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Statue Project Overview

Lore, history and other content by the citizens of Underlight preserved for posterity.
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Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project Overview

Post by Aileron »

There are many who know of this project that I am undertaking. For those who don't, or are just interested in reading about it instead of listening to me prattle on..and on...and on.. Well just read onward!

The base idea is to have a statue placed on each house plane that will be powered by each house equally. These statues will be powered by energy from each home. This will not only strengthen the defensive capabilities over the plane, but also will allow them to react offensively against any malicious intent taken against the plane. For the current state of the city, this means if the darkness makes it ways to the main planes, the statues will attempt to counter it's efforts.

The creation process may differ from house to house but there will always be the same base components. Each statue will be constructed using 10, 10 charged Power Tokens as the base material (Energy to be provided for the PTs). From there they will be shaped into the statue itself. What a statue looks like or represents is up to the house whose plane it will sit on (For the planes with closed houses, a simple statue will suffice.) The next step in the process is to infuse the statue with the energies of all 8 houses. Then the statue will be taken to the room of choice on the plane, and secured to a foundation.

Right now I am currently in the process of gathering the energies of the closed houses that will be used. I have already gotten some of DoL's which was a process of going inside the house itself by way of the spinning chimeric portal. From there Jade and I went to one of the vaults and while she softened a piece of the wall, I cut a small chunk out. We did use a mix of dreamsoul and resilience to patch the small hole that was made.
From there I went to Quinthe's lab where I used her furnace to begin heating the small section of stone. I added a small dose of very mild poison that ate the stone's physical substance, leaving a liquid energy. After I got rid of any traces of the poison used, I put the liquid into the water tank of the furnace. The energy was distilled and concentrated, put into a vial and is now ready to be added to other sources.

I will be taking care of OoSM's energy next and hope to have the full 8 houses energies combined and ready for statue creation soon.

Sorry if this turned into a ramble of sorts, I hope it does help for anyone potentially confused. Let's build the defenses of this city against the darkness together!

Aileron
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - OoSM

Post by Aileron »

The other dream a group of us helped Nmoto with the beginnings of his garden in the Cave of Mildew on Trinity. Afterwards he wished to help me in the next stage of my project. I needed to get something from OoSM that could potentially hold the energy of the house inside it. The small group headed up to the home and Nmoto, being the only one with a stable way to get back and forth from inside the house to the open, went in and looked around. He eventually came out with four items.

The first was a leather water skin that was filled to the brim with fresh water. The second, a bundle of unpolished Tiger's Eye gemstones. Third, a worn trinket made of a bundle of old elemens bound together with a brass clamp. Finally there was a gold signet ring with an amethyst emblem of the sable moon. Uthanatos also provided a satchel of sand from the plane mixed with...glitter.

Last evening, with items in hand, I went up to Quinthe's workshop to begin work. First I took the Tiger's Eye out of the bundle they were kept in and spread them out over the workbench. I grabbed a small chisel and hammer as well as creating a tumbler from the resilience in the water in the pool there. I took each gemstone and one by one chiseled the emblem of the Order into them. After that, I put each one in the tumbler and started it turning, leaving it there rotating while I went about working on the next components.

Next I grabbed a pair of pliers from one of the small boxes with tools. I used them to remove the brass clamp from the old trinket. I set aside the elemens for later use before grabbing an iron bowl. I tossed the mixture of sand and glitter into the bowl and set it inside the furnace. Afterwards I took out a smaller bowl and placed the brass clamp inside that, putting the bowl itself into the second furnace. After that it was only a matter of time of waiting for everything to come up to the proper temperature.

After checking on the gemstones, I brought out a small mold that was made for the brass that had now fully melted. I transferred the metal from the bowl into the mold and left it to cool. Next I created a mold for the now liquefied glass that had been tinted by the...glitter... I poured the mixture into the mold and then took some time to clean up my surroundings while I waited for the molds to cool down. From there I took the Tiger's Eye from the tumbler and they were smooth and polished.

When everything cooled down enough, I took the now brass belt clip from it's mold and put it on the workbench. The other mold I carefully reintegrated back into the floor itself, leaving a rainbow hued glass flask in the shape of the Sable Moon. I put that next to the brass clip before taking out the water skin and old elemens. I put a clean iron bowl on the furnace and added the water from the water skin. I then crushed the elemens into a fine powder, adding it into the water, which thickened it and left an aroma of old parchments on my nose. After the mixture came to a boil i set it aside to cool and then took the flask, adding the polished Tiger's Eye to it, securing them on.

The last step was pouring the mixture of water and crushed elemens into the flask itself. However before I did that, I added the ring to the inside of the flask itself. The ring settled to the bottom of the flask and I then proceeded to fill the flask to the top with the thick mixture. Now, the ring is slowly dissolving, leaving a golden hue to the liquid. I attached the brass belt clip to the flask as the final piece. The energy of the Sable Moon is spreading through the flask. I have one more small hurdle to deal with before we can imbue all the energies of all houses together. That small problem is the Union house, which will be dealt with soon.

Aileron
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - UoC

Post by Aileron »

On the 8th day of this 7th month I set up on the facade of Union of The Covenant in hopes of potentially getting to talk to a resident of the house. If you look at the house closely, the portal that should lead to Chimeric Plane does not spin. This brings up a potential that the house itself isn't necessarily closed, or at the least uninhabited. I left a note on the scrolls stating that I would wish to talk to who or whatever resides in the house. I had spent close to 2 hours getting acquainted with the agoknight there when Mandus came through the portal from Edgeward.

I discussed with him what I was doing and he offered to try and focus his thoughts on a memento left in the house. This focus of thought would hopefully initiate contact with a dreamer of bygone dreams that once resided inside. I accepted his offer for assistance, I was out of ideas that didn't require me trying to force the portal to spin. Mandus swallowed hard and knelt down in front of the chasm on the facade. He folded his hands over his knee and bowed his head and closed his eyes. He then took in a few slow, steady breaths, then let them out through pursed lips. Quiet came over the facade for some time after. I knelt down beside Mandus in respect, keeping my eye on the house itself, not speaking. Mandus crossed his fingers over his knee and looked up to the facade, and finally spoke. "Amaranthine, I come to you, a servant of your daughter, Trisha Pawm." He began. "I am a humble servant of the Coven of Secrets and do what must be done to save this city and hope to follow in your footsteps of love and mercy." "I ask you this day... Please, for the safety of this dream, allow Aileron access to these halls so that he may aid in protecting us all." His fingers clenched tightly into his pants before he whispered something I almost didn't catch, "I hope you have the strength to hear me."

