While the immediate threats appeared to subside, and his reason for being in the city gone, Zelpuz felt compelled to stay. His the sense of duty to the Order of Ashes, and no small measure of curiosity concerning the role of the local Chapter of the Order in the calamitous events of Ossylia forcing his decision. For the first two weeks after the meeting at Yuu's household he kept a low profile, renting a small room near Vanyra's and meditating on the problem and the encounters with Lasrane.

After thoroughly contemplating the reason why anyone from the Order would be involved in a political feud in Ossylia and coming up with little of substance, Zelpuz called on Vanyra to assist him in some surveillance of the Chapter House. As compensation he provided some instruction in mental fortitude, which he advised after their earlier encounter with Lasrane. Curious as to the extent of her telepathic abilities he instructed her on how the Mespah perceive their abilities as a single entity, like a tree or wave, that can branch out and fluctuate to meet one's needs. With a few psychic pushes, intense focus and practice she was able to remarkably expand on her abilities. While her powers were similar to Mespah in many aspects they certainly deviated in a somewhat... Freyan direction, he thought.

During the surveillance of the Chapter House the comings and goings of all visitors were noted. This was not nearly as difficult as one would have expect as the Order received only a dozen visitors and half a dozen supply deliveries over the course of 5 weeks. The supplies appeared to be the usual mail drops and various sundries. The visitors were never the same, save one Midian man every 9 or 10 days. This man always arrived with a different partner, always a couple of hours after High Hour, and always bearing a package of bottles, likely wine by the shape. Judging by the greeting received at the main door this man was a regular.

After the second visit by the man Zelpuz and Vanyra were determined to uncover who he was and what his business with the Order entailed. Zelpuz cautioned against mental intrusions in case they were discovered, since the man regularly dealt with Mespah he may be trained to detect or counter psychic probes. Rather they would revert to old-fashioned streetwork, with Zelpuz infiltrating the Chapter House and Vanyra tailing the gift-bearing man.

Vanyra had little trouble keeping up with the leisurely pace the man and his female companion kept. Both were well-dressed after a practical fashion, suggesting to her that they were not nobles, but moneyed through other means. The two stopped at a restaurant and ordered a late lunch of oysters and a seafood chowder with bread, and completing with a bottle light honey wine. Vanyra originally suspected they were romantically involved, but their interactions and a few subtle empathic probes determined otherwise. Their feelings were limited to those of friends, work colleagues or associates of some sort. Following the meal they continued on for a short while and then separated. Vanyra stayed on the man who eventually returned to a six-story building on the corner of the street with a well-crafted though subdued sign designating it as "Cor Suun Trading." After waiting for a couple more hours without the man appearing Vanyra returned to her apartment.

In the meantime Zelpuz devised a plan to infiltrate the Chapter House in the evening, once the majority of staff had either gone to bed or left. Using his phasing ability he entered through a second story window and proceeded to check the log book at the front for the day's visitors. A quick search revealed the names of the man and woman that visited today, Shin Shormyl and Kyun Li-sun. Not recognizing either Zelpuz made a mental note of them and continued up to the Chapter Master's office, whom the pair were slated to visit according to the log book. The door to the office was no problem, for with a little luck Zelpuz was able to phase through the few meters into the room. As per a typical Mespah office there were no notes or books, the benefits of perfect memory, instead he looked for items that would appear out-of-place in the office of such an astute member of the Order, such as the fancy wine fridge in the corner. Given the last few weeks of observance Zelpuz quickly rearranges the bottles and grabs one bottle from the back, then rearranges the rest to conceal the theft. With that he makes a quick exit and returns home.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:07, Thu 10 Jan 2019.

Reconvening the following day Zelpuz and Vanyra review what they discovered. It should be a simple enough matter to look into what Cor Suun Trading actually does and who they are affiliated with. Furthermore, with a name they may be able to dig into the man himself. The bottle of wine is a bit of a mystery though, it appears like an ordinary red wine, imported from Lu'Zan. Quite a pricey bottle to be sure, but nothing out of the ordinary on the surface. Zelpuz assures Vanyra that all the bottle in the fridge were from the same winery, or at least all had the same bottles and labels. Zelpuz decides to take their discoveries to Yuu later in the week.

Meanwhile Vanyra takes some time to visit the Freelancer guild and pick up some actual paying work. The number of bounties present has fallen off dramatically, a result of the recent turmoil and then sudden reestablishment of order according to the clerk. There are a number of seemingly easy and lucrative escort and protection jobs that suited Vanyra's needs and skills. Two of the three assignments she accepted were uneventful, a show of force all that was necessary to dissuade would-be attackers or thieves. The third though involved a borderline criminal element as far as she could discern, slick merchants in the dock area attending a birthday party for an associate. Later in the evening a group of thugs rushed into the room, and almost as if they were expecting it, the gathered parties erupted into a brawl with the interlopers. A job is a job and so Vanyra worked to protect her charge, she took a few solid hits from a Gnarm and an Atherian, but was able to outmaneuver both through a combination of close-quarters acrobatics and precise hits made with almost preternatural intuition. Still the event was a reminder that she had been remiss on her combat regimens of late.

Yuu at bides his time at home, refamiliarizing himself with everything and discretely ensuring there are no surveillance devices or other odd nether devices hidden about. When the time comes for the audience with his royal cousin he is more than happy for the excuse to head out. After spending a good hour and a half clearing various security checks and enjoying a few cups of exquisite tea in waiting rooms his cousin is free to meet.

Yuu is escorted to small room with sparse but refined decor with a trio of plush, curved benches in the center forming a conversation circle. His cousin Fanren is already seated, but stands and welcomes Yuu upon his entry. After exchanging pleasantries, while uncustomarily avoiding any barbed questions about the health of ones family, the tone of the conversation turns slightly to more serious matters. Using the tactfully obtuse eloquence of court language Yuu inquires after the state of the court and the senate. Fanren expresses relief over the cessation of the recent troubles but also some doubt as to whether they are truly over. While many accuse the Royal Family of being aloof and too far removed from the troubles of regular governance, and often for good reason, it does provide some of its more astute members a less biased view of the system as a whole. As a result of this Fanren has concerns over the intensity and spontaneity of the recent troubles, suggesting that they may not be the result of the regular machinations of the political factions within the Kingdom. Ossylia has enough neighbours that would benefit from destabilization, with the Dalony Baronies to the north coming first to mind.

The conversation continues a debate of the merits of various paths by a variety of actors, with the gamut of Ossylian factions and some larger foreign powers explored. The relative ease and speed with which peace was restored to the capital does suggest the level of native friction was not so great as to precipitate a violent action. Unfortunately there is little concrete evidence to suggest any foreign actor(s) were behind it either. Just over an hour later Fanren apologizes and excuses himself, asking Yuu to send his best wishes to his family on behalf of the Royal court.

A couple days later word arrives that Qwe is on her way home with Yuu's cousin Zhu-Li accompanying her on the ship. The Jin family is eager to reunite, though Yuu's mother confides in him that it may be safest for them to spend some more time away come autumn. She is certain that Qwe will be accepted as an exchange student at the Daedalum Academy of Sciences and Technology for the next semester. It would be an excellent opportunity for her. For her son she also stresses the need to experience more of the world outside of Ossylia, but in a much less academic fashion, stressing his participation in the Freelancers. Just in time to head off another lecture on his future word arrives that Zelpuz and Vanyra have arrived and wish to speak with him.

After Yuu excuses himself from his mother's office he grabs a few random items from his room and heads to the tea house they have so often used to discuss matters. Within minutes the three are gathered with some refreshing iced jasmine tea. Yuu informs them that his sister is on his way back home with his cousin, and that things around the household have returned to normal. He also provides a brief summary of his meeting with his royal cousin and the mood coming out of the palace. That prompts Zelpuz then relates what he and Vanyra uncovered in the last couple of weeks regarding the Order and a company called Cor-Suun Trading. Yuu is not familiar with the name, though judging from his studies of the Novians it does sound like the type of business that could be associated with them.

Zelpuz then produces the bottle of wine he swiped from the Order Chapter Master's office, and hands it to Yuu with concise censored version of how he came by it and who he suspects is providing the wine. As far as Zelpuz and Vanyra have been able to ascertain it is a particularly rare wine, bottled by a winery in Lu'Zan and rarely exported according to local wine merchants. On account of that it is worth a fair bit here in Ossylia, but the taste in general does not warrant any special attention and isn't very popular with the local palates. Yuu readily admits he doesn't know much about wine, so he'll take their word for it, and asks if there is anything he could help with.

Zelpuz would like the wine examined, to see if there is anything special about it that would warrant the Chapter Master risking his position for. Perhaps there is something hidden in the bottles, like a drug or something, that is worth more than just red wine. Given the quantities in the office they had been collecting for some time. Yuu agrees to take to the lab at the Academy and have a look, though he does admit that it may be like looking for a needle in a haystack without more specific information. The trio decide to reconvene in a four days to review the results of the examination.

The examination of the wine begins the next day at the Royal Academy; after a series of precautionary magical tests on the bottle and a magnified visual examination Yuu determines that there is nothing special about the bottle, the label, the cork or seal. Not wishing to disturb the contents any more than necessary he manages to extract 100ml from the bottle using a fine syringe inserted through the cork and a great deal of caution and patience, then for good measure placing a wax seal over the insertion point. The wine is then separated into ten 10ml sample vials.

Yuu runs through a battery of tests on one vial to determine the presence of biological agents, toxins or latent nether energies, all of which return a negative result. A little more reassured that he's not playing with poison he brings another sample to the chemistry lab and asks for a breakdown of the composition, the result of which is more complicated than he expected or really understood (chemistry was not his major), but in conversing with the lab tech and consulting some books determine that it is wine, with various trace elements and molecules that would likely identify the region the grapes were from and presenting another avenue of investigation.

