From the journal of Vedis Valentine
I think I'm through the worst of it. The sweating's about done and I'm not shaking quite so badly. The room quit spinning a couple of days ago and I think the nausea is just from my own smell. It's been two weeks since we shoved out of port and now I've been told that we're to be making a short stop in Spiral Space to use the portal to the Cage and pick up a few specialists for the crew while we search for a portal into the Ethereal. We need a guide to get us from where we can activate the sails in the Prime Material. (Read extraplanar here.) At least the next time we hit Greyhawk I'll have somebody to keep me company outside that bigoted wizard's shop.
I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but even I can see the problems we might face in sailing through the Ethereal. If our sails won't work, we'll have to buy a ship made in the Ethereal out of Protoplasm, which we can't take back to the Prime, and the sails won't fit our ship. I just hope that whatever guide they procure for us at the welcome center, he knows how to get us moving if the normal means won't work. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. It's not like I'm an expert on the subject of traveling the Ethereal. That's what the damn guide is FOR.
What a smooth operator our guide is. First thing he does is to kiss my hand. Maybe this Captain thing isn't so bad. As long as my first mate knows what he's about, my job is a cakewalk. I certainly like the attention I'm getting!
He didn't like the fact that our ship was haunted, though. After all the haggling was done with, (Kenari sure likes to talk about money) he had to up his price. He calls it hazard pay, I call it extortion, but we're not likely to find another guide who knows how to get where we're going and I'm not about to tell Lenata's giant, glowy Archon ancestor that we had to give up because of petty financial concerns. Thanks to the sale of my 'present' I could pay the difference myself if it came to it. Thankfully, Ef Utan has assured me that we're still in the black so whatever the Ethereal has in store for us, we have some leeway to play with.
The cagers are acting cagey, if you'll pardon the pun. Looks like we blew out of there just before something truly nasty went down. It was truly funny to watch our guide gawk after walking through the portals to get back to our ship, though. Let's hope this journey will see us intact on the other end.
Ethereal. Storms. Are. Bloodyfuckingterrifying. That is all.
Honestly, that's really all that's happened. The girls and I are going to have a seance in my giant cabin to see if we can contact the haunters of the haunted ship. They've been suspiciously absent since the whole bleeding wall thing. I thought the Ethereal was supposed to be where ghosts 'lived,' for goodness sakes!
Either way, it'll be nice to bond with the girls over some candles, wine, and maybe a little silliness. Who knows what might turn up if we give them something entertaining to interact with?
From the journal of Kenari Sanura
"What do you mean, the ship is haunted? You're taking a ghost ship onto the Ethereal? Are you all mad?"
Sigh… guess it was only a matter of time before Mercrucio found out about the Nomad.
"It's not that bad," Lenata explains calmly. "Other than a little blood on the wall…once… we haven't even seen anything out of the ordinary here; and that was when we were on Bral. We've already been to the Ethereal Plane a few times, and nothing untoward has happened yet."
"Fine…. but my rates are going to increase, I'm afraid. Call it 'hazard pay," he says as he crosses his arms in finality and he and Lenata walk together to the bridge.
All right, then… time to tell the crew where we're going, and what to expect. Heh… not like I have a lot of experience here, but I've found if someone talks like they know what they're doing, sometimes that's enough to help ones fears. I just hope I did a good enough job… because the heavy mists and silence are unnerving to me, too. I stay with the rest of the Hadozee in the rigging and do my best to play scout as we slowly maneuver through the mists, occasionally muttering to each other as we see the vague forms of creatures and people in the distance that fade away as quick as they came.
After a few days the crew began to settle down, which is just as well… because that's when things got interesting. Some of the Hadozee are pointing at a dark cloud in the distance when we hear the yell from Hatuk below.
"Batten down the hatches and grab on as we turn this ship about! We've got a storm bearing down on us!"
Goddess bless… I was hoping not to ever be able to answer what a cyclone on the Ethereal Plane felt like… but we don't always get what we want, do we? While Ef Utan rushes on deck to help lower the sails, I leap down to tie off a rope that I pass up to the others. "Put it through your belt loops and pass it on!" We don't have the time to stop working and tie ourselves to the mast… so I only hope this will help.
The ship rocks as Lenata slams it into a turn, but it doesn't take long to discover that we're not going to be quick enough. The mists around us grow dark and turbulent as flashes of what seem like lightning crackle the air around us. I wrap my ankle and wrist around the ropes in the rigging and sink my claws as deep as I can into the mast as I shut my eyes and pray.
