Second voyage

The flair had gone up, and Captain Freeman acknowledge by landing the ship nearby.
Cook is opening the the cargo bay doors. Ain’t tha’ a bonnie beastie! An’ jist look at thae legs—stakes fer weeks, there will be. An’ ye even got the heid back in fair nick! But hey now, werenae there meant tae be a pile o’ swords an’ such stickin’ oot o’ that skull?

A Katari, Falka, you haven't seen before jumps out of the carco door with a heavy hook, connected to a rope and passes it off to Torrek. Another hook and rope is retrieved and soon the corps of the Magnatite beast is getting dragged into the carco bay of the Independence

The Katari leans against a bulkhead, a dented flask in one hand and a half-lidded gaze fixed on the massive carcass. His armor is scuffed but well-kept in the places that matter, and a bow of dark, oiled wood hangs at his shoulder. He snorts, takes a swig, and wipes his mouth with the back of a furred wrist.

Name’s Falka. If it crawls, stalks, or leaves tracks, I’ll follow it. If it tries to eat us, I’ll find where it sleeps. An’ if you’ve got a fire an’ a bottle, I’ll make myself useful twice over. Sorry I missed th’ fun this time ’round, but I’ll make it up tae ye.

"It kind of threw them everywhere at us." Vethalia says to Cook with a grimace holding up a bloody hand, "Might want to jot that down somewhere for the next time someone goes after one of these."

"Indeed, it was quite the spectacle of blades glinting as they fell on us from the sky. A painful lesson that the beautiful can be deadly. If you want to retrieve something, the anvil in the smithy appears to be enchanted."

Talin struggles to keep the mosquito still in it's cloak. "Do we have anything on board that can be used to preserve this bug. It has the last of Daedle's life essence in it. Except for the spores that will be scattered to the winds."

"Well met, Falka. I suspect we'll need a tracker if we stay on the course of hunting giant beasts. They won't all announce themselves as this one did."

Talin leans against the rail and watches the land go by beneath the airship. He muses to himself out loud.

"Hard to see all the struggles and conflicts from up here. It feels like there's enough for everyone, but when you get close it's all about who has what and who wants it. Even the creatures of the wild have gotten into it."

"Oh yay." Vethalia says with a grin, "Angelholm, you'll love it. I mean assuming they don't blast us into ash for some reason."

Talin chuckles, "I hope not. It would be poor commerce to commission our captain to retieve the head then destroy him on his return. Tell us a little about the place. I have heard stories which cannot all be true."

Falka settles in with his new companions over the trip. Asking about their adventure with the beast and the mosquitos but staying aloof. He wants to learn more but he does hold himself back from appearing too invested.

"You’ll love Angelholm." Vethalia says with a grin at Talin, "It’s up on top of a mountain, really big hill. Maybe, I don’t know where the division is between a hill and a mountain. There are sky docks up by the cliffs and a really big library with so many tomes and scrolls," she does a happy little dance, "so many beautiful scrolls."

"There are farms and goats and a bakery down by the ocean." The tiny goblin woman’s eyes go wide, "They make the best sticky buns."

"A good bakery sounds more fun than a good library, though I can see the value in both."

"The port of Angelsdeep is a bit of a trudge down the mountain, not that that should bother you." Vethalia says looking at Talin's wings, "Totally worth it."

Early evening, first day of the second voyage


The sun sinks toward the horizon, painting the clouds in gold and crimson. Captain Freeman steadies the wheel, his voice calm but firm.
Course is set over the water. But we’ll cut across the island there. It’s safer.

Far ahead, on the horizon, a shape emerges — a great airship from Highmount, its immense blimp and decks gleaming in the fading light. It drifts steadily over the waves, bound for the forested island. Slowly, your vessel begins to close the distance.

Mech rolls to the rail, the wheels of his chair locking with a soft click. He raises a spyglass, his eyes narrowing.

That’s the Flagship of the Stormspire Syndicate. He mutters. A beauty of a ship… but far too heavy. That’s why they need that great balloon to keep her up.

His words falter, and his hands tigten on the spyglass. Wait… what’s that? Is that a man, hanging on the outside?
A heartbeat later, his shout breaks the quiet.
NO! He’s falling!

Now you see it too: a silhouette, small against the vast ship and sky, tumbling helplessly through the air, plummeting down toward the dark canopy of the island below. The flagship is perhaps a kilometre ahead of you.

Talin leaps to the rail and prepares to jump off. He looks for shadows on the other airship he can use to cut down the distance and improve his chance of diving fast enough to catch the falling man.

Talin can't see a way to get close enough to save a falling man. The man has perhaps 10 seconds before hitting the ground.

Yes, chapter 2 is for the second level character

Talin sees that the distance to the man is too great to likely reach him before he 'touches down' but leaps off the rail and dives at an angle to reach the impact point as fast as possible so as to render aid if the man somehow survives.

Vethalia watches as the man is way out of range.

On the island
Talin arrives at the splattercrash site. Here is the dead body of a young man, face down into the dirt.

Good quality shirt, bloody and ruined, but top of the market. The boots look soft, like the kind that costs a month's pay for a pair.
This was clearly a wealthy person.

On the Independence - in air
Captain Freeman, grunts when he sees Talin had left the ship.
All right. Ligth the lanterns, it will get dark soon.
Reap the sails, we will stay over the island until first light

Cook hands out lanterns
We’ll ne’er spend the nicht ower the sea. There’s great beasts doon there, bigger’n castles, an’ ye cannae spot ’em in the dark. But the lanterns - aye - the lanterns’ll keep the ship sichtable tae the lad when he comes back.

Talin takes a moment to concentrate and the shadows coalesce at the opposite edge of the 'landing' site, taking on vaguely humanoid form. Talin himself initially keeps to the shade of the trees as his spirit gently turns over the body, Talin closely observing how it moves for any sign that life still remains within.

Occasionally he glances up to see if anyone is descending from the other airship. Wouldn't want to be accused of looting the body.

After a few moments, or immediately upon sensing any life in the young man, Talin glides down and lands beside the body to examine it more closely or render aid if there's any hope.

Guess we're going to end up on the wrong side of the Syndicate, but hopefully we can do right by this man and his family.

Talin moves in and takes a close look at (what remains of) the young man's face, so that he might recognize a close relative later or be able to accurately describe him. He will gently massage the ring off, if possible, and do a quick search of any pockets the man may have. He continues to check the sky above him as he does so.

While he does, he sets his shadow to digging a grave in whatever soft earth is nearby.

Talin and his shadow bury the man after memorising his unique traits.
Human male
Early 20'es
Shoulder-length blond hair
Good physical condition

Falka watches as the others deal with the man. how odd

He racks his head the whole time on the ring of the individual

Talin identifies the nearest landmark that would be identifiable from the air, then uses the dagger to make a series of trail marks leading from it to the grave, then flies back up to the airship where he gathers the captain and crew.