Searching the Academy library for books on the chemical composition of wine or grapes from around Kah'lyun proved to be more difficult than he imagined; apparently that is not a popular field of research here. Taking a different approach Yuu returns home and asks the house steward about reputable sommelier in the area, and makes appointments to visit with them. Collectively they reaffirm the rarity of that particular wine and can only attest to a few molecules they would expect to find based on the region and flavor. Armed with that list Yuu returns to the books, cross referencing the expected features of the wine provided by the sommeliers, likely chemical initiators of those, and then the actual composition of the wine. Almost everything lines up as expected, with a small number of trace elements being outliers; a result of contamination, bottling process, or something else?

Yuu decides the next step is to take a look and see if he can identify where these outliers are coming from, but realizing there could be all sorts of bacteria in the wine he calls up his doctor-friend Marcus to assist. Together they examine what's actually in a sample, with Marcus pointing out a number of interesting things on account that he's also never bothered to look at wine through a microscope before. Turns out there's quite a bit to look at, but after a couple of days they identify a relatively small number of what appear to be dead cells that Marcus cannot identify. These are both small in size and quantity and are inactive, but do not resemble the bacteria or other cellular matter one would expect to find. Unfortunately the microscopes at the Academy are not powerful to delve further into the mystery; only places like Daedalum or the Spacers stations have that type of equipment. It's a small lead that could very well lead nowhere, but these dead cells in the wine are the only thing Yuu has to go on.

At the follow-up meeting with Zelpuz and Vanyra Yuu explains his findings. In all respects the wine is just regular red wine from an exotic location. Further analysis would involve getting a sample to the Spacers, an extreme long shot, but Daedulum is at least a possibility, especially if Qwe is going there next semester. It's decided that Yuu will look into how they would get a sample examined in Daedulum, while Vanyra and Zelpuz dig into how the Cor-Suun Trading company come to acquire, or at least how they're importing the wine, in hopes it may reveal more of it's contents.

Over the next several days of investigation Yuu inquires after a number of courier options to transport a sample to Daedalum. The prices vary considerably dependent on the speed, discretion and safeguards of the transit, but at least there are options. The more difficult obstacle becomes finding the right place to analyze it, and finding a person to trust. Unfortunately Yuu makes little progress in the few days; using his contacts at the Academy he receives the names of several professors or scholars of scientific pursuits, but contacting them would only get his foot in the door. He simply doesn't have the network of contacts there that he feels is necessary to access the facilities or personnel needed, especially as a foreigner. There may be alternative routes though, which he begins to ponder while waiting for Vanyra's and Zelpuz's investigations to conclude.

The Mespah and Freyan split up with Vanyra inquiring to the local Freelancer chapter about the Cor-Suun Trading company, and Zelpuz hitting the streets of the more prestigious wine vendors to inquire after a few rare bottles form Lu'Zan. At the Freelancers Vanyra ascertains that the Cor-Suun have been around for at least 60 cycles, at least that's the earliest contract they have with the Freelancers for some protection on overland cargo trains. Over the years the activities fluxed and waned, eventually shifting away from local operations to safeguarding high value shipments from foreign ports or providing protection for trade missions and negotiators. Their account is in good standing and they pay respectable amounts, nothing special, but they do pay for quality. There is no record of a contract operating against them, even from rival companies, which either attest to their strength or their relative anonymity. With some time to spare she decides to head down to the docks and take a gander at the various vessels in port and their cargoes; you never know when one could get lucky.

Zelpuz meanders through the harbor and neighboring merchant and residential districts, especially around the noble quarter, visiting a number of wine merchants. The first 3 disappointingly provide no new information, but the four does recognize the winery in question and confirms it as a quite difficult to obtain. The merchant says they only get such bottles in at special request, usually from some noble, and it often takes upwards of 50 days to come in, if they are even in stock. Only a couple trading companies operate in such a niche market, one is the Cor-Suun which operates mostly in the Kahl-Cor continent (Ossylia, Dalloni Baronies and Lu'Zan), and the Renaki who deal mostly with goods from the World Gate in Arghos. When asked about how the Cor-Suun get the particular wine of interest from Lu'Zan, the merchant admits he has limited knowledge, but they have some sort of contacts on Lu'Zan and there is a vessel that brings shipments in from there every 20 days. For the sake of curiosity Zelpuz places an order with the man for the same vintage if possible, and at the man's recommendation another wine of similar taste from the same region. Zelpuz asks that they be delivered to Yuu's household and pays a deposit on the delivery.

The next time the group meets it is decided that they should swap the current bottle they have with another to compare. Refilling the original bottle with water to the proper amount Zelpuz sets off the next night to make the exchange. Entry is as easy as before, but this time he notes that a almost half of the bottles are gone. Either the Chapter Master really enjoys his wine, had quite a dinner party, or has provided bottles to others. Not dallying on that line of inquiry he makes the trade and heads out.

The next day the examinations begin, with preliminary results confirming that the original bottle was not unique. The more advanced chemical analysis will take a few extra days as Marcus is presently busy practicing medicine. Zelpuz informs Vanyra and Yuu of the current inventory situation in the Chapter Master's office and they decide it is too early to draw any conclusions; though they've not seen people leaving the Chapter House with bottles of wine, neither were they on the lookout for it. It is entirely possible for someone to conceal a bottle while leaving if they so wanted. While presenting more of the picture they are still far from piecing together the puzzle of this wine.

While waiting for more results Qwe and ZhuLi arrive from Hasheli, much to the delight and relief of Yuu and his parents. The entry process into Ossylia is certainly more controlled now with the new customs agency in place, but being of noble status ensured there were no hiccups for them. Also having minimal baggage helped. The next day a feast is held in the Jin family garden. With summer winding down into autumn it is a comfortable setting and seasonal favorites are served. During the dinner most of the discussion involves tales of the flight from Ossylia and what happened in the capital at that time. Qwe, despite just getting home, is quite excited at the opportunity to study in Daedalumn next semester, and Yuu also expresses an interest in visiting the city state. ZhuLi and Vanyra strike up an engrossing discussion on unarmed combat styles and techniques. Yuu's cousin, though claiming to be more of a dancer than a fighter, certainly knows a thing or two. The two decide to meet up for practice in the coming days.

Over the next couple of weeks as they investigate the second bottle of wine Zelpuz and Yuu also engage lengthy discussion on nether manipulation theory and execution, which gives Zelpuz a number of ideas on how to better channel some energies. His first test is a simple flight spell, which works quite well to his surprise. The results of the wine analysis match the original samples, or at least within an acceptable margin of error and variance. It seems that whatever the exact nature of the wine it is consistent across the batches in the Chapter Master's collection.

Inspired by his progress with nether manipulation Zelpuz spends some time meditating on his innate telepathic abilities. Using his mental sight link as a base, and working with Vanyra during some of her spare time, he reverses the connection so as to push his perceptions to a recipient. With further practice he is able to project not only his senses but mental imagines, illusions to a target. Vanyra, on the receiving end, of these mental transmissions begins to realize better the internal connections between her own mental abilities; senses she thought were disparate and distinct were actually just different sides of the same ability. With some additional mental fortitude and discipline exercises from Zelpuz, Vanyra is able to realize a much sharper control over her mental powers.

When not running jobs for the Freelancers or training her mental capacities Vanyra spends many hours practicing unarmed and armed combat with ZhuLi. Despite being a Midian she displays a very high degree of body awareness and agility, with movements much akin to Freyans. When asked ZhuLi states that she's studied under Water Dancers for over a decade. Upon reading Vanyra's blank stare at the mention of Water Dancers she explains them as decentralized group of dancers, martial artists, philosophers. The Water Dance is both a dance, a fighting style and a philosophy revolved around the movements and nature of water. Naturally they are more prevalent in coastal areas, like Hasheli, and ZhuLi originally got involved because she really liked the dances. She explains some of the tenets of the Water Dancers to Vanyra and provides active demonstrations by teaching her some techniques that leverage fluid momentum over strength with striking and grappling with an opponent. Vanyra finds such a combat style much more suited to her talents than the raw power-based styles she learned as a child.

Over the next few weeks Zelpuz keeps tabs on the local Order Chapter occasionally, but in general keeps a low profile. The same visitor, who went into the Cor-Suun Trading Company, is seen a couple more times. Each time he brings the same few bottles of wine and so other random items. His attention wanders back to Myria and if she made it back to the Order headquarters or got some message to them from Arghos. It would definitely be a good idea to get a message to her or the Order once outside of Ossylia.

Yuu is kept busy running between his analysis of the wine, family duties and his own nearly neglected research projects at the Royal Academy. He figured it best to close out anything he was working on as soon as possible in case there was a sudden need to flee once more; the thought of some misshapen undergrad stumbling across one or two of his ideas both worried and amused him. Eventually Zelpuz's ordered bottle of wine arrives, and after running the first battery of tests he and Marcus find it is notably absent of those dead cell-like entities in the two bottles that were taken from the Order Chapter Master. What that means is still up in there, but there is certainly a chance that either the wine is altered after it leaves the winery or maybe there is a special vintage that only the Cor-Suun can get.

Vanyra continues with the odd job now and then, cleaning the riff-raff out of the seedier side of Ossylia life. She also continues her training and sparring sessions with ZhuLi. Eventually  Yuu comes calling and asks is she would accompany him to the Freelancer's guild office to look for a contract. Vanyra wasn't sure if she was more surprised that Yuu would ask her or from that fact that he was already a member of the Freelancer guild. Yuu assures her that it was his mother's idea to toughen him up a bit, before they met, and not some sudden crisis of character. With any luck though the right contract could solve a lot of problems; if they could find a Freelancer contract with the right people in Daedulum they may be able to uncover more about the mysterious wine, and get paid and away from the city while they're at it.

