The Long Night Part One: Embers in the Dusk: A Planetary Governor Quest (43k) Complete Sequel Up

@Durin got a couple of Omakes for you.

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Beacons in the Abyss Pt.1 - (Relatively) Safe Harbors of the Stygian Sea

Explorator Archives - Casefile-i1776 - 01

In the years since the discovery of the city of Stygia, its inhabitants have still only made modest progress in probing the ink-black seas surrounding them. The reasons for this are manyfold, between the risks posed by marauding bands of orkish freebooters, to wildlife that seems to only grow stranger and more monstrous the further one travels from the shining orb of plasma that is Stygia's lighthouse and artificial sun. Regardless, the demand for basic resources and the drive to find a means of reconnecting with the greater body of Avernite society on the distant surface have led many Stygians to risk life and limb to explore their new home. The following are some of the landmarks and ports of call that enterprizing Stygians have either discovered or established in their continuing mission to understand the strange, subterrannean sea.

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The Stygian Smokers:

Similar to deep-sea vents found on the ocean floors of most volcanically active planets, Stygian Smokers are spires of volcanic minerals that constantly spew super-heated plumes of nutrient-rich fluid into the surrounding waters. Unlike most deep-sea vents, the Stygian variety are tall enough at times to breach the water's surface, broad enough to be closer to mountains than spires, and exude proportionally larger quantities of material. The combination of these traits have thus made Smoker clusters key resources for Stygia's continued survival. Smokers tend to appear in randomly distributed clusters, and several are close enough to the city to be exploited for important chemical compounds and raw promethium. These clusters are capped by resource collection platforms, allowing Stygia to gather vital goods while also serving as supply depots for vessels travelling through the area.

Unfortunately, while largely beneficial, the Smokers are also hotbeds of wildlife activity. Resource extraction, especially in the initial stages, is often a risky business, as massive tubeworms, psychically potent colonies of bivalves and other dangerous wildlife rely on the Smokers for food and shelter. While the intelligence and malevolence of these creatures is still a matter of debate, several are large enough that they can damage important equipment by simply passing nearby. However, the Stygians have seen opportunity here as well-- several militia-crews have assembled into fishing floatillas of worm-hunters, shell-shuckers and other such specialities, and make a living by hunting down the wildlife native to the Smoker ecosystem. This has provided not only valuable research material for those unfortunate members of the biologis stranded down below, but also a considerable supply of edible catch, which plays a significant role in maintaining the city's food supplies.

That said, wildlife is not the only danger associated with the Smokers, as the local Orks also see the vents as valuable sources of fuel and entertainment, leading to frequent skirmishes between Stygian and Orkish fleets for control over outlying resource platforms. While the Smokers within range of Stygia's defenses are largely sufficient to fulfill the city's basic needs, continued expansion of naval forces necessitates the exploitation of ever-more distant resources.


The Thrombus Quarry:

While the occasional island provides ample opportunity to prospect for valuable and useful metals, none are quite so unusual or as lethal as the so-called Thrombus Quarry. Located near the outer, western rim of Stygia's defensive umbrella, the quarry is an isle of barren, volcanic stone surrounded by tranquil seas. The area surrounding the quarry is unusually peaceful and absent of many of the sea's larger and more dangerous macrofauna. As such, it as become home to a small defensive outpost located on the Stygian-side of the isle.

However, despite the relatively safe waters and the presence of a friendly harbor, the isle itself is rarely visited by travelling vessels. The volcanic rock is home to a host of beautiful crystalline growths. Blood-red rubies rise from the craggy ground like crystalline trees and choke the isle in meandering brambles that stretch from vein to vein. While first thought to be a potential windfall for producing high-quality optical foci and as potential trade goods, initial forays into mining the isle revealed any such venture to be untenable and foolish in the extreme. Mining or otherwise breaking a ruby off from the main body of the formation results in the severed chunk dissolving into a puddle of blood. Touching exposed and solid rubies to bare flesh causes the bloodstream to rapidly coagulate and crystallize from the point of contact, anchoring the victim to the spot and eventually transforming them into an extension of the crystal formation if the point of contact is not immediately severed from the body.

Worryingly, more psychically endowed Stygians note that being near the isle is highly disquieting, though the precise reason varies from psyker to psyker. The only commonality among their experiences seems to be a sense of dread, recurring nightmares and the development of progressive thalassophobia which evolves from mild to extreme with prolongued exposure to the isle.