"It seems highly unlikely that the young man left that airship voluntarily. If he jumped it was to escape something. He bears the signet of a noble house, though I didn't immediately recognize it. He had a few valuables that I would be inclined to return to his family along with direction to where I buried their scion."

Vethalia makes a face before looking in the direction of her home, "You don't suppose this means trouble for Angelholm?"

"People with money do not typically jump from great heights. Could it be a mutiny or piracy?"

"It could be either or any of a number of other things." Talin looks around at the others, "What do we know about the Stormspire Syndicate? Other than their ungainly choice of airships."

Vethalia knows that: Stormspire Syndicate negotiate trade rights with institutions like Angelholm Monastery, where arcane knowledge meets practical magic.

They visited the Monastery when she was there. She remembers that the leader of the Syndicate is Hanov Von Himden. He is old and there was talks about giving his oldest son a more active role. His name is Lucien Von Himden

Talin knows a lot of their reputation.
They are known for being ruthless, ambitious, and politically savvy.
They jealously guard the secrets of airship construction and binding crystals.
Other factions tolerate them because their ships are vital for trade, warfare, and prestige.

"What did this man look like?" Vethalia asks looking at the signet ring. "Tall? Blonde? Very attractive before his unfortunate fall?"

Of course to Vethalia everyone is tall, except Guesclinbert.

"Young, blonde, might have been attractive, but was kind of a bloody mess. I don't know about the Syndicate, but signets aren't something everyone has, right? And this one was almost certainly his, unless he forced it onto his finger in an attempt to steal it."

"That might have been Lucien Von Himden, eldest of Hanov and heir to the Syndicate." Vethalia frowns, "This could complicate things."

"Almost makes me think we should make haste to arrive at Angleholm before their ship does. I don't know what's going on over there, but if there is something sinister and they saw me investigate, we could have a nasty surprise waiting for us. If we get there first, they have less chance to poison the well, as it were."

Guesclinbert (who is much, much taller than some other goblins he can mention who are nearby, by at least an inch and a bit, nearly an inch and a half, more if he stretches up a bit and stands on his toes more) treats the appearance of the feline ranger with a little disdain. Great, he signals to Vethalia with his ears. A drunkard. Just what we need.

---

As the man falls from the other ship (falls? Or was thrown?) Guesclinbert watches helpless - the man is far too far for him to fly over and catch, and when Talin volunteers to go and check the body, Guesclinbert follows, watching carefully from a height above the flappy fey in case anything approaches him while he is busy with the body. When Talin's work is done, he flies back to the ship alongside him, looking over the ring to see if it has any meaning for him.

The ring has the emblem of The Syndicate and Guesclinbert knows that they are not noble-born, but they wield power equal to dukes and barons because of their monopoly on air travel magic and ship.

Vethalia tells you about Angleholm Monastery where you will arrive by mid day tomorrow.

Falka watches as the events unfold he stays quiet and calm. Lots going on right now.

He decides to spend some time with the helmsman of the ship, and helps with navigation when he can.

Captain Freeman, is concerned about the implications if the dead man is truly a member of the Syndicate, but he insists that its not his business. If you want to act on it once you land, it's your business.At the break of light, your voyage continues to Angleholm Monastery, and by midday, the island of Angelholm appears on the horizon. The island is small, its lower slopes dedicated to farms and a bustling harbor town, but the real landmark is what rises above it all: the imposing walls and towering spires of the Angelholm Monastery, the famed wizard academy.

As you draw closer, a detail stands out at the monastery's Sky Docks. A grand airship, bearing the distinctive banner of the Syndicate, is already docked. The atmosphere hums with a palpable energy; the monastery is clearly putting on a display for its powerful guests. Flags snap in the wind, students in their finest robes perform coordinated illusions, and a general air of celebration hangs in the air.

Your airship is directed to the farthest dock, a full thirty meters away from the Syndicate flagship. Yet, the distance doesn't matter. Your arrival has been noticed. The eyes of several guards from both the monastery and the Syndicate are already fixed on your ship.


A woman in a purple robe walks with determination towards the Skydocks. Captain Freeman is in a rush to get the gangplank down and meets with the woman.

This is the client that you were hunting the Magnitite Beast for.

Talin will talk to whoever shares his concerns about possible entanglement with the Synidicate. He worries about what the death could mean and is certain that he does not want to reveal what he saw (and that he has the ring) until he sees what the syndicate folk are up to here. While he talks he will happily work on repairing any armor or helping with wounds.

"Mistress Reed." Vethalia says with a grin, "I should have known."

The diminutive goblin nods her head towards the Syndicate yacht docked nearby, "What're they up to today? More negotiations?"

Talin looks to the others. "I want to find out what I can about the Syndicate's business before we go break bread with them. It's a small place, but there will be someone in town who keeps an ear and eye out for the word, so I'm going to start seedy and work my way up. If I take to disguising myself, listen for the word 'driftwood' and it will most likely be me in other visage."

Talin's intent is to see what version of seedy underbelly exists in the lower slopes, then take a room but he'll keep his gear on the ship.

Vethalia heads into the monastery looking for any of her friends so she can catch up on local gossip and find out what the Syndicate is doing here.

"You've been here before?" Guesclinbert asks Vethalia. "Anywhere we can sell these weapons and maybe buy ones?"

Guesclinert also tags along with Talin to see what they can learn about the Syndicate.

While Guesclinbert sells the weapons, Talin will check the town for any signs of a black market or other criminal enterprise. If he finds such, he'll try to make contact. If not he'll do a little shopping himself.

Falka slips off the ship into the skydock away from the others. Docking and a trip into a city is always a good place for a drink and Falka knows this, hesitant to go far he does look for a place near the docks to listen.

While yes he wants to drink, he also is going to listen for talk of the Syndicate.

Talin smiles, "I will pay good coin for information. Anything about why they're really here. They're putting a good face on something, I can feel it."

He pauses and considers the folks he's with. "I don't know how much it will help, but the higher ups will be at the fancy dinner tonight. Maybe much of the crew. Of course, it'll be interest who's not there, but they will definitely be short handed while it's going on."


Talin will share what he knows of the schedule.

"If you happen to know where I can trade up some subtle and flexible armor, I'd be appreciative."

Vethalia makes a face, stupid Syndicate.

You have a dinner invitation? And you are looking for a good armor you say?
You, fetch the purple one while me and our new friend talk. The leader sends the youngest of the lot off to fetch a dark purple armor. It look really well made, and strong. This improved leather armor, does seem to have a flaw, of a long cut in its side, and the leather seems darked with blood around the cut.
Its a fix'er up'per, but you are resourceful. Now this is what I want you to do:

"I will judge to the best of my ability. I don't know the full complement of the airship, but should be able to tell if more than just the leadership is there."

