The Storm Keep
This mountaintop fortress looks like a castle floating atop a cloud, due to the altitude and clouds that cling to the mountain. The wall seems to go on forever, with watchtowers and crenelations along the top. A rather small looking entry features an actual drawbridge that spans a deep river-cut chasm.

Gerryonde is in high spirits as she leads Tasha's group back down the mountain, carrying the news that the Storm Rider Clan will eventually be sending a representative to Titan's Aerie. Going down the mountain is much easier than climbing it, as well. Hellas is surprised to see them back (which is a recurring theme it seems) and listens closely to the tale of just why the other Vartan clan cut itself off from the rest of the world.

Hakeber suggests to Tasha that they visit Abdiel the shaman, since the bite mark on Tasha's neck was still showing odd behavior. The stunted Vartan was delighted by the visit and fascinated by the mark. "The Shadow Men's god has marked you," he concludes. "The fur will stay dark, and the shifting nature isn't cause for worry," Abdiel assures Tasha.. at least, no cause for worry beyond the fact that she's marked by an alien deity. Since the shaman knows a bit of Standard from his sister, he and Hakeber are able to communicate well enough, and the Karnor strongly 'hints' that she may be staying a bit longer with Abdiel after Tasha leaves. The shaman asks for a feather again, claiming that Tasha is changed enough now that it's needed. He still doesn't explain why he wants it, beyond, "Handy for divination."

The next day, Hakeber returns and they're all off again, this time hiking to the Rainbow Springs Jupani village (and their much-appreciated hot springs), where they are once again greeted with surprise. After resting for a day, it's another five-day trek through the wilderness with Moire and Growf before they're back in New Elamoore and reunited with The Rake.

By the time Tasha finds herself setting hoof on the docks, she knows she's never walked farther. If not for Fred and Gabriel's suggestion she get new hooves, she's sure her old ones would have fallen off by now -- and her legs with them!

"Whew!" She breathes, smiling at the site of her old airship and home. "I've never been more glad to see The Rake; I still think you all need to grow wings! Are you ready to get on board, or is there anything we've neglected to tend to?"

"If there are any luxuries we need to restock, we'd better do it now," Aaron notes. "I doubt we'll find any comforts where we're going next."

"I already ran out of coffee," Gabriel notes, rubbing the back of his head. "Not fond enough of the mateh stuff to feel a need to bring any."

"I suppose it's too much to hope for a beast tavern and beast market," Tasha agrees, laughing. "Well, I could use a drink or two, but I'd just as soon get some rest for the next step. I think relaxation will serve me better than indulgence, sad as that is to say."

"Hah, nice to see you man can handle a little walkin' at least," Captain Eyeshine notes to Tasha. "We head to Kilmanjar in morning, so you gots tonight to live it up. Plenty of bars here, with all these miners!"

"I just want to sleep," the Lapi notes. "You wolves should all get baths though."

Hakeber sniffs her arm. "Maybe do laundry too," the scholar notes. "I'm amazed my boots haven't fallen apart. Or my feet.."

"I think I'd just like to spend my time with certain grey and black Karnor," Tasha insists, smiling. She winks to her mate and adds, "I think I've put him through enough that he deserves something special." A glance cast Lapiwards, a nod, and, "Maybe something special in a bath."

"Yes, the three of you go scrub each other and have big steak dinners," Aaron says, making a shooing motion while grinning.

"I can't argue with that logic; lets go," Tasha bids the other wolves. After waving them on, she heads back in to the city.

Finding food isn't a problem, since not only do the taverns serve it, there are open-air cooking pits where you can cut your own meat off of still-turning roasts - mostly boar, but also some domesticated fare like Rughrat. These are usually run by Titanians, who use some fairly unusual spices to give things an exotic flavor. For bathing, there are a few bath houses, one of which offers private sections.

"Titanian food and private baths, how does that sounds? At the risk of sounding vain, I'm not in a hurry to show off the Mark," Tasha murmurs to her party as she stares across the way at the nearest open pit cooking. With evening well underway, has become an illuminating beacon of comfort, drawing her attention and reminding her of a place too-dark. "Sound good?"

"At least Titanian fare should be well tenderized," Gabriel jokes, and gestures to the pit. "I wouldn't mind trying the wild boar myself.."

