The noise and bustle of busy people intrudes upon your sleep well before dawn on the day of your departure.  Much of it is unnecessary, as the Regent's guards have been effective in preventing further sabotage and the generous efforts of the populace have exceeded your expectations in terms of useful labor.  You were not even called on to defend Canthus from the abhuman raiding party spotted along the eastern ridge.

The trailer to the transport cart is packed.  The cart itself is in full working order.  Your supplies are stowed and what scant extras they could supply to fulfill your written requests are waiting, with best wishes and apologies for not being more.

Most of the noise and low tumult is just curiosity and well-wishes.  People are want to see you off.  They are proud of you.  They are excited for what you might find.  They are terrified of what you might find.

Cheers and applause and hope and fear and dust fill the air as the cart pulls out of the scouts camp, bearing northward up the sloping landscape toward the Shimmering Veil.

OOC: As you set out, the following is true-

You have a rough map of the geography north of you.  There appears to a steep cliff overlooking the base of the veil directly north.  The people of Cantus are uncertain if there is a path suitable for the transport cart.  You can head east or west toward known (as much as possible) passable geography.  The west route will add about 4 hours until you reach the veil, the east route 5 hours.  The direct route will take 6 hours, plus decent of the cliff, if possible.

All materials listed at your meeting with the regent are in the trailer, with the exception of the shelter and one straw (as discussed).  You were provided with six tent poles, 100 feet of rope, and 3 large tarps to replace the shelter.

If you would like to converse with anyone in Canthus before your departure, you can post that in the Prelude - Planning thread.  Otherwise I'll close that one soon.  All other posts in the Scouts camp the morning of departure or in the cart should go here.

Derrik awakes in the morning to the sounds of the excitement outside. He isn't quite sure how to deal with the gathered people and so he spends a good deal of time preparing his gear. As the group studies the map and considers the options, he voices his own opinion. "All of these options effectively make for a day's travel. Though the east and west routes make for a longer day, I think all options will require us to camp at the base of the veil before proceeding. I vote for the western route. Slightly shorter than the eastern route, but better terrain than the cliff."

The only reason Radwa isn't consulting the map is because they're the one driving the cart. They're focused on the path ahead, occasionally checking the instrument panel to make sure everything is running fine (which it is). They waved goodbye to everyone who'd gathered to see them all off, but now there was driving to be done.

The cart itself is mostly white and silver to reflect heat, with kind of a half-metal, half-synth design - a base with wheels, engine and so on, and the entire top half from around passenger height to the roof is just a clear bubble that you can all see through, with some spot controls to filter out excessive light. The tyres are thick and large, able to safely traverse over a wide variety of terrain. The controls themselves appear to hover a little bit over one section of the bubble, just in reach of Radwa's seat.

"West sounds reasonable to me - will I need to change direction yet?" they ask as they drive.

Hoa Sen has at least a brief response for all the well-wishers and curious folk who come to see the caravan off. It seems like she spends the whole trip out of the aldeia speaking. So much hope on our shoulders. The kasunda touches her sash and the bit of broken numenera tucked inside it—reminders of what she fights for and what has already been lost.

"I have no reason to doubt any route that doesn't count on Radwa's design to roll down a cliff. West should be fine."

The terrain remains largely monotonous as your path bends westward.  Scrubby plants dot the hard pan as the terrain continues its gentle rise toward the north.  The occasional dust devil coalesces and scours a sinuous path along the surface before dispersing.  A few flying scavengers can be seen circling in the distant sky to the south, but there is otherwise little activity in the daytime heat.  The dark peaks of the Black Riage are hazy in the distance.

As your route grows closer the cliff, the ridge finally frees a view of the Shimmering Veil.  Still miles away to the north, it is now easily visible.  A muted shade of purple that seems nearly opaque at this distance, the eddies of cloud-forms and swirls can be seen, restrained within the gently waving bounds of the colossal wall.  The upper reaches seem to be a little less dense, but it's difficult to tell at this distance.

As the view of your next "destination" draws your attention and Radwa tries to balance her focus between driving forward and staring to her right, a small, intermittant whining sound begins to emanate from under the front passenger seat.

OOC: who is in what seat?  What side of the front is Radwa driving on?  I imagine the available seating as:

__   __
|1|  |2|
__ __ __
|3|4 |5|
__ __ __

Derrick takes the seat nearest to the exit so that he can be ready to jump out first if they run into any threats. The transparent canopy of the cart makes him nervous and he does not want the vehicle to take damage if he can prevent it. From his position, he surveys their surroundings for signs of danger, letting others handle the navigation. When the whining sound starts, he turns to look at the place. "That doesn't sound good."

The driver's controls are on the right front seat, so Radwa scowls to their left when the sound starts. "Urgh, no, not this early - I just finished building this!" they complain as the slow the cart to a stop, get out of the cart and go around to the side to try and see what's making the noise.

The sound continues even after the vehicle stops and turns off.  Radwa's cursory inspection notes nothing out of place along the undercarriage or by the wheels.  The sound seems to be emenating from the space beneath the front left seat (space 1), within the vehicle.

The older man had quietly kept a lookout beside Radwa, ready to use his gifts to help interact with or defend from those they might encounter.  His expression had been thoughtful since they had left the cheering people behind.  His thoughts were his own, though Derrick no doubt could sense that some portion of the passing time was spent in silent prayer.

As they stopped to seek the source of the noise, he examined the space under his seat, stretching out his extraordinary senses...

OOC: If the source isn't obvious and easily accessible, he will Scan for it...

Taking the middle set behind Radwa, Artor stowed his Glaive on the floor by his feet and examined the synth bow the council had provided him - familiarising himself with its flex and heft. As before he took it upon himself to be their eyes and kept his eyes roving their environs

Flex skill - Perception; on phone so will fix character sheet with cyphers and new equipment when I’m on a laptop

His ears twitched at the whining sound, uncomfortable with the distraction from their surrounds, and when they pulled to a stop he shivered beneath the robe, “What can you sense, priest?”