Mother of Invention Part 3 - RPLOG
From Rusted Promises
Participants
Date
1/4/477
Log
Siyu phews a little bit and cracks his neck. He's dressed in his forge leathers, from head to toe, after all he's been working rather hard. An iron frame has been assembled in front of his stall. The rodent of course has been hammering in iron rivits, making sure the whole frame is constructed and ready. The hot iron rivets get pounded and pinned in the classical way. A couple of heavy looking horses he's hired are also moving things. The components are slowly coming together.
Fenris saunters up to Siyu's cart, standing back a little and watching all the heavy lifting going on. "Anything I can do to help" the tiger calls, spotting his little friend amidst all the bustle, "This looks pretty complicated."
Nievea pads into the area, paw stuffed into the deep pockets of her jacket. Noticing the small crowd, she heads over.
Siyu nods his head, "Well it is just a prototype." he smiles at Fenris, "Actually you can look over the plans, tell me if you see anything off" he motions to the table with the large parchment with the final design laid out upon it. "I think I made all the calcualtions right...actually if you know how to mix iron gall ink please do so...I have the ingrediants there." he chitters a bit. Looking at the frame he motions to two huge assualt goelm coil springs. "Now put the coils in place, and I'll pin them..." he chitters. The two horses lifting the huge springs and setting them into place on the frame. More hot rivets as the plates are riveted in to secure the springs.
Fenris laughs brightly. "Siyu," he says, "I have dabbled in many trades, but alchemy is my weakest!" The tiger saunters over to the indicated table and grins at the collected ingredients. "Fortunately, I can do ink," he says. Fenris gets to work on the ink when he notices an unfamiliar face watching the procedings. "Can I help you, miss?" he asks the unfamiliar panther girl.
Nievea glances over the scene with curiosity, "I'm not sure" She shrugged a bit, "I just heading to the Crafting guild. I'm looking to become an Apprentice or some such."
Siyu grunts as the springs are loaded now, and finally the heavy slab has to be put atop it. "All right...you two, do what I paid you for. Take the slab and up on the springs." they give a nod and a grunt, and a heavy, thick, flat and even slab, pure iron. Gets fitted to the top of the device. It appears is if the springs have enough strength to hold it up. So. they can take the weight and hold it up, and be compressed by them. More rivets, more plates, the hot wending causing the rodent to sweat. "There we are. Here's hoping everything holds together. I've reinforced the plates enough and the whole thing is made of iron..."
Fenris waves the girl over. "Why wait?" he says, "Let's get you started right now!" He hands the girl a prepared mortar and pestle, "Grind these up as fine as you can," he says. "Name's Fenris, by the way." The tiger turns back to face Siyu. "Does it NEED to be made of solid iron, Siyu?" he asks, looking over the hulking contraption.
Nievea beaming she takes the tool and sets to work. "I'm Nievea. Nice to meet you Fenris...and thanks!"
Siyu blinks a little bit, "Need to...well..." he huffs, "We'll see. I mean..." he motions, "if it survives well enough prehaps we can find a way to lighten it. For right now though I'd rather not build somthing nad have it break apart." he nods his head. The huge inkstone is brought in now and placed under the flat heavy press. He wets his lips and make sure the mathmagic runes are all in place. "The coil springs I got from Lord Brutus, the mathmagic I got from Daniel, the idea I recieved from Lady Mirana, and now we see if all the pieces fit..." he chitters some as he looks up. "Is the ink ready?" once the inkstone is put into place he'll finally reveal the last piece. It's a full sized poster sheet of copper. A copy of his announcment for the logging company done in full poster size. The raised letters of the copper glittering. "All right..." he takes the sheet and he places it into the ink stone slot. "Now you two...pull down, we'll see if the tolerances are right." he nods. The two huge horses come over, grabbint the handles on either side of the slab and pull down. THe rodent watches...watches...watches...clink! A bell chimes. A little silver bell. "hold it, one second..." he then looks at the gap examins it and grins, "Just enough space!" he chitters, "All right let it go!" the huge slab is raised up by the power of the springs.
