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Re: Under Cover of Night [Eitan]
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:40 pm
by Rivin
Compasses, of course. The idea made so much sense that Rivin imagined, for a moment, that the height was fucking with his ability to think clearly. Momentarily concluding that it was more likely the fear than the height itself.
Of course, he had never held a compass, or seen one outside of illustrations in books.
"Would it be acceptable for me to see the cockpit?" Learning as much as he could about the world as soon as could be managed seemed the wisest course of action. Recognizing that his knowledge was almost purely theoretical had been an important step in making a plan. Reducing the lacking as rapidly as possible was the only way he would survive, for, while his survival had been not only assured but insisted upon in his life thus far, it was not guaranteed from the moment he'd stepped onto the ship.
A thousand questions sprang instantly into his mind; of the names of all the parts of the ship, of their functions, of how to steer, navigate by the stars, ascend and descend, adjust the speed. Everything that could be known of an airship. His logical mind rose up to quell the tide before any of it could spill from his mouth. It was exceedingly unlikely that he would find himself in need of knowledge of an airship without someone around at that time to teach him. Even if he asked all the questions, if the Commander and his servant were both to collapse in death suddenly, it was in great doubt whether any of the information he would acquire with such questions would save him.
At that moment, as they were turning to head to the interior of the small ship, a wind spirit, larger than any of the friendly little sprites whipping themselves through the sky, swooped down and wrapped around Angevin, ruffling his hair and uniform. The move surprised Rivin enough that he jumped back, though he knew the spirit wasn't like to do harm, it was still quite large and his instincts were too well-honed not to react.
Re: Under Cover of Night [Eitan]
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2022 1:16 am
by Eitan Angevin
"Certainly," he said. "Just let me know if you grow nauseated and we'll get you back on deck. It'll be colder, but the fresh air will be bracing."
Angevin waved off the spirit. He could hear them, but he couldn't see them; not properly. The "gift" had been awakened in the Warrens, but nobody had taught him to meditate, to commune with them, to hone the thing into a skill. He touched his hair to make sure the pomade was shielding his curls from the wind, and then led the man into the ship. Perhaps he had intuited the Lysanrin's curiosity or perhaps he just liked to hear himself talk, but he began to point out various things, not giving away any Dornkirk design secrets, but educating his passenger.
In the cockpit, Dienerin raised a curious eyebrow. Angevin wasn't set to relieve him for hours yet.
"Our passenger wanted to see the cockpit. I'll take over for now; we can adjust our piloting schedule later."
"Aye, Captain," Dienerin said, saluting out of habit, then smiling ruefully. He nodded to the Lysanrin, and quit the cockpit.
"Good man," Angevin murmured, then sighed. "I do like the sound of Captain, but it'll be some time yet." He then gave a brief description of what the Lysanrin was seeing before asking, "Do you have any specific questions or ought I to stop filling the air with chatter?" Ilex's assistant had heard enough information about him and his experience working with the horned kind; perhaps he wouldn't think it odd that Angevin treated him like a person, nearly an equal.
Re: Under Cover of Night [Eitan]
Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2022 6:47 pm
by Rivin
When the Commander reacted directly to the spirit Rivin paused briefly, taking a moment to analyze whether the reaction had been just to the wind, or if, in fact, Angevin had seen what he had.
Inspecting the man closely as he followed him into the interior of the ship it seemed obvious now that there was more than human in his blood. Perhaps it would not be so obvious to someone who hadn't spent their adult life studying breeding and the effects of different races on each other's blood. Picking up his step, trying to make it seem accidental, he pressed quite close as they entered the cockpit. He couldn't quite tell, and that was telling in itself, but it was possible the tips of the Commander's ears had been surgically altered. If they were so, the doctor had done a masterful job of it. Dratori were not considered civilized by either Zaichaer nor the Imperium, so if a man wanted to rise in rank and respectability, it would make sense to conceal such heritage.
It felt odd, being in the presence of a man with whom he might share racial blood, other than Lysanrin; like meeting a cousin for the first time after you are both adults. The idea of kinship extended to include the idea that they would both be considered lesser by the societies they were made to live in. Knowing that imagining a similarity between himself and Angevin was unwise, he tucked the thoughts away so he could concentrate on the new information being offered he let the distance between them return to normal.
"How do you gauge your height? Does that matter?" Assuming there were mountains or tall buildings that the ship might need to fly over. The idea that giving out information freely might be annoying or unwanted was so foreign to Rivin that he blinked and then tried to fit the notion into his worldview.
