"As a hint, if you have to say no offense, well, you probably said something offensive. I like the sound of this gnome. Daredevil! That means more chance for glory and wondrous tales!"
A bit more asking around confirms that Sisivel is an air mephit and that Nix can be found on the 1st tier, 8th dock.
Nix is a scrappy pink-haired gnome that the party finds busily working on her ship - a piecemeal construction of scrap metal, crystal shards, and sails that look like a patchwork quilt - when they arrive.
She tosses a scorched plank of wood aside and stares at the party in bewilderment as you approach. "You're a motley crew if I've ever seen one. What can I help you with?"
"We are looking for an airship. You wouldn't happen to be hiding one behind this heap of scrap?" Hopefully that sounded obnoxious and wizardly enough.
"Mhheeppit I think The HeaP of Ssscrap ISsss the AirSssship" Rhyol vents innocently once again not getting the venom behind the words of The Torrent.
"HeLlo LittLe Knome My NaMe Is RhYol" She says pausing for the next part.
"I'm a To... Too..Two..Thoqqua She finally finishes "Do YoU Know WheRe NiXx is?"
Jamila steps up and attempts to salvage the introduction.
"Ahh greetings, my name is Jamila, and we seek a captain brave enough to take us into danger. I'm sure you've heard of the lost ships, we're here to help and to give you the opportunity to get involved."
Before jumping straight into it.
The gnomes animated features twist into a frown as Octarus and Rhyol's insults, intended or not.
"This scrap heap is the finest thing to grace these skies in a long time... most of the time. And you'd best remember that! If you're looking for Nix, you found her", she explains while jabbing a thump into her chest.
The pink-haired gnome doesn't take Jamila's bait and just shakes her head. "Hrumph. If you're looking for a brave captain you won't find one braver but I won't risk damage to my ship for just anyone."
"I'm not anyone I'm Rhyol I'm A Tok.. Tuk..Thoqqua" She says "Besides We NeeD A light Weight CaptaiN So We RemaiN BalanceD making what could pass as a thumbs up to Zephyr at least for a creature lacking digits.
Diplo - Aid
"Correct. You are the only person for the task. It is fated. The balance must be maintained and you have all the right elements in order. We're not just anybody, we're walking harmony. When can we set off?"
Frowning, big arms crossed, "We are investigating the dangers of the Plane of Air, there is something disturbing the balance here, we need to find out and need an airship captain of your. . .caliber to help us,"
"Look at our fine crew! Look at the brave hearts that will be on board! Your ship and self will go down in epic tales as those that helped restore the air elemental plane to glory!"
Ember begins to tap her foot and her poem --
"It was six in the city of air
who sought a captain, bold and brave
and the gnome Nix with the patchwork ship
took them in and to the skies
off toward adventure, sure as day."
Ember looks anxiously as she finishes her recitation. "What do you think? My composition skills are rather rusty, but I think it gets better every time. I think the fearless gnome and her crew makes for a good addition."
Between Zephyr, Krakos, and a bit of Ember's lyrical magic, Nix's resolve softens. "Okay, let's pretend I'm interested. The rest of you don't exactly look like experienced deckhands or deckhands of any kind. Do you even know the difference between a gyropop and a samophlange? And I'm pretty sure that one's going to burn a hole through my ship", she adds with a nod at Rhyol. "I'm sorry, what are you again?"
Jamila smiles, glad for discussions to have improved after that... opening.
"Rhyol is a Thoqqua, a rather unique one at that. I assure you we have no wish to damage your unique ship, it is quite beautiful. We are not experienced sailors but Zephyr can manipulate the wind, a skill I am assured is quite useful in this sort of endeavour."
Nodding along with Jamila, "Indeed, our friend here can regulate its heat so as to not burn any of the bits and baubles on your ship, which are quite remarkable,"
"I am not quite the arcane savant, as I can tell you are, most of this stuff is so remarkable its beyond my comprehension, only a truly amazing airship captain could pilot such a ship,"
"Are HandSsss needed to be A gOoD Deck HanD?" Rhyol steams as she wags her tail around.
Ember swoops over to part of the ship and studies it for a second. "One of my swarm mates loved looking into reactors that some of the efreet used to store energy. Now, it looks like you've got a small fusion engine on board. Is that right?"
She looks at Nix with with a slightly strained smiles. Please, oh please let that be right! I hope she likes us.
"Of course she's got a fusion engine", Nix says indignantly. "What else would I use to power the ice dispenser? That said, you've got a good eye... Maybe you lot aren't as useless as I thought."
"Alright Miss Jamila and Miss Rhyol. I'll take you and your friends on your little suicide mission but I'm not cheap! And she's got to wear an asbestos blanket as long as she's aboard", the gnome adds with another nod at the thoqqua.
"Are HandSsss needed to be A gOoD Deck HanD?" Rhyol steams as she wags her tail around.