The Thalkhos Warrens (Bilge-Rat Harbor):

The Stygian Sea is home to more than orks and men. A handful of native Avernites have also found their way, deep beneath the surface. Of those who have managed to eke out a living here, it is perhaps no surprise that the most successful are a handful of vaguely murine humanoids that call themselves Khoswe. Positioned due south-southeast of Stygia, the Thalkos Warrens, known more colloquially by Stygians as Bilge-Rat Harbor is a remarkably well-tended shipyard community set up at the foot of a towering but uninhabited mountain. The location is notable for its relatively friendly denizens, and for being a useful (albeit somewhat cramped) supply and repair depot for traveling vessels. While only recently discovered by Stygian seafarers, some of the island's history has been surmised by way of conversations and negotiations with the local settlers in accordance to standard first-contact operating procedures.

According to the Thalkhos, their species digs out subterrannean warrens to establish settlements. Apparently, one such community of Khoswe dug a bit too deep and ended up falling into the depths of Stygia. They've since lost track of the hole they used to reach their new home, but seem uncertain of the prospects of finding it again. When asked why they don't create burrows on the island as they claim is typical for their species, one of the Khoswe negotiators reportedly looked confused and replied that they were all already underground, so the island's surface is a tolerable enough environment overall, especially considering the alternative. The island itself, the Khoswe claim, isn't actually an island. They had discovered when attempting to explore the mountain and establish a proper burrow that they were in fact living on an enormous lifeform roughly analogous to members of the Physalia genus-- a Man-o'-War.

By the time they'd discovered their home's true nature, however, the Khoswe had already laid roots. Considering that the alternative was to go elsewhere and risk the dangers of the seas, they instead determined to make the best of a bad situation and continued to expand their settlement outward rather than downward.

The citizens of Thalkhos are of two minds on the subject of their living island home. A majority see it as a relatively safe (though inconvenient and mildly uncomfortable) home in a strange and alien place. The remainder are quite reasonably wary of the risks associated with living on an enormous creature that might submerge, die or otherwise sink them all into the sea at any time. The latter have expressed a desire to be relocated in exchange for service and fealty to the city of Stygia, though negotiations into the specificities of any such arrangement are still ongoing.


Leviathan's Rest:

It's no surprise that there are strange and terrible things lurking in the depths of the Stygian sea. But always, inevitably, there are those who exhilerate in hunting them down. Just as the Avernites on the surface have cavers, so too do the Stygians have their monster hunters. The meagre settlement known as Leviathan's Rest is located about as far east from Stygia as anyone has dared to travel, just over one of the deepest trenches yet discovered in the underground sea. The colony is built on platforms forged from derelict sea vessels of various origins, all suspended among the dorsal spines of some enormous and long-dead sea creature. According to deep-sea surveys of the surrounding region, the so-called Leviathan's remains do in fact stretch from where they rest on the sea-floor all the way to the surface, suggesting that they once belonged to a creature of a size that was as titanic as it was utterly impractical. While the first, distant transmissions from the settlement were thought to be a trick of the imagination, vessels sent to investigate the area eventually discovered a colony of wayward Avernite cavers who trekked too deep in search of ever more dangerous prey, and found themselves stranded in Stygia.

Due to their single-minded obsession with finding and slaying ever larger beasts, the hunters are often reluctant to leave Stygia's deeper waters, but have been willing to sign on as special attachments to expeditionary forces stationed in the region, and offer their home as a distant port of call for travelling vessels.

The Leviathan Hunters are preternaturally talented killers specializing in the extermination of truly massive megafauna. From the bones and bodies of these creatures, they forge weapons and armor that are almost as fearsome as the warriors themselves. A small handful of Stygian soldiers, commanders and explorers have taken to purchasing personal arms from craftsmen at the Rest to complement their own personal arsenals, a custom more common among those who are particularly renowned monster hunters in their own right.


