Player: Hi
Junkar: Hi there, player!
Player: passage
Junkar: Where do you want me to take you? To Kazordoon or to Thais? Occasionally we can even reach the mines if they are cleared.
Player: mines
Junkar: Ah, sorry the mine is flooded right now.
Player: coal
Junkar: Ah, the black gold, dropped by many beasts. Are you here to donate some for my cause?
Player: no
Junkar: What a pity.
Player: beasts
Junkar: Oh there are so many beasts that swallow coal in their ravenousness, unable to digest it. The carrion worms are the first that come to my mind. ...
Junkar: Other monsters pick up coal for different reasons. Cyclopes who are famous for their ironwork often carry some coal with them.
Player: job
Junkar: I used to be an explorer. I tried to chart the unknown waters of the underground rivers. ...
Junkar: Since most passages are unstable and impassable by ships I used magic and technomancer inventions to make my way through tunnels that looked promising. ...
Junkar: Admittedly each project took years and most led to nothing but completely impassable tunnels. ...
Junkar: The route from Kazordoon to Thais was unfortunately the only one that was of any worth. Still, the river is not easy to sail and it costs tons of coal to keep the route working for a while. ...
Junkar: The Thaians call it the stubbornness of a dwarf but I insist to keep that service running. Admittedly it will not work without help. ...
Junkar: I need tons of coal, which can luckily be looted in several monsters all over the world. If I get enough coal, I can keep the service running for quite a while.
Player: routes
Junkar: Most of the tunnels I explored were not navigable. Sometimes the water was too shallow, the ceiling too low, the water too wild. ...
Junkar: When I had the feeling that it might continue after such a point I put my knowledge into use and used earth magic and technomantic devices to pass such points. It often took years only to reach some dead end. ...
Junkar: Sometimes I discovered a mineral vein which earned me some meagre profit to finance my expeditions. When my geomantic srcying revealed to me that I had reached caves beneath Thais, I wondered if I could dig my way up somehow. ...
Junkar: I loaned some rotworms from a business partner that owed me a favour and drove them upwards. I was somewhat nervous I might hit the royal treasury or something and get arrested but as you can see I was lucky. ...
Junkar: I would have preferred some more central spot in Thais but that was not meant to be and I guess the Thaians like it better the way it is. Still my service is somewhat unknown and underused. ...
Junkar: So tell your friends about it!
Player: service
Junkar: Oh, well. I know it's not such a big deal to travel from Thais to Kazordoon and I won't get rich or something but if there are more dwarfs visiting Thais and humans visiting Kazordoon, then I have changed something. ...
Junkar: If enough coal is donated I can keep the service running for a while. ...
Junkar: The price I can charge for a trip barely covers the repairs on the ship, but if I ask for more, people will probably travel to Kazordoon on their own.
Player: Kazordoon
Junkar: I left Kazordoon some decades ago to pursue my idea to explore the underground rivers. For a while I lived on the ship until I settled under Thais. ...
Junkar: But once I get the ship service a bit more stable and perhaps find someone to continue my work, I'll move back to good old Kazordoon. Staying away for a while makes coming home so much more valuable, you know.
Player: Thais
Junkar: Well, it is no dwarven town. The ceiling is missing, you are harassed by wind and weather and the beer is awfully thin. ...
Junkar: But people are mostly friendly towards me and it flatters me somewhat to be seen as someone special on my occasional visits 'upstairs'.
Player: steamship
Junkar: My steamship was once used on the regular routes until it was replaced by a newer version. I bought it, repaired it and improved most of it and started my explorations. ...
Junkar: Admittedly this is not typical for a technomancer but I'm more interested in the practical use of our inventions and their improvement than in inventing something completely new.
Player: Bye
Junkar: See you next time!