Fenris takes the mortar and pestle from Nievea and finishes his last preparation with the ink. "Here," he says, passing everything over to the kangaroo rat and watching in awe as everything is tested.
Siyu lets out a low breath and he nods, looking at Fenris, "here's hoping it works..." he takes the ink and pours it into the well. Once the well is filled the mathmagic runes activate, and there are rippes of ink along the copper plate, until al the ink raises to the top of the letters, glistening and ready. he'll then takes a retangular frame, and places it over the sheet. Small springs will keep it hovering above the plate. "All right...now...paper!" he pulls a huge stack of paper next to the device. "Fenris, if you can pull the paper as it comes out and hang it on the drying racks...we'll see if it works...." he'll step to the side of the machine, and place the sheet of paper on the rectangular frame above the sheet. Ready for the press. The two big fellows holding onto the handles that will bring the slab down.
Fenris readies himself, keeping his hands well clear of the press's massive slab. "No problem," he says, "Just shout when I should take the first one out and I think I can manage from there."
Siyu nods his head, "Well I have a saftey feature." he looks at the two. "Pull the slab down to you hear the first bell, then let it go. Then don't pull down to you hear he second bell." he grunt and nod. It does work fairly well. "All right, hands clear Fenris...since you pulling off the sheet will happen before I put the fresh one on." he chitters, and then rings the bell. The huge horses pull the slab down, there's a clink, and then another bell ring, and the slab comes up! And....it's inked! A clean poster. Inked with the exact same pattern as the reversed imprint of the sheet.
Fenris lifts the sheet from the press and holds it up to the light. "This is amazing!" he says as he takes the sheet and hangs it from one of the prepared drying lines. "How many of these can we make?" he asks.
Siyu grins, "Let's find out!" he looks down, the ink has been recharged on the copper sheet thanks ot the magic runes, and he lays a fresh sheet of paper on. The bell rings again, and the press comes down, to the seceond ring, and the press comes up! Once more the sheet with the ink is there! He giggles and let's you remove the sheet, getting in a rythem. Bells chiming, keeping things relativly safe, since you have to use both hands to ring the bell. Really he figured it was the safest way to do things. Sheet after sheet. It takes about 50 seconds or so per sheet once he gets rolling. This isn't a practiced motion after all. The horses sweating, it's a bit hard work, but the springs do most of it.
Fenris laughs as he hangs yet another sheet of paper. "Not too shabby," he says, "Though I feel bad for your poor assistants." The tiger eyes the enormous contraption, "I imagine you could set most of this up in lumber, with just a few metal parts," he says.
Siyu grunts and soon the ink is running dry! 30 minutes of work has produced...well, enough sheets that would take a scribe a week to make. He motions for a break and he phews, giggling a bit and looking at the sheet. "Imagine that Fenris, it works, it works..." the full poster sized images just hang, crisp and clear with their ink, "How many book pages you think I could fit on one of these sheets..." The two horses get food and water, rubbing their arms. But they are paid muscle it's what they do. He blinks some, "You think it could handle the strain?" he asks, the metalsmith...a little parinoid about the strength of wood.
Fenris nods, looking over the speedy work. "I imagine that wood could manage just fine," he says, "If you reinforced it with a bit of math, you wouldn't know the difference." The tiger runs through a few folding scenarios in his mind. "You could probably fit 16 pages of a book on each of these sheets," he says, "Do you think you could print on both sides of a sheet?"
Siyu tisks a little bit and he snaps his fingers, "Math, math of course, I'm such a dolt, I keep forgetting..." he chitters, "For us that use no magic we always have to over think, when the obvious solution is magic..." he mmms a bit and looks at the sheets. "Both sides...I...I do not know. I mean, prehaps if there's a...a copper sheet on top of the press. Prehaps. It would be possible I'd have to work on more prototypes..." he chitters. "Still 16 pages a sheet. Libraries that hold 100 books are considered almost perfect. Scribes hand write each one..." he looks at the copper sheet. "Imagine a library of copper. If you wanted a book...a book can be made for you...in a DAY. Not a year of one scribes life. A copy of any book you wanted in a day..." he wets his lips. "I..." he thinks, "this is big...isn't it..."
