>COMPLETE< Thundercrack 2015 cyoa | Roleplay

Name: Mania [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9850337] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/98504/9850337_350.png[/img] [/url] (Am I allowed to jump in the middle of the week? It doesn't specify so I'm not sure.) [b](Day 4 D) The lair surrounded by a grove of large and prickly cacti. It seems as if there are electrical devices on the cacti at closer look...a trap or electrical fence perhaps? But if you can get past it by disabling them...)[/b] The thin spiral tinkered at her engine, quite surprised it hadn't started working yet. "[i]Maybe I connected the wires into the wrong inverted unit?[/i]" She unplugged and plugged back in several cords back into the inverted unit of the engine. It didn't start. "[i]Augh! What am I missing?![/i]" She shouted to no one. All of her peers that had joined her for the festival had gone off to enjoy other things, even her apprentice, Fulgur. "[i]I need this heat engine done by the time we go back home![/i]" She climbed down from atop the engine and sat, mumbling to herself. She was wondering to herself as to why she even thought it was a good idea to bring her project along with her on this trip. This was a festival, she was supposed to enjoy it, not constantly work all the time. Even her apprentice, Fulgur, told her to take a break. After a few minutes of blaming herself, she jumped back atop the engine and took off the heat insulator and took a look inside. She crawled inside the wires, into the cooling system. That's where she found her problem. "[i]You've got to be kidding me! I forgot the gears for the fans in the cooling system! It's blocking the fans from moving and the heating plates from powering up![/i]" The spiral crawled back out, eager to find the gears she had so absentmindedly forgotten. Only to find that she had none, her peers had taken them all to buy stuff from the holiday favors shop. "[i]One problem after another! My goodness, where am I going to find any gears in this place?[/i]" Mania looked outside of her tent and out onto the barren landscape. The tents of her peers, scattered piles of scraps, various cacti, and a plateau were the only things that laid on this landscape. All alone, she decided to take matters into her own hands. "[i]That plateau might bare some gifts.[/i]" She got a running start and glided all the way towards the plateau. Seeing as she couldn't fly up the plateau, she climbed up with her fairly sharp and thin claws. She put on her goggles, to guard her large eyes from falling debris. When she reached the top, she took a long gaze around the new landscape. She pondered her options. She wasn't too fond of asking dragons for things, as there's always the chance they could say no. And she was too small to fight her way past two dragons. It wouldn't be worth it, just for the possibilty of there being no gears in their loot. The little oasis was a possibility, the dragons were sleeping after all and she could get away easily. But the well guarded lair was also a strong possibility. "[i]Hmm... perhaps I could disable the fence and squeeze through the cacti. It doesn't look that difficult. From this distance, it seems to be only a simple catch-and-reverse electrical system.[/i]" Mania pondered. After a few minutes, she made her decision. "[i]I shall disable the fence and grab the gears from that pile. The first and third lairs seem a bit too good to be true, and I certainly cannot get past two dragons on my own. So I shall use my wits to take what I need and get out of here.[/i]" Mania darted towards the patch of cacti and went to work, disabling it. As it turns out, it was a little more complicated than she thought. What she thought was a simple catch-and-reverse electrical system was actually a double-wired patched electrical system. It's doable but it wasn't something she was expecting just for a pile of gears. Hopefully she can get the loot she needs...

KittenFromHell

0

64

283

907

July 29, 2015 15:36:48

Name: Mania

(Am I allowed to jump in the middle of the week? It doesn't specify so I'm not sure.)

(Day 4

D) The lair surrounded by a grove of large and prickly cacti. It seems as if there are electrical devices on the cacti at closer look...a trap or electrical fence perhaps? But if you can get past it by disabling them...)

The thin spiral tinkered at her engine, quite surprised it hadn't started working yet. "Maybe I connected the wires into the wrong inverted unit?" She unplugged and plugged back in several cords back into the inverted unit of the engine. It didn't start.

"Augh! What am I missing?!" She shouted to no one. All of her peers that had joined her for the festival had gone off to enjoy other things, even her apprentice, Fulgur. "I need this heat engine done by the time we go back home!"

