<strong>Ellen</strong><br/><br/>"Ah, this ain't nothing let sailing on the sea, Ma'am." He said with a slight laugh, "The ship can practically run itself if we don't make any stops. Getting it to fly is the easy part. Making it stop without falling, though? Ugh, you have to recalibrate the whole thing and make sure the battery doesn't overload-"<br/><br/>He went off into a ramble about the more... technical details of an airship's construction. Ellen could keep up with some of the magical aspects of it, but the whole process appeared to be such a seemless mating of magic and technology that it was hard to tell where one ended and another began. It seemed like Aeune had all the resources in the world. Which might not have been far from the truth, considering how much the skyfleet promotes the very lucrative business of adventuring.<br/><br/>The next few days went without very many problems at all. Ellen did indeed get the time to speak with Ermon, and more than a few times Rathael had given her a wink or some flirtacious compliment, though it was impossible to tell whether or not he did this with every woman in his presence. The conversations had been remarkably superficial, though.<br/><br/>"Aha. We're coming over New Dazsu now." The captain said one morning as Ellen 'awoke'. From up above, Ellen could see a sprawling flat city beneath, though it produced quite a few columns of smoke and had an overall... dirty quality to it. The buildings were all very short but clustered together and crammed into whatever free land was available, although few white and gold temples to the Empress doted the landscape with courtyards and plenty of distance between them and the more polluted districts. "This'll be the last town before we reach the wild lands. After this it's all tribals and caves."<br/><br/><strong>Ivette</strong><br/><br/>The Captain of Idao's guard seemed more alert than most of her compatriots, though she still seemed... somehow unaware of her own actions. They seemed this way, reduced to a most basic functioning and without any personal. Ivette was brought to a large dining hall with the Grand Lord sitting at the far end. There was no food laid out, however. So much for Sellowyn's modesty, he had certainly been a<strong>much</strong>better host! At least he didn't try to have her killed.<br/><br/>Idao rubbed the back of his neck and pulled the collar of his robes up to his jaw before he stood up and expressionlessly said, "Welcome, Lady... Eve?"<br/><br/>His eyes darted down for a moment as he collected his thoughts, "I'll have to look at the guest list again. But I witnessed your performance against the trolls in this castle's dungeon, and I believe I am very pleased."<br/><br/><strong>Oona</strong><br/><br/>An Orc passing the half-minotaur barbarian arched an eyebrow at her exclamation, looking at her with alarm as he walked by. A goblin passing by him shook his head and quietly mouthed with amusement, "Tribals." The pair softly chuckled at her expense.<br/><br/>Most of the citizens seemed too concerned with their own affairs to really pay very much mind to Oona's outburst. Everything was so busy here, it seemed like nobody knew who anyone else was either! The goblins were so impersonal as well, a priestess and her two orc guards just walked by keeping everyone at arm's length with unfriendly glares. It may have at least been a better alternative to all the discrimination she suffered back at her tribe for her heritage. At least the full-blooded humans of her tribe were kind to one another.<br/><br/>"Excuse me." Came a voice from behind the barbarian as she felt a slight tapping upon her shoulder. The source was none other than a gnoll! A full two, possibly more, feet above her, he peered down at Oona with what passed for a polite smile on a Gnoll's face. "You look like you just came in out of the wilds... Are you lost?"<br/><br/>Another subversion, he was dressed as the goblins and orcs were... in a slightly dirty tunic and leggings with a scarf around his neck, and certainly revealing less skin than any member of Oona's tribe, male<em>or</em>female. Still, he seemed to be something of a warrior, with a greatsword strapped to his back, an assortment of gear upon his belt and heavy boots tailored for his hind paws.<br/><br/><strong>Dexter</strong><br/><br/>The runes cackled with energy as Dexter heard the lightning strike the statue outside once again. The crystal ball shuttered as little static charges crawled along its' surface. Actually, it began to crack. A second bolt may have been too much for it as the room shuddered for a moment.<br/><br/>And then dissapeared. The darkened walls faded, leaving the sea plainly visible. "Wagh!" Dirae shouted, though she quickly collected herself once she realized that water<em>wouldn't</em>come pouring in from the holes forming in the building.<br/><br/>It seemed like Dexter had recharged the invisibility spell that the wizard's diary mentioned. At least from here the archivist and his pirate companion were afforded a view of what was beneath the waves unadultered. There did indeed seem to be ruins upon the sea floor. Hazy dark outlines of towers and buildings, many toppled over atop one another and crumbling. They were a fair distance away from it all, though... so this tower must have either been constructed after Ongwyn was destroyed or at least moved further away.<br/><br/>Beneath the (now floating in mid-water as it appeared) archivist and pirate, a long and massive chain extended from one side of the tower into the sea floor below, it too covered in glowing runes. It seemed that the chain was spared from the original illusion that had just now been recharged.<br/><br/>"Huh..." Dirae said, tentatively sticking her hand out to find a solid wall.<br/><br/>"What just happened!?" Came a shout from above. "Don't worry about it!" Dirae replied. After staring at the chain for awhile, she turned to Dexter, "So, this thing was just poking up out of the waves when we first found it. And then you zapped it and the whole tower came up. So, doest that mean it can also go down...?"