The arrival in Shotia

28th November 5000

Soon the still nameless skyship was hovering southwards above the Boari Delta, beams of the setting sun where reflecting over the muddy water while the usual dark grey afternoon rain clouds were amassing over the jungle. The company looked one more time at the picture of the water shining like molten copper, the green hell northwards and the heavy storm clouds hanging over it. occasional flashes of the brewing storm were visible in the mass but luckily for them the way southwards seemed free of any turbulence.

After crossing the Tentarias the path of the ship led them to the west of the Syien Range, they flew over fertile landscapes and over Lake Lucien and Fohatina.

the trip went on uneventful, all members busy sorting out their equipment, thoughts and plans for the future, one day they crossed a large areas of hills between two mountain range and crossed the border of Chai. A flight over the Husang forest and a straight of the Mythan Sea soon had them arriving over Mythan Territory and Shotia's towers appeared in sight.

8th December 5000

The skyship got into a parking position over a plazza of gigantic proportion just outside the walls of the city. on the ground the company could see hundreds of caravan moving to and fro, all with one common goal. passing the large gate into the city. a few other skyships were also quietly hovering above the place. As soon as their maneuver was completed Captain Padoka climbed down to the ground and headed to the quartermaster's office. Time passed by and around half an hour later he was again on deck of the Skyship briefing the Company:

"Here are the red badges, put them on and always carry them around, these are your permits to stay in the city. they are valid for three days. I am sure that you will want to stay longer there, that means you'll want to have a white badge. these ones allow you to stay seven days in the city. But under no circumstance ask for one directly. You will get one automatically with a work-permit should you manage to find some work here."

He looked at them sternly and went on.

"This is a civilized place, the guards here don't like jokes. You may - and should - carry some weapon but don't make use of it, you will be severely punished."
The company nodded in agreement, but they weren't actually listening to him, the sight of the grey and white city with it's blue shimmering roofs was calling for them. Padoka sighed and looked down at the company like they were a bunch of pre-school children. "I will do some errands of my own, I don't want you to stir trouble, understood ?" Nodding. he stared at the dwarves. " no drunken gunfights" then he stared at Alast "no prostitution" he moved on to stare at Erleothir "no .... whatever"

To ease the tension Jack joined in the discussion: "and before you leave... any idea of you finally found a name for our flying home?" A few proposals were made and finally all agreed on "The Dragonfly" in remembrance of the necklace Erleothir lost in the underwater temple of the Boari.

"One more thing" added Padoka while leaning over the reeling as the adventurers were climbing down "Absolutely, positively no burning down any building around here...."

And there they were, passing through the gigantic east gate of the capital of Mythan. The city was large and pompous, it's port was protect by a natural coral reef to the west and to the south the large military complex hat a good overview over the bay and the strait to the north. To the east the great plazza was bordered by large mountains and cliffs. the city itself was fairly organized, there were a large crafting district and to the south a merchant district, both enclosing the city center with its temples and administrative buildings as well as the embassies.

The two dwarves were obviously completely overwhelmed by the size of the city and its inhabitants. They soon lost each others in the crowd of the crafting district. While Gustavius headed for the Bor Embassy in hope to change some money Mulchanor looked for a nice store where he hoped to work find a job and eventually the so dearly required white pass. he soon found a suitable store and started chatting with Rakuniki, the master and owner of the shop. Rakuniki was not too impressed with Mulchanor's equipment and the state of his weapons but as chance had it he needed a runner. someone to carry some materials around in town for him. Someone discreet and unsuspicious, someone not from here, someone none would recognize or remember. the crates were to be kept as closed shut as the mouth of the transporter itself. not a problem for Mulchanor, he quickly agreed and not only managed to get the white pass but also a free stay at a nearby inn for the week.

Rakuniki sent him immediately to his first errand: "go grab me some beer!"

meanwhile Gus faced the obtuseness of his kinsmen at the gate of his embassy and suddenly came to the embarrassed idea that he had no clue what he was doing there in the first place. probably the weather, time difference or culture shock. he decided to head back to the crafters area and as chance had it, he landed right in Rakuniki's store. after some embarrassed presentation he asked if there might be job for him in the store. Rakuniki shrugged "if you had arrived one hour earlier you would have gotten one. but now i'm afraid i can't do much for you..." Gus had no clue what Rakuniki was talking about nor was he aware That Mulchanor had been faster than him. "well maybe i can show you the superiority of my crafted wares" he added while showing his double barreled pistol.

That had immediate effect. Rakuniki's eyes lightened up. "ooh shiny ! ahem .. I mean.. not bad." soon a deal was closed, Gustavius would craft anther of those guns for Rakuniki and help him in the forge. as a return he would get free materials allowing to craft himself some additional gadgets during the week.

As Mulchanor came back from his errand with a miniature Keg he was surprised to see Gustavius working for the same dwarf as himself but both pretended not to know each other. Rakuniki then decided to put Mulchanor also to work at the forge, "no worries.. i'll find someone else for those errands, you might be more valuable helping this fellow craft my... i mean "some" new weapons."