She climbed down from atop the engine and sat, mumbling to herself. She was wondering to herself as to why she even thought it was a good idea to bring her project along with her on this trip. This was a festival, she was supposed to enjoy it, not constantly work all the time. Even her apprentice, Fulgur, told her to take a break.

After a few minutes of blaming herself, she jumped back atop the engine and took off the heat insulator and took a look inside. She crawled inside the wires, into the cooling system. That's where she found her problem.

"You've got to be kidding me! I forgot the gears for the fans in the cooling system! It's blocking the fans from moving and the heating plates from powering up!" The spiral crawled back out, eager to find the gears she had so absentmindedly forgotten. Only to find that she had none, her peers had taken them all to buy stuff from the holiday favors shop.

"One problem after another! My goodness, where am I going to find any gears in this place?" Mania looked outside of her tent and out onto the barren landscape. The tents of her peers, scattered piles of scraps, various cacti, and a plateau were the only things that laid on this landscape. All alone, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

"That plateau might bare some gifts." She got a running start and glided all the way towards the plateau. Seeing as she couldn't fly up the plateau, she climbed up with her fairly sharp and thin claws. She put on her goggles, to guard her large eyes from falling debris.

When she reached the top, she took a long gaze around the new landscape. She pondered her options. She wasn't too fond of asking dragons for things, as there's always the chance they could say no. And she was too small to fight her way past two dragons. It wouldn't be worth it, just for the possibilty of there being no gears in their loot. The little oasis was a possibility, the dragons were sleeping after all and she could get away easily. But the well guarded lair was also a strong possibility.

"Hmm... perhaps I could disable the fence and squeeze through the cacti. It doesn't look that difficult. From this distance, it seems to be only a simple catch-and-reverse electrical system." Mania pondered. After a few minutes, she made her decision. "I shall disable the fence and grab the gears from that pile. The first and third lairs seem a bit too good to be true, and I certainly cannot get past two dragons on my own. So I shall use my wits to take what I need and get out of here."

Mania darted towards the patch of cacti and went to work, disabling it. As it turns out, it was a little more complicated than she thought. What she thought was a simple catch-and-reverse electrical system was actually a double-wired patched electrical system. It's doable but it wasn't something she was expecting just for a pile of gears. Hopefully she can get the loot she needs...

Last edited on Jul 29, 2015 17:24:54 by KittenFromHell

Daren quickly thought through his options, not seeing much choice- he was no thief, and the clan of coatls looked like decent folks. He had no idea what he'd do if they said no, though.

Still, they were his best bet, so he headed toward A) the lair at the top of a lower-standing plateau that seems to only be populated by coatls sunning themselves.

Silvain

0

101

338

491

July 29, 2015 16:11:15

Daren quickly thought through his options, not seeing much choice- he was no thief, and the clan of coatls looked like decent folks. He had no idea what he'd do if they said no, though.

Still, they were his best bet, so he headed toward A) the lair at the top of a lower-standing plateau that seems to only be populated by coatls sunning themselves.

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=349243] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/3493/349243_350.png[/img] [/url] Static evaluated his options. While he was no stranger to the time-honored Ridgeback technique to procure the gears, his clan leaders would kick him out if he was caught stealing. They made that [i]very[/i] clear when he joined their clan. And to do it in Lightning's territory during their festival... he shook his head. There was only one option that he could take then: asking for parts. [b]A) The lair at the top of a lower-standing plateau that seems to only be populated by coatls sunning themselves. You can see a large hoard with several gear-like shapes sticking out of it. They look friendly enough, perhaps you can just ask for any spare loot?[/b]

JinxMoonstone

618

415

1200

7230

July 29, 2015 16:27:17

Static evaluated his options. While he was no stranger to the time-honored Ridgeback technique to procure the gears, his clan leaders would kick him out if he was caught stealing. They made that very clear when he joined their clan. And to do it in Lightning's territory during their festival... he shook his head.

