A Machine-Printed Flyer

The following text is seen posted around bulletin boards in Stormwind, Ironforge, and Boralus…

Greetings to our fighting men and women (and assorted genders) of the Alliance! Looking for a custom weapon or bit of armor that’s not mass-produced out of a four-hundred-year-old mold, but don’t want to pay out the wazoo for it?

Sputterspark Industries can help!

Having undergone those lovely upgrades that the folks in Mechagon like to talk about, we’re here to put our built-in toolkits to the test! Looking for a new gun, or maybe a better chestplate? Call in to us! We can help you out, and we won’t break your bank vaults to do it, either!

And, as a token of our esteem, we offer a special discount to the soldiers of the royal armies of Stormwind and Ironforge, as well as to the Kul Tiran Navy and Marines! You’re our first and last line of defense against those Horde devils, pesky bugs and faceless monsters - and we want you to go into battle well-equipped!

Send your requests to:

Sputterspark Industries
#25 Machinist’s Row
Mechagon City

For the Alliance!

Professor Rakeri Sputterspark
Chairman and Chief Engineer

OOC (posting on Marennia, because for some reason you can’t have the same character post twice in a row… stupid rule):
For those curious… I have decided on a somewhat different “evil” approach for the Sputterspark siblings compared to constantly ending up in the Stockades: Going legitimate! [GASP] I know, it’s terrifying. And it’s not a scam, either - mecha or no, they’re gnomes, not goblins, they’re not going to just take your money, or sell purposely shoddy products…

The idea I have is to make Sputterspark Industries into a guild - a crafting guild, although more in the RP sense than the in-game sense, but it can work for the in-game sense, too. Part of what came to mind is to have a possible in-character crafter for some of the weapons found on Mechagon and in the dungeon, i.e. the ray-guns, coil-staves and chainswords. Rakeri and Marennia are both crafters in-game as well (both miners, Rakeri engineering, Marennia blacksmithing). Rakeri has the guild charter, so if anyone would be willing to sign it - and if you’ve got an alt that maybe would like to help me out, too - shoot me a line!

The thought came to me when I remembered an incident years ago, I THINK late in Mists of Pandaria, when Rakeri was a “regular” gnome. He was imprisoned in the Stockades… can’t quite remember why, but probably for some crazy thing he did (probably involved Genevra, he hates her guts, lol), and he was called upon by the Watch to help cure a fel plague. Put on by that “Grim” character, if I remember correctly. He saw it as a way to play the sympathies of the common folk against Watch “harassment”. (To be clear, I support the Watch OOC. It’s just IC that it gets tricky, hee hee.)

Now, he wants to take advantage of the tense political climate by becoming an arms manufacturer (perhaps literally for mechagnomes) for, among other things, the Alliance military - as well as for the odd adventurer or two, of course. And no, there will be no sales to “neutral” groups (i.e. the AAMS) or any black market sales to the Horde… and if you try it, Rakeri and Marennia had better not find out about it, or they will kill you. (And then they would be in trouble with the Watch… again.) Rakeri and Marennia both want to put their Mechagonian talents to use to supply advanced weapons and such to the in a future war with the Horde. Because they know there’ll be one. Another part of his plan is to base all of his operations (ICly) in Mechagon, which would put him out of the reach of the Watch’s jurisdiction. (Theoretically.)

Again, it’s all entirely meant for RP purposes, but if I work on my crafting enough, it can be for in-game purposes, too. Plenty of possibilities to explore.

Now, Rakeri has a bad rep with the forces of law and order. You’d all look at him and go “I dunno, he’s up to something”. And you’d probably be right. But he figures, he’s still got his rep with the good folks in Westfall to bank on (maybe he could say he got “hounded to death by the Watch, who let the Horde kill him… but he got better”. And he figures, the Alliance mostly supports their troops, so why not show some “patriotic spirit”?

So yeah. Anyone who might be able and willing to help, gimme a buzz.

Another stack of paperwork had arrived for Orwyn after lunch. Resigned to his fate, he sat down in his office chair and set his after-lunch cup of coffee close to hand on his desk. The top-most page featured an attached note from his assistant, Ms. Corlys, that read in large handwriting “READ THIS.” Orwyn knew better than to disregard anything she felt was worth large handwriting, so he examined the page immediately.

