The Planewalkers' Journies

[Idran1701]

Vance

Heading through the landing, Vance soon finds the bazaar "district". Though no true stores stand here, a number of people are quite willing to pass old equipment on to other travelers - for a small price, of course. Small indeed, in fact; even if the selection here is somewhat limited, to put it kindly, the prices are by and large quite reasonable, intended more to give a fellow guild-brother a leg up and lighten their own loads than for profit.


After poking around in the bazaar some, Vance can end up coming up with the following options weapon-wise: a basic, well-scuffed and well-used mahogany quarterstaff offered by a sage-looking sort for 3 copper (though it is slightly stained), a beech quarterstaff inset with runic elven lettering (purely decorative, and wood-stained dark-brown to set them off) along its length and carved finger rests for his hands (masterwork quality) for 375 gold, and a warhammer made entirely of polished, black stone, shaft and head alike, for 10 gold. As for boots, he's forced to settle for used ones if he wants them now, but he can get them for 3 silver. If he wants to wait a couple of days, there's a fellow there willing to cobble him some new ones in his downtime, but it'll cost a full gold. Though he can have a hand-stitched design of his choosing (nothing too complicated) if he takes that, for no extra cost.

[NebulaQueen]

After a few moments of struggling, the chicken eventually calmed in the woman's arms, and she stroked its feathers absentmindedly with the back of her hand.

"Merchandise, huh?" She made a small clucking noise with her tongue, as she thought over the boy's question. "Well, I got a buddy, well, not really a buddy but we're on pretty good terms, or at least I'd like to think so, being part of the same guild and all...anyways! He's one of Lugh's holy-whassits, and he's a pretty nice guy, even if he can be prickly...oh, he doesn't mean anything personal by it it's just his nature...and he's helped us out plenty of times with his scrolls. For a price, of course, but I can't complain about the discount. I don't know if he has any for water breathing, but considering all the muck we have to go through, I wouldn't be surprised."

After saying this all in one breath, she stopped speaking and took two. The chicken gave Lux an appraising look while her owner eyed the rest. "Though, I have to say, I don't know why you'd need anything like this. Going underwater...it's not something people do every day, is it?"

[Shinigori V2]

Shawn idly shifted her heads weight to the other hand, looking up at Rosalyn with one eyebrow raised. "So...Your basic skills come down to..knowing how to not get yourself or anyone else eaten."

She frowned, looking down at the table, then looking back up. "Well..I guess, if nothing else, you're an extra pair of hands and eyes. But don't come crying to me if you do get ate."

[Seethe]

Rosalyn immediately began to look a lot less nervous than she had been.

"There won't be anyone getting ate on my watch," she said confidently. "If you'll excuse me, though, I've got to take care of the whole reason I came in here."

Standing up, she walked over to the serving station to pick up some food. At the same time, she was thinking that she needed to work on her delivery. It felt like she had made herself sound almost useless. In reality, her skill was a staple in almost any adventuring party. A "fighter" was the proper word for what she was- a warrior with greater focus on her combat abilities than the vast majority. Anyone taking the risk of running into hostile creatures would do well to have someone like her along.

At least she had gotten accepted this time. As weak of a case as she may have made for herself, there would be no sense in messing with the results. She would just have to prove her usefulnessonce they were out in the field.

[Kai]

Joss nodded as the stranger's meandering explanation finally wound its way around to the question he'd asked her. There was other useful information in there, though. If this guy were a craftsman, he was probably just not used to dealing with people who didn't know anything about his work. Joss wouldn't decide he was "prickly" before meeting him, since Dsedh didn't always like dealing with customers who had no idea what they were trying to buy.

"Well, I don't generally. Mostly I hang out in places where there's enough air, but that's not always possible." Joss was going to have a minor problem meeting that need, though he was certain he'd be able to think of something to deal with it. He wasn't certain how much these scrolls were going to cost, but it was possible that bartering would be an option, since any place that sold scrolls might sell potions and therefore might be wanting potions to sell. Joss would think of something.