There was only one option that he could take then: asking for parts. A) The lair at the top of a lower-standing plateau that seems to only be populated by coatls sunning themselves. You can see a large hoard with several gear-like shapes sticking out of it. They look friendly enough, perhaps you can just ask for any spare loot?

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=1267147] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/12672/1267147_350.png[/img] [/url] Eisa is drawn like a magnet to the electric fence. It’s not even about the cogs behind it at this point — it’s about the much more satisfying and immediate prospect of setting everything in the area on fire. She ties the hamster wheel to her belt, sits Alexander on her shoulders, and gets to work. The first thing is to identify the non-electric cacti among the grove. This is done with a little bit of trial and error, Eisa’s gloves and leather jacket protecting her from the worst of the shocks. Her crest winds up a little singed when Alexander attempts to shock one of the more vigorous cacti back, but she strokes him until he calms down and then it’s on to step two. The second thing is to gather dry brush — of which there is an abundance — and wrap it around the non-electric cacti in huge wads until they resemble small yetis. It would have been easier with trees, but cacti aren’t very flammable, so Eisa makes sure to give them all the help they need. The third thing is to carefully sever the wrapped cacti nearly all the way through their bases. A tough, tedious job but Eisa is used to hard hot work. The fourth and last thing is to carefully position herself, flittering against the bronze sky, hammer in her paws, eyes tracing from one cactus to another. She dives forward, wings beating like a hummingbird’s, already swinging her hammer at the top of the first cactus. The momentum forces her into a parabola in the air, but she calculated this. She’s already swooping towards the next prepared cactus, arc giving momentum to her swing. Behind her the first cactus hits the fence and erupts in a shower of sparks as the brush catches. Her crests flip faster than her wings with exhilaration as she completes her run, laughing at each shower of Sparks. Alexander has his head hidden under her scarf, but if he’s going to stick with her he’d better get used to the flames. By the time dragons start to arrive to see to the wreckage of their fence the cacti themselves have caught, a damp, sullen blaze that fills the air with smoke. Eisa sees them as huge shapes in the murky air and they don’t see her at all. [b]Choice D for Wednesday.[/b]

Iztarshi

107

149

776

4691

July 29, 2015 16:27:29

Eisa is drawn like a magnet to the electric fence. It’s not even about the cogs behind it at this point — it’s about the much more satisfying and immediate prospect of setting everything in the area on fire. She ties the hamster wheel to her belt, sits Alexander on her shoulders, and gets to work.

The first thing is to identify the non-electric cacti among the grove. This is done with a little bit of trial and error, Eisa’s gloves and leather jacket protecting her from the worst of the shocks. Her crest winds up a little singed when Alexander attempts to shock one of the more vigorous cacti back, but she strokes him until he calms down and then it’s on to step two.

The second thing is to gather dry brush — of which there is an abundance — and wrap it around the non-electric cacti in huge wads until they resemble small yetis. It would have been easier with trees, but cacti aren’t very flammable, so Eisa makes sure to give them all the help they need.

The third thing is to carefully sever the wrapped cacti nearly all the way through their bases. A tough, tedious job but Eisa is used to hard hot work.

The fourth and last thing is to carefully position herself, flittering against the bronze sky, hammer in her paws, eyes tracing from one cactus to another. She dives forward, wings beating like a hummingbird’s, already swinging her hammer at the top of the first cactus. The momentum forces her into a parabola in the air, but she calculated this. She’s already swooping towards the next prepared cactus, arc giving momentum to her swing.

Behind her the first cactus hits the fence and erupts in a shower of sparks as the brush catches. Her crests flip faster than her wings with exhilaration as she completes her run, laughing at each shower of Sparks. Alexander has his head hidden under her scarf, but if he’s going to stick with her he’d better get used to the flames.

By the time dragons start to arrive to see to the wreckage of their fence the cacti themselves have caught, a damp, sullen blaze that fills the air with smoke. Eisa sees them as huge shapes in the murky air and they don’t see her at all.

Choice D for Wednesday.