Dinner at Angleholm Monastery


The Great Hall of Angleholm Monastery is vast, its vaulted stone ceiling vanishing into shadow, its pillars etched with glowing runes that shimmer faintly in rhythm with the candlelight. The walls are bare of tapestries — instead, they bear engraved sigils and circles of power, reminders that this is no mere dining chamber but the heart of a place devoted to arcane mastery.

Long wooden tables stretch the length of the hall, polished smooth by centuries of use, their surfaces set with pewter plates, silver goblets, and the subtle gleam of enchanted cutlery. The air is filled with the mingled scents of roasted meats, baked breads, and faintly spiced magical delicacies that give off tiny curls of glowing steam.

At the high table beneath the great window of the hall sits the gathering of honor.

The Prince of the Stormspire Syndicate, young yet sharp-eyed, his golden hair catching the light of the runes, carries himself with the confidence of one who knows both the weight of his future title and the strength of his fortune. He speaks sparingly at first, weighing every word.

Beside him, the Archmage of Angleholm, an elf of striking composure, her presence regal and severe, watches the Syndicate delegation with quiet calculation.

The Master of the Academy sits at her right hand, more animated in tone, offering polite remarks and maintaining the flow of conversation.

The Master of the Archive, a frail but sharp-eyed old man, leans close to catch every word, his gnarled hands folded on the table.

Professor Vivianna Reed, white-haired in her deep purple robe, sits with measured poise, offering small, precise interjections as though weighing the intellectual merit of the evening itself.

The Master of Runes & Sigils, white-bearded and broad-shouldered, listens more than he speaks, occasionally tracing an idle rune into the condensation on his goblet.

At the lower tables, the Syndicate’s retinue mingle with the advanced students of the academy. The crew of the airship find their seats here as well, close enough to feel the weight of ceremony, but far enough not to intrude upon the high table. The conversations here are quieter at first, restrained by the formality of the occasion, though glances and whispers flit between students eager to impress and retainers keen to observe.
Zandor Kalryth is sitting near the Crew of the Independence. He has been here a few days, as he accidentally got left behind by the cargo ship he arrived on. He is here as the date of Kasandra Mistral a blueskinned senior student with hair that flows in the breeze.

The meal begins with baskets of dark bread and soft cheeses, followed by hearty goat stew and roasted fowl, carried in by students pressed into service for the evening. Midway through, the magical dishes arrive: shimmering fruits that glow faintly until bitten, wines that shift color with each sip, and delicacies that steam with harmless motes of light. Each is served with polite explanation from the attendants, who struggle to keep their hands steady under the eyes of their professors.

Talin circulates in the crowd, making sure to get close enough to the Prince to get a good look at his face and general body type, thinking back to the young man who fell from the ship. He tries to read the man's body language to see if he is hiding any pain or if his presentation is above board.

Talin assess the gathering and concludes that most of the crew of the Syndicate airship appear to be at the meal and seeks out an appropriate window to place the candlestick in with three candles lit.

On his return, he'll take a moment to look closer at the Syndicate crew, getting to know their faces and body types, in case he needs to impersonate any of them at a later date. If he can get close enough to hear their voices he will (and if he happens to hear something useful, mores the better.)

Vethalia mingles for a bit checking out the members of the Syndicate crew wondering if anyone is wearing a similar ring to the one they retrieved from the corpse. She maneuvers herself close to Kasandra.

"Kassie." She says with a grin, "Who's your handsome friend and where's Andariel? I can't imagine she's happy about any of this."

Falka sticks with Talin for a bit before breaking into the crowd and faux socializing. Keeping an eye on the rest of the crew as he sips drinks and keeping his ears open.

Zandor felt out of his element in the elaborate affair. Hand everyone a sword and turn this into a battle, he would navigate it easily. Dancing through death with a blade in his hand he could manage, but polite discussions among strangers, that was another matter entirely.

The woman Kasandra whom he was attending with seemed much more at ease than he was. If he was honest to himself he would admit that she was partly the reason he had missed the departure of the cargo ship, not that she had delayed him or asked him to stay, just that she had intrigued him enough. Most of the reason though was that the cargo ship had begun to bore him. There was always danger aboard ship, but the merchant trader shuttling goods like a ferry along short safe routes had grown tedious. It had gotten him to the island and paid him a little coin. Perhaps something more interesting would come up.

Zandor was broad of shoulder and athletically built. Dressed in a simple blue tunic, some would say that he cleaned up nicely. Mostly though he would rather be aboard ship or sword in hand.

With a slight smile to Vethalia, "Kassie?? Well you must be an old friend, I have not heard her called that yet. I'm Zandor. Are you a student here as well then?"

"Vethalia Pixeldust." The diminutive Goblin woman says with an exquisite bow, "Caravan Princess, scholar, maker of magics that go boom." She grins wickedly.

"I was across the hall from Kasandra and Andariel." She says with a shrug before leaning in and whispering in a conspiratorial voice, "I'm a student yes, did you know someone was pitched overboard from the Syndicate ship before the sun went down yesterday? Some noble, he went over and we saw it, we found his body too."

Vethalia makes a face, "Kersplat."

Vethalia sees the insignia of the syndicate on all the flagships' crew, the prince and his advisors. But only the prince had a golden ring with the syndicate symbol. The signet ring is the official signature of the Syndicate leadership, and its reasonable to assume that there should only be 2 rings in existence. One on seniors' finger, and one of the princes - but the crew of the Independence knows of one extra - the one you took from the dead man's hand.

After Talin has lit some extra candles, he finds some chatty soldiers from the Syndicate Flagship. They are easy-going and are longing for stories that are just a bit more exciting than transporting a rich kind around the continent.

---

A scream cuts through the hall as the light of the runes along the walls begins to flicker. One by one, the glowing symbols twist and writhe their elegant curves warping into snakes, dozens of them, their scales still gleaming with residual magic. They drop from the walls and slither into the panicking crowd, fangs glistening with venom.

Chaos erupts.
Students shove back from the tables, overturning chairs and spilling goblets. Some of the Syndicate soldiers break ranks in terror, while others rush forward, forming a protective ring around the prince. Their formation slams against a sudden wall of force, a shimmering barrier that seals the high table inside a glowing bubble.

For a heartbeat, the senior staff within the barrier look smug and safe, their expressions tightening into brittle composure. Then a shadow flickers above them.
A single serpent, its body glimmering with runic light, drops from the ceiling, passing straight through the protective and lands among them. It rises, poised to strike...

As his conversation with the crew is interrupted by the sudden appearance of serpents, Talin momentarily pauses to take his bearings, watching as some charge into battle and some charge from it.

Seeing the larger serpent appear at the head table and those within the barrier shrink from it, he makes up his mind and steps in the nearest shadow and dissapears from view.

