Narric
Junior Member
Posts: 97
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Post by Narric on Nov 26, 2014 8:59:10 GMT 12
Jason made a brisk pace for the camp site Talon had proposed. He mae sure not to fall flat on his face, an embarassing turns of events considering some of his previous advice.
He soon arrvied at the spot with Talon close behind.
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TD
Junior Member
Talon Draid
Posts: 60
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Post by TD on Nov 26, 2014 20:50:28 GMT 12
Talon was glad when they reached the camp site, he want used to moving so fast, though at least he wasn't collapsed on the ground like he would of been before he started this trip. He looked at the site before asking, "What would you like me to do?"
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Post by Ravager Zero on Nov 26, 2014 23:28:24 GMT 12
The storm that crossed the plains had only been light in the end, dumping no more than a foot of fresh snow atop the already deep powder. A foot of snow hadn’t been so healthy for the tent though, and even though they’d set up in the lee of a rocky escarpment, it still had a fair weight of snow atop it. Talon had climbed the rock, and with some of his carried components managed to forge a small, animated shovelling device. It helped clear some space around the tent, allowing him and Jason to pack it again. If there was another storm he would ask the hunter if there was perhaps a more solid shelter they could make use of. Jason, for his part, was now pacing through the trees, stalking a thumper. White furred and stealthy, it was rather plump—it had fed well recently. It would make a good dinner, perhaps a stew. Between himself and Talon, Jason knew they had supplies for at least a week’s travel, maybe two. But those for when they couldn’t live off the land. Right now that was fairly easy, but they weren’t the only ones trying to live out there. There were the wolves, of course, and somewhere in the distance growled a sabrecat, the most dangerous predator outside the Blackfang range. Wild reindeer were also a common sight on the plains, pawing at the snow until they reached the frozen tundra beneath. Jason’s mind wandered while his body remained alert, waiting for the thumper to emerge from its den to hunt. As soon as he saw the white snout Jason had drawn the string on his bow, an arrow already nocked. He let fly, and the arrow clipped fur from the thumper’s tail as it leapt from its den, landing on something scurrying beneath the snow. By the time he’d nocked another arrow, Jason could just see the thumper dragging a dead shrew into its den. He rose, retrieving the arrow. There were plenty more hours in the day, and Dalton could not be much further—he could just see faint wisps of smoke on the horizon.
China sat on the bench opposite the bodyguard and his magess charge. The animosity from the bodyguard she’d expected, given their argument the previous night. Not so much from the magess though—unless, once again, she’d managed to very badly confuse someone. It would not have been the first time, and she recalled with some humour her introduction to Lady Cyven. Murtan looked over the illuisionist… she was attractive, but he got the sense that something was slightly off. Not maliciously, like he’d suspected the previous night, but something to do with her carefully concealed tattoos. Tattoos Aliss had picked up on nearly instantly, and misidentified as magelines. A fair mistake, given how rare runic tattoos had to be. He’d heard of perhaps one other instance of a person with something remotely similar. Magelines, from what Aliss had told him, were uncommon, but easily recognisable to other mages. He had agreed to keep them both safe at the dig, Aliss, as was in their contract, and this newcomer, because she would not yet be familiar with Dwarven work practices—or durability. He also knew just enough Dwarvish to almost understand the more complicated digging instructions now—having nothing better to do while watching Aliss work—and sometimes served as a translator for her, because, honestly, her Dwarvish was appalling. Aliss was trying not to look at the magess sitting across from her, and failing at it rather badly. It wasn’t like her—and the woman had explained what the effects were—but the effects of runic magick were potent in confined spaces. She’d crossed her arms to resist the urge to reach out and just touch the illusionst. She turned to look at Murtan and saw that he wasn’t having problems. Aliss was a little jealous of that, but he had seen a lot more of the world than she had.
Darius ran a hand along the symbols carved into the stone fascia of the temple. It had to be a temple given the graven images—statues—at the entrance. But it wasn’t a temple to any gods or goddesses of Human or Dwarven origin. The stone had been cut and polished before engraving, and then the runes had been very carefully carved into the surface layer before being filled with crushed marble. It was a notably odd development to discover that—it wasn’t often that runes were filled, and in some cases it could change their meaning. He studied his notes, leafing through his field book. It meant the reference to the empty path wasn’t conceptual at all, but physical in the purest sense. Empty might not be quite right either—void was better, tracing the rune properly. And ceremony, when so filled, meant ritual. Ritual implied some kind of magick, and void implied sacrifice in this context—oblivion. Dwarves really were annoyingly literal, but now he had something solid to work with. Carefully perching his reading spectacles on the tip of his nose, Darius took a pen and unstoppered a small bottle of ink, resting it on a stone slab near the centre of the room. He opened his notebook to an empty page—and leaving plenty of space for later annotations and marginalia—started to transcribe the rest of the message carved on the walls. It would likely take him until lunch, and he hoped the cantina staff were here again because he didn’t want to suffer from another bout of Dwarvish hospitality. He still had no idea how they could eat those things without a lead lining in their stomachs.
