One Giant Leap For Myrken

[Glenn]

What a frustrating two weeks. The idea that something was well within your grasp but you were unable to reach it, not due to any human or even magic opposition but due to the sheer impossibilities of nature. Truths had been revealed. Goals were obvious and certain, and still, nothing could be done to snatch up what was necessary, even though Glenn Burnie knew EXACTLY where it was. This has been his life over the last two weeks, but then... he was not alone. He has such RESOURCES. He had a staff and they were wise and diligent and they had such books and tomes. While he sent two or three of them, Genny included, off to research the nature of what they were dealing with, the rest had been taken from their usual tasks to help him create something amazing.

Oh, there WERE other options. The dragon. The sea urchin. The fae. The tailor and the drow. Each idea was worse than the last. None of them could be controlled. None of them could be counted on. Each might want what was down there for himself. He'd need to use one of them as a potential plan B, unfortunately, but hopefully it would not reach that point. In an old text, hundreds of years old, mention was made of a story, and from the story came extrapolations, and then experimentation.

Time had been of the essence and Myrken had been buzzing with preparations. The Lake was guarded by Constables with cruel iron bolts. Two blacksmiths worked upon SOMETHING, each only knowing a piece of the puzzle, with two other men, glassblowers hired using Burnie's own funds somehow tied everything together. Throughout this, no one, save perhaps his staff and Rhaena Olwak, had seen any sign of the once-mapmaker. In his unpleasant cell, across town, Tennant had been offered better food, better accommodation, and a good bath and shave. Apparently, Burnie wanted the man to regain his strength for some reason.

Remnants of old projects were needed, and THAT mean rifling through a blocked off house towards the edge of the woods, with some success, in that the object sought for there was obtained, and in some failure, as in the house was left a smoldering mess of metal and ashes after an unfortunate explosion. Still, some things were better gone, and some temptations were better lost. Even in his current state, Glenn could begrudgingly admit that.

And so, on this fine Myrken morning, everything was dragged into place in carts and carriage. Things arrived one at a time to the lake: the relatively hefty boat requisitioned to for the use in this project, the mysterious contraption, a rather large thing and still boxed up, brought by the pair of glassblowers; constables brought the device taken from the now-destroyed house in a smaller, but just as mysterious box. Burnie himself arrived in a carriage with a spectacle-clad male of his staff and a bearded man who seemed as if he might have had some sort of non-human blood in him between his size and strange features.

Finally, the caged cart containing Tennant arrived. He was released, though a number of Constables still remained in the vicinity, of course. Burnie smiled a rather even smile at the man. "So, here's your chance to earn your ... well, freedom isn't the word. You're looking somewhat hale at least. That's a good thing. You're going to earn the opportunity to pair up with a Constable and hunt down your criminal, to clear your good name, and in earning that, you'll have one of the most amazing experiences imaginable." That smile seemed to edge up a bit, to shift, becoming rather more of a smirk. "You're going to the bottom of the lake."

[Tolleson]

[Tennant]

Tossing about, rattling, and rumbling down the road was Tennant in his mobile cell. The journey was curious, it certainly seemed ominous at first - but truly, who would place gallows so far from prisons? It seemed unlikely that a death sentence awaited him, that seemed a little harsh of a push even for Genny and what she accused him of.

Freshly de-bearded, Tennant looked hearty enough, the ill-fitting clothing he'd been provided hung loose off long limbs doing little for the muscles that had been deteriorating in the cell. He strode, as best he was able for however he was guarded or shackled. Having befriended some of his more frequent overseers, there were likely a few who were a little less than stringent.

Burnie would finish his verbal eruption, like lava spewing forth, he left no crevice or crack in any conversation, no question untouched. "Salutations to you as well. Lovely morning, Mister Burnie," the title said in a mocking tone as he mimicked the title he'd heard his sister, Ms. Olwak, the tubby councilor, and even the portly guard who he'd finally cracked enough to play cards and waste away the boring hours. Mockery aside it was, honestly, wonderful to see the light of day.

At the mention of going to the bottom of the lake however, the prisoner would merely raise his brows, thinking on the definitive nature of the statement. Indeed, there didn't seem to be any real choice for him in the matter. "Joy of joys, what a privilege," the heavy, defeated sarcasm was palpable as his eyes wandered over the scene. "You'll have to forgive me if the opportunity, while surely intriguing, seems... less than enticing." After all, unless Burnie had the intent to be as crooked and underhanded as many others in his position, Tennant would still have to prove his innocence, lake exploration or not.

Similarly to his glib partner in this conversation, Tennant continued without much pause. "No one will miss me, I've some education, I suppose I am a perfect candidate." There was a furtive but almost pleading grin as he implied that his participation was worth more. "Pardon me," literally, and he seemed to mean it.

[Jirai]

Rhaena, on the other hand, had already been on site, supervising. As Glenn Burnie's carriage and Tennants rather less-appointed conveyance arrived, she finished her discussion with a pair of Constables and turned to join Glenn and Genny's brother, the faint chime of bells fastened to her skirts heralding her approach.

"Good morning Glenn, Tennant." The veiled woman began, polite as always. Or nearly always. "We are very nearly ready." She turned more towards the man in the cage as she continued. "Tennant, if it is acceptable to you," which, of course, it would be, "I would like to observe this through your eyes."

[Glenn]

For Rhaena Olwak, a warmer smile. Of course she was there, the angel of Myrken, the image of kindness that went along with Burnie's harsh but heartful necessities. And if that image wasn't accurate? Well, it hardly mattered. Perception was everything. "Her presence will let us know any number of things, including if something goes wrong. She is the second best security you can have."

"The very best security you can have, however, is the very thing you wish to throw away. Think about it, Tennant." Burnie's voice was matter-of-fact as he looked to the convict evenly. "Were I to give you a full pardon, then after this..well, I hate to put it in such terms, but we wouldn't need you anymore. Now, I'm a man of honor and justice, but YOU can't know that for certain, can you? It's a hell of a thing to take on faith. Now, then," The once-mapmaker raised a hand, his tone familiar, even helpful. "If what you gain from this, past my regard, is the chance to chase down your own personal malefactor, to have top notch Constabulary assistance in clearing your name and bringing this shape-shifting Jezebel to justice.. well, then you know that you're still useful, still helpful and necessary. Considering the act of courage you're about to take part in, a little reassurance can go very far. I'd hate to rob you of that."

[Tolleson]

At Rhaena's approach he gave a slight bow, his brilliant hair brushed the bottom of his ears and would soon make him look more the lady than Genny the boy. When his eyes returned and found Rhaena's face his posture relaxed and he offered up an entirely too charming smile. For all their hospitality while he was imprisoned he was still visibly rough around the edges. Yet, ever the gentleman, he was entirely polite.

"As it pleases you," of course, his reply was to the veiled woman. When Glenn spoke again the former-rouge's coy smile lingered, even after his eyes passed from the angel to the man. Little more than a shrug was offered in reply, there was no point in arguing with Burnie, his words were carefully crafted and his intent decided upon. Perhaps he had convinced Tennant that this was the best choice for him, prove his way, or however he saw it. More likely he was less inclined to argue when he held the lower ground, if any, and especially in front of the lady.

"Yes, never rob a dead man. Terrible, bad luck," his smirk was now for Burnie. An expression to mask a deep breath and creeping anxiety at the prospect of delving into the depths of the murky, Myrken lake.

[Jirai]

"There may be some other benefits for you as well, should you encounter trouble." Rhaena could do many things with her skill, so long as one was willing to pay the costs. The woman smoothed out her skirts with both hands as the two men conversed, chiming in again with a careful look for Tennant. "Glenn will explain the contraptions, I'm sure, but they are quite reliable." They hoped, at least. Given the origins, one was never sure!

[Glenn]

There was that warm smile to Rhaena. She really made everything better in so many ways. Why... Tennant wasn't even complaining anymore!

"Alright, then.." The cane. This would be better with his cane. He could POINT at things if he had his cane. Well, at least they were moving forward and dealing with Catch. That was something. For now, he used his index finger, tapping it in the air towards the ship that was being unloaded upon the lake. "I'm sure you're excited to begin, Tennant, so I'll make this quick. There is something at the very bottom of the lake. A magical relic, presumably of a conical shape, about... ah." Burnie somehow managed to stop himself from showing the potential length of the thing with his hands. There's no way that couldn't have ended up vulgar. "Well, you'll know it if you see it, I think."

Was Tennant still following along? Excellent. "Anyhow, Maxwell here.." A nod of his head towards the spectacle-clad man beside him. "found reference in an older tome of this contraption... and we've replicated it." His voice quieted a bit. "We actually created a smaller version first to test the theory. Just about the most proper scientific inquiry we've had in Myrken in..." And finally, a frown. Burnie was now looking at the SECOND box, the smaller one, and he seemed less than pleased at its presence. "Anyway.." The larger box was dragged forward and opened by a pair of constables who seemed more annoyed than curious. Inside was a very large glass enclosure, basically a massive barrel, with metal sinkers attached to the bottom and two chains attached to the top. Burnie took a long look at it and then nodded. "This will work."

[Tolleson]

The absence of the cane had been noted previously, but it seemed hardly relevant now. None-the-less Tennant's eyes followed to the ship, the smirk glued stiffly to his face as only his eyebrows indicated his doubt in the technology.

"Trouble," his brows hinted further to his doubt. Aside from the water, lack of air, or the fact that the submersible defied nature under pounds of pressure, what other trouble they anticipate facing down there? "I will be glad to have you," Rhaena had been in his head before, surely this would not be so different. Again, little choice, he wasn't dull so it was best be accommodating.

Excitement was hardly the descriptor he would have used, especially as Burnie continued on about finding reference in a dusty old book and indicating the four-eyes beside him. He followed along, whether or not he wanted to. The prototype was examined carefully, good to know at least the theory was more than just that. "And you're sure this... relic is even down there?"

[Jirai]

"The information we have on the matter is quite reliable," She assured him, barely glancing at contraptions the mapmaker was displaying. She had much more confidence in the presence of the relic than in the oddities that the necessity of retrieval had forced them to unearth. Not that she was going to be the one using them, of course, but she would be linked to Tennant.

[Glenn]

Everything was moving rather quickly at this point. The glass enclosure was extremely heavy, of course. It had to be in order to fit enough air to allow for the man inside to stay alive for any length of time... but then the chains were terribly strong and the boat was really quite big for the lake. The turns and cranks and simple levers would be operated by the strongest Constables Burnie could find. Myrken did grow them strong. Big and stupid, sometimes, but strong. Really, Catch would have been a great choice, except for logical reasons.

"The information IS quite reliable, but your excursion to the depths is mainly to pinpoint an exact location so we can work on retrieval." In other words, Burnie hadn't quite figured out how to GET the thing yet, but finding where it was... well that seemed like a productive first step, as did testing the contraption with a human subject.

"Alright, then," Burnie finally walked back and snatched up the smaller box, taking out an crystal looking orb of sorts, barely bigger than a man's fist, connected by a thin piece of metal to a gylph-covered cube. "Our esteemed, if somewhat erstwhile governor, Cinnabar Calomel once had grand schemes to light Myrken using much larger versions of these things." He was speaking matter-of-factly now, his smile gone, believe it or not, and distaste in his voice. "There was a witch-tinker named Elspeth here at the time, and she encouraged some of his more outlandish fantasies. The project would have been absurdly expensive and most Myrkenites weren't comfortable with it to begin with, but, we do have this... smaller version that they used as a test, and this... power source, which had some sort of technical sounding name that I choose not to remember." See? That was SCIENCE. Make smaller versions first. Glenn had that bit down. He rubbed the orb and it lit up with an impressive light. "You'll have the use of it for this mission, unless of course you want to share your air with a lantern's flame?"