Once at the Guildhouse of the Freelancers Yuu and Vanyra ask about any contracts coming out of Daedalum. As they somewhat expected there were not many; Daedalum was a somewhat reclusive nation that dealt primarily with their own affairs internally. While most were simple bounty work against wanted criminals or cargo escort missions, two asked for security personnel on expeditions outside of Daedalum territory. The first one from the Geological Institute seeking some protection as they surveyed an area south of Lake Harshad just beyond the southern borders of Assada; the pay was decent and it seemed like a relatively easy job. The second one came from the Daedalum Academy of Science and Technology, similarly asking for a security detail with familiarity with wilderness environments and nether. Apparently this group was going to a remote site far from Daedalum on an archaeological dig, though Yuu notes that it may not be the usual old settlement type archaeology if they're asking for people with nether skills. The pay for the second is not quite as good, but it is over a longer period (estimated 60~80 days), and there is an offer of possible technological gifts and even limited profit sharing depending on what is found at the site.

Vanyra and Yuu note down the details of the two contracts for discussion with Zelpuz, who has broadened his surveillance and begun to monitor the movements of the Cor-Suun man and his visits. Turns out the local Order of Ashes chapter is not the only place he frequents. He has stopped at the offices of a few local politicians and city assemblymen, which Yuu confirms after some digging are either directly affiliated with the Novian faction or supporters of it to some degree. The man also visits a few bars and taverns on a fairly regular business, though it may have been just a place to meet people half the time. Lastly a number of businesses along the harbor area are also called upon, mostly shipping companies. In some cases he brings bottles of wine, though Zelpuz cannot determine if it's the same type, but in others he brings other various nicknacks or souvenir-type gifts. Over the course of a few weeks Zelpuz observed him bringing at least one bottle of wine to any establishment he went to more than once, but not with the frequency with which he went to the Order chapter house.

When the trio have a chance to meet up and discuss the available contracts at the Freelancer's guild that could possibly get them access to research facilities in Daedalum the archaeological expedition was unanimously agreed upon as the way to go; in spite of being a longer and more remote job the contacts made and opportunities for profit sharing appeared too good to pass up. The next day they went back to the Freelancer's guild and signed-up for the job. The clerk informed them the job was expected to start in 3 weeks, and he would forward their details to the client for final approval, and they should hear back by the end of the week, leaving them more than enough time to get to Daedalum.

Yuu is able to secure a trio of tickets on an airship leaving a week before the expedition from Daedalum begins. The ship makes a couple of stops along the way, but still gives them in the city state with a few days to spare. The later departure also provides enough time for the bottle of wine Zelpuz ordered to arrive. Since they do not have time to run the full battery of the usual tests they bring it to Marcus to answer the most pressing question; whether it has the odd microscopic dead cells in it?

Turns out this particular bottle of wine does not have any of the odd cells in it, unlike the previous two taken from the Chapter Master of the Order of Ashes. There are some minor differences to the vintage and bottling season, but otherwise they are the same in varietal, bottle, label and vineyard. It is not definitive evidence but it does raise questions as to the wine being provided by Cor-Suun, and now they have two comparative samples to take to Daedalum.

Finally the day arrives and the trio boards the airship bound the Daedalum, though their first stop is Escarmina far to the south. The flight take the entirety of a day during which they are able to view the coastline of the continent from several thousand feet, which oddly distorts the perception of the actual distance they are travelling. Their seats are comfortable enough and the food is adequate, but after a full day of flight they are more than ready to disembark.

The airship descends gracefully through the cloud layer, though it presents a moment of unease due to the lack of vision to those unaccustomed to air travel. Finally it pierces the lower clouds the the city of Escarmina can be seen in the distance. The ship makes a series of s-turns as it descends before finally resting on the waters a few miles from the city port. From there it uses a more traditional propulsion to traverse the remaining distance.

Escarmina is at once comfortingly similar and disconcertingly different from Ossylia. It is a port city, with a large harbor and a small flotilla of ships at berth. The architecture is quite distinct, with the buildings being more narrow and taller with aggressively angled roofs. From what Yuu has read in his guidebook the area sees quite a bit of precipitation and violent storms, and surmises the building style is designed to help with that.

It takes about 20 minutes for the airship to be properly moored to the docks, after which the announcement is made the passengers may disembark. Upon exiting the craft the higher population of Atherians and Exodi here, relative to Ossylia, is notable. One such Atherian is standing on the pier towards the city wearing the formal uniform of the Freelancers and surveying the passengers as they step off the gangplank. His eyes pass over each of Yuu, Zelpuz and Vanyra before meeting the later's eyes with a look of curiosity.

After being in an enclosed space for so long, even with the wonderful vistas, Vanyra is ready to stretch her legs.  When leaving the ship, the outdoor air and open space causes her to visibly brighten from a dull, almost pallid coloration to a subtle angelic glow.  Wearing a big grin, she looks around at the new place, intrigued by the different races and architecture.

While wondering about the best way to run around on the steeper rooftops, she notices the Freelancer standing to the side and meets his gaze.  She half sarcastically comments out loud so Yuu and Zelpuz can hear, "Hey, the Freelancers are here to meet us! I can't remember, do I have to register?"

Yuu is grinning wildly from cheek to cheek, eyes wide as saucers trying to fill in all the new sights. He’s following the Freyan, bag in hand, when her question catches him. He turns to her, slightly concerned. “Err..... I don’t know. Do we?” He looks back to the Mespah.

Zelpuz, still stretching his legs, looks at his two companions and shrugs his shoulders. "I would assume that you two are the experts? I don't see any registration procedures though, quite a welcoming change to Ossylia."

The heat of the midday sun and the humidity of the harbor strike you as you walk down the gangplank. Though not that different than Ossylia, after being in the cool, dry confines of the airship it seems much like stepping into a sauna. The Atherian makes his way towards you after once you're on the pier proper. The Atherian is about 1.8m tall and average build, with crimson hue to his scaled skin that appears to bear the climate much better than most on the docks. "Excuse me, but would any of you happen to be Freelancers? I mean no offense, it's just you do look like the usual tourists or merchant types we get around here."

Yuu nods to his companions towards the approaching Atherian, squaring himself up. Yuu smiles amiably, “Hi. We take no offence. May we inquire first who is asking?”

"My apologies. First Lance Harrel Nashun, contracts specialist, with the local chapter of the Freelancers," the Atherian replies, and reaches into a breast pocket of his jacket to produce a business card, presenting it to Yuu. The card confirms in introduction.

Yuu looks at the card, acting the part of some deep specialist himself in all manners of Freelancer protocol. Upon his satisfied inspection, he returns the card to Harrel. "You are an astute observer. My companions and I are Freelancers. I'm Yuu, this is Zelpuz and Vanyra. How can we help you?"

Harrel breathes a sigh of relief, "That's the first good news I've heard all day. We've got ourselves in a bit of a bind in regards to a recent contract, and I'm really hoping your can help. The pay in considerable relative to the job itself. How much do you know about politics and great houses of the Equatorial States?"

"Are we in the equatorial states?" Vanyra replies with some sardonic teenage sarcasm.

Yuu's face scrunches in thought, "I have a bit of knowledge, but nothing very deep. And... we don't have a lot of time in the city, either, I'm afraid. We need to be back on an airship by tomorrow morning."

Since Zelpuz is not a Freelancer, he quietly stands behind the others, observing the stranger and the surrounding, looking for something out of place in this new city and this unusual greeting.

"Why are you asking?" Vanyra inquires.

"Well it's exactly your imminent departure that makes this fortuitous. Essentially the ruling houses have a old tradition of holding grand parties, like most places, but here all attendees are required to bring a gift or have one of sent in their stead. Naturally if one does not actually attend the gift must be sufficiently prestigious or the reputation of the house is slighted. As a result of this practice though all the houses try to sabotage the delivery of said gifts to gain the advantage over each other. Normally this has nothing to do with the Freelancers, until someone contracts us to deliver one of these gifts. Unfortunately none of the local agents will take the job for fear that the houses may cause them trouble, and this is where you come in. You're not from here and you're leaving tomorrow for the very city the delivery is to be made. And the fee is quite generous, a total of 100 Marks. Interested?" the Atherian explains quickly, his tone showing obvious fatigue with the politicking of the local governments.

"That sounds fun!  100 Marks each right?"

The Atherian laughs, "For a delivery run? No, 100 Marks total."

"Even if we want to deliver multiple gifts?"

"Just out of curiosity, what sort of gift are we talking about? And how do you know what city we are leaving for tomorrow?"

"You can deliver all the gifts you want, but you'll only get paid 100 Marks from the guild for this one gift. As for the gift...I don't know what it is. None of our business when someone is paying that much; that's the deal and it's supposed to be a secret," the Atherian shrugs. "As for the route, this airship always stays one evening here and then goes to Byzantier the following day for a short stop before proceeding to Daedalum. That's the regular, published route. So unless you were planning on staying here for some time you'd be heading to Byzantier next, but even then this would be a good opportunity for you."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:36, Tue 14 May 2019.

"Where does this 'gift' need to go?"

"Let's just say we seem to be at least intrigued. Maybe we can actually go somewhere more comfortable to discuss this, maybe the pub over there? Then we can figure out the remaining details, for example what the approximate size and weight are, what exactly we need to do, and how many attacks or traps we should expect on the way."

"Indeed. We can retire to the guild house, there are refreshments there as well." the Atherian replies and leads the group down the pier to the office of the local Freelancer chapter. The building looks very much like all Freelancer offices, though in the local architectural style. It is a three storied building with a steep angled tiled roof, with a weathered stucco'd exterior, and the iconic Freelancer emblem.