The warrior leaned in closer to the goblin as she whispered her news about a syndicate ship and a person falling from it.

"Truly??" he whispered back in response. Such a thing resisted belief.

Zandor had little time to say anything more when serpents burst forth from the walls and students started running for the doors.

The warrior instinctively stepped between the women and the snakes, measuring their speed and number.

"I assume this does not happen often."

"It most certainly does not." Vethalia says as a brilliant luminance forms between her fingers and launches itself across the room towards the snake threatening closest to herself and her companions. The masters can, after all, take care of themselves.

Guesclinbert isn't a big fan of sumptuous parties, feeling distinctly out of place, so he hovers (not literally) near Vethalia for a while, keeping to himself, until she finds some of her old school friends, and disappears off with them, chattering inanely about whatever it is these students chatter about, no doubt. When that happens, he mills around, occasionally smiling, and trying to keep his wings folded and not knocking anyone or anything over, while also being small enough himself that others might not notice him and bump into him. All in all, this party is quite a miserable affair for the goblin seraph.

He avoids the weird, magic-laced drinks and food, thinking to himself isn't there anything normal here that normal people would want to eat? and feeling sorry for Vethalia that she had to suffer this stuff when she was here before realising that she probably enjoyed it. Shaking his head and muttering to himself (which doesn't further endear him to the other guests), Guesclinbert eventually finds a wall to hug and stay out of the way, just observing the other guests enjoying themselves. That new ranger is probably already laying drunk under a tale somewhere, he thinks. Wonder where Talin's got to? he thinks, not able to spot the man in the crowd. He'll be laying low too if he's got any sense.

When, suddenly, serpents appear, Guesclinert assumes this is more of the magical entertainment and doesn't pay much attention, until he realises that the screams of the crowd of partygoers are not with delight, but with fright. Immediately, he springs into the air, unfurling his wings in the high-ceilinged hall, looking in the crowd for Vethalia.

Spotting her in the shadow of some man, he quickly flies to where she is, hovering (this time literally) above her, checkign to make sure this interloper means her no harm, and looking for an opportunity to attack one of the serpents if one comes close.

"Talin!" Vethalia calls out waving for her flying friend to come close.

"We need to keep an eye on the Prince and the syndicate crew." She says when everyone is close, "Something about this is not right and the Prince and his people are the most likely source of that."

Talin does not come when called (unless his shadow step doesn't get past the barrier) because he is already keeping an eye on the Prince.

A lot happens as the snake appears. First, a mass panic, some students cast spells at them, but the magic passed through them as if the snakes were not there.

Talin jumps into the shadow realm. Its realm that he has learned to navigate, and his target is under the high table. Unlike the other times, he shadow stepped. This time, he could not reach the desired shadow; it was blocked off in some strange way. He could feel the attention of the other creatures in the shadow realm; this was not good!
When he learned this skill, the warning was repeated over and over again. Don't get lost in the shadow realm! Don't bring anything back from the shadow realm! He found himself a nearby shadow exit, and reappeared under the table, not the high table as he had intended, but the table nearest to the high table.
Talin can see a lot of busy feet and a snake slithering after a panicked student. He can also see the larger serpent raising its head in front of the prince and the senior staff.Vethalia launches her bolt of magical light at a nearby serpent. She knows it's a hit, right to the centre mass of the slick body, but still the magic didn't take effect. The flagstone that got hit glows brightly, but that is it.

Guesclinbert Hangs in the air over Vethalia and while he can't get an exact number, his best guess is that the snakes count in the thirties or forties.

Over in the other end of the great hall, a wizard unleashes a hail of magical blasts, hitting everything around their table. Students fall to the blast, but the snakes are unharmed.

The warrior watched the snakes as he smoothly drew his long blade. Immediately he felt better with it in is hand, although the shear number of snakes was overwhelming. He spun the blade and adjusted his footing.

"Are they illusions? Magic passed right through them."

Picking the closest snake, Zandor stepped forward and slashed at it with his sword.

"Watch out!" She shouts as the other student releases a torrent of arcane energy.

Seeing her magics slip right through the serpent Vethalia switches to her staff. "This isn't working." She shouts above the cacophony in the hall. "If they're illusions they're good, really good."

The diminutive Goblin wizard hops atop a table, pushes her hair back from her face and looks about. Andariel is a sorceress, she can spot magics a mile away, of course there are rather a lot of magics going on in this room at the moment. Where is she?

Talin watches all the students and teachers failing to harm the snakes and thinks about all the presences hovering in the Shadows. Something is off here he thinks to himself. He focuses his eyes on the high table and considers his options as he watches the strongest in the room deal with each other.

Talin does spot something interesting with the prince. At first, he shows a lack of fear when the snakes drop through the field. Surprise, yes, but not fear. But when the prince sees his advisors flinch, the prince adopts a fearful demeanour.

Zandor swings his sword and strikes a snake, cleaving it in two. Moments after it's gone without a trace.

There is some yelling and screaming, but mostly it is about now throwing magic indoors. The snakes are gone. Everyone who was hurt was hurt because of the panic and side effects of the spells cast.

The excitement is over.

Talin quietly extricates himself from under the table and nonchalantly heads over to Vethalia.

"Someone take a prank to far? I don't know much about that magic but it seemed to come from the runes on the wall and nobody thought twice about them before the snakes happened so I assume there's always runes and stuff going on."

Vethalia shakes her head, "Distraction." She says looking about, "Something else is up."

The diminutive goblin makes a face, "Where did Kassie go?" She asks, "She said something before running off."

If it were a prank, you would expect someone to start laughing, but no. It's a sombre mood in the dining hall, and every mage in the room is discussing all kinds of theories, like illusion, evil spirits, trixters gods, animal totems.
There are questions about the Flagship if they have experienced anything like it on their journeys, but it seems like their answers are in negative.

"Does anyone know about the runes they came out of? If we can isolate the ones for the snakes maybe we can figure something out."

Falka watching the snakes he looks to see if he can figure out where they came from

The warrior kept his sword at the ready after the snakes had disappeared. "I know nothing of magic but there must have been some purpose."

"Master Thargrim is the rune and glyph master." Vethalia says looking about to find the old dwarf.

"I agree. You know this place better than the rest of us do, what do you think it was meant to distract from? Anything look out of place, anyone seem different, guilty, happy?"

Guesclinbert remains hovering in the air, his wings gently flapping to keep him aloft, and scanning the crowd to see if he can spot anything out of the ordinary or that seems off.

"There are so many things here." Vethalia says with a frown. "It concerns me that the prince is the only one of them wearing a signet ring."

She lets out a breath, "Where is Andariel? She can spot magics far easier than I can."

"What's Andariel look like? I might be able to spot her from here."

"I think the prince was expecting something, but not that. Either that or he's not used to actually being threatened. Illusions or not, he thought he was safe until he saw that the headmasters didn't think they were."