When the persistent spirit appeared before the glass and began, again, trying to sing at Angevin Rivin considered just shooing it away, but decided to wait and see if his hypothesis bore out.
Re: Under Cover of Night [Eitan]
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2022 7:20 pm
by Eitan Angevin
Taking the question as an answer, Angevin took the controls in hand, then tapped a dial behind glass.
"This is the altimeter," he said. "I don't know how much you know about physics, but when a barometer is supplied with a nonlinear calibration so as to indicate altitude... well, you have a pressure altimeter or barometric altimeter. It measures the atmospheric pressure, which changes the higher above sea level we rise. Altitude is important to know when flying over a city or rugged terrain with low visibility, but also for finding the proper air currents to maximize tailwinds for speed or minimize turbulence for a smoother flight." He paused. "I don't remember the maths, but at one point I could calculate the calibration." He frowned. "I suppose that's something I should brush up on if I'm going to be flying smaller craft and not just commanding a larger one where skills are specialized."
Stefan would be happy to tutor him on the maths again, he knew, and Stefan was a good teacher when it came to engineering principles with regard to airships for obvious reasons. And at least he wouldn't make Eitan feel stupid about asking.
Once more, he waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. There was a brief frown, but it faded. For all intents and purposes, it seemed as though he could sense the wind spirit, but couldn't see it properly. Not all Dratori—or part-Dratori—knew how to use their gift, it would seem.
Re: Under Cover of Night [Eitan]
Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2022 4:26 pm
by Rivin
Rivin listened, hardly blinking as the information was imparted. It was not common that information given to him freely would be repeated, so he did his best to memorize what was offered.
The idea of things changing as one grew further from the surface of the ocean was wholly new and he said, without thinking,
"Are the oceans all at the same height?"
The rest made sense; adjusting for wind currents, which could flow the length of a continent or more, according to weather books, seemed quite sensible.
When Angevin again tried to shoo the spirit away with his hand Rivin said, quietly,
"I could tell the spirit to leave, if you would prefer that." It was a gamble, but he was quite sure at this point that the other man was able to at least see the spirit and, if he was a trained Summoner, he would have just made the thing leave him alone already.
"When I first started to see them, as a child, they drove me mad." Almost literally, it had felt like. If Angevin was only now awakening to them, it might be even more difficult to deal with, considering his job had him traveling. Distractions might be deadly in an armed conflict, or even just piloting, if they were bad enough. The time he would be spending with the Commander would not be extensive but, if requested, Rivin could explain the basics of learning to meditate and push the distractions to the background. Perhaps, in more magically inclined areas the man might have obtained a device that would discourage the lesser plane creatures from interacting with him, but in Zaichaer and the Imperium such things were not common.
Or, so Rivin believed. The idea that all his knowledge was curtailed was something he'd had to accept. The thought that all he knew of the outside world might have been manufactured for Ilex's amusement had occurred. The Lysanrin could only hope he wasn't walking utterly blind into the factory of reality.
Re: Under Cover of Night [Eitan]
Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 5:16 pm
by Eitan Angevin
"That is how I was taught," he said of the sea levels. "I don't know how they calculate it... but all the seas are connected, so I suppose it makes sense. I'm intelligent enough for my work and I can understand some advanced things if they are explained, but I leave the more complicated things to the geniuses like my brother-in-law."
His smile slid from self-deprecating to admiring.
When the man mentioned spirits, however, he frowned slightly. There was no real indication that he was upset with Rivin, but rather mulling over what he had said.
"Is that what that is?" Of course, he had his suspicions. He knew what Dratori were capable of and that was half the blood in his veins. That it should have manifested now, though, seemed strange. "Had a run in with a strange phenomenon in the Warrens and now I just... feel like there are things just on the edge of my vision... or I hear things that aren't there. Or that other people don't hear. Glad to know stress isn't driving me mad." His smile was cavalier now.
"Ahh... perhaps when Dienerin comes back to take the conn, you can teach me how to tell them to leave? Sort of a... if you give a man a fish scenario, you see?"
Perhaps the man had mixed blood as well, though Angevin chose not to fish out his monocle to inspect him for Runes. If he was employed by Dr. Ilex, then there was no reason to believe his papers weren't in order. Besides, for all that he had the damning horns of a Lysanrin, this one seemed to be one of the good ones. Then again, Albrecht had been one of the good ones, or so he thought.
Re: Under Cover of Night [Eitan]
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 2:47 pm
by Rune
R E V I E W
Lore: 13 each
Points: 10 each, may be used for Summoning by Rivin
Injuries/Ailments: None
Loot: None
Notes: None