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Orange-and-violet skies streaked with clouds surround the expansive city of Armun Kelisk, the largest settlement on the Plane of Air. Armun Kelisk’s six other districts float far above upon platforms of ice and stone. The pull of gravity is strong here—even objects that are not secured rest firmly upon the ground rather than floating into the air. Hundreds of thousands of genies and other beings of air fly through the streets of this bustling metropolis.
Ashasar, Liaison to the Seat of Balance, sits perched on the low roof of a building labeled the Four Winds. Although he represents the most powerful member of the Concordance’s ruling council, his manner is whimsical. A cloud of dust in the shape of an airship flies around his head, bobbing, weaving, and making whooshing noises.
“I am glad to see all of you here. Step inside, please.” He hops gracefully off the roof and enters the building. The dustairship follows closely behind him.
Inside the building, travelers gather around low tables, enjoying the establishment’s renowned cooking. An air elemental carries a trio of plates to a new table, each bearing some sort of pie with a halo of bubbles floating above it. “It simply would not do to set a team without the proper balance on a task as important as this one—we must combat what may be a grave threat, and we have the chance to gain respect from those who dismiss us as a radically idealistic organization. But I’ve gotten ahead of myself again, haven’t I? Your task is simple in the telling, meaning that it promises to be anything but simple in the doing. That is always the way of things, is it not?"
“Airship captains have reported a region of disturbed currents where the flows of air upon which they rely have become erratic. Several ships have disappeared entirely, and all travel through the area has ceased. As far as I’ve been able to discern, no one has had the crucial combination of courage and dedication to journey to the heart of the irregularities and uncover the sources of the imbalance. Find this source and put a stop to it if you can. It’s far enough away that you’ll need an airship for at least part of the journey. How close you’ll be able to get, well, that I cannot say. It depends upon the bravery of the captains and the silver on your tongues, I suppose,” Ashasar chuckles. “Any questions for me?”
The worm-like thoqqua looks across the roof and out over the expanse of Armun Kelisk. So many people and buildings here. And still all the open space. Barely any ground to cling to, to dig through. This plane is so strange.
She looks around at the other creatures as they gather on the rooftop, but few seem to be reaching out to her. Rhyol doesn't mind - she's used to it. Even beyond the 'dumb' reputation thoqquas bear, Rhyol's reddish exterior is dotted with strange green metal that glints in the light and marks her as even more bizarre. Still, as Ashasar comes and brings them into the restaurant she listens patiently and attnetively to his story. Then the thoqqua asks a question (itself an unusual accomplishment for her race), steam and air forced out from her plating and mouth to form words in passable Auran.
So part of the air is misbehaving. Do you suspect a person is behind it? Or maybe another plane is too close to it. Hot air makes the air around go higher: maybe the disturbance is Fire based.
The thoqqua turns her head to the others. Oh, I am rude. My name is Rhyol.
A sylph, dressed in flowing druid trappings with a sky motif, says "The sky is uneasy. It is not enough to simply stop this disturbance. Stopping it without understanding how it came to be is leaving open the possibility that it may simply happen again. Is this yet another imbalance in the elements? Perhaps. We will get to the bottom of it. I am Zephyr," he adds.
What appears to be a miniature fire dragon, struggles to maintain flight in the strong gravity. It follows the group inside, quickly landing on a table once they have found a place to sit. As it catches it's breath, it listens to what Ashasar has to say about their mission.
"An airship? Oh, how exciting. My wings don't allow me to fly long distances but I love to travel. So many new things to see," the dragon says in a high-pitched voice similar to the squeal of a young human girl.
When the others start to introduce themselves, she focuses her attention on them and appears to be saying their names in her head in order to remember them. "I'm Ember. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I look forward to getting to know more about each of you during our travels."
She then turns to Ashasar, "How long has this been going on and how many ships have disappeared? And do those ships have anything in common, or does it seem random?"
A water mephit enters, trying to keep its distance from Ember. "What the devil about this is so important to bother me from my studies?! So some air currents are misbehaving. They're a flighty bunch anyway. I bet tomorrow it won't remember a thing." He sits and rolls his eyes.