The Inverse Cascades:

Located in the waters due west of Stygia, well within range of its defenses, the Inverse Cascades are a series of islands seemingly suspended in empty air. These floating isles are home to strange, upward-flowing waterfalls and lush with vegetation commonly found on the surface, in spite of the (until recent) utter lack of sunlight. Since the kindling of the Stygian Star, the Inverse Cascades have become home to a number of military outposts which make great use of the islands' naturally high elevation to add another layer of defense to Stygia's fortifications. The floating isles have also become a popular home for curious explorator magi, who have found a number of ruins scattered on the upper tiers of islands. While wildlife (including especially large number of spiders) have prevented meaningful forays into the ruins, the local magi remain optimistic that there may be clues as to their current predicament hidden within the islands' vaults.

Notably, despite a final cascade flowing upward into the Stygian ceiling, it seems as though following the stream to its destination is presently unfeasible due to unreasonably high spider concentrations. Efforts at cleansing the ceiling have borne little fruit and resulted only in return-fire from the creatures living there.


Skull Island:

All of Stygia is in some way unsettling to sane and reasonably minded individuals, but there are a handful of specific locations and phenomena that baffle and disturb even the most well-prepared scholar. Of these, the three which have the greatest potential impact on the livelihoods of the people of Stygia are, in order of least to most concerning:

1) Airavata, the Living Mountain

2) The Sunwise Storm

3) Skull Island

Its name is no poetic affectation. Skull island is an island comprised entirely out of bone. The entire thing, from top to bottom, consists of intricately interwoven skeletal lattices of all shapes and sizes, resulting in a tower of ossified material stretching from the sea floor to the surface and terminating in a vast, chalk-white island.

Skull Island was discovered when it arrived from the far northern reaches of the Stygian seas and came to rest just outside the reach of Stygia's most long-ranged munitions. Assuming that its distressing appearance indicated an alignment with the ruinous powers (particularly of the Khornate variety), a fleet was sent forth to intercept the isle on its approach. However, the fleet's advance was interrupted mid-bombardment when enormous skeletal hands seized their vessels from below and the island's resident(s) demanded parley and an immediate cessation of hostilities. Judging that no Khornate threat could reasonably be expected to initiate a ceasefire, and faced with the possibility of imminent doom, the acting admiral acquiesced and made contact with the isle's Skeleton King.

The individual in question, the sole lord and master over a civilization of similarly skeletonized humanoids, took umbrage with damage incurred upon his personal home, reportedly complaining that he had 'finally gotten all the skulls to fit' and that it 'took so long to get just right.' The Skeleton King's castle is itself skull-shaped. This does indeed indicate that the Skeleton King lives in a skull-shaped castle made entirely of skulls. In spite of the morbidity associated with such a bizarre civilization, and the unsettling fact that many of its denizens appear to be, in fact, entirely human skeletons, further contact between Skull Island and the people of Stygia has been remarkable amicable. Despite similar architecture, the Skeleton King insists (a claim corroborated by an utter lack of demonic taint in the area) that he and his people are not, in fact, minions of the blood god. He claims, in fact, that constant harrassment by Khornate forces in attempts to abscond with vital building material eventually led him to relocate his entire civilization to the Stygian depths.

Trade between Stygia and Skull Island is unusual in the extreme, even by the standard set by Governor Rotbart's soul-trade. In return for foodstuffs, valuable metals, and a promise to aid in securing the northern seas, the denizens of Skull Island ask for legally binding, promissary notes indicating free access to the skeletal remains of Stygia's citizens upon their untimely deaths. The nature of such an agreement is dubious, except for the reported phenomenon of Stygian citizens occasionally 'surviving' utter annihilation as walking skeletons, suggesting the denizens of Skull Island may share a similar origin.

The Skeleton King, Ziusudra, appears to be an utterly unremarkable skeleton belonging to a middle-aged human male. He has been reported to echew clothing or adornment of any kind, save for his resplendantly decorated skull. The Skeleton King wears as part of his royal regalia a crown of bone, inlaid with a collection of Thrombus rubies, and has replaced his teeth and eyes with brilliant gemstones. Ziusudra is noted to be relatively affable and relaxed, and seems to rule his people justly and magnanimously. He seems to have mastered a form of psychic ability which enables him to freely manipulate bone at will, which perhaps explains the otherwise inexplicable nature of his people's home. His demeanor has been described as laid-back and jovial, always eager to share a pot of tea or a mug of frothy ale over a few good stories. When asked why he approached Stygia to begin with, Ziusudra claimed that it had been far too long since he had seen much in the way of sunlight, and was drawn to Stygia by the ignition of its artificial day-star.

