Bird Repair

Log Info

• Title: Bird Repair
  
• Characters: Thoth, Schara
  
• Location: Lower Alexandria Market District
  
• Summary: Schara finds Thoth partially broken, helps him and offers it a place to stay and tools to help maintain itself better.

After a grueling dive into a deep forgotten dwarven compound, Thoth is looking quite worse for wear. The wonderful work Aryia had done has not gone in vain, but there's definitely some damage to the short avian War Golem.

It's seated, as has been rather typical as of late, at the fountain in the market district. But this time, it has some tools with it. It's awkwardly using a screwing device on an open panel of its right arm. It's clearly been mangled by some kind of heavy force. Though it's still nowhere near as bad as the intense mangled /mess/ that is its wings.

It's calmly taking care of its arm though, trying to pry a different covering plate open with a weak bit of force it has available to it. No sounds of frustration. Just patient prying, trying to get underneath the plating so it can try and dent it out and remove some of the troublesome pressure on its joints.

Schara tried to limit her visits to the markets on principle, but everyone needed to eat, at least, if they were not some form of golem. Down one of the streets wandered a brown haired elf with one large bag slung over their neck and shoulder, as they took a look at the various stalls in case there were any other deals which might have caught their eye.

What did catch their attention was a strange form of golem perched at the fountains. The elf's head tilts one way, then another. "Do you need some sort of assistance, mister or misses golem?" They finally ask, waving one wooden hand more than a bit stiffly in their direction. "I could not help but notice that you are badly injured, and it seems to be affected the total amount of force you can apply with your arms and hands at the moment."

"This one is neither a misses or a mister." The golem answers Schara, as she approaches and addresses it. It halts its screwing and prying motions for the time being and puts the tool away for the time being. Their right hand useless right now, it seems.

"Your assessment is correct. This one could use the aid of a capable Artificer." It then proceeds to remark, considering her wooden hand for a moment. "It seems this Other has experience in the field of Artifice." Pause. "Though this one wonders why the use of such a simple material. Does hardwood not wear too easily?"

"Noted, I know that sometimes war golems are either given such designations by their creators, or are determined over time by the golem itself, but that makes sense." The elf notes, wandering a bit closer, and peering a bit at the work. "I think that I am considered relatively capable for an artificer, so if you need help, then maybe I could do something."

The elf blinks, and shakes her head. "Oh, no, hardwood is excellent for myself." She answers. "It holds it's shape better than softer woods, and is lighter than most metals I could use similarly, so for just going about my day, it works well. What happened to your arms and wings? This damage is quite extensive, and I'd like to know what I am dealing with before offering any repairs after all."

The War Golem considers Schara for a moment longer, until she begins to speak again. At which point it suddenly tucks its head under against its wing and begins to touch it against its wings. Shifting some of the mangled metalic feathers. Its wings are 'a costly project' were one to ever fix them. If one even found the right materials for them.

Its beak and head turn back.

The arm on the other hand, that's fixable.

"This one was crushed." The avian War Golem remarks matter-of-factly about its current state. There's still scrapes and imperfections left over on its body. Places where plate clearly got dented back out by a small hammer. Some well needed repairs already completed.

"Then a large Salamander attempted to disassemble this one." It adds, motioning its right arm a bit. It pauses, then adds, "This one was designated 'Thoth'."

"Oh, I see, then. Well, you look in good enough shape, in spite of being crushed." The elf admits. "I don't know if I can repair your wings, and certainly not without my other arms and equipment but I am more versed in repairing limbs without access to functional arms, so that should be no problem if you want my help." She admits, starting to ramble a bit. "It is nice to meet you Thoth, I forgot to introduce myself but my name is Schara."

The elf isn't waiting for an answer, as they're already hopping onto the side of the fountain.

"Greetings and well met, Schara." Thoth answers her. Notably, its accent is strange. There's words it uses here and there that are older, and less in use these days. Inflections that seem odd. Things that indicate it comes from a culture beyond here, or beyond the current time.

"This one will appreciate any aid it can get." It then admits, as it offers its right arm out to her. It seems to show no worry or even any concern that she might do harm to it or the like. It just fully trusts that she, an Artificer, will do what is right.

Followed by the sudden wing-flap of something approaching. A strange dark-blue-and-gold feathered owl approaching, before it lands onto Thoth's shoulder and lets out a hoot.

"This Other is designated Schara." Thoth seems to answer the bird's hoot.

GAME: Schara rolls craft/artifice: (12)+13: 25

Schara is already getting to work, which is a rather odd process. Their right hand is pulled off of the majority of the limb, and replaced by a doming hammer which screws into place where it just was.

The artificer braces the limb with their free hand, and pries open the arm with a tool held in their foot, while they take a look inside. She does stop to look at the bird that arrives, and she nods once before returning to her work. "Hello, yes my name is Schara. Are they your familiar or something similar?"

"Thine assumption is correct." Hoot. "This one is Ra." Thoth introduces the familiar, which then moves its left wing up almost as if greeting Schara... and then ducks its head down to preen its feathers.

Thoth seems more interested in Schara's process however. "This one sees. A more accurate ability to move when securing a doming hammer like this." It decides, and watches Schara get to work using the tool held in their foot. It seems to understand why she is doing things this way.

"This one asks: why not ask someone to Wish thee limbs back to normal?" As if Wish were a casual spell someone would just cast on a whim.

"Hello, Ra." The elf mumbles, half muffled by a screwdriver that now occupies their mouth. The artificer continues for some time, mostly exploratory to see how everything worked. Most artifice, at least in the modern age, had slight variations from those who made it. She does manage to clear out a few areas enough to hammer out the paneling, giving critical areas a bit more leeway for movements as it normally did.

