The Sylvan Realm #12 (#56)

[GM Mad]

Sylvan Realm #12 (#56)

December 1st, CR 571 or Deepnight 23rd, 20,519 AP

The Sunflower has been taken! But the scro were foolish and made it easy. When they saw the elves flying on their griffons in pursuit of Talen they rushed off to battle their ancient enemy without any thought or plan. They paid the ultimate price for their foolishness and discovered that elves are really good with bows.

The ship was searched and it is discovered that the Sunflower has multiple Spell Engines, but Kylie can only bond to one of them. After increasing its power with a few spells, she is confident that it will take the Sunflower back to where the others are waiting with Talen.

Below decks, Laucian examines the armories on the ship. There are four such places. The one adjacent to the main deck is mostly empty of gear, but the deeper one goes into the ship the more equipment is found. Shields are found in one such armory and Laucian examines them. There is a design on these shields, perhaps signifying the nation the Sunflower hails from. There is a large symbol on the shield but Laucian cannot identifying it. Its either some unknown symbol or maybe a letter in an unknown language. There is also several ships on the shield and a open chest showing gold coins inside it.

Ropes are easy to come by on the Sunflower. Several lines are holding the vessel to the dock. The anchor is also down, so that is raised as Kylie gets ready to have the Sunflower rise up. The gangplank is pulled back up as well.

Concentrating on controlling the Spell Engine, Kylie activates the Life Support function which provides a comfortable atmosphere around the ship and can make the ship go up or down. Once everyone is ready Kylie has the ship begin to slowly rise up just inches at first, but then a little faster as she becomes more comfortable with the process.

After a few minutes, the Sunflower is hovering a few feet above the water and high enough to clear the docks. Lucian and Andlin experimentally pull on the lines near the front of the ship that were attached the dock. In response the Sunflower nudges to one side at first, but then starts to slowly move in the desired direction. And then passes it as once the ship starts to move it wants to keep moving! This is quickly solved as Laucian and Andlin take hold of lines on opposite sides of the ship. Laucian pulls the ship back into the proper direction while Andlin keeps enough tension on his line to keep the ship from going past the mark.

Once that is finished, the elves board the Sunflower once more. The vessel is pointed, more or less, in the right direction. Kylie has the ship rise up once more and become high enough to avoid striking anything on the ground in the immediate area.

Then Kylie has the Sunflower surge forwards, slowly at first, but rapidly gaining speed. Soon the Sunflower is flying at its maximum rate with the Spell Engine that she controls. This speed is a little faster than what the griffons can fly at, so its not an uncomfortable velocity. Best guess would have it take about forty minutes to reach the others. It took the griffons an hour to make the flight to the dock area.


At the Elder Teaching Columns the others await for the return of Kylie, Laucian and Andlin. Argent continues to examine the columns while Lilia stands guard. Lia goes out to examine the scro to see if they have anything to help her move Talen. She finds some daggers and shortswords, but no shields or pole arms or anything else that might prove useful.

As she looks around, Lia spots the Sunflower approaching! It's moving faster than a griffon and is about forty feet overhead as it closes in.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Everyone is back together again!

The Sunflower is a human ship, not an elfin one. Hence the armor found was human sized. The scro did steal an elfin ship, one that was shaped like a swan, but they damaged it and had to abandon it. Later they stole the Sunflower while most of the crew was on shore leave and escaped in it.

How are you going to get Talen, Argent and Myev up to the ship? What are you going to do with the griffons? Have then ride on the ship or tell them to make it back home on their own? Where are you going to put Talen? Inquiring GM's want to know!

Now what?

[Laucian]

Laucian

After a few minutes, the Sunflower is hovering a few feet above the water and high enough to clear the docks. Lucian and Andlin experimentally pull on the lines near the front of the ship that were attached the dock. In response the Sunflower nudges to one side at first, but then starts to slowly move in the desired direction. And then passes it as once the ship starts to move it wants to keep moving! This is quickly solved as Laucian and Andlin take hold of lines on opposite sides of the ship. Laucian pulls the ship back into the proper direction while Andlin keeps enough tension on his line to keep the ship from going past the mark.

Once that is finished, the elves board the Sunflower once more. The vessel is pointed, more or less, in the right direction. Kylie has the ship rise up once more and become high enough to avoid striking anything on the ground in the immediate area.

Laucian watches as the Sunflower rises up and out of the water. He takes a hold of the rope and pull s it in the direction it needs to be pointed in to get back to the others. With the task of the ship being turn Andlin and Laucian make their way to the gangplank. “Give me a moment.”Laucian says to Andlin, “I Have to see that the griffons come with us.”
Laucian makes his way to the Griffons and pats eat in turn as he does so, he will instruct each one to go towards the ship and land upon it’s deck. Mounting up on Aura, Laucian will follow the other griffons to the hovering ship. Once upon the deck, Laucian will call out to Kylie, “The griffons are aboard. Let’s go get the others!” as he pulls back the gangplank or rope.
Laucian is among the griffons as the ship flies through the air trying to keep them calm. While not a stranger to such travel it still gets some getting used to.
As they draw closer to where they left the others, Laucian makes his eay to the front of the ship and looks out, He can make out the bodies of the scro and in time the ruins that house their friends.
As the others come into view, Laucian calls out down to his companions, “Did someone request a flying ship?” he calls down to the others. He then turns to find Kylie, “Is it possible to lower the ship toward where I stood against the scro? It might be easiest to Climb down and up from there.”

[Lia]

Lia

At the Elder Teaching Columns the others await for the return of Kylie, Laucian and Andlin. Argent continues to examine the columns while Lilia stands guard. Lia goes out to examine the scro to see if they have anything to help her move Talen. She finds some daggers and shortswords, but no shields or pole arms or anything else that might prove useful.

As she looks around, Lia spots the Sunflower approaching! It's moving faster than a griffon and is about forty feet overhead as it closes in.
Lia takes her time moving amongst the scro. She sees daggers and shortswords but nothing that would prove useful for bringing her brother home easier. Taking a deep breath she looks up and her brow frowns in concentration a great ship is flying their way and two things come to her mind as her eyes go wide.
Running back to the others, Lia catches her breath for a moment then says to the others. “We got company! That ship is coming our way!” takes out her crossbow and knocks a bolt to it. She stand near her brother and awaits whatever comes. Several tense minutes pass as the ship comes forward quicker then a griffon. Bringing her bow up as she hears a call in Elvish. “Did someone request a flying ship?”
A ghost of a smile comes to her face as she looks to Lilia and the others. It gladdens her heart to know she will be able to get her brother to the slyvian realm and to that of a healer that might be able to help him.
Lia will make her way to her brother, lay a bed roll Blanket down and move him upon it. He will wrap it about him so that he make him into a half elf burrito so that his face is still visible. Looking at Lilia, “I think I may have a way to get Talen to the ship. I maybe able to levitate him towards the ship. Perhaps even Kylie can push him to the ship so that the griffons do not bounce him around.”

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Once all the lines are released, Kylie eases the ship upwards out of the water. She nudges it forward just enough for the bow to be over land so that Laucian and Andlin have good footing and room to work. As they work to get the ship aligned with their destination, Kylie looks over the side to see whether the rudder extends lower than the keel of the boat or not. This will be important in judging safe altitude when hovering over land to pick up passengers.

Laucian makes his way to the Griffons and pats eat in turn as he does so, he will instruct each one to go towards the ship and land upon it’s deck. Mounting up on Aura, Laucian will follow the other griffons to the hovering ship. Once upon the deck, Laucian will call out to Kylie, “The griffons are aboard. Let’s go get the others!” as he pulls back the gangplank or rope.

As soon as Laucian gives the go-ahead, Kylie nods and lifts the ship up to a safe altitude before starting forward. It doesn't take long to get underway. At full speed, they are moving at a decent clip, though only a bit faster than the griffins can fly. Kylie takes time to test turning the ship's wheel in each direction to see if that has any impact on their flight path. She also attempts to vary their course by mentally directing the ship to turn one way or the other. If either works, she will practice steering using that method, taking guidance from Laucian to ensure that they do not get off track.

As the others come into view, Laucian calls out down to his companions, “Did someone request a flying ship?” he calls down to the others. He then turns to find Kylie, “Is it possible to lower the ship toward where I stood against the scro? It might be easiest to Climb down and up from there.”

The trip back to the ruins is fairly quick. As they approach the site, Kylie will slow the ship to ensure that they don't overshoot their destination, bringing it to a full stop over the most convenient part of the clearing. Laucian's hail to their friends brings a smile to her lips. "I'll do the best I can, Laucian, though my ability to steer the ship is pretty limited." She then gently lowers the ship until the lowest point is roughly a person's height above the surface.

As soon as the ship is in position, Kylie flies over the railing and down toward the waiting group. "Laucian, can you and Andlin throw down some ropes for our friends to climb up?" Kylie asks over her shoulder Spotting Lia wrapping her brother in a blanket while talking to Lilia, Kylie flies toward them. "Hi Lia. Why don't you let me fly Talen up to the ship? Lilia's Strength spell will make it easy for me to lift him. I'll put him in the bed in the captain's cabin."

If Lia agrees, Kylie will lift him in her arms and fly back up to the ship. Once on board, she will carry him to the captain's cabin, deposit him gently on the bed there, and cover him with one of the blankets.

When Talen is securely ensconced in the bed, Kylie will return outside and fly back down. If anyone is having trouble climbing the ropes up to the ship, Kylie will offer to fly them up as well. Unless someone says otherwise, Kylie assumes that everyone will be coming aboard. She will leave seeing to the griffins to Laucian and the others.

[Lilia]

Lilia:

Lia suddenly returns, breaking the lingering quiet.