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=13163624] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/131637/13163624_350.png[/img] [/url] Agate examined the copper coil tube, tilting it back and forth thoughtfully, the charged tungsten clattering from one end to the other. The coils glow dimly, and every now and then emit sparks with a faint pop. Not much power. Well, that was a bit disappointing. Nothing for it, though. Still so much to be done, and barely enough time to do it. There were still more parts to be found, and no time to dwell on the letdowns inherent to the act of creation and innovation. He takes to the sky, searching for the next piece of equipment on his list: gears. The Shifting Expanse is mechanically inclined, so it should be no trouble to locate what is needed to continue inventing. However, after an hour or two of flying, there are no gears to be found, only lairs of other dragons, and Agate is beginning to think he may need help. Or may need to consider another avenue of acquisition. Resting at the top of a plateau, he can see four lairs rather close by that seem likely candidates to have what he needs. Agate ponders the choices, and the possible consequences for a while. Only three of the lairs were occupied, so if he tried the last, it might be possible to get in and out without being found. But the cacti sparked menacingly at odd intervals, there was obviously some security system set up to protect the lair. And if it was like that outside, what might the inside be like? Worse? And while it looked empty, was that even true? He might be able to deactivate the security system, but Agate was forced to admit that he was clumsy, and it was likely that at the worst possible moment, something would happen. A claw would slip, or maybe he would sneeze…No, it would be better to try one of the other options. Somewhere where he could ask for the supplies, for the help he was really beginning to need. For this reason he dismissed the large cave with the guard dragons as well. They appeared to be doing their jobs well, they looked incredibly attentive as they looked back and forth surveying their surroundings, and so might not take his request well. Did they have any reason to share their hard-won loot? There was another possibility over by an oasis. There were several dragons scattered about, sleeping. He could try and sneak past them. Or he could wake them up and ask if perhaps they had what he needed. Agate wrinkled his nose. No one ever liked being woken up. And being woken up by a stranger would be even worse. He could just try and sneak by them, but then if the woke up and saw him—that would be a sticky situation. Well, if he wasn’t going to try there, than that only left one option. Agate shifted nervously as he considered it. The lair of coatls. He could see what looked like gears, if he could get some of those then he could continue building the invention. But maybe the communication barrier would be a problem. Agate wasn’t too familiar with coatls. There weren’t any in his clan. He knew they had their own native tongue, though some could also speak in the common draconic. So perhaps there wouldn’t be a problem? They were all Lightning dragons after all, so they had that in common too. “A dragon’s a dragon’s a dragon,” he murmured to himself, nodding. He remembered what his mother had always told him whenever he felt nervous about asking a question, “What’s the worst they can say? No?” Firming up his resolve, Agate took to the skies, flying in the direction of [b]A) The lair at the top of a lower-standing plateau that seems to only be populated by coatls sunning themselves.[/b] He sets down at a nonthreatening distance, and waits momentarily for the coatls to notice him. As their heads raise, he calls out in greeting. “Hello! Happy Thundercrack! I hope the festival is going well for you so far! I was wondering, I am participating in the Inventor’s Faire, and I find myself in need of parts for my invention. I noticed that you have some gears, and I was wondering if you might have some to spare? Thanks.”

lukascend

0

23

142

63

July 29, 2015 16:55:01

Agate examined the copper coil tube, tilting it back and forth thoughtfully, the charged tungsten clattering from one end to the other. The coils glow dimly, and every now and then emit sparks with a faint pop. Not much power. Well, that was a bit disappointing. Nothing for it, though. Still so much to be done, and barely enough time to do it. There were still more parts to be found, and no time to dwell on the letdowns inherent to the act of creation and innovation.

He takes to the sky, searching for the next piece of equipment on his list: gears. The Shifting Expanse is mechanically inclined, so it should be no trouble to locate what is needed to continue inventing. However, after an hour or two of flying, there are no gears to be found, only lairs of other dragons, and Agate is beginning to think he may need help. Or may need to consider another avenue of acquisition.

Resting at the top of a plateau, he can see four lairs rather close by that seem likely candidates to have what he needs. Agate ponders the choices, and the possible consequences for a while.