Due to the Skeleton King's apparent age and potential knowledge of the underground's nature (and Avernus' as well), friendly relations have been maintained with Skull Island, which has taken up permanent residence at Stygia's far northern defensive border. Ossified vessels manned by skeleton crews have become a common sight in the area which seems to have resulted in a significant drop in Freebooter activity nearby.

Aside from the Skeleton King and his subjects, Skull Island is also home to a species of bovine ungulate remarkable only for the unusually high nutritional quality and shelf-life of their milk. Products made from Skull Island cattle have become popular throughout Stygian society.

@Durin: And here's part two! Part three will come... sometime in the future. (It'll probably outline the Orkish freebooters in a little more detail)

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Beacons in the Abyss Pt. 2 - Places of Wonder and Dread

Explorator Archives - Casefile-i1776 - 02

Not every landmark is a welcoming one. Historical records show that human maritime enterprizes have always resulted in tall tales of strange, wonderful and terrifying sights, some which are no more real than the fever dreams of lonely, sea-mad minds and some which are all too real. As it was at sea, so too in the void, so too in the abyss. The following are an abbreviated collection of unusual Stygian locales and phenomena which have been corroborated by at least two-dozen independent witnesses.

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The Great Barrier Reef:

Far to the west, a vast arc of coral rises from the sea like a fortress wall. Incredibly broad in scope, the Great Barrier Reef is thought to be an approximately cylindrical formation of coral hundreds of kilometres in radius. None have yet fully mapped its breadth, so any calculation of its true size is at best only an approximation. The waters surrounding the reef are notoriously turbulent; whirlpools, riptides and rogue waves are common in the region, an effect which is a direct consequence of the reef's presence. It is also home to a wide variety of dangerous megafauna, which flourish in the fertile waters churning all around it.

The Great Barrier Reef is of particular note due not only to its imposing presence and the effect it has on the local ecosystem, but also due to its apparent sapience. Telepaths travelling near the reef have reportedly made contact with some tremendous intelligence that seems to have emerged from the coral aggregate. Dialogue with the coral have indicated that it is responsible for the almost impassibly turbulent waters in the area, owing to some highly advanced form of hydrokinesis, but also that it has excellent reason for doing so.

Its name is not a coincidence. The reef claims to act as a barrier sealing some terrible force away within its center. Its extensive natural defenses exist for the sole purpose of keeping this unknown threat contained. Telepaths who request information as to the nature of the threat are frequently rendered insensate or insane by the experience, so information as to the potential risk it poses to Stygia, and life on Avernus in general, is of regrettably short supply.

Recent events have seen the city of Stygia stepping up its military presence in the area, in spite of the dangers posed by the surrounding waters. The Barrier Reef has recently come under attack by orkish freebooters who claim alternately that the reef is 'in the way,' or that there's 'a roight good brawl waitin' for us' somewhere beyond its borders. Regardless of the true nature of the threat behind the Great Barrier Reef, the fact that the local Orks are taking an interest in it suggests that it is of paramount importance that they continue to be denied access.

Negotiations are ongoing with the Reef-Intelligence in the hopes of limiting hydrokinetic losses to local defense fleets, with an eye towards coordinating operations in the future.


The Spider Spire:

Previous mention has been made of the presence of high concentrations of spiders along the cavern roof. This is due to the seemingly ubiquitous presence of a species thus-far thought unique to the Stygian depths, the so-called Starry-Eyed Spitter. The species possesses carapace so black that it seems to soak in all inclement light, making them appear to be little more than ambulatory voids in space, save for their six incandescent eyes. Each of the spider's eyes is capable of independent movement, and are furthermore able to project lethal beams of high-intensity laser radiation. While relatively peaceful at a distance, any attempts to approach the cavern's ceiling quickly draws their ire, and often results in instantaneous evaporation as hundreds of beams converge at once.

There are two exceptions to this: The first begin the ceiling surrounding the Airavata, and the second being the towering stone pillar known only as the Spider Spire.

Located to the far east of Stygia, the Spider Spire is-- as the name suggests-- a towering structure that climbed too close to the cavern ceiling, and has since become home to a teeming colony of Starry-Eyed Spitters. Their aggregate biomass and the intricate mess of webs surrounding it make indentifying its true nature impossible from a distance, and attempts to approach have all thus far been unsuccessful.