After what seemed like an eternity, the fur on my arms no-longer stands on end and the screams have ceased… which means either I'm dead… or the storm has passed. I gingerly open my eyes and untangle my limbs before I lower myself to the deck to inspect the damages… wincing as I feel a sharp stab in my ribs. With one hand to my side I make my way to the others to check the wounded. While I am not a healer like the priests… thanks to Lenata loaning me her wand, I can at least do something to help. I'm sure they're all going to be pretty shaken after this too… so I will smile through the pain and do my best to calm their fears. I smile for true as I hear Vedis' voice ring out through the fog with a cheery sea chantey as she does her best to help.
What feels like days pass as our journey continues, with thankfully calm mists and no more storms. It gets so quiet one night that Vedis, Aspodel and I find ourselves camped out in her room on cushions as we pass around a bottle of wine and attempt to contact the spirits of the ship. I don't think we contacted anything… but it was a nice moment of peace to share amidst all the chaos.
In what my markings on my wall tell me is the 3rd week of our travels in the Ethereal, we discover quite a site in the thinning mists. In the distance Vedis manages to make out what can only be described as a giant flower that I swear was near 50 ft. wide. "It's a Chrono Lilly!" she exclaims excitedly. "They say the nectar of the flower can enable visions… can we check it out? Please?"
I shrug in indifference. "Hey, as long as it's not a giant sentient flower who will get ticked off at the intrusion and attack us, I don't see why not." I walk over to one of the tubes on deck and communicate Vedis' intentions to Lenata, who begins to pilot the ship closer.
Carefully Lenata brings the ship about and Vedis makes her way out to the edge of the gravity plane of the ship to see the shining pool of nectar pooling in the middle of the flower below. We all watch intently as she leans down and places her hand in it, and to our relief nothing horrible seems to happen.
"What should I ask about?" she yells out.
"How about the Queen of Thistles?" Ef Utan suggests. After a few moments Vedis stands up and places a hand to her forehead as she rejoins us on deck.
"I saw the most amazing thing… there was a large expanse of sand and surrounding it were these large stands full of seated people and creatures cheering as Ef Utan blasted…something… with lightning coming out of a sword. Presiding over them all was a woman with a cold smile in a wide-brimmed hat with a peacock feather in it surrounded by servants… and above it all the sky was green." Vedis rubs her temple. "I'm going to go write all of this down while it's still fresh. I'll be in my cabin."
I look to Ef Utan questioningly. "While we're here, and all…" I suggest as I nod my head toward the giant flower.
He shrugs. "Why not? I've been studying, so hopefully I can make it work." Ef Utan climbs over the rail and makes his way out to the flower. After a few moments he comes back with a look of disappointment. "Only vague images, I'm afraid. Care to give it a shot?"
"What the heck," I say to myself as I proceed take my turn. "At the very least, I've got an interesting story about how I stuck my hand in the middle of a 50ft flower on the Ethereal Plane."
"Hey there, flower," I say as I bend down over the nectar and dip my hand into the thick liquid. "Don't mind me… I'm just hoping to see more about this Aionius we're supposed to find. Any help would be much appreciated…"
As I concentrate on the name a vision forms in my mind of a tall older bearded human in his 60s wearing a sapphire cloak and standing on a floating rock in front of a multi-colored whirlwind. As the vision pulls away I see that he's watching our ship as it flies into the whirlwind… and promptly disappears. Gods… I hope that's a good thing. Once we're all done flower-dipping, and I've cleaned the goop off my hand, we gather on the bridge to share our visions with Lenata.
After a few more hours of travel the mists begin to thicken with flashing colors as a veil of multi-colored lights can be seen off in the distance.
"That is a pathway to the Prime," Mercucio points out. "Now is the time for us to focus our minds on where we wish to be as we pilot with intent more than direction in the Ethereal."
Thank goodness I shared the description of what Aionius looks like, then. Hopefully that will help us focus. We close our eyes and concentrate on his image, until we hear Mercucio call out. "Behold, the veil to the Demi-Plane of Time! You put yourself in danger if you choose to get any closer."
"Well, we didn't come here just to look at it," Ef Utan replies as he claps a hand on Lenata's shoulder. "See how close you can get to it."
After agonizingly tense minutes of Mercucio muttering and everyone else holding their breath, we find ourselves almost close enough to reach out to it. Thankfully, last time I checked, none of us had a death wish to find out. We did take the time to look at it, however… and through the pearly white shimmer and flashing skies we can just make out what seems to be a tower in the distance.