Running back to the others, Lia catches her breath for a moment then says to the others. “We got company! That ship is coming our way!” takes out her crossbow and loads a bolt into it. She stands near her brother and awaits whatever comes.

“That's wonderful,” Lilia notes. “That means our friends succeeded in their mission. Don't worry, Lia. Myev was the only scro who could fly the Sunflower. Since she is with us, it has to be Kylie.”

This is confirmed a moment later when Laucian's voice is heard off in the distance.

“Did someone request a flying ship?”

While Lia works to prepare her brother, Lilia goes outside. She finds the Sunflower hovering over head. Kylie comes flying past.

Kylie flies toward them. "Hi Lia. Why don't you let me fly Talen up to the ship? Lilia's Strength spell will make it easy for me to lift him. I'll put him in the bed in the captain's cabin."

“That's probably be the fastest and easiest way to get Talen on the ship,” Lilia agrees. “I'll help get the others on board. Then we can be gone from these ruins.”

At this point Lilia casts her last Fly spell on herself. She'll offer to carry one of the others up to the ship.

“Who needs a lift?”

[Argent]

Argent:

Lia looks at the mage then to her brother and sees the truth in her words. "I was only thinking it could be activated by those it called." Lia says back evenly. "If that is the case then perhaps the elf left at griffon stable should be brought here, perhaps he would be taught as well and you can learn from his experience as well."

“I don't know anything about an elf that was left behind,” Argent easily answers. “Did he have an urge to come here? If so, then he might have been called. Still, if it was me, I'd wait and see how your brother is before subjecting another to this teacher.”

Time passes but finally the other seem to have returned.

Running back to the others, Lia catches her breath for a moment then says to the others. “We got company! That ship is coming our way!”

“That's wonderful,” Lilia notes. “That means our friends succeeded in their mission. Don't worry, Lia. Myev was the only scro who could fly the Sunflower. Since she is with us, it has to be Kylie.”

“I'll be more than happy to return to some place more civilized,” Argent notes as she gathers up her things. She gestures towards Myev and gets her attention to let her know it is time to go. “A nice hot bath and some wine would be most welcomed.”

An voice is heard outside in what sounds like elvish, but Argent cannot understand it. Emerging from underneath the area where the Elder Teacher is at, Argent is visible stunned to see a huge ship hovering in the sky overhead! Kylie flies past seeming as if this was a common occurrence to her.

“Amazing...,” is all Argent can say as she stares as the sight before. “To be able to travel and take all the comforts of home with you is a dream come true! I want one.”

“Who needs a lift?”

Lilia's words break Argent out of her amazement. “Yes, please. It would take me forever to climb up a rope. I'm not built for that kind of thing.”

“So, how does all of this work,” Agent wonders as she gestures to the Sunflower. “And more importantly, would I be able to do it?”

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

December 1st, CR 571 or Deepnight 23rd, 20,519 AP

Before the Sunflower takes flight, Laucian prepares the griffons for traveling on the ship. He speaks to each of them, explaining what is to happen and to not be afraid. The task is a bit more complicated then first expected. After all there are numerous ropes and lines all over the upper deck of the ship. They connect the masts to the deck, there are rope ladders used to climb overhead and numerous guide lines. The largest open is to approach the ship from the rear and landing on the aft deck. From there, the griffons are moved to the fore deck as room will be needed for the other three griffons.

Once all three griffons are safely nested on the upper fore deck, Kylie has the Sunflower rise up higher. Once high enough, the ship starts to move forward at a velocity greater than once could travel on the griffons. However, the feeling of the wind in your face is not felt as the atmosphere generated around the ship essentially puts the vessel inside a bubble.

The site of the Elder Teaching Columns is reached and Kylie slows the ship down. Once stopped she lowers it down as much as she dares. Fortunately, one just has to be in range of the ship to control it. So Kylie can fly down and be on the ground while lowering the ship safely.

Lia has Talen ready to travel and has wrapped up the half-elf in blankets leaving on his face showing. Even with her strength being magically enhanced, Talen is heavy. Being unconscious he is essentially dead weight. Kylie is able to get him up on deck, but the task is not an easy one. Andlin picks up Talen and carries him the rest of the way as his strength is greater.

Lilia casts flight on herself and carries Argent up to the ship. She also struggles with the weight as Lilia strength is only average. Upon seeing the griffons on deck, Argent quickly follows Andlin to the lower decks of the ship for safety. Kylie and Lilia then bring Myev and Lia up to the ship. Kylie leads the way to where Talen was taken as Myev also wants to be away from the griffons.

The lone door in the aft section of the main deck leads to the Captains Cabin. Behind the door is a small landing with stairs going down to the lower deck while there is a door on the left and the right. The door to the right is closed, but the one to the left is wide open.

The 25' by 15' chamber beyond the door is richly appointed. There is a large mahogany table with eight matching chairs that fills the middle of the room. There are two large paintings on the entry wall of unknown humans dressed in what could be royal or noble attire. Two smaller landscape paintings flank the only exit from this room: the door to the Captains Cabin.

The Captain's Cabin is even larger than the previous room. It's thirty feet wide and at its widest 15' across. An large desk of mahogany dominates the entry area. There are several chairs and a fancy couch in this part of the room. The far side of the room is separated by privacy screens. The captains bed is huge and seemingly carved from a single piece of oak. The headboard depicts a sea battle between ships in exquisite detail. It is clear to any seeing the bed that it was the work of a master woodcarver.

Andlin sets Talen on the bed and steps back to allow Lia to look after her brother. Topside Laucian works to bring the other three griffons on board the ship. Before long the Sunflower is ready to move once more.


Now what?

[Kylie]

Kylie:

It takes a while to get the griffins loaded on the ship, but Laucian is more than equal to task. Andlin assists with the work as Kylie makes final preparations to get underway.

Lifting off, Kylie once again experiences the same enjoyment she had when piloting the barge earlier in the year. Despite its massive bulk, the ship rises and moves forward smoothly. Soon, they are at full velocity, sailing in a sea of calm, quiet air.

They reach the ruins quickly, and Kylie brings the ship smoothly to a stop, then lowers the ship to within a handful of feet from the ground. There appears to be a hubbub of activity below, as the rest of the group makes last minute preparations to depart.

Flying toward Lia, Talen and Lilia, Kylie sees Argent emerge just as she flies by. The look of amazement on Argent's face is endearing, and will be hard to forget. "Hi Argent!" Kylie calls out her greeting in passing.

“That's probably be the fastest and easiest way to get Talen on the ship,” Lilia agrees. “I'll help get the others on board. Then we can be gone from these ruins.”

Kylie quickly finds that Talen is harder to lift and carry than she had expected, considering Lilia's Strength spell. 'I need to remember this in the future,' she thinks as she flies laboriously up to the ship.

By the time she reaches the deck, Kylie is starting to feel the strain. Fortunately, Andlin is nearby. "Andlin, can you please put Talen in the bed in the captain's cabin?" she asks as she hands Talen's unconscious form over to the elven warrior.

Kylie pauses a moment to catch her breath before flying back down to the ground. On the way down, she checks to make sure that the ship is maintaining it's altitude above the ground. Satisfied that the ship is in no danger of sinking down, she offers a ride to Myev. It turns out that the scro woman is no lighter than Talen, and once again Kylie struggles a bit to get her up onto the deck.

Breathing heavily, Kylie sets Myev down as soon as they reach the deck. To avoid any further unpleasantness with the griffins, Kylie leads Myev to the aft entry. "You may want to stay inside while the griffins are on board. Let me get the ship underway, then we should talk with Lilia and Argent about the Spell Engines. Hopefully, you can teach all of us a bit about managing the sails, as well."

Kylie returns outside to the deck. She will do what she can to assist Laucian with getting the griffins ready to travel. Once that's done, she guides the ship high into the air and starts forward. Since they are still facing south and a little to the east, she will do her best to coax the ship through a wide arc toward the west.

[Lilia]

Lilia:

Lilia's words break Argent out of her amazement. “Yes, please. It would take me forever to climb up a rope. I'm not built for that kind of thing.”

“Hang on then,” Lilia tells Argent. The request does not come as a surprise as Lilia had earlier noted that Argent was on the frail side. The Elf Maiden doubts that she could even climb the rope up to the ship.

But what does surprise Lilia is that she struggles to carry the human and fly. While she is now stronger than she used to be before the transformation, her new strength isn't a lot more. Once on deck, Lilia sets Argent down and stops to catch her breath. After recovering, Lilia will go back and fetch Lia assuming that she just doesn't climb up on her own before then.

Lilia makes her way through the ship and sees the huge table and the expensive furnishings. Clearly the Sunflower wasn't any ordinary ship. It belonged to someone wealthy and that most likely meant that they were powerful too.

“So, how does all of this work,” Agent wonders as she gestures to the Sunflower. “And more importantly, would I be able to do it?”

“It works by way of the Spell Engine,” Lilia explains. “Kylie is currently controlling it and the ship moves at her direction. Any mage should be able to make use of it, so yes you should be able to control one.”

After seeing that Talen is secure, Lilia heads back outside. Laucian is working on getting the rest of the griffons on board. Lilia didn't think of that, so its good that he took the initiative. They couldn't leave behind such faithful creatures.

“You've done well,” Lilia tells Kylie. “How fast can the ship go? How long do you think it will take us to reach the Mother Tree? I had originally planned on landing the ship and moving it by the Elfin Palace, but we need to get Talen help as a soon as possible. Once the griffons are in place, let us set out.”

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Kylie sees Lilia appear on deck just as Laucian finishes up with the last of the griffins. Kylie waves to the queen from her position by the ship's wheel as she gets ready to raise the ship toward the sky.

“You've done well,” Lilia tells Kylie. “How fast can the ship go? How long do you think it will take us to reach the Mother Tree? I had originally planned on landing the ship and moving it by the Elfin Palace, but we need to get Talen help as a soon as possible. Once the griffons are in place, let us set out.”