Fenris nods. "This is very big," he says, "At least as big as Flora's picture box." The tiger can barely imagine what this could mean.
Siyu smiles a bit, "So a second prototype, with wood and prehaps two sheets, top and bottom." he considers. "A second ink well, the tolerances would have to be pretty tight..." he cinsiders a bit, "Oh let me show you how I make the sheets, they're pretty easy." he motions over to a sheet of iron and a scribing pen. It looks as if it's the sheet he put his missive on. It's written IN the iron sheet of course. So it can't make a reverse. "You know I have one of those new rolling mills. The ones that help us make sheets" he motions to the device with two steel rolls and a series of cranks. "So I carve it into an iron sheet...lay a copper sheet atop it, and feed it into the mill. THe copper presses into the iron, and gives raised letter. Metal inscribing is so easy with mathmagic, that any sort of message can be put in and turned into a copper sheet. And it will last. You can jsut come back to the sheet..." he wets his lips and looks back at the device. "What should I do next...should I...make an annoucnment?"
Fenris grins. It seems like there should be an easier way, instead of having to create a new plate every time, but he wouldn't know what else to do. "I don't know, Siyu," he says, "I guess it depends on who you want to know about this and what kind of protection you want." He nods to the machine, "This is butting up hard against the Church's demsne," he says, "I don't know if I can advise you here."
Nievea Nievea comes back out of the background, finished with her small task. She taps the mortar with her fingers, unsettling the fine powder inside. "Mr. Fenris?" She watches the two work, hoping not to interrupt. Is this fine enough?
Siyu blinks a bit, "The church? But it's not a creator device...this is somthing I made, a being made, a being made that works and does it well" he motions to the press, and smiles at it, "I could just announce it. Say that I am making posters...and prehaps work on starting one book. Prehaps somthing popular that I can offer..." he thinks, "I'll hve to contract a book binder though...I have no idea how to bind books." he chitters. He looks back over at Nieva and he grins a little bit "Well welcome back"
Fenris grins at Nievea. "Excellent work with the mortar and pestle," he says. The tiger guestures to his little friend, "Neivea, meet Gang Xi Siyu," he says, "Siyu, this is Neivea. She want's to become an apprentice at the craft academy."
With news about his friend and his new invention in his ears, Brutus comes stumping in, walking stick echoing on the cobblestones. As he approaches the gang and spots the grand contraption--his oversized spring dwarfed by the remainder of it, he pauses for a moment. "By my stripes--Siyu--friend--this is your 'little favor'?" He barks out a deep, jovial laugh as he puzzles over the machine.
Siyu bows his head, "Pleasure to meet you Nieva. Greetings and salutations" he chitters, "Siyu is ine, you can call me Siyu..." he looks back over to see Brutus and he grins, "Yes Lord Blackback...it's my first prototype press! Actually prehaps you can help, we were discussing what to do next..." 30 poster sized sheets hang drying. Obviously a sucessful test, still it is a big huge heavy thing.
Fenris sweeps a quick bow to Brutus. "Lord Blackback," he says cheerfully, "It's a pity you missed the run itself." The tiger waves to the two panting heavy folk horses who had exhausted themselves running the machine. "It may still have some kinks to work out," he says, "But Siyu here has come up with something rather remarkable!"
Nievea smiles, "Nice to meet you Siya" She peers curiously over his invention, then over to the Lord.
"Press, eh?" Brutus eyes the posters in the torchlight. All perfect replicas of one another, so far as he can tell. "Like...an automated stamp?" he ponders, twisting his signet ring. "Ingenious!" he blurts, staring at the dormant device, then sparing a glance to the two exhuasted Heavies. "Does it repeat itself?" he ponders aloud. "Attach it to a waterwheel and you remove the need for manual labor...make multiple printmaking sheets and you have a book writ in a day..."