"So… anyone have any ideas on how we're supposed to get there?"
From the journal of Vedis Valentine
Today I met a sentient flower that is tapped into the stream of time. They call these things chrono-lilies and, as legend would have it, if you touch the heart of the lily, you can see visions of your past or what may come.
I just HAD to see if the legends were true. The other Spelljoined and I discussed it, and as I was willing to be the first to throw caution to the wind and possibly be munched on by a flower, we agreed that I would try it and if I didn't have anything horrible happen to me, the rest would give it a go.
Lenata used her fancy piloting skills to maneuver us to where the gravity plane of our ship was right along side of the flower. All I had to do was step out onto the plank and make the flower's acquaintance.
Empathy couldn't really help me out much in this case, the flower being a plant and I being a mammal and all. The frame of reference for interpreting a plant's emotions just isn't in my resume. However, after a pause and a 'sniff' of my flavor alignment-wise, the lily decided that it was willing to interact with me since I wasn't evil or out to hurt it. At this point, I had run out of plan. I yelled back over my shoulder to the others, wondering what I should ask about in case this was our only successful attempt. Ef-Utan suggested the Queen of Thistles, so that is what I concentrated on when I reached out to the heart of the lily.
I placed my hand into the swirling nectar at the center of the flower and I was instantly transported to a circular, sandy arena under a green sky. The woman in the 'important person' box caught my attention only after watching an older (buffer) version of Ef-Utan blast somebody or something who was outside the field of the vision with a lightning bolt from his sword! It was seriously hot. Then, my attention was caught by the lady who I finally connected with the name: The Queen of Thistles. How could I have forgotten her? Her cold, calculating smile has shaken many a seasoned warrior's faith in his or her own abilities; her games were legendary back home. The trademark peacock feather in her wide-brimmed hat and swashbuckling outfit were spot on with the lady's description. I had never met her personally before: dream is a big place and I wasn't yet worthy of her interest, I suppose. The information swam up out of my subconscious where I'm certain the rest of my pertinent memories have taken up residence. I simply HAD to rush back here and write it all down while it was still fresh to my mind. I had enough presence of mind to thank the lovely lily for the vision. I sensed… surprise, as if the flower isn't used to gratitude from those who happen by to partake of the visions. Then I believe amusement was next, followed by a general sense of benign apathy, however you want to take it.
I told the others of my vision, but not of the other… facets of interacting with the flower. I did, however, admonish them to be polite to the flower. I only hope they took the hint. With any luck, perhaps one of them might see something a little more relevant to our current aims. After all, to my knowledge Ef hasn't yet displayed that particular magical ability yet. Although he had gained a bit of muscle, a few more scars, another earring or two, maybe some grey hair, he didn't look like he had aged all that significantly. Perhaps his people age more slowly than the average human. Whatever the reason, I don't think that was more than ten years in our future. It might be nice for him to know he actually makes it that far.
I gotta go ask him about the lightning thing!
From the journal of Kenari Sanura
We are all standing on the deck and watching the flickering images of the tower in the distance when Vedis suddenly speaks up with an idea.
"Maybe you could use those planar sails to get in alignment with where/whenever that tower is, exactly?"
Why not? It's not like we've got any other ideas at the moment… and we're not exactly about to turn around and go home empty handed.
"I like the way you think, Vedis!" I exclaim with a smile as I slap her on the back and try to hide the wince of pain as I remember (once again) what Maenads are made out of. "Let's do this!" I say as I leap into the rigging and climb towards the sails, Lenata scurrying below me to get to the Helm.
"Ok Star Archons and Crystal Dragons and whatever other holy beings that are out there trying to guide our path… we're here at your bidding, so I'd appreciate a little help at the moment," I mutter to myself as I adjust the sails to what I hope (and pray) is the correct setting. After checking and double-checking all I can, I give the "OK" to Ef Utan below and we activate the sails…
… and end up gliding through a cloud of mist towards the stone docks of a large 5-story tower. Suddenly someone starts clapping on the decks below and we're all jolted out of our shock. "Oh bravo," exclaims Mercutio as he claps enthusiastically. "I had no idea you people were actually good!"
I leap down from the rigging and give him one of my best cocky grins. "That's ok… we forgive you." I'm about to tell Mecutio a (slightly-edited) tale of one of our past grand adventures when I spy a figure out of the corner of my eye in the mists. I turn to get a better look and can just make out several other large humanoid figures joining the first as they stride from the tower towards the docks… and our ship.
