BOOKINGS - Episode 1, Part 1
Source: New York Public Library
Opening: The Importance of Checklists
First log. Mission 9. Flood staff
Preparation time.
Sort of a silly part of the process, logging the spells and junk in my bag. In the field, it’s all instinct and reactive decisions. It’s interaction. Explorers make a profession out of jumping into deadly and barely-traversed areas and handling whatever the landscape throws at us. Now? Now it’s checklists, hypotheticals, conditionals. Do i need two ponchos? Who the hell knows. And what does it matter when I’m escaping from a demon cult or rogue tribe of orcs whether i launch a bolt or a blast??
*aeolipiles. Check*
*weakstone. Check*
* null rod. check
*mana batteries. Check*
Expedition will be a welcome change after the last job. Seeking a needle in a haystack is one thing. But what if the needle and the haystack are shrunk to 1/10,000th of their size? Then encased in a dome of glass, and guarded by clockwork beasts. It was a hassle
Z6 is meeting me in the dockside tavern in 30 minutes. I am placing a copy of this voice log in my room here, with the relevant people instructed to release if i don’t contact them in 30 days. Standard last rites for someone who’s planning to board a ship and instantly cease to exist for a while.
Z6 confirmed transportation. I am to board the Bethan’s Hand and set out south, leaving mainland and taking a known trade route through the Shielded Seas and then out to open ocean. Threats on the route are typically low this time of year, but the last leg of the trip is where things will trend towards adrenaline improvisation.
* Astrolabe. Check*
* Signet. Check*
I always think back to my training and my mentor. She had already been on dozens of expeditions when she took me in for training, and acted like she hated every minute. “You can’t take an insurance policy out on yourself, so better build in a backup plan to your backup plan. And always remember: plans are worthless when confronted by reality.”
* Manipulator. Check*
I suppose she didn’t get her reputation solely by wit and the ability to coin a sharp phrase. She had been on many trips to the isle, and she had seen many dangerous trophies back to expedition sponsors. I think that anyone who has done that enough times and still wants to train a new explorer is either fully unhinged, committed to chaos, or damn good in their craft.
Bethan’s Hand is captained by Grispin. Met with them three days ago when my customer sent their advance to reserve me. The money is good but goes straight to Grispin, supplies, and some insurance.
*Mudslide. Check*
Grispin will bring me aboard as a cabin hand, but i’ll never be placed in the boarding or crew list. I effectively won’t exist once we leave port. Then it’s a matter of keeping a low profile and planning the drop.
The target is another powerful staff from the lost isles. I’ve been there only once, and not on this side. It’s claimed to hold control over tides and water flow. You see a lot of these. Usually financed by a shipping company or a fishery group, seeking to increase their yield or fend off harsh conditions. If you know the kinds of dangers involved in maritime targets, you can generally sort out the backers by the structure and amount of pay.
This one is good, so likely an institutional financier.
Not that it matters - money is money, and I don’t have to guarantee that an item works…I just have to make sure i get it back undamaged.
*spellbook. check*
Drops are stealth open-sea events. The deal is that Grispin will supply a spare lifeboat, and when we are a half-day’s distance from the island, i lower myself from the boat at night - off into the open ocean with two oars and a day’s rations from the ship. Grispin usually makes it look like the cabin hand was thrown from the boat in treacherous waters on the final night…so i’ll need to make some.
* Spawn Summoning . Check*
Signing off. Heading to port.
TO BE CONTINUED …