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{{TErow| 1 | AI - minus res| freq=1|loc=(AI)|effect=-500 {{Wood}} [[Wood]], -500 {{Ore}} [[Ore]], -500 {{Mercury}} [[Mercury]], -500 {{Sulfur}} [[Sulfur]], -500 {{Crystal}} [[Crystal]], -500 {{Gem}} [[Gems]]}}
{{TErow| 1 | AI - minus res| freq=1|loc=(AI)|effect=-500 {{Wood}} [[Wood]], -500 {{Ore}} [[Ore]], -500 {{Mercury}} [[Mercury]], -500 {{Sulfur}} [[Sulfur]], -500 {{Crystal}} [[Crystal]], -500 {{Gem}} [[Gems]]}}
{{TErow| 1 | [[Todd]] Intro| loc={{blue}}|{{h|Todd|0=}}: I have long gotten my name inked into history. Sure, there was a time back in the day when that [[dwarf]] [[Bertram]] kept appropriating my inventions and profiting from them, despite having put no effort into them, save for a handful of gold. Much water has passed under the bridge since. Today, you’d scarcely find one in [[Jadame]] who hasn't heard of my self-propelled steam engines, the [[Automaton]]s! [[Bertram|Ol’ Redbeard]] may insinuate that I merely took apart and put back together what [[Frederick]] had done before me all he wants... Nonsense, all of it! Granted, I indeed got the prototypes from [[Frederick]], but, for crying out loud, they are based on a theory developed a good two centuries ago by our common ancestor! And what a great, undeservedly forgotten man he was—but ended up getting blotted out of the Bracadian annals. Only his diary, signed with the enigmatic initials—[[D.P.]], and a portrait, which I keep in a special place in my workshop, have survived. [[Frederick]] proposed the powerplant solution, but the mechatronics, the strength calculations, the control equipment, the unique hydraulic logic machine—that was all me!<p>It is now time to prove once and for all to that peddler, and to all of [[Jadame]]—no, to the whole world—that talent can't be bought! Either you have it, or your name is [[Bertram]]. I've been waiting for this for a long time, too long. Here was my chance to finally get even with that wheeler-dealer for his patronizing tone and vile irony; tread him down and humiliate him so that everyone can see his shame! My invaluable experience as an inventor, my golden hands—and a little elbow grease, but that's up to [[Sam]]; I'll admit she's not a bad [[mechanic]].... All we have to do is to perfect what’d been brewing in my head for so many years. Now that’ll be a proper snub on the nose for this so-called "[[Merchant Guild|Guild]]," only good for snatching honest bread out of the hands of humble geniuses like me.</p>}}
{{TErow| 1 | [[Todd]] Intro| loc={{blue}}|{{h|Todd|0=}}: I have long gotten my name inked into history. Sure, there was a time back in the day when that [[dwarf]] [[Bertram]] kept appropriating my inventions and profiting from them, despite having put no effort into them, save for a handful of gold. Much water has passed under the bridge since. Today, you’d scarcely find one in [[Jadame]] who hasn't heard of my self-propelled steam engines, the [[Automaton]]s! [[Bertram|Ol’ Redbeard]] may insinuate that I merely took apart and put back together what [[Frederick]] had done before me all he wants... Nonsense, all of it! Granted, I indeed got the prototypes from [[Frederick]], but, for crying out loud, they are based on a theory developed a good two centuries ago by our common ancestor! And what a great, undeservedly forgotten man he was—but ended up getting blotted out of the Bracadian annals. Only his diary, signed with the enigmatic initials—[[D.P.]], and a portrait, which I keep in a special place in my workshop, have survived. [[Frederick]] proposed the powerplant solution, but the mechatronics, the strength calculations, the control equipment, the unique hydraulic logic machine—that was all me!<p>It is now time to prove once and for all to that peddler, and to all of [[Jadame]]—no, to the whole world—that talent can't be bought! Either you have it, or your name is [[Bertram]]. I've been waiting for this for a long time, too long. Here was my chance to finally get even with that wheeler-dealer for his patronizing tone and vile irony; tread him down and humiliate him so that everyone can see his shame! My invaluable experience as an inventor, my golden hands—and a little elbow grease, but that's up to [[Sam]]; I'll admit she's not a bad [[mechanic]].... All we have to do is to perfect what’d been brewing in my head for so many years. Now that’ll be a proper snub on the nose for this so-called "[[Merchant Guild|Guild]]," only good for snatching honest bread out of the hands of humble geniuses like me.</p>}}