Due to the danger it poses, the Spire and its surrounding waters are denoted as a do-not-sail zone. Some theorize that the spire may be a tower that may house a path to the surface, but it's also likely that the structure is simply a stalagtite that has grown too tall.


The Sunwise Storm:

Whereas we on the surface are able to rely on the sun to inform our knowledge of a predictable day/night cycle and keep our seasons in order, those who have fallen into the depths of Stygia are not so lucky. However, they are not truly without a natural time-keeping mechanism, though it is just as strange as anything else in the planet's depths.

The Sunwise Storm is a massive cyclone that orbits in a regular clockwise pattern far to the southwest of Stygia. Due to its size and relatively close proximity on its nearest approach, the storm is occasionally visible from the city walls. Observation over the past several decades have revealed that the storm makes a complete orbit exactly once every year, and its intensity oscillates once every normal Avernite day. As such, the Stygians have taken to using the storm not only as a calendar, but as a reference by which they plan their days as well.

Approaching the storm is ill-advised, however. It seems to be home to a great number of draconic, winged beasts that prey on anything that draws near. Some have reported catching a glimpse of something within the eye of the storm as its strength wanes, but no extensive exploration of its interior has succeeded thus far.


The Eye:

Once thought to be little more than a rumor, The Eye is as its name suggests: an oversized, exposed eyeball which appears seemingly at random to vessels exploring the deep seas. Initially thought to be nothing more than the tired imaginings and delusional explorers, a recent sighting by a Reef Patrol Fleet has confirmed its existence.

The Eye possesses unusual spatial characteristics; it appears to stare at any and all who look its way, often peering directly at multiple subjects simultaneously, and will often seem to follow a target of interest at a set distance of approximately five kilometres. After observing for a short period of time (anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour), the eye will vanish beneath the sea surface.

Attempts to make contact with or otherwise approach the Eye have been futile. The Eye simply matches speeds with its pursuers and withdraws, maintaining the same distance at all times. Thus far, The Eye seems to be a relatively harmless, if unusual aspect of life in Stygia, and some more superstitious captains have begun considering its appearance as an omen of good fortune.


Airavata, The Living Mountain:

Once thought to be little more than a tremendous geological formation far to the east of Stygia, Airavata appears at a distance to be a dome-shaped mountain of pure white stone that presses against the cavern ceiling at its zenith. However, when it was noticed that the ceiling-spiders, which are otherwise ubiquitous throughout Stygia, seemed to be giving the mountain a wide berth, the decision was made to investigate it further.

It was discovered shortly thereafter that the enormous structure was in fact a living, psychically potent organism-- potentially the largest yet recorded in Stygia. Airavata, as it has called itself, resembles a titanic pachyderm, though only the uppermost sections of its body are visible above the water's surface. The creature has expressed curiosity at the presence of visiting life-forms, and has since welcomed the approach of Stygian vessels.

Airavata claims that it has lived in the depths for as long as it can remember, though it admits that its memory may not be infallible. It does not seem to know what, exactly, its purpose in the area might be, but theorizes that it is possibly responsible for holding up Stygia's cavernous ceiling. Stress analysis of the ceiling in close proximity to Airavata's back suggests that the creature is bearing a good deal of its weight, though whether the creature is load-bearing or has simply grown so large that it is naturally braced against the ceiling is unclear. The usual aggressive response by the ceiling spiders was, notably, absent-- though they were reportedly agitated by the survey team's presence near the great elephant.

As Airvata is relatively friendly, dwells relatively far from Stygia's walls, and poses no immediate threat to the city, its denizens or local seafarers, its existence is considered benign and fairly harmless. Patrols in the area have, however, been increased to ensure that freebooter vessels maintain a wide berth, in case Airvata's claims are, in fact, accurate.

@Durin
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A Matter of Scale
"You have to understand, this is not the sort of thing I ordinarily do," Lamia prevaricated, still hesitant to commit herself to so major an endeavor. "It is only due to your introduction by an individual I trust implicitly that I am even entertaining the idea."

An understatement too—it went against both her common sense as well as her business sense, and she could feel the discomfort with the idea among her subordinate souls. It was one thing to meet with leadership of the more rational peoples on occasion to peddle her wares and quite another to involve herself in their politics. Politics, she had found, was every bit as dangerous as the Caverns—especially when involving an element as unknown to her as the humans. And from a trade perspective? There were few peoples as capable of traveling as humans based on what she had observed, and most that could had little interest in ferrying around material goods. If the humans formed trading relationships with and between the peoples she introduced them to, it would remove much of her ability to profit simply from bringing what was common in one region to a place where it was desired but rare.