"After days full of dried rations, I think my stomach may rebel if I wait any longer ..," Tasha murmurs as she begins wandering over to the pit, eye gaze locked on the soon-to-be-meal with the unique fixation of both canids and birds.

As the young woman nears, she shifts her direction to approach the pitmaster. "Meal for three. Big meat; maybe sauce. Got plate?"

"Got sticks!" the giant wolf replies. "Meat on stick! Can fight with stick afterwards. How big you want sticks?"

Soon enough, the Karnors and half-Vartan are sitting on benches around a fire, with slabs of roast meat on sticks and various bowls of sauces for dipping. Titanian-sized leather mugs are filled with Titanian beer, which might very well be cobbled together from various other beers.

"I like this beer," Tasha remarks as she peers in to her mug. "We're both a bit of something!" After taking a swing, she scootches over to lean against her mate, content to use the man as a pillow as she talks between bites. "How have you liked our adventure so far?"

Grinning, Gabriel puts an arm around Tasha and says, "This is what I joined the Expedition for. Exploring, meeting new cultures. Braving the unknown! And meeting exotic alien women of course." He winks at Tasha during that last bit.

Gabriel gets a kiss for that! "I'm glad you still like me," she says with a smile before taking another bite. "I've been worried you might resent me; I know how much you wanted to brave the aerie's risks yourself."

"Next time you go to talk to a god-in-a-hole, I'm coming with you," Gabriel notes, and taps Tasha's nose. "Especially when tentacles are involved."

"I'll pass on the tentacles," Hakeber notes, sounding a bit tipsy. But then, she's had three servings of beer already - which she probably wasn't expecting to have so much alcohol.

"What's so peculiar about tentacles?" Tasha inquires, blinking up at the man. "And I do promise. I guess I just don't want to lose anyone. Does that make me a bad officer?"

"No, that's normal," Gabriel admits. "Just don't let it keep you from sending your people into danger when they're the best choice for the job."

Casting a glance aside, Tasha shakes her head. "Poor Hake. We'e going to bring her back and she'll never want to leave the city again." Looking back, she nods. "I'll work on it. Not that we have very many people. Soon, hopefully."

Displaying her ship-born instinct to eat as fast as possible yet again, Tasha is the first to reduce her meal to a greasy stick, which she seems happy to have around for some reason. "So much left to do. Ready for a bath?"

"I'll help carry your evil twin," Gabriel offers, gesturing to Hakeber with a grin. It isn't hard to get a private bath stall, as it turns out. Since the bathhouse isn't based on a hot spring, it uses multiple spaces anyway, although they do follow the familiar Olympian style, albeit on a smaller scale. Each bath is a long, square depression with benches and showers, rented by the hour. The water isn't hot, but it's warmer than body temperature at least.

"I love having so much fresh water available," Hakeber notes, as she's quick to shed her clothing and take advantage of a shower. "I never liked the dry comb-in powder, always made my nose itch. I guess this is the last shower for awhile though.."

"I never realized just how much I'd miss water. For most of my life it was everywhere, now it's a major undertaking just to find a little in the ground," After stripping down, she places her things aside, including the wrapped-up form of Apollyon Stormbreaker's sword. "But I am glad we found some. That may my favorite mission so far. Maybe with more effort, Abaddon can have all the water it needs. Or wants, if we're lucky."

"So long as it doesn't come at the cost of destroying civilization, if that's what your nightmare vision implied," Gabriel says, joining Tasha a moment later. Hakeber smiles to the two of them, and asks, "So.. up for inviting me into your fun again, or would you two like to be alone for a bit? It may be your last chance at privacy for awhile."

"I'll leave that up to Gabriel. He's been through a lot because of me, so he gets the special favors," the hybrid answers as she lowers herself in to the bath, leaning against her mate.

"Two young women is a bit much for a man my age," Gabriel jokes. "I wouldn't mind some privacy with Tasha though."

"Okay, once I'm smelling nice again I'll go molest the bunny and leave you two alone," Hakeber offers with a wink. "Though it would go faster if someone washed by back for me.."

"Sorry Hake. Maybe next time?" Tasha settles her head on Gabriel's chest, raising a brow at the other woman's comment a second later. "She's persistent, that's a good sign in an adventurer," she admits to her mate.

Gabriel gives Tasha a kiss, then goes to scrub Hakeber's back, conspicuously exposing his to Tasha.

