(Ok, I’ll try to resolve the time gap issue.  And sorry for the “catch up” text wall.  I’ll break it into paragraphs.  Remember the gnome said: “The dwarf guy is just getting to town. He didn't want to use an airship, so he took a boat.”  Well…)<br/><br/>Thorgrim Masterson kept himself from puking only by virtue of having already evacuated everything in his intestines.  He hated sailing, but it was a damned sight better than using a @#$%%^! Airship.  At least the ship was tied in port.  The oceanic part of the voyage was MUCH worse.  He held the rope rails of the gangplank until he reached dry land, paused and took a deep breath.  Much better.  He’d been told the metal airship was breached on the coast of Queensland, and that a small army of soldiers, sages and such would be assembling at the University of Cockaigne to make their way to the site tomorrow…on an airship.  Thorgrim “HARUMPH!’ed” as he strode toward the stables to buy a horse and some food and drink for both of them to last the journey.  The sages assured him that the coast of Queensland should be solid, if sandy and narrow, for most of the ride to the site.<br/><br/><br/>And so it came to pass that as Shyeal, Mneta, Cheerwind, Warren and Chip were standing on the beach, circling around the glass field, they were interrupted by the thud of hoof beats and whinny of a clydesdale ridden by a dwarf dressed like a Goth Musketeer.  He had the floppy feathered hat, a neat black coat, black pants seamed with red threaded stitches and a frilly white shirt, the whole accented with gold and ruby jewelry at strategic places.  Hatband, cufflinks, tie clasp and belt buckle.  Even his communicator necklace has a ruby.  His red hair is tied into a ponytail and his beard neatly woven into twin braids.<br/><br/>He’s looking through the crowd, looking past you once, then doing a double take.  “YOU!”, he bellows.  “Different races, fancy dress, magic necklaces and whatever the hell YOU are, you must be the envoys or I WON”T eat my hat cause I lost that bet before and the damned things taste AWFUL!  I’m Thorgrim Masterson, Dwarven Envoy.  Lets get this party started”.  Thava joins them as they make their way toward the ship and they find that Thorgrim is almost as talkative as Thava.<br/><br/><br/>“…So after the elders decided to put up a warning, they imagined several scenarios from “space armada” to “crash and blow up”.  This looks like the “disabled merchant ship” scenario.  So they probably aren’t going to be able to formally make any treaties, but they can put a word in for us.  That’s why the elders decided to sit this one out and do the “communicator necklaces and shanghai underlings into negotiating for us” routine.  They’ll have the psions or soothsayers or whoever they got for the “interrogate the visitors” job to contact the elders as best they can.  Meanwhile, we’re supposed to put a word in for our races, since records of high tech cultures meeting low tech cultures don’t go so well.  The Mana field is our best defense.”<br/><br/>By now the negotiators have been invited aboard ship, where the Mess hall has been turned into a negotiating room.  The Captain opens by saying “I won’t lie to you.  I’m just a merchant ship captain.  I can control the actions of myself, my ship and my crew and I promise you that we won’t attack you.  If we can find a way around the energy, I mean…Mana?…field effects we’re happy to trade.  And we will make certain to take your case before the galactic alliance, however you want to interact with us, joining the alliance or having yourselves declared “off limits”<br/><br/>Thorgrim speaks in favor of isolation, to guarantee the weapons aren’t used against them.<br/><br/>Warryn speaks in favor of joining, imagining the treasure trove of technology would provide a defense against technological weapons.<br/><br/>Podzevitch speaks in favor of joining, reasoning that since the aliens have explained they can’t protect against stray threats like pirate ships that joining would have space police to help and our world would be seen as an ally, “us” instead of “them”.<br/><br/>(Sorry Thava, you jumped WAY ahead.  Everyone feel free to give your character’s view point, maybe “protect the environment” or something, then we’ll see what they do)