The Highwind used air elementals and had some odd engines working away. It flew though, and that was what counted. The path to Xen'drik had sahaugin and other menaces and air travel was not only faster - it was safer. Best to not deplete your combat supplies like arrows prior to your arrival.
Most skyships cruised along at a low altitude but still avoided a vast majority of problems that way. The Highwind had been developed by the "mad artificier" Cid to travel at higher altitudes and speeds.
Of course, it still fell short of the altitude and speed and size that jet aircraft attained - so while the natives were suitably impressed by Cid's accomplishments - Ranma was less so.
Cid wanted guards on this, the first long distance test flight of his ship. He got the adventuring group registered in Clifftop of Sharn as the Nerima Wrecking Crew.
Cid looked over the group at the deck and shifted his trusty harpoon, not sure about this group at all.
Ranma Saotome (Santarni), Ranked a Grand Master of the Santari Sacred Fist Style. Seeking a cure for his water based gendermorphic curse. Apparently during the War he'd also been hit by some spell that caused his head to get messed up dimensionally - kept referring to some other world filled with everyday miracles and commonplace wonders.Tao, a warforged from Cyre who was now studying the path of the monk. Saotome's apprentice but then the warforged also seemed to be less addled than his teacher.
Akani, a human from Argonnessen. At least now that they were at altitude she was wearing more. Cid had always pictured big muscular barbarians but this one was shorter than he was but she seemed pretty strong and tough despite being not a large individual. He didn't know how much help she'd be in a fight though - she spent a lot of her time praying and apologizing to the dragons for intruding on their territory.
Kagome Higurashi - exorcist of the Silver Flame and archer. Despite her seeming youth was apparently very good at her craft. Cid had heard about her presence within the group and it had been that factor which had immediately caused him to hire the group. From what he'd overheard just since the group had come aboard, apparently she and the shifter were an "item" but there were some issues involved.
Inuyasha apparently a Shifter, though certain comments had put a few doubts in Cid's mind. Apparently a real tale to tell here too. From what he gathered there was a vampire after the boy, a former lover and servant of the Silver Flame named Kikyo who now sought his death above all others save one - who was also an enemy of the Shifter and his priestess girlfriend. Unresolved issues indeed!
Cid's eyes slid off the adventurers. Reminded him of his youth, somewhat, though the Last War had dominated everything back then. Nowadays there was talk of the Lost Mark making a reappearance, of this 'Lord Of Blades' gathering an army of disaffected warforged out in the Mournland, of tensions gathering between nations that might erupt in yet another war eventually, and of even worse things out there gathering in the shadows.
If anything of this group concerned him, it was that those two apparently not only had a vampire on their tails - there was a nasty daelkyr named Naraku apparently already in Xen'drik trying to find some mechanism called a Soulforge that used Khyber dragonshards somehow. As if someone who apparently turned an exorcist of the Silver Flame into a vengeance-crazed vampire wasn't already enough of a problem.
Cid returned his attention to the wheel as the winds buffetted his ship.
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(Posted Wed, 13 Apr 2005 19:43)
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