"Thank you, Lilia," Kylie replies. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. The Spell Engine that I bonded to is a Mark 4; however, I can only bond with one of them and it takes about two-thirds of the Engine's power to provide lift and support. Since I couldn't bond with the other two Engines, I'm not entirely sure of their function, though they may be able to provide more speed if used by someone who can bond with them. Are you familiar with the purpose of having multiple Engines on one ship?"

Kylie considers their situation and potential routes home. "I agree that we should try to make best possible time getting back, for Talen's sake. I recommend flying high and taking a direct path toward the Mother Tree. On the trip out here on the barge near the end, we went way up into space and then shot forward at much greater speed. Do you think that is worth trying now? I'm a little concerned that we might overshoot and waste as much time as we save."

A sigh escapes Kylie's lips. "And then there's the issue of steering this ship. Without people manning the sails, my ability to steer the ship is severely limited; due to its size, it is less maneuverable than the barge. It might be worth seeing if Myev can instruct some of us in how to work the sails."

[Lilia]

Lilia:

Lilia spots Kyle up at the ships wheel and flies up there.

"Thank you, Lilia," Kylie replies. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. The Spell Engine that I bonded to is a Mark 4; however, I can only bond with one of them and it takes about two-thirds of the Engine's power to provide lift and support. Since I couldn't bond with the other two Engines, I'm not entirely sure of their function, though they may be able to provide more speed if used by someone who can bond with them. Are you familiar with the purpose of having multiple Engines on one ship?"

“Multiple Spell Engines?” Lilia repeats in amazement. “I was right, this ship is very powerful!”

“I did read about this in the instruction manual that we found with the other Spell Engine,” Lilia explains. “You can only bond with one Spell Engine at a time. Much like you can only use one of certain types of magic items at one time. I would wager that all three Spell Engines have the same abilities. What is done is that each engine has a different mage running it. Each mage uses one ability of that Spell Engine, they cannot overlap. Thus each Engine uses that ability at its maximum potential.

“For example, you are using Lift and Support now to keep the ship aloft. But you are not otherwise moving the ship. If I were to take control of one of the other Spell Engines, I could then use all of its potential on movement. We could go much faster that way! The the third Engine could be used to provide whatever other function it has.”

Kylie considers their situation and potential routes home. "I agree that we should try to make best possible time getting back, for Talen's sake. I recommend flying high and taking a direct path toward the Mother Tree. On the trip out here on the barge near the end, we went way up into space and then shot forward at much greater speed. Do you think that is worth trying now? I'm a little concerned that we might overshoot and waste as much time as we save."

“We are too close to home to be using the Up and Down Method,” Lilia agrees. “We might be able to just fly back to the Mother Tree faster directly I did mention that to Sherwood, as it would get him home faster than the week we spent flying to the Sylvan Realm on the barge. That method is for covering large distances quickly, not short hops.”

A sigh escapes Kylie's lips. "And then there's the issue of steering this ship. Without people manning the sails, my ability to steer the ship is severely limited; due to its size, it is less maneuverable than the barge. It might be worth seeing if Myev can instruct some of us in how to work the sails."

“You should be able steer the ship a little as it flies,” Lilia explains, “just not as effectively when using the sails. We may have to just rise up, turn to face the right direction and then fly that way. It's not as graceful and somewhat clumsy, but still doable.”

“Let's put this to the test, shall we?” Lilia suggests. “Show me to one of the other Spell Engines. I'll bond with it and add spells to it if necessary. You're going to have to keep the Life Support up, otherwise we will crash. Once ready, I'll fly the ship. We'll have to work together on this as I'll be controlling forward motion and you'll be controlling our height. This is going to take some getting used to, but it will get Talen the help he needs even faster.”

[Argent]

Argent:

Flying toward Lia, Talen and Lilia, Kylie sees Argent emerge just as she flies by. The look of amazement on Argent's face is endearing, and will be hard to forget. "Hi Argent!" Kylie calls out her greeting in passing.

Argent absentmindedly waves as Kylie passes by, her gaze not straying from the wonderment of the ship floating over her head.

“It works by way of the Spell Engine,” Lilia explains. “Kylie is currently controlling it and the ship moves at her direction. Any mage should be able to make use of it, so yes you should be able to control one.”

“Very good,” Argent nearly purrs in response.

As we reach the main deck, Argent sees multiple griffons already on board!

“Seriously?”, she wonders to herself. Griffons terrify the Invoker, so they are to be avoided.

Lilia tells me to go below deck to be safe. “Don't have to tell me twice!”

Argent follows the armored elf carrying Talen. She comes to a stop upon seeing the elegantly furnished dining area. She runs her hand along the mahogany table taking in its beauty. There are several large paintings hung in the room as well. Just what is here is worth a small fortune!

The Captain's Cabin is just as stately. While the others tend to Talen, Argent will look over the desk and see what is on it.

When she see's Myev she'll try to get her to reveal where my gear was put.

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“Multiple Spell Engines?” Lilia repeats in amazement. “I was right, this ship is very powerful!”

“I did read about this in the instruction manual that we found with the other Spell Engine,” Lilia explains. “You can only bond with one Spell Engine at a time. Much like you can only use one of certain types of magic items at one time. I would wager that all three Spell Engines have the same abilities. What is done is that each engine has a different mage running it. Each mage uses one ability of that Spell Engine, they cannot overlap. Thus each Engine uses that ability at its maximum potential.

“For example, you are using Lift and Support now to keep the ship aloft. But you are not otherwise moving the ship. If I were to take control of one of the other Spell Engines, I could then use all of its potential on movement. We could go much faster that way! The the third Engine could be used to provide whatever other function it has.”

Kylie smiles, pleased that her guesses were so close to the mark. "I had guessed that it might be something like that, though I had no idea that the Engines couldn't overlap abilities."

“We are too close to home to be using the Up and Down Method,” Lilia agrees. “We might be able to just fly back to the Mother Tree faster directly I did mention that to Sherwood, as it would get him home faster than the week we spent flying to the Sylvan Realm on the barge. That method is for covering large distances quickly, not short hops.”

"That's what I figured," Kylie says, nodding. "Good to hear that we agree on it."

“You should be able steer the ship a little as it flies,” Lilia explains, “just not as effectively when using the sails. We may have to just rise up, turn to face the right direction and then fly that way. It's not as graceful and somewhat clumsy, but still doable.”

“Let's put this to the test, shall we?” Lilia suggests. “Show me to one of the other Spell Engines. I'll bond with it and add spells to it if necessary. You're going to have to keep the Life Support up, otherwise we will crash. Once ready, I'll fly the ship. We'll have to work together on this as I'll be controlling forward motion and you'll be controlling our height. This is going to take some getting used to, but it will get Talen the help he needs even faster.”

"I tested the steering a bit on the way from the dock. I was able to affect the ship's course a little bit, but the best that would be possible would be very wide turns. Of course, at a fast enough speed, that wouldn't really be such a big problem," Kylie concludes.

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan. I've got about 10 hours or so of energy in my Engine, so keeping the ship aloft isn't a problem for the time being." Kylie leads Lilia downstairs to the other Engine on the same deck as hers. Since they don't really have to worry about being too high, she will keep the ship ascending the whole time. Lilia can take care of turning the ship and piloting them home. At least they will achieve much better speed this way.

Once Lilia bonds with the other Engine, Kylie will return to hers. She will cast the rest of her spells except Magic Missile, Dispel Magic, Lightning Bolt and Passwall into the Engine to give her a good buffer to work with.

[Laucian]

Before the Sunflower takes flight, Laucian prepares the griffons for traveling on the ship. He speaks to each of them, explaining what is to happen and to not be afraid. The task is a bit more complicated then first expected. After all there are numerous ropes and lines all over the upper deck of the ship. They connect the masts to the deck, there are rope ladders used to climb overhead and numerous guide lines. The largest open is to approach the ship from the rear and landing on the aft deck. From there, the griffons are moved to the fore deck as room will be needed for the other three griffons.

Once all three griffons are safely nested on the upper fore deck, Kylie has the Sunflower rise up higher. Once high enough, the ship starts to move forward at a velocity greater than once could travel on the griffons. However, the feeling of the wind in your face is not felt as the atmosphere generated around the ship essentially puts the vessel inside a bubble.

Laucian does his best to console the griffons into not panicking. This has to be difficult for the noble creatures and Laucian moves among them staying with them till the ship is moving again. Once the griffons are settled. Laucian sees Argent and Myev run off. Laucian understand their hesitation and want not to be food for the beasts.
As Laucian makes his way through the Ship, he comes across the woodwork in the captain’s room. “This is truly remarkable.” He says running his hands against the smooth wood. But his attention is drawn to that of Talen and Lia as she fusses over her brother.
“Any change?” he asks. As he notices Argent look over the desk. Afterward, Laucian will make his way to the general storage and take a inventory of food and water. He should be able to tell somethings about these traveling humans from that.

Once the ship is underway, Laucian will go to the prowl of the ship and keep an eye out.

[Lia]

Lia
Lia is thankful for the ride up to the ship, but declines the offer from Lilia. “I appreciate it, but the climbing will take my mind off things.” She says evenly. Taking the rope in hand she begins to climb up.

Lia feels the wood beneath her feet as she settles down upon the deck. She sees Laucian with the griffons settling them down. She spots Lilia and Kylie speaking of spell engines and she silently listens to just hoe powerful the ship is, not seeing Andlin or Talen, “Do you know where they brought Talen?” once getting the location of her brother, Lia makes her way to the cabin. Seeing him laying down Lia pulls the covers up about him and makes her brother comfortable. Once done, Lia walks about the ship seeing what is around her. She comes across the steel wall which peeks her interest.
She begins inspecting the wall looking for a way in.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

December 1st, CR 571 or Deepnight 23rd, 20,519 AP

The Heroes of the Mother Tree are reunited aboard the Sunflower. Andlin carries Talen to the Captains Cabin and places the unconscious half-elf in the bed. Argent and Laucian come along not long after followed by Lia.