And more quietly to Vethalia, "And keep quiet about rings for now, we don't know who was involved and the fact that the prince and crew are acting like no one's missing is very strange."

The snakes emerged from the edge of the glowing runes into the wall and pillars. The runes are still there, and they are slowly regaining their glow. Everything points to visual illusions, that did not react to magic, but to physical damage. The archmage, the headmaster of the academy, stands up on a table and magically amplifies her voice

Attention all students, guests and staff. Please remain calm. The threat has passed and...
Younger male students are standing to laugh as all of a sudden, this female elven mage, stands entirely naked in front of you all.
In a panic, she janks a magic book to her chest, trying to cover her nudity.

No! What? This can be happening! Her voice is still amplified as she runs off out of the dining hall. Once this young elf got her self a tramp-stamp-tattoo of a dear antlerers, and they are on full display as she flees the room and the many eyes on her.

The archive master stands up in her place and tries to calm things down. WAIT! SOMETHING IS STILL GOING ON. PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR ROOMS AND STAY THERE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
He turns to professor Reed. Vivianne, please engage the lockdown

Professor Reed quickly leaves the dining hall, and in less than a minute, a giant translucent sphere* engulfs the entire Angelholm Monastery

"Snakes...nudity in front of others...people's fears are coming to life. Or at least the illusion of them is doing so. You think it's the runes? They're still glowing? Or is someone casting these spells?"

"Someone with magic of the mind as well as illusions and good and subtle enough to pull that off here? While the Syndicate are here as well, so I suspect there's more than even we suspect. In any case, we're on lockdown and I'm not even sure we can get back to the ship."

The warrior watched the woman flee, thinking that she did not have anything to fear. Once she left, he finally decided it safe enough to sheath this sword. He listened to the others speak, but he knew next to nothing about magic.

"A spell to affect this many people seems powerful. To what purpose, other than distraction and chaos, I wonder."

"Whatever is happening is not happening here." Vethalia says looking at the others, "Andariel works in the archives and Kasandra is an astronomer who works with the orrery in the great hall."

Talin nods and takes to the air near Guesclinbert.

"I don't know where those places are, but if you think your friends might be in danger, point the way."

The Indenpendence and the Syndicate flagship are the only two ships caught within the lockdown bubble. As you make your way to the orrery, you come across some angry syndicate sailors who are yelling at a young wizard. They demand to be released while the wizard is trying to explain to them that a) the senior staff have chosen to lock down the academy and b) she does not have the power to lift the lockdown even if she wanted.
The 6 sailors doesn't seem to understand or accept this answer, as they become more aggressive in their outbursts. This could turn ugly soon.

"Oi!" Vethalia shouts at the sailors, "It's not her fault that any of this is going on so why don't you just stagger back to your boat and sleep it off."

She scowls at them. "What is human saying? Is like, Do to please be annoying someone with a volume similar to your own."

"Sounds better in the original Goblin, obviously," adds Guesclinbert, rising in the air a foot or two to seem taller and thus intimidate the sailors more.Seriously though, back off. She's not to blame here. It's whoever's caused the lockdown. You lot know anything about that? Your masters said anything about causing distractions or chaos here?"

Talin quietly stays at the back of the group of airmen, observing and listening to what they have to say to each other.

"I can't believe he'd talk to you like that Vethalia," Guesclinbert says, loud enough that the sailors can hear too. "Some people today just have no manners. Shall we make him learn some?"

Talin gently grabs the shoulder of one of the men at the back, looking for any one who seems to be wavering at all.

"Hiya, I was wondering if I could help. What did your prince order you to do and maybe I can help you find a better way to do it. Seems like going against the whole academy isn't working for you."

"Just because you're tall." Vethalia says looking at the sergeant before glancing at Guesclinbert, "Also, I think the twirp comment was directed at you."

"You understand of course that we are all trapped under this bubble, not just you."

"Why thank you for finally acknowledging that I am in fact much taller than you," says Guesclinbert to Vethalia. "Though I'm pretty sure he was referring to you as a twirp. It's the lack of ear hair, probably."

Guesclinbert remains hovering, ready to either take to the sky to make a dive on the leader, or rush forward if events merit it.

The warrior had no better options, so he collected his other things as they left the main hall and followed the group.

As they encountered the syndicate harassing one of the students, Zandor was completely confused by the two goblins as they argued back and forth within the group. Then the other winged member of the group starting talking to members of the syndicate.

Zandor decided that too many people were already talking, so he stood at the ready, watching the group of syndicate closely. He did not know how this would go, but he knew if things went sideways, he was going for the sergeant first.

Sarge... Sarge...! One of the most junior soldiers is trying to get his leader's attention. He is looking scared.
Can you... Can you hear the scissors?

You all stop your shouting and arguing and listen. You can also hear the shearing sounds of scissors. The sound of metal on metal, the two sharp edges that glide against each other.

The young soldier is sitting huddled together with his head between his knees and his hands over his ears. Make it stop!

But the sound only intensifies, before there was only the sound of a scissor; now there are hundreds.

And then, as suddenly as it appeared, the sound disappeared, and the hallway is silent again.

Talin grabs the nearest Syndicate crewman (the one he was already talking to if possible) and puts steel in his voice as he asks "Where's your Prince, clearly he's in danger?"

The warrior looked over at the dead soldier. "How? His own fear?"

A look of concern crossed his face. He could cross swords with anything, but how could they deal with this.

While Vethalia tends to the junior crewman (for whatever good it will do), Talin softens his tone and addresses himself to the Sargeant for the first time.

"Things are escalating. Look, we're trapped here too, crew of the Independent, and something's going on. I was hoping your Prince was negotiating with the headmasters to get released, but if he's holed up and left that to you, maybe we need to work together to solve this."

Vethalia rushes to the side of the fallen crew man and quickly produces a card that glows with celestial light.

"I do not know if this will work, but it cannot make things worse." She says looking at the Sargant waiting for his approval. "It is your chose to let me try to heal him, he is after all your man."

Footsteps click up the hall from somewhere deep in the building and Kasandra reappears with a young dark elf woman. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Kasandra asks not entirely certain what is going on. Her hair moves as if tussled by an unfelt breeze.

The dark elf nods, "Yes, anything. Anything at all." She glances towards the docks and then back at the crewman who has collapsed.

There is no life left in the young sailor. He was literately scared to death. Nothing that Vethalia can do will bring him back.

Talin is right, this is escalating. First there was a group of snakes that caused panic. Looking back at it, they seemed to draw from the runes in the dining hall.

Kasandra tells about a claustrophobic episode she had, and but luckily Andariel was there to get her out.

And now this poor sailor was scared to death.

The Sergent takes the body of young sailor and carries him from the hallway. He is flanked by the rest of the men. The grief and frustration is palpable.
Outside you can see they are headed for the flagship.

