Dr. Rosenthaw's Journals

Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw had written a journal during The Tether Project. Below are the contents of said journal.

5th of Char, 1904
Today the Confederacy of Articline has contacted me to put me into a position as Head Mechanical Research for a “Special Project” they have. Seeing as the war prevents me from doing much else, I happily agreed. They gave me a stack of papers about my target subject and then left, saying I would be given a transport to the location of our headquarters tomorrow. So far I have started my reading and I am both amazed and terrified of what is in front of me.

An ancient Demerian artifact, called the Tether, has been found in the middle of seemingly nowhere, claimed by an old and worn out family in the Province of Gearheart. They have a small village with a fairly large amount of folktale and legend surrounding this artifact, but because of its remote location no one has been interested in taking the time and effort into researching it. However, with the Confederacy being pushed by further and further by both the Dominion of Rhineland and the United Lands of Varenthal, they have been getting more and more desperate each day. Now they look to any nook and cranny of their land, hoping to find some item to save their land from destruction.

Apparently this Tether has a small amount of factual information behind it other than the most common of hearsay, being that it has never been activated before and that there are many craters amongst it, leading people to believe it an ancient tool of destruction. Even that, however, could be pure coincidence. Until I can assemble a team to begin our own studies, I am stuck here reading through this pile of wasted paper. -Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw

7th of Char, 1904
I am now at an undisclosed location that is in the middle of nowhere, even further than the Province of Gearheart. It seems the Confederacy puts a large interest in this project to be so secretive about its members. I know only who I report to through the initials “M.Q.L” that is printed on his handkerchief in his pocket whenever I speak to him. Other than that I am alone in a large metal base with only one other person who speaks to me. And it seems they are my partner in this scientific endeavor as well.

Magus Felicia Oswar, Magical Research Head, who was recruited yesterday, has been a pleasant if strange, company for the day. Together we have been sitting In the Mess Hall, sharing stories of studies and life in general, and becoming more friendly and accustomed to each other. We have been told that we will be allowed to start recruiting individuals to help us with our project tomorrow, so today Felicia and I have been relaxing. We both know that the moment we begin work we will have quite a few set deadlines that will require nights of little to no sleep and hours of writing. It is the hazard of our trade, and we both accept it. Until then, however, she and I have found this beautiful bottle of 1872 Amarinthian wine, and we plan on draining it all. -Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw

11th of Char, 1904
Felicia and I have had quite a few busy days recently. Between choosing our teams, gathering the equipment we will need, and arranging transport for it all, we have had nary any time to sleep at all. It is with absolute delight and surprise that I even found the time to write in my journal, but I shall not waste this time. We have gathered a team of twenty individuals who are all qualified to research the Tether. I shall not list them all because this is my own personal journal and I have written their names aplenty on the forms and documents the Confederacy has brought in droves. Instead I point out those who are most unique.

First I mention Marc Steiner, an otherwise average man except in his ability to understand the way that the arcane can travel. His prowess is unmatched, though he is quite a bit of an issue to deal with at times. Sometimes he will focus on a single task for days on end, and one cannot pry him away. Whatever the issues may be, he will still be a valuable asset. I had to convince Felicia this for an hour, so if anything goes awry I know I shall never hear the end of it.

Next is Adrastia Lyndon, a very eccentric engineer and overall master of anything mechanical. She has been the famed inventor of so many items of mechanical invention, the only reason she is not well known is that she would rather invent then deal with people. Eccentric in attitude, she can be worse than Marc in how she tends to pester others when she has finished what she had set for herself. I have had the… experience of working with her before. While I had Marc, Felicia had Adrastia. I do hope neither of the two have any issues.

The last of those who I find important is Damion Gauss. This is a man that is so unknown that when I mentioned him to Felicia she had no idea who he is. I, however, know exactly who he is. He is the only man I know who can fuse magic and technology like the Demerians could. He mainly deals in shadier, less than legal dealings, but makes a profit with every item he creates. The only reason he would come is for the challenge of understanding the Tether himself, but I do know he will come at the idea of a challenge.

Tomorrow begins the gathering of the last few members and then we are off. Such a remote place we go to, I would be surprised if it even had working power. I do not wish to be dealing with any nasty coal-powered engines, but if I must I shall have to suffer in the name of discovery. -Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw

16th of Char, 1904
It seems today is as good as any to write, though with how this journey began, I do think that any day is equally as bad.