Only three of the lairs were occupied, so if he tried the last, it might be possible to get in and out without being found. But the cacti sparked menacingly at odd intervals, there was obviously some security system set up to protect the lair. And if it was like that outside, what might the inside be like? Worse? And while it looked empty, was that even true? He might be able to deactivate the security system, but Agate was forced to admit that he was clumsy, and it was likely that at the worst possible moment, something would happen. A claw would slip, or maybe he would sneeze…No, it would be better to try one of the other options. Somewhere where he could ask for the supplies, for the help he was really beginning to need.

For this reason he dismissed the large cave with the guard dragons as well. They appeared to be doing their jobs well, they looked incredibly attentive as they looked back and forth surveying their surroundings, and so might not take his request well. Did they have any reason to share their hard-won loot?

There was another possibility over by an oasis. There were several dragons scattered about, sleeping. He could try and sneak past them. Or he could wake them up and ask if perhaps they had what he needed. Agate wrinkled his nose. No one ever liked being woken up. And being woken up by a stranger would be even worse. He could just try and sneak by them, but then if the woke up and saw him—that would be a sticky situation.

Well, if he wasn’t going to try there, than that only left one option. Agate shifted nervously as he considered it. The lair of coatls. He could see what looked like gears, if he could get some of those then he could continue building the invention. But maybe the communication barrier would be a problem. Agate wasn’t too familiar with coatls. There weren’t any in his clan. He knew they had their own native tongue, though some could also speak in the common draconic. So perhaps there wouldn’t be a problem? They were all Lightning dragons after all, so they had that in common too.

“A dragon’s a dragon’s a dragon,” he murmured to himself, nodding. He remembered what his mother had always told him whenever he felt nervous about asking a question, “What’s the worst they can say? No?” Firming up his resolve, Agate took to the skies, flying in the direction of A) The lair at the top of a lower-standing plateau that seems to only be populated by coatls sunning themselves.

He sets down at a nonthreatening distance, and waits momentarily for the coatls to notice him. As their heads raise, he calls out in greeting. “Hello! Happy Thundercrack! I hope the festival is going well for you so far! I was wondering, I am participating in the Inventor’s Faire, and I find myself in need of parts for my invention. I noticed that you have some gears, and I was wondering if you might have some to spare? Thanks.”

@BeingOfNature
I have you marked down that you participated in day one and day three. On day 1 you earned 2 points (head outside to look), on day 3 you earned one point (the lemming)
please tell me if I got something wrong!

Stormdragon

377

152

745

12402

July 29, 2015 16:55:15

@BeingOfNature
I have you marked down that you participated in day one and day three. On day 1 you earned 2 points (head outside to look), on day 3 you earned one point (the lemming)
please tell me if I got something wrong!