Talin gathers his friends together and, after confirming that Vethalia trusts Kasandra, he shares what he's thinking about the prince.

"I don't have proof, but I may have the ability to prove, that the Prince is not who he seems to be. If I had to guess, the crew aren't in on it. I think we need to keep quiet about what we saw on the way in. Someone's operating with very bad intent and has stronger magic than we do. Maybe not stronger than the headmasters but maybe something they're not used to. At least they weren't able to recognize and stop it right away."

Being new to the group, the warrior did not know what they had seen, but did not ask as they seemed to not want to speak of it at this moment. "We should continue to investigate then. At least in a group we will not all be afraid of the same thing. Perhaps that will help us, although it did not help that man."

"I know this is a bad time for everyone involved," the dark elf woman, Andariel Lunadawn, says to the Sergeant taking a few extra steps to catch up with him, "and I completely understand if you think the circumstances make it entirely inappropriate but I have a private invitation for drinks with your Prince this evening."

Vethalia stops and looks at Andariel, *Seriously?* says the look on her face.

Kasandra nods at Vethalia, *I know right?* Her expression responds.

Talin whispers to Vethalia, "Are you going to introduce us to your friends if we're going to get each other into trouble?"

"Oh!" Vethalia says looking surprised, "Oh my gosh yes, I am so sorry, I'm usually much better at this."

The tiny goblin runs through your names quickly before turning to the two women. "Kasandra Mistral, mistress of the heavenly motions." She says indicating the woman with the crimson hair that seems to move of its own accord. Andariel snorts at this.

Kasandra smiles a smile that reaches the corners of her eyes and offers up a quick curtsy, "Delighted."

Then Vethalia turns to the dark elf, "Andariel Lunadawn, lady of the dark realm below the library."

Andariel nods her mind clearly elsewhere and on something more important.

Talin nods to each of them in turn. "Talin Windborne. Now that we've all met is there somewhere quiet we can go share information?"

Kasandra nods, "There's a lecture space over here." She says pointing towards a nearby door. "We talk in there."

Talin nods and leads the way to the room. He makes sure the room is clear of anyone not vouched for and that everyone who wants to be is in before closing the door.

He pauses with a pensive look at each of the assembled before speaking. "The man who appeared here as the Prince is indistinguishable, other than an absence of serious injuries, from the man on the island. I suspect that, given that the crew is acting like everything on that end is normal, despite all of the things that are not, someone with a great skill in deception has taken the Prince's place. I can do something similar, but I don't know that I could maintain it for as long or with people who know him. Might be helpful later in the right circumstances, though I hope we don't get there."

He looks from Vethalia to Andariel to Kasandra "Do you know if the Prince has ever come here before or just representatives? I'm curious how he fooled the masters." He pauses, "Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe the same magics that power his deception are involved in these phantasms."

The warrior walked near Kasandra as they moved into the open room to speak. She was the only person he had met prior to the last few minutes, although he knew almost nothing more about her than he did about any of the others present.

Zandor was not an idiot, but he certainly was not a scholar either. The sum total of his knowledge about magic was 'dodge!!' and 'don't stand in that!!'. Had he not just seen an entire room full of snakes and a man die of his own fear, he might have discounted the entire thing as fancy.

"You think this imposter may be the cause of this fear magic?" he paused to consider. "It is an elaborate plot you suggest."

Guesclinbert nods as Zandor speaks. "It certainly seems that way. Whoever is disguised as the prince can cast powerful magic that disguises himself - or he has an accomplice who does so - that defies scrying and discernment. If it is a form of illusion magic, then that would also explain the fears that have been preying on us here, more illusions of a powerful nature. Talin, didn't you say that when the snakes first appeared, the prince seemed surprised but unafraid? Perhaps it is an accomplice then that is doing this, and he didn't realise what was about to happen, simply that something was about to happen. Either that or he isn't fully in control over his own magic."

"That is what I saw." Talin replies, "But now that I think about it, my first reaction may not have been correct. I thought he was unafraid then realized that the headmasters could not handle the snakes and became fearful, but as I think about it the more I think he saw others being fearful and changed his demeanor to match. He did show surprise, but perhaps because he new such would be expected and had not thought to also act fearful. Perhaps he doesn't know the Prince's advisors and thought they would show more backbone."

The warrior nodded, "Makes sense. If he knew it was coming and then realized that he stood out by not being afraid. If he is the cause, we have a very big problem that he is safely guarded on a floating fortress. One would think though that the mages here could combat this magic."

"I suspect that, whoever or whatever he is, he is very confident that he is better than the wizards and masters here in some way. I don't know when he joined the ship, but he only took over the role of the Prince recently and the crew and 'his' advisors haven't noticed anything wrong yet. So did he take over because they were coming here or was the timing coincidental and he was going to do it anywhere he could get away from their power base to have time to dig in."

Talin pauses for a moment.

"I should share one more thing with you. While I was in town, I was able to track down a group of, let's call them opportunistically interested parties, who may have made a foray onto the ship while the crew were at the party. If they got in and out before it went to heck and I can track them down, I might be able to get some insight into what's going on aboard."

"Andariel went off to see the prince on her own." Vethalia says looking at the others. "There is definitely something off about him."

"There’s something in the archives too." Kasandra says with a shudder, "I can’t go back down there though. It’s too small and tight." She blinks, "I need to get up high though, in case I need to drop in and save her."

"What kind of something in the archives and how would we find it. We've got some smaller options. As for getting high up, I'm pretty good at that and pretty good at getting into things if needed."

"And I can get you up high if you don't mind a short flight and can't do so under your own steam."

"It’s a void knight." Kasandra says, "Or at least Andariel thinks it is. It’s in s secret compartment in the wall."

"We should probably worry about that after we make sure she’s alright." Vethalia says looking at the others, "Unless you think it could be useful that is."

"Is that a threat or is it a potential weapon against whoever we're dealing with? If it's not a threat, maybe we wait until we have some more information and we move towards the flagship now and we can protect your friend and do recon, too."

While you are discussing matters among yourself, you see the Syndicate flagship rise 5 meters above the dock. There is no way that the ship can actually leave the bubble that the wizards have placed on the monastery, but if they raise much more, they would come into contact with the barrier.
One thing is for sure: Getting on and off the ship has all of a sudden gotten much harder.

---

A group of 3 mages are patrolling the grounds and suggests that you retire to your quarters for the night.

"One of our witches is on the prince’s ship." Vethalia says to the mages.

"Sorceress." Kasandra says correcting Vethalia.

"Sorceresses." Vethalia says correcting herself. "She was invited aboard by the prince and now he’s moved the ship so she can’t get off."

"I can fly some of us up there, one at a time. It'll take some of my energy, but a few of us..."

Away from the patrolling mages, Talin adds in.

