Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Eberron is a world of pulp noir where swashbuckling and intrigue run rampant. The Last War is over, the war to end all wars, but many say the fighting has simply shifted from the battlefield to the shadows.

In the wake of a long and terrible war, a world struggles to find its destiny. Will it descend once more into brutal conflict and end in spectacular annihilation, or will the world emerge at last into a new era of peace and prosperity? One group of heroes hopes to make Eberron a better place. The Grey Company, formed by a collection of heroes recruits new members to their growing ranks -- you among them.

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by Vardaen » Fri May 01, 2020 2:52 pm

Taris holds the Shard, and then focuses on it....

A singular image comes into her mind....

Image
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by RorytheRomulan » Tue May 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Taris observes for a moment. "I see a glowing city. It's...it's larger than I ever thought possible. It's on a coast?" she wonders out loud. "There are mountains behind it. There's a ship in the air flying toward it...opening some kind of barrier."

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by Vardaen » Fri May 08, 2020 7:14 pm

"A city of towers? With a floating island hovering above?" Katrina asks. When you confirm that she smiles, "Well that's both good and bad news. That could be no other city other than Sharn the City of Towers. From here to there we could book you passage on an Air Ship or traditional sea ship to cross from Xen'drik to Khorvair through the Straits of Shargon." She considers, "Yet Sharn is massive, and built atop so many layers of ruins and cities before it, I fear you will need to use the Shard of Lust many times to narrow down the search."
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by ManWithDoor » Sat May 09, 2020 12:12 am

Zeevan is impressed that they made such a positive identification so quickly. "Well done! It narrows it down considerably. Even though this Sharn is massive, as Katrina says, it is a far cry from wandering an entire continent." She looks thoughtfully at Taris and Katrina. "Is the airship a normal means of traveling to the City of Towers? Or could this be more prophetic, in that we should travel there by the air?"
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by RorytheRomulan » Sat May 09, 2020 1:43 am

Taris shrugs. "The airship in the vision was pretty close up and visible. I think that makes it meaningful. If it isn't a particular vessel we should be looking for, we should be going by airship regardless. We'll take turns divining the location of the next shard, to be safe. How long is the trip if we take the sky route?"

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by Vardaen » Fri May 15, 2020 2:17 pm

Katrina stands and takes a book of a shelf, she leafs through it and lays it down. "Let us be clear... is this the city you saw?" She lays out the book for you to see.

Image

"There is buy one city in all the world like it. Air Ships travel to and from it daily, I would not think too hard on that point." She sits back down, "There are three main ways to cross the Straits of Shargon, from Stormreach to Sharn. The first is by ship across the ocean. Unfortunately ship travel has grown more dangerous. A Kraken is still on the loose and we have been unable to drive it off permanently. The Coin Lord continues to struggle with this as well, making sea travel trouble some. Those ships braving the water are eager for passengers, but they seem to be hiking up the prices daily to cover the cost of the danger."

She goes on, "The second is by telelportation from the house of Orien. If Lord Va'trith was present, he could simply use his Mark of Passage and take you all from here to there in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, like I mentioned before, he is away. The cost to teleport between cities is rather high, the Grey Company could support your trip, perhaps paying 25% of the cost, but that would leave you with a few thousand gold each to pay."

"The third way is by Air Ship of House Lyrandar, " she sighs. "This is trouble as well, as the last time the Grey Company and House Lyrandar in Stormreach interacted things did not go that well. They have a thing against the Oriens and blame us for troubles they experienced with terrorists trying to take one of their ships down. Still, this may be the quickest and safest way. If we were to book you passage through a few back channels, and you kept your affiliation with the Grey Company a secret you should be able to book passage on the next ship making the journey for a reasonable price."
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by RorytheRomulan » Sat May 16, 2020 5:35 pm

Taris nods along and waits patiently for her chance to speak. "This is it. Right down to that 'skyway' thing. There was a bright light coming from that. In fact, that could have been the...Sun." She turns a slight shade of pink.

Taris looks at Zeevan and Ceridwen - the new member, and the new woman - and back to Katrina. "Does either house have anything against Thrane or Her people?"

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by ManWithDoor » Thu May 21, 2020 3:58 am

Zeevan listens intently to the different mods of travel to this City of Sharn. "Being eaten by a kraken or selling myself into indentured servitude both sound less than ideal. And none of us are long-established or famous members of the Grey Company. I feel confident we could pass as neutral travelers, avoiding uncomfortable entanglements. At least, that would be my preference."

Looking back at Taris, he arcs and eyebrow. "What did you have in mind? What did you think up?"
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by RorytheRomulan » Fri May 22, 2020 1:39 pm

"Oh, no big ideas here. We're all new faces, like you said." She shrugs, with the barest hint of a brief smile at her own witticism. "But, I'm still a Grey Maiden, my leave of absence notwithstanding. Going as we are, if my armor is likely to draw attention, I'd like to be forewarned, that's all."
Fun fact: if we had managed to kill Orianna *and* survived the battle with the succubus, Taris would have officially quit the Grey Maidens. By her reckoning, with Orianna still breathing, there's a hope yet that she may find the order worth returning to when these adventures are over. Or maybe continuing to serve as their liaison with the Grey Company, but that hasn't entered her mind.

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Book 3: Chapter 1 - Strait to It

Post by Othniel » Sat May 23, 2020 4:38 pm

Ceridwen appears intrigued. "I have heard of these sky ships, but have never been on one. I can fly on my own for hours at a time in bird form, but not so large as to carry you all, nor for so long as to cross that distance."

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