Characters: Tsure, Mnemon Koal

In excruciating detail, Tsure shows Mnemon Koal exactly where she would like to stick her sword into his creation.

         The usual clanking sounds can be heard coming from the Marble Palisades, a rapid pounding that defies the normal understanding of just how fast one can beat a hammer. Or wait, is that the sound of 5?

     Mnemon Koal approaches enters the Manse cautiosly, trusting in the gifts of Pasiap to shield him from any /surprises/ protecting the Lady of the manse. It isn't exactly a public place and he knows full well the Lady Tsure does not like unexpected visitors...although she did say casually to /stop on by/ if he wanted to discuss building projects they could work on together. "Lady Tsure", his deep voice strains to break above the sounds of the workshop like lava bubbling over the rim of a volcano. He quickly straightens his uniform for the hundredth time.

         The clanging persists for another 30 seconds or so and then all is quite for about a minute before Tsure, a bit sweaty from her endeavors, comes to the foyer flanked by two rather beefy looking...men? No, not men. Then don't quite move right. Probably just some robot or other. For herself, Tsure looks a bit surprised though a smile does come to her face. "Koal, please do come in, " she says waving the guardians away. "I'd offer you a drink, but alas corners had to be cut and I think a serving station in the corner would cause the whole place to explode in time...rather ufortunate."

     Mnemon Koal is no stranger to geomancy. "Don't worry. It's the company that's important. I came up with some ideas about things that could be improved, but I have no idea what might be done about it."

         "Oh yeah?" Tsure says intruiged, "Just a second," she continues, disappearing from the room for a minute. She comes back with a sketchbook and flips past several human and not so human drawings with all sorts of notes to a fresh blank page. "Just in case," she says with a smile. "What did you have in mind?"

     Mnemon Koal 's eye's focus on you with that same vibrant energy as that night in Cathak Palace, like diamonds emerging from a river bottom. He must really like to build things. He should have been an architect or a poet. "I've noticed that most of the city is poorly warded, and even if it was beter, we don't have the thaumaturges or materials on hand to maintain such wards. Is there a way to build out of this so that the city can have greater internal protections, can such things be keyed to let in allies?

         "You really did pick the wrong profession, you know that Koal?" Tsure says with eyes that reflect your vibrance with excitement. I had in fact been in discussions with Logos about this very issue. Though it would be complex, and cost a fortune in raw materials as well as a major political move to unite the dragons of this city in a common goal, I believe I can now replicate, on a small scale, the sword of creation," she says, looking at you excitedly and expectantly.

     Mnemon Koal beams at Tsure, a grin splitting his face. "If you believe it is possible, I swear by Pasiap to aide you in the attempt to the best of my ability." His words are unusually solemn considering his seemingly happy face, an oath sworn on the heart.

         "Great!" Tsure says, still exitedly, "So what do you want to do first? Convince the satrapy to pay for it? Convince them it won't blow up the city? Make them decide to balance the loss of some of their manse power against the safety of the city? Or would you like to start with the numerous 10 pound blocks of jade it's going to take to pay for it?" she asks, Entirely. Serious.

     Mnemon Koal eyes boggle at the list and he is quiet for a long time...a really long time...honestly, he must be thinking very hard...he must have failed every timed test he's taken...is he meditating or something? However, if your patient, when the pebbles of his thoughts roll fourth, they come in an avalanche. "The Satrapy will not pay for it, and the Houses will not support it, it must be from personal expense and hard labor. We can't place it in Greyfalls City because Greyfalls would need a military information manse such as in Lookshy due to it's strategic position in the province. The manse would have to be roughly centered geometricly and geomantically withing the satrapy. Most of the satrapy has no stable demenses or manses because no one had put in the resources or effort to make them, manse power isn't the issue. The numerous jade blocks will have to be traded for in bulk meaning massive amounts of wealth of artifact transfer or many favors to powerful people who have hoarded the mined jade over the years in the necessary amounts...I suspect much wealth is controlled by a relative minority...I'm sorry, did you say we needed to build it of Jade blocks?",He is also completely serious.