The air continued to be still for some minutes before Mandus and I started having a casual conversation while I continued my waiting on the facade. It was during this time of conversation that a cool breeze gently drifted over the facade. I took in a deep breath of the fresh air while Mandus made the comment of "That doesn't smell like the Darkness." We moved up to the center portal of the house, Mandus once again knelt down and spoke "White Lady, Mother of the Coven, beacon of mercy and love, I come to you today to ask for your aid. May we enter this battled conclave to protect the dream?" I knelt down once more beside him, placed a hand on his shoulder and clutched my talisman to my chest. Sadara came onto the facade at this point and we both explained what had happened up to the present moment. After we finished explaining, one of the canals began to gurgle with rising bubbles. A shimmering object then appeared out of the brackish water and started to drift with the flow of the canal. Mandus picked up the item, showing it to Sadara who then passed it to me. It was a weathered glass bottle with a small wooden boat resting on a bed of sand inside and sealed with a cork.

While I was investigating the bottle, the datoke Cik came onto the facade and a small battled ensued. We dispatched the mare and refocused our attentions to the bottle. Mandus made an observation that the ship looked like one of Harkyn's. Sadara observed that the bottle could be a key for the portal. I stepped up to the center portal with the bottle in hand. The portal sparked with brief activity as the bottle neared it, and in the distance we heard a parrot squawk. With the bottle in one hand, I pressed my other to the portal. It then felt like I was pushed inside, and as my vision cleared I was inside the house. There were open portals in the house, and a cool breeze circled around the room. I tried passing the bottle to Mandus and Sadara to see if it would allow them to pass into the house as well, however it didn't. I moved forward into the Center Hall. The winds were harsher there, and the breeze turned into a piercing chill. A funneled wind suddenly rushed at me and a whisper filled my ears "Leave this place." I braced myself against the winds and said, "I mean no harm here. I am searching for something of this home to help protect the planes." I took another step forward and the wind strengthened. The humid breeze started turning into hail. In that moment I was pushed back against the portal that I had first came from, and another whisper came to me. "I ache and grieve." it said. Mandus and Sadara at this point were asking about my safety and it was during this that BladeSlayer also showed up onto the Union facade.

I had to raise my voice over the wind but I spoke back to...whatever it was "We all ache and grieve. The city is full of hurt and pain, but also joy and companionship." I stepped forward into the room once again. A visible form took shape in wind and hail then. It was only visible by the glints of light that passed through it. It lashed out and I was knocked back to the portal once again. My side collided with the portal, a twinge of pain sparked through my side as I asked this form "What pains you here?". It replied "A house broken... justice divided... unsettled business... Why do you come here..." I replied with that I was looking for something in the house that carried its energy to be used to defend all of our lands against not just the darkness but any aggressor. I tried fighting against the hail, once more attempting to step into the room. The form reached a hand out at me, and the wind and hail swarmed in intensity at me. Yet again I was slammed against the portal, I slid down it but was able to catch myself before falling completely. The whisper came again, "At unrest here. Until Justice is restored." The size of the hail grew and pelted the corridor and myself. A large object then hit me in the shoulder and fell to the floor by my feet. I reached down and picked it up as the whisper spoke to me one more time, saying "Restore justice... or leave..." I was then picked up by a cyclone of wind and tossed out of the house. After taking some time to collect myself I looked at the item I was given. It is a Gatesmasher that is a small dirk carved out of a large diamond, the hilt has been wrapped in gold leaf. It appears to be purely for decoration and not for use.

Things went quiet after that. I showed the others the item and am one step closer to protecting the planes. The next step will be to combine the energies of all the houses into a forged object that will be used to imbue the statues once they are created. Progress is being made, we shall not fail.

Aileron
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - Forging The Crystals

Post by Aileron »

It's been a long while since I was able to work on this project. However, finally the forging of the house crystals has been done. The forging took place the evening of 9/1 at the Grand Forge in Threshold Pits. Jade, Yae and Liolira attended at the beginning.

I started by explaining to the group what we were going to do and what I hoped to accomplish. Melting the power tokens of AoE, HC, Monastery, PoR, and Temple, along with specially created and obtained items from the closed houses. Through this process it would allow the energies of all the houses to bond together, adding in some extra dreamsoul for stability and then poured into a mold with 8 separate chambers to create individual crystals that will be placed into each statue during creation. This is how the process proceeded.

I handed Yae and Jade each two sets of items. Jade got the Monastery power token and a bundle of insight infused fibers that were labeled "#2". Yae was handed the HC power token and a bundle of lucidity infused fibers labeled "#1". I approached the forge's platform, stepping up it and placed a container into the fire. It was a large, heavy iron bowl lined with ceramic. Runes outlined the outer face of the bowl that reinforced its ability to contain contents at high temperature. Liolira finished creating a grounding rod that would take in any spurts of energy and dissipate it along the floor. I indicated to Yae to bless his PT how he saw fit and place it into the bowl. Yae lifted his left hand and meditated his resilience into the power token and slowly extended his left hand placing the power token into the bowl. I pulled out a forge bellow, and started pumping the handles quickly, bursting gusts of air into the forge fire. The fire roared slightly hotter, the ambient heat in the room was already picking up. I motioned for Jade to place her token into the bowl next. Jade held her token up high. It caught the sunlight streaming in through the window for a few moments. She then walked down the stairs, kneeling by a dark shadowy corner, letting the token absorb the darkness. Yae wiped some sweat from his forehead as Jade walked up beside me, carefully tossing the token into the bowl.

