9th of Desnus-4th of Sarenith: A Wet & Timely Isidorian Welcome

The Sinking Marshes

The group watches the Isidorian shoreline come more into focus with every second: they see that the Alliance ships are unloading troops and supplies onto the shoreline, and there is a large encampment already set up on the shore.

With Kamara still looking through her telescope, she says, "It looks like an invasion force!"

In a panic to hide the group, Lo casts Tiny Hut inside the quarterdeck, and the ballooning tent takes up half the space.

Alex sighs at the exuberant bard and says, "We should continue with our stated mission and not mingle with these troops."

Tarian nods in agreement, "We don't want to risk getting attacked by our allies...they may not know who we are."

Myne looks around with a confused expression, "Is there a plan?"

Alex leans over to Coronal, and whispers in his ear the information that he had originally relayed to Kamara about their new rendezvous point, and Coronal nods an understanding of the approximate area that he should set the ship down.

Alex says out loud to the group, "We have to make our way up to the Ilgi Marsh…"

Myne looks at him, still confused and says, "...and then what?"

Alex continues to indulge her with a sigh, "There is a town."

Myne crosses her arms over her chest, feeling aggravated that she had to pull this information out of him, "Do we have allies there?"

"We are to rendezvous there. I think we should land slightly to the north of the town...it would be in the marsh...is that wise?"

Here, he looks to Roth, who knew of the plan, and to Myne who would know about the logistics of getting out of a marsh.

Myne gives in to the paladin despite being told about a plan only through interrogation and says, "It's not a bad idea, you'll have the cover of any trees, and the fog will also help. You're likely not going to get an airship stuck, and it will just be a bit of a hardship for us to get out on foot, but not so difficult with Roth and I scouting...especially if you two seem to know where you're going."

Roth nods and says, "I'm happy to scout ahead for a safe way through the marsh, as long as Alex can help keep us going towards the town."

Poppet tentatively asks, "Will the ship stay there for us?"

Alex gives her a grim look and says, "This is a one-way trip for us."

They watch out the windows as Coronal flies over an expansive boggy territory, and manages to land the ship fairly expertly given the fact that he had to learn the controls on the ride there. From the windows, they no longer have much of a view since the fog rising from the waters limits how far they can see. They feel the ship sink into the marshes, and head up to deck with their packs shouldered. They look out on a foggy expanse that has an earthy, wet smell. They can make out small grassy patches of land in between large sections of water. The crew puts down the gangplank, and the group make their way down it with heavy hearts. Coronal and Kamara follow them down to see them off.

At the bottom of the gangplank, Kamara says, "We wish you luck in whatever you're setting out to do."

Coronal nods and says, "You seven better come back alive; I want to go on more adventures!"

The group nods a *thank you* to both captains, and Myne gives them a tear-filled goodbye as she hugs them both. Poppet speaks in Auran to say goodbye to the elemental trapped in the hull, and with that they step off the gangplank and watch Coronal and Kamara climb back into the ship with the gangplank raising up behind them. Moments later, they hear a sucking sound as the ship is pulled out of the muddy waters, taking to the air slowly, and flying out of view.

The group give a heavy sigh at the loss of their allies and the magnificent ship, and shoulder their packs and the weight of their mission, looking out onto the marsh with determination.

Alex examines his map while Roth and Poppet lean in to view it over his shoulder and says, "It should be about an eight-day trek to the village. Let's head out!"

Roth takes the lead, with Myne standing beside him to press forward through the marsh. Their feet are soon sopping wet, their boots soaked with the thick, stagnant water. In some sections, they must hold their packs over their heads while they push through water that is up to their chests; Rauros must swim alongside his companion. Happily, Roth's guidance is spot-on, and it does not take them too long before they are free of the marshes, with shallower waters and even sparse trees giving way to the Liels Forest.

Roth smiles as he steps foot into the tree line, grinning up at the canopy and saying, "This will be easy now that I am in my element."

Alex & Poppet: Unexpected Issues with Armor

Roth finds a secluded clearing for them to set up camp on their first night in. Each person was tired and still partially damp from the marshes, and despite wanting to build a fire to dry out, they knew they could not give their position away. They set up their tents in the quiet darkness, grumbling as they remove soggy boots and eat cold rations.