"And the folks I'm travelling with... well, they're a breathing sort of folk. We were hoping to make sure they at least knew where to get the stuff if they wanted it. Have the option and all." He looked from the chicken to Lux, wondering what could possibly be passing between those two. They were developing a really odd relationship, and one that Lux didn't seem entirely comfortable with. "So what's this guy's name?"

[Idran1701]

Guild Kitchen

Heading off from the table, Rosalyn makes the brief trip over to the fire pit. There's not much left for her, but she does come away with a half-serving of roast and a small bit of stew; just enough for a meal. The roast seems a bit cold now, but the stew still has some warmth to it, and between them, it's not that bad of a dinner overall.

[NebulaQueen]

"His name's Hanthyst," she says, before giving the boy an amused look. What a weird kid. Still, she had to admire the fact that so far, he's shown more guts than the man who was having a staring match with her chicken. "But you still didn't answer my question. You told me why you needed the scrolls, but not why you're going down there."

She shrugged, which looked strange with the chicken in her arms. "But if you don't wanna gab, I won't drag it outta you."

[Seethe]

(OOC: I guess I'm done CIing now if there's nothing else. Rosalyn is planning on spending the next bit of time finishing her dinner, then she'll go clean up while she has the chance, gather her supplies, and put her armor on.)

[Kai]

Joss shook his head vigorously. He felt somewhat guilty that he'd made her feel as though her interest wasn't welcome, and that showed. Joss didn't like to discourage people, particularly when they seemed so willing to offer aid.

"Oh, I don't mind. I mean, what are we here for if not to help each other out? I just wasn't sure if you were really interested in all the details, but since you asked... we're looking at heading toward the plane of steam. Reason for the water-breathing stuff is that... well, the whole place is air and water, but potentially not in the combinations or places you might want."

[NebulaQueen]

Aw, the poor kid was nervous. The woman smiled reassuringly, while the chicken continued to glare at everyone else. "Well, if you'd like, I can show you where he is," she said cheerfully. "I need to take this lil' one back, anyways, and it's on the way."

The woman began walking away, before stopping mid step. "Oh! I never caught your names, by the by."

[Kai]

"Joss David Hunter," the boy announced. "Nice to meet you, miss."

This was all going marvelously well. In a dazzling show of diplomatic mastery, Joss had managed to secure information and even a guide to the resource that they were hoping to secure. Perhaps this lady would even become a regular contact for them! She certainly seemed agreeable enough, though he wasn't certain exactly what her interest was in gallivanting about on quests and things. Certainly she was an enterprising sort of lady, or she wouldn't be involved with this guild base. Definitely spoke in her favor.

"Who're you?"

[Justice Augustus]

"Lux Grevran, at your disposal." Lux, now standing at a comfortable distance from the bird, sweeps his hat off his head for a low bow, replacing it with a flourish and a wink.

[Idran1701]

About the Headquarters

Pressing forward, the yet-unnamed fowl caretaker leads the group of Planewalkers through the headquarters, skirting the edge of the landing. The trip's a bit slower in the dark, with little noise beyond the occasional rustle of chicken feathers from their temporary guide. Her path looks to be bringing them towards one of the numerous flights lining the headquarters, and with a quick trip across them to the next landing over, they reach their first stop. The rustling grows, with a mild scratching joining it, and a light scent wafts over the area as they reach the end of the stairs - even before the next platform comes into view, it's fairly obvious to the lot of them that this chicken must have a number of companions in their new acquaintance's care.

Once you get around to posting, Neb, you can fill in the details of the coop, but I just needed to push things along so someone could post, at least.

[NebulaQueen]

"My name's Anne, by the way," she says, as she makes her way through the coop. "Anne Sands."

