Chaz waited until they left, and then scurried to the object that had been connected to the pipe in the roof. It looked like a bundle of gears set into a box, with a glass bulb on the top. Almost in awe, he saw a small spark of lightning trapped in the glass bulb, dancing and flickering. The gears below it churned quietly, belying the power above it. He nearly giggled, and then looked outside suspiciously. He shut the door and locked it, setting his device on a shelf....for later.
A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible.
Celephai approached the smithy with quiet curiosity. She'd heard tales of an incredibly smart cathian who could create the most unusual devices, and she needed someone who could forge an object of incredible power. This task would require someone of unusual talents, ability, and creativity. Someone who could bend the very laws of the universe to create a particular item.
Cel nodded once, trying not to comment on his comparatively small size. He was small, yes, but usually cats even seemed a little more... austere when they stood at their full height.
"I have a task. Are you the owner and craftsman of this establishment?"
Indeed he was small, and Chaz's frame subconsciously sunk even more than usual when confronted by the elder thing. Nevertheless he smiled and tried not to seem nervous.
I am. That. The owner. And a craftsperson. Umm...come on in.
He stepped aside and bowed a little, letting her into his messy workshop.
A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible.
Celephai strode in, apparently disinterested in the state of the workshop.
"I require you to forge a restraint of such quality that no being, of chaos, fey, ethereal, magical, or eldritch origin, can break, sever, distort, remove, or dissipate. I require a set of chains, nine in all, that can hold me to a single location, and able to be fastened to a dimensional anchor."
That was no small order, she knew, but thankfully, she had already solved part of that equation. She set a large hunk of rock on a table, about the size of a basketball, black beyond obsidian, that seemed to suck away at all light that dared come near it.
"This is slade. It is ten times as dense as platinum, and nine hundred times as resilient as iron. It is not innately magical, but will neutralize any abnormal effect set upon it, no matter the strength. It's origins I will not state, but this should be more than enough to forge four chains at least as large as my arms and ten feet in length. The other five, however, should be about the width of my finger, but nonetheless should be as strong as the larger four."
"This amount of slade may be sufficient to your needs, but the issue will be in breaking it down enough to be malleable. That, I hope you will be able to manage... do you believe you can manage this task?"
She crossed her arms, towering over him. In a way he was... rather adorable, in the way that all small woodland creatures tended to be.
Chaz barely heard half of what she said, as enthralled as he was by the slade. He stared at it, tapping it with his wrench, turning it around on the table as Celephai spoke. She was right on its density, just from his trained eye. The amount of work and effort required would be...immense. But as he realized what he could do with the leftover scraps, the wheels in his head began to turn. He blinked, in a half crouch in front of it, and looked up at her.
Do you know its melting point? Or does it not have one? Is there any documentation on slade at all?
He didn't think to question why. That was her business.
A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible.
She narrowed her eyes, unsure about his new questions.
"Well, it's usually found in... what roughly equates to an ocean of magma. Usually it's used as a fortification for... special individuals. As for documentations, I know only a few dwarfs whom have lived to tell the tale of the rooms of this material far beneath the earth. They have long since been lost to the madness that inhabits the deep."
"...Which reminds me, what kind of payment do you desire for the completion of this task?"
Chaz looked back to the slade, still looking it over, as if hypnotized.
Hmm. I'll...I'll take whatever's left over. After I make the chains. I have some...ideas. He suddenly got up, going over to his shelf, looking at the books left by the blacksmith that came before.
I'll need to find out about the metal. Melting point, molecular density, what the best tools to work it with would be.
He pulled out a book and studied it. His normally cheerful, nervous self was replaced with an almost monotone seriousness.
Either we find one of these dwarves you mentioned or anywhere they wrote down how to use it, or we try...other measures. There are ways of breaking metal down, burning a piece of it in a magic fire and studying the smoke. That'll take some doing, but it's possible. Either way, I'll have to know about slade before I can work it. We'll also have to figure out the ritual locks. I have a few books but know nothing of binding magic. We'll have to figure out how to inscribe runes on the chains. He looked up at her, eyes gleaming a little.
Whatever happens, this is going to be fun.
A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible.
Celephai was slightly intimidated by Chaz's willingness to tamper with something he had no inkling of. People like him tended to cause massive rifts in space-time and, as often as they open gates to her world, they also closed them and banished the eldritch things that came.
"...I know of only a few texts that exist in analyzing the material. If you wish, I can... retrieve them from their former owners."
She didn't WANT to do that, but it may be necessary in order to move forward in her work.
Expensive?! She had no earthly wealth! She had no need of their pithy currencies and minted coin, why did they place value in such silly things!? No matter, she would simply have to... retrieve those books, however difficult that might be.
"...This will take some time, you understand? Maybe twelve hours into the eve I shall be back, but in the meanwhile, familiarize yourself with your specimen, and I shall... see to your needs. Bear in mind, these books are not yours to keep, but you may have them for the time being..."
She waited for his affirmative before setting off on her daunting adventure.
Celephai hesitated with her response. He may be useful in this endeavor, yes, but he was the only one she knew of whom could manage the forging of such an item.
"...you must not die if you do come, and survival is hardly a guarantee in those twisting corridors and narrow passages. Horrors beyond naming lurk within the depths, but if you insist, I suppose we could... endeavor together."
She hoped he would be scared by the vague warning, but by his prior reactions, he was not likely to. Nonetheless, at least now he was properly warned.
He looked down, then to his shelf, pulling the envelope out of the box and pulling out the picture. If something happened to him...it always came back to that, didn't it? He loved them dearly, but sometimes...he just wanted to know. He would never forgive himself if he didn't go with her. He put the envelope into his pocket and looked back to Celephai.
Give me a moment to get ready.
A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible.