RRI - Deductions

[dm_screen]

Greetings once more to our beloved Starfallen!

You've all done well in exploring that new shard; I'm given to understand that you all faced your fair share of troubles out there, and have risen admirably to the task. And from what I've overheard, you've all made your fair share of discoveries while you were out there as well!

A few juicy little tidbits have already been passed along and started circulating among our Scholars, but as we all know, hearsay is no substitute for firsthand experience. So we'd like to hear what it was like out there in your own terms, and work together to puzzle out what may have happened out there!

I'm sure some of you are also wondering exactly what made this shard become attracted to us in the first place. And that's a very good question. Never stop asking questions!

For now, I'll sit back and allow you all to collectively think some of these matters through. But before I forget: Some of you have found some interesting artifacts and items of interest out there and passed them along to us for study. Feel free to take this chance to follow up and we'll tell you what we've learned!

Well, have at it!

Comments

[boomchucka]

Selphie here! Others in my group could probably explain things in more detail but this is my report:

1. We came across what appeared to be an abandoned series of small buildings. Further investigation showed that the buildings had been empty for many, many years.
2. There's some sort of spore or mushroom or whatever that if it explodes, it makes you really, really mad. among other things...
3. There's a pretty big desert on this new shard. Thankfully, we found an underground water source and were able to traverse it fairly quickly.

We also brought back a broken spear and a tablet of some sort. Are there any updates on the progress with those?

[dm_screen]

A mushroom that makes you really, really mad? That almost sounds like you stumbled across a Petulant Puffball mushroom!

You should count yourselves lucky to have found one! Their spores are a prized and valuable alchemical ingredient, but they take years of laborious attention to cultivate; even our prestigious academy's scant supply has been reused and regrown so many times it's waned in potency over the generations, and we've yet to find any location where they grew naturally! I even tried my hand at growing my own supply, but they kept deflating in their earliest stages of growth...

And you say you've found someplace where they were simply out and about in the wild?

[boomchucka]

Yeah, they were in a pretty desolate part of the area that we were exploring and... ... ...yeah! Petulant Puffball Mushrooms...

What the heck would use something like that for anyway?

[Nobody needs to know about that little incident that occurred between her and G'raha. Absolutely nobody.]

[dm_screen]

Many things!

[There's a brief pause in the writing.]

Particularly any potion or function in the realm of

strong emotions or strong bodily response! They're also valued as a catalyst for alchemical growth, of course.

[mech_and_mutt]

That explains why they're so valuable

[boomchucka]

Uh... care to elaborate?

[mech_and_mutt]

Do I really have to explain why?? People pay good money for that kinda stuff!

Especially if it works, and it sounds like it does!

[boomchucka]

Would I be asking if I understood?

It wasn't fun. We did nothing but argue and be grouchy at each other.

[air_raider]

Did it do anything besides make you angry? Stuff tends to rise to the surface when tensions get high. If there were secondary effects, it might just be a matter of removing the anger and amplifying secondary effects.

[boomchucka]

NO COMMENT.

[mech_and_mutt]

Exactly what I'm talking about

What else could she have meant by "strong bodily response"?

[boomchucka]

Oh...

Ah...

I really don't wanna know anymore.

[air_raider]

Then I think you know exactly what I'm talking about~

[boomchucka]

Nope! I am perfectly innocent! Nothing like that happened!

[One of these times, Selphie is going to throw her book out of the room she's in.]

[air_raider]

You can tell me now, or I'll find out some other way. Either way, you can't hide the truth.

[boomchucka]

I'm. Not. Telling!

[air_raider]

Suit yourself, I'm going to make much worse assumptions then. Raunchy assumptions.

[boomchucka]

[A series of furious scribbles mark the page under Adah's comment. Hyne be damned...]

It was only a kiss...

[boomchucka]

Well...

[After the lovely explanation from Red and Adah...]

There's a wasteland somewhere in the shard. Find that and you'll find your mushrooms.

[dm_screen]

I'm going to assume it's the part you've all marked "wasteland", right in the middle.

I'm sure this sort of gathering quest would be of great interest to a lot of people here, especially if these mushrooms as valuable as they're being made out to be. What sort of hazards can be expected along the way?

[boomchucka]

There's a Savannah south of the Wasteland that has Featherraptors. They like NOMs but other than that, we didn't run into anything else worthy of note.

[dm_screen]

Why am I not surprised there are Featheraptors there, too...

Alright. I'll ask around at the Mage's Tower and see if I can find some purchasers. Hopefully some of you Starfallen wouldn't mind taking another trip out there to gather some valuable produce.

You'd be paid for it, of course.

[boomchucka]

How much?

I can guide them to the mushrooms.

[dm_screen]

That all depends on how much the buyers are willing to pay for it. But you'll see it on the bounty board once I have all the details.

Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting long. I know how eager you hunters can be.

[boomchucka]

I'll be waiting for it!