In Lethian's Crossing, there are a dozen merchants who will happily talk about business or goings-on, though it's clear they've heard some stories about what she's like Sparking and are slightly intimidated. She'll also definitely meet Eldian, son of Lethian and Reeve of the settlement; he's an older man, quick with an aphorism and good at smoothing over disputes.

Her ironwork is probably a little worse than theirs, but it's also faster. Actually, they'll buy it off her; it's good enough to meet their official quotas with, and that can buy them more time to experiment and make artisan pieces, which is what they most enjoy doing. After a week or so of this, Kinara asks what her personal symbol is - one of her own artisan pieces is a shield, and Waltana seems like an excellent person to carry it.

Well, she keeps the drinking to a minimum (she lets slip that her father abandoned her mother and was also a heavy drinker and generally deplorable), but she will go along and indulge with meat and cheese and leave when the crowd gets too tipsy.

Yesssss, merchants. She has schemes. Of course, she won't actually hurt them or anything, but it's good persona practice. Plus, weird ores? Strange dyes? Mysterious plants? She'll buy small samples of basically any weird material she hasn't seen before, accumulating esoterica in her workshop area, and wax poetic about how trade creates opportunity.

As for her symbol-

"I'm honored, Master Kinara. My symbol..." She finds her old badge, stored for safekeeping. A half gear, and a closed fist inside it. "This is the engineer's badge, a huge part of my... Origin, I suppose. I've been thinking about changing it, but the more I consider it, the more I want to keep what links I can to home. The gear I want to keep for certain, but I'm less sure about the fist. Perhaps lightning or a flame instead, there. What do you think?"

"It's a good, simple design. That's what you want, generally." She'll sketch a few symbols, both loyal and rebel. "Perhaps a bolt of lightning held in the fist? In the stylized zig-zag, not the more realistic shape you see in the actual Sigil. And the honor is as much mine as yours. A master's work, especially partly worked up in the Spire, picks up magic, but it will never achieve its potential if it isn't in the hands of someone who does worthy deeds with it. Seeing your work grow like that is the greatest honor we strive for."

"That works. The lightning-smith-engineer... Though even three symbols might put it on the higher side of complexity..."

A rare non-manic smile, from Waltana, at this point.

"And I can use the shield on an arm, so it won't interfere with my guard device. I still don't truly understand magic. It goes against all my intuitions, though the Spark seems to understand it... Now, though, I think that if I make myself capable of fighting, soon enough I might be expected to fight. I don't look forward to it."

"It is, else I might suggest a small bundle of bolts, but no worse than Tunon's mark. As for battle... I think if you are going to achieve half of what you speak of, you will be on the Archon's stage soon enough. And battle never stays far in the wings. The only ones I can think of who avoided it are Occulted Jade, who fled, and the Orphan Midwife, who is imprisoned for centuries for letting her sigil spread outside the Empire and heal the enemies of Kyros. And even those had to withstand the Headsman. Best learn the steps before your cue is called."

"Indeed. Reluctance, not... Naivete. My dream is industry, but I believe my biggest advantage will be... Wild crafting. Being novel, always with new devices for new situations."

"I'm sure you'll have the Forge-Bound as allies in that. We've never had an Archon, as far as we know; fortunate that one to our taste seems to have landed on us anyway."

Nod. "I respect the art and craftsmamship immensely. Soon enough I'll pass 'getting used to things' and start forging a proper path. I think I'll go back up to the Spire to work, soon."

"It's a marvelous forge; I hope I see you there." And that she doesn't Spark out while there, but she seems like she learned her lesson the first time.

Well, there's a difference between Sparking at all and Sparking out quite so hard.

She'll save it for emergencies, honestly.

Back to work. She has accumulated somewhat more metal and her next big project now that the glass is going well is to build a steam engine to power some future tools - overhead cranes, lathes, drill presses, so on - since the sigil of lightning is not really... Consistent enough... To use directly.

That seems like a reasonable project. She'll probably get to it soon. But actually Kohl is back, popping out of the forge portal.

"Waltana! How goes? Have a challenge for you."

"Oh dear. Settling in, and doing well enough! A challenge? That sounds like it could be... Interesting."

"Good! So, I woke the Ocean Spire. But access is awkward. Doors buried in metal, and a day-long Oldwalls trek to the nearest open door. Think you can unbury it?"

"-Uhh, a picture is worth a thousand words. I think I need to hear more about the place and have you sketch it perhaps, or see it myself."

"From inside, at least." He gestures toward the portal to suggest they go.

She is feeling unaccountably nervous, and will actually grab her spear first, in addition to the knife she carries at all times, if not her full armor and weird shield backpack.

"This part is clear of Bane," he clarifies, but is happy to wait.

"Better safe than sorry. Let's go, then."

Then they will be in a dark Runic Hall, with yet another pattern of glowing crystals on the floor. Eb and Kills-In-Shadow are waiting nearby. Eb's scanning walls with a little ball of (purply off-white) gravelight, checking for hidden switches or compartments; Killsy is waiting by the door, listening for motion beyond it.

"Lantry's topside. Planning a magic-research library. Excited enough to fall, so Verse is watching him. Let's go see the front door."

Eb's at his side pretty quickly. And seems... slightly possessive?

Much like at Lethian's Crossing, the next room is more spacious, lit by crystal sconces. No running water here, though, and a split-level arrangement. It's pretty dimly lit.

But, a ways along the right wall, there's another intricately-patterned sliding door, a match for Lethian's Crossing except in the details of the pattern. It's slightly cracked open, but no light is getting through.