Wynna's Research and Routines - A Hands-on Pursuit

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Ostheim
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Wynna's Research and Routines - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Ostheim » Sun Feb 07, 2016 4:12 am

(OOC: This is a general threat regarding Wynna's current research projects, as they come and go, as well as insights into her general day-to-day routines and activities. Consider it a general Wynna thread, not just for her research pursuits. DMs and players are both free to reply if they so choose, but the majority of it is going to be ramblings about Wynna's life in Impiltur.)
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Evidently intent on carving out a name for herself in the field of historical scholarly pursuits, Wynna Blackwing spends a good deal of time delving into the local ruins around Sarshel, mostly focusing her efforts in the more 'manageable' old places. Though a variety of crumbling buildings attract her interest wherever she goes, only a few have clues that she is able to spend her time on deciphering. Having been unable to reach the Songhall library as of yet, she reserves herself to taking sketches of various points of interest about the country-side and within those old places, such as paintings, statues, and faded regalia.

The first of these places she spends her time with are the ruins within the cliffs of the Maiden's Leap, just off of Laviguer Road. Relatively 'docile' when compared to the sinister ruin that quite literally killed her, she heads there with a small group of men and women paid to clear the place out (temporarily - they always seem to come back, the undead) and not bother her with many questions as she takes her stock of the old place. Wynna mainly focuses her efforts on taking sketches of any regalia found within, as well as spending a long time sketching a painting found within the old keep's mess hall, in hopes of showing it someone (possibly Samere at the Quill) more knowledgeable in local affairs, so as to get an idea of when the keep was in operation, who might have painted the mosaic, and any leads as to records and whom ran the place. She seems firmly of the belief that such places should not be forgotten, that the names and stories of such areas not be lost to the cruel wiles of time and memory.

Time will tell which place she goes to next, and the things she discovers.

(Willing to make any rolls necessary to accommodate these things! Am already using @tithe to reflect the merc pay.)
Last edited by Ostheim on Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:27 am, edited 4 times in total.
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Obsidian Sea » Sun Feb 07, 2016 1:34 pm

The ruin beneath Maiden's Leap would appear, to an architecturally astute eye, to be connected to the guard tower that rises upon the hill further north along the road. Perhaps in conjunction, they served as a barracks. There is little left to discover here, but the cold memory of the Undead lingers even after its physical presence has been cleared. Mercenaries hired by Wynna Blackwing are unsettled, for few need be so unfortunate as to experience the feeling of exposure to the Undead, or their energy.

Of the site's recent history, Wynna Blackwing learns that it has been a site considered responsible for madness among people. Prior to The Feast of the Moon, a group of adventurers offered their services to the people of Outentown to rescue one of their own from the clutches of whatever power manifests here within the ruin.

Maiden's Leap itself migbt be a site known for other reasons. Does this old ruin somehow co-exist with the traveller's tales about Leari and Maragwim of Sarshel? There are no clues within the ruin to indicate that: the tapestry and paintings have been defaced. Samples might be taken, cross-referenced with accounts of artists and materials used in art throughout Impiltur's history to try and pinpoint a date in which this ruin might last have been inhabited to the people, but given Impiltur's war-torn history and multiple efforts at reunification (the latest of which was under Imphras the Great in 1097 DR), you are uncertain how worthwhile it will be to spend your time doing so.

Local tales and recent history serve Wynna's research for now. The mercenaries show little eagerness to return to the place, should the historian wish it, but the lure of many coins is hard to resist.

//OOC: Wynna Blackwing would be privy to information on the following regional stories and events:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=539
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=45
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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Ostheim » Mon Feb 08, 2016 5:40 pm

A few days after her departure from Samere's service as the Quill, Wynna turns up back in Sarshel with a tome clutched possessively in her arms, evidently from the Hall of Many Tomes in Songhall. It seems to be a history of Impiltur dating back to the Fiend Wars, though in actuality it is more likely a series of accounts and stories stretching back to that time period. Having graciously borrowed it from those in Songhall, and now knowing the path there thanks to Bors, she sets to work transcribing a copy for herself, a predictably pain-staking process.

Hopefully the lore within would provide at least a basis of knowledge for her to learn about the country she now resided in. Her mind was aflutter with the images of the Library there in Songhall, and the curious school she walked through in her exploration of the place. Though she had only had time to barely find a tome of knowledge about Impiltur, she was eager to return for additional volumes if need be; for now, though, she merely copied what she thought relevant and questioned Sarshel locals (likely at the inn, when she was getting mildly tipsy - she reserved drunk for friends) about the school she had seen there.