I pumped the bellows some more and turned my head slightly from the heat. The flames licked up the sides of the bowl, bathing my face and neck in sweltering heat. I placed the bellows down and reached into my pack and pulled out two more power tokens. I closed my eyes and spoke quietly "Bless these energies, their power will make our city, our homes, our families safer for times to come" I pressed the tokens together, a cracking sound was heard before I opened my hands over the bowl, letting the tokens fall in. Liolira jumped down from the window sill she was standing at. She noticed some small surges on the negative ground rod and adjusted the gauges and then looked at the fan before nodding. I pulled out the vial of concentrated essence of the Dreamer's of Light house. I asked him and Jade to both put this one in together, for they both have had a personal connection to the house of light. I took the bellows once more, my muscles strained as I pumped more air into the fire and watched it closely. Sweat began to pour from my face, down my neck. Yae lifted the vial to and closed his eyes, while Jade rubbed her hands together, igniting faint sparks of Dazzle directed at the vial. Yae then placed the vial into the bowl quickly and the hair on his arms started to singe.

I smiled at the two, unbuttoning half of my undershirt because the room was beyond sweltering. "Whose idea was this?" I asked with a chuckle before I pulled out the last power token and quietly spoke. "May the peace this token represents give the power of these statues to hold the essence of fairness and compassion." I placed it with the others, a bubbling spurt jumped from the side of the bowl and almost hit my arm. Jade stood up higher on her tip toes to look into the fire as I pulled out a flask, rainbow sparkled and almost transparent in the shape of the sable moon. A golden hue tinted the liquid on the inside by the ring that was slowly dissolving inside it. "The order in my city represented knowledge, teaching, progression through giving yourself to the ways of the scholar." It was with this energy that the statues would carry the knowledge of the houses, our collected histories and love of the city. I pulled on my undershirt a few times and wiped my face with my sleeve before opening the flask, tossing the whole thing into the bowl. I stepped back slightly as the fire roared once again, the sound of energy snapping and sparking was coming from the bowl. Jade jumped back and held her hand to her forehead, shielding her eyes as she fanned her face. Yae hopped back a little bit from the fire as it grew in heat and power, he wiped the sweat from his face using the inner portion of his robe.

I stepped back up to the bowl, pulling out the small dirk carved out of a large diamond, the hilt wrapped in gold leaf that I obtained from the Union. I pulled out a small knife and shaved some of the gold leaf the hilt was wrapped in and tossed it into the bowl. "We all seek Justice, these statues will be no different. They will help bring justice for this city from anyone, or thing that dares attack it" I said quietly. I checked on the bowl, sweat pouring all over my face. "its time. Yae...toss your bundle in." I instructed him. Yae took the bundle and tossed it into the fire and it let out a loud roar and flashed brightly upon contact with the flames. Yae shielded his eyes a little as the fire crackled and roared. Steam was billowing out into the distance outside the window as the fire grew stronger. I watched as the fire enveloped the bowl. The sounds of surging and electric energy snapped and erupted from the it. I puts on a pair of thick gloves and moved up to the still roaring fire and crushed a dreamsoul elemen into the bowl. I motioned for Jade that her turn had come up. Jade dabbed at the sweat beading on her face, exhaling as she leaned toward the window. Jade held up her bundle and chucked it at the fire. The fibers singed, kicking up a plume of smoke as the fire roared once more. I jumped back as the fire almost singed my face. I caught myself on my heels and coughed from breathing in some of the smoke.

Yae coughed from the smoke coming from the fire. He stuck his head out the window to his left for some air he looked up and saw the rising smoke. I turned my head as flashes of energy erupted around the room. The fire blazed into a multicolored torrent of heat and energy while the contents on the inside could be heard bubbling. I motioned for Yae to join me at where the bowl was. I handed him a pair of thick leather gloves that had a glow with an covering of resilience that kept the hands cool even when in contact with hot surfaces. I motioned to the bowl and said "We have to pour that, into this." I motioned to the heavy, square mold filled with casting sand. On top were eight holes burrowed into the sand, lined up in two rows of four. Each hole burrowed down about halfway into the sand, branching out into the shape of a diamond. The mold was in two pieces held together with a solid metal latch. A few others showed up by this point. Yae and I had grabbed each end of the bowl and tipped the mixture into each of the holes. Afterward we tosses the bowl to the side, as it was way too heavy to keep carrying around.

With the work done, we cleared out the smoke in the room and cooled everything down. There was a lot of friendly conversation for awhile after and I am proud of the work that was done and thank those who were involved. Next up however is the real work, creating the statues and placing them on the planes.
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - Evernight Statue

Post by Aileron »

On the evening of 9-22 the first statue of eight was crafted and put into place. This statue is in the Rock Falls of Evernight and it was crafted by myself, Liolira and Kelos. Here is a (hopefully short) account of the process that was used.

I placed some Power Tokens around a marble base that had been sitting in the Rock Falls for close to if not over a year now. Liolira dug into her pack and pulled out various ropes for a pulley system for the statue so we could heft it up onto the base. Kelos pulled out a pair of heat resistant gloves, putting them on. I let out a deep breath before rubbing my hands together. Clutching the talisman hanging from my neck to my chest, the usual aura of divinity surrounded my avatar. I reached out with my free hand as a faint sphere of resilience began to spin into and around itself slowly, getting hotter and hotter. Liolira drove stakes in the ground, then looped the feeder rope around before tossing it over the rocks of the falls. I pressed the spinning and folding resilience into the tokens, watching the heat pass into each of them. Kelos then began molding the now malleable tokens carefully. Liolira drove another stake into the grass and then looped the rope around it. She then produced a harness and began looping the ropes into it. The worn boots of the figure began taking shape. Kelos spoke up to me saying "now....start to cool it down." He held pressure onto the molded parts. I brushed my hand through the water before drizzling it over the molding with added resilience, steam billowed out. A distant thunderclap was then heard in the Evernight sky. Kelos continued his smoothing and leveling of the forming statue while I continually switched from heated resilience and cooling resilience. Liolira informed us to let her know when the statue was ready to be lifted as she pulled out a pair leather gloves, putting them on.