"Uh, no. Not necessarily. Prehensile tails, claws, and any other grabby appendage will work."
Know Geo
"And look at the make of this ship - some might say it is a little eccentric, but look at all the regions represented in it - this is more than a ship, it is a canvas, and upon it is etched the many ports it has seen and travelled, far and wide..." Zephyr points out the regional significance of various parts.
The mephit looks around the ship, not looking to happy that this is looking to be their transport. I'm glad I can fly. I don't think this thing is fit to get us wherever we are going. Is this really the kind of thing Octarus does regularly? I might have to rethink this whole concordance thing.
"YaaY BlanKetSsss KeeP me Warm Rhyol steams as she wiggles a happy dance.
Looking around at the skydock that they are at.
What an interesting place, I wonder if the Fossilized King would be interested in such a place. . .
Krakos speaks up, "Give me a second, I'll be right back, I'd like to check something out first, should be 5 minutes top,"
He'll slink off and
After a couple hours of prepartion Nix is ready to depart. True to her word she tosses a thick cream-colored blanket over Rhyol before the thoqqua can slither aboard.
Despite the constant rattles and whines from Nix's ship, the journey into the open skies proceeds without incident for several days. The fearless gnome skillfully maneuvers the ship from one high-speed current to another, accelerating it to speeds faster than dragon flight. Past the borders of Armun Kelisk, the city’s artificial cycle of day and night gives way to eternal midday and the party is taught to use landmarks such as crystal formations, distant bright spots in the sky, and eternal storms that rage countless leagues away to chart their passage.
Roughly four days later, Nix slows the ship almost to a halt and frowns as she studies several of her clockwork instruments. "I don't like this at all. I'm detecting substantial irregularities in the currents ahead. It's not safe for a ship of this size to progress further - she can't turn quickly enough to avoid unpredictable gusts and her wide sails would be torn to shreds. The site you want is still over a day away by airship, which would make traveling there by natural flight dangerous and lengthy. The dragon might be able to make it but I don't think the rest of you have the kind of agility it takes to keep up with her. There's got to be a way to get you there... Let me see..."
The gnome leaves the helm and begins digging through crates of assorted detritus, tossing gizmos and whats-its aside haphazardly. "What you need is something smaller and sturdy to take you the rest of the way. Something well... something gnomelike!"
"Ah ha!" she says as she drags a large bundle of canvas, timber, and steel wire free from a crate. She removes a plug in its side and attaches a nozzle to it. Rapidly the bundle expands into a sizable blimp with a large hanging basket that floats free from the rest of the ship.
She beams delight and ties a rope from the blimp to the rail of her ship. “Normally this sort of thing would require bringing a dangerous heat source aboard to keep it afloat, but with Rhyol, you should be able to power this balloon, no problem.”
Ember looks around and wrinkles her nose. "I'll need to set up a seat or something. Don't want to get thrown from the basket on a hard turn."
"How do we pilot this thing, anyway?"
Rhyol wraps the blanket around herself like a cape, no easy accomplishment for a creature with no hands. While on the journey she spends her time following Octarus around asking questions, wrapped around a mast sleeping and talking to Nix while trying to find metals to nibble on and telling her about "The Rock".
Rhyol looks at the ship then back to Nix "ArE you Coming With uSssss she says.
Seeing that so far has been so good Zephyr spends a lot of time staring off into the distance, brow furrowed in deep thought. The concentration is broken at the news of the change of mode of transport.
"You noted earlier we are no pilot-sailors, how does one steer this amazing contraption?"
"No, I won't be coming with you. I need to stay here with my airship", Nix explains as she retrieves a few more items and offers them to the party.
A small rune-carved stone. "This is a magical flare. Give it a smack on something solid and it'll be visible for miles in any direction. If things get really bad I'll know and I'll try to stage a rescue."
A larger wooden box full of protruding metal wires. "You can use this to communicate with me. The distance isn't limitless but it should be good enough for the day or so that you'll be sailing."
A crate packed with books on esoteric subjects.
"The blimp isn't too complicated to operate. You just need to use the rudder and fins to steer while Rhyol regulates the heat in the balloon. If you were paying attention at all over the last few days this should be a cinch!"
"Ummmmm.... that's really helpful, but my hands are so small. I'm tiny. Maybe Jamila should steer instead? I could recite a poem of her greatness!"
"Remember the Janni Jamila
The howling winds on the sailing air
Remember the gallant gal who steered
the concordance over there.
The wind does blow and the air does fight
with Jamila we sail through the night.
Ember looks expectantly at Jamila and her hawk. Oh, I do wish that she likes me! It doesn't seem like anyone really likes me in this whole group. Oh! Maybe I should ask stories about them!
Jamila will proudly take the helm and makes sure everything is shipshape.