Poppet had been uneasy ever since their landing in the marshes, and finds herself pacing around the campsite after their meal, trying to warm her feet and occupy her mind. She still felt anger at the knowledge of the trapped air elemental that powered the Azlanti ship, but given the fact that it was under its power that they were able to make it to Isidore with such speed, she could not bring herself to free it when she had the chance. The knowledge, her anger, and impotence left a bitter taste in her mouth. She acknowledged her kinship to the elemental, and it troubled her to leave him in shackles. Just the thought of being bound into slavery made Poppet's skin crawl, she couldn't imagine being fettered in such a way for eons.

Despite her mind's distractions as she paces around, she realizes that some of the group were preparing for bed, and she watches Roth make himself comfortable for the first shift at watch with Rauros at his side while Myne crawls into their shared tent. Poppet gives a quiet "good night" to Myne as she ties the flap of her tent shut, and tries to shake herself free from her peculiar thoughts. She would find a way to free the elemental once Kyus and the sorceress were dealt with, even if Coronal hated her for it, although, she wondered if she would ever see the ship again to have the chance. Poppet reaches across the bond that tethered her to her familiar and realizes that Ellete is dozing in their tent on the other end of their camp.

The witch turns toward the tent, intending to join the azata to rest, Perhaps a few card readings will help me calm down enough to get some sleep.

As she walks past her other companions' tents, she stops in surprise at the sound of Alex's voice coming from behind a bushy tree. A grin pulls at her face as she recognizes a few curses being muttered behind the foliage. Ignoring conventional propriety in regard to announcing her presence, Poppet quietly slips around the leaves of the tree to see what was causing the man such irritation. It takes her a moment of watching Alex struggle and twist his gauntlet-free arms before Poppet catches on, snorting in laughter at the display before her and notifying the paladin of his company.

Alex turns to glare at the witch, not appreciating the woman's laughter in this situation, "Poppet!" he says at her in exasperation, sighing when it sets the witch into another round of laughter.

He sighs and drops his arms in defeat, turning to look at the blonde.

Struggling to stifle her giggles, Poppet grins at Alex and pleads, "Please don't tell me you're stuck!"

At the return of the paladin's glare, Poppet dissolves again into chortling, motioning for Alex to turn and present her with his back. Raising an eyebrow at the witch, he complies, only to find himself surprised as Poppet steps up behind him and expertly begins tackling the hidden buckles and ties that keep his pauldrons in place.

She murmurs to him, "Don't be so astounded, I've had many years to learn how to play squire."

Her fingers quickly have his pauldrons detached as she lays them out on a small patch of grass, taking a moment to straighten his gauntlets from where he had dropped them in his attempt to remove the armor himself. Vambraces and rerebraces are tackled next, removed quickly from his forearms and upper arms with a few motions of Poppet's fingers.

Alex gives her a quizzical look and asks, "Where in Golarion did you spend 'many years' learning how plate mail works? You're not exactly one for armor of any kind…"

He eyes the woman in front of him as she looks back over her shoulder at him and gives him a curious smile, one that strangely makes him feel childish for even asking the question. Poppet walks back over to the paladin and begins unbuckling the backplate from his cuirass before she responds to him.

"Not to alarm you or anything," she starts, amusement evident in her tone, "but I am not precisely human, Alex."

The man jerks a bit in surprise and turns his head as much as he can to Poppet, "What do you mean, not precisely human?" he asks, turning to face her fully as she frees the backplate from him.

He takes the plate mail from her, holding it in one hand at his side as he regards the witch. Sure, he had noticed the change in her appearance, but it was something that he had attributed to some magical mojo associated with her change in familiar; her change in patrons that he had little knowledge of. What he knew about Poppet and her powers was enough for him to not want to understand it at length, instead trusting her to be able to draw forth crippling spells and magically patch up their wounds. As he assesses Poppet, who ignores his question and moves to pull off his breastplate, he realizes that the witch had always allowed others to draw their own conclusions based on what she presented, and did not bother to correct their errors.

Poppet lays the breastplate against a tree stump and sighs, looking back at the paladin. Alex seems to shake himself out of whatever mental assessments he was performing of her and stacks the backplate alongside the rest of his removed armor.

Poppet eyes him warily for a moment before confiding in him, "My mother was human. My father was not…"

Watching the paladin's eyes widen, Poppet smothers a snicker and pulls up her skirts briefly so that she can kneel before the man and start helping him with the armor on his legs.

He makes to stop her when her hands dart forward to attack the buckles along the back of one of his thighs that held together a cuisse, but Poppet swats him away, laughing at the blush staining the man's cheeks. "I promise I will not compromise your honor, sir Paladin," she tells him, not bothering to hide her amusement.

