It takes about half an hour, but Tam is able to scan enough of the sky for the software to start calculating their current location.
He secures everything and begins his descent.
In spite of her own desire to be doing something, Aananda lets Ryleh coax her into resting while they wait. The nausea fades as she sits quietly.
All told, it's over an hour before the others spot Tam descending out of the snowy clouds. He lands, plucking bits of ice from his flight suit as he returns to the shelter of the ice cave.
"Sorry that took me so long - it turned out to be much more...difficult than I thought to get our bearings here. Hopefully I'll have the specifics in a few more minutes," as he plucks his datapad back out of his Haverack.
He kneels down in front of Aananda and takes her hands.
"How are you feeling, hun?"
He kneels down in front of Aananda and takes her hands.
"How are you feeling, hun?"
"Better. I guess the kids don't care much for portals," she said with a tired smile. "But I think I'm done with the throwing up now."
"I didn't much care for that one myself, either," he replies with a chuckle as he gives her hand a quick kiss.
* BEEP BEEP BEEP *
"Yay - results," he says as he picks the datapad back up and starts looking over the inforamation on the screen. After a moment, his brow furrows.
"Hmmm..."
Ryo pokes the bubble to make sure it's still holding, and puts the bubble he had around Tam back into it.
"So, just where are we that has you so worried?"
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Ryo calls after him.
"And make sure I don't have to come get you because you got stuck in a snow cloud!"
"I bet flying in clouds is fun," she said, wistfully. "But maybe not snow clouds. I'm not the best flyer under the best circumstances. I wouldn't want to even try to deal with ice too."
And then she abruptly clutched her stomach and quickly found an out of the way spot to vomit some more.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Ryo calls after him.
"And make sure I don't have to come get you because you got stuck in a snow cloud!"
"I bet flying in clouds is fun," she said, wistfully. "But maybe not snow clouds. I'm not the best flyer under the best circumstances. I wouldn't want to even try to deal with ice too."
And then she abruptly clutched her stomach and quickly found an out of the way spot to vomit some more.
Ryo pokes the bubble to make sure it's still holding, and puts the bubble he had around Tam back into it.
"So, just where are we that has you so worried?"
He starts to say something a couple of time, then stops, looking a bit perplexed, before finally saying:
"Well, the good news is that this place is pretty remote. Very much off the beaten path, which was what we were hoping for."
"The bad news is that while it is off the beaten path, it also, um, isn't...okay, this isn't working. Visual aid time."
Tam fires up the holographic projector on his datapad, tapping the screen several times until an image appears at their eye level. In the image is a bright yellow orb being circled by several smaller, darker orbs.
"Okay, that yellow orb is like the 'sun' that provides light and heat to Agartha - except it's a few million times bigger. That," putting his finger under the orb which appears to be firey, "is a star. What one of those little pinpoints of light would look like if you got close enough to it. These," moving his finger to the smaller, darker orbs (which appear to be more rock-like), "are the planets orbiting that star. Agartha, by example, is inside one of these, somewhere. But not in this system," he quickly adds.
"These worlds are inhabited, and they are in Imperial space. Now I thought we had arrived at one of these guys, but I was wrong. Where we actually are," as he taps his datapad, and the image zooms in rapidly to a larger scale, "is on one of these."
He has zoomed in on a very small (compared to the other orbs) orb trailing a huge white plume behind it.
"This little guy is a comet. Basically a chunk of rock surrounded by a lot of ice that'a about the size of a large island. It's racing around this star's system in a really long orbit that doesn't take it anywhere near the planets here," as a long, ovular ring appears in the hologram tracing out its route compared to the planets.
"It's hidden in plain sight - occasionally visible to telescopes and maybe even people on the planets here, but too far away to detect anything on it. Which is good, because we appear to be in a remote region of Altaran space - the domain of the White dragon clan Altara, of the Qesemet regime."
"Perfect place for a cold-loving Silver to hide his work - right under the noses of the densest members of the draconic species."
o.0
""We're going to need a bigger bubble..."
o.0
""We're going to need a bigger bubble..."
"Huh...? OH! No no, don't worry - we've got plenty of air on this thing. In fact it's probably being generated by the 'tail' you see on the comet here. That's due to the sun vaporizing bits of the ice as it gets closer in it's orbit... um, Ryo? Do you need to sit down man?" ^.^
"oooookay. So. Ummmmm. Wow. That's really fascinating. So these planets orbit this star....hmmmmmm.....how does that work? Wow. Okay, so it's like magntic fields and stuff right?"
"Oh." She looks up and sees how uncomfortable Ryo is. "I guess there's time for that all later. I guess the big question is where do we go from here? I mean, where would the Silver have gone? And how would he have gotten there?"
"oooookay. So. Ummmmm. Wow. That's really fascinating...