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Post by The Man They Call Jayne on Nov 27, 2014 1:05:14 GMT 12
Aliss was rather to get back to work, it would keep her mind off this woman and let her focus. Her hand unconciously gripped her magestaff tightly, it had always been something that could give her focus and had become an almost ritualistic reaction.
"Can we go back to the dig? You know I dislike being sat around at the best of times. I suppose we should bring her with us, if this is what she is here for."
In her mind she was arguing with herself over the option of trusting her. So far, No, was winning by a landslide. But Murtan seemed to accept her, which meant she would get the benefit of the doubt.
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Post by Mabbz on Nov 27, 2014 1:22:24 GMT 12
China arched an eyebrow at the magess' word, but elected not to comment on the way she acted as though China was not present. "I believe we are merely waiting for transportation. If you wish to leave sooner, you could always walk."
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Post by The Man They Call Jayne on Nov 27, 2014 2:11:33 GMT 12
"And leave you here with my friend? I don't think so."
Aliss was doing her best to sound confidant but it wasn't working very well. She was pretty sure that if she DID leave, Murtan would follow her, but with these mind games, she wasn't sure.
"We can all go together. It will be easier and more organised, I know the dwarves like that kind of thing and it would be so impolite to be ungracious to our hosts"
Big words, she thought. That was the key.
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Mkoll
Junior Member
Posts: 67
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Post by Mkoll on Nov 27, 2014 2:20:32 GMT 12
"Walk?" Murtan replied "It's a fair distance and it's cold out. Besides, the transport's faster so even if we wait a bit for it we'd still get there faster and get more done. And yes, Aliss, we'll travel with China to the dig."
He could feel the tension between the two mages and felt slightly sorry for the newcomer. Aliss, due to her fiery nature, could be difficult to get used to at times as it was without starting off on the wrong foot, but he had no idea how to improve matters. Ah well, for now he'd simply see how it went and try to make sure no fights broke out.
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Post by The Man They Call Jayne on Nov 27, 2014 2:41:22 GMT 12
"I am sure a mammoth or something will be here soon anyway."
Aliss was itching to go again. Sitting her after a good night sleep left her with a lot of misplaced energy and nothing to do about it. She reached into an inside pocket and pulled out a small disc, similar in dimension to a pocket watch, because it was a pocket watch. It had been broken ever since she got it, but that wasn't a big deal. Focus was key to magick like hers and this helped.
Holding the watch in her palm, she closed her eyes and grasped her staff. The sound of ticking began to come from the mechanism, and the hands began to move around. Flicking back and forth between various times, stopping only for a second before spinning off again. The mechanism was delicate and fragile, so she couldn't use force, all the right parts had to be manipulated at once. It had taught her much about her own school of magic over the years, how tiny changes can have much larger effects.
Plus, it was really rather fun.
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Narric
Junior Member
Posts: 97
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Post by Narric on Nov 28, 2014 6:05:08 GMT 12
Jason returned to the camp as Talon was finishing packing up the tent.
"Sorry about breakfast." Jason apologised for his bad fortune in hunting. "I'll keep my eye out and have us something for lunch. I can see smoke on the horizon, and I'm pretty sure that would be Dalton."
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TD
Junior Member
Talon Draid
Posts: 60
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Post by TD on Nov 28, 2014 9:46:46 GMT 12
Talon nodded as he said, "I'll be glad to sleep in a real bed again. And I could use a drink. I'll buy the first round since you helped me so much and saved my life."
He finished putting the tent away and pulled out the carry case containing Eyes and opened it, the construct moved as if it was stretching before launching itself into the air. It buzzed around the campsite as Talon put the case away and finished collecting his gear.
The morning light glinted off the gold and silver that made up Eyes' body and wings.
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Narric
Junior Member
Posts: 97
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Post by Narric on Nov 28, 2014 11:19:54 GMT 12
"You able to estimate the distance between us and that smoke?" ason asked, watchig the little contraption flit about in the air. "Hopefully Dalton isn't up in flames, otherwise we're both short a pint." Jason chuckled at his little joke, not sure if his humour was the same as most peoples, considering how little time he usuaully spent with others.