Harrel Nashun brings the group inside to a meeting room. There is a pitcher of water and glasses on a counter against the wall, while a large rectangular table surrounded by chairs occupies the center of the room. He motions the group to sit, pours and passes around glasses of water and then excuses himself while he retrieves the package in question.

Yuu, now seated, looks curiously around the room. Not for anything in particular, just a taking-it-in kind of way. His attention drifts to the glass nearest him, filled with water, condensation blanketing the sides. He draws a happy face with his finger.

"You seem in a good mood" Zelpuz says to Yuu. "So what do you think? Should we take the job as long as the package doesn't look like a wild dragon on a leash?"

"I'll take it myself if you two won't." Vanyra interjects.

"Dragons on a leash could be kind of fun." Yuu quips.

A couple minutes later Harrel returns with box wrapped in ornate paper and secured with fine silk ribbons. It is not a large box, roughly 40cm cubed. "This is the package," he informs the group while presenting it for all to see. "As mentioned I've no idea of what is in the box save that it is not alive nor perishable. The desired delivery timeline is due to the scheduled event." With that he sets it down on the table.

Yuu asks if he can pick it up.

Harrel gestures to Yuu in invitation. "Just don't shake it or something, we don't know what's in it after all," he adds in warning.

The box is about as heavy as Yuu would expect, it's not filled with feathers, but nor is it filled with bricks. It's probably 4 or 5 kilograms. The construction appears fairly solid, or at least the packaging inside is, and the mass is centered in the middle.

"Were there any other instructions? Or just the package and a delivery address and time?"

Yuu puts it back down, shrugging to himself, and awaits Harrel's response.

"Just that, and with the obvious requirement that no damage befall the package or the contract will be void." Harrel responds. "Should you accept, once delivery is confirmed by the client, you can pickup your payment at the Freelancer office of your final destination. We'll notify them of the contract completion."

"Sounds good to me" Zelpuz says to his friends and turning back to the Freelancer, "We have some time before the ship takes off again, can we pick the package up in the morning before we take off?"

"Who is the paying client?"

"If you agree to take the contract you can pick it up in the morning. The contract is from House Galadorn, one of the most powerful in the city. Specializes in shipping, but also has their hand in some banking and legal firms." Harrel responds. "They're not any more hated than any other house, which would lead me to assume this gift must be something special, either of itself for the event being hosted by House Shi-Fain."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:09, Thu 23 May 2019.

Yuu looks to his companions. When no one seems to appear against the idea, he turns back to Harrel.

"I guess we'll take the contract. Is there is any resistance this House Galadorn expects?"

"They didn't say as much, but no one pays this kind of money for a simple mail run. I would expect all manner of interference as soon as it leaves this office. Likely the opposing parties know it is here, but they won't move against the Freelancers directly by invading our office here. Once it's out of here though they're likely to strike... probably someone will try to prevent it from getting on the airship if they can, as that would be the quickest and easiest." Harrell informs the group.

"Sounds like fun. Do you think they would go as far as to interfere with the airship after it took off?" Zelpuz asks.
"I guess we can expect some interferences already, how would they know that we don't have 'the package' yet. Good test run for tomorrow. Do you have some less obvious exits we could use? Maybe one for today when we leave to see how well prepared others are, and another two for tomorrow both as entrance and exit?"

"I doubt that, the deaths of a few hundred people doesn't look well in the papers. Similarly I doubt they'd try to get it while you're on the airship as they'd but stuck in there for the duration of the flight with you. I suspect any attempts will be before and after the flight." Harrel explains. "We have the front door you're welcome to use. This is an office, not a fortress. If you can't make it out the door then you're probably not the people for the job," he quips at the end.

Vanyra grins thinking about ways other than doors to get in and out of places.

"Thank you, Harrel. We'll pick up the parcel tomorrow morning."

After arranging a pick-up time that would leave the group a solid hour to get back to the airship they set off into the city proper. Longing for some food and refreshments the trio makes their way back towards the port area, but through the side and back roads to scout alternate routes for tomorrow's extraction.

The harbor district is at once familiar to that of Ossylia, much hustle and bustle, but with a distinctly more eclectic atmosphere and appearance. Here there is a much greater collection of cultures from within the Equatorial States and neighboring locales compared to Ossylia's mono-cultural capital. The streets are ordered in a grid system like Ossylia and almost all cities, a remnant of the Zhen Halan Empire, but vary in width with the presence or lack of street stalls. Much of the area has a more fluid and temporary feel than the large shop fronts and storehouses of Ossylia's harbor.

After sampling some street foods, skewered grilled spiced meats, fresh shrimp, squid and an assortment of red and white fish, and a salsa-like vegetable dish served with crisps the group settles at a waterfront restaurant and lounge some ways north of where their airship docked. From here they have a good view of the entire dock area.

From there the group finds a small boutique hotel near the docks with rooms that look over the harbor, which were a more expensive but provided an excellent vantage point. After settling into their rooms and getting refreshed they head back out into the streets, seemingly meandering through the sights, shops and locales of Escarmina while planning their evac routes for the morning. After a few hours of wandering and identifying 3 solid paths to the airship the trio parks on a rooftop wine lounge that serves a number of famous local varietals. The wines here are dryer a sharper than the wines usually found in Ossylia, but that pair extremely well with a pinchos received with every glass. The wine lounge is not overly crowded and quiet enough for a hushed conversation. From here the group is able to review the routes they just surveyed, assess possible issues and decide on a final course of action.

After another taste of the pinchos and wine, Zelpuz leans forward to discuss the possible routes of action.
"This place is perfect, let's see, those three paths seem reasonable to the airship. How do we want to proceed? Should we all stick together, start with a diversion, or even go for a trial run this evening?"

"Why don't we get get the package tonight, like late stupid early hours? Zelpuz slips in, Vanyra can provide overwatch. Return here. Then in the morning we'll make our way to the Freelancer hall... and just pass right by. We'll stop in front, argue a bit... like we're trying to decide to go in or not. Then head to the airship, appearing to have decided against going in. This may confuse anyone spying. And if not, we aim for the quickest route, and we're all together should anyone try anything."

Yuu pauses.

"Or is that just being overly complicated?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:35, Wed 12 June 2019.

"Sounds like a good plan, but let's assume whoever wants the packages stopped didn't hire someone incompetent either. So the idea of a trial run seems reasonable. On the other hand, nobody stopped us the last time we went in and out. So how will they know?" Zelpuz looks at the paths again.
"If we take the package now, we'll have to keep it safe for the night. But if we pick it up in the morning, we should also plan enough time to get on the plane with significant diversions. It might be easiest if just one of us goes in, picks up the package and leaves just before the guild closes tonight, or as early as they open if they are closed now. The others can watch for ambushes."
He looks around.
"I can do it, I guess for me it's easiest to hide the package, but I am not actually part of the Freelancers. Do you think they would mind? Otherwise I am happy to keep watch, too."

"Yeah, we're making this like some kind of major heist. Fun though!" the young mage adds with a smile.

"Ok, let's go back and get it. Vanyra can wait outside, see if anyone's looking at the building funny. We'll get the package since I'm Freelancer, put it in your hole, and boom! Off we go. Don't even need to think about it again."

The remainder of the evening is spent meandering through the harbor streets looking for a suitable hotel and scouting various routes to the airship. Eventually the trio settle on a boutique hotel just east of the Freelancer's office with decent views of the docks. They agree to turn in early and rise first thing to go over their plan.

The following morning they rise and partake in the complimentary breakfast at the small cafe adjacent to the hotel lobby. A mixture of pastries fruit and fresh fish served with coffee and tea. They have a few hours before the airship departs and decide to partake in some of the local wares of the street vendors. This also presents the opportunity to finalize three routes with optimal overhead coverage from the Freelancer office to the airship port.

With 45 minutes remaining before departure Vanyra, Yuu and Zelpuz arrive at the Freelancer office. Vanyra slips away down an alley and up to the roof of the building across the street while Yuu and Zelpuz enter. After some signing of formal documents and contract terms the pair receive the box from the clerk. A quick examination verifies that this is indeed the same box, or an extremely good replica, as they saw yesterday. With that the box is slipped into Zelpuz's dimensional pocket and he leaves with Yuu.

Zelpuz and Yuu make a concealed effort to scan their surroundings, trying to appear casual as possible as they turn down the road towards the airship.

Yuu and Zelpuz make their way through the increasing crowds of the daytime harbor market area. While they weave through the throngs and around merchant stalls they are scarcely able to check for a tail, and unable to verify that Vanyra is still above. A couple of times it appears as though someone is following, but in both cases they turn off down another road a few minutes later.

From her path far above Vanyra has a much easier time keeping tabs on her companions in the crowds below. Keeping a low profile and matching the slow pace of the the street throngs allows her to remain virtually invisible. As they near the airship port Vanyra spies a group of four armed men moving quickly along a road perpendicular to Zelpuz and Yuu. She moves to keep an eye on them as they draw near, coming up behind the package couriers. The Freyan prepares to leap down on the assailants, but instead of turning after her companions they only make a slight deviation and continue down a side street. A few minutes afterwards they arrive at the airship port which forces Vanyra down to the street level, but she maintains her distance behind.

As intended Zelpuz and Yuu arrive at the ship with little time to spare, in actually a little less than originally planned due to the crowds. The staff at the bottom of the gangplank checks their tickets and requests that they find their seats quickly for an on-time departure. Once her companions are on board Vanyra makes her way quickly to the ship, the steward checks her ticket and ushers her aboard. While walking up the plank she spots two more late-comers doing the same, dressed in some very colorful and outlandish costumes. The steward checking the tickets takes an usually conciliatory tone with them and escorts them up after Vanyra. Once inside the ship the latecomers are escorted up to the first class cabin.

