Citadel's Shadow II, Session 88

Citadel's Shadow II, Session 88 was a session of the Citadel's Shadow II campaign, played on 13 September 2020 (UTC) (12 September 2020 for some participants).
== Personnel ==
===Game Master===
*GM: played by Alden Loveshade
===Player Characters===
*Fern the Siegemaster: inventive fox-person student played by Rail Runner
=== Prominent Non-Player Characters ===
*Clarence Smartcat: professor at St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth
*Katerina Smartcat: professor at St. Bassard's
*Turgan Tin-Finger: student at St. Bassard's
== Events ==
=== 1742 ===
Damirin 1 (Godsday) (continued): Professor Clarence Smartcat called a meeting of students who had worked at St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth on a science fair project for the Festival of Damira.  The students were Chloris Jennigan, Fern the Siegemaster, Mugsey Dormp, Sherrod Urnen, Snowy Zeddick, and Turgan Tin-Finger.  They met in the workshop room.
The professor said, "There will be a public announcement, but I wanted to tell you first. Because of the current international emergency, getting large groups of people together is rather impractical.  I'm afraid that, unless things change in the next day or two, the science fair competition that was planned to be held at University Ward Commons for the Festival of Damira may be cancelled."
Mugsey asked, "What crisis?"  The Professor said,"The magical gate crisis, what some are calling Demon Gate."  Fern said, "So uh, what'd happen to things that were made as a project for it, if it actually would be cancelled?"  The professor, said, "That's a good question, Fern. It would be up to each school to decide."
Professor Smartcat also said that many people had planned to get to the festival by magical gates, including two of the judges.  In addition, one of the school's projects was apparently related to teleportation.  But there was still hope the gate problem would be solved in time for the festival.
When Fern said she helped deliver the letter that informed officials about the problems with gate and teleportation spells, Mugsey blamed Fern.  But the professor said Fern didn't cause the problem.  Fern thought about the possibility of attaching the project, which was a steam engine, to a vehicle, which could speed up message delivery.  (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20200913)
Damirin 2 (Mustering): Fern the Siegemaster saw a sign posted outside St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth in Trynser City.  It read:
"By Order of the Imperial Magistrace, under consultation with the Gate Guardians of Samoroja, the usage of Gate and Teleportation magic is returned to standard guidelines. The prohibition against their use has been lifted."  The proclamation was spread throughout the Empire of Trynser.
Professor Clarence Smartcat of St. Bassard's said, "Everyone, the Festival of Damira and science fair are back on!" (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20200913)
Damirin 8 (Lordsday): Fern the Siegemaster of St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth continued thinking of how practical using a steam engine with a vehicle could be in message delivery.  Fern believed it would be practical, but she would want to work with someone who was an expert on transportation along with a team.  She didn't know if horses would be faster.
Fern's student assistant, Turgan Tin-Finger, said, "Hey Fern! I'm the messenger for today! There's a couple new students here to see you. You're supposed to show them around." Fern said, "Hello. Show them around the workshop, that is?" Turgan said, "I guess so. They're outside waiting.". Fern said, "Alright, I'll go meet them."
Fern saw a female gnome and a human male. They weren't wearing uniforms, but were both in dark clothes. The female gnome was about 45 cm (1.5 feet) tall, with yellow skin and hair. She looked like she's an older teenager.  The human male was about 180 cm (5 feet 11 inches) tall. He had tan skin and short dark brown hair. He also looked like he was a teenager.  The boy asked if Fern was "Fern the Siegemaker" (Fern said she was, ignoring the wrong appellation), and he introduced himself as Mal and the girl as Fema.  Fern took them to the St. Bassard's workshop, and showed them the steam engine that was the school's entry in the Festival of Damira science fair.
Mal asked Fern questions about her skills, and about a door in the workshop (which led to a closet).  As Mal wanted to see it, Fern showed Mal the contents of the closet, which were largely boxes, parts, old projects, and miscellaneous junk.  Mal asked a lot of questions and wanted to see many things in the closest; Fern wondered if Mal might be wanting to steal something.  Mal stood close to Fern, between Fern and the closet door.
