The captain’s nest has been spared little better than the rest of the Sasskiana, though it is evident that some efforts have been made to restore it to a semblance of working order, though the smell of smoke and burnt flesh is still in the air.  As you shuffled through the door, Thrane is already present, discussing some matters with some of the other crew members, though their voices a too low to make out anything in particular.  Amongst those already present are the familiar faces of Illoryn Shast, Mellisan Nakillos, and Tassil Lornfel.<br/><br/>When it is evident that no more people will be coming, Thrane waves away those with whom he was engaged in discussion with.  He regards the assembled crowd without much sentiment, but at last he nods with satisfaction.<br/><br/>“My thanks for your attendance,” he begins, his voice firm and his tone measured.  “Less than I had hoped for, but more than I expected.  I will not again relate events to you – I’m sure you are all very familiar with them by now.  To say we are in a bad way would be to put it mildly: though the damage to the ship is fairly severe, it is not the sort that will prevent us from getting air-born again, but even so, we are without clue as to where we are, and thus, how to get back home.<br/><br/>“We all have our work cut out for us, and for now they are twofold.  The most obvious is restoring power to the ship; the meteorite shower devastated the elemental chambers, but fortunately, I have it on good authority that at least two of them are still working.  However, in the chaos, the elementals within escaped and cause a good bit of damage in the process – they’ll either have to be found or else replaced – without which, this ship is going nowhere.  Though we only need an elemental of air to get us flying again, we’ll also need one of fire to return functionality to the rest of the ship – lighting, hot baths, hot meals, making the Sasskiana’s hull resistant to fire – you get the picture.  Some of you will have to go into the surrounding lands and find such, in addition to obtaining wood and supplies to fix the hull.”<br/><br/>“The rest of you will be required on ship to take care of an issue that has arisen in the cargo hold.  The Sasskiana, whilst a vessel built for exploration, was also one made to gather certain rare components and... specimens for those who helped to sponsor the building of this ship.  During the confusion, most of these broke loose of their confinements.  Usually I’d send the Free Companions to deal with an issue such as this, but many crewmembers have become somewhat unruly in the aftermath of this chaos – I can’t afford to have profiteers exploit this situation any further – already, some of our supply closets have been broken into and items missing.”<br/><br/>“Comrades.<em>Friends</em>.  I need this ship back in order and I need it to happen as quickly as possible.  Things must be returned to a semblance of normalcy if we are to begin to extricate ourselves from this mess.  Shortly I will see you into your respective groups, so prepare yourselves for assignment and you duties.  That will be all.  Thank you.”<br/><hr/><br/>Almost half an hour after the meeting in the Captain’s Nest, Thrane calls forward<strong><acronym title="kongming">Alluan</acronym></strong>,<strong><acronym title="Anon315">Ferren</acronym></strong>,<strong><acronym title="Carny">Iksenitrix</acronym></strong>,<strong><acronym title="Phaia">Rainna</acronym></strong>, and<strong><acronym title="Loki Aesir">Tsume</acronym></strong>to serve in capacity as the Sasskiana’s special task group in dealing with the disturbances within the ship’s cargo hold.  Thrane informs you to be prepared for anything – amongst some of the exotic acquisitions in the cargo where such things as large spiders and some kind of large canine creatures with which he is not familiar with.  Before everyone get on the elevator, Thrane gives into the hands of<strong>Ferren</strong>a blue faceted gem: “Use this to activate the elevator from the bottom by inserting it back into the control pedestal – the last crew members removed it when they left to prevent anything from finding its way up – as I understand it, some of the things down there are intelligent enough to do so, so remember to remove it when you leave the vicinity of the elevator.”<br/><br/>“Please ensure that you are properly prepared before heading down; we have already lost enough crew members – we can ill afford to lose you as well.  Although I discourage it, certain… people, have noted an interest to capture the creatures alive and have assured me that they will be<em>very</em>grateful if you were to do so.  What form that gratitude may take isn’t exactly clear, but between you and me, I say get rid of the vermin.  It’s always possible to find others on our journey without endangering the crew further.”<br/><br/>“Also, see if you can placate the remaining crew on board; I’ve heard that many are simply talking about abandoning ship and diving into the wilderness, but if that happens, any hope of us getting back home disappears.  Attend to your duties as you see fit.  I’ll be in the Captain’s Nest until nightfall, and Lady Nakillos will be in her new quarters or the Captain’s Library if you require esoteric consultation.”<br/><br/>With those words in mind, Thrane leaves you to your own devices.