Jack's countenance lightens somewhat.
"Ah, good! You haven't forgotten. I do have a sliver of perfection on/in/with my person, matter of fact. If you've any more specific instructions for me, give 'em now.
Oh, and yeah questions."
He focuses intently on the blacksmith.
"You're absolutely certain that replacing my hand would remove my murder-thought? Entirely sure. Not telling a falsehood to your knowledge in any way whatsoever. Because if you were, out of fear of me or somesuch, now would be a good time to fess up."
Was your lie intentional?
A sliver of perfection is probably not actually necessary. Instead, material would be appreciated. Exotic material with properties that lend themselves to making good armor. Show him the sliver. If it is adequate and suitably auspicious, and you can find more of it, there should be no issue creating a suit of functional armor for you.
As for replacing your hand... the blacksmith bends down to look at your hand carefully, then at your murder-thought, which grazes silently above the chapel door, poised to drop on anyone in passing. He looks over the hand, poking it slightly. You wince with a somewhat surprising amount of lingering pain, and your thought jumps a little in its position. He inclines his head one way, then the other.
The mangling of your hand and the creation of the thought were probably connected if the process by which he made it did anything at all, and even if it didn't there may be some property of you that was manipulated to produce it. If he were to employ his best present judgment, it would stand to reason that fixing your hand would somehow affect your ineffable weaponry.
How that would be, however, is beyond him to say. Would it cease to be? Become stronger? Remain in place? He was on something of a desperation high when he made it, and some time afterward as well, so you might not want to apply skepticism to some of the "insights" produced in this fashion. After all, he is fairly sure this particular miracle is non-reproducible. With his PRESENT understanding, mind you.
If you are interested in something more concrete, he could work on a metal hand as a replacement if you gave him some time to study your thought in a controlled environment, see what it is and what could be done with it. Quite a lot, he imagines, and you spot a little gleam in his eye. And Mr. Wilde could probably help with his expertise if he wishes. Would a lens help target it, or a horn improve its properties? So many questions! BUT, all these can be resolved. It would be an excellent test on many levels. He smiles as he stands up and meets your gaze. The process could be streamlined, understood, optimized, improved, its limits tested, met, crossed, broken. Don't you agree?
"Sorry. Underground rooms tend to have too good acoustic properties." Leif squats down, pokes the falchion, wonders what in Eitri's name he did wrong and tries to fix it. "Tell me when it looks real enough."
The illusion's working fine on your end, you're not sure what her problem is. Maybe a congenital defect. Or lack thereof that you could exploit. You look at Lee, who stares unamused, and grab the falchion in the other hand.
[I Have The Power: 6]
You dial the heat up a little, and the light up some more, and the room is slowly illuminated as the falchion grows white hot. You look at Lee, but she is unconvinced, so you go brighter, hotter, faster! The falchion bends, and you drop it again. This time it hits the ground wetly, deforming a bit. Do you see, you proclaim! No, says Lee. See what? The falchion continues to glow and emit rippling heat and a bit of smoke as it loses coherence, slowly melting into a puddle. Do you see, you ask, and Lee once again says no. You point at the puddle, it's right there! Are you blind, woman? Lee looks down. She doesn't appear to see anything. Okay, you give up, you say, and the puddle slowly transitions back to a red heat, then calms down to ordinary darkish iron.
"I suppose we should deliver that report now?"
Do so.
Deliver the report, yes, the Worm-knight says, and also the new prisoner. She pokes the paranoid guard and gets the other guards present to help, all of them grabbing the stout fellow and lifting him up. They try a rather risky arrangement of each one holding a limb, but give up soon enough and the largest guard just throws the fellow over her shoulder and you move along. The drawbridge lowers readily, and the main gate welcomes you, a few guardsmen looking excited by your find, following along. A couple go to call up more of their comrades, it seems, as by the time you reach the courtyard guards appear to be converging on you from all sides, eager to hear news of your scouting trip. Do they have food there? Are there many stout folk? Is the whorehouse still open? The questions almost immediately blend together, and the Worm-knight merely lowers the visor on her helmet as you walk forward while your companion guard just fidgets and responds evasively, looking uncomfortable at being swarmed like this.
"Ah. I'll leave you two to catch up..."
Stretch legs a little and look around to see if anything interesting's happening in the courtyard.
Ooh! Mr. Minstep and his fellows seem to have returned, and they're bearing a stoatman prisoner. Or that's what you hear from the assembling crowd of guards. By the time you notice a hubbub by the gate about twenty guards are already pestering them. You notice the captain of the guard observing impassively, and slightly behind him a man with a shaven head and a scarified eye on his forehead who seems to be observing the people with a stare so blank you can't help but insert a variety of evil thoughts into it.
Leif Erikson, Miner
- A Word: INEVITABLE
- A Word: APOCALYPSE
- Mead of Poetry (7 shining revelations remaining)
- Enders' Friend: The Grave of Red Clouds Parting
- Small brass box
- Improvised Quarterstaff
- Body Count: 1
- All Broken Up: A Miracle of Alchemy
- Damp and moldy fuel
- Reappropriated, Clean Skirt
- Inscribed Wooden Stylus
- Iron Spearhead
- 1.03 gp
- The Box: ?