Another thunderclap, louder then the first echoed around the room. The armored legs began to take shape fully. Kelos spoke up once more "continue quickly it is getting cool." I nodded to Kelos as small beads of sweat started to form on my forehead. I heated some more resilience and pressed it into the form, pulling my hand upward over the smooth surface. Liolira looped more of the rope around the stakes as the harness started to pull. Kelos continued to mold the material, smoothing edges as the figured took more shape. *BAKOOM!* Thunder rocked the room, a flash of lightning struck the plane in the distance. Liolira and myself stumbled forward slightly. I caught myself on my knee stating "Well, this isn't normal." I applied some more heat in a few areas before cooling down the areas already molded. The torso took shape, as the heat from the statue got more intense. Small droplets of water began to fall on us. Kelos took a smooth blade and added the final features to the statue. Liolira felt the weight shift. She backed up some more and dug her heels in. I reached into the water, pulling a stream of it from the fall as I removes my hand, dosing the statue. A bolt of lighting struck the statue, the buzz of electricity filled the air with the faint smell of ozone. Rain began to pelt our faces. Kelos exclaimed "Okay, I am done." I instantly directed Lio to pull the ropes. Liolira pulled onto the rope as I ran behind he falls and helped her, straining against the weight of the statue. The statue made a grinding sound at the base as it slid onto it. The statue stood there tall, outward for all to see. Lio and I went to the front of the statue, removing the ropes from it.

I then asked Liolira if she would blend the crystal attuned to all the houses into the statue. She nodded and ran her hand over the statue, the crystal sunk into it, embedded inside. We sat and stared at our work for a long while afterwards. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish. Now to do the same to the other planes.
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - Basin Statue

Post by Aileron »

On the evening of 10/3, The altar/statue for the Temple of Abundant Soul on the Basin was created. The process was done by myself and Sadara.

It started with me explaining what exactly we were going to do. There was a giant block of Onyx that I had placed in Cholok's Temple on the Basin. The plan was to chisel and sculpt out seven pillars of equal height in a semi-circular shape. In the middle would be one last pillar of the same height. I passed Sadara a chisel and hammer specifically made for this endeavor. I had a set myself, so we went to work. I takes took the chisel in one hand and the hammer in the other. I placed the end of the chisel onto the middle of one of the slabs and struck the end with the hammer, closing my good eye against the shards blowing back at me. Sadara took out the chisel and hammer that I gave her. She smiled and stepped up to the onyx. She began to chisel into the onyx, chipping off shards. "Mandus actually gave me the idea for this. He said he could chisel something, so I wanted to go with that theme." I told her. Sadara squinted as she continued to strike the onyx with the chisel, she looked at me before saying, "Oh really? That's wonderful!" Pieces of sharp shards flew past her face and behind her as she continued her strikes. I let out a long breath as I continued my work, using a heavy hand in the striking of the blows against the chisel. I leaned over for a few moments, then stood straight again, moving around the back. We could hear the sounds of debris skipping across the ground into the water. Sadara continued to strike the onyx, she shifted her angle. Onyx pieces flew in every direction.

I wiped my brow before stretching my back. I leaned over once more to do some finer details on the onyx. I spit a few times as a piece of shard landed on my lip. "Hows your side looking so far?" I asked Sadara. Sadara paused for a moment and brushed her hair behind her ear as she looked at the onyx. "Its looking good, I have the shape, now the details!" She said, beginning to detail the column with small intricate, strikes. The pillars started to take form, however their surface was still rough in patches along the length. "Hmm, lets smooth these out?" I asked, looking over the work so far. Sadara flipped her hair behind her as she looked down, and opened her bag. She took out a rough looking scarf, "Would this work?" she asked. I knelt down, scooping two handfuls of graveled mud into them. I moved to the pillars, wiping them down with the mixture. Sadara took out a glove from her bag and put it on her right hand, going over to the gravel of the small lake taking a large handful. She walked back over to the onyx and began to rub down the pillars of onyx on her side with the mixture. Sadara then took out a pair of scissors and cut the scarf into two pieces, handing one to me before taking the gravel on the ground and placing into the scarf.

I took my section of the scarf and followed Sadara's lead. I wrapped my scarf around the pillar and while grasping both ends, started rotating it around the surface of the pillar. Sadara wrapped the gravel and scarf around the pillar. She began moving the scarf up and down on the pillar in a sanding motion. Grinding noises filled our ears while smaller shards of onyx began to fall to the floor. Sadara wiped her upper brow as she sighed, "Getting tired?" she asked. I moved from pillar to pillar, continuing the sanding movements with a chuckle, "I didn't say it would be easy work!" I replied. The pillars each took on a smooth surface that glinted in the light through the mud. We both stopped for a moment and looked over the work, deciding that it looked finished. After a washing down of each pillar, we chose to move onto the detailing of them. ""Right, now this second to last part I need you to do." I said to her. "Each one of the back pillars I need you to imbue the energy of your home into, your beliefs into them." Sadara nodded to me, looking at the onyx and placed her hands on top of one pillar. Her hand began to glow a bright ruby color. The pillar began to vibrate strongly against Sadara's hand. The color started to absorb into the onyx.

Sadara placed her hand on another pillar and she closed her eyes, her hands began to glow a bright a deep blood red. Different symbols took form on each outer pillar in a burst of vibrant light. I shielded my good eye with a hand while Sadara breathed out as a single tear fell down her cheek. She smiled and wiped her cheek quickly. She took her hand up from the pillar as the glow faded away. I moved to the center pillar and chiseled out a notch in the shape of a crystal. I looked to Sadara and said, "Thank you so much." I reached into my pack and pulled out one of the crystals I had forged. I secured it into the notch I had chiseled out. As the crystal was inserted, energy from each pillar connected to the center. Another blast of light erupted through the room. I then placed a specially made plaque against the base of the altar, completing it.
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - Lambent Tree

Post by Aileron »

On the evening of 10/9, the plum tree in the Mirrored Falls on Lambent was planted. This is in place of a statue for this plane.