"I can fly myself. I can also move through the shadows though that might be riskier than usual under the circumstances. Might save that for a quick escape."

From the back of the flagship, through the large windows, you see two orange-yellow flashes.
Something is going on up there.

Vethalia winks at Talin, "I think I can manage."

She pulls a card out of her jacket and gives it a practiced flick and a swirl of blue sparks materialize from the face of the card. As she casts it on the ground a swirling blue portal materializes. A moment later on the deck of the ship an orange portal appears.

Vethalia opens her portal and steps out on the deck of the Stormspire Syndicate's flagship. It's an opulent ship, with polished brass and expensive wood panelling all around.
What?! Gasps a female mage in a white hat

You again?! Bellows the sergernt you met earligere.

At the same time Talin lands on the open deck and Guesclibert drops off Zandor on the other side of the ship

Intruder! yells one of the soldiers and the sailors on deck runs for cover.
The archers turn their heavy crossbows / small balistas at you, the soldiers draw steel and the mage is gathering power.

"Let's not fight! Something's very wrong here and it's coming from your ship. I think the Prince is not your Prince and is the cause of all this!"

Talin directs his words to the Mage, since the Sergeant has heard his argument and already decided not to listen.

"There! Behind that bloke!" Guesclinbert rises in the air slightly, and points at the shimmering fear creature about to eat the Syndicate soldier. "Take it out before it gets him!"

One of the archers turns to the north, but neither he or anyone else sees anything.

"Are you blind man, it's right there! You can tell from the air shimmering!

"Gues, seems like you're the only one that can see it, take it out, we'll hold off the rest until you do. Hopefully there's some detectable effect when it goes down."

"Perhaps if you could show us?"

Guesclinert rises into the air, and dives straight for the shimmering cloud.

Guesclinbert the Raven flies off to strike something that only he can see. This breaks the tension and the archers opens fire on Guesclinbert but the shots doesn't connect.

The mage cause the area between Zandor and Vethlia to erupt into ice chunksThe Sergeant and one of the soldiers rush down, free of the ice eruption and cuts into Talin with their swords.

"I really don't want to fight you, but that hurt." Talin says as he pushes off and takes to the air to get out of the reach of the swordsmen. He tosses his blade at the Sargent, trying to incapacitate rather than kill.

The warrior was barely on the ship deck when things went completely sideways.

As the ice erupts, he dances skillfully along the rail of the ship as only one born on ship could. Ice crusts along his armor, but he remained standing.

Zandor barely gets his shield in the way of the severe blow, forcing the blade away, but still taking a hit through his chain.

"This is going well..." he says with sarcasm.

The warrior steps into the opponent and brings his longsword around to counter attack.

Vethalia moves quickly across the deck dripping blood as she moves, she heads up the stairs towards where Guesclinbert is and attempts to reveal what it is he can see.

Vethalia Pixeldust rush through the combat and cast her spell. A spiritual creature is revealed behind the soldier. Its sinister focus is still on the soldier.

Everyone stops what they are doing and the deck is quiet for a heartbeat.

Then a voice is heard from below: THE PRINCE HAVE BEEN MURDERED!!

Arrest everyone! Bellows the sergeant, but there is panic in his voice.

The warrior turns slightly to glance in the direction of the spirt, keeping his shield up and wary of his opponent.

He curses under his breath, "What is that?" not expecting an answer and returning his attention to the enemy to see what happens next.

The spirit turns to you and speaks words of old.

Thou hast unveil’d me, fools, and lo - thy doom is come.
I shall drink deep of thy fear and feast upon thy dreams.
No dawn shall find thee, for thou art mine to torment.
Wake or sleep, it mattereth not - thy world is now my nightmare.

The soldier next to the spirit faints - properly from fright.

---

Somewhere else a hidden door opens and huge armored man steps out into the archive.

Talin focuses briefly on the Sargent. "That's the thing that killed your crewman. Let's deal with it then you can worry about arresting us."

He starts flying towards the fear creature, "Or not if we can agree that we're on the same side."

Flying up above the creature, he sends his blade spinning towards it, intending to kill this time.

Being right next to this creature Vethalia produces the flame card but sets herself in such a way that her flames flow over the side of the ship and only hit the spectre and not the downed crew man or any of the others.

A wall of fire bursts forth from the diminutive woman's fingers.

Talins magic dagger slides into the spirit, and it seems to react to the blade.

The archers fire into the spirit but either they don't connect or its unfazed by the arrows.

The sergeant and the other soldiers rush up to fight the evil spirit with the rest of you. But the sergeant falls screaming after the spirit gave him a look. One of the soldiers stops to help his sergeant and soon it all he can do to stop his friend and commander from tearing his own eyes out.
The spirit makes a casual swipe at Talin as it turns its attention to the next nuance.

---

Somewhere else, a helmeted face looks up, gazing towards the sky. It has been so long since the cosmos was to behold.

As the soldiers swarm the Fear creature but seem to do it no harm, Talin redoubles his efforts to eliminate it.

Vethalia produces another card with a burning signal pyre on it ane cast it at the beast with a casual flick of the wrist.

Guesclinert again tries to keep the shimmering demon thing in his sights, thwacking it with his hallowed axe.

Producing another card Vethalia fires a bolt of celestial energy and fires it at the spirit.

Talin states the obvious, "Don't let it take you!" then tosses his blades in a wide arc, keeping his distance.

Vethalia will once again try to set this stupid thing on fire.

The fight rages on with the evil spirit. You stab and cut it, and Vethalia makes pretty lights, and then the spirit retreats and possesses a crewman.

It's only when the crewman is knocked out or killed that the spirit returns to the physical world, and you can strike at it directly again.
Only for it to find a new subject to possess.

"Anybody have a way to restrain this thing?"

"I wish." Vethalia says, "Wish I could do more than waste magic hitting air."

There is a gust of wind, and then a redheaded girl and a big armoured knight land on the deck. Both of them land with ease and grace, as if they were lighter than air. This is emphasised as after landing, the knight's armor settles itself again, if it's suddenly regained its normal weight again.

The knight is a formidable figure. He is clad head-to-toe in heavy, ornate armor, a greatsword held in a gauntleted hand. The figure is impossibly tall, nearly two meters in height and powerfully built, far beyond the scale of a normal human. Faintly glowing orange symbols are etched into his pauldrons and helmet, casting a warm, eerie light.

I have found thee once more, thou eater of dreams.
Once didst thou flee my grasp, but this time thou shalt not ’scape - not though I bind thee in thy cage anew.
Thy phantoms move me not, nor shall thy nightmares claim my mind.
I shall see thee starv’d through the turning of many years!

The soldier currently possessed by the dream-eater charges the Void Knight, as this is what he is. The soldiers sword strike is easily battede away, by the void knigts great sword.


Air-maiden! Make thee ready the Chamber of Solitude.
I shall bring the guest — and the sacrifice of mind — anon.