Argent examines the desk in more detail. It's clear the scro ransacked the desk as the papers are cluttered and some are on the floor. Some of the desk drawers are partially open. The are some of what Argents guesses to be charts on the desk along with papers written in a language that she is unfamiliar with.

Laucian soon departs to bring the last three griffons on board. Thanks to this his earlier experience and that he does not have to move the griffons from the back of the ship to the front, this time the boarding is much easier.

Lia is directed to were Talen is located at. Upon seeing Lia, Andlin will move away to allow her to be alone with her brother. She makes him more comfortable before wandering off to explore the ship. Andlin remains on guard over Talen.


After speaking up on deck, Kylie leads Lilia deeper into the ship and towards the other Spell Engine close to the one the half-elf bonded with earlier. Lilia touches the second Spell Engine and bonds with it after a few moments. It is also a Mark 4 and has the same abilities as the one Kylie controls. The power level is low in the engine, so Lilia will need to use some spells to power it.

Kylie returns to hers and pours more spell energy into it. (Except for the Passwall spell, as its too powerful for the engine to digest.) With that task is finished, the two return to the upper deck once more.


Elsewhere on the ship, Laucian examines the ships galley. Once more the scro have been here and broken into the supplies, some of which are now on the floor. Shelves line the walls of the galley pantry and Laucian can see that there are spices, smoked meats, sausages, dried fruits, grains, and other food stuffs. A large barrel of water also sits in the pantry.


Argent spots Myev after awhile. The two 'converse' using their sign language. Myev then gestures for Argent to follow her. She goes back to the entrance to the officer's dining area and goes down the stairs to the level below. The area down here has six smaller, most likely, officer quarters. Myev leads Argent back around to a room that is behind the stairs. There, the scro points into the open room. The interior of the room is very feminine is its decor. Laying on the bed, Argent can see her bag of holding and her other items.


In the bowels of the Sunflower, Lia discovers the iron door. She finds the door to be locked and it eludes her attempts to pick the lock. She cannot find anyway to get past this barrier.


By now Kylie and Lilia are back on on deck and are ready to get under way. Laucian up here as well, stationing himself at the Sunflower's bow, the most front part of the the ship.

Ready to take flight?

Now what?

[Lilia]

Lilia:

Kylie smiles, pleased that her guesses were so close to the mark. "I had guessed that it might be something like that, though I had no idea that the Engines couldn't overlap abilities."

“As I understood it, imagine trying to control the ship with two people piloting it,” Lilia suggests. “Just trying to coordinate something like that would be difficult. Multiple Spell Engines also serve as redundancy. The lower mark ones are cheaper to make, so they cost less gold. They can do less, but then you can have more of them.”

“The main reasoning for having more that one was that if you were in battle and the mage controlling the Spell Engine was knocked out or killed, a second mage, already bonded to his own Spell Engine could take over with little effort. I for one would not want to try to bond to a Spell Engine while the ship is falling from the sky!”

"I tested the steering a bit on the way from the dock. I was able to affect the ship's course a little bit, but the best that would be possible would be very wide turns. Of course, at a fast enough speed, that wouldn't really be such a big problem," Kylie concludes.

“That was my understanding as well,” Lilia agrees. “Tight turns are impossible, but wide slow ones are doable. Fortunately, I do not expect to go into battle, so clumsy flying is okay with me.”

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan. I've got about 10 hours or so of energy in my Engine, so keeping the ship aloft isn't a problem for the time being." Kylie leads Lilia downstairs to the other Engine on the same deck as hers. Since they don't really have to worry about being too high, she will keep the ship ascending the whole time. Lilia can take care of turning the ship and piloting them home. At least they will achieve much better speed this way.

“Yes, all you have to do is make sure we are high enough to clear the mountains between here and the Mother Tree.”

After speaking up on deck, Kylie leads Lilia deeper into the ship and towards the other Spell Engine close to the one the half-elf bonded with earlier. Lilia touches the second Spell Engine and bonds with it after a few moments. It is also a Mark 4 and has the same abilities as the one Kylie controls. The power level is low in the engine, so Lilia will need to use some spells to power it.

“This Spell Engine does seem to be the same as yours,” Lilia reports. “It's low on power, so I will have the recharge it.”

Lilia casts 2 4th level spells and 2 3rd level spells to power up her Spell Engine. After that we make our way back up on deck.

By now Kylie and Lilia are back on on deck and are ready to get under way. Laucian up here as well, stationing himself at the Sunflower's bow, the most front part of the the ship.

Lilia moves to the front of the ship close to Laucian.

“This ship has multiple Spell Engines,” Lilia tells her clansman. “Kylie will continue to control the ships vertical position, while I will be moving it forward. By my estimation, we'll be able to fly three times faster than what you could to reach us. We'll be home this afternoon.”

“Can you pinpoint where Crimson Crest is at, Laucian? If this ship is as fast as I suspect, I plan to stop there first, pick up the rest of our kin and then return all of us to the Mother Tree. Once near the Mother Tree, you'll need to ride down and warn everyone so that they don't attack us.”

Lilia will then nod towards Kylie. “I am ready to begin.”

The Sunflower starts to move forward, slowly at first, but rapidly gaining speed. Lilia will make sure that we are not going to hit anything along the way as that would be a very bad thing.

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Kylie listens as Lilia explains about the Spell Engines. The creators were crafty and gave much thought to their creations. She hadn't considered the possibility of the pilot dying in battle while aloft, but it is good that they had.

“Yes, all you have to do is make sure we are high enough to clear the mountains between here and the Mother Tree.”

"We're already on our way up," Kylie says to the queen. "By time we get back up on deck, I suspect we'll be easily high enough to get underway."

“This Spell Engine does seem to be the same as yours,” Lilia reports. “It's low on power, so I will have the recharge it.”

They go below, and Lilia bonds with the second Spell Engine. "Then the third one, which is down on the next deck along that side," she says, pointing, "is likely the same as well."


Back up on deck, Lilia goes to explain the situation to Laucian. After a few moments, she turns back to Kylie.

Lilia will then nod towards Kylie. “I am ready to begin.”

"Ok, I'm ready," Kylie replies. We're high enough to begin. We'll need a bit more altitude to clear the highest peaks, but we have plenty of time before then."

The ship gains speed rapidly as Lilia follows Laucian's directions toward the rest of the expedition team. Kylie does her best to gauge the correct height to bring them in over their first destination, then settle for boarding.

As they proceed, Kylie moves over nearer to the queen. "I thought you would want to know that there is a metal door on one of the lower decks. The scro were unable to bypass it, and it radiates magic; probably Wizard Locked or something similar. Eventually, we'll want to know what is on the other side of that door. I retained a Dispel Magic for that purpose, but don't have a Knock available right now."

[Argent]

Argent:

Argent examines the desk in more detail. It's clear the scro ransacked the desk as the papers are cluttered and some are on the floor. Some of the desk drawers are partially open. The are some of what Argents guesses to be charts on the desk along with papers written in a language that she is unfamiliar with.

“Nothing very helpful here,” Argent muses. “Those might be navigation charts, but that not anything I'm familiar with. And the rest of these pages are just gibberish. I had earrings that would translate what I hear so that I could understand it. If only I had something that would translate written words into common.”

Argent spots Myev after awhile. The two 'converse' using their sign language. Myev then gestures for Argent to follow her. She goes back to the entrance to the officer's dining area and goes down the stairs to the level below. The area down here has six smaller, most likely, officer quarters. Myev leads Argent back around to a room that is behind the stairs. There, the scro points into the open room. The interior of the room is very feminine is its decor. Laying on the bed, Argent can see her bag of holding and her other items.

Spotting Myev, Argent gets her attention and tries to indicate that she wants to know where her gear is at. It takes a while, but Myev then turns and starts to lead the way deeper into the ship. A much smaller quarters is found and sitting on a bed inside it is my stuff!

Argent squeals in excitement, gives Myev a hug, and then dashes inside to her stuff. Her missing gear is put back on and the Invoker starts to feel better. She changes into one of her spare dresses, as the one Lia provided was a little tight around the girls.

Once that task is finished, Argent will take a look around the room. If there is a window, she'll try to keep watch what is going on outside this flying ship.

[Lia]

Lia
Lia hears argent speak of her earrings that translate things to common. Lia’s brow furls as she quickly recalls something that Laucian had said to Lilia. “Keep them for when we return to the mother tree. There is an elf there that may be able to read them!”
Lia comes across the metal door that is locked, many weapons lay about the base. For several long moments she over sees the seen then a thought comes to her. “What if the scro were trying to free whomever was inside.” Lia thinks for a moment as she begins to see if it is sealed which it is. Takiing several steps back she sees the metal is very much out of place. Perhaps magic of some type. She draws her sword with a hiss and then attempt to cast Dispel magic on the steel door.

[Laucian]

Laucian

“Can you pinpoint where Crimson Crest is at, Laucian? If this ship is as fast as I suspect, I plan to stop there first, pick up the rest of our kin and then return all of us to the Mother Tree. Once near the Mother Tree, you'll need to ride down and warn everyone so that they don't attack us.”

"Perhaps,"Laucian says looking to the horizon. basing on the way they traveled he has a rough idea where it is, but he cannot be sure. It does seem fast, how fast I cannot say."Laucian looks to the horizon and tries to get an idea as to where they came from and where Crimson Crest is.
"Perhaps there is a different way we can announce our presence."he says evenly to his queen. "If Kylie slows the the ship so that the griffons can keep pace, We could escort the ship like an armed guard, while showing our people that it is indeed safe."