Still unsure of this turn of events with the smaller transport, Octarus reluctantly boards the balloon life boat. "Lets get this over with."
Shaking his head, "This is a nightmare, but if its the only way, lets get on with it,"
Once the party has had a chance to familiarize themselves with the new vessel Nix points at a miles-wide cloud bank in the distance, and a spire of yellow quartzite emerging from the near side of the bank.
“The sky charts show you which currents to use. Pass through the clouds up ahead, then seek out a cloud of purple gas. Keep the cloud on the port side, and don’t go into it — it’s quite poisonous. Once you’ve passed the cloud, keep an eye out for a sea of boulders that ebbs and flows like water. The dangerous skies surround that sea. And remember, take care of the ship and supplies I’m lending you. I’ll be charging more on your letter of credit if I don’t get them back. The food and water are yours to keep, of course. When you leave the area, use the quartzite mountain as a landmark. Set off the signal near the mountain, and we’ll come back to this spot to pick you up. You’ll be able to see us from there.”
Zephyr seems quite happy as he stares out into the distance, back into the expanse of open air. "I am unsure how I might best assist, perhaps it will come clearer as we sail... perhaps move the air in a way that aids us?"
Zzzepheyr YoU could be The NaVvvigator Rhyol Steams as she continues to heat the air around her propelling the ship.
Jamila looks to Ember
"You got all that? I'd hate to forget an important detail halfway though."
MaYbe SssomeBodY with HandSsss Ssshold write that down Rhyol suggests to the group once again offering some of her insight more out of her wanting to be acknowledged in the smart talk of the group.
"Hmmm, I shall navigate - good plan"
The airy druid takes up a good vantage point from which to keep an eye on the skies...
In most parts of the Plane of Air, each individual chooses the direction of gravity’s pull. When walking on solid surfaces, choosing the direction of the surface to be “down” is relatively intuitive and does not require a skill check. In midair, creatures with natural flight can fly normally. Those without the ability to fly, or those who would prefer to move faster, can attempt to set the direction of gravity.
Once per round as a free action, an individual can attempt a DC 16 Wisdom check to pick a new direction for gravity. If she succeeds, she begins falling in that direction, moving 150 feet in a straight line on the first round and 300 feet on each succeeding round. If she fails, she can attempt the Wisdom check again the following round. The DC decreases to 12 until she succeeds. Once an individual starts falling in a direction, stopping requires a successful DC 16 Wisdom check to set gravity in the exact opposite direction. If she succeeds, she continues falling 150 feet in her original direction for 1 round, then stops.
Because an individual in free fall cannot stop quickly, performing actions during the fall is difficult. However, the PCs may ready actions and perform them during the free fall, such as readying an action to grab an object or to attack a creature while soaring past it. Moving past an opponent in this manner provokes at attack of opportunity.
A character under the effects of a feather fall spell falls at only 60 feet per round and gains a +2 circumstance bonus on the Wisdom checks to change direction.
***
On their own now, the party sets out for the last leg of your trip. The journey progresses smoothly at first. Although the occasional harsh gust of wind blows the party off course, you're are able to right yourselves without much trouble. As the party passes through the cloud bank, you find that your next landmark, a cloud of hazy purple gas, is nowhere to be seen. There is also no sign of the boulder landmark the party is supposed to find next. Instead, hundreds of small storm clouds, miniature hailstorms, collections of pebbles, and heaps of airship wreckage dot the landscape. In the distance, an incongruously dark patch of sky emerges, serving as a canvas for bright flashes of color, like swirling fireworks.
While the party is busy considering what to do next, an invisible hazard strikes the blimp — a sudden, powerful wind smacks into the vessel causing it to spin and lurch violently. In an instant, the ship’s aerial astrolabe goes from calmly displaying blue and green ripples, which represent the nearby wind currents, to displaying bright red waves and emitting a high-pitched shrieking sound.
The blimp’s equipment flies off in five different directions:
1) The ship’s supplies of food and water fly off and get caught on a pile of densely packed pebbles.
2) The wooden box full of protruding metal wires that the party has been using to keep in touch with Nix becomes tangled in a piece of a wrecked airship’s sail.
3) The box of sky charts careens off toward a cloud of ice.
4) The ship's astrolabe flies directly toward a nearby elemental. It appears curious and happy about its new acquisition.
5) The crate of books on various plane of air topics flies off in a separate empty direction.
The party is sent careening off the ship into the empty air as well. Along the way you are battered by airborne debris.
Rapidly more curious elementals appear to investigate the site of the violent collision.
feeling the impact of the ship hitting something unseen Rhyol steams unenthusiastically "We HaD one Job"
Stumbling around in the blimp, bumping into Rhyol, scorching his buttocks, cursing "Seven hells, what happened?!"
Seeing the elementals, Krakos shouts out a greeting "You lot out there, help us out a bit, won't ya?"