Astingrad Test

(text-colour:orange)[(text-size:1.5)[All knowledge returns to Astingrad.]] Astingrad, an ancient city-sized library located in the western half of the Reziloran desert, is one of the true wonders of the world. Home to all knowledge, it owes its millenia-spanning operation and similarly impressive collection to its librarians. Especially the retrieval specialists, who make sure valuable, dangerous, or just outright strange books still make their way home. You're one such retrievalist, newly trained. you recieve your first summons to dispatch. Your branch of dispatch is located near the second floor of the library's great hall, in a small candlelit wing with red embroided carpet flowing over its floor. You come to office 236, a brass nameplate with 'Marcoz Pizinizhan' mounted to its front. You knock, and a voice like a furnace being stoked calls out from inside "Come in." You open the door and see a broad shouldered Suklonu, a fire elemental, busy organizing papers behind a regal desk. Their midnight blue suit bears the traditional golden embroidery of Astingrad, although it has additional red accenting you don't recognize. [[Look around the office.|P1.3]] [["Many returns, Dizivezh Pizinizhan."|P1.2]] [["Howdy Mark, got a mission for me?"|P1.1]] (set:$DispatchQuestions to 0)(set:$DaughterKnown to 0)

Marcoz freezes, papers in hand. Their flames grind to a crackling halt. "Would you like to try that again?" they say. They are not impressed by your casual greeting. While you're having some difficulty reading their emotions, you get the impression it's out of respect for formal proceedings, rather than any personal offense. [["Many returns, Dizivezh Pizinizhan."|P1.2]] "Lighten up brah." (click:"Lighten up brah.")["Tasteless, and they/them, Dizivezh if you need an honourific. Again." Marcoz says, still unmoving. "Diz I'm a loose cannon..." (click:"Diz I'm a loose cannon...")["And I am a captain with no time for faulty munitions." They cut you off. "Figure out how to treat your superiors with basic dignity or we'll find some other bumpkin who can."]]

Large windows behind Marcoz let plenty of light into the small but well appointed office. A globe that's clearly a liquor cabinet sits behind them in the right-hand corner. The side walls are lined with books as is traditional in Astingrad, and a number of framed pictures grace the shelves. They're old but dust free, and show Marcoz with what appears to be a military unit, broad smiles, all but Marcoz with visible sword and shield. "Distractable one, aren't you?" Marcoz says from their desk, gently chiding you. [["Just admiring your beautiful office dizivesh."|P1.3.1]] [["It's a retrievalist's job."|P1.3.1]] [["My apologies, many returns dizivezh Pizinizhan."|P1.2]]

"Many returns retrievalist..." Marcoz pauses, looking back at you. "Management didn't actually tell me who they'd be sending, what was your name?" (click:"Management didn't actually tell me who they'd be sending, what was your name?")[(set: $firstname to (prompt: "What is your first name?", "Dominique"))(set: $lastname to (prompt: "What is your last name?", "Aisling")) "Many returns retrievalist $lastname. Shall we discuss your mission?" They say, relaxing back into their seat. [["Lets. "|P2.1]]]

"It's a good instinct." says Marcoz, standing up from their desk and moving to your side, looking at the same picture. "Taking in your surroundings that is, especially as a retrievalist. Helps avoid nasty surprises." A smile widening their indistinct face as they flip a picture frame to reveal a small dagger with a polished brass guard and ivory handle. They revert the photograph to its original position before returning to sit behind their desk. [["The library approves of its dizivesh keeping weapons in their office?"|P1.3.2]] [[Say nothing.|P1.2]]

Marcoz pulls a small manilla dossier out from among the papers piled on their desk, and starts to read out key points from the documents within. "You'll be going to a village named Korvska, it's about 30 minutes away from the azure stop on the LCM if you're taking transit. The book in question is The Glassblower's Heart by K. H. Winstead, the borrower is one Ms. Dalia Burton, although she hasn't been seen in three days, pressumed comprimised. Questions?" (text-colour:"blanchedalmond")[(text-size:0.9)[//Employee Handbook Entry: Local Reality Distortion//]] (click:"Employee Handbook Entry: Local Reality Distortion")[(text-colour:"blanchedalmond")[(text-size:0.8)[Books are capable of producing competing realities, either internally within the book, or externally within a localized area. This distorts our reality, hence the name Local Reality Distortion (LRD). While the strength of a book's LRD usually corresponds to ontological proximity to its author, its grade is subjectively assigned, corresponding to the danger of retrieval. For example, otherwise harmless LRDs can become dangerous if they're unstable, intermittently slicing through our reality. Weak and stable LRD's can still be extremly dangerous if they are producing dangerous materials, such as an endless font of lava, etc.]]] [["First edition? How bad is the local reality distortion?"|P2.2.1]] [["Who last saw Ms. Burton?"|P2.2.2]] [["What's the book about?"|P2.2.3]] (if: $DispatchQuestions is >0)[[["That's all I need to know, thank you Marcoz."|P3.1]]]