{{TErow| 1 | [[Bertram]] Intro| loc={{orange}}|{{h|Bertram|0=}}: Lamp oil that burns brighter than any candle—just a cup of it will keep your home lit all night. Rope woven from the finest unicorn hair, with a core of pure spider silk, that can keep even a [[black dragon]] at bay. Bombs that can tear up rock in your mines or turn hordes of your enemies into so much mush. You want it? It’s all yours, my friend. As are hundreds of other items offered by the [[Merchant Guild]] of [[Alvar]]! I was wealthy and successful in business back in [[Antagarich]], but I had not the slightest idea of the possibilities membership in such a powerful company offered. Our [[artificer]]s here wouldn't have been doing half as well if it hadn't been for the [[Merchant Guild]]. It was I who reached an agreement with its representatives, and they now cover the supply of rare materials and reagents from all over [[Jadame]]. This deal gave me a seat and a vote on the [[Captain-Director Council]].<p>I've always said it, and I'm ready to reiterate it again: budget planning is key to any inventor's work, and at least half of his success depends on it. Now consider [[Todd]]'s recent accomplishments: almost all credit for them should go to those who have taken it upon themselves to fill out the boring paperwork, the uninterrupted supply of materials, and the outfitting of his shops. This puerile, careless… moth in a man's body… he flew down to [[Burton]] and somehow persuaded his kinsman that he could run a [[manufactory]]! Had I not long known [[Frederick]] myself, and had I not read in his eyes the silent plea to help the old airhead out... Look at him now: he has just barely made something out of himself, and makes it look like he doesn’t need the [[Merchant Guild|Guild]] anymore! Like we’re now irrelevant, only remembered of when he decides to whine some more about the interest rates! Highway robbery, he dares to call it! Little does he know that our rate accounts for dozens of criteria and uses formulas several times longer than the most complex thing he had ever been able to write in his entire life! You know what, buddy? That’s it. I've got a waiting room full of guys like you right now. Each one smarter and quicker than the last. Where would you be with your steam-spitting stilt-walkers, hadn't I sneaked three of my best process engineers onto your team? Men I invested ten years of my life into, hammering the understanding of how a real factory works into their heads? You would still be out there, polishing and grinding every rivet and nut, for you were never capable of stopping and soberly assessing the prospects of what you do. The [[artificer]] is just a cogwheel in the machine, and I can easily find one whose teeth won’t strip. Money is not of concern, for taking an ingrate down a notch is priceless. What can he do without us backing him? Make people laugh as his newest contraption stumbles a few steps, cuts a loud one and falls apart?! Meanwhile, we the [[Merchant Guild|Guild]] can guarantee you: however challenging the order, it will be completed on time and to the highest standard!</p>}}
{{TErow| 1 | [[Bertram]] Intro| loc={{orange}}|{{h|Bertram|0=}}: Lamp oil that burns brighter than any candle—just a cup of it will keep your home lit all night. Rope woven from the finest unicorn hair, with a core of pure spider silk, that can keep even a [[black dragon]] at bay. Bombs that can tear up rock in your mines or turn hordes of your enemies into so much mush. You want it? It’s all yours, my friend. As are hundreds of other items offered by the [[Merchant Guild of Alvar]]! I was wealthy and successful in business back in [[Antagarich]], but I had not the slightest idea of the possibilities membership in such a powerful company offered. Our [[artificer]]s here wouldn't have been doing half as well if it hadn't been for the [[Merchant Guild]]. It was I who reached an agreement with its representatives, and they now cover the supply of rare materials and reagents from all over [[Jadame]]. This deal gave me a seat and a vote on the [[Captain-Director Council]].<p>I've always said it, and I'm ready to reiterate it again: budget planning is key to any inventor's work, and at least half of his success depends on it. Now consider [[Todd]]'s recent accomplishments: almost all credit for them should go to those who have taken it upon themselves to fill out the boring paperwork, the uninterrupted supply of materials, and the outfitting of his shops. This puerile, careless… moth in a man's body… he flew down to [[Burton]] and somehow persuaded his kinsman that he could run a [[manufactory]]! Had I not long known [[Frederick]] myself, and had I not read in his eyes the silent plea to help the old airhead out... Look at him now: he has just barely made something out of himself, and makes it look like he doesn’t need the [[Merchant Guild|Guild]] anymore! Like we’re now irrelevant, only remembered of when he decides to whine some more about the interest rates! Highway robbery, he dares to call it! Little does he know that our rate accounts for dozens of criteria and uses formulas several times longer than the most complex thing he had ever been able to write in his entire life! You know what, buddy? That’s it. I've got a waiting room full of guys like you right now. Each one smarter and quicker than the last. Where would you be with your steam-spitting stilt-walkers, hadn't I sneaked three of my best process engineers onto your team? Men I invested ten years of my life into, hammering the understanding of how a real factory works into their heads? You would still be out there, polishing and grinding every rivet and nut, for you were never capable of stopping and soberly assessing the prospects of what you do. The [[artificer]] is just a cogwheel in the machine, and I can easily find one whose teeth won’t strip. Money is not of concern, for taking an ingrate down a notch is priceless. What can he do without us backing him? Make people laugh as his newest contraption stumbles a few steps, cuts a loud one and falls apart?! Meanwhile, we the [[Merchant Guild|Guild]] can guarantee you: however challenging the order, it will be completed on time and to the highest standard!</p>}}
