crystal.

[achievable]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Howard Stark
RECIPIENT: Everyone
NOTES: Nah

[ A snappy American (or dwarven or Qunari) accent, familiar only to anyone Howard has bothered in person over the last couple of weeks while finding his way around and becoming slowly convinced this isn’t a fever dream, breaks the mid-afternoon doldrums with, ]

You people really live like this, huh?

[ The time for acclimation is over. ]

You have kids who can throw electricity out of their fingers. And you’re walking up ten flights of stairs, in this heat? It’s interesting, but I hate it.

[ The time for being an ass has begun. ]

Someone explain lyrium to me. Only the dwarves and the wizards without feelings can handle it—I assume everyone else has tried gloves.

[ But, like, he’s not sure. Please confirm. ]

Comments

[achievable]

Does the engraving wear off, or does it last forever?

[ Business first, asses later. ]

[gentlecountry]

Well, it's more of a, ah, like a inlays sortsa thing, I think.

[There is a thoughtful pause.]

Suppose it coulds wear off, over time. No reason to says it couldn't. Don't usually see these things that old or worns out, is all; lyrium's valuables enough that the enchantment itselfs is usually protected from wear, or else it's reclaimed by the destructions of the object.

Suppose in absence of use, it'd last just about forever. Some thaigs got enchantments in 'em laid pert near ten thousand years ago, give or take.

[achievable]

So you have what's essentially a real free energy source, and for the most part you're the only people who can handle it? [ A pause. ] Has everyone else ever tried to conquer you?

[gentlecountry]

Oh, sure, those big doors ats the Orzimmar descent aren'ts for show. But you'd haves to be a lunatics to thinks it could work; evens if you could gets down into the city, there's darkspawns and two armies to thinks of besides. And of course, anybody who wins that sorts of fight'll starves to death insides of a month.

[Much of what Barty knows of war is actually only knowledge of siege. And he knows, very intimately, about the food supply of the underground settlements and cities.]

Dwarves been fightings for our survivals against the darkspawns for longer than any humans countries have had names. We don't likes to war with other folk, so we tends to get pretty much to the points abouts it.

And of course, if you were to finds yourself a nice secret veins of lyrium, then well. I imagines betweens the merchant guild and the carta, that wouldn't be so pleasants a prospects as you might thinks.

[achievable]

Mm. Interesting.

How controlled is the enchantment business? Can people hire your engineers? Or can you only buy the finished goods?

[gentlecountry]

Well, as I understands it Orzimmar goods has a bit of a cache, price-wise, but always good work so's it's sorts of a high-ends market, more or less. Leads to copy-cat work from the Carta every nows and against, but we all gets by somehow.

Long story short, most humans would get their enchantments from the circles, as I understands it. No shortage of tranquils, even if the work takes a lot of practice and skills to learn. I imagines there's a bit of that there profit motive in the whole ugly business— Sure a circle mage woulds be able to tells you more.

Course, plenty of engineers outsides the underground, dwarven and otherwise. Can't goes anywheres without folks needing something built. Engineering class is a bit above my ah, my caste, such as it is. I've stone sense enough to tells good work from shoddy sodding wastes of time, but don't go askings me for no particulars of detail. I'm only a Warden, afters all.

[achievable]

Stone sense?

[ Explain. ]

[gentlecountry]

[There is a brief, baffled pause.]

You know.

Stone sense.

[achievable]

Sounds like an insult.

[gentlecountry]

Well, you cans takes it howevers you want and then shoves is right ups your ass.

[This said with extreme mildness. Whether or not Barty is mad, he sounds so not-angry that it's likely someone else is going into a rage just to pay his anger-debts. He's in negative anger!]

Stone sense. Is what separates the surface dwarfs from the kinds what lives undergrounds, where we usuallies do. [Where we ought to.] Some gots is stronger or weaker, some loses it if they moves up here to the surface, but all dwarfs gots the Stone Sense, if they're born undergrounds.

[achievable]

Let me guess: it lets you sense stone.

[gentlecountry]

Good works there, smart guy, you figureds it out. Only took you five minutes and you did it alls by yourself.

[This is less mild. But still; calm.]

Gots any more questions for me there, sport?

[achievable]

[ With the rapid tone of a man ticking off numbers on his fingers: ]

What does it feel like? What are you actually sensing? How does it help with engineering? How quickly is it lost if you go above ground? Do you regain it if you back underground? Does strong or weak stone sense run in families, or does it seem random? Have any humans or—whatever else you have around here, have any of them been born underground in large enough numbers to see if it starts happening to them? Is your accent normal, for a dwarf, or did you make it up yourself?

[gentlecountry]

Huh.

[There is a long, thoughtful silence.]

Well, you're nots too smart or observants, but you gots an enterprising spirit of curiosity and I can appreciates that. [Deep inhale] And as it so happens, my accent is fairly regionals to a particular corner of the undergrounds. I find I'm quite prouds of it, to tell the truth.

The rest of that'll haves to wait for someones with more patience. Maybe you coulds take a trip to skyhold; hear they's gots an artificer ups there who's not half bad.

[achievable]

[ Howard, unlike some people, is so sure that he is smart and so unconcerned with what anyone thinks of him, that this means nothing. Telling him he isn’t smart is like telling him he’s purple. Clearly incorrect.

So: ]

Next time just say uncle. It’s faster.

[gentlecountry]

Ain't gots an uncle.

[He knows exactly what you mean, but is no longer having any of it.]

But facts is, anyones who'd try to turns an honest effort at help intos a competitions for putting a mans off of helping doesn't have the rights to ask for an ah, a efficiencies reductions, there.

[beat]

Haves yourself a nice days now.