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Mkoll
Junior Member
Posts: 67
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Post by Mkoll on Nov 28, 2014 11:39:00 GMT 12
"Sorry about last night by the way" Murtan said, addressing China "I didn't mean any offence by it, but I know cons and tricks. Kinda had to learn them growing up. My family runs a smithing company, mainly armour and weapons, but some other stuff too and apparently conmen, tricksters, illusions" he added with a slight nod at the mage "never used to be much of an issue. We were small fry, sure every now and again someone would try to cut us short on a deal or just blatantly screw us over, but that's the way of the world. The last few years or so though, just over a decade really, business boomed. We had a lot more demand, had to expand the business quickly and, suddenly, we were big. That meant we were fair game for every cheating scumbag under the sun, or so it seemed. Everyone trying to charge more, pay less or just cheat, because the figured we could afford it. So we had to learn, had to adapt, and quickly, in order to survive."
He paused for a drink before continuing. "I can tell if the weight of a bag of coins is off because of fakes, or rocks, we looked into additional methods of security which is how I know about the runes, the hardest part though was vocabulary. My family were, quite literally, as common as you get before the war. We didn't have much in the way of education until my generation, so we didn't know all these fancy business terms which people used to try and cheat my family whilst coming across as a fair negotiator. There, we got lucky. My father knew the Fencer family, so anything we were unsure of they helped out with, for a small fee of course. Add in my travelling for the last 2 years and you now know how I was able to catch the thief, and how I knew of your illusions. As I say, I meant no offence, it's simply habit to pick up on and mention these things."
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Post by Mabbz on Nov 28, 2014 17:43:39 GMT 12
China had in fact heard of Murtan's family and their sudden rise to prominence. A few of their business rivals had come to her hoping she could obtain information that the Domor family were engaged in some kind of dirty dealings that they could expose or exploit. She had actually had to provide partial refunds when she found nothing, something almost unheard of for her.
She politely feigned interest in Murtans history lesson; there was no sense antagonising people without cause, after all. "Well, as someone who could be a target of such miscreants, I applaud you for your vigilance. You did save me the hassle of retrieving my purse, after all. You should be aware though, that with illusionist things are rarely as they may seem. It is never wise to jump to conclusions."
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TD
Junior Member
Talon Draid
Posts: 60
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Post by TD on Nov 28, 2014 21:09:30 GMT 12
Talon shook his head, "I'm decent at estimating various measures on a small scale. Can't you? You're the adventurer."
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Mkoll
Junior Member
Posts: 67
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Post by Mkoll on Nov 29, 2014 3:53:43 GMT 12
"None of us are as we seem" Murtan replied, "Illusionists just have an advantage when it comes to hiding who they are, but one way or another we all hide something, or try to. Only thing is, with hiding things someone always finds out eventually. So I decided to just be honest with people, it makes things easier. Most of the time."
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Post by The Man They Call Jayne on Nov 29, 2014 12:25:26 GMT 12
"You were going to tell me the rest of the story weren't you? Last night before I got. . .distracted? You were telling me about the Heroes of Vidan and what you knew about them? Why not finish that story while we wait for the ride?"
Aliss was certainly keen to hear more about what had happened. She had been very young during the attack on Darrow. Nemesis and the Infernal Dragon laying waste to many areas, until they had been stopped by the Heroes. She had been told that one of the Masters from the Collegiate, a Legendary Mage of Rai-Tane had been involved, helping out the Heroes as best she could. It had been said that she had mastered one of the greatest secrets of fire magick. How to attain flight, borne aloft on flaming wings.
The exact details of the attack were hazy at best, and several pages of the official report were found to be missing in the confusion, so nobody but them and the gods could say for certain what really happened that day. In Aliss's mind, the thought of two powerful mages of Rai-Tane, fighting side by side against mighty foes was a perfectly amazing tale all by itself.
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Mkoll
Junior Member
Posts: 67
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Post by Mkoll on Dec 1, 2014 6:25:30 GMT 12
"Yeah, the Heroes of Vidan. I won't claim to know the most about them, because I know some of them still live and I don't know if they've told the tale to others, but I know a fair amount. Unfortunately, it's quite a lengthy tale, an as such best left to an evening story as I doubt we have long before out transport is here." Murtan replied. "But I will tell you the tale some time, I promise you that, Aliss."
