The one-eyed marine replies "The PCA have a nasty habit of using gas to attack our troops. Sometimes, it just causes a coughing fit. Other times, its melted the eyes right out of our boy's skulls. We even hear rumor of a new type being use way out west in the Black Sands.  They say it kills near instantly, and those that died from it rise back up and turn on their units. My point being, you can't be too careful. These masks have a cartridge on the front that filters all the yuck out of the air, until you can get to safer ground. It's as simple as slipping it on over your head and pulling he neck straps tight. Not tight enough to choke you, but tight enough that the horse hair around the edges makes a full complete covering around you. They're alchemically treated and help to repel whatever it is you don't want to breath in. Just remember, these things don't last forever, and they don't permanently keep you breathing clean. If you find yourself in a gas cloud, get your mask on as quick as possible and get out of there".

Beloc nods. "Good to know. I suppose I should head over to the library to see what they can do about floating shields."

As he starts walking out, he stops at the wall of guns. He picks up a rather stumpy one with a wide barrel. "One of these trench guns looks to be about my speed as well."

He grabs a healthy amount of ammo and heads to the library.

At the library Beloc is met by the junior marine at the door. He salutes and asks what he can do for Beloc.

"Well, I saw some pretty interesting gear over at the armory, but it wasn't quite my style, so to speak. The floating shields caught my attention, but they were all metal. I was wondering if you knew someone that could put the same treatment on one like this."

He unstraps his darkwood shield and shows it to the marine.

The pfc and commander come take a look at Beloc's shield. Commander Albright lets out a surprised whistle. "Iron wood is it? Very hard to come by these days, and cost a small fortune if you get your hands on some. It's beyond my skill to enchant this, but I do know of someone who can. Darius Grintome, the local magic shop owner should be more suited for something such as this. He took a several rounds to his leg in the first year of the war, and it crippled him. Hobbles around with a cane now, and wouldn't be of much good to anyone out in the field. Still though, he's a very talented mage. I do hope you have your pocket book overflowing for a job such as this; he isn't cheap by any means. Supply and demand and what have you".

Meanwhile...

Gunny Hartman and Sypher chew through rounds out at the range, with the old gunnery sergeant patiently guiding Sypher through the weapons he's chosen, and then some for good measure. Sypher gets a crash course in at least one of every type of rifle and pistol found in the armory, from bolt actions to light machine-fed guns, to the smaller automatic weapons as well.

"Not bad, not bad" he says, with each new gun explored by Sypher. "You keep your nerves steeled out there, and with shooting like this, you might just survive your first few battles".

The rounds continue to crack down range as marines and sailors are also out at their routine practice. The noise would be deafening, if not for a pair of wax plugs that the gunny provided Sypher for his ears. In Sypher's pocket lies a small metal tin with several more pairs. The wax plugs are enchanted to reduce the volume of loud and deafening noises while allowing lower decibel sounds like shouting and normal level talking to pass through them unhindered.

Infantry Wax Plugs x 5: +4 resist versus sonic attacks. Negates being shaken by loud noises. Indefinite use, but are destroyed by any source of flame

Beloc smiles. "One could only wish. I was lucky enough to earn this", he taps on his chest plate. "The Glen Warden Plate was handed down to me from the chieftain of the Canopy Shapers and is preserved by the Ironwood enchantment. The shield, while valuable itself, is crafted from darkwood and should be suitable for your mage Darius, should we could to an agreement."

"How far away is this shop?"

The pfc pipes up. "About 20 minutes outside the main gate sir. Just head out left until you come to Main street, and then hang a right and follow it".

"Thank you, sergeant."  Sypher continues to practice until the sergeant suggests Sypher understands enough to be proficient in the field.  He looks to move to moving targets if they are available. Eventually he will take a late lunch and look for Shiaran, though she seems to have found something else to do for the entire day.

After lunch, Sypher will spend time in the library.  He will ask for the books that Shiaran read, the ones she spent the most time with, and read through them as well.  He finds useful information on undead and the primary enemy of his homeland.  Before dinner, he will find a quiet place on the base to meditate, pray, and study his own little book.  Iehovah has never spoken to him and he is unsure how the most powerful deity in all existence would even interact with his world.  According to the one who gave him the book, the events in the book took place within an entirely different universe.  No matter.  It's the only book, the only faith that ever made sense to Sypher growing up and he has dedicated himself to his God.

Sypher finishes up his studies and heads to the main mess hall to eat with the regular soldiers left on base.  He not only wishes to get to know them, but to hear their stories about how the world is currently, how the war is going from their perspective.  He grabs whatever standard fare is offered, a glass of water, and sits near the largest group of soldiers there.

Beloc nods. "Thank you. Looks like I have time for a quick walk. I'll be back later if I have anything left from our back pay."

He heads out the door and makes his way over to Grintome's shop.

The morning air is still brisk when Beloc sets out on the streets. The hustle and bustle of city life here is a far cry from what one might imagine. A scant few people can be found out and about, and the majority of them are women, children, and the elderly. Aside from a few service members out on leave, or bringing themselves back to base from rather late nights, the only fighting age men Beloc see's are all wounded or crippled in some way.

A little over 20 minutes in to following the marine librarian's directions, Beloc finds himself standing in front of a shop.

The front door to the mage's shop read "Grintome's Curious Items".