"Not quite." they laugh, a gentle and crackling sound. "It's unusual outside the void archives, but few would deny a veteran a small keepsake. As long as its discrete I don't expect it to be an issue." they say, briefly return to arranging papers on their desk before pausing. "My apologies, skipped right over introductions. I'm dizivezh Marcoz Pizinizhan. And you are?" (click:"My apologies, skipped right over introductions. I'm dizivezh Marcoz Pizinizhan. And you are?")[(set: $firstname to (prompt: "What is your first name?", "Dominique"))(set: $lastname to (prompt: "What is your last name?", "Aisling")) "Many returns retrievalist $lastname. Shall we discuss your mission?" They say, relaxing back into their seat. [["Lets. "|P2.1]]]

(set:$DispatchQuestions to $DispatchQuestions+1)(set:$DaughterKnown to 1)"That would be her daughter, Verona Burton, 14 years old if our information is up to date. Dalia was a single mother, they lived at the primary mission location. Verona's the one who reported her mother's disappearance and the anomalous book. She's been living with a neighbouring family since the disappearance, the..." Marcoz shuffles a few papers, searching. "The Laroches. No information on them." they finish. [[Next question.|P2.1]]

(set:$DispatchQuestions to $DispatchQuestions+1)"First edition yes, mass market but published by Erstwhal and Sons, quality printing. The LRD's B-class, dangerous but low chance of death for trained retreivalists. A bit above what we'd normally start you on, but you showed some promise and we're a bit shortstaffed at the moment." says Marcoz, trailing off towards the end. Almost like he doesn't want to aknowledge a staffing shortage. "B-class? Any notable factors?" (click:"B-class? Any notable factors?")["Oscillating boolean presentation with a localized sub-reality. Normally a book like this would be C-class at best, but it's heavily constrained how its distortion manifests, so it's potent while it's active. We have no information on its duty cycle, so caution is strongly advised." they say, a tinge of genuine concern creeping into their formal tone.] [[Next question.|P2.1]]

(set:$DispatchQuestions to $DispatchQuestions+1)"Standard bodice ripper apparently. Noblewoman falls for a local glass artisan despite their class difference, love blooms in stolen away moments, etcetera etcetera." Marcoz waves their hand idly. "We predict its conceptual core to be glass, water, and romance. Deeply unpleasant afair." Marcoz shudders. (text-colour:"blanchedalmond")[(text-size:0.95)[//Employee Handbook Entry: Conceptual Cores//]] (click:"Emplyee Handbook Entry: Conceptual Cores")[(text-colour:"blanchedalmond")[(text-size:0.88)[//While anomalous books are highly unpredictable in general, the phenomena they produce tend to be tied to their contents. The nature of this relationship is complex, relying on environmental and internal factors. Some librarians refer to this as a book's self image.//]]] [[Next question.|P2.1]]

"A pleasure meeting you retreivalist $lastname, safe travels." says Marcoz, passing you some papers and an Outbound ticket. You exit their office, the closing door echoing through the silent hallway. You make your way to Outbound, an large employees-only office with several kiosks. Most are closed at this time of day, but you find a pert brunette woman behind one who takes your ticket and hands you back what appears to be standard containtment equipment, packed neatly in a leather attache. How do you get to the location of your first mission? [[Take the Large Cat Monorail|P3.2.1]] [[Walk, exercise never hurt |P3.2.2]]

You purchase a ticket and wait at the LCM station for a few minutes, untill an eight-foot tall grey striped cat slinks its way up a rail to your stop. It sits on its rail, bringing the 15-person carriage on its back to the same level as your platform, a small split-flap display on the top of the carriage flipping to display NEXT STOP: KROVSKA — DEPARTURE: 5 MINUTES. A few people empty out of the carriage. You note a small plaque near the door with an etching of a cartoon cat that reads "Hi! My name is BOSLEY." How do you proceed? [[Pet Bosley.|3.3]] [[Just

You approach Bosley, offering your hand so he can familiarize himself with your scent. Bosley blinks slowly, gives it a cursory sniff, and then yawns, revealing a cavernous maw with gleaming rows of sharp teeth. You have the thought that Bosley could easily eat you. [[I ain't a coward, there's a cat that needs petting.|3.3.1]] [[Just get on the carriage.|3.4]]

You lean slightly off the platform and carfully scratch Bosley behind the ears.