The coop itself isn't truly clean (such is the way with livestock), but it's well kept, with most of the filth being cleaned out. It's also roomy, holding about two dozen or so chickens of various sizes and appearance, providing a surprising amount of variety for fowl. She crawled in and placed the chicken back in its proper place, before scooting out and closing the door. "Now, that should be enough of that. Feeding time can wait, lets get those scrolls taken care of."

She wiped her hands on her coveralls, and said, "Unless there's something else you need to get done, first."

[Idran1701]

About the Headquarters

With nothing else to handle, the group moves on to Hanthyst's tent, where despite the late hour, he seemed well-pleased to handle their business despite being awakened from what he describes as "a dab of sleep." A chaond with a pleasant enough attitude at first impression, he towers over the group upon their arrival, his dark-grey skin barely visible in the gloom of the Stairs' night. He grins with his frog-like mouth at the sight of Anne, though he's quickly disappointed at the lack of a fresh bit of meat for him. Pushing that aside, though, he hauls out his supply of inscribed gifts from Lugh, waving off concerns of the time. In his own words, "one time's as good as another, is there difference in a long run?"

His services being used by many in the guild, he's got a number of scrolls ready for purchase without delay, and all at "quite reasonable expenses". Lucky for the group, he does offer water breathing in his selection, though the price may be a bit more than they might prefer. However, he has much more than merely this spell, should they wish more.

Whatever they end up deciding, they receive whatever scrolls they purchase, and with little more to do for the day, they break up for the night, for a pleasant night's rest before the trip tomorrow. The second for some, and the first for others, it promises to be an exciting journey either way. A trickier route to find this time, it requires a full hour of poking around before someone gives directions to Adrift, by all accounts the only city in the whole of Steam. A mere three-hour trip, they're be in the misty expanses in no time at all.

Here's Hanthyst's inventory, feel free to choose from this as you'd like. Keep in mind, though, they're divine scrolls, so you'll have to rely on Zant to use them for you.

Light x7 @ 7 gp
Resistance x3 @ 10 gp
Cure Light Wounds x3 @ 20 gp
Endure Elements x5 @ 17 gp
Delay Poison x1 @ 135 gp
Resist Energy x2 @ 130 gp
Protection from Energy x1 @ 330 gp
Water Breathing x1 @ 330 gp

Any other preparations before heading out, describe them in your post or IM me about them. Things are picking up just before the trip out, at the foot of the staircase to Adrift at the Headquarters. CIing on the stairs is fine, but if more than a couple days pass without a post, I'll push on to the city itself.

[Jak Snide]

Zant eventually tracked down the group and, noting a new face or two more, brought them up to speed with what he'd learned. He spoke of the tower with a mix of trepidation and curiosity, the subject breaking him out of his calm demeanor to an extent. Once he was brought up to speed he headed back to his tent to bed down for the night.

[NebulaQueen]

Anne watched the man talk, and couldn't help but be amused. What a funny man; must be a scholar or mage or something fancy like that. However, his demeanor wasn't the only thing that caught her attention. The place, this tower of ice, seemed rather interesting. She'd have to keep Lizzie in the swamp, of course, but a bit of walking never killed anyone.

"Y'know," she started off, scratching the back of her head, "If you don't mind some company, I could probably help out a bit. I've never been to that plane before, but if you need an extra pair of eyes or hands, well..."

[Seethe]

After being filled in, Rosalyn finished making her general preparations. That proved fairly simple, as all she still needed to do by her estimation was acquire a tent and a bit of firewood. Three days' worth of firewood, she decided, to be safe.

Once that was accomplished, she would find a place to set up said tent and proceed to make the standard use of it for the rest of the night.

[Idran1701]

Planewalker's Guild

Rosalyn makes her purchases easily enough, with both tents and firewood in good supply here, as often as they're needed. Both her and Zant sleep well that night, with pleasant dreams the whole night through.


Zant:

Spoiler:

That night, Zant dreams, among other things, of a school of angelfish swimming through an airy ocean of water, more bubbly than any he'd ever personally swam in back home. Perhaps an omen from Istishia for the trip ahead? If it is, he gets the feeling it's a good one.