He read only a few sentences of the flyer before the name, “Sputterspark” jumped out at him like a poisonous frog. He finished the flyer and tossed it on his desk in disgust. Did no one simply stay dead anymore?

He wrote some notes of his own for Ms. Corlys.

Re: Sputterspark Industries

  1. Confirm all business and import/export permits have been obtained.

  2. Alert harbormaster to thoroughly check all paperwork for each shipment and place on high risk list for potential contraband.

  3. Alert Ironforge and the Kul Tirans about the previous history and criminal activities of the Sputtersparks

  4. Send Agent Hazlett to me once he returns from Pandaria.

Orwyn frowned. If there was even a hint of illegality in their trade, he was going to see that Sputterspark Industries went out of business faster than a trendy boutique selling pumpkin-spice artisan dog biscuits.

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A package is delivered on the steps of the Watch headquarters in Stormwind, marked with the sigil of Mechagon. Upon being checked for explosives or similar traps (provided it’s not blown up by a bomb disposal technician), the package is revealed to contain three items: a charged-coil rifle, a staff of similar design, and a chainsword - all common products of Mechagon, but with a few noticable changes, though not enough to have an effect on the weapons’ balance. These changes include modified power packs and reinforced power lines, a slightly different configuration on the coils of the rifle and staff, and different-looking teeth on the chain-blade. None of the weapons appear to be rigged or unstable.

Included in the package is an envelope. The writing on the envelope and the note within appears to be cursive, but with hints of it also being written by a machine rather than an actual hand. (Although with mechagnomes, it’s hard to tell.) The envelope is addressed to Orwyn; underneath the address is written “a matter that may be to your interest and possible benefit”. (Again, if the package is destroyed by a bomb disposal tech, the envelope and the note within are fireproof.)

Most pleasant salutations to you, Commander. It has been a long time.

By now, I am sure that word of my recent return has reached you, likely through the flyers posted in the capitals. You are likely dreading the idea of having to contend with me again. Or perhaps you’re chomping at the bit at the possibility of having something to do on the home front while the Alliance armies fight in Pandaria and Uldum, and no doubt you believe that I will give you some “evil scheme” to investigate. I am afraid I must disappoint you, and must respectfully decline the expected invitation to sample your hospitality. I believe the dampness of your facilities will have an adverse effect on my newly-acquired machine parts.

You probably believe that my recent decision to become an arms manufacturer for the Alliance is a front for some kind of criminal activity, but I wish to make clear that I have no malicious intent. What is done, is done. The intent of those who have brought about my return is to have someone who is willing to do what is necessary to combat the Horde, and given what I have heard about recent events, it would appear that things have worsened with our savage neighbors. I would like to think that you and I have plenty of other enemies on the other side, without once again making enemies of one another.

I will, of course, not be particularly pleased to deal with any unwarranted harassment by either your office or citizens living within your jurisdiction, particularly if that harassment is to take place outside of your jurisdiction. The leadership here in Mechagon is well aware of both my past activities as well as those of my sister, Marennia, and of our past conflicts with the authorities in the Alliance. I have no reason to lie to them, and they have elected to allow us the opportunity for a fresh start as citizens of Mechagon. Given the recent reunification of Gnomeregan and Mechagon, and Mechagon’s subsequent induction into the Alliance, I would hate to see relations suffer as the result of overzealous police work.

With that said, I present a sample of the weapons that Marennia and I have put together in the past couple of days, using just our own built-in toolkits and our own minds. They are based on designs commonly found here in Mechagon, with a few modifications we decided to try out - rough prototypes at the moment, but we hope to improve upon them in time. The rifle has a fifteen-percent increase in damage, but with a slightly longer recharge, a minor drawback I hope to correct with future designs; the chain-blade has stronger teeth, forged of elementium. As for the staff, Marennia has mentioned that the coil can produce a stun charge of varying potency, but as I am not a melee fighter, I have not had the opportunity to test it with my own prototype.

No doubt you will consign them to the nearest scrap heap or otherwise have them destroyed, but I maintain the hope that it will be otherwise, that you accept and use these items with the good intent with which they are meant.

I know you may not believe it, but I look forward to working with you in the future - as we did in Westfall, once upon a time.

Regards,
R. S.