Dionysus As you pass through the door, a voice says, "What is your worth?" The room you are in is a small chamber in front of a huge vault-door.

Sue "Quantitatively or qualitatively speaking?"

Dionysus No answer.

• Sue shrugs. "I can probably earn about $X per engagement as a travelling musician, or $Y as a court composer. As a void engineer, my work might be worth millions or more."

Dionysus Nothing happens.

• Sue looks around. "Should I go on?"

Dionysus No answer.

Sue "Slavery isn't legal in my part of the world, so my value as an object can't be measured in terms of trade."

Dionysus You hear a rumble, as if the door started to open.

Sue Encouraged, "My band values me as a friend and a member. My audience values me for my ability to do things they have never heard before. If I help save the world, everyone who knows me will value me as a hero. Those I serve directly value me insofar as I am able to carry out their orders. The empire of Maraddon, too, values me as a special agent."

Sue "Manny values me as a friend and source of food and shelter. Other contestants value me as a composer for Maraddon."

Dionysus The door swings open.

Dionysus What stands out beyond anything else is the void crystal the size of your head as bright as they come, but beyond that, you notice a rusted airship at the back of the chamber. Many things in here are dark on the voidscale. A strange thing that seems to be made of tubes, strings, & levers lie by your feet, though--an instrument you've never seen before, perhaps. And a portrait hangs on the wall, 20' by 10',

Dionysus of an attractive nightingale woman. A gold leaf wedding dres sstands up in the corner, & a suit of red chainmail lies atop a chest, a black helmet with a spider design on top of it.

• Sue inspects the airship.

Dionysus Sleeker than the Whippoorwill, but rusted, old.

Sue Magic-based?

Dionysus Nope.

Dionysus Smaller, though.

Sue Can I tell how it's supposed to work just by looking at the engines?

Dionysus You can tell that one of the engines is not working, actually. It's clearly in pieces.

• Sue wishes the camera had been invented and looks at the other one. Is any of it recognizeable?

Dionysus It dusty & rusted & worn down, but not in pieces.You can tell pistons & turbines & tubes.

Dionysus But mostly, it's currently beyond you.

• Sue clutches his forehead and goes to inspect the weird instrument.

Dionysus You've never seen one before. It has a tube to blow in & a crank on the side.

Sue I don't play winds. Okay, what can I tell about the void crystal?

Dionysus On a scale of 1 to 25, it's power is probably 20 by the way it glows.

Sue Can I use it to replace my innate void power when voiding, and how long will it last?

Dionysus It's impossible to tell how long it will last, but you can manipulate the void it has within instead of your own if you so choose, yes.

Sue Can I recharge a crystal like this without special equipment?

Dionysus Yes.

Dionysus Through faith. Quaigor says.

Sue . o O ( How long will this crystal last? )

Sue . o O ( Ideally? )

Dionysus That will depend how much you use it. Used moderately, years. Used excessively, a few weeks.

Sue Karma if you tell me which one I should take.

Sue You're at least as reliable as a die roll.

Dionysus I honestly don't care/have plans. One is a source of immense void power, the other is an airtight vessel you can tweak & repair to get to the moons.

Sue Let's do the airship, then. I had my doubts as to the ability of the airship to function effectively.

Sue I have faith and Wivena's efforts and priests and things as options for void.

Dionysus Well, it doesn't function /yet/, but it will with help, which will be provided should you trust the airship crew & whatnot.