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

December 1st, CR 571 or Deepnight 23rd, 20,519 AP

Talen and all the griffons are safely on board the Sunflower. Lilia bonds with a second Spell Engine and will move the ship forward while Kylie controls the ship's height. Once safely high enough in the air, Lilia starts to move the ship forward. Slowly at first, but then faster until she reaches the Spell Engine's maximum speed. Kylie continues to lift the ship higher to clear the distant mountains.

The Sunflower surges ahead at a rapid clip. Lilia slowly nudges the ship towards the direction of the mountain outpost the group found a few days ago, the Crimson Crest. By now the ship has risen above the plateau where the Tall Tower is situated. A few regular orcs are seen down on the ground far below. They run for cover upon seeing the Sunflower soar overhead. By your estimation, the ship is flying about four times faster than the griffons can!


Below deck, Argent has been shown by Myev where her gear was stored. Argent quickly puts on her magic items and jewelry, including her Earrings of Comprehend Languages. With that task complete, Argent takes in her surroundings. The quarters is roughly a ten foot square room. Right beside the entry door there is a perch, suggesting that the former occupant had some kind of bird for a pet. The bed has fancy covers on it and the pillow cases have lace trim and the bed is concealed behind a privacy screen. There is a desk seemingly covered with numerous books on it. There is a chest of drawers and a chest in the small room.


On the lowest deck, Lia casts her innate Dispel Magic on the door attempting to open it. The spell is cast and Lia tries to open the door. It easily pulls open! Inside a small 10' long by 12' wide chamber. A desk dominates the center of the room. Papers clutter the desk. Two large chests are against the back wall. There are two doors out of this room as well. The first is on the left hand wall while the other is on the back wall in-between the two chests.


Back up on deck the mountain is getting closer and Laucian can now see the Crimson Crest. Lilia slowly turns the Sunflower in the proper direction to reach it. As the Sunflower gets closer, Lilia starts to slow the ship. The red glow of Crimson Crest can be seen against the darkening sky. Four rocs are huddled around the building for warmth.

Elves are starting to gather on the landing area outside the Crimson Crest. The ship was spotted by the watch earlier and they came out to see what was going on. Valena is spotted and waves towards you.

The Sunflower slows to a stop about two hundred feet above Crimson Crest. Close enough so that you can yell down to the elves below, but not too close to startle the rocs. The whole trip took a mere ninety minutes!


Now what?

[Lilia]

Lilia:

“We're already on our way up," Kylie says to the queen. "By time we get back up on deck, I suspect we'll be easily high enough to get underway."

“Very good,” Lilia answers in a pleased tone.

They go below, and Lilia bonds with the second Spell Engine. "Then the third one, which is down on the next deck along that side," she says, pointing, "is likely the same as well."

“That would be my guess as well,” Lilia agrees. “They spread the engines out incase the ship takes damage and portions were lost.”

"Perhaps,"Laucian says looking to the horizon. basing on the way they traveled he has a rough idea where it is, but he cannot be sure. It does seem fast, how fast I cannot say." Laucian looks to the horizon and tries to get an idea as to where they came from and where Crimson Crest is.

“The general area is fine for now,” Lilia notes. “Once we get close and as it gets darker the outpost will stand out.”

"Okay, I'm ready," Kylie replies. We're high enough to begin. We'll need a bit more altitude to clear the highest peaks, but we have plenty of time before then."

“By my estimate,” Lilia says, “we'll be traveling about three times faster than you could to reach us. Clearly much faster than the griffons. We'll reach those mountains pretty fast.”

"Perhaps there is a different way we can announce our presence."he says evenly to his queen. "If Kylie slows the the ship so that the griffons can keep pace, We could escort the ship like an armed guard, while showing our people that it is indeed safe."

“The way we are doing this is a bit more complicated then how we used the barge,” Lilia tells her clansman. “I'll be moving us forward, while Kylie handles the up and down part. Most likely is that I will move us over the Mother Tree, but we'll be high above her. From there a griffon can be rode down while Kylie slowly lowers the ship. It'll probably be dark when we get home, so they may not even notice us high in the sky.”

As they proceed, Kylie moves over nearer to the queen. "I thought you would want to know that there is a metal door on one of the lower decks. The scro were unable to bypass it, and it radiates magic; probably Wizard Locked or something similar. Eventually, we'll want to know what is on the other side of that door. I retained a Dispel Magic for that purpose, but don't have a Knock available right now."

“Wizard Lock is the logical guess,” Lilia agrees. “Since the scro couldn't open it, it was probably put in place by the humans who used to own this vessel. It could be treasure or more valuable cargo in there. We can deal with it later.”

Lilia enjoys the short flight to Crimson Crest. This is far more comfortable then flying on the barge was! The Elf Maiden could get used to this!

Back up on deck the mountain is getting closer and Laucian can now see the Crimson Crest. Lilia slowly turns the Sunflower in the proper direction to reach it. As the Sunflower gets closer, Lilia starts to slow the ship. The red glow of Crimson Crest can be seen against the darkening sky. Four rocs are huddled around the building for warmth.

Elves are starting to gather on the landing area outside the Crimson Crest. The ship was spotted by the watch earlier and they came out to see what was going on. Valena is spotted and waves towards you.

The Sunflower slows to a stop about two hundred feet above Crimson Crest. Close enough so that you can yell down to the elves below, but not too close to startle the rocs. The whole trip took a mere ninety minutes!

Crimson Crest is spotted and Lilia moves the ship towards it. She slows the Sunflower as they get closer, but makes sure the ship is higher to avoid frightening the rocs. Looking down other elves are spotted, including Valena.

“Kylie, would you mind going down there and let our kin know that we'll be giving them a lift back to the Mother Tree,” Lilia asks. “Tell Valena to tell the rocs thank you for your service, but they can go home. Once down there and the rocs are away, lower the Sunflower so that we can bring everyone else on board. Then we'll head for the Mother Tree and get Talen the help he needs. Make sure to retrieve that comatose elf down there!”

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“That would be my guess as well,” Lilia agrees. “They spread the engines out in case the ship takes damage and portions were lost.”

"Ah, that makes a lot of sense. The creators of these ships seem to have thought of everything," Kylie responds with a sense of awe.

“By my estimate,” Lilia says, “we'll be traveling about three times faster than you could to reach us. Clearly much faster than the griffons. We'll reach those mountains pretty fast.”

"Wow," Kylie's mind has trouble grasping the idea of that kind of speed without going out into the atmosphere. "Okay, I'll be as ready as I can be."

“Wizard Lock is the logical guess,” Lilia agrees. “Since the scro couldn't open it, it was probably put in place by the humans who used to own this vessel. It could be treasure or more valuable cargo in there. We can deal with it later.”

"Oh! I thought this was an elven ship," Kyllie says, sounding confused. "I guess I'm having trouble keeping everything straight. I agree that the treasure can wait until we get back to the Mother Tree."

The trip back to Crimson Crest goes quickly, and Kylie over-estimates the altitude needed to clear the mountains. Better too high than too low, so they arrive safely. As they approach, the red glow of Crimson Crest serves as a guidepost for their approach, and Lilia adjusts their course to bring them in as close as their limited maneuverability allows. Though well above their destination, they can see their friends below, and Kylie waves at Valena and the others.

“Kylie, would you mind going down there and let our kin know that we'll be giving them a lift back to the Mother Tree,” Lilia asks. “Tell Valena to tell the rocs thank you for your service, but they can go home. Once down there and the rocs are away, lower the Sunflower so that we can bring everyone else on board. Then we'll head for the Mother Tree and get Talen the help he needs. Make sure to retrieve that comatose elf down there!”

"Okay, Lilia," Kylie says with a nod to the elven queen. She runs over and leaps off the gunwale, a small thrill running through her at the freedom and exhilaration of free-fall, before kicking in her flight ability.

Descending quickly, Kylie flies toward her elven companion. "Hi Valena," she says. "Lilia said to ask you to send the rocs to their homes, since we'll be taking the Sunflower back to the Mother Tree." Kylie gestures toward the ship. "Once they are out of the way, we'll lower the ship so you all can climb aboard. If you can point me to the elf we found earlier, I'll fly him up to the ship."
____________________________________________________________
Clearly, Kylie doesn't have my fear of heights! Then again, I cannot fly...

[Argent]

Argent:

Lia hears argent speak of her earrings that translate things to common. Lia’s brow furls as she quickly recalls something that Laucian had said to Lilia. “Keep them for when we return to the mother tree. There is an elf there that may be able to read them!”

“I had no intention of throwing them away,” Argent easily answers. “They might be useful to someone who can read navigational charts.”

Below deck, Argent has been shown by Myev where her gear was stored. Argent quickly puts on her magic items and jewelry, including her Earrings of Comprehend Languages. With that task complete, Argent takes in her surroundings. The quarters is roughly a ten foot square room. Right beside the entry door there is a perch, suggesting that the former occupant had some kind of bird for a pet. The bed has fancy covers on it and the pillow cases have lace trim and the bed is concealed behind a privacy screen. There is a desk seemingly covered with numerous books on it. There is a chest of drawers and a chest in the small room.

“Come to mama!” Argent tells her meager collection of items.

Her Earrings of Comprehending Languages are put on so that she can understand others speaking. Her other magic items, the bracers, the ring, her dagger and her everyday jewelry is put on. The magical quarterstaff is set aside for the moment. She checks to make sure the contents of her Bag of Holding are still there. They are emptied out on to the bed and once she is sure everything is accounted for, Argent puts them back. While her spare clothes are out of the the Bag of Holding, Argent will change into one of her other dresses. While she works, Argent tries to tell Myev that she can now understand her.