I made my way up to the Falls, taking care of the Emphant in the room. I then took some time and found a nice place to begin my work. I knelt down and dug into my pack, pulling out a small shovel, a vial filled with concentrated resilience, willpower and dreamsoul, a plum tree sapling with its roots inside a sack, and one of the crystals that I had forged. I took the shovel and stabbed a few times into the soil with the point, looking for the best area to begin. After a few minutes I plunged the tip of the shovel into the ground, lifting and tossing the dirt in a pile to my side. My muscles strained as I dug a wide circle. The sun, hot as always caused sweat to slowly bead down my face. Eventually I stretched out my back, stabbing the shovel into the ground next to me. I then knelt down and reached into the center of the wide hole that was dug, testing the depth. I took the sapling and untied the sack that held the roots protected. I placed the sapling into the hole. I proceeded to take some of the soil that I had dug up and covered the roots with it. I stood up and walked to the pool of water that was nearby. I placed both hands down into the crystal clear water. It began to glow a resilient jade, a small flow trailed its way up to the soil I covered the roots with, saturating it. After the soil was sufficiently watered, I removed my hands from the water. I shook them off before wiping them on my pants. I picked up the vial, popping the corked top, swirling the contents around a few times. The jade, chalk and gold colors spun around in a small whirlpool effect.

I then took a small scoop of the water into my palm, mixing it into the vial. I moved back to the sapling and poured the contents of the vial over the soil covering the roots. I took a few steps back, observing the soil. The contents of the vial slowly absorbed into the dirt, the small leaves on the sapling shook. Suddenly the ground shook violently, the sapling's roots began expanding outward from the soil. The trunk rose higher into the sky and expanded in width. The branches extended, small fruit began to form along with different hues of colors on the leaves. I tilted my head back, holding up a hand to my forehead to block out some of the bright sunlight. I took in the massive form of the fully mature plum tree with a smile. I walked up to the tree, running my hand over knot in the trunk. I took the crystal and fit into the knot. The bark around the crystal tightened, sealing it into place. I then finished filling up the area of the roots with the soil left over. Afterwards I cleaned up the tools and vial before tracing my finger through the air, runic sigils flashed before dissipating into the wind. Making sure the delivery of the benches would be made.
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - Trinity Statue

Post by Aileron »

On 10/10 in the early evening I was able to gather a small group of dreamers. Dar'canon, Liolira, and myself were at the Fountain of Wishes on Trinity, where I began my explanation of what we were going to do.

In my possession I had four thick glass orbs. I passed one to Dar, one to Lio and held two for myself. The first step was for us to infuse the orbs with a focal element, sealing it inside. Dar'canon took the orb in his hands, turning it over, inspecting it. Liolira started rubbing the orb between her hands. Her focal element started to radiate from her palms, slowly infusing into the orb. Dar'canon continued to turn the piece over and over. Gradually a green glow began to emanate from his hands and the orb as well. I reached over into my pack. I pulled out a will elemen and some finely ground earth. Dar'canon turned his orb faster and faster. The glow became an emerald shine, blinding almost. Just when the light was almost too bright to look upon, a seemingly new orb appeared. I took one of the orbs, gathering the dirt into a palm. My hand began to radiate a divine aura as I pushes the orb against my palm. The dirt slowly began to absorb into the orb. Liolira held her orb out, it started to hover in her hand. "Why you shoving dirt in it?" Lio asked me. I took the willpower elemen and smashed it against the ledge of the fountain. I pressed the fragments into the orb, answering Lio. "Because I need more then just the base focus element. I'm not a GK and can't properly infuse it with just myself." The orb emitted a few golden sparks, the dirt inside formed into a solid mass of will. I watched as the orb hovered off of my palm. It was at this point that Tember came into the room. I explained what we were doing and offered for her to infuse the lucidity orb.

Tember agreed and I handed her the last of the orbs. She hiked up her skirt and sat one foot on top of the ledge of the fountain. She then took the orb gently from her hand and sat it on top of her knee as she took a lucidity elemen and jabbed it on top of the orb. She pulled the lucidity elem back, spitting on it before smacking it back down onto the orb. The orb took on a fire that spread throughout the inside of it. It was at that moment a creepy eye slid down slowly from the sky. It stared ahead at us with curiosity. I then described the next phase, which was to encase each orb with a thin layer of resilience. The eye quickly moved, and then disappeared from sight. Dar'canon rubbed his hands together until a gentle emerald glow emitted from both palms. He then wrapped the orb in both hands for just a moment before dropping it into the water. I placed my hand into the water of the fountain. Another aura of divinity surrounded it as I lifted my hand from the water and ran it over both orbs in my hand. Liolira had to wake so she gave me her orb. Each took on a thin coat of the water, glowing a resilient jade for a few moments before going clear. I then placed the two orbs into the water carefully. The water began to take on an ever luminescent glow as the orbs shimmered and the water bubbled slightly. Both Dar and Lio backed up while I moved closer to the ledge of the fountain to get a better look.

The orbs then rose into the air and in a circular motion began to move and twirl like halos. Small drops of water begin raining down from each of them into the fountain. Vapor from the water settled down below the orbs as it formed a white mist as droplets of water continued to flow from them. I slid over the ledge of the fountain, getting into the water. The water from the halos started to drench my clothes. I then asked Dar to help me get a marble statue into the fountain. He jumped in and with his help, we were able to move the heavy effigy of a swain woman right under the halos. I then took out one of the forged crystals and placed it into the outstretched hands of the statue. The water flourished even more as the crystal's hues reflected around the room. We spent some time gazing at it, feeling proud of our accomplishment.
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - Monastery Statue

Post by Aileron »

On 10/10 The statue for the Monastery of the Shadow was placed in Whiny's Wanderings. It started with a small group of Myself, Jade, Nathan, Uthanatos, Liolira and Oskar Burke. In the room was an already prepared block of Obsidian and with that we began.

I explained that up to this point I had been trying many different ways of creating these statues. This time, however I wanted each person involved to craft different sections of the statue in their own way. Uthanatos was up first, having to create the head of the statue. He cracked his knuckles, motes of resilience popped off his hands with the noise. He then unhooked a clay jug from his belt and turned it up for a full minute, chugging the contents. We watched him do this, mostly with chuckles and snickers. Uthanatos cracked his knuckles once more, his hands coated with resilience. As he placed them upon the stone a loud hissing and smoke billowing out as stone dissolved. I asked Uthanatos if he was using poison as a creation medium. He roughly shaped the head, leaving the face vague and undefined. He shifted to using his fingertips, laying in textured strands of hair one by one, "is there another way?" He replied to me. He dipped his hands in the water, scooping it up over the statue and rinsed away the residue, before etching in fine lines and blemishes on the face, yet not defining the nose or eyes before stepping back.