As for Maiden's Leap, Wynna was again frustrated by the murky nature of Impiltur's history, which seemed as ever to be impenetrable with its over-abundance of tall-tales and hearsay. Within the ruins themselves, she ended up learning precious little; the paintings were old and defaced, impossible to really get anything out of. No regalia, no old letters. All dust in the wind by now, no doubt. She ended up learning much by simply asking about Outentown and Sarshel, as per usual; that the place was linked to a number of tales regarding a lustful prince and the unfortunate object of his attentions, and of supernatural occurrences. She seemed surprised and unsettled to learn of the place's links to the Mad God's cults, though such surprise was short-lived; cults, indeed, seemed to be everywhere in Impiltur.

Lacking the manpower and funds to bother going back, she sighed inwardly and regulated those ruins lower on her list of interests. She would endeavor, however, to seek out one or more of those who had gone there, and see what they could tell her. If she was going to write of this place, and make its history known, she would at least need to know thoroughly of its present.
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

Ostheim
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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Ostheim » Wed Feb 17, 2016 5:47 pm

Having spent the last week or so in relative solitude or making halting attempts at interaction with the various adventurers and peoples of interest about Sarshel, one cannot help but think that Wynna has been deliberately avoiding engaging with people; a rather stark contrast to her first week or two in town, during which she was outspoken and energetic. Any time she has gone out as of late, she tends towards laconic and depressive behavior, often going through the motions of her daily routine in silence or, if brought along on some venture, remaining neatly detached from the proceedings going on around her, regardless of danger or importance. Those who attempt to engage her on this subject tend to be rebuked or ignored; for someone seeming so troublingly lonesome at the moment, she seems stubbornly intent on solitude. Despite all this, she continues to take great care in her appearance and manners, oddly enough.

In private, she focuses on the history tome she borrowed from the Hall of Many Tomes in Songhall; with all of the solitude afforded to her, she's had ample time to copy a great deal of information into her own logs, often working late into the night to finish chapters and areas of interest. Armed with some general knowledge and history, she makes a few trips to Songhall alone, using the knowledge she has to investigate other things of interest, such as the Fortress of Mal along the Laviguer Road and the Yerwani family.

In addition, and most importantly, she does some rather extensive exploratory research into old records regarding old forts in the Earthspur Mountains near that very same road. Matters such as the purpose of such forts, who they were owned by (a slim chance, but worth looking into), and particularly the recorded names. When books fail, she engages with the scholars residing at the Hall, acting with her usual etiquette and social graces. Even if it's a front.

Even if she's spurning all things social, she's still taking her research as seriously as ever.

(OOC: Information on Tregorian's Gate sought!)
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Obsidian Sea » Fri Feb 19, 2016 2:59 pm

Certain sections of Songhall's expansive library are off-limits for certain folk: those who are not resident academics at the library fortress, or those who lack citizenship can sometimes find their path blockaded by bureaucracy, but that is to be expected, one supposes. Wynna Blackwing's expertise as an academic may indeed earn her some respect, but still she is required to conduct her research within the halls of Songhall, or else pay great sums of money to take a tome for personal use: after all, the road between Songhall and the other settlements of Impiltur is a perilous one, and Goblinoids from the mountains are an ever-present threat which do not guarantee the safe return of a scholar nor any tomes in her possession once she chooses to depart the fortress. Doubly so this seems to be considered the case in the winter months, when travel is slow and dangers double.

//OOC: Information is needed on whether or not Wynna Blackwing would confine her studies to the times of her visitation at the library, or if she would indeed seek to loan books from the library. Any tomes that might have information relevant to her studies would require a donation of 8 halanth to the library for one tenday's absence, but this is just as possible for one who has particular creature comforts that she desires which might boost the efficiency of her study.
Whichever course of action she takes, please send a PM to 'Obsidian Sea' detailing her base scores at her current level in the following skills:

Knowledge: Architecture & Engineering
Knowledge: Geography
Knowledge: History
Knowledge: Local