Argent takes a quick look around. It seems that this room used to be belong to a woman based on its decorations. Most likely a scholar, perhaps even a mage. That bird perch could have been for a pet or a familiar. She'll glance at the book, but assumes that they are also in a different language just like the papers on the captains desk.

“This will do a for a private quarters,” Argent states. Looking outside the window, Argent can see the ship is high above the ground and moving pretty fast. “This is a nice way to travel. Beats riding in the back of wagons.”

Turning to Myev, Argent tries to make her realize that I can understand her speaking. Using their gestures, Argent tries to tell Myev that she is hungry.

“There must be a galley around her somewhere,” Argent reasons. “I could use a snack.”

If Myev knows the way, Argent will let her lead, otherwise I'll just wander around the lower decks until I find something.

[Lia]

Lia
On the lowest deck, Lia casts her innate Dispel Magic on the door attempting to open it. The spell is cast and Lia tries to open the door. It easily pulls open! Inside a small 10' long by 12' wide chamber. A desk dominates the center of the room. Papers clutter the desk. Two large chests are against the back wall. There are two doors out of this room as well. The first is on the left hand wall while the other is on the back wall in-between the two chests.

Lia moves to the door silently and gives it a tug. The door pulls open easy enough 10 by 12 chamber with a large desk comes into view. Many papers are seen and Lia pauses a moment to look about them though not touching them. She sees the chests and then the two doors.
Lia will look at the doors first and try to discern if they are trapped or not then move to the chest and do the same. While Lia realizes her brother is still unconscious there is not much she can do for her and dwelling over him is not the best for her. Much better to keep her mind off her brother.

[Laucian]

Laucian

“The general area is fine for now,” Lilia notes. “Once we get close and as it gets darker the outpost will stand out.”

“Let us hope our kin are still there.” Laucian says back to Lilia. “Curious, what will you tell the council of Chandra?” he asks knowing it is above his station. “Surely they should know of the Hive and the threat it still holds if there are more of them.”

“By my estimate,” Lilia says, “we'll be traveling about three times faster than you could to reach us. Clearly much faster than the griffons. We'll reach those mountains pretty fast.”

“The way we are doing this is a bit more complicated then how we used the barge,” Lilia tells her clansman. “I'll be moving us forward, while Kylie handles the up and down part. Most likely is that I will move us over the Mother Tree, but we'll be high above her. From there a griffon can be rode down while Kylie slowly lowers the ship. It'll probably be dark when we get home, so they may not even notice us high in the sky.”
“Then we will indeed have to be careful. When the time comes I’ll fly down with Aura. Perhaps light some torches in the landing area if they are not already lit sbring tho it can give you a easier landing.

“Kylie, would you mind going down there and let our kin know that we'll be giving them a lift back to the Mother Tree,” Lilia asks. “Tell Valena to tell the rocs thank you for your service, but they can go home. Once down there and the rocs are away, lower the Sunflower so that we can bring everyone else on board. Then we'll head for the Mother Tree and get Talen the help he needs. Make sure to retrieve that comatose elf down there!”

“Have them bring the journals as well, so that the others can read of our history and what the griffon riders had encountered in their past.”

"Okay, Lilia," Kylie says with a nod to the elven queen. She runs over and leaps off the gunwale, a small thrill running through her at the freedom and exhilaration of free-fall, before kicking in her flight ability.

Shaking his head, Laucian looks to Lilia, “Perhaps one of our kin knows how to sail ships?
Upon seeing Valena, “I trust you and the others are well? We are well minus one. Talen had an accident. He went out alone and was taught by an elder, He is below deck with Lia and Andlin.”
As the others come up Laucian will ask them if anyone knows how to sail. If one does, Laucian will ask him to show him the ropes.

[Valena Feador]

Valena:

The trip back to the mountain top outpost was uneventful. The mood of the elves was a somber one. Once at the outpost, camp was set up for the evening. The Mother Tree was too far away to reach before loosing the light. Plus we had to stop here and retrieve the elf that had been left behind.

A watch was kept just in case. Before dusk a flying ship was spotted coming this way! Valena goes out to see what is going on. Upon seeing the ship, she tells the other to relax. The Queen has succeed in her mission to retrieve the scro ship.

Traveling far faster then it would be possible on griffon or on roc, the ship is soon overhead and Kylie comes flying down.

Descending quickly, Kylie flies toward her elven companion. "Hi Valena," she says.

Valena waves back to Kylie. “Fancy meeting you here,” Valena wryly notes.

"Lilia said to ask you to send the rocs to their homes, since we'll be taking the Sunflower back to the Mother Tree." Kylie gestures toward the ship. "Once they are out of the way, we'll lower the ship so you all can climb aboard. If you can point me to the elf we found earlier, I'll fly him up to the ship."

“Understood,” Valena answers. She passes the command along to the other elves to get ready to move to the ship. She then steps up the rocs, petting each one as she passes. “Thank you so much for all that you have done. This ship will take us the rest of the way home. Go now, return to your nests and know that you have our gratitude.”

Valena remains down on the ground to oversee the transfer of the elves from the outpost to the ship. Once she is certain that she is the last, the Silver Maiden will climb the rope up to the ship. Her fellow follower of Ehlonna is there and they grasp hands.

Upon seeing Valena, “I trust you and the others are well? We are well minus one. Talen had an accident. He went out alone and was taught by an elder, He is below deck with Lia and Andlin.”

“Taught?” Valena repeats in confusion. “Taught what? What do you mean?”

As the others come up Laucian will ask them if anyone knows how to sail. If one does, Laucian will ask him to show him the ropes.

“I don't, but I do not speak for all of us.”

Valena will make her way to the bow of the ship in preparation for the trip to come. She'll pause to check up on the griffons and see if they are okay.

[Lilia]

Lilia:

"Ah, that makes a lot of sense. The creators of these ships seem to have thought of everything," Kylie responds with a sense of awe.

“I am sure that they learned these lessons the hard way,” Lilia surmises. “That is often how we learn such things.”

"Oh! I thought this was an elven ship," Kylie says, sounding confused. "I guess I'm having trouble keeping everything straight. I agree that the treasure can wait until we get back to the Mother Tree."

“Mvey's story was a bit convoluted,” Lilia agrees. “Basically the scro attacked an elf ship on their world. They used that ship to fly to a distant port. There, they damaged the elf ship beyond repair. They then stole the Sunflower and using it fled to here. It's probably a miracle that they made it here at all.”

“Let us hope our kin are still there.” Laucian says back to Lilia.

“They should be,” Lilia states. “It took us a complete day to fly from the Mother Tree to Crimson Crest and then half a day to reach the Elder City. They'll stop at a known safe place for the rest of today and then finish the trip tomorrow. But we now have a way to get them home faster, so it makes sense to use it.”

“Curious, what will you tell the council of Chandra?” he asks knowing it is above his station. “Surely they should know of the Hive and the threat it still holds if there are more of them.”

“The truth,” Lilia simply states. “Yes, they must know of the dangers that we all face. Just how we can deal with this threat currently eludes me.”

“Then we will indeed have to be careful. When the time comes I’ll fly down with Aura. Perhaps light some torches in the landing area if they are not already lit so that it can give you a easier landing.”

“Speaking of lights,” Lilia says. “Given that this was a human vessel they must have light sources on it as well. Lighting those up would help too.”

"Okay, Lilia," Kylie says with a nod to the elven queen. She runs over and leaps off the gunwale, a small thrill running through her at the freedom and exhilaration of free-fall, before kicking in her flight ability.

“That is one handy ability she took,” Lilia notes in regards to Kylie's gift from the elfin gods. “Very useful.”

Shaking his head, Laucian looks to Lilia, “Perhaps one of our kin knows how to sail ships?

“Its possible,” Lilia agrees. We'll have to find out. Once our trip is complete and everyone is back home, we'll then move the ship to the river by the Elfin Palace and dock her there.”

“Have them bring the journals as well, so that the others can read of our history and what the griffon riders had encountered in their past.”

“That's a good idea,” Lilia adds. “We'll need to do that for all the outposts that ring the mountains around the Sylvan Realm.”

Once the ship is low enough for the elves to board, Lilia go to greet them.

“Thank you,” Lilia will tell Valena for her service. “This ship can fly very fast. We should be back at the Mother Tree in less than three hours. Then we can get Talen the help that he needs.”

Once everyone is on board and Kylie has the ship high enough once more, Lilia will move the ship forward once more in the general direction of the Mother Tree. Her plan is to reach high above the Mother Tree and then have elves go down below on the griffons to announce our arrival. Once that is done, Kylie will lower the ship so that we can disembark directly to the Mother Tree.

[Laucian]

Laucian

“Taught?” Valena repeats in confusion. “Taught what? What do you mean?”

‘Ït is not as you think” He says t to his fellow follower of the forests, “Upon finding Talen, a great stone snake had him in his grasp by the head. It let him go and disappeared. Lia tried to revive him in many different ways but to no avail.” He says somberly, “He has unconscious for a few hours now.”

“Speaking of lights,” Lilia says. “Given that this was a human vessel they must have light sources on it as well. Lighting those up would help too.”

“Perhaps they are with the other spell engine? I can check the stores. Perhaps there are lanterns about.” Excusing himself he will look for light sources that they can use to illuminate the ship.

[Kylie]

Kylie:

“I am sure that they learned these lessons the hard way,” Lilia surmises. “That is often how we learn such things.”

Kylie cracks a sardonic smile. "Seems to be the way I usually learn things..."

“Mvey's story was a bit convoluted,” Lilia agrees. “Basically the scro attacked an elf ship on their world. They used that ship to fly to a distant port. There, they damaged the elf ship beyond repair. They then stole the Sunflower and using it fled to here. It's probably a miracle that they made it here at all.”

