Chapter Text
Sawdust and Ink
Prologue
Samuel Preston III stepped from the gangplank and onto the docks of Upper Talenbrae and glanced around. He wasn't able to stand there for more than a moment as the swell of the disembarking crowd pressed him onward. However, once out of the way of the throngs of people exiting the riverboat, Mr. Preston was able to get a better look at what appeared to be a small town's commercial district. While it was admittedly rather bustling, he wondered how on earth such a remote location in the woods could house the state-of-the-art workshop that rumors spoke of.
A creeping coldness in his feet and ankles prompted him to look down and he frowned in dismay. His previously pressed trousers and polished leather shoes were soaking through, presumably from the dozens of feet splashing any and all standing water on the docks during his exit. He had half a mind to get right back on the boat and go home. However, business took precedence over minor discomforts. Ignoring the water and what it was doing to his clothing, he got the attention of one of the dock workers.
"Excuse me, my good man," Mr. Preston called out. "If you don't mind, I've only just arrived and could use some directions."
"Shure thing," the man replied cheerfully, the 'S' whistling through the gap where his front tooth was missing. "Where ya headed?"
"The workshops of Strom, Strom, and Firehand." The man's face lit up.
"Ish that sho? My little brother's an apprentice there!" He exclaimed excitedly and pointed down the main street. "It's in Lower Talenbrae. Go to the end of the road and take the gondola down. From there you can't mish it!"
"Thank you kindly, and a little something for your trouble," Mr. Preston shook the worker's hand, leaving a small copper coin in his palm. The man looked down at the one-bit piece and grinned again.
"Much obliged, sir!" The dockhand tipped his hat, pocketed the coin, and went back to work as Mr. Preston headed down the road as directed.
When he eventually reached the end of the street there was an open-air building with a large carriage of sorts in it. Some workers were securing crates of cargo in the center of the carriage's platform while a small line of people waited in a queue for them to finish. Two massive, anchor-style chains protruded from the front of the building, stretched an impressive distance alongside the river to a tower near the edge of a cliff, then dropped down out of sight. There were two people in a lookout nest, presumably there to signal between the opposing sides of the gondola. Mr. Preston approached the open-air building with apprehension, but an excited spring in his step.
Before long the gondola was underway and Mr. Preston was feeling the full exhilaration of being airborne for the first time in his life. The cool breeze in his face was lovely, and the slight creak of the wooden carriage accompanying the ride was rather soothing as they soared smoothly through the sky!
A few minutes into the ride the gondola reached the edge of the cliff, and the view made Samuel jump right out of his seat! Upon cresting the ridge, the mighty Talen Falls, which separated the Upper Avenflow from the Lower, reverberated like thunder. However, as spectacular as the enormous rush of water was, it was the massive, wooden building some distance further that caught Mr. Preston's eye! It had the cobbled-together appearance of constant additions, and on its side was an enormous wheel. A large wooden aqueduct jutted from above the falls, guiding enormous quantities of water into large rectangular basins on the wheel, causing it to turn before being dumped into another aqueduct that guided it back to the lower portion of the river. A grin sprouted on Mr. Preston's face at the impressive feat of modern engineering.
After passing the tower at the top of the cliff they descended rapidly past the large building, and into Lower Talenbrae.
As Mr. Preston stepped off the carriage with a grin on his face, his nostrils were met with the delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the air. Man on a mission he may have been, but he found himself unable to resist the temptation of a sweet treat. Following the scent to what appeared to be a bakery, he hoped to find some refreshment, as well as confirmation of his quarry.
When he opened the door, a small bell chimed.
"Be there in a moment" a voice called out from the back.
Samuel looked over the small shop, lit by a dim magic crystal in the ceiling. Such magical devices were fairly common in the larger cities where practitioners were around to sustain them were plentiful, but he was under the impression that they were more rare the further from civilization one went. He reasoned that some sort of hedge wizard or priest must live in town. Also curious was the large, unstrung war bow hanging on the wall behind the counter. His thoughts and musings were interrupted by the growling of his stomach though, turning his attention toward an array of sweet buns neatly displayed behind the counter. A moment later a tall, lean man walked out. He had dark hair and was wearing a white, flour-coated apron.
"Howdy, haven't seen you around before. Welcome to Sven's Bakeshop. I'm Sven. What can I get for you?" The man said with a smile.
"Yes, I just arrived, and I think I'd like to get two of those. They look quite lovely," Samuel said, gesturing to a rack of delicious looking, glazed cinnamon rolls.