The redheaded girl suddenly realises that she is being addressed.

"This the thing your friend was worried about?" Talin asks, looking at the Void Knight. Sounds like an old fight between these two.

"Anything we can do to help? If there's anyway to force it out of the man so we don't have any more blood shed, it would be good." Talin shouts to the newly arrived redhead.

The warrior had no magic and no way to fight a spirit. He had considered a gambit, but not a powerful magical creature had arrived to capture the spirit. He was awestruck by the situation and stood watching having no way to change events.

"Oh crud," Kasandra says looking about and remembering the last time she was in the archives, "only Andariel knows how to operate the chamber, where is she?"

"Downstairs somewhere." Vethalia says. "I don't know why she hasn't come up to join the fun yet."

Kasandra rushes to a door, near the back of the ship grabbing one of the archers attention, "We need my friend, the elf woman, she knows how to open and close the creature's prison, can you take me to her?"

Talin turns to the Sargent. "You heard the lady! We need the woman who was with the Prince earlier. Even if you didn't believe me earlier, surely you can see we're on the same side now!"

A sailor looks from you, to the possessed soldier to the Void Knight and then to the Sergeant. The sergeant nods, and the sailor goes below deck

The possessed soldier tries another attack at the Void knight, and again it's parried, but the knight follows up with a strike to the soldier's arm. The loud snap and the limp arm tells you all that the arm is broken.
AIR-MAIDEN!

Make thee ready the Chamber of Solitude!
With heist!

The knight makes another swing with his greatsword, this time against the soldier's knee.

Good sir! Please spare me! The sailor pleads for his life, sitting on the deck, his knee not supporting him, and he is cradling his injured arm.

Please let me live! He begs.

There is no sign of possession or the dream eater.

Is the evil spirit truly gone?
Is it just hiding in his mind?
Is the sailor free of its clutches?

"How will you get down?" Kasandra says to the Void Knight, "You need me to fly you back down."

Vethalia nods, "Are we certain it's still..." The tiny goblin begins before casting another reveal on the sailor, a crimson and black wraith presses against his flesh from within, "Oh yeah it's still there."

"What in the nine hells is that?!" Kasandra asks taking a step back.

Talin follows the sailor below decks, ignoring the Sargent if he complains about it.

Everything seems to be business as usal for a large ship. A lot of the crew is in their bunks trying to get some sleep. There is a lot of unease. Rumors of a crewman dying from the snakes in the mages wall is easy to pick up.
There is also some resentment that the prince screwed a girl - first taking her to his bed and then locking her up.

Talin quickly fills Andariel in on the Dream Eater and the arrival of the Void Knight and urges haste in getting back up to the deck. He'll wait to discuss the Prince until they are not in earshot of the crew.

When Andariel and Talin returns on deck, the Void knight has picked up the wounded, pleading sailor and he simply steps off the ship. Gravity act differently for the duration that he flows down the the ground with the sailor in tow.

Talin has his wings, and so does Guesclinbert the Raven. Vethalia, Zandor, Andariel and Kassandra is left to sort out their own decent.

"So is this fear demon captured now, or still loose? And what does the Prince have to do with this? Was he possessed y the fear demon, or one of his advisors?"

"The demon is trapped inside that sailor's body," Vethalia says running along beside Gueisclinbert, "kind of a strange way for a demon to behave."

"The price was a doppleganger." Andariel says rushing along, "At least ai hope he was a doppleganger, sallow skin, fangs, claws, mental powers. Yes, definitely a doppleganger."

"If we imprison the demon forever, does that mean this sailor has to be its host forever?" Vethalia asks the knight making a face.

The Void Knight squises the broken arm of the sailor. He screams in agony.

The Knight turns to Vethalia as they walk. The man’s life is forfeit.
So long as his days be a waking nightmare, the Dream-Eater may not depart.
With his limbs made useless, the spirit may work no wickedness,
but must bide its time till the host doth sleep… or perish

He goes down into the archive basement, where a small door in the wall stands open. The inside of this small box/room is covered with mirrors.Unceremoniously, the knight throws the sailor into the room and closes the door.

Shut fast this door, and bar it ’gainst all prying eyes.
Then… then is my charge fulfill’d, and I may take my rest

The giant man sits down on a crate, the wood complaining under the weight. For the first time he really looks at you all.

The stars be wondrous chang’d, and thy tongue soundeth strange to mine ear.
Certes, I must have held the Dream-Eater bound these many hundred years.

The Void instructeth its disciples in many crafts,
and the bending of one’s own hours is but a single art among them.
Perchance, with God’s grace or fortune’s whim,
a brother of mine yet lieth in slumber beyond the march of time

"We knew he wasn't the real prince. No one but you has been able to get close enough to find out what he is, and I'm glad you survived."

"Is there absolutely no way to rescue this sailor? Condemning him to an eternity of suffering seems a little harsh."

"I suppose one of us could switch places." Vethalia says, "Of course I'd just blow you all up if we switched spots."

"I just killed a doppleganger," Andariel says carefully inscribing the sigils, "do you really want to have to deal with that?"

You sit in the archive waiting for the master of runes when you hear someone coming and expect it to be the master.

When the door opens, three Syndicate advisors stand in the hallway, cloaks removed, uniforms loosened, faces carved with exhaustion. Lanternlight throws long shadows across their features.

The eldest of the three speaks first. His voice is low and steady, but grief edges every word.
We have come to speak of the… the thing that wore our prince’s face. Not in anger. Not any longer.

A woman with dark hair pulled too tightly back, closes the door and turns to you with a mixture of shame and gratitude.

We searched his chambers.
We questioned the crew.
We compared every ledger, every seal, every order.

She draws a long breath.
And now we know the truth.

Younger than the others, eyes still red from crying, interrupts.
The real prince never boarded the ship.
He was replaced before we ever left Highmount.

You know different; you witnessed him falling to his death over the island.

The elder adviser explains with a somber tone.
We found the signs we should have seen sooner.
The false signatures.
The altered logs.
The suggestions whispered in private counsel.
He looks up, brimming with anger
That creature did not merely imitate our prince. It ruled in his name. And it meant far worse.

We have testimonies about how he looked at the younger crew. How he manipulated affections. How he pushed and pried at loyalties that were not his to claim.

The second adviser steps in and meet the eye of Andariel
He tried the same with you. Had you not acted, we dread to think what he would have become.
We do not blame you
She addresses the rest of you.
We don't blame any of you for your action on the deck. We were angry and hurt and we had lost crew already.
But we see now that you saved us.

The elder advisor steps forward and places his hand over his heart.
The Syndicate owes you truth.
And it owes you thanks.

We ask only to know everything you witnessed.
How he died.
When he changed.
Whether he ever spoke as himself.

For tomorrow… we must decide what tale the world will hear