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=5443143] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/54432/5443143_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] Stark stood atop the plateau, staring out across the desert as the wind ruffled his mane. Jarvis clung to his shoulder to avoid being swept away by the strong gusts that were blowing in more stormclouds from the south, just visible now on the horizon. His eyes were first drawn to a nearby plateau, where a group of coatls were enjoying the sunshine, taking advantage of a break in the clouds, however brief it might be in the Shifting Expanse's typically unpredictable weather. From what he could see, their hoard looked promising ... but [i]Coatls[/i]. A Clan that seemed to be entirely made up of Coatls, too. Stark liked Coatls. Their humming native language reminded him of the comforting vibration of engines, the sounds he had grown up with - more familiar to him, as a hatchling, than either of his parents' heartbeats. However, 'speaking' it - that was another matter, and in his past experience Coatls in large groups had tended to use their own tongue rather than the common speech shared by the rest of dragonkind. It made communication an issue - and he didn't have time to waste trying to use gestures and shouting on the offchance that they would be amenable to his request. "Maybe not," he muttered to himself, and turned his attention to the second Lair that Jarvis's scans had pin-pointed for him. The pair of dragons guarding the cave didn't look particularly unfriendly, and he was fairly certain he could charm his into their confidence if he had to - but the hoard was completely hidden. Stark narrowed his eyes. The Clan could be fantastically wealthy, with more than enough gears stashed away to cater to his needs. Or this could be an elaborate bluff, he thought to himself. It was too big a risk, without even a [i]hint[/i] of what prize might await him. He sighed and turned to the next option: a Lair protected by a grove of cacti. As he stared across the shifting sands, he thought he saw an arc of electricity briefly connect two of the plants - an unusual occurrence, even in the Stormcatcher's territory. He raised a claw and gently tapped Jarvis on top of his metal head to get his attention before pointing towards it. "Hey, J? What can you see over there?" The Golem's gears whirred as he magnified his vision for a better look, tilting his head to one side as he did so. "It would appear that the Clan has installed electrical devices to their ring of cacti. I can't [i]quite[/i] see the function ..." "Probably a security measure," Stark said, nodding in approval. He sort of wished he'd thought of that. Maybe he could install something similar when he got back home ... except the flora of the Starfall Strand probably couldn't take that kind of current. However, they might be able to cope with it if he used a hybrid of electricity and Arcane energy - he'd been dying for an excuse to try and meld the two, and this would offer him the perfect opportunity. Though he had no biological or mechanical reason to clear his throat, Jarvis mimiced the sound with a grinding of his gears. "Sir?" Right. He needed to focus. He could probably disable the electrified cacti if he had to: he was brilliant, of course he could do it. However, it would take time to learn the system and unpick another dragon's technology. It could take him all day - and again, he couldn't see the hoard. He kept the cacti Lair in mind as a last resort as he turned to look at the final Lair Jarvis had pointed out. It was situated beside an oasis, complete with a crystal-clear pool and lush vegetation. The dragons' home was hidden away under an overhang of rock, but towards the back of the cave he could see the glimmer of metal on the Hoard - a promising sign. The dragons themselves seemed pretty relaxed. "Are they asleep down there?" he asked. Jarvis's working whirred again as he used his optic zoom. "It would appear so, sir." "Huh," Stark said, tipping his head on one side. If he was really quiet, he could probably sneak right in ... and if they woke up, he was absolutely certain he could use his natural charisma to explain the situation and cadge some gears anyway. "Sir," the Golem said, taking flight and struggling to hover at Stark's eye-level despite being buffeted by the wind so that he could give him a hard stare. "I hardly think it wise for you to attempt larceny." Sometimes, Stark was genuinely amazed at how well his metal creation could read him. Then again, nor had he expected the Golem to develop things like personality and morals and a stubborn streak that led him to question Stark's judgement far more than a robot [i]he had programmed[/i] strictly speaking should. Stark gave Jarvis an appraising look. "Hm, maybe not," he said eventually, starting to grin. "Maybe [i]I[/i] shouldn't try to do it - I mean, I'm kind of large and not that subtle. You, though? You're teeny and you run pretty much silently, and beside, you're adorable: I bet even if they did catch you, they'd let you walk right out with the gears anyway ..." "Most amusing, Sir," Jarvis said, not sounding impressed. "I'm not joking around, Jarvis. I want you to go down there and get me those gears," Stark said, nodding in the direction of the oasis Lair. Jarvis hesitated, but he was essentially programmed to obey, and that was a direct order. Stark felt a bit bad for the little guy as he wrestled with his own code, the morality he had developed over time battling against the algorithms at the core of his being. After a few moments, steam and smoke started to escape from between his metal plates and joints. Worry seized at Stark's chest. He leaned back onto his haunches and caught Jarvis in his paws, holding him gently. "Jarvis - don't blow a gasket on me, OK?" Stark murmured as the Golem's internal workings whined with effort. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll make it up to them when the competition is over - I'll come back and make it right. Deal?" The distressing sounds emanating from Jarvis's insides faded, as did the curls of vapour rising from his body. He let out a sound that might have been air escaping from a piston, and might have been a sigh of relief. "Very good, sir," he said, and when Stark let him go, he beat his wings and took flight. The two of them flew down to near the oasis, the Golem flying in his master's slipstream to avoid the worst of the wind. There, Stark hunkered down in a dip in the landscape to wait. There he would be near enough to come to Jarvis's aid if he was discovered, but far enough away to avoid detection. "You're on, J," he murmured, and with a nod the Golem flitted away towards the oasis Lair to borrow what they needed from the Hoard. [b]C) The lair by the oasis with a few dragons sleeping under an overhang of rock. You can see the clan’s hoard resting in the cave, glimmering with shiny metal.[/b]