Next up was Jade, having to form the shoulders. She slouched her pack off her shoulder, putting it down on the ground to gather a worn hammer and chisel as she approached the block of obsidian. She clutched the chisel’s handle firmly, lining it up at an angle below the stone head before she started to tap it in quick succession, smoothing out a neck below it. She then drove the chisel’s point down the sides, knocking off hunks of stone that crumbled near her feet. She swiped a gloved hand to remove any debris before smoothing out the broad shoulders, etching in slight notches for muscle. The sunlight began to dim in the room. The sound of rock dropping into the water quietly bounced off the walls as she finished her work.

It was now Nathan's turn to form the chest and arms. Nathan cleared his throat. "Behold, the magnificent, illustrious, artiste of ze dream, sir Natha-than! I shall sculpt ze most elegant of Chests this dream!" he proclaimed loudly. He places two curtains around what is the statue so far, before clearing his throat and asking Oskar from a drum roll. Oskar laughed, patting the burlap bag that sits on his side in a steady beat. The uproar of metal smashing rung in our ears at the same pace of the beat. Nathan reached a hand from beyond the curtain towards Oskar, "Saw!" Oskar opened the burlap bag. His arm vanishing elbow deep into it, the sounds of metal clashing was even louder. He grunted as he pulls out a small metalworking saw. "This'll do!" We heard, Oskar holding the saw with a sheepish smile. Grating noises echoed throughout the room. Sparks flew from behind the curtain. Nathan reached out his hand toward Oskar again, "BOMB!" "No bombs!" Jade exclaimed. Oskar nodded to Nathan a few times excitedly, pressing his palms together. An explosion of fire tore through the room. Smoke trailed up towards the sky from behind the curtains while we heard a stomping noise "My mistake!" We heard Nathan say. Nathan reached out a hand towards Oskar a third time, "Knife!" Oskar dug into his bag, producing a thin knife and handed it to Nathan. A stabbing noise could be heard followed by a scream. "ACK! Halp! I've been stabbed." Nathan opened up the curtain to reveal a perfectly formed chest with hands proudly raised. There was a loud round of applause for the great show.

Lastly it fell to Liolira to create the legs and feet. She sat down and pulled out some elemental masses, then her boot and stared at her foot a moment. She then pulled out the tub of some goo and smashed the elemental masses with it. After producing a mortal and pestle, she went about grinding the broken shards of the masses. Lio ground the elemental masses to a fine powder and then scooped out some of the goo. She mixed the two together, making two piles and began to fashion two feet. She smeared the mixture into molds and waited for them to set, testing them every so often. She then turned each mold upside down, removing the finished product. Lio then knelt down next to the main statue and produced a hand cranked drill. After drilling holes into the chest on each side she attached a hinge and hook to each one. She attached the legs to the hook with some sturdy wire and secured the hinges tightly. The shadows on the walls began moving slowly along the ground towards the statue, taking us all by surprise. Lio asked for a wrench which Oskar provided happily. She then used the wrench to tighten and fasten the current work. She then produced the set of feet she was working on earlier and began to attach them. The shadows reached out from the ground, spiny finger shaped darkness gripped the feet. After the feet were secure, Lio produced a cape of dark color, draping it over the shoulders of the statue.

Shadows poured from the walls, attaching themselves to the cape. With some trepidation I moved up to the statue, having to set it on it's final resting place. I reached down and put my hand into the shadows to test if it was safe. Shadows grabbed onto my hand, crawling up and down my arm but appeared to cause no harm. I asked Nathan to help me lift the statue into place. He moved to the opposite side of me as we both took secure handholds onto the statue. The lifting took a small turn when I miscommunicated the directions to Nathan, who lifted early. The statue tipped forward towards my end with Nathan exclaiming, "Ack! I'm out of control!" Shadowy robes began to form around the chest, billowing out as if in a breeze as they reached down to the feet. I felt an impact to my face from the elbow of the statue as Nathan instructed Oskar to help us steady it. I could taste blood in the back of my throat the three of us together were able to stabilize the movement of the statue. We managed to get it onto its base, adjusting for the right position. The statue became almost completely obscured by the shadows that continued to swirl over the form. I pulled out a crystal from my pack, reached up and placed it into the hands of the statue. Darkness flooded through the room. For but an instant my vision went black and silence deafened my ears. After shaking that off, I placed down a plaque, setting it into the base. The shadows receded as the sunlight once more filled the room. With that our work was done and we spent some time talking and admiring the job well done.
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - Radiance Telescope

Post by Aileron »

On 10/11 A group of dreamers and myself assembled and set a Telescope on Gordizo's Grand Entry in East Valley of Totality.

The group and I started out everything with needing to test the area where the telescope was eventually going to rest. The rock needed to be completely flat for the telescope to work correctly. Hrrum offered his assistance in this and ran his pedipalps through through the rock, picking some of the loosened debris up, smelling it. He then opened a Radiance Power Token up and channeled its energy through the grounds. The ground quaked with a thrumming vibration. Small uneven parts of the rock started to show through. Upon seeing the uneven sections of the ground, I suggested we use our flame in concentrated bursts. In doing so, we could even out the rock floor around us. I placed down three markers for the dreamers in the room to take aim at. Once everyone was ready I gave the signal and suddenly the room was light with different flames. The heat in the air rose with the abundance of discharged energy in the room. Afterwards, we took some time to examine the newly flattened surface, noting the great job done by all.