"Whatever, I suppose I'm here now anyway. The sooner I solve this, the sooner I can get back to my spell research. A wizard's work is never done you know. So where is this happening? Anything special about the area? Perhaps it's a bit of sabotage to protect a trade route or something."
Jamila listens with a calm smile to the various elemental reactions. "I am Jamila and I have been assigned to be your leader." She focuses on each one in turn closely as she speaks. "I have not been on a mission for the Concordance in many centuries so forgive me if I am rusty. I am a jinni and therefore of all elements. When you have your inevitable conflicts, I am here to balance you out. Otherwise, I don't expect pulling rank will prove necessary."
Turning to Ashasar, she asks, "What can you tell us of these airships? Where can we find one if traffic has ceased?"
Her hawk soars around the rooftop, relishing being home on the Plane of Air.
Rhyol looks around at her...colleagues? It seems so, though they're all some different. Shapes and sizes and elements. The Concordance really is something amazing!
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Ashasar listens contently to your introduction and gathers your questions on a worn parchment. At last he speaks.
“Rhyol wants to know if I have an idea of what is behind this. Yes, I do. In fact, I have hundreds of ideas. I’m sure you could come up with hundreds of ideas, too. If you are asking me whether I have any ideas with a shred of evidence, well, now that is a different question. Regardless of the cause, I would expect powerful magic to be at its core.” Ashasar turns to address Octaris. “And that is why I am so pleased that you in particular responded to the summons.”
He scans the parchment.
"As to the ships that disappeared...there seems to be no rhyme or reason. By the winds, I'm not even sure where to send you. While I know the general region, I do not know its exact location. Fortunately, no one knows the skies better than a seasoned airship captain. I’m certain you’ll find one who knows the way.”
As he looks up and smiles to punctuate his thought, an air elemental whirls up to your table. With a hissing accent he plainly states "The chefs at the Four Winds, as well as myself, highly recommend the daily special of bubble-halo pie. The bubbles are, quite simply, a symphony of aroma.” He pauses to contemplate the thoqqua. "I apologize for my ignorance of your dietary preferences, sir... or madam."
"I'll try that, my good sir." Ashasar nods to the servant. "Of course, your meal is on me, for your graciousness in accepting my invitation today. Ah, where were we?" He turns to Jamila. “An airship, well. That is the real trick isn't it? Travel to the docks and start asking around. You’ll need someone brave enough to head off into dangerous weather and unstable currents. Besides that, in my experience, airship captains can get a bit touchy around fire, so you might need to reassure them that you are safe passengers.”
Air-Dominant: Most of the plane is comprised of breathable air. Creatures with the earth subtype are somewhat uncomfortable here because of the lack of natural earth. This discomfort does not confer mechanical penalties.
Enhanced Magic: Spells and spell-like abilities with the air descriptor or that use, manipulate, or create air function as if their caster level were higher than normal.
Impeded Magic: Spells and spell-like abilities with the earth descriptor or that use or create earth are impeded. Such spells fail unless the caster succeeds at a concentration check. If the check fails, the spell is lost.
Subjective Directional Gravity: Inhabitants of the plane determine their own “down” direction. Inanimate objects do not move unless an outside force acts upon them.
The metropolis of Armun Kelisk is the largest settlement on the Plane of Air, boasting over six million residents. The most common inhabitants of Armun Kelisk are the air genies, known as djinni, followed by whimsical air mephits. After mephits rank the spherical elemental servitors known as air wysps, air elementals, and sylphs. All of these races are as familiar to the PCs as humans, dwarves, or elves would be to a typical PC hailing from Golarion.
Jamila shares what she knows with the others.
The thoqqua dips it head a bit as Ashasar mentions airship captains' fears.
"Oh. Perhaps my presence is more trouble than good. I can make my scales not as hot to burn through wood though. Do you see?" she says, nodding towards the still-standing floor on which she sits.
Zephyr nods as Jamila explains her understanding. "She is correct," he confirms. "I suppose we should start looking for an airship...one that can make the Kessel r...errr...never mind."