If you would like to add additional skills to Wynna Blackwing's submission and can justify why they think it might be relevant, those will also be considers (if indeed they do turn out to be relevant). Any Bard levels, Harper Scout levels, or bonuses based on Priest domains (if any of these apply) can be documented as an aside in the PMs, as they might prove worthwhile.
With regards to hiring tomes out of the library, should this be the case, you can limit yourself to any number of these knowledge skills, and hire out the corresponding number of tomes: for the sake of due diligence, two tomes per knowledge skill would be required in order to extract thorough, reliable information, therefore consider each knowledge skill you wish to submit to come at the cost of 16 halanth. (NOTE: This only applies in the instance that she wishes to hire the tomes out and leave the library with them, otherwise it can be ignored)
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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Ostheim » Sat Mar 19, 2016 11:30 pm

Wynna returns from up north in a pleased state, a far cry from what has become her typically somber and relentlessly moody personality as of late. Alongside her are a small group of adventurers, including one unfortunate Lev Balakov, who seemed to have taken a nasty fall thanks to a frantic encounter with a group of trolls. After ensuring that the boisterous young man was restored to his senses, Wynna has since sequestered herself at the Sailor's Star with her books and knowledge as she pores over the sketches she took within the ruin, as well as two other choice finds.

The sketches consist of three different points of interest found worthy of documentation to the young scholar. The first is a detailed sketch of a statue, that of a woman wearing a voluminous set of robes as she hangs her head pensively, a thoughtful, almost sorrowful expression on her face. The details are of the sketch appear to reflect the weathered nature of the statue, and a series of dots to the side seem to indicate that this statue was found among several others in a semi-circular pattern.

The second sketch is slightly more curious of nature, a depiction of a tattered tapestry hanging from a flat surface. Here, Wynna has since colored in part of the sketch with a blueish hue to reflect the state she found it in. Along the edges of the thoroughly ripped piece of fabric is a intricately designed border region, the faded details only barely visible thanks to the march of time. Dotted along the outside of this border are carefully designed stars with eight points each.

The final sketch shows a wall with a lonely plaque at the top, just below the place where the wall meets the ceiling. The plaque, probably having been illuminated by torchlight, seems to lack any meaningful runics or explanations of its purpose, only depicting the eight phases of the lunar cycle. A secondary drawing, adjacent to this plaque but seemingly not actually next to it in reality, is of a crystal ball that shows likewise, a ghostly image within the ball portraying a full moon within. A notation suggest some connection to the faith of Selûne.

Aside from her sketches, there are two things that Wynna managed to liberate from the ruin; the first is a highly weathered scroll that has been severely damaged from idle water damage and time taking its toll on its consistency. She treats this with an over-abundance of care, having sealed it within a clear, air-tight bag in order to preserve it. The upper half appears to have been torn off entirely, though remnants of some meaning exist towards the bottom in a flowing script. Said script seems utterly defiant of any obvious meaning, consisting of a number of line-shapes, circles and smaller dots standing in place of actual linguistic characters. A small scrap of paper has been attached to the bag, with the notation ‘code?’

Finally, a badly water-damaged painting seems to have been taken from the ruins, treated with about as much care as the scroll is. Though badly weathered and obviously old, it remains surprisingly capable of displaying what it once must have originally flaunted in exquisite detail; it seems to depict a lord of some sort, perhaps a king judging by the reverence of his underlings present in the background, as he thrusts his spear into a fearsome looking boar. Curiously, a variety of gems, though impossible to make out what sort thanks to the damage, fall out of the boar’s mouth as it suffers its death at the hunter’s spear.

Wynna seems to have held onto this painting not out of appreciation for its contents, but more as a method of cross-reference in order to figure out when it may have been painted, so as to get an idea of when the ruin may have been in use. Flipping through her tome of Impilturan general history, she seeks out references or illustrations of similar paintings.

All in all, a successful adventure, one fruitful in potential knowledge. Of course, it may take some doing to actually make sense of it all, though if anyone is up to that task, it’s the stubborn Miss Blackwing.

(OOC: Will return with knowledge rolls once I know what to roll!)
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

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Kilaana
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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Kilaana » Fri Mar 25, 2016 12:53 am

Wynna's sketches undergo several hours, if not days, of study in the privacy of the rooms at the Sailor's Star. The sketches, done in charcoal or ink on their pale parchment, serve as a reminder of the day's findings which return to the young woman in vivid detail as the hours devoted to study slip by.