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Post by Ravager Zero on Dec 3, 2014 13:45:29 GMT 12
The rhythmic thud thud thud of mammoth feet told Murtan and Aliss that their transportation was fast approaching. Well, fast for a mammoth, anyway. The pair headed for the northern edge of town, just shy of the frozen river Dahl. China followed, not wanting to get too far separated as the other workers began to gather. The ice barge was large, and of human design, despite being used by the Dwarves—they were pragmatic, after all—towed by two harnessed mammoths.
The mammoths were great, shaggy beasts, covered in thick fur, matted with snow. They plodded sedately over the frozen surface of the river, seemingly uncaring of the barge behind them, being pulled to a stop on the south bank. One bellowed with a great trumpeting noise, then brushed snow from the ground with its trunk, wrapping it around a forlorn looking bush and tearing the bush from the dirt, shoving the whole thing into its gaping maw, chewing contentedly as it stood there.
The barge’s ramp lowered, and a dozen or so people left the barge, more than half of them Dwarves. The loadmaster then beckoned everyone forward, up the ramp on the barge’s starboard side. Aliss offered the loadmaster a smile as she passed—he was one of the few Dwarves who could speak the common trade languages, and was actually quite polite by human standards. Murtan shook hands with the Dwarf, his hand engulfed in a giant paw. China was stopped by that same hand pressing firmly against her stomach.
“You are new, ma’am. Do you have papers?”
China rummaged in her satchel for several long seconds, pretending to be flustered. Lady Cyven had given her a handful of documents for this task, she just had to select the right one. There, the one about being from the university’s archaeological faculty, a lecturer on ancient human cultures. She held the document out to the Dwarf. She was doing her very best to ignore the fact that his hand was still pressed into her stomach, and somehow stopping her dead. There wasn’t even a hint of attraction from the Dwarf.
“Those are the right ones to get to the temple, aren’t they?” she used her sweetest voice.
The Dwarf handed the papers back to her. “I hope you find something of interest, Ms Sorrows. Please proceed to the back of the barge, with the other academics.”
She wasn’t sure why, but she could detect a note of disdain in the Dwarf’s voice when he said ‘academics’. Perhaps something to look into later. Murtan stepped past her, ostensibly to lean over the railing.
“Wait for us when we get there. It’s not safe to explore alone.”
It took perhaps another ten minutes for everyone to board the ice barge, and then with another bellow, the mammoths turned, heading north, towards the dig site.
Murtan stood on the foredeck, watching the slowly drifting snow. White powder was starting to build up on the deck and upper surfaces of the barge. The clouds in the north promised a heavy fall during the night, maybe during the afternoon if they were unlucky—and that would mean spending the night at the dig again. Unusual, but that was why he and Aliss took such large packs with them. Actual bedrolls were infinitely more comfortable than the stone slabs the Dwarves used for mattresses.
On these trips to the dig site, he had discovered a few interesting facts. One was the beastmaster who controlled the mammoths—he originally hailed from Sueni, of all places, and had two wives in Hygar, where he’d made his fortune taming mammoths for the city. Now, later in life, he was more comfortable guiding the beasts than taming them. Judging them just by their sheer size, Murtan couldn’t argue against the wisdom of that decision.
Another interesting fact was that this particular ice barge had been one of the first steel hulled barges, and was now over a century old—and yet showed very little rust. The steel was a very dark blue though, and having studied smithing and steelwork most of his life, he knew that that meant the steel was partially protected from rust. It was very labour intensive, but for something such as this, worthwhile. That was a good part of the reason the barge had lasted more than fifty years. Fifty Great Falls.
In the distance he could just make out the outlines of the huts around the dig site, abandoned some time ago when living quarters had been discovered in those tunnels, and co-opted for use by the Dwarves. It had been interesting that said quarters had been completely empty. Several of the scholars had speculated that the entire complex might have been a temporary installation—maybe constructed for one grand ritual, and then left fallow until it was needed again.
Even in the rear of the barge, it was comfortable. It was surprising to China—not opulent or ostentatious, but very well appointed for such a simple method of transport. It might have been a matter of necessity however, as most of the academics and scholars she could see were in their forties, and even fifties. Old. Venerable, perhaps. There were a handful of younger people, scribes, assistants, and a few assorted mages and magesses of varying Talent. An eclectic mix to be sure, but each had an air of purpose. Whatever it was they were studying, this site the Dwarves had found obviously had great significance for them all.
