<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/67/69/53/676953fdd949f342ae05c150a338c158.jpg)</div>RAYMOND WILDER | WIZARD | PL1<br/>HP: 12 | AC : 12 | Active Perception: 9<br/>Character Sheet (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1910565)<br/><br/>When Kumina asked Wilder if the airship was safe, the young wizard guffawed.<br/><br/>"Neither is the airship a safe, nor is it safe, my dear woman," Wilder responded with a sly smile.   "It is an airship that sails through the clouds at forty knots.  Such a thing could never be made safe.  It will always be dangerous."<br/><br/>To Dart, some time later:   "Aye, it would be simple to explore from up here with looking glasses, but I don't think the Lord Mayor would permit us to use his ship in such a fashion.  Honestly, I think he was more interested in securing our departure more than anything.  My departure, I think."  There was a soft, knowing grin.<br/><br/>Wilder attempted to avoid the conversation between Kate, Fu-Ming, and Mana, even though he concurred with Kate.  He knew better, as he was familiar with all sorts of magical creatures.<br/><br/>Some time later:<br/><br/>The vessel descended from the skies down slowly over the Stolen Lands.  It docked upon a the ten-foot wooden palisade of what appeared to be a fort upon a hill.   "This is the trading post," Wilder announced.  The corners of the post had four 20-foot by 20-foot watchtowers, each armed with run-down catapults.  From their vantage, the party could see that a man was working on one of the siege engines.<br/><br/>To the south, the green line of the Narlmarches looms only a few miles away.  To the north, they could see a road that stretched eastward as far as the eye could see, and to the east, but only a ways until it hooked northward.<br/><br/>Though the trading post has but one entrance, a 30-foot-wide wooden gate, the party disembarked upon the northern palisade.  There, they were met by two people-- Oleg Leveton, master of the trading post, and a man in armor named Kesten Garess.<br/><br/>"Good morning, Oleg," Wilder said happily as he descended the gangway and stood beside the man.   "How do you do?"<br/><br/>"It is truly good that you have come, sir," Oleg responded as he shook Wilder's hand.   "You do not know what troubles have befallen us," he said.<br/><br/>"Oh no, it cannot be as bad as all that, sir," Wilder responded cheerfully.<br/><br/>"I am afraid it is worse!" Oleg said, covering his eyes.<br/><br/>"It truly is, Master Wilder," Kesten said.   "Before we arrived, a group of bandits descended upon the trading post.  They stole some of our supplies, and... they kidnapped Oleg's wife."  Kesten attempted to be sensitive about it.<br/><br/>"Blimey, that's terrible news," Wilder replied.  He shook Oleg's arm and said:  "We will do everything that we can for your wife, believe me."<br/><br/>"There is something else," Kesten said,  "The bandits intend to return tomorrow morning to collect a ransom.  I have had one of my soldiers tinker with the catapult, while the others have been working on improving the perimeter, in order to present a sufficient response, but I do not think that we will be able to hold them off for long."<br/><br/>Stewards delivered their kits hastily.  Aleph was more difficult to remove from the vessel, since it was decided that allowing the horse anywhere near the tips of the palisades could injure him, so the horse was slowly descended into the courtyard via winch.<br/><br/>(https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/images/1944586/kesten.jpg)<br/>(https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/images/4369424/jamaica_inn_by_sunsetagain-d6u7g3e.jpg)<br/><br/>This is what the keep looks like:<br/><br/>(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZ_n7qKF4A6VSDq8kSGCbjFbqHqHtYrjDPRXykw9W9u3AV-9Ka)<br/><br/>This is a layout of the keep:<br/><br/>(https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/assets/279349/Olegs-Trading-Post.jpg?1388710022)<br/><br/>