Vanyra finds Zelpuz and Yuu in their seats and the three relate their respective journeys to the ship. The journey to the ship being quieter and easier than expected, though that does not set their nerves at ease. They are now stuck on the airship for the next 3 hours until their delivery destination.

Once the ship is in the air, Yuu relaxes a little. He sits up a little and looks around their cabin area.

In their cabin Yuu identifies that about 40% of the people are the same as the first leg of your trip, as far as he can remember. With the other 60% being newly arrived from their last stop. So he can pretty much count out that 40% of the passengers as being potential threats. There's quite a mix of races and folk in the cabin, mostly minding their own business, with the occasional stares towards Vanyra and sometimes Zelpuz. No one appears outwardly hostile or overly interested in the trio save a few children.

The cabin crew make the usual rounds, checking if anyone needs a refreshment. The journey during the first couple hours is uneventful and pleasant.

Vanyra explores the ship, paying attention with her mental abilities as well as her extra senses, to see if anyone may be paying extra attention to them.

When a cabin crew member approaches, Yuu waves their attention.

"Excuse me." he says politely when the crew member steps up. "I want to embark during the stop over in Byzantier, do some site seeing. Do you have any city maps available I could look at?"

The attendant smiles, "Certainly sir, I will get one for you." He leaves and returns a few minutes later with a map of Byzantium and the the surrounding areas.

Zelpuz joins Yuu to look at the map, pretending to look for interesting sightseeing spots and discussing the best routes, exclaiming things like: "Oh, this looks interesting", or "I didn't know they have THAT, let's go see it."

Yuu nods enthusiastically. And is actually enthusiastic, because some of those places look like fun!

They continue about the sightseeing in the new city loudly, but when there is noone around, they discuss potential ways to deliver the package.

With plan in place, it's now just a matter of idling away the time before the airship settles into Byzantier's port. Yuu tries working out the details of some invention ideas in his thick notebook after giving the ship a little wander, but finds the excitement of the views a little too inviting and distracting.

After a couple more hours the airship arrives and after slow circular descent they touchdown in the harbor and make their way to the pier. After a few minutes the ship is moored and the gangplanks secured, a separate one for each class of passengers, 3 in total. Upon disembarking the trio notices the Byzantium Border Agents and Port Authority set up a short ways down the pier, with two lines queuing up in front. As they pick a line at random you notice the young couple with the colorful fashion that was scrambling to board earlier just a little ways ahead.

In no time you are before the Border Patrol officer who requests your ID, reason for coming to Byzantium, and length of stay.

"Good morning, sir, here you are." Zelpuz replies, handing over his documents. "I am just here for a short sightseeing tour while I wait for the connecting plane to my final destination in a few hours."

Yuu waits patiently behind the red line while Zelpuz is giving his particulars.

The Border Agent looks each of the travelers over while processing their responses. Then their IDs are scrutinized in turn. Finally Vanyra, Yuu and Zelpuz are waived through in sequence. They move away from the crowd near the processing station, further down the pier, to get their bearings and determine which way they need to move. Not too far away that same young couple is waiting for a minute before a luxurious carriage pulls up and they board, and head down the street away from the pier.

Once away from the crowds of the pier Zelpuz gathers Vanyra and Yuu and with moment of concentration they vanish and reappear atop the building they were facing. Taking a moment to consult the map they received the group determines their course and vanishes once more. In only a couple minutes they bounced the several kilometers, from rooftop to rooftop, finally stopping in a side street quite near their destination. Peering around the corner they can clearly see the walls and gates of the estate, all lavishly decorated in bright colors. A number of courtiers and guards are out front, greeting attendees as their arrive, checking invitations and guiding them inside. It would seem they have the right place.

Yuu brushes himself off, and looks up and down the street of their destination.

"We may squeeze in some touristy stuff after all!"

"First things first" Zelpuz says. "OK, should we just jump down and walk from here or teleport right to the gate?"

"Let's not startle them," recommends Yuu.  "Port down and we can walk over."

Zelpuz scans the area to see if he can recognize anyone from the plane and for the best spot to get down.
"OK, so we go to the corner over there" he points to a semi-secluded corner not far from the entrance. "Then we just walk straight up to the front gate and you show your IDs. Sounds good?"

"Aiiiffirmative."

The trio teleports down and rounds the corner in a deliberate, but unhurried stride. They are unhindered as they approach, moving around some incoming and outgoing carriages, until finally a guard and courtier approaches them. "May I assist you?" asks a Mespah female dressed in fine gowns, while a ornately dressed guard stands a step behind.

Yuu beams a smile. "Greetings to House Shi-Fain. We come on contract from the Freelancers, transporting a gift from House Galadorn, in Escarmina."

Zelpuz continues to scan the surrounding for anyone suspicious while talking to the guards, in particular for anyone who was also aboard the ship.

"But of course. Please follow me, the package will need to be checked for dangerous materials. Then I'll take you to the Steward who is handling receiving of such items." the courtier responds. She then begins to lead you away to the smaller entry away from the grand gate where the carriages are coming and going.

Zelpuz nods and starts to follow the guard.

Yuu falls in behind.

At the side-entry is a small guardhouse attended by three guards and one person who you assume to be the steward, based on their striking different attire. Your guide greets the steward and explains the parcel, after which a guard produces a device and spends a minute scanning it before handing it over to the steward. The steward examines the box, the card attached and the insignia stamped on it with a discerning eye, and then nods his approval.

The courtier waves you over. The steward stands and addresses you, "Thank you for the delivery. I'm sure the master will be most pleased by such a gift. If I can have your waybill I'll provide the notification of receivership." He then stamps the waybill using a brilliant blue ink, that almost sparkles.

"Seems too easy, should we try asking him some questions and I try to read his thoughts?" appears in Yuu's and Vanyra's heads.

Vanyra thinks, "I think you should.  I can't seem to detect anything but I don't trust it.  Its too easy."

Two household staff, servants judging by their attire, approach the side-gate from the interior of the estate and after a brief exchange with the steward gather up a number of smaller packages and gifts from the corner of the guardhouse and head back the way they came. The courtier and the guard that escorted them over return to their duties at the primary gate, greeting guests as they arrive and escorting them inside.

"It's too easy because we made a plan and it worked." the mage minds proudly to his friends.

Yuu offers a polite nod to the steward and departs the way they came, back onto the street where the line of guests is gathering. "We have some hours to kill... let's hit up some of those tourist sites?"

"Seems like it" Zelpuz replies. "Did you notice the Nether glow on the ink? Sure seems to be special."

Yuu blinks, "It's nether imbued. Expensive process, but helps against counterfeit."

The trio moves off, down the way they came, though this time with much less tension and a sense of satisfaction at a job well done. Time for a little celebration and sight seeing; having thoroughly reviewed the city map earlier that day they head first towards Angel's Observatory. This massive tower structure lies to the northeast of their position, but is clearly visible from anywhere in the city as it reaches some 1000m into the sky. According to map's notes it is the closest one can get to space on Kah'lyun without visiting the orbiting Spacer stations.

As they head out of the wealthiest area of the city the streets become much more lively and it is only a few minutes before they are sidetracked by the succulent and savory smells of a street baker hawking freshly baked buns stuffed with a variety of smoked meats to choose from. A perfect midday snack. The baker also relays to them that there's a tram station just down the road to the east that can take them to the Angel's Observatory much faster than walking.

As they enjoy the stuffed buns a screeching noise whips there attention back towards the main street they were following from the estate. just on the north side of the of the intersection is a motored carriage affixed in place with some sort of nebulous webbing around its wheels. The driver is visibly shaken and confused.

"Five men in black robbing the carriage for a package," Vanyra quickly before blending in to her surroundings while leaping towards the scene.

Zelpuz looks at Yuu. He replies "Seems like someone with nether devices prepared an attack on the carriage that came from the plane, maybe they think they have our package." And back to Yuu "Guess we should join her. Would you like a teleport to the rooftop corner over there?" He points at a position close to the crossing where the carriage is.

Yuu considers briefly, "If you take the high ground, I'll see what I can do down here. Those nether devices are rifles of some kind.... I don't recognise them, but be careful."

"I would just as well finish my pastry, but we better help Vanyra. I'll go high, keep the com open." Zelpuz looks for a good rooftop corner that provides some protection and a good view of the scene.

A moment later Zelpuz vanishes and re-materializes 4 stories above the street on the roof of a building to the south, opposite the cart. From his vantage point he has an excellent view of the assailant in front of the cart providing cover and the three approaching from the east. The one closest the driver is partially obscured by the cart, but with a little concentration Zelpuz is pretty sure he could take them out too.

Zelpuz relays the information to the others through the headset while taking his time to aim, ending with. "Where are you now? Should we take action?"

Vanyra moves through the crowd, initially heading north and then vectoring west to come up behind the three black-clad assailants moving on the carriage.

"I'm still with my pastry, staring at the action like a pedestrian idiot. Good view though... very panoramic."

As the two assailants hold-up the carriage and its driver the other three move towards the rear. Vanyra can see each carries a small nether caster and a short sword. One goes to the far side with nether-caster at the ready, one takes up a covering position near the back passenger door also with their nether-caster drawn, and the third moves to open the door with sword in hand. It does not appear that any of them have noticed Zelpuz or Vanyra.

Vanyra dashes forward through the cowering crowds as the as the one assailant's hand reaches the door of the carriage, and without hesitation launches a vicious blow to the back of their head. This subsequently sends their head bouncing off the door of the carriage, and they collapse to the ground seemingly unconscious.

The assailant nearby who was keeping a watch with his nether-caster spins around at the sound of his companion hitting the carriage and dropping to the ground. Without hesitation he fires at blurred form of Vanyra and yells in alarm. The shot narrowly misses her left shoulder, smacking into the carriage, and leaving a lingering heat sensation on her skin.