"We're not asking for much. Just an introduction from someone familiar. We'll do the rest from there," countered the human negotiator. The leader of their largest city, but not the overall leader of the humans here, if she understood the introductions correctly. Too early in her contact with the newest of the peoples on the planet to read much into it.

Time to test the waters, then, see how capable he was at framing the conversation even when she steered it back. "That's not what I meant and you know it. You will be trading on my reputation, a commodity I treasure dearly. You ask me to stake my claim above where the Great Ones dwell."

"Yet you trade in knowledge just as you trade in trinkets, in ideas as well as objects. A treasured reputation buys nothing if it is not used. And while I will not deny the risk to it, any harm to your reputation will be dwarfed by the harm to our own should the worst occur. For no reason beyond self-interest you can be sure we will preserve your reputation diligently. More, any success at this endeavor will be reflected back to you. You claim to treasure your reputation, yet you are so willing to throw away an opportunity to enhance it beyond recognition on top of all else we can offer?"

"Reputation once lost is hard to reclaim. To risk maiming for a meal is folly if one does not hunger," countered Lamia. "Still, though, let us speak of what all you are willing to offer to assuage my fears…"


This was absurd. She had expected to be able to profit greatly from arranging a meeting, but the quantities involved seemed just impossible, plain impossible. Not the highest qualities of goods or the rarest of treasures, but for all it might lack in those aspects it more than made up for in volume. This was far beyond what she could possibly fit on an island of her own should she decide to settle down like some of her kind had, let alone bring even a fraction with her on her travels. She could feasibly build an island of it, should it catch her fancy.

Yet for all the riches she had won the experience felt somewhat hollow. Negotiation was an art found in all the peoples she had encountered yet, and she knew that humans understood the notion just from the flow of the conversation leading up to setting the terms of the trade. She had looked forward to crossing gazes with a foe that had appeared skilled at the exchange, but she had been utterly denied the experience.

What they wanted for an introduction and exchanging the basics of the knowledge she had on the peoples they wished to meet was handled swiftly and competently. It was her price where what should have been the climatic struggle in the battle of wits turned into an absolute farce. She knew they had many sizeable cities and that the numbers they operated with where far higher than most of the other peoples she had traded with before, and had started with an absurd number for a minor aspect of her services, expecting to learn much of their constraints with their counter-offer. She had not expected them to blithely accept the offered price, and then inquire as to the compensation she required for her other services.

Accepting that she had likely misread the resources they had on hand for such endeavors, she had tacked on more and more aspects of the cost to her, asking for greater and greater sums to alleviate them, and each was accepted in turn until at last the deal was concluded—the most profitable one she had yet made but one she suspected where far more profit had been left on the table than she had claimed for her own.

"I'm guessing that despite my efforts to the contrary I failed to make a significant dent in the funds set aside for this endeavor?" It was the only plausible explanation she could think of, short of having horrendously misread their bargaining culture or how badly they might need such contacts. Hopefully the case too, as a critical faux pas this early in her relationship with them could devastate her position with them going forward. The silent nod on his part was all the answer she needed.

"I see. It's always difficult to judge these things, going in with such limited information. It's even harder with how different you are from the other peoples I generally encounter. Such a focus on crafting and numbers. It makes figuring out scale so much more complicated. The fact that your language can describe and distinguish between so many different sorts of costs with so few words should have been enough to indicate how large a scale you work on, for such things to be worth words of their own."

With a chuckle, their representative responded. "To be fair, we ourselves are not immune to having difficulty keeping the scale we operate on in mind. This system alone holds over seventy billion humans, and we are but a fraction of the polity we belong to. To a normal individual, the price we paid to secure your assistance in our introductions is horrifying, far beyond what they will ever earn in their life. To our local government, let alone that of the Trust, it is a rounding error or less in the yearly budget. Even to those that wield it, the sum total of the resources of our society are hard to comprehend as more than numbers on a spread sheet. I can hardly fault someone that wasn't even given a glimpse of it for their inability to deduce the value we assign to their actions or the invisible line between a significant and an insignificant cost."