"This is what happens when you associate with people that are smarter than you," the red woman mock-complains to no one in particular. Pyshing herself up, grabs the extra soap and gets to work.

Harrison's Hold, Kilmanjar
Once a Khattan logging settlement, this outpost has moved on to other forms of commerce. Still in the mountains, it's only reachable by airships using reliable propulsion systems - which limits the size. As such, it's a popular base for smugglers who use smaller Rakhtor and Ptera-drawn airships.

"Will check here on next circuit, can't just hang around," Eyeshine tells Tasha. "And again if you aren't back. You be careful right? Fancy stone not worth getting eaten for."

"I keep hearing that, but it never sinks in," Tasha admits about stone-hunting, rapping on her noggin and grinning. As her hand falls, she cocks her head to the side and says, "Thanks for watching out for me, Captain. I'm glad you're here to take us, and ... I'm glad we were able to have that talk. I'm not about to go and die after all thar!"

"You better not!" the old Vartan squawks. "You mom beat me to death if that happen, then I find you in afterlife and spank you!"

"I'll avoid dying just for you," she promises her old Captain and father-figure. "Don't get caught by pirates now, you old bird! I'll see you in two weeks."

"Hopefully," Aaron notes. "We have a ways to go, and don't know exactly where to look.."

Tasha nods to her friend, gesturing him to walk ahead of her as they move to rejoin their party. "That's true. If we can't find it or run in to complications, we'll have another chance to leave. If we miss that, we'll just have to work something out. At the very least, I could offer my skills as a airship drover in return for taking us out of here."

The advantage of an outpost run by smugglers is that they have maps to all of the paths through the mountains and beyond. The unclaimed territories to the east, north of the Beast Lands, are a favored area for warlords, refugees and pirates which do business through the Kilmanjar outposts. There are plenty of Dromedons available for both riding and hauling. Sturdy wagons are also for sale - nobody is going to 'rent' such things, given the nature of both the vendors and customers.

"I'm glad we chose this Marker for last, we're probably going to go through a lot of our money before we leave here," the half-Vartan tells her friends in a low voice. She then glances at the wagon Hakeber indicates, frowning briefly before turning back. "The wagon might be difficult to manage if we have to cross anything more than a hill. Still, it would be nice to have more supplies with us, given the dangers here, and we could always hide it and have me fly back to get what we need. The wagon will also help us haul out whatever we find, assuming bandits don't take an interest and relieve us of it."

"If we get two of the drays, and saddles, we'll be able to leave the wagon as a base and use them to ride out," Gabriel notes. "That gives us ground-bounders a way to keep up better."

The red woman nods in agreement. "I like that idea. Aaron, want to handle the haggling for those things?"

"We'll need plenty of supplies if we're going to avoid settlements," Aaron notes, looking over the maps they've acquired. "We can turn south as soon as we're out of the mountains, then follow the northern edge of the Beast Lands until we get close to the likely crash site. That's when we'll need to look for locals who might know the area better."

The Lapi nods to Tasha, and heads over to the corral to haggle for the transport. "We may have enough supplies for a week," Gabriel notes. "If we can supplement on the way, it'd help - but could slow us down too."

"Only natives, the desperate, the mad or the especially dangerous will consider basing themselves near the Beast Lands. It's a Forbidden Zone, so it's not good for hiding a ships, and the local fauna are said to rival Abaddon's monsters. The only resource I can see is that of privacy, so while we'll be facing fewer dangerous groups, those that are there will be that much more dangerous. The locals being the exception, but this is a hard area, and they may not have much to give -- and a lot they'd like to take," Tasha explains as she scans the horizon, her eyes tracing the path they expect to take. When she looks back, she adds, "I can do some hunting if we need it. My main concern, at least right now, is avoiding attention from thieves and murderers. Until we're out a day or two, we have to be extremely careful."

"Think we should break from the path sooner than Aaron suggests?" Gabriel asks, consulting the maps.

"It'll be harder on the wagon, but we can fix a wagon or get a new animal -- an ambush would be a lot harder to manage. I think once we get out of town I'll be putting my armor on. It'll be hot, but by the time they're on us it'll be too late to prepare. The undersuit should keep me cool, but lets make sure we have more water in reserve," Tasha replies.