The man near the driver glances over with his weapon still focused on the driver and motions for the person in front to come around, which they do quickly.

Zelpuz steadies his rifle and takes careful aim at the nether-caster of the black clad assailant who just fired at Vanyra. But at the last second the target shifts and the shot goes just wide to the left.

A moment after Zelpuz's shot goes wide a shout of alarm can be heard some distance from Vanyra's left.

From his vantage point Zelpuz can see the gun pointed at the driver of the carriage disappear in a splash of water, causing the man to to jump back in alarm.

Seizing the moment Vanyra flips up to the roof of the carriage, which presents her with a clear view of the assailant guarding that side. Adjusting her vector with a handspring her momentum carries her over and slams down on the hapless gunman with the hilt of her blade, crumpling him to the ground.

The gun-less assailant draws a sword, pulls the driver from his seat and ducks down against the carriage. The two others, who were previously occupied with Vanyra, similarly move into cover against the carriage and scan the area for their attackers.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:46, Sun 17 Nov 2019.

From his vantage point Yuu sees the three remaining attackers take cover behind the carriage on the side nearest him, shielding them from Zelpuz's fire. Or so they thought as a burst of magic blasts rain down from the Mespah's position, ricochet off the street below the carriage and slam into the backs of two of the men, sending them sprawling and unconscious. The remaining gunman's resolve is shattered by this latest attack and he bolts out his cover towards the alleyway they came from.

As the remaining hijacker flees across the street he suddenly hits and nigh-invisible force that wraps tightly around him, preventing his retreat or almost any movement for that matter. Based on the straining of his muscles he would appear to be fighting to break out of the restraint but is no match for the telekinetic prison.

Vanyra wills her racial camouflage to dissipate and focuses intently on the wagon as if determining its very being.  She then shakes her head and moves her head to listen.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:24, Tue 26 Nov 2019.

Zelpuz waits on top of the building scanning the area and the attackers to watch for signs of recovery.

Yuu maintains his distance, and his telekinetic prison on the remaining assailant. He watches, scanning the area, also giving Vanyra space to examine the carriage.

Vanyra looks in the window of the carriage and spots two occupants who appear somewhat distressed and unsure of their situation. From their vantage points Zelpuz and Yuu can see the driver of the carriage cautiously pick himself off the road and survey the situation.

Inside the carriage's tinted windows Vanyra spies two very well dressed Midians, the sight of which recalls a couple of memories from the journey on the airship this morning. She is almost certain these are two of the people who traveled on the same airship this morning, and the carriage does very much look like one they saw pick up a couple at the docks just earlier. With these pieces and the very focused, though thwarted attack, she suspects they may be victims of the intense politicking that First Lance Harrel Nashun had explained the day before.

Zelpuz radios to the others: "Looks like we are all clear. Vanyra, see what was going on, I'll stay here to provide cover if needed."

From his vantage point atop a building Zelpuz spots the expected response from local authorities, or so he suspects. Vanyra can likewise detect the faint, though approaching, sound of emergency vehicles and personnel.

The driver collects his wits and sets about to check on his charges, opening the carriage door opposite from where Vanyra is. He sounds very apologetic and most relieved that they appear to have suffered no physical harm.

"Vanyra, maybe ask if anyone knows what they were after, or quickly disappear so we can head back to the airship"

"I'd suggest we vacate as anonymous benefactors... or the questions asked of us may branch beyond our departure time."

"Sounds good to me. Maybe our package was just a distraction to get these people to the party. Either way, seems we did our job. Time to go on to our mission."

"Yep... so much more to see, still!"

"Maybe we could wait where we are and you could float the guy into the police's hand once they arrive, then we head out. Vanyra, maybe you should disappear though... fighting made me hungry, let's go to sightseeing, I think there was a great local specialty restaurant next to that giant statue."

Vanyra makes her way back into the alleyway and then up to a rooftop. Zelpuz teleports over to the same rooftop. Meanwhile Yuu casually tosses a glue bomb at the feet of the suspended perpetrator, then lowers him into the gooey solution, and finally tosses a quick confusion spell on him for good measure. With that the trio disappears back into the city towards the harbor district in order to take in a few sights and food before continuing on their journey.

Once they return to the harbor district the group asks around and locates the local Freelancer Guild. They present the note of receipt for the package they delivered, and after 20 minutes of administrative work receive their 150 Marks of pay. That leaves them with a lot more money and a couple of hours to kill. They decide to grab some grilled seafood from a street stall on their way to the massive shore statue. According to the plaque at the base the structure captures the likeness of an early explorer of the Zhen Halen empire who uncovered some key ruins in Byzantium and the surrounding area that resulted in the founding of the current city states. With their bellies full and curiosity satiated the trio returned to the airship to continue their journey to Daedalum.

Yuu gets comfortable in his window seat, feeling satisfied with a job well done and adventure ahead.

The next two legs of the journey take up the rest of the day. After a brief stop in Vagrun the ship flies high over the mountain and descends upon a field of light that breaks the shadows of the night. Daedalum is a smaller city state with its core built into the side of Mt. Daedalum. Legends state the original city was a massive shelter during the end days of the Ancients, and the survivors slowly built out over time and created the modern state. The heart of the city still resides in the mountain but the majority of the city and it's outlying settlements stretch some 250km to the coastline of the Arghosian Sea and surround a number of large lakes that feed into a brackish estuary on the same sea.

Daedalum is the world center for technology, said to be rivaled only by the Spacer's in their orbital habitats. Indeed the spectacle of lights and buildings attests to the scientific and engineering prowess of its citizens. By the time the airship makes dock at the lake port it is very late in the evening. The trio had reserved rooms for the night near the port and are glad to get a proper nights rest before tracking down their employer.

Upon arrival in the city, Vanyra appears darker than normal, and is frequently moving her head around at the cacophony of innovation.

After a night's rest the group heads off to the local chapter of the Freelancer's guild. They check in with the front desk clerk, giving their names and the contract number they signed up for back in Ossylia. The clerk spends a few minutes checking the records before retrieving the pertinent file. She informs them that the expedition is still preparing for departure, but that they should check in with leads at Daedalum Technical Institute, Dr. Farn Joalsing and Dr. Alia Ossun, both from the Department of Archeotechnology.

When asked about stores purveying specialty goods the clerk states that the Chapter has its own quartermaster that sells a variety of common mission critical goods sourced from various worlds, such as weaponry, armor and survival goods. But she also provides the names of a half dozen shops specializing in a particular type of gear, though she warns that in Daedalum the goods are almost exclusively technology-based and as such may be difficult to operate compared to the more common tech and nether-tech devices found elsewhere.

Once finished with the chapter house, Yuu pulls out the wine sample.

"If you guys want to go shopping for equipment, I'm going to go see about getting our wine inspected."

Vanyra cocks her head, "I want to check in for our job."

"Then... let's can go to the University and do both."

Vanyra and Yuu head to the Daedalum University to find their employer and ask about getting their wine analyzed. The university it turns out has a number of different campuses in the city-state, and checking the details of the contract it specifies their contacts are in the Central Campus some distance from the harbor area they're in now. A Dr. Salis Vanhaak of the Department of Archeo-technology and Dr. Nami Ulaar of the Department of Archeo-Socio-engineering are leading the expedition. From the area of their hotel the Central Campus is about 60km inland, and is accessible via a high-speed tram system with stations located throughout the city. Within 30minutes they get to the quite large Central Campus, which reminds Yuu much of the Royal Academy back in Ossylia though the architecture is radically different, the buildings hear appear to be made either of some sort of metal or polished ceramic or stone. Everything has a rather minimalist and sleek appearance.

After some time walking about and asking for directions from students and staff, who seem curiously surprised at the presence of such foreigners, they manage to find the building that houses both of the expedition leads.

Meanwhile Zelpuz heads off to the local chapter of the Order of Ashes to report in, after confirming to meet up after at the Central Campus tram station. The chapter office is located near the port area as to be expected. It is notably smaller than many of the other offices he's visited, but as Daedalum is quite smaller geographically and an extremely homogeneous population incidents with renegade Mespah are no doubt rare. The Chapter Master is glad to see another member of the Order, though he wasn't expecting anyone; they do not get many new faces. He inquires as to the purpose of the visit, and can provide a basic overview of the city, both positives and negatives.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:58, Tue 21 Jan 2020.

Zelpuz listens to the Chapter masters' city overview and inquires about any needs of the Order and any special behaviors he or his friends should be aware of in the city, considering they seem to attract the occasional stare by passers-by. Zelpuz offers to check in again when he returns.

The Chapter Master says there's no Order related activity here at this time. Daedalum is a fairly closed society, with a population of over 99% Terrans, so outsiders are few and can draw some additional attention and scrutiny. They've developed an extremely high degree of technological capability at the expense of Nether-manipulation, a result of their isolation up until the age of the Zhen Halan empire. Consequently she recommends refraining from overt displays of magic. Nether manipulation is looked upon no different than weapon use, so it is restricted to those with the necessary permits. Foreigners usually run afoul of the authorities due to ignorance of this policy, and casting some trivial spell in public. To be on the safe side it's best to just avoid casting if you can.

As for the other Chapters they've not heard of any significant news, just the usual transmissions of warrants and updates on cases. The new class of acolytes will be ready for deployment soon so they're getting ready to receive some new faces.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:54, Fri 24 Jan 2020.

Having found the entrance, Yuu steps inside and begins looking around the lobby area for some kind of board with floor and building information.

There is an information board and map of the campus. With a few minutes of looking at the map and cross-referencing with the board Yuu feels he's got a fairly solid sense of the campus layout. The building that houses the departments of archeo-technology and archeo-socio-engineering is about a 10~15 minutes walk from their current location. There's no information on the two professors they're looking for here, but he believes there will be more detailed directory at each department.