Ember gets distracted by the servant but upon hearing Ashasar's offer to pay, nods in agreement. "Yes, I'll try the special too. I'm always interested in experiencing new things. Makes for new material for my stories."
She then turns her attention back to Ashasar to respond to his comment about the airship. "Understandable, but I have traveled on one before. I just have to remember not to use my breath weapon. But what would such a trip cost? I'm afraid I don't have much gold. Generally speaking, it's much too heavy to carry a large amount."
She then adds her knowledge to the conversation.
"Yes, let's keep the fire to a minimum, shall we?" Octaris rolls his eyes as the others detail what they know about airships and the like. "Of course, everyone knows that. So we need to find a Captain who's as greedy as he is skilled."
The mephit shoots into the air and then hovers in the air. "I guess if you hot-heads need, I can keep the deck wet enough to placate the Captain."
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A few bubbles still pop on his chin as Ashasar considers Ember's question about finances.
"Oh, oh, of course. Forgive my manners."
He puts his spoon down and reaches for his parchment. Staring into the sky for a moment, he calculates the necessary amount and hastily writes it down. With a quick tear, he hands you the lower portion of the parchment.
“This letter should be sufficient to pay passage, so long as you can find a captain willing to take you in the first place. As I said, that will be the real trick. Do not become too discouraged, will you?”
"Indeed," Zephyr says. "It is not in my nature to become overly discouraged. The winds will carry us where they will."
Ember smiles with delight as Ashasar appears to be covering the cost of the airship. Her smile quickly fades to a look of confusion and uncertainty as she is presented a paper as big as she is. She looks down at her small claws and then nervously looks to her companions. "Um, perhaps someone else can carry it?" she says with a nervous laugh.
Jamila smiles and takes the scrap of paper from Ember. To Ashasar: "I appreciate your offer of a free meal but I would prefer to get moving."
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"Good luck!" Ashasar wishes you as he finishes the last crumbs off his dish.
You excuse yourself from the table and make your way to the front door. Just outside the alcove entrance a group of air elementals is putting up fliers advertising today’s special, Bubble Halo pie. As the elementals spin, the posters fly off in all directions, miraculously all sticking to nearby walls right-side up. They nod to you as you pass. "Come again, please."
It is difficult to orient yourself as the entire city of Armun Kelisk seems to be constantly in motion upon its silver and stone edifice. Eventually, you make out the broad sails of several vessels along the outskirts that do not seem to be moving and surmise that is likely the dock area.
As you pass through the center of one of the public squares, you see a massive jumble of pipes. A large sign in front of the pipes proclaims “For public use” in Auran. Sure enough, groups of air creatures take turns racing through the pipes to produce music that ranges from delightful to earsplitting, depending on the musician’s talent.
After nearly an hour, you finally reach the docks. Most of the airships are in various stages of loading and unloading, both passengers and cargo. With a bit of walking you see a large icy dome ahead. Over its transom, a name: Schalmon's Cantina.
Creatures of all sorts occupy the stalls and alcoves of the building and a large circular bar rings the interior. Gnomes, Elves, Djinns, mephits, elementals all interact in disjointed conversations while a band of sylphs plays a jaunty tune.
If you wish to find a pilot, this would be a good place to start...
"I've got a bad feeling about this," says Jamila as they enter the Cantina. She finds a gap at the bar and asks the bartender, "What is the local specialty?" Whatever it is she orders it but doesn't inhale. She asks again, "Who can I trust here to fly me somewhere?"
All the while she is watching her surroundings for either danger or someone who looks like a pilot.
Rhyol looks around in awe at the bustling Cantina. So many races, so many beings all coming together. Conversing, laughing, fighting. What a wonderful place.
As Jamila moves around, the thoqqua slithers somewhat distractedly on her own around the stalls. Her head turns as she moves, both taking in the granduer of the dokcs district and looking for men with impressive headgear. Captains are the ones with the best hats.
"Hello. Good day. It's a clear-sky day isn't it? Is that your ship? Impressive. I and some others are looking for passage: may we rent a journey?"