With Jak and Seethe's posts, I think there might have been some confusion or misreadings. So I'm just reminding folks that my intent was to timeskip to the next morning, when the party's gathered and ready to head up the stairs.

[Jak Snide]

Zant nodded in response to Anne. "You are welcome to accompany us, but be aware that a degree of danger may be involved in our exploration."

------------------------------

Zant awoke with a renewed sense of calm, the doubts he'd held the day before washed away by the night, his mind crystal clear and serene. Dousing himself, dressing and collecting his gear in good time he then headed to the area the group had agreed to meet at before departing.

[Justice Augustus]

Lux hands a list to Zant of the scrolls available for purchase from Hanthyst, with prices labeled. "Do you think any of these might come in useful during the journey? Perhaps the ability to endure the elements could provide us with some much needed respite against the drench that is such to be present on the plane of steam."

[Jak Snide]

Zant's expression flattened slightly as he looked over the list. Many of the invocations mentioned there were unfamiliar to him, but the gensai had heard that as long as a scroll contained magic which his Lord approved of then he could call upon it's energies.

"That spell in particular is unfamiliar to me, though it's naming seems to describe what benediction it might confer clearly enough. And the price is certainly affordable enough."

[Justice Augustus]

Lux nodded, scanning the list as if willing for other items to appear before him. "I believe it is the only reasonable option before us, unless your, er, Patron might have some sort of blessing he would be willing to shower down on us?" Lux smirked at his own poor punning, something that he had always had a weakness for.

[Jak Snide]

"I have not been granted such a blessing, unfortunately, though I shall endeavor to earn the right to it. Until then, however, this would indeed be our only option."

[Seethe]

Rosalyn approached the base of the stairs where the gathering point had been set. She was clad in her breastplate now and loaded down with all the baggage she owned. Seeing some other members of the group there, she greeted them with a wave as she drew near.

[Idran1701]

Infinite Staircase

Leaving to Hanthyst's tent, Lux and Zant purchase scrolls for the trip ahead; once prepared for the journey, they rejoin the party, and the group of six head up the stairs. Hours of travel pass with little more than the occasional small talk, before they reach their goal. A stone archway with a tan, clay door stands at the edge of this landing, speckled with a bluish moss. The door opens easily, but little is revealed beyond, the mist on the far end even thicker than that which fills the Staircase. However, there does appear to be solid ground on the far side, and nothing has yet decided to leap out at them; thus, with no obvious signs of danger, the party leaves the Stairs for their destination.

---

Adrift

Stepping over the threshold, they emerge in an alleyway, a cobblestone walkway beneath their feet. The door swings closed behind them as the scent of moisture hits them with the force of a strong wind, their skin and clothing feeling clammy almost instantly. The area's so humid that their breathing is already noticeably ragged - not quite as badly as Joss and Lux's research had suggested, thankfully, but enough that they'll definitely be feeling the struggle soon enough. As they get their bearings in this new city, a pair of flat, roundish insects buzz about them, flitting around their heads but hardly serving to wash out the clamor of activity from nearby; though the clouds keep them from seeing more than 10 paces or so away in any direction, the sound serves well enough to tell them that it seems to be a convenient time of day for the group. They've obviously arrived in the right place, and now the next step of their journey looms before them: finding the way to the Tower of Ice.

Just moving things on for the rest of the party; go ahead and let me know how many and which scrolls Zant and Lux have picked up for the trip.

Planar magic effects:

Zant: Since the Plane of Steam is adjacent to the Plane of Water, for this trip Zant suffers no penalty to his effective caster level.

Lux: As before, Knowledge(Arcana) or Knowledge(Planes) to know what sort of effect to expect from this plane.

A summary of the information that was uncovered by the researchers: The Plane of Steam seems to be somewhat misnamed, being more like a cold, clammy mist than actual steam. It's located between the planes of Water and Positive Energy, and a person can either fall through it like Air, or swim through it like Water. The mist is so thick that breathing it slows a person down some similarly to trying to breathe in high mountains, but those that can breathe water don't have to worry about that.