Well… if they are here to fight, they're going to fight no matter what we do… so we might as well try some honesty first. "Hail to the Tower," I shout out. "We have been sent here on a quest to see Aionius at the behest of a Star Archon!"
It only takes a moment before the leader of the group steps out of the mist to reveal a horrific mass of sewn flesh and muscle. "Wait here," it says in a cold dead-pan voice, and then disappears back into the mist.
"Flesh Golems…" I hear Lenata whisper beside me and I shudder as I remember the first flesh golem we encountered on the Plane of Dread so long ago.
I shake myself from my reverie and turn to the others. "Well, I doubt the whole crew is coming with us… so lets tell them what we're going to be up to so they don't freak out."
After an announcement is made on the tubes the golem returns and tells us that 3 are allowed to see Aionius. Lenata volunteers to stay with the ship and the crew in case anything should go wrong, so Ef Utan, Vedis and I decide to follow the golem through the mists to hopefully meet the fabled wizard of my dreams.
The golem points the way down a rocky stairway and we carefully make our way down to see the man from my vision standing in front of a swirling portal of time and space. I am tempted to analyze it closer, to reach out and touch it as I try and mold the swirling portal of infinite possibilities to my will, when I feel a sudden tug on my tail from Ef Utan. "Stop your daydreaming, Kenari; we've got work to do."
We watch in patient silence as the wizard focuses on what seems to be an experiment he's conducting as he draws a metal rod from a pile at his feet and places one end into the swirling energies. After a moment he withdraws it to see that the end is now rusted and crumbles to dust at the touch of it. "Strange," he mutters, "This one seems to have aged even further." He then tosses the rod into a different pile and is about to grab a new one when Vedis clears her throat.
"Ah yes," the wizard says as he brushes off his hands and turns to us. "My guardians informed me of why you are here. Do you speak truly? A Star Archon told you to find me?"
"Indeed, sir, it is quite a tale to hear how we ended up in your company."
"Well then, we shall have to hear this tale in more comfortable surroundings." Aionius then removes a crystal from his robes and mutters into it, and before we know it there is a flash of light and find ourselves in the middle of a large library. "Have a seat and make yourselves comfortable," he says as he gestures to leather chairs placed around a large round table.
We take our seats as a silver tray moves on its own to each of us with glasses of brandy. "Well, if we're going to tell our story again, I might as well get out the visual aides," I say as I whip my chart out of my sack and unroll it on the table. "Where do we begin?"
After what seems like hours we have shared our beliefs about the Dream Stone, Melchot, and the Spelljammer to find that we were close… but not quite there. Aionius has a friend who is familiar with the Dream Stone, and he believes that the ritual will be used to make real someone's perceived perception of what the Spelljammer is, and not the Spelljammer itself. This can be worse than what we thought… because do we not perceive ourselves as more than we actually are in our dreams? This Spelljammer could be powerful beyond any of our wildest imaginings if it comes into existence.
Aionius then conducts some scrying spells (with our permission) to try and piece together the parts of the puzzle we are still missing. "Hmmn… I must research this. If you will excuse me…" With a flash of light, we're back on the deck of our ship. Vedis goes to fill Lenata in on what's happening, and the rest of us go to our cabins to wait for the word from Aionius.
After a few hours Aionius' assistant Montgomery appears on our deck and takes us back to the library to see a rather troubled Aionius pacing the floor. "Events are very difficult to sort out… the time strands… something is shaking everything, and the repercussions could be fatal if you stay here," he mutters.
"What? Care to explain that in a little more detail?" Ef Utan asks.
Aionius suddenly stops pacing and holds up his hand as if to silence us. "The answers to our questions will arrive in 10…9…8…7…"
As soon as he reaches "1" the doors of the library slam open to reveal a new troubled visitor with a broad-brimmed hat, long coat… and some truly interesting guns strapped to his sides. I wonder if he'll…
"Aionius, there's trouble in Sigil," he exclaims as he whips off his hat and slaps it against his thigh. He reaches into the pocket of his long coat and throws two wands on the table. "They're burnt… they're done," he says in frustration.
"We kind of figured, after that explosion that took out the Armory," I mentioned as I cross my arms over my chest and look at him with an arched brow. "I think it had something to do with that 'Fated' bunch, If the rumors are true."
"Well then you and your friends got out just in time… because the doors to Sigil are now shut, as the shit has really hit the fan there." he turns to the wizard. "Three of the faction leaders are dead, and two more have been Mazed, Aionius."
