A Roll of the Die - 1. Inception
Copyright© 2026 by Michael Loucks
Chapter 75: Day 100
The following morning, Harold arrived at Newtown from Dal Valley to discuss the overseer job at the farm with Milos. Milos' uncle had strongly recommended him, so Milos had summoned him.
"There are a few special considerations," Milos said. "First, we're going to set aside land for experimental crops. Second, our alchemist has some ideas about improving crop yields that I wish to follow. Third, I committed to retaining the current farmhands."
"Experimental crops?" Harold asked.
"What are called potatoes, corn, and tomatoes. Those plants were discovered on an expedition, and we want to grow them here. Lisette, the herbalist, alchemist, and healer, will explain everything."
"What about living quarters?" Harold inquired.
"You have a wife and young daughter, correct?"
"Yes, and my wife is with child."
"We'll build a suitable house behind the main house. Until then, you are welcome to live in the main house with us. It has three private bedchambers, and as we have no children yet, there is plenty of room."
Harold nodded, and they negotiated a mutually agreeable wage. Harold agreed he would start immediately and send for his wife and daughter. A handshake sealed the agreement, and they headed to the farm.
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Matthias found Tranos already in the library, windmill tallies pushed aside unopened. He had never seen the planar device and did not need to; he needed the door it might open.
"I have thought of little else since you first described it," Tranos said. "If there is any honest path for me to set foot in your realm — or to learn what my brother truly planned — I want every detail. Begin with whether it can be done."
"The device works, and I know how to control it," Matthias said. "There are three caveats."
"I'm listening."
"First," Matthias said, "travel to and from another plane requires two complete sets of charged mana crystals, and they shatter after a single use. Given they are in short supply, that limits how often you could travel, even if you had unlimited funds. You'll also need the services of a mage to charge the crystals so you are able to return, and once the mage puts the crystals in the device, they would be without access to their crystals without sleeping for eight hours. Fortunately, the crystals hold their charge while in the device and do not restrict the mage from charging another set.
"Second, I only know the specific settings for me to travel to my original plane. Traveling there, as yourself, would be extremely challenging, to say the least — you would have the wrong clothing, no money, no identification, and no knowledge of how that society and realm operate. Fortunately, you can use the device to scry without destroying the mana crystals, so you will be able to search out a suitable time and place.
"Third, I do not know if there are any ill effects from the travel other than mild nausea and dizziness, both of which abate quickly. I have traveled five times, counting each direction as one trip. As yet, I have felt no permanent ill effects, but I cannot say how often one could travel safely. It is entirely possible that frequent travel could result in illness or even death."
"What do you mean, 'no money'?" Tranos inquired. "Can you not take gold and silver with you?"
"Yes, you can, but in my realm, we use paper money or what we call 'credit cards' or 'debit cards'. Gold and silver have significant value, but are not used for any kind of normal commercial transactions. The average person would never consider trading for gold and silver, and no commercial enterprise would do so except specialized dealers in gold and silver."
"Paper as money?" Tranos scoffed. "Do you think I am a fool?"
"No, I do not think you are a fool, but it is true. Consider a letter of credit from a banker, which merchants use to avoid transporting large quantities of gold or silver. Or of notes issued by the Royal Treasury, which allow the holder to redeem them for gold or silver from any chartered bank.
"In my realm, people began trading letters of credit and government notes with a discount for risk, usually related to distance to the issuing bank, or the reputation of the realm issuing the government note. Eventually, to limit risk and facilitate trade and commerce, those government notes became standardized and could be traded without a discount for gold or silver, or for goods and services. Because it was much more convenient to carry those notes, people ceased using gold and silver for regular commerce.
"Even more convenient are 'credit cards', which work as a short-term loan for the buyer from a bank. The bank credits the merchant's account almost immediately, and the buyer pays the bank each cycle of the Moon. It is paid for by a small fee charged on each transaction. Carrying one of those cards means you do not have to carry gold or silver or paper money, and there are security measures to ensure nobody uses another person's card without authorization. A 'debit card' is similar, but as the name implies, the funds are immediately debited from the buyer's account and credited to the merchant."
"But surely one can convert gold or silver to paper!" Tranos protested.
"Yes, but only at specialized dealers, as I said. They collect a fee for that service, and they may insist on transferring the funds by a special note called a 'check', which must be presented at a bank to obtain the paper money. That is because people simply do not keep large quantities of paper money in their possession.
"Such a dealer, if you wanted to exchange more than one or two silver coins, would require identification — a card with your image, name, the location of your home, and other details about you issued by the government. That is what tripped up your brother when he traveled. To safely travel and operate in another plane, you will need to choose a time and place, as well as have the necessary paper money and identification.
"The other limiting factor is language. Nystrian is very similar to what we call American English. That has only been spoken in a way that would not be detected since some time after the use of paper money became the norm. To not stand out at all, you would need to travel to a time after carrying identification became the usual practice. That language is not spoken at all during the time and in a place similar to Nystria. I could likely converse going back about four hundred years, but I would stand out like a sore thumb if I went back more than about eighty."
"Do you know any of those languages?"
"I know bits and pieces of what are called Old English and Middle English, and more of Shakespearean or Elizabethan English, but not enough to teach you anything useful. For example, I am able to read Shakespearean English, but speaking it without immediate detection would be a significant challenge, and I would likely fail.
"The main languages of the period you would be safest visiting would be Middle English, Old French, Norman French, and various flavors of German and Nordic. There are others, of course, but those are the languages spoken in a time and place you would find familiar, and similar enough to Nystria that you could go about your business."
"Do you know how my brother intended to use the device?"
"Other than his intent to enslave Miri and father children with her, no, I don't. When we captured him, he had only scried, brought Miri and me here, and made one trip — the one where we captured him on his return. There is no evidence he made any other trips, though I cannot say for sure if he did or not."
"You can show me how to scry?"
"Yes. But do not attempt to travel. The only way back is via another device, which only functions in the laboratory, and only when a single person is in that room. It is impossible to initiate return travel from the other plane."
"Do you know who built the device?" Tranos asked.
"No," Matthias replied. "The knowledge required to build it far exceeds the capabilities of my Original Plane, which is about a thousand years ahead of Nystria. I do not know how Kranos acquired it, and the device in my possession is the only one of which I am aware."
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