The Tower of Ice is something of an enigma, as the ice is too thick to see through. It's reported to be filled with alchemical supplies, and something about it acts to improve potioncrafting and other such work done there. It somehow simultaneously exists in the Steam-Positive and Steam-Ice border regions, despite those areas being nowhere near each other. Largely a mystery, a slight few have entered and returned, though how exactly isn't known.

According to the rumor Zant learned about, it's the base of an invasion of ice mephits, seeking to expand their plane into Steam and take it over in the name of Cryonax, one of the highest of the high-ups in Ice. It's sealed up tight, but the man he'd spoken to heard from a friend of a friend that saw a group of mephits walk right through the tower's walls carrying some sort of crate, and that same person apparently had seen them doing military maneuvers when they thought no one was around to spot them.

[Jak Snide]

Zant took a moment to soak up the atmosphere. It wasn't home, certainly, but it was closer than the Staircase. The moisture was a welcomed relief, as was the feeling that he was close to his home plane.

(I would expect that he and Lux had purchased all 5 of the scrolls.)

[Shinigori V2]

This day had found Shawn covered in head to toe with bits of cloth, leaving her looking much like a desert nomad. The only bit of exposed skin was the area around her eyes, and the top of her nose- Even her orange hair was covered, though that was by the nearly always present aviator goggles.

"Well, this place is wet, and I really don't like being wet. Let's go."

[Justice Augustus]

"Thanks be that I was able to find some scroll cases for these," says Lux, handing the divine scrolls he had purchased to Zant (all of the Endure Elements scrolls as well as 2 Resistance scrolls). Lux strides forward a few steps, taking in deep breaths of misty air. "This does not seem so bad, almost relaxing like the spray of the bow of a ship on the high seas. I do not think I would like to settle here, but my feet are itching. Travel awaits! But first we need a direction." Lux peers into the gloom, pulling down the brow of his hat to try and shield his eyes from the heavy fog. "But in this environment, one could become easily lost and disoriented. I propose that, unlike in the more familiar setting of Sigil, we stick tightly together so as not to lose one another into the haze."

(Knowledge (The Planes) - 11 + 8 = 19)

[Kai]

This Anne person seemed like a decent sort, and as Joss observed her he decided that this was most assuredly and undeniably a correct impression. Good, honest, helpful types of people were always good to meet, and even if she weren't a great warrior in her own right like Joss was--at least if you asked him--he would certainly appreciate her around. All in all, Joss was meeting a lot of quite excellent sorts in this place.

Joss was mildly troubled by the fact that he couldn't actually afford to pick up anything from Hanthyst, but he'd known this would be the case. At least he'd found the others an opportunity to seek out whatever merchandise would make them feel more prepared. He'd make do with what he had, and the minor inconvenience of breathing unfamiliar air would be more bearable knowing he'd ensured that the others would be all right.

Camping out for the night was a nice experience. Joss hadn't really gotten much chance lately to be part of a big community like this, and there was something comforting about it. The next day, once he was together again with the others, Joss steeled himself to breathe... something. Joss wasn't entirely sure what he was picturing, but it was unstable and fizzy and somewhat intimidating. Thankfully it wasn't nearly that bad.

He tried to ignore the characteristic awkward light-headedness from exerting himself with too little air. The others were going to have to deal with it, and he didn't need to complain. Besides. They were on the verge of something truly interesting. His earlier theories about invading sculptor wizards might not have been entirely incorrect. Zant's report seemed to confirm Joss' speculation about an advance base. After all, these mephits were organizing for something. Joss wasn't certain what the mephits would want with Steam, but if there were some nefarious imperialist scheme afoot, by the gods Joss would put a stop to it.

Though of course, there was always the possibility that the really needed to find space elsewhere, in which case Joss would be honor-bound to assist them.

