sides,)” he specified in a lower voice, just for her.

He leaned forward, eyes eager, heartbeat speeding up the slightest amount with the anticipation of upcoming discoveries: was there a field-effect propping up their future base? Was it uniform or directional? Was that weird ‘embedding’ their first taste of the strangeness ahead, or of the strangeness standing at his side?

Soon, they might know!


I figure we just repeat until we get the shots we want? Does the trajectory and behaviour of any of them show signs of outside influence, Ninth World? (Fraksel will also  examine some of the spent projectiles, see if their nearness to the boulder changed them in some way)

Each of the volleys flies near the giant boulder, following an anticipated trajectory based on the aim. None of the projectiles appear to change paths or are unduly influenced in their flight in any way.

As Fraksel investigates the spent projectiles he finds they have maintained their shape and structure, save any damage from their impact back to the ground. Nothing seems to have changed or altered them during their passing of the boulder.

“Oho. A severe blow against gravitational theory, I think – Yes, I really do think,” Fraksel exclaimed as he smoothed the white of his beard.

He went to investigate some of the spent projectiles. “Magnetism isn’t looking too good either.” He looked back at the others with a wide smile: “We might be dealing with something truly strange!”

“So now that we know we won’t be torn to pieces (always reassuring, that), who wants to have the honor of flying up there?” From a robe pocket he proudly produced the cobbled-together piece of tech he’d shown Lym and Limen before: the Dimensional Whistle! It was wrapped around a changing, iridescent crystal, bit smaller than his thumb. “I’ll play you youngsters for it.”

The old inventor's eyes were bright, almost... challenging: after two whole days of preparations, he wasn't going to let this blue-steel opportunity for adventure go so easily.

He held up a closed fist before him...

Rock-Paper-Scissor, ninth world style:
Drit beats/burries monolyth
Monolyth beats/controls Iron wind
Iron wind beats/transforms drit

Fraksel has already posted his play in a private message to DM, so... your turn to choose!

Irinus was stunned—-she was certain she had that shot, dead to rights. In her reflections, though, she soon sprang back; the shot was perfect, but the target was more complex than initially thought.

“Ok, Fraksel, She will play this game!”

My choice has been sent.

The nano looked to the side: “Zijan?”

(From what he’d seen before, Xeno was probably *way* too big for his little dimensional trinket.)

The stiff-bearded old man raised the weird contraption up to his lips and blew into it -- rushing air morphing into a shrill cry that rose towards the Stalk...

And then the blue crystal started keening in harmonic reply!

Zijan had been a little disappointed that there had been no particularly useful cyphers in town for what the people needed to do, but the ancients had not left things lying about in any convenient order or coherent fashion.  Instead Zijan just aided the rest of the townsfolk in storing water and moving their belongings in the most efficient manner she could until Fraksel's excitement about his invention had reached the fever pitch that meant it was ready (or he was about to blow something up; some days it was a toss-up about what would happen).

When he had wanted chance to decide who would go up first, Zijan demurred.

"By all means, I shall let one of you who worked so diligently go up first!  Besides, if something numenera-ish is required atop the boulder, I would not be the best choice to land first!  But I shall certainly go up second," she says, and stands back to make room for the first catapult to the upper regions of the Beanstalk...

“No sense of adventure, Zijan?” Irinus coyly prodded. Of course, she knew better; the woman’s gifts were better suited to society than scavenging.

“This one says, Fraksel should go first; he is the theorist, and scientist, and should danger come his way, he has answers for it. We can work on the ground to secure a reliable way to travel without flight after he’s there.”

But after the last days, Irinus doubted it would be so simple...

The old man spread his wings wide. Bunching his legs he bounded into the cloud-speckled blue with what could only be described as a mad, triumphant cackle.

“Fliiiight!”

12:56, Today: Fraksel M'ba rolled 83 using 7d20 with rolls of 2,2,12,19,20,10,18.  On foreign winds.
Bit of a difficulty getting off the ground, but then that 19 and 20!
Planning to circle the Boulder once (anything of note?) and then land on top with a flourish (fingers crossed)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:02, Thu 28 Mar 2019.

As Fraksel is able to reach the height of the great boulder he finds it is deceptively larger than appears from the ground. It is large enough to easily crush half a dozen buildings were it to suddenly drop from the sky.

Fraksel can see the fungus that has been rumored to grow at the bottom of the boulder. It is blue green in color with patchy growth along the underside. As he ascends he sees a few holes bored into the side of the great boulder, each about the size of an average window in an average building.

He reaches the top easily, landing on the flattened point of the boulder steadily. He can see the other boulders floating at various heights around the beanstalk, with none of them within close enough distance to possibly jump from one to the other. Though it is hard to discern from the distance he cannot readily see any similar holes in the other boulders.

If possible while flying, Scan esotery on one of the windows as he goes by, please; then on the boulder itself once he's landed on it.

Um… Folding his wings down like a great cape so they didn’t accidentally catch in the wind, the old inventor crawled as close to the rocky edge as he dared. (Peering down from up here, the ground seemed *a lot* farther than going up!)

“AH… TRY FIRING UP THE CABLING WILL YOU!” he called to the tiny specks of his comrades.

Hauling up the Ascender Mk 0 was *bound* to be easier that trying to fly he whole thing up here!

During his flight Fraksel scanned one of the openings on the boulder. His scan was able to reveal that the openings did extend further into the rock and continued beyond the range of his scan ability. Nothing further could be determined from the scan as to the purpose or function of the holes and if there was anything beyond the area he could scan.

Once standing upon the gigiantic rock his scan revealed that it was just rock, albeit a floating one.

While waiting for an answer, his brown eyes travelled over his surroundings with sharp-edged curiosity...

What does the top of the boulder look like? Any major veining (metallic or otherwise) in the rock itself? signs of something shaped by intelligent hands (straight lines, flat surfaces, writting)? something not made of rock or made from a different kind of rock?

Irony’s hear’s the bleating angry cry from the nano, and after winching the cable back up, she takes aim, carefully trying to account for wind, and the odd trajectory of the flight path. In truth, she aims as close to Fraksel as she possibly could, hoping that a near-miss would allow the nano the ability to secure the rope.

“HERE IT CONES, M’BA!” She bellows, and softly pulls the trigger.

Today: Irinus rolled 14 using 1d20. Asset from _Chatton of Inquiry_

“ABOUT TIME!” The old man prepared to reach out with either - or both - of his bulky metal hands.

*SWIiiiing* went the cabling.

*SNAG*

He set about hauling it up hand over hand, taking breaks when he got too winded... Conquering the Beanstalk was hard work!


Haul it up, fix it in place (using Breaking stuff and Irinus' bolt as assets), and then the others can ascend up to him! (Let me know if he needs to roll for anything in there NW)