Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
Post by Tourin "termite" Might on Dec 13, 2013 1:40:39 GMT
OPEN TO MINGO'S MERCHANICS It was finally the day Tourin had been searching for. He had reached his decision and he knew what he had to do. Walking through the emptying streets of the merchants district, toward a ground level shop that had recently been occupied, he walked with a sense of purpose. Most shops were closing if not closed already. It was getting late, the sun had set and most of the customers where either making their ways home, or headed to the theater district for a bit of entertainment.
Not Tourin, no sir. He was making his way to Will's establishment. He had promised upon hiring the lad that he would be by to inspect. Now was that moment, but it was much more than that. He had another reason for coming, and it would be revealed in due time.
Post by Willoughby Tavers on Dec 14, 2013 21:59:24 GMT
Since he opened his street front shop, business had been booming for Willoughby Tavers. No longer was he a small time mechanic, selling his services to those in destitute. Now, now he was also a legit businessman who actually received payment for his work. He knew the moment his employer placed the silver key into his hand that his life would be forever changed. At that moment, he knew his lucky stars were brighter than ever before and for that, he was grateful. For all this, he was grateful. It wasn’t every day that a man from the Peasant’s Hovel left the Peasant’s Hovel. To be able to climb out of that black pit and into a brighter world was an accomplishment. Willoughby had been able to do that, thanks to Mingo’s Merchanic and its eccentric leader, Tourin.
The red-haired mechanic yawned as he flipped his “open” sign to “closed”. It had been a long day and Will couldn’t deny he was exhausted. His eyelids felt as though they weighed a ton. He just wanted two things at the moment: food and sleep. He didn’t want to go out spend his money in the Theater District. He didn’t want to walk around and pray the thieves were oblivious to the sound of money in his pocket. He just wanted to stay home and prepare for another busy day tomorrow. I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow, I have no time for silly games, he thought as he began to sweep the floor.
He paused for a moment to consider this. Is this my life now? All work and no play? He frowned. Will had never been the “social” one. He normally spent his time with his gears and tools, experimenting and building; however, with this new job, he had hoped for different things. Willoughby was hoping, since he now had a stable job, to start a family. He was getting older and it seemed like the right idea. He wanted someone to talk to, to confide in. He wanted someone to laugh at his jokes and at him occasionally. He wanted a son to teach his trade to and a daughter to coddle. He wanted so many things, but starting a family would be his ultimate challenge. Willoughby knew that involved meeting a girl and recently, he had only met one and he didn’t really know what she looked like (drat costumes and all). Hell, after their introduction he didn’t even speak another syllable to her. He was scared. He knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but at some point he’d have to try. He didn’t want to be that old unhappy man who yelled at kids playing in the street.
Willoughby leaned the broom up against the wall, his hazel brown eyes daring to look out the window. He noticed a pudgy figure heading towards him. The figure appeared familiar, “Tourin?” he muttered to himself, before sliding to the door. He unlocked the several locks and pulled it open. The cool night air rushed in. He squinted his eyes, the figure coming into view, “Tourin?” he yelled out, as both a greeting and a question. He only hoped it really was the short man or else this would be awkward.
Post by Tourin "termite" Might on Dec 15, 2013 1:47:40 GMT
Tourin lifted a hand and waved lazily at the lad. He waited till he was at the door to waste his breath speaking. didn't want to shout and upset the neighbors. After all, most of the working class lived behind or above their shops rather than waste all their earnings renting rooms from the gentry at unreasonable prices in central square, or shacking up in the hovel with those desperate or envious enough to quite possibly kill you for a shilling.
"Told you I'd be back," he chuckled good naturely once he was one foot in the door. Tourin gestured with his hand to the shop, "Mind if I come in?"
Post by Willoughby Tavers on Dec 15, 2013 2:03:34 GMT
Willoughby had to admit, he was glad to see a familiar face. After days and days of seeing random customers it was nice. He smiled at the short man, trying his best not to look down at him. He sidestepped out of the way, keeping one hand on the door, "No. No, not at all," he said, relieved that he had cleaned up a bit before Tourin arrived. The last thing he wanted was for his employer to see an unclean and un-kept shop. Once Tourin was inside, Willoughby shut the door. He turned his head towards the man, curious to why he chose to visit after closing instead during the day. Seeing how Willoughby ran the shop during the busiest time of the day would have probably given the short man a way better idea of how his shop was doing.
The mechanic pushed his notions aside and cleared his throat, "Can I get you anything?" he asked, migrating towards the backroom, where the refreshments and table resided, "I have tea...and water. Some bread too," Will added, knowing his "menu" was meager. He hadn't gone out for groceries yet. He had been too wrapped up in work to think about something as simple as food.
Post by Tourin "termite" Might on Dec 15, 2013 2:12:14 GMT
Tourin approved of the boys hospitality and accepted a cup of tea. While Will set to work making the refreshment, he showed himself around and inspected the space.
"You've done really well in a short period of time. News gets back to me pretty quickly in this district, and so far its all been of the good sort." Finding a good place to sit, he let himself down heavily and got comfortable. It wasn't until Will brought him the tea that he spoke again.
"You've got a lot of enthusiasm. That's good, and you have been driven by 'need' in the hovel. Not all of it your need, probably more than half of that motivation was based on the needs of others. that's good... that's real good..." he trailed off as he took a sip of his drink. It was good too.