"Oh." She looks up and sees how uncomfortable Ryo is. "I guess there's time for that all later. I guess the big question is where do we go from here? I mean, where would the Silver have gone? And how would he have gotten there?"
"It's a fair bet that he has access to teleportation magic. Once he came to this place for the first time and studied it, he'd be able to come back here whenever he wanted, and with none the wiser. Where he went specifically will be trickier thing to figure out - that's where Ryleh's considerable skills with with scrying will come into play."
"As to why he picked this place in particular...I still think he got to Agartha by accident, so he was probably here with another agenda entirely. But I don't think we have time to poke around here looking for what that was right now. We need to get out of here and to a more hospitable location. I just need to get this area ingrained in my memory so we can come back here ourselves when it's time to head back."
Ryleh nodded and pulled out a mirror and several crystals from her travelling bag. She arranged the crystals in a pattern along the frame and held the mirror in front of her.
"This could take a few minutes...."
Ryo takes a seat facing away from the opening in the fissure, closes his eyes, and begins to meditate. His metal hand is slowly crushing a rock.
Ryo takes a seat facing away from the opening in the fissure, closes his eyes, and begins to meditate. His metal hand is slowly crushing a rock.
Ryleh nodded and pulled out a mirror and several crystals from her travelling bag. She arranged the crystals in a pattern along the frame and held the mirror in front of her.
"This could take a few minutes...."
As Ryo is trying to pull himself together and Tam takes back his duster to go outside and memorize the location, Ryleh focuses her attention on the mirror. Pulling the memories of the Silver's appearance (both as a dragon and an old man), she concentrates on finding him, and his current surroundings. It was evidend that he was no longer here, as her senses begin to stretch beyond the small snowball they were one, tumbling through the void...
It was difficult. She felt as if she were searching an entire ocean for one grain of sand floating somewhere in its depths. Having spent so much time in Agartha and its finite space, she was not used to searching on so vast a scale as this. After a while, though, she started to become more accustomed to the sensation, and her perceptions quickened as she continued to scry.
Eventually, the Silver's visage (in the form of the old man) comes into view. He is in a city of some kind (with snow and wind whipping by), standing on the side of what appears to be an elevated platform or causeway of some sort, with a truly massive ring of metal and crystal behind him. The platform seems to go within the circumference of the ring, and then stops several yards past it. Great runes are visible on the ring, and they pulse and glow in time with the crystals embedded into it. Within the ring's diameter is an image of another location. This must be a portal of some kind, but she has never seen one this large before.
Emblazoned into the upper arc of the ring are the following words, written in Draconic:
RILION-GALADOR: OPEN
The Silver gets inside what looks like a tube resting in a cut-out of the platform, along with several other humanoids. It then seals itself, floats up from the platform, and hurtles through the portal, at which point you lose the vision in the magical energies of the portal's activation...
Ryleh cries out just a little with disorientation as the image gets cut off.
"He went through a portal. It was large. There was a platform and lots of people. And words on the ring. Rilion-Galadar. I don't know what that means. He was in some sort of city."
Ryleh cries out just a little with disorientation as the image gets cut off.
"He went through a portal. It was large. There was a platform and lots of people. And words on the ring. Rilion-Galadar. I don't know what that means. He was in some sort of city."
"Rilion-Galadar...? Rilion-Galador! Rilion is the throneworld for House Altara - the seat of the White dragons' domain in the Empire. Galador is the Gold dragons' throneworld - House Deserene."
"You must have seen the portion of the Long Road connecting the two throneworlds. And those are two of the most heavily policed, secure areas in the galaxy because it's one of the two 'soft borders' between the metallic and chromatic clans."
"Crap."
Ryleh shook her head. "I think I can refocus the mirror back on the city he was in if that would help. But I can't track him through a portal."
Ryleh frowned as Tam described the locations involved.
"We have to follow him. But it's imperative that none of us are noticed. I take it this is going to be a problem?"
Ryleh shook her head. "I think I can refocus the mirror back on the city he was in if that would help. But I can't track him through a portal."
"No need to - I know where both Rilion and Galador are (or at least how to get to them). The throneworlds are the commercial and distribution hubs of their respective domains. The Long Road that you saw essentially links all of the throneworlds together for that purpose."
Ryleh frowned as Tam described the locations involved.
"We have to follow him. But it's imperative that none of us are noticed. I take it this is going to be a problem?"
"Yeah - there's a real risk that your scrying could be detected there. That junction and the Meneer-Arangorn gate have got the tightest security outside of Draconis Prime itself. The best magic and science has to offer. We can't go there yet - not without a bunch of preparation."
"I'm going to take us someplace a bit safer for right now. I've got to get you all acclimated to this place in a hurry, so we can blend in enough to go to places like that if we need to."