Fern said she needed to check something, and Mal repeatedly asked if they were going out of the closet now; Fern said they were (and made sure Mal did).  Fern pretended to be checking something on the table, but actually looked to see what the gnome Fema was doing.  Fern kept an eye on both of them.
Fema asked the time; Fern checked and said it was 12:12.  Fema said, "Oh, we need to go to our orientation meeting!"  Mal and Fema quickly left.
Fern looked around, checking things.  The closet was always a mess, so Fern didn't know what all was in there, but didn't notice anythign missing. Nothing seemed to be missing from the tables, and the steam engine was still there.  Fern went back to her usual business.
Turgan came in and said they missed Fern at lunch.  Turgan said, "It was a special one for people working on the project."  Fern said, "Well, too bad I missed it. What was it?"  Turgan said, "But it went wrong. We were supposed to get a free meal, but we had to pay for it!"  Fern said, "Weird."  Turgan said, "I don't even know who invited us; it was last minute."  Fern decided to fix herself something to eat.  Fern said some time during the day they should check the steam engine project, make sure everything was ready for the Festival of Damira.
Professor Clarence Smartcat came in.  "Oh, there you are Fern. Did you miss your invitation?  Everyone on the project was invited to lunch, our host, whoever it was, never showed up, and we had to pay.  OK for me, but not fair to the students."  Fern did an excellent job fixing a meal, then went back to the workshop to check on the project (and shared some of the meat and cheese pizza she made).  Fern made sure everything needed for the science fair was avaiable.
Mugsey Dormp suggested they do a test run on the steam engine before the next day's contest, and Fern agreed.  The students were Chloris Jennigan, Sherrod Urnen, Snowy Zeddick, Turgan Tin-Finger, and Fern and Mugsey.  The steam engine ran--but wasn't doing much of anything.  Fern suspected some part might be missing.  Fern checked--one of the piston's was missing!
The group wondered who could have taken it, and Fern mentioned Mal and Fema.  Mugsey asked who they were, and Turgan said they were new students.  They learned nobody recognized them but Fern and Turgan.
Fern figured it would take too long to make a new piston, but there were two available--one was too big, and the other too small.  Professor Clarence Smartcat came into the workshop.  When told about the "new students," he said he knew nothing about them, and went to check records.  When he returned, he said there was no record of them. Fern said, "You know what? I'd beat the sh** out of those two 'students' if I saw them again."
Mugsey, realizing Fern was the only student inolved who was at the workshop while the others were eating elsewhere, said, "How do we know Fern didn't take the piston?"  Professor Clarence Smartcat said he was sure Fern didn't take it, but would ask his sister Professor Katerina Smartcat for advice.  Fern said, "Even if for some crazy reason I did want to ruin it, I could do it much more subtle than that."
Professor Katerina Smartcat came in and summed up the events, and learned that Fern did not receive an invitation to the lunch.  Fern said the two students Mal and Fema were with her for about 15 to 20 minutes, but didn't know how long she and Mal were in the closet while Fema was likely in the workshop alone.  Professor Clarence Smartcat said, "I don't know; if you weren't in the closet the whole time, that seems awfully fast for someone to take the steam engine apart, remove a piston, then put the engine back together."
Fern the Siegemaster said, "Hmm.  Could it be teleportation magic?"  Professor Katerina Smartcat said, "I would think if someone knew what they were doing, a spell could do the job very quickly.  Nothing would have to be taken apart."  Fern remembered hearing that one of the competing schools' science fair projects was teleportation-related.  Unfortunately, neither of the two professors knew or remembered what school that was.
Fern decided to try to track the students by scent; she hadn't been around Fema much, but was in a closet with Mal for a while.  Clarence suggested the students try to grind down the larger piston, while Katerina went with Fern and Turgan to try to track down the supposed students Mal and Fema.
Fern was on the trail. She tracked the scent out the main door of the workshop, down the hallway to the main door, then outside.  The scent was largely lost outside, but Fern saw what looked like human and gnome tracks, and followed them.  The tracks went to a carriage stop, where the human (likely Mal) seemed to pace back and forth.  The tracks then disappeared about where the carriage picked people up.