With the base ready, we moved onto construction of the different parts. I had the group of Radiance work on the lenses, molding them to be able to detect the faintest of forms of the darkness. Kelos and Tamarisk had the task of shaping the tubing to fit the lenses and the overall dimensions. Lastly Dar'canon and myself were to take a block of solid pine and craft a tripod with shelving for any accessories to be stored in. A lot of things were happening at once during this time, so I'm going to just separate what each group did to accomplish their task. Hrrum and the Radiance examined the lenses and discussed how best to mold them. They decided to use Belom as a conduction point for lucidity to heat the lenses while Radiant Blaze was directed into the lenses themselves. Nathan looked at Belom, a small spark of lucid energy cackled on his fingertips. Hrrum opened his pedipalps with Power Tokens escaping his grasp. Nathan then suggested that everyone tap their alts for vision, mentioning that the Radiant Blaze that was about to happen was going to be potent. Eirikr nodded to Nathan and looked to Hrrum, stating "Give me the cue, sir". Hrrum spoke "On your mark!" Nathan allowed the Lucidity to coalesce with radiant energies held within the Power Token. The energy snaked over and around Belom, before bursting forth in a supernova-flare. A few moments passed before the room erupted into a torrent of Radiant Blaze. Hrrum began inspecting the lenses with Eirikr, Nathan making sure the room didn't need any abjure from the blinding effects of the Blaze. "We should test it. I'll bring the Echten essence and shoot it up the skies. Let the lenses concentrate on it and burn it to ashes." Hrrum mentioned. He moved forward and held and Echten Squire essence in the cap of his pedipalps. Nathan suggested that Astar and Eirikr focus their willpower into the essence, suspending it up in the air. They both complied with the request.

Cloud closed his eyes, spreading his arms out wide as he rose up in the air. His 3rd eye appeared and opened. Hrrum pointed the lens towards the sky while Eirikr evoked the Radiance and focused his will upward, focusing it with trajectory and accuracy of a bullet. Another blaze of radiance erupted through the room. Cloud could sense something moving, coming closer. The essence propelled upward into the sky, Hrrum pointed the lens outward. The Radiant Blaze escaped from the lens, sending Hrrum stepping backwards. The essence in the sky was turned to ash. With the testing done, the lenses were prepared.

While the Radiance worked on their lenses, Tamarisk and Kelos were creating the housing tube for the entire device. Tamarisk waved his hands and made the metal tubing dance in the air as he waited for instructions. "Anyone have that pipefitter whatchamacallit thingy?" Kelos asked, staring to dump random contents from his pack onto the stone floor. Oskar Burke reached into his burlap bag, causing an uproar of noise. He smiled as he surprisingly pulled out the item Kelos requested, handing it to him. Kelos thanked Oskar and began to mold various lengths of pipe. "Thin or wide tubing? what is this for Aileron?" Kelos asked. "A telescope, Kelos." "So...funnel shaped?" He replied back to me. "If that's how you want to do it!" I replied. Tamarisk smiled as he wiggled his fingers and made the metal tubing continue to dance through the air. Kelos passed a molded piece of pipe to Tamarisk. Tamarisk began to spin the metal tubing on its end quickly and formed the end into a funnel with mini blasts. "tubing is ready" Kelos said.

Mine and Dar'canon's part was pretty easy. We essentially took the block of pine along with two carving axes and carved out the tripod. When we were finished, I took some nice, rich stain and coated the entire tripod with it. From there it was ready to assemble the entire telescope. Mzchievs was given a pair of thick silver clamps to be used 3/4ths down the tube once we had it secured onto the tripod. Dar'canon and myself lifted the telescope very carefully, moving gingerly to the tripod and sliding it into place. Mz clamped down the tubing quickly, tightening the clamps. The last phase of this creation was to direct Radiant Blaze onto the telescope itself. As I instructed this, I pulled out one of the crystals I forged and secured it into the counterweight of the telescope. The skies turned to flame as the Radiant Blaze tore through the room. Flames crawled from the heavens, slamming themselves onto the telescope. The surface of the telescope flickered with the never-ending image of flames licking the tubing. I placed down a plaque into the foundation, and with that, it was complete.
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - Light Statue

Post by Aileron »

On 10/12 I put up the statue for Dreamers of Light with the help of Sadara and Hrrum on the Illapse Keep Ambuscade.

It started with me alone, opening my pack and pulling out several pieces of gold plate. I took the plates under my arm and went from room to room looking for some sort of flame, but couldn't find any close by. I went back to the Ambuscade, where I placed the plates against the rock. I took out a lucidity elemen from my pack, snapping it at one of the edges. I tilted the elemen, watching thick lucidity pour from the breakage down onto the plates. I pulled out a small batch of fibers bundled together tightly. I flicked the tip with my finger. Fire ignited from the top, burning hot and I pressed the flame against the lucidity on the gold plates. The lucidity ignited in a hot blaze. I kept a close watch on the metal as it began to heat. I pulled out some thick gloves, slipping them on. I grabbed one of the plates and began bending and twisting the metal around the second plate in the middle. I pulled out a small smithy hammer and began beating the two pieces of heated metal together, sweat began to drip down from my forehead. I worked the hammer across the center, making it smooth but supportive. I then struck out at the left side, curling it back in slightly. After reheating the metal, I checked my work every few strikes as I went to the right side, stretching it upwards into almost a spike-like design. I continued to work the metal, splitting it from the right side into a secondary downward direction. Doing the same to the left hand side in a more dramatic arc. I set the hammer to the side and stepped back, observing my work. I moved back, giving some sections a few more finishing strikes and then sets out cooling down the entire creation with a splash of cold resilience. A stand in the form of the emblem of Light sat cooling against the stone.

It was at this time that Hrrum and Sadara came in, offering assistance to the task at hand. I accepted gratefully and explained what we had to do next. I produced a large, smooth stone, setting it onto the rock foundation. I passed out a imprisoned node to both of them, instructing that we needed to get them inside the stone itself. Hrrum mentioned that using imprisoned wells would probably be more efficient then just the essence nodes themselves. We could channel our resilience into those and then put it into the stone itself. I agreed and we set to doing that, first Hrrum needed a source of water. He set his claws into a nearby wall, poking and stones from it. A small trickle of water became a slow stream flowing from between the rocks. Hrrum held out his pedipalp, gathering water into it and closed his eyes. His avatar started to glow a soft emerald, holding out the imprisoned node. It started to morph into a orb of energy in his claw. Hrrum crawled towards the Stone and engulfed it with energy from the Imprisoned Essence node. Sadara held her hand out, palms faced up as she conjured a spherical ball of energized water that floated gently on top of her palm. She took the node in her other hand and placed it inside the energized ball of water in her palm. The essence glowed a bright plum within the sphere. I Aileron clutched the talisman hanging from my neck to my chest. The faint aura of divinity surrounded my avatar as I held out the imprisoned well. I filled the well with some of the water, it mixed with the essence inside, resilience popping from within.