He makes a disgruntled sound at her and fixes his gaze on a tall tree ahead of him, trying and failing in his attempt not to squirm at her proximity as she unknots the plate from ties on his breeches beneath.

With a chuckle Poppet adds, "I'll leave all that to your redhead when you get her back," before Alex leans forward to take the cuisses from her and align them up alongside the other pieces.

He simply shakes his head at the witch as his cheeks burn bright red, but he can't stop the pleased smile from his mouth as he thinks about having Sara returned. He briefly places his hand over the pendant that now shared its chain with Sara's ring where it lay beneath his undershirt.

"But back to your question!" Poppet says with a grin, ignoring his gesture and making quick work of the greaves buckled around his calves before thrusting the plate up at Alex.

He recovers quickly and takes the pieces from her as she continues speaking, "You wanted to know where I had years to perfect this wonderful hidden talent of mine, yes? Well, sylphs-for that is what I am-are quite long lived. You can think of our life spans as something comparable to an elf's," she explains.

She watches Alex pause as he slips his booted feet from his sabatons, giving her a calculating look as he says, "I wouldn't have assumed you were much older than I was…"

Poppet gives him a wink and stands, dusting off her skirts and saying, "I have lived to see eighty… eight years?"

She brings a hand up to her mouth, tapping a finger against her lips and looking pensive for a moment. She misses the look of bewilderment that Alex gives her as he gives her an incredulous once over.

"I suppose I did just have another birthday, didn't I?"

She shrugs and gives him a sheepish grin, murmuring an amused, "Surprise!"

Alex shakes his head at her, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck as he mutters something about her being unbelievable. He hefts his chainmail over his head, throwing the mass of metal across his nearby pack. He takes a seat on the grass before shucking off his leather boots, turning them upside down to drain out the water and moss that had collected. Stripped down to just a cotton shirt and leather breeches, Alex gives a sigh of relief and stretches.

He looks up at the sylph from his seat on the ground, going over all of the information he had just learned about her-gods, she was over four times his age-before asking her, "So where did you end up learning how to help someone into, and out of, plate mail?"

She gives a nervous titter before joining him cross-legged on the grass.

"Well," she drawls out, giving him a rueful grin, "I might have worked for the Pathfinders years and years ago…"

Alex blinks at her blankly as she adjusts her skirts around her. He remembers how hesitant the group had been to admit to the sylph and Mastodon about their involvement with the Pathfinders; they had debated amongst themselves before finally giving in and informing their newest companions, though several of them had wished to keep the information from their new additions. And he remembered Poppet's response to their admission of involvement with the organization.

Alex points a finger accusingly at her, disbelief and amusement lighting up his face, "You little witch!"

He ignores her blatant snort at the supposed insult as he tries to mimic her high-pitched voice, "'I know of the Pathfinders, and a few of their members.'"

Poppet breaks into giggles, laughter shaking her small shoulders; Alex gives in and joins in her mirth.

Between breaths, Poppet tells him, "I might have a problem with explaining myself sometimes…"

At the pointed look from the paladin she corrects herself, "Okay, maybe nearly all of the time…"

Alex raises an eyebrow at her and asks, "Were you sent to help us then? Because you're a terrible contact if that is the case."

Poppet shakes her head. "No, I've not exactly been an active member for a couple decades, but I've been an informant I suppose. And while I wasn't sent on orders, I had heard of your party and your mission."

She gives a small shrug, a bit embarrassed to be explaining all of this, "When we ran into each other, I figured I might as well offer my help."

Alex asks a few more questions of her regarding her involvement in the group, but it appears that the woman had reached her limit for exposing her secrets for the night. When their conversations lulls, Poppet bids the paladin, standing quickly with skirts twirling around her before giving him a good night, slipping away into the darkness.

Her head pops back around the bush as she says, "I'll come find you in the morning. I can help you with all that."

Her tattooed arm gestures towards his armor, "Can't have the paladin rushing into battle without his shiny, new armor!" she says with a giggle.

Alex chuckles and thanks her, "Truly Poppet, thank you. I'm sure I would still be trying to struggle out of all that had you not stumbled across me… and barged into my little section of wilderness without warning!"

The two share a laugh before Poppet disappears back to her own tent. She finds Ellete still slumbering, small form taking up most of her pillow. Poppet shakes her head at the sight and readies herself for bed, then trying to squeeze a small patch of pillow away from the azata. Laughing softly at Ellete, Poppet curls up under her blanket, hands sliding her cards out of their pouches before she has a second thought.