Zephyr looks around the cantina for anyone that looks like a ship pilot or captain.
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Two of the locals (who seem somewhat enamored with Jamila) spread out to seek captains for her. Most of their approaches turn sour quickly, and there are quite a few shaken head "noes" within moments of them acknowledging your presence from across the bar. Eventually, however the two locals strike up a lengthy conversation with a rather wealthy-looking Djinn. They call you over with a wave.
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Rhyol is met with curious glances as she maneuvers. Several patrons consciously move away as she nears. She eventually finds a gnome woman with green hair peeking through a leather skull-cap with goggles perched on top that look to be about two sizes too large for her head. The gnome spots her as well. "Looking for something?"
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Zephyr spots a bespectacled female air mephit with a green-grey sash covered in hundreds of embroidered wings. She has an unrolled map strewn across her table and carefully sips tea as she hand-juggles a minute set of bronze orbs in her left hand. Under her breath, she whispers in Auran, too soft to distinguish.
Rhyol shifts her neck and head towards the gnome, sensing its countours and shapes as she takes in the vibrations around them. She attempts to break the ice.
Yes, but I'm probably not as good at it as you. My eyes are small: you seem to have two extra ones that are extra big to spot things! The thoqqua lets out a series of smalls hisses of steam from beneath its scales in its best impression of light-hearted chuckling.
My friends and I are looking for an airship pilot. And by your 'eyes' - more hissing - It looks like you might be one. Do you have a ship to sail?
Jamila is happy to let the two locals do her dirty work. When they wave her over she approaches with a big smile and thanks them for their aid, touching each of them slightly on the arm.
She says to the djinn: "Hello kind sir. Can you help me find an airship? My friends here seem to think you can."
Octaris floats through the Cantina, looking around. Clutching his spellbook close to him, he surveys the various ruffians for a skilled Captain. He huffs at the stale smell of the bar.
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The Djinn bristles slightly as Jamila approaches. Yet, when she smiles, he smiles back broadly. "An airship you desire? That would be my pleasure to provide. I am Razakim, by the way. A delight to meet you." He extends his massive hand gently. "Of course, I would need some semblance of a reason for the journey. I have a feeling the margins might be quite... thin."
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The gnome laughs and looks up at Rhyol.
"Your ... eyes... perceive well, thoq. I am indeed. And my ship, haven't you ever heard of the Wandering Mistral?"
"Well, you should have. Fastest ship in the Korqua Upwinds. It'll get you where you're going days before any of these other bulk traders in here. And in case there's any, uh...misunderstandings along the way, I can cover for that too." She let's her duster slide down her leg to reveal a quadruple set of adamantine daggers.
"Enough about me, what's the deal with your little party. Where you heading to?"
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Octaris floats by several tables of drunken sailors before he concludes that the pickings are indeed slim. He can spot the other three burgeoning conversations, however. Perhaps one of them could use my assistance. he thinks.
Oh, Rhyol says as the gnome seems disappointed in its ignorance of its ship. That does sound fast.
It is me and four friends, but I think a sixth is coming too. There not all like me: one's a Janni, and a dragon - a tiny one - and one's even a mephit! I don't know where exactly we're heading, but they have a map. It's near some strange currents though, I know that!
Jamila takes the Djinn's hands in both of hers. "My name is Jamila and it is a great honor to meet you, Razakim. I'm sure you have heard of the area of irregular flows. Have you had any contact with that area? We need to travel very near to there, so we have great need of a truly gifted pilot."
She watches his reaction closely.
Octaris floats down to where Rhyol is hissing with a gnome. "Ah, are you a Captain? Rhyol has told you of our needs, yes? Others are too afraid of the air currents out there. Are you a brave Captain who can navigate the dead air?"
Seeing some of her companions striking up conversations, Ember doesn't want to be left out. She follows Zephyr as he approaches an air mephit.