"Looks like it's right here, easy enough." Yuu narrates, and begins heading in that direction, through the interwinding buildings and student bodies buzzing about.

Vanyra and Yuu quickly locate the directory of the main campus tower, and the office of Dr. Nami Ulaar on the 9th floor, and head up. The office is one of many located on the floor, it is not very large given the number of adjacent doors and the spacing. They knock and hear a voice beckons them to enter. The office appears smaller than it should be, though likely that is due to the various books, data tablets and random objects neither Vanyra nor Yuu can identify that are sorted, stacked or piled about it. There is a decent sized window on the opposite wall that is partially obscured by the clutter and the desk next to it, at which sits Dr. Ulaar, or so you presume.

She turns to ask something, before catching herself and observing you with a quizzical look for a moment, "Umm, how may I help you?"

"Hi, Dr. Ulaar..?" Yuu asks openly.

"Yes, the one and only. I take it you're not students..." she replies.

"No, we're with the Freelancers. To accompany you with the upcoming expedition."

"Ah, excellent. You're a bit early, I wasn't expecting Freelancer's for a couple more days, but no matter. We don't plan on departing for another 12 days, and we've scheduled an pre-departure briefing  in 7 days. Since you're here now though, I suppose I could give you a general breakdown of the expedition and answer any immediate questions you have. First, have either of you been on a scientific expedition before?" the professor asks, and gestures you to the a bench partially covered by books. "Oh, just toss those aside... sorry for the mess."

Yuu carefully pushes some books to the side, giving a brief look over their titles, and sits himself down.

"We have some other business that brought us here, so we came a little early. I haven't been on a scientific expedition before, well.... not like this. I do science stuff... nether and mundane related, machines and gadgets... some computers, mostly." Yuu realises he may be rambling. "But um, no, not like this."

"Right then, most of the details will be explained at the briefing, but there's nothing inherently dangerous about the expedition we're embarking on... at least that we know of. We heading to a fairly uninhabited area far to the south of Zhen falas, on the continent of the same name. We contacted the Freelancers for some security support since we're crossing through so many unsecured areas, and regions patrolled by foreign militaries, and they offered the best, politically neutral option. The biggest concerns are mostly wildlife and bandits or pirates." She pauses to let the basic mission scope sink in and allow for any questions.

Yuu listens, nods when appropriate, and adds a couple questions. "Are there any known threats at the site itself? And is there anyone there now, or will we be the ones setting up the camp?"

"Finally, what is the importance of the site we'll be visiting?"

"Threats? Not that we know, but we don't really know much. We should be the first ones on site for some time, as far as we're aware. There could be others in the vicinity, but it's unlikely they'll be interested in what we are, which is an old Zhen Halan imperial research facility, one that pre-dates the Golem Wars. We have only been able to collect indirect references to the facility's location, like shipping records, and most of those have seemed to have vanished or been destroyed during the war. It is likely the facility was shut down shortly after the start of the war as we can find no mention of it thereafter. What type of research they were conducting we do not know, so this expedition is being planned to first find the facility and then simply ascertain what kind of facility it was." Dr. Ulaar explains quickly. "Once we've established that and secured the site we can plan a second expedition to better investigate it's nature. It is unlikely there would be much if anything of value to most people in the facility since the Imperium would have cleared it out at the time of evacuation. But it is curious we cannot find any mention of it in the usual Imperial records on file, almost like it was forgotten... or erased."

"That sounds quite exciting." Yuu remarks genuinely. "Would you expect much left of the site? Comparing to other time period ruins that have been discovered and studied."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:32, Tue 11 Feb 2020.

Vanyra stands there looking around the room, somehow pulling off stoic and nonchalant at the same time.

"Well the Empire built to last, so we're hoping things will be mostly intact. There have been numerous abandoned Imperial structures recovered over the centuries. The area is remote though, so there may have been a natural disaster the prematurely shut it down. If nothing else we hope to find out clues of what was done there and perhaps why it was shut down. Many official structures our nations use today are from before that period, and the world gate on Arghos is millennia old, though all of those have the benefits of regular maintenance. That's partially why we're taking a relatively skeleton crew on this expedition, just to ascertain the situation before committing to full study."

"Dr. Vaanhak has been trying to piece together some idea of what they may have been doing there based on the supply records we have, but there's a lot of speculation involved due to the lack of said records. From both a technology and social standpoint this could be quite the find since it pre-dates the Golem Wars and would have been relatively unchanged by them, unlike all the other surviving places."

Dr. Ulaar then hands both Vanyra and Yuu a card, some sort of ID pass, along with a map of what appears to be the campus. "The map shows you where the briefing for the expedition will be held in 4 days time. We expect it to take most of the day as we'll be going over many specific details. The start time is the 5th hour of morning. There will be meals served throughout. Unless there's anything else I would suggest checking in with Dr. Vaanhak as well, just so he can meet you."

After his visit to the local Order chapter Zelpuz makes his way up through the city streets of Daedalem. The further he moves away from the harbor the more alien the architecture becomes, with more and more structures spaced very closely together and built vertically. Some easy reach twenty stories or more and he can see massive towers further inland. The amount of metal, glass and concrete in use is mind boggling. Most of the shops he peruses have similar wears, though the styles and fashions are as different as any other nation he's visited. The uniformity of sizes does lend credence to the homogeneity of the population; he can't fathom a Gnarm or someone of similar stature fitting much of it.

Eventually he makes his way, after asking around a bit, to a shop specializing in ranged weapons. The shop is full of a variety of arms from common bolt throwers to rifles and even arcane technological weapons he is unfamiliar with, though there does appear to a lack of nether casters. The weapons are stored in well secured cases with reinforced glass windows, or so he suspects. The shop keeper is quite courteous and curious at Zelpuz's entrance and his own rifle. The two engage in a lengthy discussion of the nature of the weaponry on display and how it differs from Zelpuz's own magical device, with him learning that due to the general lack of mages in Daedalum all weapons are built using advanced technologies. Daedalum and the Spacers have had a knowledge sharing partnership for centuries and have salvaged or re-engineered many technologies assumed to be developed by the Ancients. He is quick to point out that a special government issued license is required to purchase any of them, and recommends to Zelpuz that he register his own weapon with local police just in case as the penalties for an unregistered weapon can be quite severe.

Yuu thanks the professor and takes the card and map, glancing over them briefly. "Um, there is one other thing, perhaps you can help us with." Yuu waits for a nod to continue. "We arrived in Daedalum early to pursue an investigation we were conducting in Ossylia. We have a liquid sample, from a bottle of wine, that we needed to analyse. Our facilities in Ossylia were limited, and although we were able to break down most of the compounds, a few anomalies came up that we would like to better understand. Is there anyone you know on campus that might be able to assist with this?"

"If it's a chemical analysis you're needing this is not the right campus. The Faculty of Chemistry is at the Core Campus, though the Bio-Med campus may also be able to assist. The core campus is typically off limits to non-citizens since it's located in the old city." Dr. Ulaar explains, then pauses. "I would probably try the East Campus first, where the Biology and Medical campuses are. You'd need to setup an appointment with a relevant faculty member to enter an application for sample analysis. I may be able to provide some references, depending on what it is you need analyzed. Alternatively, each campus has a test lab company to handle non-academic requests that you could use, which involves fees based on the type and speed of the testing."

"We don't really have time for filling in applications and waiting out responses, so... paying up front is probably our best option. You suggest the East Campus for this?"

"Yes, that would be your best bet. The Core Campus, in addition to being off limits to most foreigners, also places a very high priority on their own research over others so you may be waiting a while. We typically use the East Campus facilities as a result if we need microscopic analyses done." Dr. Ulaar replies and writes something down on a small piece of paper. "This is the name and address of the testing lab there. You'll need to fill out more paperwork than you'd probably like, and as a non-academic entity you'll need to pay up front, but you'll have your results when you need them."

Yuu takes the paper and thanks the doctor. "We'll go pay a visit with Dr Vanhaak, and then see to this. See you in a few days."

In the meantime, Zelpuz finished his mission, had some food and relaxed in a nice park, wondering when his friends will be back. He tries out the walkie talkie to see if they are in reach: "Hello, anyone there?"

Vanyra responds over the radio, "We are here.  We are heading to the East Campus to talk about more science."

"Are you nearly done or should I come out? Over."

"We are just on our way, you can meet us there if you want."  Vanya provides the necessary information, checking in with Yuu a bit to make sure its accurate.

"Sounds good, I'll see you there soon."

Yuu nods in agreement with Vanyra, "We need to talk to the other scientist real quick beforehand. Then we can meet at the public lab."

Vanyra and Yuu head up to introduce themselves to Dr. Vaanhaak, professor of archeo-technology. He appears to be a fair bit older than Dr. Ulaar, with shoulder-length dark hair streaked with grey, though he seems in quite good shape based on his enthusiastic greeting. He is at once more excited and cautious about their upcoming expedition than his counterpart, quickly regaling the pair with a host of possible technologies they could find, and then just as quickly running down a list of factors that work against finding a working sample of such. "Oh well, even if it doesn't work that's the Engineering Faculty's problem... still much to be gained." he finalizes, and then bids them farewell until the briefing in a few days time.

From their Yuu and Vanyra make their way over to the East Campus, and make their way over to administration building, after consulting with a security officer, to find Zelpuz waiting for them. The admin building houses the University Testing Services agency, a fairly large and well staffed office, much larger than your average Freelancer lobby. Upon speaking with a clerk about the nature of the item, the type of examination they wish done, they type of report they wish and the time frame involved they are present with a number of dates and costs.

"Ten days, full analysis." Yuu requests.

For full analysis with such a short turn-around time the clerk informs them it will require a special expedited order, which will be quite pricey; 125 Marks. If they can afford to wait 30~40 days though the regular price for a full analysis would apply, which would be 20 Marks.