Catching a glance at Nievea, the pudgy skunk straightens up (as much as he can), leaning heavily upon his staff. "Ah, greetings, good citizen." A bejeweled hand extended to her. "Pleasure to meet you, lass. I am Brutus, of the noble House Blackback."
Siyu nods his head a bit, "Indeed indeed..." he says and motions, "Just like a signet, it applies even pressure to ink and paper..." he chitters and grins, "Automated...for the water wheel. Well I hadn't considered it, I mean, I don't know how to easily get the paper on and off with automation. I mean this is just the first prototype Lord Blackback..." he chitters some and looks at Fenris, "We were just discussing...I don't think it's a church problem, I mean it's not a creator artifact, what is your thought." he says and hms. "And yes that's my goal! I can print posters...however we can fit up to 16 pages I think Fenris thought, on a plate. That means you could, in fact, print and bind a book in a single day!" he chitters. "A library of plates meaning you can get any book ever written...in just a day"
Fenris nods and shrugs. "Perhaps you're right," he says, "But the standardized writing is going to worry scribes for sure." He thinks over Brutus's water wheel idea. "The wheel would be something," he muses, "But dangerous to whoever is placing the paper. Maybe a golem would work?"
Brutus could sympathize with the scribes---after all, he too was a traditionalist who hated new things because they threatened The Way Things Are, and The Way Things Are quite favors him at the moment. But at the same time, his scholarly side itched at the idea--books could be manufactured and distributed en masse...knowledge would be available for all to lay their paws on, meaning more students, meaning a demand for teachers and tutors from the currently-educated (i.e., himself)! Plus, being associated with and contributing to such a brilliant mind could only reflect well on him, right?...Oh, and, um, advancement of society and stuff, right.
"The scriveners have spent their lifetimes toiling in dark rooms with ink-stained hands. Surely they could learn to operate these machines and do tenfold the work with a hundredth the effort," he declares ponderously. This could revolutionize things, the whining of some scribes be damned. He turns to Fenris, mulling over the suggestion. "Hm. It may take some...re-tooling. I am...unsure I have any golems suited to such a task...but if they can learn to fight, they can learn to work, I suppose." A glance at the still-tacky posters. "'tis a trick of academics to use a touch air maths to dry the ink faster than normal...if we could add that to the machine, a page would be ready to bind in minutes."
Siyu nods his head a bit, "So the question now is, do I keep this invention under wraps for now...that is, do I work on some different prototypes. You Lord Blackback are a golem crafter you can sort of work on some level of mechanical automation that would prehaps,s ave real fingers from peril. Magic might be your skill Fenris, prehaps you can help me make a wooden frame that works well?" he considers and looks at them both "What book should we try first. After all, someone needs to scribe all the metal plates I'll use. Prehaps an artisan can inflict the fine skills of illumination into each plate and it can be copied. If some people have a preferance for one scribe or the other. Multiple plates can be used after all" he chitters. "So yes, the question is should we refine it, or should I offer printing services right now"
Fenris taps his chin in thought. "You really need a place to keep this monstrosity," he says, "It can't just sit out in the marketplace like this." He walks a slow circle around the machine. "I think you should be fine, offering to print broadsheets like this," he says, holding up a nearly dried poster, "But I would hold off on a book until you have refined the process a bit."
Brutus perks up at Fenris's words. "Manor Blackback!" he cries with excitement. "I've got a right to my own personal space, and besides, we are a family of scholars. Surely they would welcome a brilliant new discovery that would help the masses with open arms. As for making it public..." he trails off, looking to Siyu, then the machine, then Siyu again. "How many people did you solicit aid from, and have aught besides us, your heavies and that commoner"--Niviea, that is--"any knowledge of it?"