Tricky. Tricky tricky. But he'd know what to do when the time came. He always did.

Meanwhile, Joss kept to himself and watched the others. Speaking might be kind of a pain, so it might be best to keep stoic and silent unless he had something of pressing worth to offer (which for Joss was still basically anything he'd want to say anyway, but he'd always been impressed by men who had such verbal restraint, and taking on the pretense now was flattering and encouraging).

He had little support to offer Shawn, despite the fact that she didn't really seem excited about being here. Then again, Joss wasn't getting the impression that she was an excitable person anyway. Fair enough, he thought. Lux seemed quite happy here, and even if Joss didn't share his pleasure... the other man's enthusiasm made him smile. "Yeah," he agreed. "We'll stick close."

[Jak Snide]

Zant cast a quick glance at Shawn and suppressed a chuckle. She'd garbed herself much like he'd been tempted to the first time he'd left home.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to locate an inhabitant of this town. So that we may learn the lay of the land, as it were."

[Justice Augustus]

"That seems sensible, perhaps we can locate a venue designated for meeting others and socialising, to be frank, let's find a tavern. There at least we can maybe escape some part of the drizzle and determine our bearings." Lux casts his eyes about, seeing if there is any obvious building they can head to for shelter.

[Jak Snide]

Zant's mouth opened momentarily, half-forming a word, before he shut it. Instead he nodded to Lux, and waited for the group to move.

[Seethe]

"Perhaps we should also seek some rooms, preferably at the same establishment," Rosalyn suggested. "Then we would at least be covered if we do find ourselves split up or if we take very long in finding the right path."

With that said, Rosalyn moved to the end of the alley and looked out onto the street, hoping to see if anyone was passing by, thinking that one of the locals could direct them to the nearest inn. Hopefully the locals weren't the sort who would clam up in the presence of strangers.

[Idran1701]

Adrift

Rosalyn checks out the end of the alley, the insects splitting their attention as she moves from the rest of the group. Ignoring the buzzing around her head, she watches the street; though she can't spot much, she can see a few citizens passing by, as can the rest of the party as they draw close enough. From the left, a red-eyed, black-haired humanoid just about her height walks past, a leash in her hand tied around the neck of what looks to be a dog made of mist. From the right, what can only be a steam mephit, almost half Rosalyn's height, passes the pair, a cloth satchel thrown over its shoulder. They both give the party a friendly nod as they pass, the former having a cheerful smile while the latter looking lost in thought. Though the mist keeps her from seeing much further, she can catch sight of cloaked figures in the distance, at least another half-dozen folks going about their business.


Steam mephit picture for reference.

Lux: So far as you're aware, you shouldn't have anything to worry about with your spells. So far as you're aware.

Zant:

Spoiler:

You recognize the dog as an animental, an elemental animal spirit.

[Seethe]

Rosalyn was glad to see that the people here seemed welcoming enough. Encouraged by this, she decided to go ahead and approach them.

"Ah, pardon me," she hailed, looking back and forth between the two who had just passed nearby. "Might I inquire as to where the nearest inn might be found?"

[Idran1701]

Adrift

While the mephit continues on with barely an acknowledgment, the woman pauses in her walk, standing silent in consideration for a short bit before answering Rosalyn's question. Looking back the way she came, she says, gesturing off down the street, "Hmm. Can't say that I'm sure, but I think there's one not far from here. If you head this way until you reach the lightpost, it's just down to the...right? There's be a sign out front for it, I think."

[Seethe]

Rosalyn looked down the street in the direction indicated, then bowed her head slightly, smiling appreciatively.

"My thanks," she said.

Excusing herself, she returned to the rest of the party.

"It seems we may be in luck," she said. "Shall we be going?"

[Justice Augustus]

Lux nods with a smile, and steps out onto the main thoroughfare, glancing around at the sights while heading in the direction specified.

[Shinigori V2]

"Yeah." Shawn said, "Let's get going."