"Of course!" Replied Sven cheerfully as he wrapped the rolls in parchment paper.
"Wonderful! And if you don't mind me asking, would the large building with the water wheel be Strom, Strom, and Firehand Enterprises," asked Samuel, handing over a pair of copper coins in exchange for the pastries.
"Yes sir, it is!"
"Splendid! Thank you very much, my good man." He started to leave, but Sven called after him.
"How much do you know about Strom, Strom, and Firehand?" Samuel turned back around.
"Not much, I'm afraid. But I've heard they're supposed to be some of the finest builders in the realm." An amused smirk twisted its way onto the baker's lips.
"Oh, they most certainly are. You have yourself a nice day now!" The baker returned to the back, leaving Samuel to ponder his odd behavior, though he quickly shrugged it off. He took a moment to unwrap one of his rolls to enjoy en route, then left.
As he finally approached the workshop of Strom, Strom, and Firehand, it was even more magnificent up close! The water wheel had to have been at least the height of four tall men, and the building itself was even taller! Mr. Preston finished the last bite of his roll and made his way to the door with a spring in his step!
If he thought the outside was impressive, it was nothing compared to the machinations of the inside!
A enormous central axle that must have been powered by the outside water wheel ran across the entire building. Fixed to it were numerous gears, both wooden and metal. An intricate systems of rigging and pulleys enabled different pieces of equipment to engage and disengage with the main axle at will with an ingenious system of levers, pulleys, and wheels. Craftsmen and crafts...women... of various species were laboring at lathes, drills, routers, forges, and other equipment he didn't even have a name for, all powered by the inexorable turning of that massive main drive shaft.
"Can I help you?" Chirped a high-pitched woman's voice. When he looked around and saw where the voice came from he just stood there with his mouth agape and nose wrinkled in surprise. Standing in an office doorway was a goblin. Even more surprising than her mere presence was how well-groomed she was! Other than some ink on her fingertips, along with the day's grime from working in such an industrial environment, her emerald-green skin was clean and her long, black hair was tied back in a neat braid. She wore a simple white blouse and heavy black skirt. A leather apron with several pockets was tied around her waist, and those pockets were full of pens, charcoal pencils, rulers, and various other measuring tools.
"Can I help you?" She echoed, with the patience of someone who had obviously dealt with this reaction innumerable times. Shaking his head to clear his disbelief, Mr. Preston addressed the unusual... woman.
"Umm, yes. I'm looking for either Mr. Strom or Mr. Firehand."
"Alright. Bjorn's not here and Jakob's taking care of something in back, but he should be out in a moment. In the meantime, I'm Jade. Pleased to meet you." The goblin confidently strode to the businessman and put her hand out to shake.
Mr. Preston absently shook her tiny, green-skinned hand, and no sooner had they let go, another door opened and a tall, blond, early middle-aged man appeared. He was wearing rugged clothing and was clearly no stranger to hard work.
"Hi there. I heard you come in but I was a little wrapped, so sorry about the wait. I'm Jakob Strom." The man walked up with a slight hitch in his gait. Mr. Preston breathed a sigh of relief upon being able to speak with someone... else... and he turned to address the newcomer.
"Hello. My name is Samuel Preston III, partner in the Preston and Monk shipping company. It's my understanding that you do custom projects here at Strom, Strom, and Firehand." Jakob grinned widely.
"Yep, and if it's a custom order you want, you're gonna want to talk to my lovely wife first. She handles all the design and engineering." Mr. Preston was surprised to hear about a woman engineer and wondered about what sort of person she might be, but when Jakob made his way to the goblin and affectionately pulled her into his side, the businessman's mouth dropped open as he gaped like a fish! Though she barely stood taller than his hip, she took his hand in hers like the lover he claimed she was and looked up at him with an affectionate, toothy smile.
"Wait, that's your wife!?" He exclaimed.
"Yep. And I assure you you're in good hands."
"Er, um," stammered Mr. Preston, completely flabbergasted. "I mean no offense," he finally sputtered, "but she's a goblin!"
"Yes, I am aware..." Jakob smirked.
"I'm sorry, but we have a particular set of needs that require a certain level of... innovation and precision," Mr. Preston protested. Jakob just laughed.
"Then you've come to the right place!" He exclaimed. "You won't find a more capable, innovative, or precise engineer than my Jade!" The goblin beamed at her... husband's... praise for a moment before pulling away from him.
"Come on," she said, waving Mr. Preston over to the office door she'd originally come from. There was a hungry gleam in her piercing green eyes. "Let's see what we can build for you!"