[Tolleson]

Further up the lake on one of the shores not so far away, Tennant thought he saw a hint of movement, a glimmer of life. A wolf perhaps, or a dog, and a woman. It was hard to tell. He stared but it was there one moment and gone the next. Regardless of the phantom that held his eyes, he quickly returned his attentions to Burnie. Careful to follow and understand each of the components, best to know how the foreign apparatus worked before he was trapped within it, offering but a nod to Rhaena's assessment.

Between Burnie's amazing ability to speak at length without a need for pause, the brilliant daylight, fresh air, and a thousand sensations several weeks deprived; Tennant was beginning to get a headache. Until Burnie opened the box to reveal the orb, this fact was all too apparent. A tentative step closer, an inquisitive glance and he was enthralled at the small ball of light. His fingers opened and he reached for it curiously, perhaps to see if it was hot or just to see if Burnie would let him have it. "Let's not kill me prematurely... even a fish can succumb to suffocation," his father had been a doctor, but even the big, strong, and dumb Myrkenites would know better. If he'd let him, Tennant would hold the orb with utmost fascination.

That he had little choice in the matter need not be mentioned again, and so he spoke plainly knowing full well his role, "I hate to damper your ... enthusiasm for exploration." Or was it discovery, he paused as if thinking on this; whatever. "Even should what you seek be down there... how do you intend to bring it up, Glenn's Glass Bubble has no arms. Does it?" Flooded with sarcasm, the question was asked almost half expecting the lunacy of the entire project to have accounted for that. Perhaps human limbs had been removed from another such prisoner, attached and he was to work them like a puppet from within. How? Why? Did it matter?

[Jirai]

"Let us locate the item before we worry about retrieval - if we cannot find it, what use being able to retrieve it?" They could cross that bridge when they came to it and hopefully by the time they came to it they would have figured out how to cross it! "Whatever one might say about Elspeth, her devices were generally quite functional." Once they had been perfected, at least.

[Glenn]

Burnie would let Tennant hold the orb. Giving a self-admitted ne'er-do-well an object that would allow him to perpetrate amazing acts of thievery was usually not a good idea, but there WERE plenty of Constables around. It wasn't hot to the touch, despite being bright. Glenn thought it should be too, for what it was worth. This sort of arcane craftmanship was not something he was comfortable with.

"We need to pinpoint a location, simply put. If it's down there, you'll see some sign of it. I'm very confident of that, but it could be dangerous to handle and..." and to be honest ,there was no good way to grasp things in the glass bubble. That was the truth of it. "We have plans to get it once we know exactly where it is. If you want to show off a bit with some brilliant suggestion now, I'll give you the opportunity though." Burnie raised a hand, his smile returning, as if whatever Tennant might come up with would be quite amusing. "If not, we should begin."

[Tolleson]

Generally functional, ever the comforting reassurance he needed. The bold smirk had faded some at least as he considered the prospects of his own safety and well-being.

Still fascinated, he turned the orb over in his hands several times in examination before returning attentions to Burnie. There was a look a bit short of surprise but still one that conveyed the dismissal of his expectations as he held the rather cool orb. "Sheer force of will," his tone pandered at being serious but reeked of sarcasm, joking, as if somehow he and Burnie had become grand old friends. Truthfully, he would have loved to show off just to stick it to the manipulative ...politician.

While he knew much about water and the dangers of it from his days at sea, he knew little about the contraption or Myrken's lake. All the same he gave a nod and would go where instructed and finish whatever preparations were at hand.

[Jirai]

"If you don't mind, this will be easier if I touch you." The veiled woman said, extending that odd hand towards Tennant in a ripple of color. A moment's touch would be all it took and, presuming that Tennant did not move away, Rhaena would carefully form the link between her mind and his, her eyes losing focus. It was carefully done, to seem as unintrusive as such a thing could. Rhaena had a much more delicate touch with such things than did her brother. Tennant might feel the presence in his mind, but for now, little more than that.