The Zioth Institute

After he was rewarded by the baron, Sahlmanplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigSahlman El Musafir

Sahlman's hair is blue-black and graying. His skin is dark and weathered. A huge handle-bar mustache sweeps down to cover much of his lower face, and Sahl is always careful to keep it properly groomed. He is generally very particular about his clothing, equipment and appearance. Sahlman wears the desert robes of his homeland, with headgear that blocks out the sun and hangs over his neck. He wears light trousers and high hard boots, and when his robes are wet, the hard links o… decided to set up an institute to study the Zioth. This started in turn 92plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_big: Meeting the Baron

It was well into the afternoon when the dragged themselves over the lip of the rim and into the light. Most of the villagers had gone, but the dozen or so who remained watched the explorers with awe. That was hardly surprising. Besides the weapons, which by themselves would keep most people at bay, everyone but and turn 93plugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_big: The Zioth Institute

Sahl thanked the guards after reading the baron's note and signing for the money. He then turned to the party. “In a sense, this belongs to us all -- that's Kay, Ardith, myself and Daluar, for services we have performed during the quake and in exploring the rift. But more than that, the Baron expects us to use it to fund our explorations of the Zioth. I assume that all of us want to do this?.

These were the places Sahl investigated for the Institute. Sahlmanplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigSahlman El Musafir

Sahlman's hair is blue-black and graying. His skin is dark and weathered. A huge handle-bar mustache sweeps down to cover much of his lower face, and Sahl is always careful to keep it properly groomed. He is generally very particular about his clothing, equipment and appearance. Sahlman wears the desert robes of his homeland, with headgear that blocks out the sun and hangs over his neck. He wears light trousers and high hard boots, and when his robes are wet, the hard links o… chose #4.

1. Farmland as far from the rift as possible. This will likely be small, expensive, and require a lot of repair. It's certainly doable, and might pay in the end. Farmhouses will generally be from one to four miles from town, the farther ones being more expensive. A few rooms and a stable, after repairs, will cost 900-1200at, and you'll also get thirty to fifty acres of land.
2. Farmland near the rift. You can get much better bang for your buck, even finding a farmhouse that was left mostly intact by the earthquake. The disadvantage, of course, is that you're close to an area which is known to be dangerous. A few rooms and a stable, after repairs, will cost 500-700at, and you'll also get thirty to fifty acres of land.
3. Small house close to the center of town. This place has two floors and six small rooms. There is no stable, but one can be built in orrented elsewhere. The house looks to be in reasonable shape, requiring only a few minor repairs. It's in a very good location, and the owner is desperate to sell. The cost will be around 900-1100at, with another 50at for repairs.
4. Three adjoining tenancies in a poorer neighborhood. Not a very good location, but it's a safe distance from the lake, and you get a respectible amount of space. The tenancies come as a group, and each one is a cramped two storeys, with two rooms on the first floor and anopen second floor accessible via ladder. Without too much work, the houses can be merged and a few walls broken down to make a more useful structure. You get about half again as much space as with #3. Including repairs from the quake and merging the houses, the cost will be around 800at. An extra 100at or so will probably be needed to fix things up during and after the winter.

To connect the three houses and break it down into dooms, Sahl was given an estimate of six weeks, barring snow, starting on 10/11.

• Fence outside.
• Ground floor: Kitchen
• Ground floor: Cloakroom
• Ground floor: Library/meeting room
• Ground floor: small laboratory
• Ground floor: Public Exhibition room
• First floor: Four Bedrooms
• First floor: Cloakroom
• We could build stables for say 6 horses at a later date when we have more money (how much would that cost?).