"And if anyone does see it, they may think we're Knights Templar, which should dissuade casual attempts to overtake us," the hybrid adds in afterthought.

"These are trade routes, even they're used by smugglers and such," Hakeber notes. "The should be safe, just because anyone that preys on them is likely to be hunted down by the others."

Returning, Aaron reports, "We've got a small covered wagon, and two drommies with saddles. Only one is needed for the wagon, so the other can be used for quick escape or anything else that requires some speed."

"Perhaps," Tasha saus, uncertainly. "But we're newcomers. No one will stand up for us, or care much if we disppear. Groups like these keep the peace by having an understanding, usually paid for in a bit of blood now and then. Besides, we're hardly a group of traders. Even if we keep to ourselves, we still stand out."

Tasha nods to Aaron as he returns. "I'll take the drover spot then. I've never driven a wagon before, but, unless I'm mistaken, no one else has more experience?"

Tasha nods. "Then I'll be the lookout. I should be able to keep ahead of the wagon, or take to the air, so that'll help keep us on top of things. Or do you think I should ride too?"

"I can ride the wagon dray," Gabriel suggests. "You ride the other, at least until we're out of town. When we want to start looking for alternate routes, I can take the outrider while you scout from the air."

The hybrid smiles. "It sounds like a plan. I've always wanted to learn how to ride, but I could never convince Eyeshine to get me lessons. I think he was afraid I'd steal a ptera and fly off in search of adventures or something." She winks, and even wiggles her ears. "Crazy, right? Anyway, lets split up and get our supplies. Gabe, go with Aaron and get a bit more food and water loaded up? I'll take Hake and find us some maps. Just get whatever you think we'll need."

Three days later finds the group forging a new path through the mountains. They've so far only encountered other wagon trains going towards the Hold, and the rough-looking types leading them didn't really invite conversation. The etiquette of the route required the smaller group to pull off the trail and let the larger pass. There were a few flyers as well, mostly Korvs but the occasional Vartan, that patrolled the route. It was tricky to strike out without them noticing, since it was done at night. The journey wasn't too bad off the path through, as they followed an old river bed heading south.

Hunting was possible once they reached the foothills and struck out eastwards. The landscape was varied, changing from grassland to desert to jungle, depending on the flow of water.. which also let them know where to find water, conveniently. The Beast Lands lay to the south, the only clue being the Forbidden Zone 'overcast' and haze that made it difficult to see very deeply into the area. There were signs of nomads visiting the watering holes, but so far there haven't been any encounters.

"We should be near the edge of the likely crash zone," Aaron says after they've set camp for the night. "It's still a big zone though. The ship could be a mile into the Forbidden Zone or twenty miles in any other direction.."

"Lets make a point of bringing more flyers in to the JEF when we get back," Tasha asides to Gabriel before nodding to Aaron. "And beyond that, the ship could be on the surface, buried beneath tons of rock, or at the bottom of a body of water. On the brighter side, it was a fairly large vessel. The Fenris caused geographic changes during its impact, so a ship as large as the Lucifer should have left some sort clue that we can follow, assuming it's not just laying on the surface somewhere."

"So, a trench or a circular lake?" Hakeber asks. "The Celestial Empire ships were pretty tough.. some of them had been in service for thousands of years before joining the Expedition."

"I think it's as good a place to start looking as any. And, well, there's also the possibility the creation of the Beast Lands is somehow connected to the Lucifer itself. All of the ships we've located on Sinai have caused, or been party to, changes in the environment -- be those changes social, geographic, or otherwise. The City of Hands is beneath a Forbidden Zone and was once a major city. The Fenris caused a cleft and became the stuff of legends. Many of the other ships are now the center of cities, other legends, or techno-magical disturbances. I would be extremely surprised if the Lucifer was the exception," the hybrid woman remarks.

"Well, we know the Gerondisanakh is most likely the Imperial Palace in Nagai City," Gabriel notes. "It does seem like the Titan-carrying ships are at the center of unusual events, though."

"You can't swing a dead Creen without hitting something weird on the surface," Aaron points out. "It's just as likely that the Forbidden Zone was here first, and caused the Lucifer to crash."

"It's nice to know the world I was born on likes Titans as much as I do," Tasha admits with a smile. "Though I don't expect Caspar to be more than a wreck. It's a shame, too. There seems to be very few instances of Celestial Titans."