Siyu nods, "It will do full posters and broadsheets...I mean...what do you charge for somthing like this." the two horses have recovered and are eyeing the machine like their kin would eye a mouth b it. They might be saddled with the duty for a while longer. "Since it works I'll dissaemble it and go find a warehouse to rent, and try to find a reasonable space to use a waterwheel..." he chitters. He looks at Brutus and blinks, "You'll take it to your place Lord Blackback! Well thank you." he grins a bit, "Well you I asked for springs, Fenris of course helped with some of the designs, the new girl yes, um, I got the mathmagic from a mage called Daniel, and of course I've been working with Lady Mirana closesly. It was her idea really..." he chitters some. He thinks a bit, "Yes that's it, at least that know it's purpose, of course I've been skirting around the edges of announcing it till I am sure it worked. And now I am!"
Fenris smirks at Siyu and his enthusiasm for this project. "I'm sure it will work out for you, Siyu," he says, "Be sure to let me know if you need any more help!" The tiger looks around at the darkening marketplace. "I'm afraid I will have to leave you to it for now," he says, "It's about time for me to go fulfill my contract at the inn."
Well, the Heavy Horses, weren't getting out of it yet. Surely they didn't expect Brutus to carry it, did they? Still and all, he was positively giddy--as giddy as his type got, at least--over this. A momentous invention to be sure, and he could be part of it! He eyes the press, skeptically, though, then the diminutive kangaroo rat. "So...how in Promise did you get this contraption out here discreetly?"
Siyu blinks, "Well just disasemble it. I mean, I put all the rivets into it myself, I will hammer them apart." he chitters, "I'm not a bellmaker I did not cast it all in one piece. I shall just simple deconsutct it. As it stands I should try to make one of wood this is just...a test" he smiles, "A sucessful test...um, unless you think I should start printing right away?" he inquires
Fenris laughs. "Do what you think best, Siyu," he says, slinging his pack over his shoulder and bowing to Siyu and to Lord Blackback. "I will see you both soon!" the tiger saunters off into the evening.
Brutus purses his lips. "Hm. Who would be our first customer? Reprinting the First Texts without the blessing of the Church seems...heretical."
Siyu says, "I meant offer prehaps...uh, the posters. We can offer Posters printed at a fraction of the cost. Rather then have to hand scribe it"
Brutus reddens a bit at being out-thought again, losing his composure a bit--ordinarily, he'd fuss, but this was his friend here. Trying to recover, he taps his chin(s) curiously. "Who would need posters the most?" He mulls it over. "If only there was a way to etch images from that strange kitten's picturebox onto these sheets..."
Siyu considers, "Images? Well...allyou have to do is carve the image into a sheet of iron, and then I can take an imprint of the the copper sheet. I mean, the mathmagic draws into into the sheet. So that the paper gets a perfect coating each time." he smiles some. "I mean I am sure someone can use posters, if no one else, the royal proclmations can be made...well, almost in an instant and passed out to every square." he smiles some, "Prehaps make the announcment and see who actually asks." he nods, "Though I wonder how much to charge" he grins a bit, and reachs over to give Brutus a hug! Daw! Friendship! Well at least he feels comfortable enough with the noble to hug him now.
Brutus responds with a jovial squeeze of the tiny figure into his soft, squishy midsection. "Even when half in my cups that night, I knew there was something about you, lad!" He ponders for a moment, Siyu still squeezed to his side. "Royal proclamation? Hm," he ponders, loosening his grip on Siyu. "Flora recently got an invitation to meet with the Good King over her picture box. Surely this deserves his attention as well."
Siyu grins a bit, "Prehaps prehaps...." he blinks and ponders, snapping his fingers, "Lord Blackback, you're a friend of the Royal Goods...can you...can you find out what the Good King's favorite book is? Prehaps a book printed, not wrote, but printed prestented to him, may just be the gift to get the royal writ, and prehaps, smooth over any sort of problems with the church over books." he grins, "I should celebrate. First I'll have to make a new sheet...and print the advertisments for posters! Once I get some interest in posters, then we can improve the prototype and work on books" he giggles a bit at the squeeze. "So...I thin kthat's the plan. A workspace in your manor, an improved protype development, posters, and Finally a book to the king!"