         Tsure simply stares at Koal for a moment, blinks, and smiles. "I can see why Zuriel gave you the position he did, just don't get caught in an ambush," she says with a wink. "That said, I don't think you quite understand. A perfect calculation array of sufficient scale could regulate the excess energies of the Stern Hearth of Heroes, draw some miniscule energy from this place, draw from Red Swans Glade when it is complete, and be housed primarily in the war manse," she says, drawing a quick sketch of where each is located. "As to the jade blocks, there certainly will be a lot of it involved...but really this is the important part," she says pointing out the lines between the manses, all radiating toward the War manse. "That's about 8 miles of cable we're looking at. Ultra thin mind you, so small in diameter it would cut you if it landed on your hand gently owing to the weight, and a weave of jade, orichalcum, and moonsilver. I could get into why we need all three, or you can just accept that we do. Honestly, we weren't built to do this sort of thing. As to the money and the satrapy...not my forte."

     Mnemon Koal seems stunned at the description. Why not create a series of manses in other key positions designed specifically to act together in this fashion?

         "Range, mostly," Tsure offers. "That and a damn big power amplification affect and the ability for the grid to continue even if one of the manses goes down. Third, even if it took two years to make this...which it won't, it would still cost 8 times as much, three times as long, and might not even be possible, to generate an array of manses that would yield the same firepower and defensive capability."

         "As an ancillary benefit," Tsure adds, "The essence feeds could be be picked up to provide other as yet unimagined benefits to the city."

     Mnemon Koal still doesn't seem to understand. “But they would be more stable right? And we would only have to defend key locations from outside invasion.”

"What if we skipped the firepower and focussed on just defensive capabilities?"

         "Nay," Tsure offers. "Not as I can see it anyways. We'd still have to defend the same key locations the difference being if a manse goes down we don't lose firepower and can instead offline a different part of the grid, which the grid itself could automate far faster than one of us could make the changes...though it would be fully controllable of course. As to the last...the best defense is a great offense," she says with a wink. "We're still working on the details on what we could fuel, but it will be a significant portion of both I do believe, along with a biological component though that's Kyrie's forte, not mine."

      "I'm afraid I don't understand it fully and wouldn't be able to sell anyone else on it because of that. Underground piping can be laid to carry wires, that's no problem. I don't recall how to obtain orichalcum or moonsilver, but it will take a lot of money. I receive a Dragonlord's pay and an allowance from my family, but that could take a long time...I'll have to find a way to get money...that's something I can try at least."

         "Well, that bit is a bit more covered than I suppose I let on," Tsure says a bit sheepishly. "Zuriel is fantastically rich, and I only less so. Some of the things I can make, likely perhaps but one or 3 other dragon-blooded in creation can make...that brings a high value to my services but delays the timetable a bit. The orichalcum and moonsilver Zuriel has in his armory which can be broken down and used for the project. Alternately, I'm sure I could pay through the nose and get some from the Guild."

     "So you just need permission to go ahead and do this. Zuriel is the best to make that kind of argument for you. I can try to make money or maybe learn to craft...although I was kind of fond of the idea of building some manses."

         "Oh, I have no doubt I can sell Zuriel on this idea," Tsure says with confidence. "At the very least, he cannot resist both myself and Kyrie," she says with a wink. "Do what comes true to your heart Koal, though I will state from experience that building a manse is much less difficut than attaining the other crafting skills that are worthwhile if you're going to bother going for it at all. Advanced manse construction has the dubious honor of being something we haven't figured out how to crack yet, so it's a matter of not being /able/ to dump that much time into it. I could probably have you ready to build the best we can make inside 2-3 months, less if you're a fast learner."

     Mnemon Koal 's eyes continue to sparkle. "I would enjoy learning how to do that. However, I also have my duties to the Legion and am hoping to make it through the entrance exam for Kyrie's Sorcery academy. However, if you have the patience, I will also try to study here as much as possible...we will see which path my heart truly follows."

         "The added benefit," Tsure says, "Is that you pick up all sorts of neat shit along the way. "How to deal with spirits and gods that doesn't involve a sword, ancient history...but be careful, that might start to view your view of the Dragon Blooded if you learn it from me, and all other manners of essence manipulation in a way that differs radically, and is less complicated I'm surprised to say, from the immaculate arts."

     "I will simply have to have faith that Pasiap will guide me down the right path."

         A flicker of discontent crosses Tsure's face for just a moment and then is gone, "Yes, well, let's hope he shall see fit then," she says less than convincingly.

"Perhaps we can compare agendas to see we shall both be free."