"Ah, that's right," Kylie says. Apparently she had missed a few of the details in trying to follow Myev's dialect of elven.

“Have them bring the journals as well, so that the others can read of our history and what the griffon riders had encountered in their past.”

"Will do, Laucian" Kylie calls back over her shoulder as she leaps off the gunwale.

Valena waves back to Kylie. “Fancy meeting you here,” Valena wryly notes.

"Yeah, funny that," Kylie replies with a wink and a grin.

“Understood,” Valena answers. She passes the command along to the other elves to get ready to move to the ship.

Once Valena starts getting the elves organized, Kylie will ask a couple of the elves to find and bring out the incoherent elf that they found previously.

She then steps up the rocs, petting each one as she passes. “Thank you so much for all that you have done. This ship will take us the rest of the way home. Go now, return to your nests and know that you have our gratitude.”

Once Valena is done with the rocs, Kylie approaches her again. "Oh, and Laucian requested that we bring the journals that we found inside the cave. Can you have some of the other elves collect them up?"

Seeing that the last of the rocs have departed, Kylie starts lowering the ship. Once again, she will lower it until the bottom of the keel is about her own height off the ground.

It takes a while to get everyone loaded, and Kylie flies up to the ship carrying the incoherent elf with her. Fortunately, Lilia's Strength spell is still active, though the task is still not an easy one. Once everyone is on board and ready to go, Kylie commands the ship to rise to a height above the surrounding mountains. Fortunately, Lilia and Laucian are in charge of navigating the way home.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

December 1st, CR 571 or Deepnight 23rd, 20,519 AP

On the way to Crimson Crest:

While the Sunflower is flying towards Crimson Crest, things are taking place below decks. Lia has Dispelled the Wizard Lock on the metal door and found what looks like an office behind it. A large desk fills the center of the room. There are two large chests against the back wall between a door. Another door is on the left hand wall. Lia looks around but doesn't notice any traps on the chests or the drawers.


Elsewhere, Argent has found her gear. With her magical earrings on, Argent can understand Myev now. Argent indicates that she is hungry.

“There is food this way,” Myev will say. “Follow me.”

Myev goes to the door just outside of the room where Argent's gear was and opens it. Inside the cargo storage area in the middle of this deck. The pair weave their way trough what remains of the cargo.

A door along the far wall of the cargo hold opens up into the galley itself. A door in the back of the galley leads into a large pantry that Laucian explored earlier.

Argent notes that these room have wall mounted lights similar to the ones that Jallarzi has on her estate. Turning the knob turns the light on, provided illumination in the darkening room.


Upon on the main deck, the subject of lights comes up as well. More lanterns are noted all around the main deck. Kylie also recognizes them from her days at the Sallavarian Estate. Such lamps use a variation of the Continual Light spell to provide illumination. The Sunflower seems to be covered by these lanterns to brighten things up during the night.


Crimson Crest:

The mountain top outpost is quickly reached. Kylie goes down to let Valena and the other elves know about the change in plans. In turn, Valena lets the rocs know that they can return to their nests as the elves now have a way to get home. Once the rocs are gone, Kylie lowers the Sunflower until it is closer to the landing pad at Crimson Crest.

The elves quickly climb on board using the guide lines. It does take some time to move the bodies of the fallen elves up to the ship. As well as the tomes holding the written records of what transpired here at the Crimson Crest. The elf that was left behind is no help either and it takes time to get him on board. Valena is the last to climb up once everyone else is on board.

Kylie rises the Sunflower up once more into the sky. The lit lanterns make it stand out from the darkness of the night sky. Laucian recalls that when you flew from the Mother Tree to this place, you traveled in a general north by northeast direction. Therefore if the Sunflower is pointed in a south by southwest direction it should put you in the general area of the Mother Tree. Lilia moves the ship ahead and slowly turns in the direction Laucian indicated. The ship accelerates once more and the Sunflower makes excellent progress.

About an hour later, faint lights are spotted up ahead. As the Sunflower gets closer, you realize that the upper portion of the Mother Tree has been lit up! It's now easy to see the structures of the Golden Peak area and where a good place to dock is at. The somber mood of the elves starts to brighten up as they can see that home is near. The sight of the Mother Tree Illuminated at night is breath taking.

About two hours later, the Sunflower has reached the Mother Tree and Lilia has positioned it high over one of the outer landing pads. As Kylie lowers the ship, Lilia will have to make minor adjustments to the ship's position. From the looks of it, the Sunflower will be able to hover near the Mother Tree and just extend its gangplank to reach the landing pad.

As the Sunflower starts to descend, you note other elves riding griffons flying around the Sunflower. Arlen Brightsword is one of those riding griffons and he waves to Laucian upon seeing him.

“Now that is what I call an entrance!” Brightsword calls out with a laugh. “Welcome home!”

A few moments after that, multiple elves fly in and land on the deck of the Sunflower having used Fly Spells. They are Rhymer, an elfin mage and a tiny elf lady with bright red hair who goes by the name of Gweyr Autumnfire. Additionally, the councilmen Stobon and Triestar Silvarost also land under their own magical power.

Landing between them and easily carrying a passenger is Kylie's mom, Allurien Feador. Allurien is dressed for battle and has a pair of shortswords sheathed on her hips. The elf that she is carrying is one that you are familiar with: Sheeryl Soulsearcher. Sheeryl was the one who did the divinations that warned you of danger from the depths of the earth the morning you left the Mother Tree.

“The seeress had foreseen your return this night,” Allurien explains as she sets Sheeryl down. “She also foresaw your need for clerical help.”

“Where is my patient,” Sheeryl inquires.

Not too far away the elf that had been originally left behind at Crimson Crest starts to come around. He's understandably confused and very hungry and thirsty.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

You are back at the Mother Tree. I moved things along to get to this point. Some of the elves mentioned are familiar to the group, some are not. Only Laucian met Arlen and Gweyr before. The others have all been seen and mentioned before.

Unfortunately, Lia does not have the thieves Find/Remove Traps ability, so she has no skill in locating traps. So no idea if the chests and doors are trapped or not.

You're back home!

Now what?

[Laucian]

Laucian

About an hour later, faint lights are spotted up ahead. As the Sunflower gets closer, you realize that the upper portion of the Mother Tree has been lit up! It's now easy to see the structures of the Golden Peak area and where a good place to dock is at. The somber mood of the elves starts to brighten up as they can see that home is near. The sight of the Mother Tree Illuminated at night is breath taking.

Laucian is leaning up against Aura trying to close his eyes for a moment feeling the soft rise and fall of his mounts breath when a call of lights his heard. Rising to his feet Laucian sees the distant light and slowly goes to his bow then stops. He slowly walks to the deck edge and leans on the rail as he takes in the sight lit up the Mother tree stands against the night. He says a silent prayer to Ehlonna as he takes in it’s majesty.

As the Sunflower starts to descend, you note other elves riding griffons flying around the Sunflower. Arlen Brightsword is one of those riding griffons and he waves to Laucian upon seeing him.

“Now that is what I call an entrance!” Brightsword calls out with a laugh. “Welcome home!”

Waving back to his fellow rider, “And we were trying to be subtle!” he calls back with an infectious grin. “It is good to be home! I trust we did not miss much?”

A few moments after that, multiple elves fly in and land on the deck of the Sunflower having used Fly Spells. They are Rhymer, an elfin mage and a tiny elf lady with bright red hair who goes by the name of Gweyr Autumnfire. Additionally, the councilmen Stobon and Triestar Silvarost also land under their own magical power.

Elves begin to drop upon the deck from multiple spells. Laucian greets Rhymer and then to Gweyr. Having only met Gweyr the one time at the fort, Laucian smiles, “It is good to see you again.“ How did you know we were coming?” but the answer comes soon enough as Kylie’s mother speaks of the seerers. And a cleric comes to help Talen!

[Lilia]

Lilia:

As darkness starts to set in, the subject of lights on the ship come up. That's when numerous lanterns are spotted. They seem to work the same as the ones from the Sallavarian Estate. The light up when the knob is turned and turn off when it is turned again. The lanterns are all lit on the upper deck.

Crimson Crest is quickly reached and Kylie flies down to alert our kin on what to do. The rocs are sent on their way and then the Sunflower lowered so that the elves can climb on board. The process takes time, as the bodies of the dead need to be brought on board as well as the withdrawn elf that Chandra left behind. The logs of the Crimson Crest are taken with us as well.

Once everyone is on board, Kylie raises the ship up once more. At Laucian's suggested, Lilia nudges the Sunflower to a more south by southwest direction. Once high enough, the ship accelerates forward once more to the amazement of the elves just picked up. None of witnessed anything like this before.

Sometime later faint lights are seen up ahead. However these light seem to be very high in the sky. As the Sunflower gets closer, it is realized that the Golden Peak, the stable and headquarters for the Griffon Riders of the Sylvan Realm has been lit up with numerous candles. The sight is a wondrous one.

“My friends,” Lilia will say aloud. “We are almost home. Do not forget that this is what we fight for. This is what we protect.”

More time passes and the Sunflower is now high over the Mother Tree. No doubt that they have seen us, as with the lanterns lit, the Sunflower also stands out in the darkness.

“Over there,” Lilia says pointing to one of the griffon landing pads. “That looks like an ideal spot to dock. We'll lower the Sunflower down and then just extend the gangplank to reach the landing area.”

While the Sunflower is slowly being lowered, and Lilia makes minute adjustments as it descends, the other elves make themselves known. Griffon riders circle the Sunflower and one of them calls out to Laucian, suggesting that they know each other. Lilia will simply wave back to them, a bright smile on her face.

