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[Elephant Parade]

((nooooooo i liked what i had written for the other one better))

You tell the baron that you don't know.

3

He doesn't look happy. "You don't know?" He slams his fist on the table. "How can you not know? You're a weather magician, for Za's sake!"

You rise to speak. "The thing is—"

"No!" He extends his palm. "I don't care. If you don't know, find out—within the next two weeks. Or else." He stomps out the door, his guards following him.

Well, you're going to have to do something.

A - Acquiesce: Try to remember what the signs of magically-induced weather are, and search the sky for them. Maybe do a couple of cheap rituals, too, to be safe. (This option will prevent you from spending the week on research.)
B - Above and Beyond: Go all-out on weather rituals. Identify without fail whether something weird is going on. (This option will take the full two weeks, and also consume a non-insignificant amount of mana.)
C - Abstain: You're pretty sure nothing weird is going on; if you do nothing and just tell him it was natural, he'll be none the wiser. Probably. (This option will allow you to spend the week on research.)

Spoiler: the road not travelled (click to show/hide)

You tell the baron that it's just a dry spell—and, you quickly specify, not the magical kind.

3

He frowns. "Well, I suppose that could be it. You hardly have any reason to wreck the weather, after all..." He pauses. "Well, regardless of whether you did it or not, I still need you to fix it." He pauses. "Unless it's about to fix itself?"

You shake your head. "I don't know. I never actually learned weather-telling—"

He interrupts you. "Then we can't risk it. Here's the deal: You fix the weather, and I'll pay you—or, if you'd prefer, I could give you this weird magic thing I got from your dead teacher. (Before you ask: I don't remember what it is. If it turns out to be totally useless, I'll just give you the money.) Oh, and I'll also get your door fixed."

[somemildmanneredidiot]

I'm thinking B

We then follow it up by presenting the Baron with the bill. If he's gonna be an ass about it, he can pay for it. We're not customer service (divines have mercy on them), we're the wizard. And he better respect us as such.

[crazyabe]

B.

[Tomasque]

I'm thinking B

We then follow it up by presenting the Baron with the bill. If he's gonna be an ass about it, he can pay for it. We're not customer service (divines have mercy on them), we're the wizard. And he better respect us as such.

We should do it before, because if we do it after, he can laugh it off. If he realizes he'll have to pay for the "expensive materials" beforehand (of which only half will be used on materials), he'll be much more likely to pay up - or better, he'll tell us to forget about the whole thing altogether!

 And yes, Elephant Parade, I know we can't take as-of-yet unlisted options.

[Elephant Parade]

1

You end up wasting a ton of mana trying to figure out what you're doing, but, at the end of the two-week period the baron so graciously gave you, you can conclusively say that no, there's nothing weird going on—it's just weather.

Spring of 342 - Week 4

The dry spell has ended.

Spring of 342 - Week 5

As promised, the baron returns, his entourage of guards in tow. He enters through what was formerly a door. You go down to the entry-room, as before.

4

He glares at you. "So, wizard: What is your verdict?"

"It was just the weather; I can say that for certain."

He frowns. "Oh. Huh. I guess that's that, then." He pauses. "I'd ask you to fix the weather, but it seems to have fixed itself. Is there anything else of note?"

Now's your chance to respond.

A: "No. Good day to you."
B: "Confirming the weather's true nature took a great deal of time and energy. I would appreciate reimbursement."
C: "Actually, I did fix the weather. You're welcome."
D: "Actually, I did fix the weather. I'd appreciate reimbursement for that—and for the magic I weaved to determine the weather's source, of course."
E: "Is this how you show your gratitude? Please do not enter my tower again."

[ZBridges]

B

[Arcvasti]

C

Really, the weather was fixed and we were nearby. That's what's important.

[Tomasque]

C

Really, the weather was fixed and we were nearby. That's what's important.

+1

[Whisperling]

B

+1

Doing a 180-degree turn like C would look... Weird, to say the least. Probably enough to rouse suspicion.

[Elephant Parade]

B

+1

Doing a 180-degree turn like C would look... Weird, to say the least. Probably enough to rouse suspicion.

too late — already nearly done writing

[Elephant Parade]

You tell the baron that you were the one to fix the weather.

5

Surprisingly, he seems to believe you—or if he doesn't, he's choosing not to show it. "I see. In that case, I suppose that I must thank you, Wizard of Weather." He frowns. "As a boon, I shall return an item I, er, collected from your late mentor. Farewell." As he walks through the doorway, he pauses. "Oh, and I'll get your door fixed, too." The baron and his squadron march away once more.
The next day, a well-dressed man walks up to your door, a package in his hands. Instead of entering, he just sort of stands around awkwardly. "Uh, hello? I'd knock, but..."

As always, you walk down to meet him. Upon seeing you, he visibly relaxes, walking in after only a brief pause. "I come bearing a gift from our baron, Octis." He hands you the package. "Unless you wish to send a message back with me, I shall take my leave."

You wave him off; after giving one quick bow, he leaves through the still-empty doorway. You head back upstairs with the package, excited to see what might be inside. Unwrapping it, you find...

...a reflective grey robe! You recognize this item—it's the Robe of Rain! When worn, it absorbs nearby raindrops, converting them to mana—and transferring the mana to its wearer! Of course, it can't transfer the mana if no-one is wearing it, and it has no real storage capacity, so it won't do much good if you're cooped up in your tower each day... which you usually are. Darn.

It should make meditating more efficient, at least. Also, you can stop wearing your current, totally mundane robe—which was honestly kind of embarrassing. You're glad you haven't met any other wizards since you've claimed your tower.

(Later that week, a carpenter comes by to fix your door, as promised.)

Spring of 342 - Week 6

Early one morning, you wake up to the sound of someone knocking on your door. (Man, it's nice to have a door again.) Opening it, you expect to see the baron, or perhaps one of his servants; instead, you're greeted with the dirty face of a farmer.

He's clearly nervous, but he manages to work up the courage to speak. "U-um, hello. I'm a farmer, and I'd like to ask you a favour." He gulps. "Our farm hasn't been doing too well, and... uh..." He trails off.

You start to tap your foot; he immediately jumps. "Sorry! Sorry! Well... I heard that you fixed the drought a while back, so I was wondering if you might be able to give my farm a bit of extra rain, i-if it isn't too much trouble." He freezes. "I wouldn't expect you to do it for free, of course! We aren't rich, but I could provide you with some food. If you need food." He rubs his chin, clearly thinking. "Oh! If you need an apprentice, we have a son."

You frown. A costless source of food would free up some funds, but not enough to justify draining the last of your mana reserves—which a weather spell, even localized to a farm, would likely do. The apprentice is an even worse offer; you have hardly anything to teach—only what your own mentor taught you, really—and the chance of any given farmer's son having a large amount of potential is rather low. You'd certainly be able to teach them, if they had the drive, but they'd never be great.

...Well, assuming that they don't have an exceptional amount of potential; someone has to win the lottery, after all.

He's getting really anxious. You should probably answer before he panics and runs off.

A: "I will accept your request out of the goodness of my heart. No payment is necessary."
B: "I will accept your request in exchange for the food."
C: "I will accept your request in exchange for an apprentice."
D: "I will accept your request in exchange for the food and an apprentice."
E: "Do you have anything else to offer?"
F: "I apologize, but I lack the mystic energy needed to grant your request."
G: "You waste my time. Begone."

((I would talk about the apprentice system, but I'm tired. tl;dr: wizards are celibate, so you get pupils instead of heirs))

[crazyabe]

D.

[Tomasque]

E

[ZBridges]

E

[Demonic Spoon]

B