Our travel started out with a fairly smooth ride. I was never a fan of these infernally loud vessels called automobiles, but both Damion and Adrastia seem to love them. We went out a few leagues when suddenly one of the tires popped, and we proceeded to sit unmoving for a few hours as the tire was repaired. Then, as a final topping to an already miserable day, it began to rain as we had to wait for repairs to finish. Things only went downhill from there.

The next day we had to unload the vehicles In order to transport our equipment over unpaved land. It took us a few hours to bring everything to the campsite, a few minutes away from the Tether supposedly. I say supposedly because in reality it is closer to half an hour. However, some of the team had an issue with not being able to see the Tether from the camp, so we proceeded to transport the equipment closer. While I admit the Tether is an awe-inspiring sight, it is difficult to appreciate when one has been lugging valuable and heavy items for over an hour. And when we had finally settled everything, we had a nice bout of rain again. Rain that lasted two full days. All in all a very poor start to the expedition. I only hope things can become better. As a side not Felicia and I share a fairly large tent as head researchers. It’s nice because she and I have become fast friends over this ordeal, and sleeping out in this wilderness is incredibly unsettling. -Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw

18th of Char
For once we are making progress! I had thought this expedition doomed to failure from the start, but after a few days of utter nonsense and bickering we finally have our basecamp completely arranged and built. It put some of the members at odds with each other, but we can make only forward progress from here. Not much else to really say here, though I have been enjoying spending time with everyone here. Even Damion and his ego large enough to fill a dirigible can become bearable after enough time and some wine. Work officially begins on the 20th to give everyone a break. Besides, it’s much luckier to start on a new week than right at the end of one. I’m sure everyone will need that luck to figure out what this device even does. -Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw

20th of Char
I mentioned that we could only make forward progress from before. Well it seems the Demerians and their infernal construct have proven me wrong. This device is more than a simple amalgamation of magic and technology. Down to its roots the two intertwine, the magic infused with every piece of technology in the Tether. It’s as if each piece was constructed out of magic itself to function mechanically! I have encountered a copious amount of Demerian artifacts in my life, but this machine is a first.

Damion has predictably fallen in love with it, though that he could focus on anything other than himself is surprising. Felicia and Marc both seem entranced by its raw magical power. By their words this machine gives off enough of an arcane signal even dormant that it could overpower them easily. Adrastia has simply contented herself with attempting to learn every piece of the machine, however slow it has been, even with her three impromptu assistants with the task. Yet even with this information we still know next to nothing on this machine. Only time may tell I guess. -Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw

22nd of Char
Another bout of rain has prevented us from working today. It seems that starting at a new week was simply not enough luck. Hopefully the rain ends so we can resume our studies, but at this point it seems a bit disappointing overall. We have been defeated more by inclement weather and uncontrollable situations than we have by the mystery of the Tether ourselves. I guess the only pleasant thought I have is that while this storm goes on overhead I have the company of Felicia, else I would be a lot less cheerful. -Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw

24th of Char
With the rain ending just today, I think I’ll have everyone wait until the start of Diadem until we continue work. Diadem always has been my lucky month, so perhaps that luck will rub off on the expedition. Until then we will have a bit of a celebration. The rain has dampened everyone’s spirits and a feast and some activities together would at least recapture some of the original spirit this team had when we began. It was originally Adrastia’s idea, and it honestly isn’t half bad at all. -Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw

1st of Diadem-Morning
With the feast having lifted everyone’s spirits and a full day of recovering, we shall begin work today. I imagine we shall only make a small step of progress, but it shall be progress nonetheless! -Dr. Edmund Rosenthaw

1st of Diadem- Afternoon
Our luck could not have been any better! Around noon today we activated the Tether by accident and since then our efforts have redoubled! The power the machine gives off is so vastly overpowering even someone as mundane as I can detect the strength of the magic within. Felicia and Marc had spent hours trying to understand the magic, even to the point of Marc passing out. We paused work until he awoke, thinking the worst. Though when he sheepishly told everyone he had simply strained himself too hard in his eagerness and that the issue was not the Tether, we breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Adrastia was none too happy about the activation however. The magical force creates a small barrier around its components and has forced her back every time she attempts to tinker with its insides. Shortly after her seventh or eighth attempt failed she huffed and retreated to her tent. We have not seen her since. I only hope she does not become too unhappy. It would be unpleasant if her failed attempts threw everyone into bad spirits again, especially after such a victory.