Cities from the Sky

[Nanshork]

Fritjof chuckles to himself.  "I like her.  Now, let's see if we can get our free traveling gear without any more interruptions."

[phaedrusxy]

Tomas sighs and says "Well... there goes my chance to bed her. Thanks, Loire..."

[skydragonknight]

I wonder what was eating her? the Hegwyd shrugged. He listed to Fritjof's practical advice. "Right. I'll need some cold weather gear. Can't make a profit if we catch hypothermia, now can we?"

He smirks at Tomas. "You can bed all the women you like when you're rich. My cousin owns a brothel. I can get you into his V.I.P. room for a night for a nominal fee."

[phaedrusxy]

Tomas says "Eh, you lose the thrill of the hunt if you pay for it..." as he turns to walk to the armory with the others.

[VennDygrem]

"It's just as well.  Something was not right with her. I'm certain that's not the last we've seen of her."

[Risada]

"In that case... Let's keep an eye open for that. Anyway... Now that we did some research regarding our objective... Let's get our equipment and depart."

[Stratovarius]

The next morning found the company standing atop a platform that projected out over the edge of the skycity, one engraved with mystic symbols, but lacking any sort of railing whatsoever. The view was spectacular, of white-capped mountains, verdant valleys, and the wisps of clouds that filled them far below. Far to the north, presumably where they were to go, clouds budded in the sky, ominous in their towering majesty. Certainly, even here the wind whipped with increasing abandon, tossing hair and unsecured gear about as it would.

For those willing to venture close to the unsecured edge and stare downwards, it was possible to see one of the villages that supported the people of Adeinia. It bustled in a sort of desultory fashion, people going through the motions of life with energy but not passion. For it was the village that had been struck by the falling fragments, and still it recovered, the damage brought into stark light by the morning sunshine.

There had been nothing in the way of ceremony when the company arrived. Indeed, there had not even been anyone there to greet them. Instead they had been forced to mill about the platform for some minutes before the mageguard sauntered over, his heavy clothing flapping in the wind behind him.

His greeting was light and airy, making no apology for keeping them waiting. "Glad to see you're all geared up and ready to go."

There was a pause, as his eyes found the mules and their... unusual winter attire. "I see you've decided to forgo the more normal sled team. Rather hope that decision works out well for you, since it would be most helpful of you to return intact, with finds. Now, on to matters more important. This scroll will send me a message telling me to open the teleport gate again, and where to open it. Because of the range, you'll have to get roughly back to where the teleport gate is going to drop you off. And there's only one copy of it, so if it's lost, you're going to have to walk out. Also, the gate only stays open for about a minute, so you ought to be good and ready to go when you call for it. Now, is there anything else I can do for you fine gentlemen before opening the gate?"

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The scroll was handed to the Arcanist.

[Risada]

Brennus decides to try something.

"After I finished researching regarding our objective, I spent some time researching some other things, since I like reading. I stumbled upon this family crest... Some great mage family from the past. If I recall correctly, it was the word Áðexe, with a starry arc of sky above it. But for some reason that was all the information I found. Know if the ruins have anything from this family? Anything noteworthy you know about it? "

[Stratovarius]

The mageguard paused momentarily, thoughts playing across his face. "The Áðexe were one of the great families of Hania, yes, although one of the first to fall. So we have little information on them. Any material of theirs would be quite valuable, even beyond just its magical content. And there were rumours of a kind about them, but, then again, there were rumours about every great mage family. Still are. It's how politics are done in Hania."

[Risada]

"Do you mind in sharing a few of those rumors regarding this family in particular? In the slight chance they could be handy in our task."

[Stratovarius]

He shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "Note there's barely a few stone shards and the like that mention these, and they're carved into the sides of old buildings and the like. So, little more than graffiti. Mostly they mention an 'unclean' search for a new source of energy. But I know that very thing was said about my family when we came up with a new, better, method of creating enchanted items but two hundred years ago. In fact, I'm sure I could find that same accusation against every single mage family prominent enough to rule a skycity. Comes with the territory. I really wouldn't read much into it if I were you."

[Risada]

"I understand. Thank you very much for the help you've provided."  Brennus bows to the mageguard.

[skydragonknight]

"We should get going." Loire said. "After all, there's no time like the present."

[Stratovarius]

A blue nimbus began to form across the edge of the platform, replacing what was once open space with a shimmering, opaque, surface. Soon it spread until it filled the space where once there had been open air, closing off that end of the structure. It looked as if it was an ocean, ripples swirling back and forth across the surface, caused by some far away storm. Hanging over the open air, some inches from the edge of the projection, exacerbated the air of barely contained danger it was already radiating.

When the company next glanced at the mageguard, he was sweating even in the cold, clear, mountain air, and was most insistently gesturing at them to go through the teleport gate. Whatever type of spell he was using to create this, it was right on the edge of his capacity, one that was going to wear down quickly.

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When the first of the company stumbled through, their foot slipped, punching right through the crust of hard snow, preventing him for a moment from seeing his surroundings. But as he straightened, he took in vast mountains to the east and the west, black crags piercing through an otherwise white coat of ice and snow, so high above his current position that their peaks were lost amidst wisps of cloud.

As he watched, a cornice of ice and snow, overbalanced from years of accumulation, cracked and tumbled down a mountainside, vast sheets of snow cascading with it as each new impact shook loose thinly bonded snow from the layer beneath it. Within moments, what had started as a slough slide was now a full-fledged avalanche, hurtling down in an ever growing cloud, shrouding the final impact from his sight.

It was only as the snow began to settle and the cloud to vanish that the sounds of the distant rolling thunder came to his ears, so vast were the distances over which these actions had taken place, and so clear was the visibility of the arctic air. Objects, then, must appear both smaller and closer than their true nature, an optical illusion that would be well remembered by all the company.

At last, the distant ridges and summits having presented themselves in both their icy splendour and ephemeral safety, he was able to turn his eyes to the last of scenery, the gulf laid out between the mountains, a trench of the gods. Within that boundless expanse lay an almost equally immeasurable flow, the glacier that supposedly swallowed a skycity whole. The reports had most certainly been deceiving, for it could have consumed not only a single skycity, but all the skycities of Hania, cloaking them within its colossal bulk with but the faintest trace of their existence. And it was in that untouched landscape that the company had been tasked to find their objective.

Prayer, it seemed, was in order.

[Risada]

Brennus checks his equipment and adjusts his clothing.

"Very well then. Time to go." 

[phaedrusxy]

While futilely trying to knock some of the snow off of his pant legs, Tomas says "Well... I never thought I'd see something like that... nor wished to, really... It sure makes you feel small, doesn't it?"

[VennDygrem]

"There is a lot of open space here. Which way do we head to find these ruins?"

[Risada]

"Hm... Let's go north."  Without any basis whatsoever, Brennus makes his suggestion.

[phaedrusxy]

"I have an idea. I can turn one of us into an eagle. The dweomer will only last for a few seconds, but it will be long enough to fly up and take a quick look around. Hopefully they can make out some hint of the city in the distance, and give us a clue as to which way to go.

So... who has always wanted to be able to fly? Here's your chance." Tomas says as he grins.

[skydragonknight]

" I prefer to swim only in water, thank you very much. The air is far too sparse for me to be comfortable." Loire says, refusing the offer.