"So, do we head into the Zone in the morning and just start looking around?" Aaron asks. "No maps, and you can't risk flying in a Forbidden Zone, Tasha."

"But I haven't added 'struck by lightning' to my list of injuries yet," Tasha mock-insists, grinning. "Or been pulled to another universe, for that matter. I'll be careful. But, yes, I think it's all we really can do without more information. We could try meeting with the locals to see if they'll share their legends, but that plan has its own risks and complexities to sort out."

"Why are they called the Beast Lands, anyway?" Hakeber finally asks, looking nervous.

"Oh, because people that venture into them can go insane, or be twisted into animals or monsters.." Aaron says, nonchalantly.

Tasha's ears perk at the question, then she to Aaron's assessment. "That's what I've heard too. Sailors aren't short on rumors and legends, but when it comes to the Beast Lands there are elements that are usually present, and Aaron's got them all."

"So.. anyone we meet in there is likely to be crazed, cannibalistic or mutated?" Gabriel asks, one eyebrow raised.

"I've heard some smugglers and pirates like to hide out in there as well, but that could just be baseless rumor. The risks don't match the rewards; I can think of a hundred safer place to hide," Tasha confirms.

"It's a good story to keep people out, in any case," the Lapi notes. "But we're covered. Tasha can charm the mutants, you can feed me to the cannibals and Hakeber can seduce the crazy ones.."

"There's one more thing ... " Tasha points out as she casts a glance at her party. "That could be us. We'll need to keep an eye on each other and be prepared to act if one or more of us show signs of deteriorating."

"We need to watch our rations too," Aaron notes. "We don't want to eat or drink anything from within the Zone if we can avoid it. And I'll be sure to keep an eye on all of you. I'm just paranoid, but you guys are definitely crazy already."

"I know I am," Tasha agrees, sticking her tongue out before adding, "And a mutant too. So, really, all I have to worry about is cannibalisim."

The young woman then cocks her head to the side. "I have had rabbit though," she admits. "And it was delicious."

"No giving Hakeber ideas," Aaron says, wagging his finger. "We should keep a watch tonight though, seriously. We're pretty close to the Zone."

"I agree. All joking aside, we can't afford to allow our attention to lax. I nearly lost my life to one of these Zones, I don't want any of having the same experience -- or worse." Casting her gaze across the perimeter of their camp, Tasha nods to herself, and suggests, "Let me take first watch. My eyes won't be as useful at night, so I'll be of most use during dusk and dawn. Aaron can take midnight watch, and Gabriel can have the early morning hours. Hake can sleep."

Tasha barks a laugh, but quickly points out, "You're not off the hook! We need you rested for the long walk, and you lack the experience to be effective. So, you'll be making breakfast and tending to the fire. It's good you lget used to that. Now, I suggest you all turn in. You'll need all the rest you can get."

Within the Zone, a few simple rules make themselves apparent. The first is to watch the vegetation: when it starts to get weird, take another path. The bruised-looking sky makes it difficult to tell exactly where the sun is, and compasses are useless, so the second rule is to keep a detailed record of every turn and landmark. Another one is to stop dead when a horrible scream is heard, no matter how far away it sounds. This makes for slow going, of course, but at least the Dromedons haven't panicked yet.

Tasha waves the party to halt, then asks, "Real smoke or 'it smells a bit like smoke but also like like crazy'?"

"Cooking smoke," the Lapi reports. "Can't tell direction though.. you're the one that's better with following breezes, Tasha."

"It's not that I can't smell it, it's that I'm having a hard time picking out what's real and what isn't ... Or at least what shouldn't be. There are smells here I'm sure I've never scented before, and others that smell almost like the familiar, but are also ... wrong," the young woman admits as she looks around, nose testing the air. "It's all a bit overwhelming, but I think I have the scent now that I'm looking for it. That way." She points.

Less than hour later, the scent is strong enough for all of them to follow. It leads to a dome-shaped hut made of thistlebark - with the thorns still in place on the outside. There's an empty spit over the smouldering coals of the fire near the entrance, so whatever was being cooked is gone now.

"I'll go first," Tasha warns the others after indicating they should stay back -- just in case. Once she's dismounted, the half-Vartan approaches the camp and, after testing the makeshift fence to see if it's really there, calls out, "Hello? Is anyone here?" Her right hand never leaves the hilt of Stormbreaker's sword.

