driftfleet | [ you can't play that. ]

Who: Belthazar and you!
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Blue Fish only.
When: Backdated to Saturday, 2/11.

[video;]

[Belth is adjusting rather nicely to his new ship, all things considered. He's a little somber having noticed Finrod's absence from the roster of his old one but it is what it is. Life goes on for those who survived when others did not. His expression is tentative and neutral as he switches on the camera to address the network. He's wearing better-fitting clothes this time, at least.]

This world is a peculiar shape, is it not? How did the Co'kal even build such a thing? It must have been so long ago, and it looks about as successful as terraforming can be. But then, how is it able to have an atmosphere? The more I think about it, the more questions I have...

That is not what I meant to talk about, however.

[He coughs lightly.]

I am looking for some help with a certain... ambitious project. I need an engineer or tinkerer, as well as someone with musical expertise, specifically for the crafting of a piano or harpsichord. In the absence of such I have procured a few books, but the engineer is absolutely non-negotiable. We'll need to make a piano from scratch and it must be of lasting quality. There is no better augment suited to a craftsman... or woman... I suppose. I'll pay for materials, obviously.

In short, I'd like to encourage music that wasn't provided by some planet singing in my ears.

[And his ears are very long indeed.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Feeling pretty lost already - wanna fill me in in case I end up there?

[He smiles briefly, but it's replaced with a know-it-all sort of haughty smirk. It's obvious he's putting on airs, but he's doing it both for Winn's entertainment and for the sake of educating him.]

Well! Since you asked so nicely...

[I'm so sorry, Winn.]

Items that are imbued with magical properties, like enchanted armor or robes made of charmed thread, can usually be reduced to magical reagents when they are too worn or damaged to serve their purpose. Dismantling them in this way allows one to weave enchantments around other items. Waste not, want not, as they say.

As for hearthstones, they are an important part of any adventurer's belongings. It is an enchanted stone that will, with some concentration and mana, teleport someone to the hearth from which it came. This can be particularly useful when you are alone and require help or you become very, very lost. A journeyman mage can simply cast a portal to where he wants to go but not everyone has that kind of capability, obviously.

[ never apologize, he is fascinated! sorry, the questions may actually never end now. ]

How do you do that? Can anyone do that, or do you have to be born magical, or in that world, or some other type of limitation? What kind of enchantments have you used? Do you have any enchanted items or - arcane fragments - or hearthstones here? I mean obviously they wouldn't work here cuz that'd be too easy - [ and the atroma are assholes ] but it'd be awesome to study one...

[Winn fires off a thousand questions and Belthazar still isn't overwhelmed. Finally, someone on his level.]

Magic is a part of everyday life, so most of Azeroth's races have some affinity for it even if they can't use it readily like mages do. Attuning something to one's mana isn't difficult-- it's just a matter of brief concentration, a trick most innkeepers can do without trouble. Honestly, all it takes is practice and perseverance to learn something... I've even heard of gnomes becoming priests, and they are far from religious.

I do not have a hearthstone here but I could certainly conjure an arcane fragment of my own mana if you'd like to study it. And I may be able to make my own hearthstone, given some time. I am not sure what sort of effects you are curious about. I can give you a basic overview of the properties of mana, and I suppose you could go from there --

-- oh! Would you like those things as payment for help with the piano?

[ keeping up, and rushing forward! ]

When you say 'isn't difficult' - do you mean you can like, teach me how to do that? Because if so that's what I want! I mean, the arcane fragment and the hearthstone would both be super cool too, but that sounds way cooler.

[ he would do it for free to be honest, but if he's offering... ]

If you have the capacity for conjuring, I very well could. I'm not sure if you have any latent magic, though. I'd have to test you.

[He rubs his chin.]

I could certainly craft a hearthstone and an arcane fragment for you to experiment on, though. The hearthstone might even come in handy if you need to return to your ship quickly.

How do we test me?

[ let's be real, he probably doesn't. he's doomed to be the only nerdbro in the multiverse without any shred of power. but he has to try!

and man, a hearthstone would've come in handy to him the many times he almost got himself killed. he's sure it'll come in handy many times again. come ooooooon magic! ]

[He might be a normal human, but normal humans can still use hearthstones. It's worth a shot.]

Most people find they are born with magic when they accidentally set something on fire or freeze it, so conventional tests are not terribly necessary... But, regardless, I think you should be able to imbue something with mana.

If an orc peon can learn it, so can you.

[ do you see this smile, belthazar? that is the smile of a 5 year old getting all his christmas wishes, and being told that on top of it, santa's letting him jump on his sleigh to check out the north pole. ]

Okay! So how do we do this, when do we do this?

[That smile is so bright that he isn't really sure how to respond to it. He's here to do science and yes, he gets excited, but Winn's excitement just makes him turn pink.]

I-it's really very basic, but um, whenever is best for you. My schedule is fairly open.

[ there is no excitement like nerd excitement. ]

We can work it in on a piano break?

[ winn, other work is not how you take breaks. ]