"I think I've got this place imprinted well enough, but I'll take a memento with us just to be safe," as he picks up a piece of the small rock Ryo was 'worrying' into gravel. ;)
"Alright - time to go someplace warmer, with much comfier accomodations. Everybody ready?" :)
"Some place warm.. these climate changes are going to be killer on my cloak!" ;)
"As ready as we're gonna be, I think." :)
Tam circles everybody together and casts teleport. As he does so, he palms something from one of his pockets.
The cold of the ice cave is left behind as they appear in a metal-walled chamber. Light comes primarily from the ceiling above, but also faintly from the arcane circle integrated into the floor they are now standing on.
The blue glow from the circle suddenly changes to red, and an alarm starts sounding. A pair of doors slide open, and a human man and elven woman are standing on the other side - with Casters leveled at the group.
"Last mistake you lizards will ever make," the human growls...
"Calling a human a lizard is one thing, but I won't have you insulting family."
He lets his eyes cloud as he slides into the Water stance.
"Lower your weapons, apoligize, and let us explain before things get bloody. I mean you no harm, but I will defend myself and these people."
"Tamrin, if you know these people, could you explain before some one gets hurt?"
Ryleh positions herself between Aananda and the Casters aimed at them, at least as well as she can.
"Please don't shoot. It's not what you think."
"It's not even been a whole day yet, and they're in trouble..." Razzy says as he watches from the newly dubbed 'Scrying Room'. He turns to his companion during his watching.
"Does this happen to him often, Rune?"
"Sean? It's alright, you can stand down - these folks are with me," Tam says as he moves to the front of the group. "I guess the new detection system....."
His voice trails off as he sees the elven woman.
"Fi...Fivain?"
"It's not even been a whole day yet, and they're in trouble..." Razzy says as he watches from the newly dubbed 'Scrying Room'. He turns to his companion during his watching.
"Does this happen to him often, Rune?"
Rune just wags his tail sagely, then licks Razzy in his ear and disappears...
Rune just wags his tail sagely, then licks Razzy in his ear and disappears..."It's not even been a whole day yet, and they're in trouble..." Razzy says as he watches from the newly dubbed 'Scrying Room'. He turns to his companion during his watching.
"Does this happen to him often, Rune?"
"Ah man.. I hope he comes back..."
"Sean? It's alright, you can stand down - these folks are with me," Tam says as he moves to the front of the group. "I guess the new detection system....."
His voice trails off as he sees the elven woman.
"Fi...Fivain?"
The elven woman smiles slightly, speaking with an easy grace.
"Welcome back, Tamrin. We were wondering where you had wandered off to this time. I see you are keeping....colorful company, as usual."
"Sean, holster your Caster. That's no proper way to greet your Master now, is it?"
"But - the circle says some of them are dragons..."
Aananda sighs with relief. At least for now it looks like there's not going to be violence.
"But - the circle says some of them are dragons..."
"Ummm....that would be me. And my mom. But it's not that simple. Errr.....well, it is that simple, but we're not with the Empire. Not ever."
"And Tamrin wouldn't bring Qesemet dragons here. Nor would he bring Asamet dragons here unless there was a very good reason to do so," she interrupts.
"They are no threat at the moment. It's alright."
The young man (he looks to be barely out of his teens) looks to speak again, but stops himself and holsters his Caster.
"And Tamrin wouldn't bring Qesemet dragons here. Nor would he bring Asamet dragons here unless there was a very good reason to do so," she interrupts.
"They are no threat at the moment. It's alright."
"We are neither Qesemet nor Asamet, and as far as I'm concerned they can all go to hell."
"And Tamrin wouldn't bring Qesemet dragons here. Nor would he bring Asamet dragons here unless there was a very good reason to do so," she interrupts.
"They are no threat at the moment. It's alright."
"Umm - well, they're neither. Which is some of the reason why I brought them here, mistress," Tam says, bowing his head to the elf woman in deference. "A lot's happened in the last few...um, how long have I been gone, exactly?"
Ryo relaxes a bit, standing next to Aananda and Ryleh, but the edges of his eyes stay foggy. He'll knows what will happen moments before it does, and that's all the time he'll need for Shield.
"Umm - well, they're neither. Which is some of the reason why I brought them here, mistress," Tam says, bowing his head to the elf woman in deference. "A lot's happened in the last few...um, how long have I been gone, exactly?""And Tamrin wouldn't bring Qesemet dragons here. Nor would he bring Asamet dragons here unless there was a very good reason to do so," she interrupts.
"They are no threat at the moment. It's alright."
"Several years. We knew you survived the incident in the tunnels, but could never find you, regardless of our method of searching. My guess is that your nose for finding new places kicked in again?"
Tam just smiles.
"Yeah - you could say that. Can we come in now?" ^.^