"Since we'll be busy for a while anyways, let's go with the 30-40 day time."

Yuu considers, "Ya, okay. 30 to 40 days service is fine."

Yuu fills out a required forms and asked to bring the item for analysis tomorrow; they will have a container ready for the analysis then. A deposit of 25% will be required tomorrow when they drop of the sample, with the remainder to be paid at the time of pickup. Alternatively you can also just pay up front.

"Sounds good. We have the sample here now, but can come back tomorrow, 25% now and the remainder when we get back sounds good. Thank you."

The young mage nods, "We have the sample here, and can pay the deposit now."

The clerk mentions it will take a couple of hours to process the paperwork and get a lab technician to prepare the necessary vessels, so if they don't mind waiting they can deposit the sample today.

"Sounds good, we'll look around the university and come back here in 2-3 hours. Is there any place you recommend to go to? Maybe a nice library with public access?"

Zelpuz is informed he would have to register with the library authority to access the library first. Otherwise perhaps a nearby cafe or restaurant as the clerk has no idea what people like you are into (and you are obviously not from here), though he does not say it as bluntly.

The trio kill a few hours, deliver the sample and then set about securing accommodations for the new several days while they are in Daedalum. In the intervening days before the briefing they make themselves familiar with the city layout, public transit system and identify a few shops that are likely candidates for outfitting.

Finally, the day of the briefing arrives. It starts early in the morning in a smaller-sized auditorium room that holds about 50 people, though only about 2/3rds are occupied once the briefing starts. Dr. Vaanhaak and Dr. Ulaar introduce themselves to the assembled crowd, along with six research assistants. They next go through the audience and identify the various groups and specialists assembled; there's a group of six undergrad assistants, a pair of mechanical technicians, a pair of electrical technicians, an architect, 3 logistical administrators, and then the Freelancers (PC's). Beyond the group here there will be a pair of guides meeting at the landing point and also a pair of engineering archivists from the Spacer station Kallian joining in orbit.

The group will depart from the harbor via shuttle in six days time. They will take the shuttle to the Kallian station to pick up the engineering archivists and some specialized equipment, at this point Dr. Vaanhaak explains the Spacers are partially funding and supporting the expedition, then proceeding to the landing point off the southwestern coast of Zhen Falas continent. During the explanation a vid screen displays the travel route from an orbital perspective, with the destination far to the south and just above the antarctic islands.

The landing zone is near a town named San Haelm [the screen zooms in to a orbital photo of the town]. The town primarily depends on fishing and resource extraction, and their two guides are actually prospectors. The hope is their detailed knowledge of the geology and terrain of the area will assist in locating, even though it should be some ways up river from the town. The map zooms back out slightly and highlights the river running northeast from the landing zone; the Kuilan River. You can see the river begins in the mountains, but a red circle appears in the foothills region, Dr. Vaanhaak explains that with the assistance of orbital scans from the Spacers and the records we have the red dot represents where they hope to find the ruin.

As for the target itself the presenters explain they do not know too much, save for its suggested existence through ancillary records, backed-up by some interesting results from the orbital scans. An analysis of the geology in the region suggests there is a good chance the facility is intact due to its stability. Due to the lack of public records of the facility, Dr. Ulaar explains they is a chance this facility was a military or secret research facility of some sort prior to the Golem Wars. Thus, she warns, the utmost caution should be exercised until a positive identification can be made since there may be volatile or dangerous items about.

This initial expedition is expected to last 35 days, with the first five days travelling to the site, the following 20 days spend locating the site and performing initial exploration, and then five days back. A five day contingency has been built in. Furthermore, depending on what is found a contingent may be asked to remain to secure the site. In that event Daedalum and Kallian station will be notified promptly so relief teams can be dispatched as soon as possible.

At that point they open the floor to questions.

After waiting for the questions of the other groups, Zelpuz asks about potential inhabitants of the area, general fauna and flora and potential dangers of either, as well as myths of unusual events in that area. At last, he'll ask about potential competitors including tomb raiders.

Yuu listens carefully, watching the presentation and flow of questions at the end. He's quite excited about this adventure, wearing this enthusiasm clear across his face and excitable body language.

There are no assumed competitors for this ruin as far as they are aware, but the usual threats of pirates or bandits looking to make off with some expensive equipment is to be expected. They are not aware of any myths in the area since they've never been there themselves to speak with the locals.

The local inhabitants are primarily in resource extraction business, miners and loggers. While they are in the area they are not in the search field for the expedition, likely due to the lack of valuable minerals and terrain. Due to the low level of habitation in the general area the trees are of considerable size, and thus of value to the loggers.

The area is subtropical at the coast but quickly transitions to temperate as you move inland, and then sub-polar in the higher mountainous areas. The search area rests between those temperate and sub-polar areas.Thus the typical Kah'luyn flora and fauna are to be expected for those climes of the Zhen Falas continent (i.e you can research that yourselves).

The next several days are spent trying to find some literature about the region of the Zhen Falas continent they are going to, but due to an lack of familiarity with the library system in Daedalum and their lack of citizenship they find very little of value. Some basic climate, flora and fauna information is available in a general public encyclopedia, and that's about it. From that basic premise they are able to take an educated guess on the type of supplies and equipment that would be most effective and needed in such climes, but are unable to deduce or find references to specific pieces of utility gear.

Having spent some time scouring the city for outfitter stores the last few days before departure are spent gathering the few items the group feels would be useful that they do not already possess, such as some warmer outer wear, some basic climbing gear, water purifier, and various electronic components Yuu and Zelpuz think will be useful in setting up perimeter alarms.

When the day of departure arrives Vanyra, Yuu and Zelpuz wake early and head to the designated meeting place before dawn, as instructed. The city tram takes them most of the way, leaving only a ten minute walk. Judging by the others arriving at the same time, many of whom they recognize from the briefing, they are in the correct place. The meeting point is a large, warehouse-like building on the far side of the harbor, far away from the usual port area they arrived at, with signage designated it as the Orbital Transit Station.

Dr. Ulaar and Dr. Vaanhak greet each person as they arrive, checking them off on a clipboard, and instructing them to go instead to the pre-departure lobby. All equipment and luggage are checked in at counter immediately through the doors, and adjacent to the lobby itself. After about 30 minutes everyone has arrived and has taken a seat in the lobby area, then a very tall, by Daedalum standards, uniformed female addresses the assembled crowd. She introduces herself as Lieutenant Faska, first officer of the Amaterasu, the shuttle they'll be using for transport. She instructs them to watch a video instructing them on the basics of transorbital flight, after which everyone will proceed to the change rooms to don their flight suits. The video plays out much like an instructional advertisement, somewhat informative but definitely reassuring that they are very safe if they follow the directions provided.

The flight suits provided are form-fitting one-piece outfits of a material none of the trio has encountered before; it is quite playable and comfortable. Each of them area also provided a helmet which they are to don only after entering the shuttle. Another staff member then conducts a check of everyone's suit and helmet, after which they are cleared to proceed to the shuttle, which is moored out back on a pier that extends much further out than you would consider appropriate for a ship of that size.

The shuttle is like something Yuu has seen only from some books and archives in the Academy library, like on odd cross between a ship and a bird, and made of metals. It is quite large given the small contingent of people, though Yuu figures they have more than the usual amount of luggage, and he has no idea what would power such a ship. For Zelpuz and Vanyra it is the oddest looking ship they've seen.

Once inside the ship itself they are presented with pairs of plush, high-backed chairs on the left and right sides of a central aisle. Each passenger finds a seat, and recalling the video from early, fumbles about securing the 5-point safety harness. Once everyone is seated and locked in an announcement from the captain states they are preparing the final checks and they'll be departing within 10 minutes.

From their seats they can feel the low vibration travel though the ship before they hear a similarly low monotone gradually picking up pitch. The shuttle can then be felt maneuvering away from the pier for several minutes, until there is a sudden shift in both sound and vibration throughout the vessel which quickly builds to a crescendo that seems to drag down upon everyone's limbs. Glancing out the window each character realizes they are not being dragged down, but up instead as the the craft begins to climb through air. The feeling is at once exhilarating and frightening, for unlike the gradual and calm climb of the airship there is a feeling of raw power behind this. After half of minute of climbing a great roar is heard and everyone is thrown into the back of their seats as the ship rockets forward and up.

From the windows they can see clouds fly by, and then a clear blue that fades into a purple and then finally an luminescent black before the roar cuts out. With the thrusters cut an eerie sense of weightlessness is suddenly apparent and as the passengers look about they can see the glowing arc of Kah'Luyn's atmosphere below them... a sight that leaves them speechless. After a couple minutes of awe Lieutenant Faska's voice comes over a speaker system stating that they have breached the planetary atmosphere and are in orbit to dock with the station, a journey which should take approximately 80 minutes, and until then they can sit back and enjoy the view.

Yuu has been utterly mesmerised from the moment he first laid eyes on the ship, his eyes wide as saucers and grin split ear to ear. His window seat view has offered a unique perspective on his home planet, and the continents that rest upon it. With the announcement, he begins to relax... slightly. He ponders his magic, wondering if it would still work up here. He reachers into himself, not to cast a spell, but just to know he could if needed.

Yuu feels the connection to the Nether quite clearly up here, but while similar to planet-side the quality of the energy has a more vast and nebulous nature. On Kah'Luyn there is a dynamic chaos to it, one of the first lessons at the Academy teaches as such, it pushes and pulls constantly so as to make it difficult to get a firm grasp of it, and therein lies the danger. Far above the world Yuu feels a slow shifting immensity to it, like a calm sea that extends to infinity. How and if this impacts casting he is not sure, and given the dangers of vacuum exposure presented in the earlier video he's thinking it would be a question best posed to the Spacers once he's back on solid ground again.