- Tower of the Mind: Convenient Relocation
- Induced Lucidity: the Aftermath, or the New Beginning
- Compatibility: Minding
- Tricks of the Mind: Cormick's Condescending Riddle
- Tricks of the Mind: Perceptual Rebuke
- Tricks of the Mind: Erikson's Inexplicable Grapefruit
- Tricks of the Mind: Speak With The Mob
- Tricks of the Mind: Headfirst Dive
- Tricks of the Mind: Lend Them Your Limbs
- Tricks of the Mind: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
- Tricks of the Mind: Erikson's Seeds of Discontent
- Tricks of the Mind: Glowing Looks
- Party in the Courtyard: Celebration in Earnest
- Never In: Swallowed By The Pit
- Gods of the Underground: Did You Just What
- Labyrinths of Anglefork: Tunnel-Literate
- The Voracious Dark: Two Deals Made
- The Voracious Dark: The Promised Sixth
- Moth's Flight: Preparations For The Return
- Troubles In Anglefork Town: More Lethal Than Anticipated
- The Secret Life of Stoats: Harnessing Potential
Eileen Minett, Vinyl Collector
- Wounds: 1
- The Mind, It Goes A-Wandering: 1
- In Living Memory: Drinking Buddy
- In Vino Veritas: Several Measures of Whisky
- The Doom Guard: Consorting With The Enemy
- Exotic serrated zweihander
- Reclaimed Hooded Robe (worn, torn)
- Inauspicious Day: Off Into The Horizon
- Giant White Mushroom
- A Word: SEA
- A Word: HUNGER
- A Word: CHAOS
- A Weapon: Explosive Cysts
- The Voracious Dark: Three Connections Given
- Tower of the Mind: There's Something To Remember
- The New Queen: And Something To Forget
- Body Count: 1
- The Impromptu Prophecy: ?
- Sweet Little Children: Fond Farewell
Jack Daniels, Karate Man
- Red and gold vest and breeches combo (worn)
- Leather boots (worn)
- 14033 gp (in sack)
- The Queen's Guard: Unusual Troublemaker
- Wounds: 2
- Powers of the Beyond: Gardener of Thoughts
- Dusty Wooden Speaking-Trumpet
- Crossbow Bolt (in throat)
- A Word: REND
- A Word: SILENCE
- A Weapon: Murder-Thought
- Traces of Mischief: A Bisected Left Kidney
- Traces of Mischief: Ruined Left Hand
- Uncoupled: Strength
- Wooden Door (held)
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: A New Direction
- Tower of the Mind: Endless Well of Mystery
- Induced Lucidity: A Garden Well-Tended
- Elongated Affairs: Enemy of the New State
- A Place In History: Vastly Unreliable
- Anglefork Castle: the Great Serpent
- The Obsolete Class: Suggested Victims
- 2 rats, crushed
- 1 rat, strangled
- 1 rat, live
- Travels In The Fourth Dimension: Sunday ± 2 Days
- The Impromptu Prophecy: There's A Mountain Higher Than We Knew
- Doomstones: So High Up But Such A Bitter View
- The Majordomo: A Great Divide Between Us Now
- The Voracious Dark: Decreasing Demand
- The Voracious Dark: More Specific Requests
- The Good Doctor: A Recommendation
- Body Count: 3
Thomas Minstep, Insurance Agent
- Troubles In Anglefork Town: Bearer of the Sword
- Wounds: 2
- A Word: ABSENCE
- A Weapon: The Sword They Fear
- Traces of Mischief: Nausea's Depths
- A Bowl, Black and Knobby
- Anglefork Castle: From Another Time, Another Land
- Gross Incandescence: Partly Illuminated
- Tight Leather Pants (worn)
- Incredibly Tight Blue Dress (worn, mutilated, mildly provocative)
- Travels In The Fourth Dimension: Saturday, July 24th, 409 S.D.
- The Majordomo: Busy Morning
- The Good Doctor: House Call
- The Queen's Guard: Can't Take Your Eyes Off Them For One Damn Second
- Make A Man Out Of You: A Crowning Achievement
- The New Queen: Awkward Savior
- Tower of the Mind: Advice Given
- The Obsolete Class: Let Them Be
- Cruelty-Free Foods: Treats Survived
- The One They Fear: A Satisfactory Contract
- A Place In History: The Home Stretch
- Body Count: 2
Oscar Wilde, Chemistry Teacher
- A Word: REVELATION
- Time-ender's measure (wrapped)
- 10 m of rope
- Half a candle
- This Is The End: A Grim Prophecy
- 1 rat, skinless and smoked
- 6 gp
- Poor Misshapen Dice
- Lock of Hair (unidentified)
- Iron nail, unused
- An Inauspicious Key
- Burlap Foot Wrappings (worn)
- Burlap Hand Wrappings (worn)
- Moth-Eaten Hat (worn)
- Respectable Brown Skirt (worn)
- Old Brown Waistcoat (worn)
- Bright Yellow Tunic (worn)
- A Wealth of Burlap Ribbons
- An Obsolete Class: Trustworthy Individual
- The Flip Side: the Denouement
- The Doom Guard: The Inquisition Moves On
- Tower of the Mind: An Interruption
- A Frightening Door: An Understanding
- The Voracious Dark: Backed Away
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: Future Hopes