Arabella takes the opportunity to re-iterate everything to Marko about how to operate the aircart.
No sign of any masses of Orc tribes. I'll assume you'll get a message to the mayor to that effect one way or another.
Both the special edition of the newspaper, and the mayor's speech, emphasize that contrary to a rumor that was started this morning, WeMadeIt is under no immediate threat of Orc attack. However, the Guard is making every effort to stay alert, scouting parties will be doubled, and Guard drills increased. Despite these merely precautionary measures, there is no cause for alarm.
You have dinner, and sleep well. A new day dawns, what do you want to do with it?
Gathering supplies and anything else we might need. Maybe some ropes and climbing gear. We all get into the aircart and using the crystal compass as a "compass" head it the direction it points.
Sending WindDancer out on CAP (combat air patrol) every so often to circle us and reporting back. She can rest and then do it again.
"Off we go! May the gods protect us."
I'll assume Arabella permanently parts way with the group at this point.
The aircart is significantly faster than traveling by horse, but after 8 hours of travel, the compass has not changed direction.
Camping for the night?
Yes, finding a clearing setting down the aircart. Getting firewood and starting a nice fire. Cooking dinner. Deciding on a a watch order. Spending an uneventful night.
Can you mark on the map where we made it to?
The night passes without incident, and you continue on the entire next day. By the end of the day, the compass needle still hasn't changed direction, but it does seem to be pointing a little more "firmly" in the direction you've been travelling.
Setting up camp for the night? Doing anything else? Any round-the-campfire conversations?
Can you mark on the map where we are? I need some visual aids. What is the surroundings. Trees, praire, lakes, mountains.
"Might be good to let the mayor know of our progress. Connor, is WindDancer up to a trip back to WeMadeIt?"
Connor shrugs at Marko's suggestion. "Sure, but what's to report? We flew for two days?" The boy shrugs again.
Easily rivaling Xvark's enthusiasm over the meal, she briefly pauses in her noisy and messy attack of the delectable fruit to cock her head at the little creature. "Wwwndnsssr fffnd Cnnnrrr," she declares. "Ffflll llltlll-bgkh nnnsssd," she clarifies, briefly touching a paw to her chest, then her head, before returning her attention to the juicy fruit.
Which -- respecting an earlier request from her little-big -- she's eating on the ground, not on Con-nor's shoulder.
Fair enough, how about this, can we see the mountains in the distance yet?
"Xvark, your welcome to pilot the ship."
Yes, you can see mountains in the distance.
Xvark : make a Smarts roll to see how well you understood how to pilot the ship.
Xvark, thinking that this "ship" must work the way any other spaceship must, confidently grabs the controls and...the aircart starts to go into a dive! Marko grabs the controls and levels out.
Maybe it's because Xvark is used to flying in space, where there isn't any gravity...
... So after a few tries with Marko at the co-pilot seat, Xvark gets the hang of flying the machine.
The party continues on for "X" number of days, without incident as the mountains continue to grow larger in the distance . As the party gets even closer, the needle on the compass takes on a more steady, firm point.
The landscape below the group changes from the forest land of WeMadeIt to the more elevated type of forest (if Rocky Mountain type). The group, may have flown over a few determined pioneers, perhaps the group lands and warns them about the possible trouble so they can be prepared. The grateful land owners may have even given them a home cooked meal and some travel rations for their trip.
.
As the party nears what appears to be the location of the compass point, they dispatch Wind Dancer to report what was observed, Pioneers, Orc Camps etc. Approximate distances based on the flying machine rate of speed, anything unusual... And waits for WindDancer's return before continueing...
Finally one day, the compass starts to turn to the left as you're flying along, indicating that you're passing by a strong source of crystals.
For the next couple of hours you use the compass to get on a more direct heading, and it looks like you're flying directly towards the tallest mountain peak around.
"Now that we know where we're headed, probably a good idea to land and hide the sky-cart really well. The compass can take us the rest of the way on foot" Katana speculates out loud.
"Agreed, Xvark find a place to set us down where we can hide the cart. Make sure it is a place we can find again. Hate to forget where we parked."
"Excellent choice, put her down and let's get her covered up and get this show on the road."
As the party begins to trek northwards towards the huge ominous mountain peak, a shooting star (bright even in the full daylight) suddenly streaks in from the west. It sinks deep into the mountain with no immediate effect.
But then slowly, you feel thru your feet a steady rumble, like a mild earthquake. And as you watch, the entire mountain slowly seems to crumble downwards from within, until there is nothing but a hill to remind you that the mountain was even there.
K'Don grumbles at the sudden appearance of Xvark and instead of just swatting him off his shoulder, as a poor reaction roll would have intailed, he begrudgingly tolerates the little guy on his shoulder.
A few moments later, a...very large metal box...with windows...(sort of like a large carriage) comes swooping out of the sky from the west. There are bright lights coming out of its four bottom corners. It continues to drop, getting closer and closer to you. As it settles to the earth, you feel a hot wind coming from it.
As it settles to the ground, the bright lights and the hot wind fade out.
"Hmmm, Now that was otherworldly if I ever saw it. I wonder what it is? I'll go take a look."
K'Don draws his bat'leth and slowly approaches the metal box.
As K'Don approaches the metal box, about the size of a small one-room house, everyone hears a hissing sound, and part of the box starts to unfold, lowering to the ground to make a ramp.
You see what can only be described as a human-sized insect walk out on two legs. With one of its four arms, it holds up a translator ear bud for all to see, and inserts it. It gestures for you to do the same.
Once that's done, it says "We believe that particular threat to your civilization has been removed. There was a large underground...factory...creating war machines. It has been completely destroyed."
Pushing his glasses up on his nose Marko looks both confused and intrigued.
"My word, I believe a little more explaination is going to be necessary. Who is threating our civilization? What do you want from us?"
Sheathing his bat'leth, but still on the alert, K'Don, not as surprised as he would have been if not having seen the 'pedes...
"Who are you and what do you want?"
"What more explanation is needed other than the threat has been removed? There was a huge...city underneath that mountain, populated mostly by creatures like that one" (pointing at K'Don) "that were creating weapons and...machines of large-scale destruction. They have been destroyed.
We are the...'Thranx' would be the closest word you could pronounce. We heard of you thru tales of your exploits on the prison ship, and would ask your assistance with a task."
"What do you think Marko, Connor, Xvark? Looks like we saved WeMadeIt again. Too bad they will never know or reward us.
(to the Thranx) Let us send a message home that the threat has been removed. Then I'm for it."
"Oh my, that sounds facinating."
"The fastest way for you to tell 'home' is for us to take you there. Our ship is much faster than your crude flying machine. We can talk about the situation on the way."
[b]"Ok, the situation we set out to fix is fixed, let's go with these guys."[/]
"Xvark, my good ma.. fellow. These chaps are other worldly, your other worldly, do you know anything about them?"