China sat on one of the armchairs, barely feeling the occasional jolt as the barge ran over a low rise or buried hilltop. Lady Cyven had been right to be intrigued by this discovery—perhaps right to be concerned as well, given the potency of the artefact in question. If the Dwarves or any of the scholars here had any idea what it was that they’d uncovered. The seat next to hers shook slightly as a tall, thin and quite old scholar sat next to her.
He wore a tunic, with a strange sash. His moustache and goatee were immaculately groomed and waxed, and he looked like a villain from a melodrama. The fact he wore spectacles completed the illusion. He was reading a heavy tome, mumbling, and jotting something down in a notebook. He didn’t seem to have any idea where he was, oblivious to everything but the book in front of him. A book full of runes. Runes and translations.
Finally realizing he was actually sitting next to someone, the man extended a hand as he closed the book.
“Darius Ivarsen, Professor of Runology.” His voice was surprisingly deep.
China took the proffered hand and shook it firmly. “China Sorrows. I was sent here by the University of Cyven.”
“Fascinating!” Ivarsen’s smile was warm and genuine. “What faculty?”
“Archaeology. The Dean has been having some issues recently.”
“Ah yes, Dean Winkler. A pity for him, but I guess you must be new to the staff—or, ah… an understudy?”
“Technically.”
Ivarsen sat back before speaking again. “Oh, I say… you’re an illusionist. And you say you’re working for the faculty of archaeology?”
“I did.”
“Truly fascinating… no, don’t tell me, let me guess.” There was a long pause. “Is it anything like that new forensic necromancy?”
“Somewhat,” China made an equivocal gesture. “But we need a lot more information, and the effect is a lot looser. We can still get a rough idea though—especially of what such sites looked like in former ages, in all their glory.”
“Fascinating. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms Sorrows. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to fix this blind idiot Dwarvish translation of these runes.”
And with that, he opened his tome once more, scribbling notes in his notebook.
It was noon by the time Talon and Jason had made it to Dalton. Eyes was buzzing around of his own device, Talon having let him loose for a time as they approached. Jason’s stomach was grumbling slightly—a sure sign they should eat, and enjoy a hearty drink as well. There was no shortage of establishments to sate them either. Eventually they decided on a small tavern on the southern bank of the Dahl.
Inside they were greeted with a surprise. “Talon!”
And suddenly a perky redhead had embraced in a way that was half tackle and half heartwarming hug. As always, her hair seemed to tangle in everything and make him sputter.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here, Talon?” The redhead gave him a pointed look.
“Bethany, honestly, I did not know I would be traveling this far west. I’m still trying to get home.”
“To Hygar, I know. I’m surprised you didn’t just catch an airship.”
“I missed the last one from Darrow, at the end of the Turn,” Talon offered her a wry smile. “I’ve been on foot ever since. So, why are you here?”
“I was hoping to catch up with Aliss, you remember the girl I was talking about the last time you saw me at Sakura?”
“She works here?!”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have pegged her for it either, but she signed a Dwarven contract.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, would you and your friend there like to eat with us?”
“Us?” Talon and Jason echoed.
“My convoy arrived about an hour ago. We kinda filled this place. I’m putting on a performance tonight in the Town Hall.”
“I’ll be there. I hope Aliss can make it.” Talon turned slightly, whispering to Jason. “You have to see one of her performances—they’re beyond amazing.”
“I hope she can make it too, Talon. Now tell me, how many terrible beasts have you slain in your adventures?”
“The last thing he slew was a tree, and he couldn’t even do that right.”
“Hey!”
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TD
Junior Member
Talon Draid
Posts: 60
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Post by TD on Dec 3, 2014 18:44:00 GMT 12
Talon flushed slightly before exclaiming, "Well let me buy the first round! I did promise Jason here I would.... After he saved my life... Again..."
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Post by The Man They Call Jayne on Dec 3, 2014 19:44:14 GMT 12
Aliss stood at the bow of the barge, leaning on the hull and looking out over the ice. She liked the barge, the gentle motions against the smooth surface. It was big enough to move around on, but small enough that she could still see Murtan. Not that he would need to look after her here. Everyone knew who and what she was by this point, and were far from foolish enough to try and cause trouble.
She wasn't overly keen on another night spent sleeping at the dig, even with her bedroll. She COULD manipulate the stone that the dwarves used as a bed, but she didn't wan't to do anything that might upset them or seem disrespectful.
It was a shame Bethany hadn't caught up with them by the time they left, hopefully she would arrive at some point during the day though.
Idly she wondered what the day might bring. More emptying tunnels, clearing blockages most likely. She wondered how Murtan put up with it, having very little to do at the dig other than stop her wandering into places she shouldn't during their down time.
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