Not long after that, a group of elfin mages lands on the main deck, obviously using magic to reach the hovering Sunflower. The mage known as Rhymer is there, along with a lady mage with flaming red hair that is unfamiliar to Lilia. They are followed by Councilmen Stobon and Triestar Silvarost, the later being the representative for Clan Grunalf.

“Welcome,” Lilia says in greeting as she steps towards them.

Before more can be said, Kylie's mother, Allurien, the Clan Councilman for Clan Feador also touches down with a passenger. That passenger is the Priestess Sheeryl Soulsearcher, follower of Sehanine Moonbow. Allurien quickly explains why they are here.

“The seeress had foreseen your return this night,” Allurien explains as she sets Sheeryl down. “She also foresaw your need for clerical help.”

“She is correct on both counts,” Lilia states. “Something happened to Talen and he's been unconscious for hours now.”

“Where is my patient,” Sheeryl inquires.

“He's down below deck,” Lilia answers as she points to the door leading to the Captain's Cabin. “Go the left behind that door and you'll come to him. Andlin is on guard.”

Not too far away the elf that had been originally left behind at Crimson Crest starts to come around. He's understandably confused and very hungry and thirsty.

Right after that, the elf that Chandra left behind starts to come around. Seeing this Lilia, rushes to his side offering food and water.

“How do you feel?” Lilia gently asks. “Do you know what happened to you?”

[Argent]

Argent:

Elsewhere, Argent has found her gear. With her magical earrings on, Argent can understand Myev now. Argent indicates that she is hungry.

“There is food this way,” Myev will say. “Follow me.”

“Lead on,” Argent says with a gesture.

Myev goes to the door just outside of the room where Argent's gear was and opens it. Inside the cargo storage area in the middle of this deck. The pair weave their way trough what remains of the cargo.

A door along the far wall of the cargo hold opens up into the galley itself. A door in the back of the galley leads into a large pantry that Laucian explored earlier.

“This is a quaint little kitchen,” Argent says taking in the room. “I'm sure I can whip something up to eat.”

Argent notes that these room have wall mounted lights similar to the ones that Jallarzi has on her estate. Turning the knob turns the light on, provided illumination in the darkening room.

“That's convenient,” Argent notes as the light brightens the room.

The pantry is directly off the kitchen and holds many ingredients. Floor for bread is found and brought into the kitchen. There is some salted meats and fruits and vegetables. Argent makes several trips back and forth between the kitchen and the pantry carrying supplies.

Using a cantrip, Argents lights the fires underneath the stove and the lower oven after adding more wood for fuel. The Invoker makes quick work of the vegetables peeling them and then cutting into smaller portions. These along with chunks of the salted meat are added to a thicken broth to make a stew.

While that cooks, Argent uses more floor to make some fresh bread. Once the dough is ready it goes into the oven. It'll take several hours, but eventually there will be stew with fresh bread for dinner. In time the hearty smell of the cooking food fills the galley and that just makes Argent all the more hungry.

All the while the world passes quickly outside the window. For a time we are hovering over something on a mountain top, but Argent can't see all that much. It's nearly dark out by the time we're on the move again.

A few hours later, we're over something lit up with many candles. It's hard to see just what through the small galley window. From the sound of it more passengers were added as the deck creaks loudly. Elves most likely, so Argent is content to just wait for dinner to finish here in the galley and stay out of everyone's way. And be far away from those horrid birds!

[Valena Feador]

Valena:

Once Valena is done with the rocs, Kylie approaches her again. "Oh, and Laucian requested that we bring the journals that we found inside the cave. Can you have some of the other elves collect them up?"

“Of course,” Valena answers as she watches the rocs fly off.

Once everyone else is on board the ship, then Valena will climb up to it.

“Thank you,” Lilia will tell Valena for her service. “This ship can fly very fast. We should be back at the Mother Tree in less than three hours. Then we can get Talen the help that he needs.”

“It will good to be back home and away from these ancient ruins,” Valena notes. “I miss my companions.”

‘It is not as you think” He says to his fellow follower of the forests, “Upon finding Talen, a great stone snake had him in his grasp by the head. It let him go and disappeared. Lia tried to revive him in many different ways but to no avail.” He says somberly, “He has unconscious for a few hours now.”

“At this point, I still don't know what to think,” Valena admits. “If this ship is as fast as Lilia claims, then we'll be back at the Mother Tree soon.”

The ship is as fast as advertised. Before the sight of the Mother Tree lit up comes into sight. It is magnificent.

“My friends,” Lilia will say aloud. “We are almost home. Do not forget that this is what we fight for. This is what we protect.”

“And all the good creatures of the forest,” Valena softly adds.

Before long the ship is high over the Mother Tree. With us this close to home, it just makes sense to release the extra griffons we are carrying. Valena will walk up the griffons on the back of the ship. She'll hug each one and stroke their fur and feathers.

“Thank you for all you have done for us,” Valena gently tells the majestic animals. “We are home. Go now, fly back to your nests and rest.”

More griffons being rode by other elves are soon seen circling the ship and then mages arrive and land on the deck under their own power. It seems that we were expected.

Valena just keeps watch for now, in case any trouble arises.

[Lia]

Lia
Seeing that all she can do in the room is completed, Lia moves to the door and slides it closed. She then heads up through the ship to find Lilia and Kylie.
Once found, “Down in the ship is a room with a metal door that was locked.” she says looking at the thief then to Lilia. “The door is now open. There is a large desk, two chests and a vast amount of papers on the desk.”
Lia comes to the main deck as the ship slows down. She helps move the bodies of their fallen kin. He thoughts are somber as she realizes there maybe one more among them if things do not improve.
Once the other elves are on board, Lia heads down to check on Talen. She looks to Andlin as he still stands guard. “Any change?”she asks as she looks in to see her brother where she left him tucked in and laying still. With a heavy sigh, Lia pulls up a chair and sits near the bed.
“I don’t know if you can hear me. But we did well. The scro have been defeated, our kin are on board and we are heading home.”she says looking at her still brother a small smile etches her lips as she thinks of home. Recalling a song that Nightmist taught her she silently sings to her brother as the time passes.
Hearing a commotion above, Lia looks to her brother then gets up and heads for the main deck. Lights are seen in the distance and Lia can hear the words of her queen.

“My friends,” Lilia will say aloud. “We are almost home. Do not forget that this is what we fight for. This is what we protect.”

A tear comes to her eye as she sees the Mother tree lit up in all her splender. She brings a black hand to her eye and wipes the tear away. “It will be good to be home.”she says silently
Lia goes for her sword but quickly relaxes as she sees many an elf come aboard and griffons fly about. Kylie’s mother is present as they speak of knowing Talen’s plight. Her heart gladdens as Sheeryl steps forward.

“He's down below deck,” Lilia answers as she points to the door leading to the Captain's Cabin. “Go the left behind that door and you'll come to him. Andlin is on guard.”

Moving forward, Lia looks to Sheeryl. “Come, I’ll show you to my brother. I tried what I could but nothing wakes him. He also has these marks above his head.”as she continues to walk to the cabin.
Stopping before the cabin door and Andlin, “Please do all that you can. He was reckless and foolish but he is still my brother. I would hate to have to tell Nightmist….” She trails off not wishing to finish her statement.
Lia will stay with Talen and watch and hopefully learn what Sheeryl does to “cure”him.

[Kylie]

Kylie:

None too soon, as far as Kylie is concerned, they are on their way once again. The speed this large ship can manage is quite impressive. It is good to have everyone on board the ship; particularly Valena, as they have traveled so far together. It didn't feel right having her be separated from the group. Even though it has only been a few days, Kylie is anxious to see her mother again and tell her all about their trip.

As they fly westward, Kylie choose to remain on deck. Even though they should be plenty high enough, she hasn't done this enough to feel comfortable going below-decks where her view is limited. Besides, the sunset and view of the darkening night sky are worth taking the time to enjoy. It is a small but rewarding experience to watch the stars slowly emerge as darkness settles over the land. After a time, Lilia and Laucian turn on some of the deck lights, so Kylie climbs up to the crow's nest to get a better view.

Eventually, Kylie learns that Argent has made some bread and stew for dinner, so she flies down to get some before returning to the crow's nest. "Thank you, Argent!" she calls during the fleeting moment when she spies the Invoker near the door hiding from the griffons.

At first, the lights of the Mother Tree are but a tiny glimmer in the distance. They slowly grow and become brighter as the ship gets closer to their destination. Once aware that the lights are indeed their home, Kylie gently lowers the ship as they draw closer.

“Over there,” Lilia says pointing to one of the griffon landing pads. “That looks like an ideal spot to dock. We'll lower the Sunflower down and then just extend the gangplank to reach the landing area.”

Eventually, Mother Tree dominate the view on that side as Lilia starts to adjust for a landing. 'I didn't think it could be more beautiful, but it is,' Kylie thinks to herself in awe. The queen skillfully guides them into position as elves on griffons circle the ship, and Kylie lowers them the rest of the way to their designated landing site.

“Now that is what I call an entrance!” Brightsword calls out with a laugh. “Welcome home!”

"Thank you," Kylie calls back as she floats down to the deck. "We're glad to be back!" She doesn't know the elf's name, but it doesn't really seem to matter right then. Laucian also replies, and his words cause Kylie to chuckle with amusement.

“The seeress had foreseen your return this night,” Allurien explains as she sets Sheeryl down. “She also foresaw your need for clerical help.”

Just then, Kylie sees other elves approaching the ship, flying under their own power - but her attention is entirely captured by one. Her mother lands on the deck, carrying the seeress, Sheeryl Soulsearcher. "Mom!" she cries, and flies over to give her mother a hug. "It is so good to see you again!"

Kylie notes Lia leading Sheeryl toward her brother out of the corner of her eye, and is able to relax a bit more with that worry eased.

[GM Mad]

Post Closed