Both went on happily working, the day and their arrival in Shotia was until now running absolutely perfectly, jobs, ale, a nice inn nearby. for a moment all troubles seemed washed away and it was soon time to head to the meeting with their friends at the guild house of the crystal star.

While it was clear to all that the dwarves would wander in the craftsmen area, it was a safe bet to say that Rameldin would go on a shopping spree after staying so long isolated in the Boari Jungle. What surprised everyone though, was to hear Yesnarel exclaim "Rameldin ! I'll go with you, I also need some ... stuff. " And Alast to complete " I'll join". That was a pretty unlikely group and Rameldin was obviously not so satisfied with that development. It didn't take her long to upset and send Alast in the opposite direction. She tried hard to get rid of Yesnarel too but he was persistent and the wide streets, though busy, were not crowded enough for her to lose him. But why would she do that ? As they were strolling down the street, entering each and every store on the way, they casually talked, getting to know one another. Yesnarel wasn't too keen on talking about the company "mission" and being somehow new himself, he couldn't precisely explain what brought them all together. He was also curious to understand some of Rameldin comments regarding the group dynamic...

After a full morning shopping for ink, tissues and other toiletry items ( oh the importance of choosing the right perfumed soap !) , it's a smiling Rameldin, carrying a full brand new basket and a slightly tired Yesnarel who made their way to the center part of Shotia. There, Rameldin insisted on visiting the temple where her cousin was living. They asked their way to the guard at the entrance of the administrative district and started north as indicated. Quickly, Rameldin brought back the topic of splitting... and again Yesnarel was insisting on escorting her to the door of the temple, knowing full well he wouldn't be allowed to enter. Evoking the shotian architecture and the palaces south of the district was to no avail.

Caught in their animated but polite conversation, Rameldin bumped in Alan, a friend of hers.

"Rameldin ! What are you doing here ? You know walking like that on your own is not safe... "

" Alan ! what a happy coincidence ! I haven't seen you in so long ! I was shopping with another friend, Yesnarel, and was now on my way to my cousin at the temple. "

" Let me then accompany you, we can catch up on the way. "

All at her happiness, Rameldin waved Yesnarel good bye and grabbed Alan's arm. Both started in direction of the temple. Yesnarel had had barely enough time to salute before being left alone. He slowly resumed his walk, following them from afar... until someone bumped into him at a crossroad. He quickly checked his pockets : nothing stolen. But when he looked up again, there was no sign of either Rameldin or her friend. Sighing, he looked around and decided to keep the afternoon for himself. There would be explanations at diner.

Alast proved his hideous nature and looked for shady places. Hence the city was strictly kept in order by the guards, he finally ended up hanging around in the harbor area. He came back with new clothes. Nobody knows where he got them from. Last but not least Erleothir spent a day on his own. Later that day the company gathered at the crystal star embassy. They were led to a big table. Unfortunately it was without name tags. So they had a childish discussion about who was to sit next to whom. Finally Ionevan entered the dinner room. He had not only warm words of welcome on his lips but also a valuable present for each one of his guests. Then he quickly came to the point: " We found a way how you can meet the leader of the thieves guild. " Everybody was hanging on his lips now. "Of course he is hiding in a secret place. You cannot simply meet him. We arranged a meeting in two weeks ... down in the sewers." Not a pleasant place for a meeting, the company wanted to get down all the same. Ionevan continued to explain the details. Everybody was to find work for 1 Week. Afterwards they would be hired by the city council for another week to clean the canals. "Cleaning means killing" said Ionevan with a little grin in his face. After a week down in the sewers without daylight the company would meet the leader of the thieves guild. The salary would be 600 GM. "When will the city council pay us for the work ?" asked a voice from the back. "After doing your job" replied Ionevan. "The city council has saved some money by paying afterwards." and again he had this little grin in his face. So everybody continued doing his own stuff for a week. Alast and Erleothir found work on a boat. And now the company is having the last meal before entering the canals, awaiting unknown beasts and evil danger.

XP:
Yesnarel: 500xp global playing, 200 xp Blog, Choosing a name for the skyship 150 xp, 200xp to shop and annoy Rameldin, 200xp for playing out of the box,
Alast: 500xp global playing, Choosing a name for the skyship 150 xp, 75 xp to be annoying with Rameldin, 200 xp for special duties,
Erleothir: 500xp global playing, Choosing a name for the skyship 200 xp, 200 xp for playing it hard,
Rameldin: 500xp global playing, 200 xp Blog, Choosing a name for the skyship 150 xp, 200 xp for the shopping and getting rid of annoyances, 100xp for a quiet week,
Mulchanor: 500xp global playing, Choosing a name for the skyship 150 xp, 200 xp for dealing well with Rakuniki, 50 xp for fainting not knowing each others,
Gustavius: 500xp global playing, 200 xp Blog, Choosing a name for the skyship 150 xp, 200 xp for dealing well with the Embassy, 50 xp for fainting not knowing each others, 150 xp for twisting fate even more,