The Exploits of Desmodius Voxell, Head Magitech Engineer
Everyone's favorite eladrin artificer is quite the busy man, with new things to research every time agents come back from the field. As such, he's got more irons in the fire than every blacksmith in the Material Plane combined. Agents will sometimes assist with his endeavors, and both
Blinky and
Heliadora have been known to tinker in the workshop a little bit, but so far only
Angie has been able to make a dent in Desmo's ever-growing backlog of tasks.
Current Research Priority
At present, Desmo is working with
Ichor Vas'tukaar from
Kaladesh to understand the ins and outs of Kaladeshi engineering. His hope is that he'll be able to provide some additional gadgets for the heist that
Cirro is planning, and help prevent an interplanar disaster in the process.
Tasks Currently In Progress
Russet Mold Analysis
Since the party brought back a small sample of the
necrotic mold from
Russet Crater, Desmo has been attempting to determine its nature and connection to the practice of necromancy. Learning more about the origin of this fungus could help unravel some of mysteries surrounding where it came from in the first place. Current speculation is that it might hail from another universe entirely, and with more study we might be able to use the
RSS Draconis to navigate to its plane of origin by way of the Astral Plane.
Portable Demiplane Experiments
Desmo has been attempting to make some prototypes for a portable pocket dimension that will not only be bear-safe, but also be a space that Sylvester will actively enjoy existing within for extended periods of time. In order to make this work, he has determined he needs it to have all the comforts of home, including a self-replenishing supply of peanut butter sandwiches. The materials for creating a space like this are rare and must meet very specific requirements, so it will likely prompt a resource-gathering mission of some kind once Desmo has confirmed the specifications.
Reprogramming a Drow Assassin Bug
Arcessere has proven to be a very useful asset, but also an extraordinarily dangerous one. Desmo has yet to find a way to override Arch's security protocols (or lack thereof) to install a new system that prevents anyone from seizing control of it if they just so happen to know the right phrase. Any use of Arcessere's abilities until this new system is perfected is extraordinarily risky, considering we don't yet know how far-reaching the
smuggling ring's influence is. The retriever may be useful for emergencies, but any amount of time it spends in the field is a risk until the security issues are fixed, and even after that it will probably need to have heavy restrictions in place during the testing phase to make sure it doesn't malfunction.
Unlocking the Secrets of Herbal Teas
Since the party brought back some interesting tea leaves from the drow mansion, Desmo has been trying to find a way to identify and replicate the herb blend to make a tea that can cause the drinker to become astoundingly charming. Or maybe the tea makes the drinker more suggestable? It's hard to tell exactly what the intended effect is from the note that came with the packet. Maybe it does both.
Understanding the Pickled One
Since
Khorne-Shonne accompanied the party back to the ARA headquarters, Desmo has been absolutely fascinated with him and excited to get first-hand experience learning about
illithids. Supposedly, Khorne-Shonne has the ability to manipulate psychic energy, which may end up being useful for manufacturing
emotion stones of various types. Helping Khorne-Shonne understand his own powers might even bring to light new talents that the illithid never knew he had.
Firenewt Magic
After hearing the story about how
Salmahn siphoned some multi-colored flames off of the
star spawn and started teleporting around willy nilly, Desmo was curious to see if he could help the firenewt control this magic, and in turn learn more about how the magic of the Elemental Plane of Fire functions. Thankfully, some of the star spawn's magic still exists in the jar of strange jelly the party brought back, so Desmo thinks he should be able to uncover some of its secrets with Salmahn's help, and maybe awaken some new fire-based abilities for him.
How Do You Make an Antimagic Omelette
First thing to do would be crack a few
antimagic eggs, of course. Or, at least, crack the code for knowing how to create them. The process for how to make these strange eggs has apparently been lost to time, but with a physical egg to study, it shouldn't be too long before Desmo can reverse-engineer it and fill in the blanks. He might not get the formula perfect, but it should be serviceable in a pinch, at least.
Pearls of Wisdom
A pearl of pure aetheric energy, formed in the crucible of the Kaladesh aethersphere using natural methods, must be usable for some purpose. In addition, Desmo found himself in possession of a Lifecrafter's Bestiary, a device from Kaladesh with all sorts of useful information about the creatures there. Perhaps further study of both of these artifacts can help Desmo draw conclusions about Kaladeshi flora and fauna that will further our understanding of nature from an interplanar perspective.
Crystal Manipulation
In addition to the crystal Desmo used to make the
PNUT, two other aetheric crystals were recovered from Kaladesh. Both of these crystals, when used in unison, might be able to manipulate space such that objects can be both scaled and translated from a short distance. This technology could be useful in the field, but it might also be just as useful in the lab. Imagine being able to maneuver delicate operations remotely or temporarily scale a tiny component up to do some work on it.
Tasks Currently On Hold
Soul Searching
For a few months, the ARA has been in possession of a
soul statue that a group of field agents retrieved from a small house in the middle of a forest. Making progress on understanding anything about how the statue works or who it is tied to has been difficult, because the statue is accompanied by a
beholder tasked with making sure the statue "doesn't get a single scratch on it", which stares down anyone who enters the secure room where the statue is being held. Progress has all but halted on this research while the Aether Division leads figure out the best course of action.
Expanded Astrology
Upon receiving a chunk of space rock and a strange star chart that the party found in the Underdark, Desmo has been trying to unravel the mysteries of the Astral Plane. This investigation hit a wall, though, since Desmo realized his knowledge of the universe is incomplete, and that the ancient myth of the
Celestial Web might actually hold some truth after all. Until more is understood about the nature of the multiverse, evaluating this start chart will have to wait. Once the location of multiple different exterior planes has been recorded, however, Desmo should be able to triangulate their positions and learn much more about extradimensional space and how to navigate the Astral Plane.
Completed Tasks
Found the Source of the Dinging
When Angie's keychain started dinging in some kind of code, Desmo decoded it and learned that the source of the signal was coming from
Kaladesh. With help from
Rev, Desmo was able to determine the location of Kaladesh and transport the party to the plane.
Artificial Sun in a Bottle
Desmo managed to replicate the
solar bottle from the
Pearly Kapok and manufacture a version that works with the ARA demiplane's artificial sun.
Restorative Smoothies
Desmo found a way to grow
Silver Mangrove fruit in the lab, which resulted in a less potent (but still very helpful) version of the
smoothies that the party made for the
grung of
Mugwump Mire.
Substitute Shoosuva Toxin
Using the
Shoosuva tail that Blinky brought back, Desmo was able to manufacture a
poison that is very similar to the biotoxin used by the demon.
Zendikar Brewing Secrets
Desmo found a way to propagate the tea leaves from Venn's house, which led to the creation of a
special tea with reinvigorating properties. It also helped Desmo pinpoint the location of Zendikar itself.
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