Lundlaeva

673

278

1117

8413

July 29, 2015 17:22:54

Stark stood atop the plateau, staring out across the desert as the wind ruffled his mane. Jarvis clung to his shoulder to avoid being swept away by the strong gusts that were blowing in more stormclouds from the south, just visible now on the horizon.

His eyes were first drawn to a nearby plateau, where a group of coatls were enjoying the sunshine, taking advantage of a break in the clouds, however brief it might be in the Shifting Expanse's typically unpredictable weather. From what he could see, their hoard looked promising ... but Coatls. A Clan that seemed to be entirely made up of Coatls, too.

Stark liked Coatls. Their humming native language reminded him of the comforting vibration of engines, the sounds he had grown up with - more familiar to him, as a hatchling, than either of his parents' heartbeats. However, 'speaking' it - that was another matter, and in his past experience Coatls in large groups had tended to use their own tongue rather than the common speech shared by the rest of dragonkind. It made communication an issue - and he didn't have time to waste trying to use gestures and shouting on the offchance that they would be amenable to his request.

"Maybe not," he muttered to himself, and turned his attention to the second Lair that Jarvis's scans had pin-pointed for him.

The pair of dragons guarding the cave didn't look particularly unfriendly, and he was fairly certain he could charm his into their confidence if he had to - but the hoard was completely hidden. Stark narrowed his eyes. The Clan could be fantastically wealthy, with more than enough gears stashed away to cater to his needs.

Or this could be an elaborate bluff, he thought to himself. It was too big a risk, without even a hint of what prize might await him.

He sighed and turned to the next option: a Lair protected by a grove of cacti. As he stared across the shifting sands, he thought he saw an arc of electricity briefly connect two of the plants - an unusual occurrence, even in the Stormcatcher's territory. He raised a claw and gently tapped Jarvis on top of his metal head to get his attention before pointing towards it.

"Hey, J? What can you see over there?"

The Golem's gears whirred as he magnified his vision for a better look, tilting his head to one side as he did so. "It would appear that the Clan has installed electrical devices to their ring of cacti. I can't quite see the function ..."

"Probably a security measure," Stark said, nodding in approval. He sort of wished he'd thought of that. Maybe he could install something similar when he got back home ... except the flora of the Starfall Strand probably couldn't take that kind of current. However, they might be able to cope with it if he used a hybrid of electricity and Arcane energy - he'd been dying for an excuse to try and meld the two, and this would offer him the perfect opportunity.

Though he had no biological or mechanical reason to clear his throat, Jarvis mimiced the sound with a grinding of his gears. "Sir?"

Right. He needed to focus.

He could probably disable the electrified cacti if he had to: he was brilliant, of course he could do it. However, it would take time to learn the system and unpick another dragon's technology. It could take him all day - and again, he couldn't see the hoard.

He kept the cacti Lair in mind as a last resort as he turned to look at the final Lair Jarvis had pointed out. It was situated beside an oasis, complete with a crystal-clear pool and lush vegetation. The dragons' home was hidden away under an overhang of rock, but towards the back of the cave he could see the glimmer of metal on the Hoard - a promising sign. The dragons themselves seemed pretty relaxed.

"Are they asleep down there?" he asked.

Jarvis's working whirred again as he used his optic zoom. "It would appear so, sir."

"Huh," Stark said, tipping his head on one side. If he was really quiet, he could probably sneak right in ... and if they woke up, he was absolutely certain he could use his natural charisma to explain the situation and cadge some gears anyway.