Sadara slowly motioned her hand upward releasing the spherical ball of water. The ball gently floated toward the stone and merged within the stone itself. I placed the well against the stone, feeling it dissolve into it. When my hand touched the stones surface, I took a few steps back and examined the work. Sunlight began to absorb into the stone. Small bursts of light emitted from within, clouding the inside. With that part done, we had to then add some sort of raw energy to keep the stone itself energized. I suggested some dreamsoul and Hrrum suggested using reweave to channel resilience into dreamsoul. Sadara nodded as her hand glowed a bright white, Dreamsoul began to tendril out of her palm and onto the smooth stone. Hrrum targeted the spiral rainbow of resilience in to Essence of Stone, while I placed my hands onto the smooth surface of the stone itself. I began channeling my inner dreamsoul from my own avatar into the stone, through my hands. The stone vibrated visibly on the rock as the energies seeped into it. Hrrum sent another energy burst into the stone and looked at it as it's surface started to shine against the sunlight. Sadara closed her eyes as the white glow in her hand began to shift and warp from blue to plum to white. I shifted my focus from insertion to reinforcement, cascading thin resilience over the stone. Small colored orbs, almost spectral to the eye started to ascend from the stone's surface.

I removed my hands from the surface of the stone, as did Sadara. Next was lifting the stone and securing it onto the golden stand that I had created at the start. Hrrum did this task with ease. After being sure the stone was secure, I took out one of the forged crystals. I knelt down, setting it into the stand and locked it into place. The stone then emitted a blindingly bright flash of light. We all covered our eyes from the flash and afterwards I placed a plaque into the rock.
Aileron
Dreamer
Posts: 73
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:06 am
Character Name(s): Aileron

Statue Project - Edgeward Statue

Post by Aileron »

On 10/12 in the later evening, I finally completed the final statue. It is the statue for the Union located in the Little Cave. I chose this location due to the proximity to the Palisades, offering an extra layer of protection against anything that could escape from there.

My approach for this statue was going back to molding each section separately and then assembling it on site, finishing it off with the detail work. I began in the lucidity shrine with taking out two ceramic lined iron bowls, setting them down on the ground a dull, loud thud from each. I then produced a satchel full of bars of solid bronze and tossed some into each of the two bowls before picking them up and putting them into the fires. I set out three molds for the statue that I had crafted dreams before. I watched over time as both bowls began to bubble and spurt with molten bronze. I dug into my pack and retrieved a worn set of thick gloves, slipping them on my hands. I then grabbed one of the iron bowls, wincing slightly as the muscles in my back strained with the weight. I took some sidesteps carefully over to the first mold, pouring the liquid metal into it. Steam and spurts of fire licked over the sides of the mold. I filled the first mold fully, pouring the remaining of the bronze into the second mold, filling it halfway. With the bowl empty, I set it to the side and walked over to the second bowl still on the fire. Wiping my forehead as I hefted it up and off the flame, swearing quietly as I moved over to the half-filled mold and poured carefully. After the second mold was filled with the metal, I emptied the last bowl filling up the last mold. After, I sat down for a few moments, watching the molds cool.

I pulled out a jug full of clear water, standing up and taking a drink from it. The molds hissed loudly as I poured over the the sides of the mold, steam pummeled my face. Waving the steam from my face, I sighed tiredly and hefted each mold onto a makeshift cart. I wrapped the lead rope around my hand and began pulling it through chasm on the way to Edgeward. As I was making my way through the Chasm Sanctuary I ran into my wife. She offered to give me a hand with the rest of the construction and I more then happily took her up on her offer. We walked through the Barrows until we got to the Little Cave. The plan was to start from the bottom and work our way up, securing each piece together. After that is done, we would attach the accent pieces. Working together we carried the feet and legs mold into place. I flipped the latches holding the mold together, steam rose from the mold as it clattered to the ground. Jade took on the job of soldering the sections together so I took the heavy job of lifting the second mold into place. I flipped the latches awkwardly on the mold, turning it in my arms in a full rotation. The mold slid off the statue piece to the floor. I carefully lined up the connection pins to the holes in the legs and slid them together.

Jade rifled through her pack. The sound of metals and various unknown items clanked together before she retrieved a hunk of metal alloy. She then knelt down, placing a stone bowl in the sand and dripped the alloy inside. Leaning back, she grabbed a handful of sand and began to rub it between her palms. I leaned on the cart, rubbing my face with my hands while I watched my wife work. She briskly rubbed her hands together. Smoke began to rise between them, along with a smell of something burning. Jade‘s hands continued to vigorously move, becoming somewhat of a blur as a controlled flame shot out from her hands and into the bowl, melting the alloy. She then grabbed another tool out of her pack as she approached the statue, tipping the bowl near the junction and spread the melted alloy with a spatula. I pushed myself off the cart, turning and flipping the latches on the last mold. Jade circled the statue, spreading the material around until it fully sealed the seam. With the two pieces together, Jade and I were able to set the top part of the statue into place. We made sure the connecting points were lined up carefully. Jade helped guide the statue piece into place. Jade reached down for her bowl of melted metal and spatula. Holding the spatula under the bowl, she tipped the spout along the rip and spread it evenly to seal the two pieces.

I then retrieved a dirk made from solid diamond, more for decoration then actual function. I asked my wife if she would secure it to the side of the statue of Lady Justice. She took the dirk from me and pressed it to the statue's side. She pressed firmly with both hands over the decoration, molding it to the statue. During this time I opened a wooden box containing an elegantly crafted long sword. I took the final crystal that had been forged and set it into the guard of the sword, small clasps fastened the crystal into place. From there I set the sword into the statue's hand, securing it tightly. Finally I produced a shield with the emblem of the Union on it's face. Setting into the base of the statue, the work was complete.
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