"Pardon me. My companions and I are looking to hire an airship. Based on the map you are studying, would I be correct in assuming you are a pilot? We are investigating the disappearance of some ships in a region of disturbed currents where the flows of air have become erratic. Therefore, the pilot we are looking to hire must be both brave and skilled and I was hoping that your sash and all of those wings indicated that you were such a pilot," Ember says excitedly. "Are you familiar with the area I speak of? And would you be interested in taking us there?"
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"By the gods, you would. That would be a most dangerous journey. Perhaps more lucrative than I have supposed. But I am afraid it would be too much for my accountants to handle. The risk upside factor would just be too high. I fear I must say no, Miss."
He bows his head and withdraws his hand from Jamila's.
"Looks like your thoqqua friend may need some help ingratiating herself?"
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"Oooh, strange currents. Well, that does sound exciting." the gnome says rubbing her tiny hands together.
Turning to Octaris, she says with a grin. "No, I've got no fear, none at all."
"Now, no affront to you all, but I don't accept any dead weight on my ship. Have you or any of your companions got any 'practical' experience? You know, for helping me out on my ship."
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As Zephyr, Ember, and Krakos approach the mephit, the balls in her hand slowly stop rotating. Her eyes remain fixed forward. There is a pregnant pause. She finally speaks.
"I am highly qualified and I may be interested. Where, when, and why?"
Well, I've never been on a ship before. But I'm more than you see. Like if you need someone to reach the sails - you wouldn't expect a thing without legs to be able to jump as well as this!
Se lands with only the slightest thud. And most of the time I can do even better than that!
Ember smiles. "Excellent. We would want to leave as soon as possible. As far as where, I'm not sure. We heard of ships disappearing and want to find the cause. We were hoping that you would have heard of the same and have an idea of the general location."
Octaris smiles at the gnome. "Ah, I admire someone who looks after his ship. We will be more invested we can help. Myself, I can conjure clean water at will for your crew, as well as ensure that our more fire-related passengers do not pose a danger to your ship. Now, our group also includes a Slyph, and I am sure he will be willing to help your ship with finding the best winds!"
"Now, what is your name, Captain?"
Jamila, disappointed that she was unable to get the djinn's aid, sulks until she sees the thoqqua jumping. That astonishing sight clears her head. She joins her wormy companion. "Stars and heavens, that was remarkable my dear!"
Turning her attention to the gnome, she asks, "Who is your friend, Rhyol?"
Oh, hello Jamila. She's a pilot! She turns to the gnome. This is Jamila. She's part of our team, along with me and Octaris and the others. Jamila, do you have experience on an airship? She wants to take on passengers who can help out as we go.
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"Impressive." The gnome squeaks at Rhyol, barely suppressing a giggle. "Not really what I was looking for though. I mean more what can you do in a pinch. Like say our mana dampers go down in a pocket of thick air. How would I recharge them?"
"You can call me Nix, by the way."
Krakos and Jamila wander over to the gnome's table. She looks up at the gathered crew, waiting for an answer.
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On the other side of the bar, the mephit finally looks at Ember over her glasses.
"There has been talk among the Thousand Wings of some dead air in a few far off reaches, you'll have to be more specific. I can't go risking my ship on some fool's errand."
"Ah, the Thousand Wings, that explains your sash. Is that an organization of pilots that you are a member of? We too are members of an organization, the Concordance. We seek to maintain harmony and balance among the elements, so we are concerned about the areas of dead air. Our superior, who is sending us on this mission, and covering the cost of the airship, might know of the general location if you do not. By the way, I intend to write an epic covering our journey and anyone who helps us will certainly be mentioned. I imagine the free publicity would increase business for the pilot who gets us there," Ember says cheerfully.
"We would be making things safe for your ship in the future," Zephyr offers helpfully in the auran tongue, "making sure that dead air doesn't affect you. You would be doing your organization a great favor."
"Ah, well I don't know much about mana dampers, but if it comes to the ship being in trouble, my friends and I can ensure the ship will remain afloat. You see, we have several different spells which can help for a short time to give you and your crew a chance to solve the issue. We can command gusts of wind and call up creatures to keep off any attackers or even hold the ship together!"
"What we don't have is a knowledgeable Captain and a brave crew to help see us through. Can you do that, Nix?"