Ghostlands Prep Work - Avalia Ceres Naramoore

The clock ticked ceaselessly in the study, a pleasantly furnished room of wooden panels. It could be described as the only “messy room” in Ava’s house, the only one where she allowed disorder despite her best efforts. Papers littered the desk but they had been brushed aside, ideas and schematics for another day as she leant over a page in one of her many notebooks, blank aside from the word “Ghostlands”, scrawled in such a manner as to suggest only she could read it.

“I will need power”, she uttered aloud and began the first of many bullet points. “My assistance hinges on this. The generator shall be relocated. Another can be built here if necessary.”

Ava paused again and silence reclaimed the room. Her face wrinkled briefly in contemplation before her own voice, accompanied by a soft static, came from across the room by the door. It was stilted, lacking intonation  and sounded out each word individually.

“Uncertain. What. To. Commit”. There was a pause and then finally the last word. “Question.”

She lifted her head towards the source, the AEGIS stood still as ever without it’s pilot by the door. The decision to place VIGIL within the AEGIS had been questionable, but the decision to record a thorough list of words for it to attempt communication with was proving most interesting if a little off putting. After a brief pause she returned the quill to paper, adding more to the list as she issued her response. “To afford the right quantity and quality of aid for this endeavour is the issue. Capital and materials I can recover at the cost of time. I wish to dedicate the correct balance for this.”

The list had taken shape, notes beneath some entries and the start of a longer, more free flowing explanation on the next page. She had considered all that she could do, ruled out a full commitment at this time and scaled back her ambitions appropriately, standard for her. Of the services she could offer, the most obvious was that of technical assistance and the maintenance of equipment. Improvements could be made to the weapons and armour of other contributors and munitions could be put together and distributed. Beyond that, her architectural understanding along with the AEGIS itself would greatly expedite the construction of any operational base that would be put together.

VIGIL’s speaker-box crackled to life once more. “Why. Is. This. Your. Concern. Question.”

This time Avalia did not look up, finishing her written sentence. “You wonder why I am assisting with the Ghostlands?”, she sought to clarify.

“Yes”. A single word in response, the blank static of that recording carried on for longer than any other. She made a mental note to redo that one, it had been the first recording after all.

“I see. It is simple, really, and is also the reason for my deliberation”, she began, pausing for a moment to reacquaint her quill with ink. “The matter may appear beyond the scope of my concern but, if not attended to adequately now, could be cause for greater expenditure at a later date”.

The plan took solid form on the page as she droned on with her explanation. VIGIL remained silent for a time, perhaps in contemplation of her rationale, only pronouncing it’s response several minutes later. “Understood.”

Ava nodded faintly, satisfied with this as she sat back from the page, focusing on nothing in particular. Another idea had started to take shape, one that could also offer an adequate test of her abilities. To observe, to scout, to record information for further planning. The Ghostlands were noted for their impenetrability, both through means of magical translocation and observation through scrying. Information was of great value in this regard and her technology, while having other limitations, could address this gap.

The tiefling’s eyes settled upon AEGIS. “We could offer reconnaissance”. Her attention turned back to the mess of papers pushed towards the edges of her desk and a cursory search turned up the schematic in mind. The drawing detailed a complicated looking box with a selection of refined glass lenses. “Magical scrying is nonfunctional in the Ghostlands. I could utilise an Image Capture Device.”

VIGIL whirred the AEGIS into life rather suddenly and moved to the desk, careful to tread lightly so as to spare the floor from scuffs and scrapes. Ava was not perturbed by this, simply placing the schematic in the AEGIS’ extended, mechanical hand. A brief look familiarised the constructed sentience of it’s base function. “Scout. From. The. Air”, a statement, not a question.

Ava had already begun her writeup on the reconnaissance proposal but stopped mid sentence. “Aerial recon?”, she questioned aloud, more to herself than to VIGIL. She carried on from where she left off. “Possible, we would require another prototype.”

“Unnecessary. Expense. Time. Material. Capital”, VIGIL stated once more, clarifying his alternative soon thereafter. “Consider. Arcane. Flight.”

The tieflin’s eyes narrowed, their mechanisms whirring. The quill pressed hard against the page for a moment, noticed too late to avert the ink splotch now staining the page. “Considered, denied. The prototype will serve adequately.”

AEGIS returned the schematic page to the desk, positioning it neatly aside from the other papers and becoming motionless thereafter, upright at the desk. “Your. Aversion. To. Magic. Is. Irrational. Inefficient.”

There was a faint crack as Avalia’s quill splintered upon the page. AEGIS’ head tilted down and noted the occurrence. This brief spike of anger and irritation was almost entirely new to her and she disliked it. Mercifully it passed quickly and she was able to think clearly mere seconds later.

“I. Injured. You... Question”, VIGIL asked in the only way it knew to.

Avalia continued to stare at the page for a time. No, she was not angry with VIGIL, she understood it and, perhaps in a way she dared not admit, the fledgling intellect was right. It was hard to tell if VIGIL had meant to offend her and so she concluded that it was unlikely. Composed once more, she set the broken quill down and stood up with a faint sigh. “It is fine. Let us not dwell on this,” she said, moving around the desk and to the door. “Come, let us begin work on the Imager.”

The AEGIS turned to follow on. “Yes. Avalia.”

The summary of Ava’s full preparations and offered services are:

* A donation of 3000 gold in goods or coin, preference of the organisers.
* The loan of a generator to power any inventions or devices she or others provide in service to the cause.
* Maintenance and improvement services for weapons and armour.
* Supply of ammunition for ranged weapons right up to and including firearms.
* Expertise in construction.
* Aerial and ground scouting/recon complete with high quality printed pictures.