Fern asked if there was a schedule.  Katerina said usually there wasn't, but a map had been prepared for the festival that showed the travel route, and she had a copy.  Fern looked at it.  She knew that United Lar Academy and Vivimi Academy were both on the route.  United Lar Academy was a secondary school located in the Inner Riverside Ward of Trynser City, and Vivimi Academy was a secondary school located in the Uphill Ward of Trynser City.  They reported this to Professor Clarence Smartcat, who went to check with other staff members.
Fern believed her being the only person involved in the project being invited to lunch was a clue; Professor Katerina agreed, saying, "My guess is they needed someone to let them into the workshop. With only one student left behind, they knew no one else would interrupt them."
Professor Clarence returned, and reported taht someone on staff remembered that the teleportation project was being done by students at United Lar Academy.  He also admitted his invitation to the lunch was from "a secret admirer."
Professor Katerina, Fern, and Turgan took a carriage, getting there about a minute before it left.  Their trip to United Lar Academy was uneventful.  They went to the office, and told Professor Adrian Beacon what happened.  The professor took them to his school's workshop where students involved in their science fair project would be working.
When they arrived, Fern saw someone quickly move behind things.  Fern smelled Mal, and possibly Fema, but didn't see them.  A student said Macon had to go, but they saw a gnome student Fern recognized as Fema.  Her name was actually Ginima Noma.  She blubbered, "I'm so sorry I didn't want to do it! But Macon he made me because, oh, I can't talk about it. But he made me!" She cried.  When questioned by Professor Beacon, she said she didn't have the missing piston.  Macon was found--trying to climb out a window.  Fern and Turgan identified Macon Mani as the one they knew as "Mal."
When identified, Macon said, "Damn, I'm not going to get punished, am I? I did it for the school!"  Fern said, "You won't be punished.  You'll be choked with your own guts instead if you don't hand over the piston."  The professors decided to handle the situation.
Macon said he didn't know where the piston was.  Macon was searched, but the piston wason't found.  Then a student said they had noticed Macon open a drawer right before he left.  The piston was found there.
Professor Katerina, Fern, and Turgan returned to St. Bassard's with the piston.  Fern put it back on the steam engine, and the engine worked fine.  (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20200913)
Damirin 9 (Restingday) (Festival of Damira): The Science Faire of the Festival of Damira was held in  University Ward Commons in Trynser City.  The judges were announced:
"We are honored to have some very prestigious judges, all of whom are well-known inventors. They are Magus Pei Zhing, founder and guildmaster of Shining Luck Mages' Guild (he bowed; the crowd applauded); Professor Terri "Smart" Brunt of El ingenio de la Universidad de la luz de las estrellas or, in Trynsern, The Academy of Starlight Engine aka The University of Starlight Ingenuity (he bowed; the crowd applauded); and Mistress Magus Mojarósa de Maestros Magos de Milspar de Millisymph (she curtseyed; the crowd applauded)."
The top entries, in order of demonstration:
# A music player that played a circular tune by hitting chimes when a wooden wheel was turned
# An arbalest siege engine that auto loaded a new bolt as the crew pulled back the cable
# A pressure cooker
# An experimental internal combustion engine powered by demon dust
# Something that looked like a model of a mountain with a hole in the middle of the top
# An experimental steam engine
United Lar Academy did not compete.
During the demonstration, the music player stopped in the middle.  The siege engine worked fairly well.  The pressure cooker didn't explode.
The internal combustion engine or its demon dust started a fire.  Fern helped, and gave first aid to a girl named Dilyara Amanetova who was injured.
The holey moutain model had white powder put in the hole followed by a red-colored liquid; it spurted out like a mini-volcano. The steam engined worked.
First and second place were going to be announced, but there was a tie.  The arbalest siege engine and the pressure cooker tied for second place.  The first place winner was--St. Bassard's steam engine!  The first place prize was 50 crowns.  The money wouldn't split evenly among the team.  As Fern was technical leader and Mugsey social leader, they each got 9 crowns while Chloris Jennigan, Sherrod Urnen, Snowy Zeddick, and Turgan Tin-Finger each got 8 crowns.  (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20200913)
Note: Most of the student invention ideas came from this discussion.
====== Copyright 2020 by Alden Loveshade. ======
Category:Citadel's Shadow IIb
Category:Demon Gate