"Sir," the Golem said, taking flight and struggling to hover at Stark's eye-level despite being buffeted by the wind so that he could give him a hard stare. "I hardly think it wise for you to attempt larceny."

Sometimes, Stark was genuinely amazed at how well his metal creation could read him. Then again, nor had he expected the Golem to develop things like personality and morals and a stubborn streak that led him to question Stark's judgement far more than a robot he had programmed strictly speaking should.

Stark gave Jarvis an appraising look.

"Hm, maybe not," he said eventually, starting to grin. "Maybe I shouldn't try to do it - I mean, I'm kind of large and not that subtle. You, though? You're teeny and you run pretty much silently, and beside, you're adorable: I bet even if they did catch you, they'd let you walk right out with the gears anyway ..."

"Most amusing, Sir," Jarvis said, not sounding impressed.

"I'm not joking around, Jarvis. I want you to go down there and get me those gears," Stark said, nodding in the direction of the oasis Lair.

Jarvis hesitated, but he was essentially programmed to obey, and that was a direct order. Stark felt a bit bad for the little guy as he wrestled with his own code, the morality he had developed over time battling against the algorithms at the core of his being. After a few moments, steam and smoke started to escape from between his metal plates and joints.

Worry seized at Stark's chest. He leaned back onto his haunches and caught Jarvis in his paws, holding him gently.

"Jarvis - don't blow a gasket on me, OK?" Stark murmured as the Golem's internal workings whined with effort. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll make it up to them when the competition is over - I'll come back and make it right. Deal?"

The distressing sounds emanating from Jarvis's insides faded, as did the curls of vapour rising from his body. He let out a sound that might have been air escaping from a piston, and might have been a sigh of relief.

"Very good, sir," he said, and when Stark let him go, he beat his wings and took flight.

The two of them flew down to near the oasis, the Golem flying in his master's slipstream to avoid the worst of the wind. There, Stark hunkered down in a dip in the landscape to wait. There he would be near enough to come to Jarvis's aid if he was discovered, but far enough away to avoid detection.

"You're on, J," he murmured, and with a nod the Golem flitted away towards the oasis Lair to borrow what they needed from the Hoard.

C) The lair by the oasis with a few dragons sleeping under an overhang of rock. You can see the clan’s hoard resting in the cave, glimmering with shiny metal.

A two-toned pink eight-pointed compass rose with the Arcane symbol at the centre, with the word 'adept' hand-written in front of the downwards point

The Spire, home of the Lundlaevungar: a crystal island shaped like an inverted mountain floating above the sea in a yellow sky

The Pirate Trials button, linking to the thread: a pink pearl with subtle gold sparkles, with 'The Pirate Trials' handwritten in front; the P is an eye patch with a skull on it

Arcane Badge depicting the Oculus of the Eleven

Clan Lore

Exalted Dragons

FR+8

they/them

@Stormdragon

Hi! I only received one ping for the general note, no ping for scoring! I picked the copper wires and stingers but maybe my answer didn't make it in time?

amsie

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July 29, 2015 17:36:55

@Stormdragon

Hi! I only received one ping for the general note, no ping for scoring! I picked the copper wires and stingers but maybe my answer didn't make it in time?

@muscovite
I cannot award you points for day 3 since the answers are already posted, but you will get points for day 4 if you chose the right answer ^^

Stormdragon

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July 29, 2015 17:38:57

@muscovite
I cannot award you points for day 3 since the answers are already posted, but you will get points for day 4 if you chose the right answer ^^

@amsie
Something funny happened with my "C" choices ^^' Don't worry, I have you marked down for both choices, getting your ping on the right post must have gotten lost in the copypasta somewhere. I'll be making a spreadsheet soon so participants can check that I've put up and are tracking the points correctly ^^

Stormdragon

377

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July 29, 2015 17:43:30

@amsie
Something funny happened with my "C" choices ^^' Don't worry, I have you marked down for both choices, getting your ping on the right post must have gotten lost in the copypasta somewhere. I'll be making a spreadsheet soon so participants can check that I've put up and are tracking the points correctly ^^