What Lies Beneath?

What Lies Beneath? is a skill- and lore-oriented Scenario.

It's centered around a large submarine-laboratory Aquia, originally funded by the Reform Club. This Scenario may also lead to Doom: Sinking, or death of a few important characters (mostly A.C. Katz, Baron Collins and Daniel Montgomery).

Beginning
This Scenario can be begun in the Reform Club, if it's members like you, and you have a reputation as a scientist (it's also available faster if you have access to a submarine). If you meet those requirements, when in the Club, a member of the Tophat Clan might invite you to the the blueprint office, to talk about plans of the Aquia - a large submarine, intended to be a complex of laboratories for thorough research of the ocean depths. Now, you will offered to help with the submarine, in exchange for your very own laboratory on it'd deck, once it's in action. If you refuse, you will be able to return to the offer later. If you accept, you will be introduced to the blueprints. To continue further you'll need to raise Aquia's Progress: Blueprints to 100 (see Aquia's Progress).

Blueprints Progress
Helping with the blueprints is divided into 3 stages:


 * Creating sonar schematics - This is especially easy if you already have a submarine - you can simply use your submarine's sonar as a model for the schematics. If you don't have a submarine, you might want to use other vessels' sonars as models, or, if you're an engineer, you can chance it with an Engineering challenge.
 * Perfecting the hull - Again, here you'll have an easier time if you have a submarine. However, it would be that easier, as Aquia is meant to be enormous, so it needs quite an enduring hull. If you have access to railway steel from Railroad Company scenario or Calvinite metal from New Bloxea, this can be easier, too.
 * Designing the engines - This is the last, and the longest section. Owning a submarine can help here too, but not much at all. However owning Empyrean Components or Empyrean Blueprints helps much (Not like Aquia is meant to be able to fly, but such alternative could help much..).

Once you have the means to make specific blueprints, you can try doing so with an Intelligence challenge or, if you're an engineer/mechamancer, a slightly easier Engineering challenge.

Now that you've done the blueprints, you'll be free to go, until the Club will call on you again. And they do - a day later. You're informed they're headed with the blueprints to the Grand Echlesia, and you should come as well. If Ember is still working, you'll get a free flight on it to the Echlesia. If not, you'll need to find a different tramsportation method, but once you're there, you'll get a refund for your transport costs.

On The Grand Echlesia
Once you're on this giant ship, you'll be joined by Katz, Montgomery, a marine biologist from the Great Academy and Hans Hasselhoff. You'll be informed that this is where they're planning to submerge Aquia - right by Vulc's Abbyss.