"This is not good, Murlynd," Aionius mutters before he walks over to us. "This Faction War is like a knot in the threads of fate… and no matter which one I tug, all paths seem to lead to it… and your eventual destruction. There is a chance, though…" he continues as he rubs his chin and begins pacing again. "It seems that the timelines of you and your friends were pulled loose from the weave of reality when you were pulled into the Plane of Dread. If we use the Demi-plane of Time, we could perhaps launch you forward in time past the events of the war, to a point where you can once again do your best to stop the events regarding the Spelljammer."
"How far into the future?" Ef Utan asks.
"Hmmn… 20 years should do it." Aionius replies after making some calculations in his head. "Of course… there's only a 60% chance that this will work at all."
Lenata gasps.
"Well," Vedis mutters to herself, "I guess I should cancel that least on my apartment."
Waitaminute… Murlynd… I've read about him somewhere, I know I have! Yes, I remember now… I was researching past temporal disturbances in the Library of the Spheres after that strange dream with the Kobold, and all I could find was mentions of a wizard named Elminster, and this strange yet fascinating man in front of us.
"Hey… I've read about you!" I exclaim with a smile as I walk up to Murlynd and shake his hand. "You must be quite a powerful man to have done everything the stories say."
"I'm flattered, ma'am." Murlynd says with a tip of his hat.
"If…if what Aionius says is true about the 20 years… do you suppose you all could help our crew get home? While the four of us have generally accepted the chaos that has been surrounding our lives… there are at least a dozen people onboard our ship who I am sure are not prepared to leave their families behind. As it is… I think we all might have some letters that need to be delivered to our own loved ones before we do this."
Murlynd purses his lips and stares at me for a moment before the corner of his mouth curves upward into a wry grin. "You know… I like you; I promise I'll do what I can to help whatever crew that wants to leave get home and get those letters taken care of for you."
"The preparations for the ritual will take some time, my friends. Return to your ship and prepare… for in 1 hour we should be ready to send you through the portal," Aionius declared.
One hour… that's not a lot of time to say goodbye to the life you've known and prepare to greet the complete unknown. With a flash of light we once again find ourselves on the deck of our ship… and with a sigh we call the crew to the deck to give them the choice that we didnt' have.
The crew mutters to themselves and disperses after the announcement. All those who are wishing to leave will meet on the docks, and those wishing to stay will remain on deck. Personally, I wouldn't hold it against any of them if they all left. It pains me personally to think of the people I will leave behind; my newly discovered family in Wa… and Dassam. I make my way to my room as I hear Ef Utan say something to Vedis and Lenata that would normally have me rolling on the deck in laughter.
"You know…we've got an hour…"
"Damn it!" I curse once I've made it to the privacy of my room and quickly wipe a tear from my eye with the back of my hand. I have no time for hysterics… I have to find my parchment and write a message to Dassam. Goddess… what will I tell him? I can't expect him to wait for me for 20 years, damn it! There's no other way about it… I will have to end it.
After many tissues and ink smears I'm finally able to finish my letter and seal it for delivery. With a heavy sigh I head to the main deck to see who, if any, have decided to remain. To my surprise, Hatuk and his family, one Elf, two humans, Nerak, Aspodel and our new cabin boy are staying for the adventure. Kelson, however, has had enough.
"Aw come on," I hear Vedis say. "If you stay with us, by the time you get back the baby you sired will be long grown up and out of your hair!"
"Sorry, guys… but the wrath of one dwarf is looking awfully nice compared to this."
Indeed… 'Fate' has to be the biggest obstacle we've tried to overcome yet.
The time finally arrives as Aionius finishes his chanting. I say my final good-byes to everyone choosing to stay, and once again give my thanks to Murlynd for helping the crew. As I'm shaking his hand, however, I can't help but notice the swirling lights of the portal glinting off a shiny metallic brooch in the shape of a star pinned to his vest. As I peer at it, I can just make out a word engraved in the middle.
"What's a sheriff?" I can't help but mutter in curiosity.
Murlynd chuckles. "I guess you could call it part of the guard. Safe travels, my friends."
With a final wave to everyone we prepare the ship the best we can for whatever the fates have in store. Will we defy their plans and come out the other side, free to stop the machinations of tyrants bent on summoning a Spelljammer more powerful than anyone could imagine? Or will we be torn to pieces on the tides of Time itself?
…only one way to find out…