In the candlelight, the rough lines of a robed and hooded female form done in charcoal seem to carry a life of its own; sorrow held in thought, each poised in elegant repose, barefoot on heavyset pedestals carved from the same stone. These lines dissolve to give way to a memory - a group of adventurers climbing down the ruin only to find themselves in ankle-deep, freezing water. Someone holds up a flaming torch to a row of statues to the right; "Closer!" she might have remembered calling out, and swiftly a drawing is made. ...Was it a trick of the light, or did she glimpse a tear from one of the still, silent faces? Perhaps it had simply been a reflection of the water beneath their feet. The annotation on the page reminds Wynna that the statues total up to four, forming a semi-circle of some fashion, but something seems amiss. The torchlight wavers - as does the flame on the scholar's burning candle; too easily missed, a broken column peeks out from behind a low pile of rubble where the semi-circle ends.

Wynna can attempt to recall more detail of the statues, or return to the ruins for a closer inspection. Either way, she may roll Knowledge: Architecture here.

The other sketches lie side by side, each one appearing to be their own puzzle. The remains of the tapestry appears to prompt no further recollection of detail apart from what was already there. Perhaps once a vivid indigo blue; of its material one could surmise but its condition would leave even a skilled clothmaker wondering. Though the silvery threads are blackened in places, its embroidery would tell a tale of a starlit sky amidst swirling clouds, compressed artfully into a decorative but modest border. Of the third drawing, it seems much less a riddle to be solved than an answer that could be affirmed, but such a thing would lie in the hands of those in faith. The scroll, with its interrupted verse, seems to defy any attempt at adherence to known languages, prompting the question of what else it may be..

Of the tapestry and the engraved plaque, there is no skill check required, although Wynna may wish to enquire with others.
Of the scroll, Wynna may roll a Knowledge: Arcana skill check, or have others roll the same if she decides to enquire around.


Flipping through the pages of the tome, it seems to hold several accounts of Impiltur's jagged and, some would say, rather dark past. It is the work of more than a few authors, and though much of it is devoted to the exploits of Impiltur's royalty, there are no passages describing a similar battle as seen in the painting. Its very subject perhaps might lend more interest to scrutiny, and thereby its origins.

Wynna may attempt to enquire with others about the painting. She may roll 3 times Knowledge: Local skill check successfully locate and speak to a person(s) of appropriate knowledge.

(( OOC: Skill check results may be either posted here as part of a reply, or PM me with the results if you prefer. ))
“Violence is the mark of the amateur.” ― Garrett, Thief: The Dark Project

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Ostheim
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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Ostheim » Fri Mar 25, 2016 6:09 am

Wynna spends a good few days researching and scurrying about town in an effort to learn more!

First, of course, she ponders over the mysteries of the statues and the ruins themselves...
Spoiler:
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Regarding the plaque and the tapestry, she resolves to soon question the faithful of Selune in the near future to see if there could be some meaning derived. (OOC: Will likely PM results after I find someone.)

As for the painting, she's quick to set into action... with varying mediocre degrees of success.
Spoiler:
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With the scroll stumping her thoroughly...
Spoiler:
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...she elects to soon seek out a mage to see if the queer writing might mean anything to them, as it defies many linguistic characteristics. Perhaps not, though, to a mage! Something magical may be at work, she decides.
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

Ostheim
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Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2016 5:05 am

Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Ostheim » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:36 pm

Over the next day or so, Wynna provides the scroll for examination to Gwendolynn Highblade, a far more accomplished mind when it comes to the arcane than she is. What she does with it is unknown to her, but she hopes it'll yield something fruitful...
Spoiler:
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Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

Ostheim
Posts: 251
Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2016 5:05 am

Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Ostheim » Thu Mar 31, 2016 4:03 pm

Yet another trip to Songhall is made for a variety of reasons, both private and mundane. Though she visits the Thirsty Fool for a time, she is quick to return to the site of her utmost interest, the Hall of Many Tomes.

Of particular, sad necessity is the return of the helpful tomes that she rented in order to research for the Adlers. Her own copies are made, of course, but there's nothing quite like holding an original in one's care.
Spoiler:
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Few trips to the Hall are complete without spending an exorbitant amount of coin on claiming additional tomes, though, and this time is no exception. This time, her interests appear to be more broad in nature, as she tackles a variety of subjects in the written form, doubtless to improve her own casual knowledge of such things in her day to day life. Some of these certainly veer into the darker subjects that she has taken it upon herself to write about in her work-in-progress, The Dark Corners of Impiltur; seldom is it that it's sufficient to only visit such dark places.
Spoiler:
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(OOC: Essentially an excuse to start taking new knowledges next level, though I'm open to creative bones being thrown my way if any care to.)
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer


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