A scaled snout extends from the entry, along with the tip of a spear. Eventually the entire head emerges, revealing.. well, it could be a mutant, or just a regular Jingai, given their wide variety of form. It's got horn ridges over its eyes, scales of pale green and black, and a face that falls somewhere between a serpent and a Kiriga. A long black tongue tastes the air as the creature stares at Tasha. "Explorers? Are you lost?" it asks.

"Since we're not sure where we're going, we can't say that we're not there," Tasha answers, grinning lopsidedly. "We're actually looking for a particular ruin. We know it's here somewhere, but as I'm sure you know, this area isn't well documented."

More of the creature emerges, until it's clear the reptile (or at least pseudo-reptile) is centauroid, if a bit leaner than that body style normally appears. "You should not be here," it claims. "You are approaching the Swamp of Dragons."

Tasha simply shrugs at the warning. "Going where I shouldn't usually leads me to where I need to be," she insists, finally removing her hand from her weapon. "The Swamp of Dragons sounds promising. I don't suppose there's a large ruin in that swamp? Different from the surrounding area, perhaps looking like it was crafted rather than formed from the environment? A ruin that seems out of place."

The black tongue flicks several more times before the local speaks again. "There are many traps surrounding the swamp," the creature warns. "I know, because I set them. I am Toth the Hunter. Why do you seek the Dragon Palace?"

"We've been following a chain of records and prophecies that indicate this is our final destination; that a ship, the Lucifer, landed in this swamp during the time of the Expedition and has remained here ever since. Within that ship -- the ruin I mentioned -- are artifacts we wish to recover," Tasha explains.

"You speak of things I have never heard of," Toth claims. "There is only death in the Dragon Palace. The name is clear enough, is it not? The dragon lairs there."

"Well then, this will be my second dragon encounter this trip. I'm sure we can come to an accord just the same. Would you be willing to lead us to these ruins?" The young woman asks.

Toth stares at Tasha for a bit, without blinking. Although it does lick it's eyeballs once during the effort. "Perhaps," the hunter finally says. "If you will aid me in trapping the dragon."

"You wish to trap it?" Tasha asks, brows raising. "I'm not sure I can agree to that without seeing this dragon. We're not hunters, and we're not here to kill anyone unless they present a clear danger. The last dragon I spoke with was clearly sentient."

"This one is cunning and murderous," Toth claims. "But it cannot resist attacking those that intrude on its territory. You would make excellent bait for a trap."

"I'm sure." Tasha glances back at her party, calling out, "Aaron, you heard him. What do you all think?"

"Ten times the length of my body," Toth says. Fully stretched out.. the reptile is nearly ten feet long.

Turning back, the half-Vartan asks, "Are you anticipating we'll need to fight, or is this something you expect to handle alone?"

"Fight?" Toth asks, looking from Tasha to wagon. "The dragon's hide is impenetrable. Its tail shatters trees, the ground shudders from its step. No, I do not expect a fight. It must be lured into a trap that will hold it."

"I'll take that as a 'maybe' then, and prepare accordingly. Very well; we'll help you with your dragon, but should the situation show you are not being truthful, we will not hesitate to releae the creature," Tasha agree, if not without hesitation. "Give me a moment to prepare. We'll leave our wagon and one or two of our team here."

Toth hisses softly. "I will show you the traps, when you are ready," the hunter says.

"Thank you. I'll return when we're prepared." Tasha offers the reptile a polite nod, then makes her way back to the others, telling them as she approaches, "The deal is that he'll guide it through histraps if we assist him in capturing this 'dragon,' stating that it's 'murderous', but I have my reservations. We'll help so long as he's being truthful, but be prepared to release the dragon if we're being misslead. Furthermore, I'll want at least Hakeber and the wagon to remain behind."

"Although he seems to have great confidence in his plan, it's to our advantage to prepare for a disaster. We may need to fight; and it will be quite a fight by all accounts. I'm going to suit up. Gabriel, get your crossbow. Aaron, bring the wagon around, and Hake, if we don't return, leave in two days."

After scanning the faces of her companions, Tasha nods approvingly. "If we survive, we'll have quite a tale to tell! Now lets move!"