{{TErow| 2 | [[Todd]] and [[Bertram]] - Part I| [[Todd]] was giving his newest invention a trial. With each new run, the mechanism worked better and better. In his dreams, he was already riding the mechanical beast away, to some place where wooded mountains meet the blue sky. Ah, if only he ever was able to complete just one device in its entirety! Not just another peculiar buzzing motor with legs, but a proper... he had long ago come up with a word for his dream machine: a sentinel, one of his very own design!<p>As [[Todd]] was alone with his thoughts, the workshop’s owner, [[Bertram]], was sitting at a desk in the corner, tallying up the books and jingling coins.<p>[[Todd]] shook off his dreamy attitude and spoke, as if to no one in particular:
{{TErow| 2 | [[Todd]] and [[Bertram]] - Part I| [[Todd]] was giving his newest invention a trial. With each new run, the mechanism worked better and better. In his dreams, he was already riding the mechanical beast away, to some place where wooded mountains meet the blue sky. Ah, if only he ever was able to complete just one device in its entirety! Not just another peculiar buzzing motor with legs, but a proper... he had long ago come up with a word for his dream machine: a sentinel, one of his very own design!<p>As [[Todd]] was alone with his thoughts, the workshop’s owner, [[Bertram]], was sitting at a desk in the corner, tallying up the books and jingling coins.<p>[[Todd]] shook off his dreamy attitude and spoke, as if to no one in particular:
“Have you, just once in our life, created anything that you could be truly proud of?”<p>The [[dwarf]] wrinkled his nose and silently went on about his thing.<p>“No, listen to me, you paper worm; have you ever dreamed of an alloy that makes chisels stronger than granite; of a perfect gear tooth shape that just works, without any backlash or seizure; of a tool whose touch instantly vaporizes the part of a metal workpiece you want gone? Ever begged the tip of a hair-thing drill bit not to break when failure would mean a year's work wasted?”<p>The dwarf grimaced. He was almost done counting the proceeds.<p>“Hey you old ginger mop, do you know the feeling when the last roughness in your mechanism rubs together, making it sing like a magic cricket from the forests of [[AvLee]]? Of welding a solid seam in two passes where no one else would have used less than five!”<p>The [[dwarf]] was done counting the money. Down to the last coin. He locked the pouch in the drawer, looked up and asked:<p>“Got any idea why no one likes us [[dwarves]]?”<p>[[Todd]] replied:<p>“‘Cause you're fat, boring, earthbound!”<p>- ...and greedy," [[Todd]] added and turned to the window. Something glistened on his cheek.<p>[[Bertram]] stroked a curl of intricate carving with his finger and whistled. The desk made a long, rattling sound and stomped off into the far room, with smoke billowing out of the inkwell. The [[dwarf]] pulled his glasses down to the tip of his nose and eyed [[Todd]] up. The young inventor sighed heavily and waddled over to the drawing board.</p>}}
“Have you, just once in our life, created anything that you could be truly proud of?”<p>The [[dwarf]] wrinkled his nose and silently went on about his thing.<p>“No, listen to me, you paper worm; have you ever dreamed of an alloy that makes chisels stronger than granite; of a perfect gear tooth shape that just works, without any backlash or seizure; of a tool whose touch instantly vaporizes the part of a metal workpiece you want gone? Ever begged the tip of a hair-thing drill bit not to break when failure would mean a year's work wasted?”<p>The dwarf grimaced. He was almost done counting the proceeds.<p>“Hey you old ginger mop, do you know the feeling when the last roughness in your mechanism rubs together, making it sing like a magic cricket from the forests of [[AvLee]]? Of welding a solid seam in two passes where no one else would have used less than five!”<p>The [[dwarf]] was done counting the money. Down to the last coin. He locked the pouch in the drawer, looked up and asked:<p>“Got any idea why no one likes us [[dwarves]]?”<p>[[Todd]] replied:<p>“‘Cause you're fat, boring, earthbound!”<p>- ...and greedy," [[Todd]] added and turned to the window. Something glistened on his cheek.<p>[[Bertram]] stroked a curl of intricate carving with his finger and whistled. The desk made a long, rattling sound and stomped off into the far room, with smoke billowing out of the inkwell. The [[dwarf]] pulled his glasses down to the tip of his nose and eyed [[Todd]] up. The young inventor sighed heavily and waddled over to the drawing board.</p>}}
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