She takes a pause, setting the screwdriver back down in a pocket. "When is the last time you had proper maitenance done?" She asks bluntly. "Wishing magic is expensive, and I'm used to it. having arms made of artifice helps a lot with work anyways, and they're more articulate than wooden ones when I need to do more delicate and precise work."

Touching up Thoth and exploring its body, the War Golem's body might notably contain emblems here and there of old Kulthian make. Some of them intricate enough she may recognize them as its Maker's Mark. Though she may very well not recognize it in and of itself.

"This Other is quite skilled in Artifice." It remarks while she's working on it, taking note. "This one's last Maintenance Work was..." Pausing. Thinking. "Unknown amount of centuries ago." It then decides. And in a ways, it looks quite nicely for something a few centuries old.

Then, "Wishing magic is Expensive? This one supposes the economic value of a Wish spell must have changed since this one was still with its Master."

Schara squints a bit hard as she notices some of the emblems, and the elf is even more careful than before. "Given the fact that I can still see matching emblems in many of these parts, I imagine that it has been some time, and most have not been replaced." They note. "I don't recognize the runes, but they look Kulthian, a name most likely? Or similar identifying mark."

"Nowhere near the skills of whoever made you, but I am at least a bit experienced." They admit bluntly again. "Wishes are expensive, even if you are not using any reagents for it. Anyone capable of such a spell is exceedingly rare, and usually charges for their time as a result."

"It has not been replaced, as this one has been... dormant for a long time. It is only recent that this one was returned beyond its..." It pauses for a moment. It decides to let that sentence lay where it was. "This one's Master is -- was -- indeed Kulthian. His mark is in places upon mine body." It remarks.

The being then quiets again, listening to the explaination of the Wish spell and capabilities of availability.

"Such is... a shame. But that explains why this civilization has fallen so much." Thoth then adds. A rather shortsighted and uninformed look upon the world.

"Oh, you are recently reactivated? That would make sense. I won't touch anything that does not need to be repaired critically." Schara nods. "That also makes sense, most creation forges were shut down with Kulthos' fall."

There's a pause as she considers her words, and the elf sighs. "Civilization has fallen in some ways, but not all, and I believe that is a good way in some ways as well. No society should value progress at the expense of those in need. There is a reason why most people view anything to do with Kulthos with no small amount of trepidation."

"This is correct." Thoth answers Schara with a slow nod of its head, before it seems to make a nervous-tick like clicking of its beak. Its shutters close, then open for a moment. Rather odd behaviors for a War Golem. It tilts its head a few times then, a twitch at the word 'fall'.

Ra then hoots at it, and Thoth nods its head once in answer.

"That is a shame. My Master was wonderful." As if by that extension, the Kulthos society was clearly also wonderful.

It then looks to its arm. "How is my arm?"

"I would not be surprised if your master was a good person. They made you after all, and they seemed to put great care into your construction." The elf replies with a small smile as she packs up the tool she held in her foot. "Your arm is in better condition, I hammered out some of the plating that was causing pressure on actuation points and preventing things from moving with full range of motion." They answer. "It is quite impressive, but you probably need more thorough maitenance than what I can provide with limited actions on my part."

"If you would like, I have a workshop in the artificer's guild I rent out, where I could do some more work. I've never seen a war golem like you before, though." She adds, looking off to the east. "Why do you have mannerisms like a bird?"

The bird lifts its hand when she claims she is done for now. And indeed, it can move its arm with proper articulation again. Its wiggles its fingers, and the various metalic parts within move without trouble. "This one thanks the Other. The work is quite wonderful." It remarks patiently, before closing some of the hatches on its arm.

"This one agrees that this one needs more thorough maintenance. Could I perhaps find this at this... 'artificer's guild'?" It inquires. "I would gladly follow thee to the workshop to get more work done." It then adds, slowly rising up from its seated position.

There is a pause then, as she inquires to its nature.

"That is because this one used to be a small bird. Smaller than Ra." It answers Schara. "Metal, flying, nameless. A toy master created after a bird." It explains. "This one was later elevated to its status as its Master's Servant."

"Yes, you could make your way to the artificer's guild for further repairs if you needed, and I would be happy to help you, because it is the right thing to do as much as it would be an opportunity to learn about how you function, if that is alright with you." The elf nods, sounding a bit excited at the prospect. "Just ask for Schara's workshop and they should let you in, even if I am not there. I understand war golems do not need to sleep but you are welcome to stay there if you need since you don't need a bed, just don't steal any of my things."

The artificer pauses, takes a breath, and tilts their head to one side. "You did not begin life as a war golem? I did not even know that was possible. I can only imagine what additional work it would take, but that sounds like it was nice of your master to do."

"This one did not carry a name before it was a War Golem. Its memories are flawed. But it recalls flying like a bird." It answers Schara with certainty in its voice. In as far as its voice has proper inflection, that is. "Master was kind." It then agrees.

"This one does indeed not need to sleep. But a place where this one will not be chased away for 'vagrancy' or get pooped on by birds for being too still would be welcome. This one thanks thee, Other - Schara." It then notes, considering the offer being made to it. "This one in turn, will let Schara study it. So she may learn more of Master's masterful techniques."

"But you do need time for self diagnostics and repair, right? I know having a place to stay is important somewhere like here." The artificer nods once, while struggling to put their boot on, eventually giving up and pulling it up with their teeth. "You are welcome to use any of my tools their, just let me know if you're using anything expendable."

"You are welcome, Thoth, and thank you, this day is certainly more interesting than I expected it to be. I have to go, but hopefully I will see you around soon! I need time to get my arms reattached, though."