You stare at the sheets for a long time, paralyzed by indecision. While the dream of spider-silk is as alluring as ever, the weavers employed by Karak Eight Peaks have yet to manage to turn that dream into a reality. You are suddenly reminded of Elrisse's comments during the Waystone project's meeting on leylines, making the point that the project needs not replicate the very best method of transmitting energy between Waystones, and could instead use alternative methods that could serve its purposes almost as well. This, you think to yourself, is a similar decision. You could keep waiting for We-silk until the end of the world, or you could get yourself some perfectly serviceable silk sheets here and now. With a sigh, you reach out to take the sheets. A melancholy feeling settles on you, as you bring about the end of a very long dream with your own hands, but then your fingers touch silk and those thoughts are chased away by the smoothness of your new bed sheets. Yes, this was definitely the right decision.
[Trait gained: Non-Perfectionist: You have come to acknowledge that sometimes, perfect can be the enemy of the good.]
---
When you finally finish the minute engravings weeks later, you blow off the last of the shavings and look upon your creation. It seems like a simple wooden staff adorned with a spiraling pattern of interconnected Runes. You smile, take a deep breath, and properly grasp Eike's staff for the first time. And you feel...nothing. Well, that's not quite right. You feel the same rush of energy you feel when you grasp your own staff, as you suddenly find it so much easier to draw Ulgu, but you don't notice any special effects. Mists don't come easier to you, nor shadows, nor any other type of spell.
After you spend hours casting every spell you can think of under various different conditions you are left with no choice but to admit that this staff is nothing special. Despite the material it is made of, this is merely a simple staff Ulgu staff, the kind of staff the Grey Order's turner would churn out in bulk had there been one. Perfectly serviceable, and nothing more. You glance at Drycha's remains. There is enough material for another staff, if you want to try and make something really special, but it was the work of a month to create even this.
You sigh. There are not enough hours in a day. You are sure that Eike will be perfectly happy with a staff that "merely" increases her magical power.
[Ulgu Staff: +1 Magic.]
---
"Well", Egrimm says carefully, "the interaction of Hysh and Ulgu could be argued to be synergetic. The effect isn't quite what we hoped for, but it's..."
"It's fine," you reply curtly. " Let's write the paper."
Egrimm stumbles back, shocked. "Are...are you sure? I mean, don't get me wrong, I would be happy to finish this damn thing. But I have to admit, I didn't think you would be satisfied with this."
"I have enough on my plate already between the project and Eike's education," you say tiredly. "We could keep working on this thing for months and maybe by the end of it we will have some stunning achievement that will wow the Colleges. But we don't have time for maybes. This...this is sufficient."
[A Somewhat Impressive Enchantment That Kind of Incorporates Multiple Winds, 2452. Subject: Rare, +1. Insight: Shattering, +3. Delivery: Dull, -1. Total: +3.]
---
"Right," Belegar says. "The proper way to do this would be with Runes - the traditional way is to use one powerful Rune which lights up the whole thing. I doubt Kraag or Thorek would be interested - though you of all people might be able to convince them - but I believe Thorek has some bright apprentices who could do the job. Or you could go to Karak Vlag and have their Rhunkits craft you a number of smaller light Runes - it would ruffle some feathers, but it will be quicker..."
"Can't we just use lanterns?" you interrupt.
"That...well you could do that, but fire in a library..."
"We'll be careful about it," you say. "If we use Vlag we'll have trouble with the Cult of Thungni, and I can't have that now that the project has entered its Rune phase. And a large Rune will take a long time, longer than I'm willing to wait. I know this is not perfect, but it's better than the alternatives."
"If you're sure," Belegar says dubiously. You turn to leave, but you stop when notice him giving you a strange look. "Is there something wrong?" you say.
"That's what I wanted to ask you," Belegar says slowly. "You know you can talk to if something's bothering you, right?"
You force a smile. "Everything is fine," you say, "everything is perfectly adequate."
---
Alas, there is no doubt that these will not be the Waystones of the Golden Age. When the research into rivers proved too difficult, you finally settled on using strings, despite the drawbacks. The foundation also proved frustratingly hard to replicate, and the imitation you managed to create falls far short of the original. The capstone will not include the original Waystone gold but an alternative, and the runes are not the original runes, nor are they etched using the original techniques. But is this good enough?
You look over the proposal one last time. At its foundation, a contraption of Runesmithing and wind magic that kind of keeps the winds separate, only generating 3.6 kiloDhar per thousand wind strains according to your measurements. At its head, a capstone made of some spare golden alloy Thorek found under his couch. Connecting it to the other stones is a criss-crossing web of dental floss, hopelessly entangled with the local shrubbery. And on its sides, a Rune of the Old Ones, scribbled with crayon by a human toddler.
Good enough, you think to yourself, and you give the document the stamp of approval.
---
Every year, thousands of Imperials give in to peer pressure and accpet subpar silks.
Compromising isn't normal, but on vampire silk it is.
MEDIOCRITIY: not even once.
This has been a public service announcement by the Karak Eight Peaks Weaving Guild