Beloc chuckles to himself. "Curious indeed." He turns the handle and walks in. The shop is modest in size, but the barren shelves and display cases give the sense of it being much large. Either lack of care or lack of customers seems to have taken its toll on the shop. The musty smell of old wood polish, scrolls strewn about in a haphazardly organized fashion, and glass vials scattered about gives off a more homey feel than a business front.

He walks up to the front desk and taps three times.

The tinkling of a small bell over the door is heard as you walk in and take in the sights. A handsome man who looks to be in his thirties walks in from a back room. His hair is jet black with thin streaks of grey along the sides. His jaw line is square, and his physique is fairly trim. However, he stoops slightly, and limps along with a cane. He wears a fine black overcoat that goes down knee length, and you notice the inner lining has the appearance of the night sky when the stars are at their brightest. His pants are pressed with a crease along the front, and his black leather shoes have a brilliant shine to them.

"Good morning master elf. How may I be of service to you this fine day?".

"I understand you are well versed in the art of enchantments. I believe I was admiring some of your work over at the armory. The floating shields?" Beloc removes the wooden shield from his back. "I was wondering if you could apply the same treatment to this."

Darius props his cane against the counter and takes the shield from Beloc. "A very fine work of ironwood you have here, sir. And as a matter of fact, I can indeed apply the proper enchantment. Give me a moment to find the proper scroll from my storeroom". He places the shield on the counter and hobbles in to the back room. A moment later he reappears, clutching a large, rolled up sheet of parchment with a wax stamp on the outside. "I stand by my work, if the enchantment fizzles for any reason. I require payment up front, and will provide a full refund in the event that the enchantment doesn't take. Three hundred and twenty-five marks of the Crown is my price for this. It should take less than half an hour to apply".

Beloc cocks his head to the side. "Seems a fair price." He fiddles with a pouch and pulls out the marks.

"Your shop doesn't appear to be a full as the space and shelves would suggest. Business is going well, I assume?"

"A little too well actually. The troops pile in here before shipping out and spend every copper scrap they can muster to try and arm themselves better. After nearly a decade of this though, I'm feeling stretched thin. Too simple a life for too long. Ah, sorry. I'm rambling about my personal affairs here, and you certainly didn't walk through my door for that".

"I believe it's the simple things in life that make it worth fighting for." He pulls out the recently acquired trenchgun and places it on the counter. "Speaking of which, weapons seem to have changed quite a bit since last time I was in a good fight. I'm used to arrows whizzing by, but nothing quite like this. Me, I prefer a straight up fight, but these new weapons seems to the edge out of close quarters combat. Do you happen to have anything that might offer a little protection from these types of projectiles?"

"For the time, no. That's usually the first thing to fly off of my shelves. If you'll excuse me a moment..".

Darius unrolls and places the parchment on the shield, and speaks a command word. The parchment sticks to the shield as if it were saturated in glue, and a yellow glow outlining several runes forms on the parchment and shield. "This enchantment should take around half an hour's time to apply itself. You're free to remain here if you wish, though I regrettably don't have any sort of refreshment to offer you, other than the run of the mill fair I'm able to conjure".

The glowing yellow light shifts to a brilliant hue of emerald green, and a slight static tingles in the air.

"Take your time. I didn't really find much of interest over at the library."

Beloc peruses the shop while the enchantment takes effect. The shop, for the most part, looks pretty picked over. However, he does manage to find a small jewelry box. Something he might have otherwise overlooked, but he was drawn to open it. Had Shiaran already visited the shop, he may not have been so lucky to find it.

He opens the box to find a variety of baubles and charms. One simple gold band with a braided fringe on the edge stands out. He walks over to the counter to inquire about it. "What can you tell me of this ring?" He smiles. "It reminds me of one my mother used to wear."

"Ah, I'd forgotten about that. It carries an enchantment that heals wounds and fatigue over time. Quite handy when you're out there in the thick of it all. It retails for 600 Marks of the Crown".

Beloc counts through the remaining marks and frowns. "I'm afraid that's a bit more than I have. If you'd settle for 500, I could give you 485 in marks and 15 in these gold coins."

"Hmm. I'm not much for discounts, but I am willing to barter with a fellow caster. Your aura tells me you might have a bit of green magic tucked in there somewhere. I have several parchments ready to go with capture glyphs on them. Perhaps I could knock off a few Crown in exchange for a few druid spells? I don't get the chance often to catch those, and the scouts and snipers who come through my shop from time to time really benefit from much of what your people can cast".

Beloc nods. "That seems fair enough. Scouts from my tribe rely heavily on spells like Pass Without Trace and Goodberry. I wouldn't mind donating a couple to the cause. Let me know how many you want and we can adjust the price accordingly."

"I believe two of your "pass without trace" will suffice. Those will sell quickly and for a fair price"

Beloc stretches out his fingers as Darius unroll the first parchment. A dark blue rune glows, but gives off no light. Instead, it seems to draw light in, creating small shadows around it.

"Just cast as you would normally, with the rune being your target. I will warn you, it takes a bit of concentration. The three seconds it will take you to cast will feel like three minutes. You may feel the magic of the rune grasping for you. Don't let this alarm you, it can't  physically harm you, nor can it touch your mind. The nature of the magic will certainly make it feel as such though. Are you prepared?".

Concentration Check, DC 14, roll at advantage (reason:prior warning to prepare yourself)"