Post by Willoughby Tavers on Dec 15, 2013 2:29:09 GMT
As he prepared the tea he listened to the man speak about how "news traveled fast". He was happy it was all good. It meant he was doing his job well and Willoughby always liked to hear that. When he finished pouring the tea into the cup, he handed it to the sitting man. Will sort of stood there awkwardly, unsure of exactly what to do. Should he seat? Should he stand? He decided to across from Tourin, immediately fooling with his hands as soon as he was situated. Tourin spoke of "enthusiasm", "need", and "motivation" as though he was giving an assessment of Willoughby’s character. What was the point of all this? He found it hard to believe that Tourin just waltzed over here to fill him up with compliments. He didn’t seem like the kind to do so.
“Thanks…sir,” he said, unsure of exactly how to respond. He was aware of his actions leading up to this point, but he never thought them praiseworthy, “Not to be rude, but I’m unsure where you are going with this…”
Post by Tourin "termite" Might on Dec 15, 2013 2:39:44 GMT
Tourin coughed on his drink and hammered himself on the chest a few times to clear his pipes. "Whereto indeed," the man spoke hoarsely once he'd cleared his throat. He set the cup aside and laced his fingers together in front of him. Tourin leaned forward on his knees and eyeballed the kid.
"I'm old." He said flatly. "Not going to tell you how old, cause even I don't remember these days. But what is more important than how old I am is how tired I am. And tired men have less enthusiasm, they lose their drive and they end up 'washed up'. I'm not going to let that be the way I'm remembered, you understand?" He probably didn't but after the blunt cut to the chase, Tourin was going to just be blunt and out with it too. "I'm a master mechanic and I never want to hear any different. From anybody. Which is why I got to retire now before they start saying different.
You're young kid, and full of talent and ambition. We got a whole roster full of talented people, ambitious as well, all that is good and important but they're missing something you've got. You've got the right wiring for how to respond to 'need'. And that's not something I can teach a fellow. That's something he's got to learn on his own."
Post by Willoughby Tavers on Dec 15, 2013 2:57:07 GMT
Willoughby stared at Tourin with curious eyes. So the old man is retiring? He thought, squeezing his hands together, What does he mean "you've got the right wiring for how to respond to need"? Oh drat. He's not saying what I think he's saying is he? Willoughby wasn't stupid. He could read between the lines.His heart sank, his eyes grew five times larger. Thousands of thoughts sprang into his head. He was not prepared for this. He had only just begun his job and now...Tourin was hinting at another task for Will take. He stood up and turned his back on the short man, trying to gather his thoughts. He took a deep breath and sighed. I could do this. I just need to make sure we are on that same page...that is all..
He turned his head back towards him, "Are you suggesting...that I should take your place?" he asked, trying to sound as humble and intelligent as possible.
Post by Tourin "termite" Might on Dec 15, 2013 3:51:06 GMT
"I'm not suggesting anything lad, I'm promoting you. There is a difference." He reached into on of his many jacket pockets and extracted something with some weight to it. He picked at some dirt on the cover that had no hope of ever coming clean. Branded on the very front of it was the Mingo's seal. "This book was turned over to me by a very clever lass. She was the founder of Mingo's and she believed in a collaborative unity between Merchs and Mechs alike. This was her journal. Its full of good ideas. some I never got to. The ones I did read had a way of keeping a man awake at night, dreaming of masterpieces that could be with all the right parts and just the right tools..."
He shook his head to dispense the memories. He never would have gotten around to them. He had been ten times Sienna's senior when she'd disappeared on that trade route with one of their colleges. It made sense to give it to a fresh young mind who could see things the way she had, do things that she probably would have done.
"Here Tavers, take it. You'll need it in order to really grasp the foundations of this union. And whenever you lose sight of the big picture, pick it up and read a few pages to help remind you. Mingo's wasn't always called Mingo's you know. Before we were just "the Mechanics guild", or "the Merchants guild". It took a young mind to go against the grain we were all used to, and going against the grain proved to be the best thing for us. It takes an innovative mind to improve things. When you get some rust on your joints, you start to forget that everything that needs fixed isn't always broken. Sometimes its something that already works, that just needs to work a little better." That was the reason the mingo's seal meant so much to this city. It stood for a standard in quality and made them more competitive than anyone else.
Post by Willoughby Tavers on Dec 15, 2013 19:16:56 GMT
"I'm promoting you.”
Will shook his head, amazed. How did this happen? How did he rise so high so fast? No man could possibly be this lucky? He was amazed that he had spent twenty-eight years of his life amounting to nothing then within the span of a couple days he was on top. He was now the leader of Mingo’s Merchanics. He turned back to Tourin, who held out a book to him. The book appeared old and a little dirty. Willoughby didn’t know what to do. He just stood there in shock. He closed his eyes for a second, trying to figure out what to do. Was he ready for this? He nodded to himself, yes. He could do this. He took the book from Tourin’s hands and held it close to his body.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said, keeping his eyes low, “I won’t let you down.”
Post by Tourin "termite" Might on Dec 27, 2013 20:47:11 GMT
"Good lad," The old mechanic replied. He stood to his feet, stretched his back till it popped, then with a satisfied grunt he patted the younger mechanic on the shoulder. "Take care of our stock, and forget about that shy streak yeh have, 'cuz they'll need a leader who is visible and audible. We're in the business of trade no matter what side you come from - mechanic or merchant - so be a leader in trade." He nodded once, assessing that everything was officially settled. and walked to the door to let himself out.