Missing Time

The group finds the way forward easy with Roth leading, though they knew that they had a solid five or six days' trek in front of them. They are wary of Isidorian enemies as they push through the forest, but after three days of hard trekking, they found no enemies or obstacles to slow their progress. As they follow Roth through the forest on their third day out, they all catch the sounds of snapping twigs, as if a large amount of undergrowth was being pressed under many feet. They look at each other wide-eyed, and rush for cover as they realize that they are hearing the approaching feet of a marching army. Tarian, Roth, Lo, Mastodon, and Ellete find good cover in some brush while Myne & Rauros climb a tree. Alex and Poppet attempt to hide behind a tree that does not hide them well enough. They watch as the undergrowth reveals the glimmer of armor, war horses, and waving flags. The army continues to approach their hiding spot, and as they crunch closer, the group recognizes the symbols on the flags: the white bear of Ani, the glowing sun of Solaris, and the roses of Reynes.

An officer on horseback turns his eyes in their direction, and gives a start as he sees Poppet and Alex, Poppet deciding that she was not going to look like she was 'trying' to hide any longer.

He shouts for the army to halt, riding fast to approach the two and drawing his sword while shouting, "You two! What business do you have in the forest?"

Poppet puts her hands up in surrender, and looks to Alex to appeal to his fellow soldier.

Alex stands up straight, addressing the officer in his most official soldier voice, "My party and I are here on a military excursion."

The officer gives them a curious look and says, "I'm surprised anyone is here in the forest...we have been marching northeast...we certainly were not aware of another military force."

Alex shifts his weight slightly, "We are on an important mission, and I am not ready to relay the details of it."

The officer gives Alex a pressing look, pointing the sword at him, unwilling to let Alex be on his way.

Alex tries a gruff voice, shouting, "What business is it of yours? What are you up to in this forest anyway?"

The officer's horse rears back from Alex's intimidating stance, and the officer breaks his concentration to try to control his horse. Once the horse is calm enough, the officer sheathes his sword, and removes his helmet. Alex has time to take in the officer's tabard colors, marking him as a Knight of the Rose from Reynes. The young man stares at Alex and Poppet in wide-eyed shock, and with his face revealed Alex recognizes the blue eyes and golden hair in a bobbed cut - the youngest son of Vyncent Desiosus: Anthony.

He dismounts from his horse and approaches them while saying, "You must be of The Seven then?!"

Alex takes a knee when he recognizes the young lord and says, "I'm so sorry, my lord. I did not recognize you with your helmet on. I apologize for my rash words, but we could not give ourselves away."

Anthony gestures to Alex to stand and says, "Please, there is no need for formalities here, and you must excuse my shock...we thought you were lost."

Alex nods and says, "Well there are some of our party that are a bit rowdier and less-trusting with the sensitivity of the mission...I feel like we have a good chance that this plan will work."

The young lord shakes his head, as if Alex had misunderstood his meaning and explains further, "I understand it has been some time since you were supposed to make contact...it had been so long that we assumed you were lost."

Alex gives the officer a weird look, and the officer explains, "It is the 4th of Sarenith...you should have made contact a month ago…"

Poppet gasps and chokes at his statement, and Alex recovers quickly, saying, "We did not realize the date! Where do we stand in the effort then?"

Anthony looks at the two figures surreptitiously and asks, "Is it only you that have survived?"

Alex looks around him, suddenly aware that his other comrades had not emerged after the officer identified himself, and says, "Uhh, they are hiding…"

At this remark, Roth and Mastodon step out from the brush, and Myne jumps down from the tree to stand beside Alex and Poppet.

Alex looks around again, aware that there were two that were still absent and says, "Lo, Tarian...Please step out."

Ellete finds their hiding spot and smacks each of them, and Lo continues to make trouble by making a ghost sound of an owl in the distance. The rest of the group rolls their eyes, and finally Tarian steps out with Lo shuffling out shortly after.

Anthony looks around at the group with surprise and says, "You...you all survived then? Where have you been?"

Poppet slowly speaks up, saying, "Where we have been...time has moved differently it seems…"

Anthony does his best to understand her meaning, nodding slowly and says, "Travel with us; we can catch you up on the current situation."

As Anthony turns to walk back to his horse, Alex says, "So our rendezvous is moot?"

Anthony gives a nod of confirmation as he places his helmet back on his head.

Alex returns the nod, "I understand."

He turns to his comrades and says, "Well, this is all we've got now, let's move out!"